Behind the Mask
Rated: T for language and violence
Disclaimer: Naruto characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Summary: We all wear masks. But that only makes it harder to tell the difference between truth and lies.

Note: As always, reviews are much needed and appreciated! Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter.

013: 错误
(mistake)

Period of the Warring States
Reign of the 5th Emperor of Fire
Month 12

Though they had all been anticipating the shift in weather, it had still been sort of a shock to wake up and see the ground dusted with white. It had managed to snow quite a bit during the duration of the night, so many found themselves bundling up and bracing themselves for the frigid air as they went to shovel.

Iruka chuckled to himself as he spotted a few of his comrades grumbling as they shoveled the snow while their wives giggled behind them. Iruka took a deep breath of the fresh crisp air before he returned to his own shoveling. Iruka didn't much mind the snow compared to others. To Iruka, the snow was calm and peaceful. It gave off a rare beauty in its pure whiteness and Iruka felt rejuvenated.

"Oi! Stay the whole night again Iruka?"

Iruka looked up to see one of his comrades calling to him. Iruka shrugged his shoulders and gave a small smile. The man just sighed and shook his head and Iruka could see the amusement on his face.

"We need to find you a wife." The man commented.

Iruka rolled his eyes at the comment and resumed his shoveling. He had heard the comment frequently over the years after joining the police force. His comrades seemed to find it a constant source of amusement that Iruka wasn't even the slightest bit interested in dating. But how could he be? Strange or not, Iruka was deathly afraid of starting a family. Seven years had passed, yet the incident still hurt Iruka like it just happened yesterday.

Sometimes he woke up, the pain in his heart so great he thought he was having a heart attack. Sometime he felt the bridge of his nose go warm, like blood fresh seeping from a wound. Sometimes, it felt like only half of him remained and the other half was locked away in a box that he had buried deep within himself, loath ever to retrieve it again. Iruka had done so well in trying to forget them that he hardly thought about them on a daily basis. But refusing to remember and forgetting were two very different things and Iruka's heart refused to forget.

Iruka looked up, pausing momentarily to wipe a hand across his sweating brow. That's when he saw him.

He was standing languidly, some distance from Iruka. Hands were shoved casually into the pockets of his pants, yet he was staring straight at Iruka. A white mask covered the man's face, but the black eye sockets seemed to be boring deep into Iruka's soul.

Iruka's his heart seized in fear as adrenaline rushed through his veins. His breath was coming in short, quick bursts and with shaking hands he dropped his shovel into the snow and grabbed at the hilt of his sword. The note he received from the carrier pigeon, the one that was now locked in his desk drawer came back to him. Was that why he was here? Iruka almost blanched at the idea of killing another person. But he had to; he needed to avenge their murders, didn't he?

Iruka tightened his grip on the sword. It didn't seem as if the man had any weapons...but then again, it didn't look as if he did that night either. Iruka felt bile rising up in his throat as he pictured their dead bodies, the blood that soaked into the hardwood floor. Its grotesque taste startled Iruka and he realized how nervous he really was. How could he just kill another man in cold blood?

Iruka took another look at the man. It was then as if someone had splashed cold water over Iruka's face, erasing the adrenaline caused haze from both his eyes and mind. It wasn't the same man.

The man that had come to Iruka's house in the dead of night, those many years ago had been taller and his posture more rigid and controlled. His hair, although styled similarly had been a couple shades darker and had a more orange hue than this man's sunshine colored hair. Iruka let out a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding and the cold air stung his throat when he inhaled again.

It wasn't him.

Iruka let out a shaky breath and released his hold on his sword- which was quite difficult to do considering how hard he had clamped his fingers around the hilt. Slowly releasing them, he flexed his fingers, coaxing the blood back into the veins before he bent and picked up the shovel that he hastily dropped. It wasn't him.

Iruka watched out of the corner of his eye as a pink haired woman with a mask adorning her face approached the blond man. She slapped him on the head and was berating him for something that Iruka could not hear before they both walked away. Once out of sight, Iruka let out a deep sigh and shook his head. Feeling his legs give out from underneath him, he collapsed into the soft snow with a crunch. Ignoring his comrade's calls asking what was wrong; Iruka rubbed his tired and cold fingers over his face, attempting to alleviate the pressure that had building up.

With aching muscles, Iruka pulled himself up and tucked the shovel under his arm. He gingerly made his way back inside the confines of the police force headquarters.

"Done shoveling already, ey, Iruka?" Called one of his comrades again.

"Yes." Called Iruka halfheartedly. He didn't have the strength to say much else.

It was around midnight when Iruka heard the brisk knock at the door. He had been sleeping in the parlor, his head resting on the book he had been reading for research. As he heard his father move to answer the door, Iruka wondered who could be coming to visit at this ungodly hour.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Iruka got up from his warm spot on the couch and moved to where his father was now speaking in hushed tones at the door. Iruka furrowed his eyebrows. Who was his father speaking with?

"But you see, my work is purely experimental, there is no backing that anything I have come up with will actually work." Said Iruka's father.

Iruka noticed that his father's voice was slightly agitated. Why was someone asking about his father's research? A chill ran up Iruka's spine.

"Of course." Said a low male voice. "My interest in the subject is...recreational. I heard that you were researching the topic and sought you out at my own interest."

There was an awkward pause before Iruka's father spoke again. "Of course. You may come have a seat in my study if you'd like. We can discuss there."

Iruka saw his father's face was rigid and he had a sheen of sweat already across his forehead as he walked to his study. Iruka didn't know how to describe the man that followed. He looked to be scholarly, judging by his clothes. He was of average height and had on a simple forest green silk jacket and pants. He kept his hands folded as he followed Iruka's father down the hall. Under his scholarly hat, Iruka noticed the man had shaggy orange hair.

As the man followed his father, he swept his glance over to Iruka. Iruka widened his eyes at the sight because the man had the most peculiar eyes, nothing like Iruka ever saw. He had purple irises with black concentric circles around them. Iruka wondered if maybe he was marked with some rare disease because nothing he had ever read about described that.

Iruka stood in the parlor for what seemed like hours as he waited for the strange man to leave, or at least for his father to shout - anything to give Iruka a hint the man wasn't what he seemed. When the man had entered, so did a dark nagging feeling that pulled at Iruka, telling him that something wasn't right. Finally, as quietly as he could, Iruka crept closer to his father's study, in hopes of listening in.

"But intellectually, one has to wonder, is it possible for a Bijuu to be implanted into a human?" Asked the strange man after what seemed like hours of pointless discussing.

Silence came from the room as Iruka held his breath, wondering what his father would say."I'm sorry, I don't know where you would have gotten that impression." Iruka's father finally explained, keeping his voice as neutral as possible.

"But logically, how would the Bijuu keep in hiding for so long?" The man inquired. "A human host must have been the only way."

"As far as my studies have taken me, I have seen no proof to lead to that conclusion."

Iruka kept calm as he pressed himself against the wall listening as tried to keep his breathing shallow. How much more would the man push for information? What did the man want? Was he really as dangerous as Iruka's intuition was telling him?

The man gave a soft laugh that sounded much more sinister than it should have. "But I think you have. You are the family that visited the Hachibi Jinchuriki Shrine weren't you?"

"H-How do you know that? Just who are you?" Iruka's father demanded, his voice growing steely.

"I'm sure you are aware of the Kyuubi attack that occurred just outside of Tianjin." Said the man, his voice evolving from the quiet tenor he had used before.

Iruka heard the scrape of a chair and heard the man's heavy footsteps as he paced. "What you may not be aware of is that the Kyuubi was sealed inside a human boy to keep from creating mass destruction." Said the man.

Iruka's eyes widened and he could only imagine his father's reaction. The implications that would mean for their studies! The word Jinchuriki was not foreign to Iruka's ears. They had come across the term a few times in the stories. It was a lesser known legend that after the Bijuu went into hiding, they used to bribe humans into letting them hide in their bodies to keep away from the Jade Emperor. Then, they could take over the human's host body as they pleased. They were able to teach others the trick of extracting a Bijuu out of a humans body without the hosts knowledge. This way, they would not be trapped inside the human till death, but could come and go as they pleased. The man's sharp voice brought Iruka back to the present.

"My employer is very interested at the concept of the Jinchuriki, which is why I came here." Said the man, his footsteps coming to a stop.

Iruka waited anxiously for his father's reply. Slowly, Iruka stood up. Would his father need him to go into the city to bring back help?

"It's getting very late." His father suddenly replied. "If you would like to come back tomorrow, I can explain to you in theory how a Bijuu might be implanted into a host's body. But if you'll excuse me, I can show you to the door..." Said Iruka's father.

Iruka heard another scrape of a chair and heard his father's footsteps. Iruka breathed a sigh of relief. His assistance was not needed. Perhaps if they could get out of the city quickly tonight, then they could escape the man tomorrow. Iruka saw the man enter the doorway when he froze.

His mother was walking toward the study, her white nightgown flowing behind her. She smiled at Iruka before stopping short in front of the man.

"I didn't know we had company." She said. "Honey, is there something wrong?"

Iruka instinctively stepped towards his mother when the man took a step towards her. She smiled kindly at him as he reached his hand up to graze it against her cheek.

"Your wife is very beautiful." He murmured as Iruka bristled at the gesture.

Suddenly, the man's face turned very dark and something warm sprayed across Iruka's face. Iruka's heart jumped in his throat and it stopped beating for a second as his mother's body, with blood still dripping from her neck slumped forward towards the man. A thin blue aura disappeared from his outstretched fingers and he stepped away to face Iruka's father as the body fell to the floor with a thud. The whole house erupted with an anguished cry that must have come from Iruka's father. Iruka's face felt sticky and his breathing was coming in shallow hitches as he trained his widened eyes to stare straight ahead and not look down.

"I had wanted to keep the promise I made to my employer not to kill anyone..." The man stated calmly. "Sometimes I underestimate my blood lust..."

"Ok! Ok, please, I'll tell you everything you need to know!" His father pleaded, his voice hysterical and Iruka heard his father falling to the floor.

Iruka listened with a muted expression as his father told the man what he wanted to know. "That's everything I know!" His father cried when he finished. "Please, don't cause my family anymore pain!"

"Your son." The man stated once more.

"No, no!" His father cried. "He doesn't know anything I swear! He never took an interest in this."

The man seemed to be considering this. "Hao ba. Sincerest thanks from myself and my employer." Said the man as he stepped over his mother's body and towards Iruka.

Iruka flinched and his heart started to race as the man neared him. The man seemed to consider him, before turning back to his father who had just walked out into the hallway. His father's eyes were rimmed red as he too tried not to look down. His skin was white and slick with sweat as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I think I can keep half my promise." Replied the man.

His father's head shot up, his eyes wide with fear when the man spun around, pulling a knife out of thin air to stab his father in the stomach. His father grunted, his hands going to his stomach as he sank down.

The man cocked his head at the body before facing Iruka once again. "Now you're all alone, like I am." The man stated.

He grazed his knife across Iruka's nose before walking away. Iruka stared straight ahead as he felt his tears mixing with the blood dripping from the bridge of his nose. Iruka looked down to see the defeated bodies of his parents before bringing his dinner back up.

Glossary:
Bijuu - Tailed Beast
Hachibi Jinchuriki - Eight Tailed Ox
Hao ba - Ok

Governor Feng ran his tired hands through his hair and sighed. Tsunade, sitting to the left of him, neglected to comment on Feng's wearisome presence. The air was stale and tense inside the meeting room that Tsunade set up. The most prominent men from across the Zhili province – from Clan Heads to government officials – all sat around the table, perspiring not because of the heat, but because of the tension that had risen up in the room like a flood.

"If war reaches Peking, what does that mean for us?" He asked. His green eyes lifted to make eye contact with everyone in the room. Most shied away from his powerful stare except for Tsunade, who boldly stared back. But this wasn't a battle of wills. No one could bring themselves to answer Governor Feng's question about the deteriorating situation in the south because no one wanted to admit that it could be the spark that ignited the brewing tension across the entire country.

The silence grew heavy in the musty room and Governor Feng's eyes turned expectantly toward the military officials. He was waiting for their answer yet it seemed even these men could not answer him.

The tidu – provincial military commander – finally stood from his seat ringing his hands, his mouth twitching slightly. He was one of the most powerful military commanders in Zhili and held the right to dispatch troops as he wished. He bowed his head formally to Governor Feng. "I don't think it would be possible for them to make it this far north." No one dared to comment that the question Feng had asked hadn't been answered by the tidu.

Tsunade tilted her head and her blond bangs swished with the motion. "Perhaps if they were traveling over land, then yes, it would be quite impossible. It would take months to travel that far over land. We would easily be able to anticipate their arrival and prepare a counterstrike." She said, choosing her words carefully. Her perfect eyebrows were furrowed.

Governor Feng narrowed his eyes, sensing what Tsunade seemed to be implying. "You think they would travel by sea." He commented.

The tidu, who had made the first claim bristled and immediately bent to whisper urgently in his colleague's ear.

"A rash assumption, Lady Tsunade." Said one of the Peking generals, looking toward Tsunade.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, but it was Uchiha Itachi who spoke up in her place instead. "It is not, actually." He replied smoothly. "The Western military forces are known for their prowess at sea. They know that coming this far inland is not a feasible option for them."

The general's face soured, but he didn't dare speak another word. Other murmuring had erupted in the room at Itachi's deduction and even Tsunade had to admit that his logic was well presented. It wasn't often that the young Uchiha spoke up at such functions, but when he did, he made sure his voice carried weight. It made those who would wish to discredit him due to his age very difficult to find any faults.

Feng motioned with his hand for everyone to stay silent. "Uchiha-gong is correct. The Land of Crowns and the Land of Roses both have a strong navy, much stronger than our own. Perhaps even on par with the Land of Water's." He turned to Tsunade. "We wouldn't be able to easily anticipate a sea strike would we?" He asked.

Tsunade smiled lightly. Governor Feng was a very intuitive man. She had to give him credit.

"Perhaps we have the wrong impression of war."

All eyes, including Governor Feng's turned to Gaara, who was sitting a little ways from Governor Feng. His expression was smooth and bore no traces of emotion. His hands were folded delicately in front of him.

"Speak, my son." Commanded Governor Feng rather harshly.

Gaara's eyes flicked to his father and there was almost a trace of annoyance in his expression. "The Hokage spoke to the Emperor about choosing his successor in the face of war, didn't he?"

Murmurs ripped through the room, but Governor Feng quickly silenced them with a wave of his hand. "Continue."

"If the United Trade Alliance doesn't come up with an acceptable treaty with the Land of Crowns and the Land of Roses soon, then we can further assume that both countries will attempt to make a more aggressive point." Said Gaara. "If they do attempt to move inland, we can assume the Land of Fire will be the first to be attacked. Now if our troops cut them off when they dock in Shantung, who will look better?" He asked, his eyes trailing across the faces in the room. Gaara sat back in his chair, his point made.

Tsunade was impressed by the young Feng's thoughts. It took a few moments, but pride was evident on Governor Feng's face at last. "It seemed I was right in choosing my youngest son as my heir." He murmured.

"My son," He declared loudly, "Has just provided me with an excellent way to gain the emperor's seat. The Viceroy of Shantung will look like an ignorant fool if our troops show up to battle on his land."

Anxious and excited chatter now broke out among the men assembled in the room, but Tsunade just sat back, her eyes somber. "It's a dangerous game you're playing at, Governor Feng." She said under her breath. No one seemed to hear her above the excitement that overwhelmed the room.

It was snowing again, but instead of turning things to chaos, the world seemed to slow down.

Naruto held his hand out to catch a few of the falling snowflakes in his palm as he walked through the city. The flakes fell silently into his palm before melting away as if they were never there. Naruto closed his fist, smiling and he felt like a kid again. When he was a child, he and Kakashi used to have contests to see who could catch the most snowflakes on their tongues. That was before Kakashi had become his teacher, but he remembered there was a few times when Sakura joined the contest too. It was days like that when they forgot the world around them, forgot about being shinobi, forgot about being teacher and student. Naruto wished it was that simple now.

Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets as he continued to walk. The wind and air was chilly, but Naruto felt more at peace this night than he had in a while, especially since arriving in Peking. The only sounds around him were the silent crunch his sandals made on the newly fallen snow. Sakura would probably scold him for not dressing warmly in this type of weather, but the cold didn't bother Naruto and Naruto knew that he was fortunate enough to have a body that was resistant enough to fight off colds.

As Naruto crossed the bridge over the Yongding He, he paused in the middle to glance up at the moon which was shining brightly in the dark sky. The glittering snowflakes fell through the holes in Naruto's mask and melted on his face.

Naruto debated on whether he should turn around and go back to Tsunade's estate. It was late and if Sakura happened to wake up and find him missing, she would go ballistic and Naruto would never hear the end of it. Naruto had only been tossing and turning in bed however, and it felt better to walk it off. It had been the same for the last couple of nights.

Naruto jumped up onto the ledge of the bridge and sat down, his feet dangling above the water. Looking out toward the water, Naruto took his mask off and lifted his face to the sky, reveling in the feel of the snow melting against his hot skin.

Naruto was afraid. Afraid that the Kyuubi would take over his body, afraid that he would be too weak to stop him. He feared for Sakura and Kakashi, because they would be the ones who would fight the hardest to turn him back. And Naruto knew that if they did, they would die, just like his parents had.

Suddenly sensing the presence of another person on the bridge, Naruto turned, realizing only a minute too late that his mask wasn't on his face.

Glossary:
Yongding He- Yongding River

Iruka normally didn't walk around the city well after midnight unless he was on duty to do so. Normally, if he didn't spend the night at the police headquarters, he retired to his small, but modest home in the outer throngs of the city and then barricaded himself inside. He even slept with a dagger clenched in his hand underneath the pillow. But tonight, Iruka found himself wandering the streets of Peking anyway.

The case of mistaken identity earlier had shaken Iruka to his very core. Although the multitude of locks on his door and the dagger under his pillow would say otherwise, Iruka had not truly been aware of his fear that the man who had murdered his parents would ever track him down and find him. His fear earlier had been so paralyzing that it really unsettled Iruka to see how scared and vulnerable he still was.

The snow was still falling as Iruka approached the Yongding He. Up ahead, he could see a lone figure sitting on the rail of the bridge, glancing up into the sky. It seemed that Iruka wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep that night. As he walked closer, Iruka realized it was the same man from earlier whose case of mistaken identity. Pausing, Iruka took a deep breath and gathered his wits when the man looked at Iruka.

The mask from earlier was gone – something that Iruka had only realized later marked the man as a shinobi. And the man, in fact, was not a man at all but rather a teenager. His eyes were a brilliant blue that reflected the moonlight and he had three black whisker marks on both of his cheeks.

Three whisker marks on both cheeks

The boy got over his brief shock at seeing Iruka to quickly spring off the rail and back onto the bridge while once again shielding his face from view with his mask. But that hardly mattered to Iruka as he was still stuck on what he saw briefly on the boy's face.

"Who are you?" The boy suddenly demanded as he drew a kunai from the vest he was wearing.

When Iruka dumbfoundedly could not find the words to answer, the boy grew angrier as he thrust the kunai toward Iruka. "I said who are you? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're a Jinchuriki!" Said Iruka, finally finding his voice. Luckily, paralysis hadn't taken a hold of him this time as he quickly drew his sword from its scabbard and crouched into a fighting position.

Naruto's eyes widened behind his mask and he clutched the kunai more tightly in his grasp. He was foolish to have let his guard down so easily that he didn't even hear the man coming up onto the bridge. The man didn't look very threatening as he looked no older than Naruto and was dressed in simple clothes. But the man had already assessed Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki from just one simple glance at his face. While Naruto was forced to be made aware of the existence of the mythical Tailed Beasts, most civilians weren't aware that the Bijuu were anything more than just a simple legend.

So how was it that this man seemed to know what a Bijuu was, let alone what a Jinchuriki was? That thought alone put Naruto on edge. He would have to end this man quickly.

Naruto took a small side step toward what he perceived was the man's weaker side when the man suddenly widened his eyes.

"Stay back, Jinchuriki!" Iruka warned as he took two steps backward. His sword quavered but he fought to keep his stance strong. His heart was pounding in his chest.

The man seemed…frightened. Was he a threat to Naruto? Was he an enemy? Naruto grit his teeth. The Kyuubi seemed to be snarling in his head, intoning the same questions that Naruto had. Naruto struggled to push the Kyuubi back where he belonged while maintaining his focus on the man before him. "How do you know I'm a Jinchuriki?" Naruto asked cautiously.

Iruka frowned. How did he know? For years, before he was even born, his father studied the legend of the Bijuu. At first, Iruka hadn't understood why…the Bijuu were just a myth right? Why bother studying a myth, especially when it made Iruka and his family constantly rove the country, going from city to city, province to province, searching for what, Iruka didn't know. At first, when he was younger, Iruka hadn't minded as much. But later, when he found it impossible to make friends, Iruka had resented his father with such a passion that it surprised even him. But when his father finally found proof, evidence that the Bijuu did and truly exist, Iruka finally understood. He understood the obsession, the pursuit of trying to turn myth into reality.

And up until his parents were murdered, Iruka hadn't realized the potential threat that Bijuu presented…or the lengths that some would go to obtain them. But this boy…this boy didn't have a choice on whether or not to become a Jinchuriki.

"What you may not be aware of is that the Kyuubi was sealed inside a human boy to keep from creating mass destruction."

Iruka shook his head again as he slowly backed away from the boy. He deserved what happened to him no more than Iruka deserved what had happened to his parents.

Iruka didn't see any other option but to turn and flee, leaving a stunned Naruto wondering what on earth just happened.

Glossary:
Jinchuriki – human host
Bijuu – Tailed Beast

Temari's eyes flew open as a gust of cold wind seemed to settle over her. She shivered as the cold air burrowed under her thick blanket, through the heavy robe she wore over her thin nightwear and settled over her skin. Temari pulled her knees up to her chest and curling her feet closer together, trying desperately to stay warm. Her heart beat was a bit irregular after being awoken so quickly from a deep sleep. Her dull and sleepy eyes scanned her dark room from the spot where her head was resting on her pillow. She found that the fingers of her right hand were clamped tightly around her pillowcase and she slowly un-pried them, letting her slender fingers stretch before wiping at her eyes with them. Oddly enough, she found herself wiping tears-both dry and wet, away from her cheek.

Sighing, she sat up and pulled her heavy blanket around her as she tried to gather her senses. It must have been one of those nights; Temari was quite used to having them by now. Sometimes the sense of longing in her heart seemed to get so bad that Temari thought she wouldn't be able to handle it. Temari bowed her head, her loose blond hair shifting in front of her face. Why did she have to wake up so quickly? The dream she had been having felt so real that the longing in Temari's heart seemed to vanish. In her dream, she could see his face, she could feel his sun kissed skin under her fingers she could his hear his voice calling her name.

But now it had all vanished, leaving Temari with a gaping void that seemed bigger than before.

She tried to remember the exact details of her dream once again, but it was blurry, like seeing someone from a very far distance. And that would not be enough to satisfy Temari's heart. Temari sat there, sitting on her bed in the darkness feeling disconcerted. She tried so hard to remember the exact details of his face, but the harder she tried, the more it got distorted. So distorted that all she could see was someone's raven black hair, cold eyes and pale moonlight skin...and that someone was not...

"NO!" Temari screamed, jumping to her feet as new tears burst from her eyes.

As the blanket fell around her and the cold air made contact with her skin, the image was pushed out of Temari's mind. She took a deep breath and re-gathered her senses as she looked around the dark room.

A small pile of snow had gathered on the floor underneath her open window. Temari furrowed her eyebrows as she walked over to close the window. She could have sworn that she had closed and locked the windows that night. As she locked the window again, an eerie smell hit her nose. Wrinkling her nose, Temari whipped around to find the source of the disturbing smell.

In the dimming light of the candle she had set out before she went to bed, Temari could see the shape of human body lying in the shadows. A dead and decaying hand lie exposed in the candlelight.

Temari let out a terrified scream before the darkness enclosed in on her.

Character Corner

Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Shinobi Name: Zhong Hu
Age: 18
Height: 5' 10'
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Specializes: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Senjutsu, Bojutsu
Naruto was born in Konoha, the only son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. On the day of his birth, Orochimaru the Konoha traitor attacked Konoha, bringing the Nine Tailed Fox with him. To stop the Kyuubi, the Minato was forced to seal the it within Naruto, marking him as a Jinchuriki. Naruto was orphaned ever since, until he was taken in by Hatake Kakashi. At the age of seven, he began training with Kakashi to become a shinobi along with his new teammate Haruno Sakura. At the age of 12, he participated in the Chunin exams and was promoted. He trained with one of the legendary Sannin Jiraiya on Mount Song for three years before returning to Konoha and being promoted to Jounin at age 16.

Naruto has become an accomplished shinobi despite the fact that many in his village thought he would become a threat. Naruto is easy going and also very unpredictable and often used to pull pranks as a child. Naruto idolizes the Fourth Hokage because he respects what The Fourth did to save his people and he also views Kakashi as a father figure. Naruto is still unaware of who his parents are. Naruto has had a childhood crush on Sakura since they became teammates, but is too shy to admit it. Naruto's shinobi name means Loyal Fox.

Note2: Mount Song here would be the equivalent of Mount Myoboku in the Narutoverse.