Chapter 1
Enter, Sasuke! The Academy Graduation Exam!
気
~six years later~
The dawn brought about a change in the Village Hidden in the Leaves; the soft light banished the ever-present shadows between buildings, washing the streets in thin layers of gold, orange, and rose-tinted red. The dirt roads gleamed a burnt umber, and outside, the vendors were already hanging brightly colored banners and dressing in eye-catching shades to attract the early-morning rush of ninja heading for the mission assignment office. Wires struck thin, black lines through the sky, and telephone poles like branchless trees cleaved the clouds with their breadth.
In the middle of it all, though, a thirteen-year-old boy walked, head down, hands in his pockets. He was rather nondescript; none of the few passersby spared a glance or a word for him. His ankle-high, navy zori scraped at the ground, the thick grips scuffing at the dirt. His calves were wrapped with white bandages, held in place by leather straps. White cargo shorts covered his legs, loose enough to offer comfortable movement but tight enough to emphasize the lean muscles of the limbs beneath. A high-collared navy T-shirt, white on the inside, fitted itself to his torso, once again loose but tight in all the right places. White arm-warmers covered his forearms, fastening with dark blue strap-and-buckle rigs. A red-and-white fan stood out proudly on his back, a symbol he obviously wore with pride. Pale skin shone like polished marble in the brilliant early-morning light, contrasting against cobalt hair so dark it was black in anything but the right light, and eyes like spheres of black hematite streaked with slightly lighter shades of gray. His bangs framed his face, descending to his chin, and the rest spiked up in the back in soft, tapered feathers. The aristocratic features that would undoubtedly sharpen with age were rounded slightly, giving him an almost childlike appearance.
The boy strode purposefully down the streets, alone but exuding an air of complete and utter confidence, so potent it could almost be mistaken for arrogance. He was used to walking in solitude, as the female population of Konoha all wanted to…ahem…hook up with him for his looks and intelligence, and the rest either hated him for inadvertently taking all the girls or just didn't interact with him. Either way, he was a loner.
Just the way Sasuke liked it.
気
The morning of September 15th was a little more significant than any other in the year. The twenty-one students in Block A of the Leaf Village's Ninja Academy flowed into their classroom, sitting themselves at the amphitheater-style desks. They'd been in this classroom for seven years, since the age of six, learning the various skills needed to become a ninja. Few remembered those who'd dropped out over the years; each class started with over a hundred students, the numbers of which slowly dwindled as the children realized that they were either too lazy or too weak to become shinobi, leaving, mostly, the children of clans or of shinobi parents.
Sasuke knew of quite a few clan heirs in Block A; Hyuuga Hinata, of the Main Branch of the Hyuuga clan, was a shy girl with pale lavender eyes and indigo hair. Inuzuka Kiba, of the Inuzuka clan, had slit-pupiled eyes and messy brown hair, with twin red fangs on his cheeks. He was never seen without his ninken, Akamaru. Aburame Shino, of the Aburame clan, always wore sunglasses and a trench coat, with unruly black hair. Yamanaka Ino, of the Yamanaka clan, was one of Sasuke's more vocal fangirls and had long platinum blonde hair and pupilless teal eyes. Akamichi Chouji, of the Akamichi clan, was a plump boy with red swirls beneath his chestnut eyes and matching brownish-red hair. Nara Shikamaru, of the Nara clan, was famed for his laziness and wore his long black hair in a spiky ponytail atop his head. And, last but not least, there was him.
Uchiha Sasuke, the lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, was by far the most well known of the clan heirs. As soon as he turned fifteen or reached the second level of ninjahood, known as Chuunin level, he would take over his late father's place as the Head of the Uchiha Clan. Even though both of those requirements were a long while away, Sasuke was still treated with extreme respect; as the remaining member of one of Konoha's three Noble Clans (Uchiha, Hyuuga, and Senju), no one wanted to be on his bad side once he stepped up to his position. After all, Uchiha were famed for their seeming inability to forget anything.
The remainder of the class was comprised of either clanless shinobi or civilians. However, there was only one completely civilian student in their class; Haruno Sakura. The rest had dropped out sometime during the first and/or second year.
Sakura was…interesting, to say the least. The ends of her long, pastel pink hair brushed the middle of her back, with chin-length bangs kept out of green-topaz eyes. She wore a cheongsam-style dress, with slits up either side to increase mobility. The sleeves barely covered her shoulders, and the cowl-neck of the garment was slightly stiff, holding itself at her throat. White hoops decorated the sleeves, back, and front flap of the dress, the symbol of the civilian Haruno clan. She wore dark green spandex shorts underneath the dress to preserve some semblance of modesty, with the common blue zori sandals leaving her toes exposed. Unlike many of the girls, Sakura had chosen to coat her nails in a clear, protective polish. Her garish hair was already too visible for most ninja; it wouldn't do to add more noticeability to herself. Sasuke approved of this train of thought; it showed that she actually had a brain in her head, unlike most of the girls around him. Presently, though, his attention was drawn by another obnoxious ninja wannabe.
Uzumaki Naruto, known as the Fox Prankster of the Leaf, was the only other orphan in their class, having been abandoned at birth during the attack of the Kyuubi spirit. His wild, brilliant blonde hair was held away from cat's-eye-apatite eyes by a pair of green-and-gray goggles, and he outfitted himself in a horrendously orange jumpsuit that could be seen from across the village, with a white, chin-height collar and navy shoulders. The pants were capri-length. He, too, wore the standard zori sandals.
Naruto burst into the room, screaming loudly about how he would bring Sasuke-teme down and make Sakura-chan love him. The two in question looked at one another, kindred spirits (Sakura being a victim of bullying and Sasuke a victim of fangirling) and shared a sigh.
It was going to be a long day.
気
By the time the Academy teacher, Umino Iruka, walked in at 8, the entire class was in the room. The five fangirls (there were seven girls in the class, but Sakura focused on training and Hinata on stalking Naruto) were busy fawning over Sasuke, who wanted no part of their attention and was reading from a thick red-backed scroll with gold trim; the elder Chuunin guessed it was some form of jutsu scroll, but he couldn't tell without looking over the boy's shoulder (which, needless to say, would not go over well, considering how much Sasuke valued his personal space). He trotted calmly down the aisle between the right and center rows of desks, coming to a stop behind his own and slamming his palm to the wood. The resulting boom shocked the students into silence, and as they curiously looked towards the front of the room, they noticed him and sat down. Iruka laughed silently to himself; the five aforementioned fangirls seemed to be fighting over who would get to sit to the right of Sasuke (who'd cleverly situated himself in a corner for minimum fangirl exposure), while the teen ignored them and proceeded to reroll his scroll. Finally, Sakura sighed and slid into the seat, sending them a glare when they shrieked in indignation.
From his perch, Iruka watched him give her a relieved glance (well, as relieved as a stuck-up, emotionless, teenage ninja can be) and a silent fist-bump beneath the table.
Ma, ma…kids will be kids, but I have a class to teach.
"Oi~! As you all know, the Academy Graduation Exam is today! You will be tested on your proficiency in the three E-ranked jutsu you've learned while here; Kawairimi, Henge, and Bunshin. Once you've taken your exam, you're free to leave. If you finish before 10, however, you'll wait in here and do whatever you want. After that you are permitted to leave. Now, we'll start with the upper left corner. Uchiha Sasuke!"
Iruka stepped back from his desk, skirting the corner as Sasuke stood gracefully, walking calmly down the walkway.
The twenty-two-year-old opened the old, worn oak door to the hallway, escorting the teen into another room where a white-haired man sat, accompanied by twenty-one new Konoha headbands. The cloth bandanas were a deep navy blue, meant to be tied around the forehead. Riveted in the center, shining silver plates etched with the spiraling, stylized leaf that symbolized the village.
Sasuke's chest tightened as he remembered how much his brother's hitai-ate had meant to him…before, of course, it occurred.
Then the silver-haired man was introducing himself (his name was Mizuki) and asking Sasuke to perform the Henge no Jutsu.
気
Sasuke looked into himself, feeling for the core of power he'd always been able to access. Passing countless mental walls and blocks, he finally encountered the spiraling coils of chakra locked away within. He grasped the energy and clasped his hands in the sign of the ram, the focus seal. Within his mindscape, Sasuke cloaked himself in a thin layer of azure light, watching as thin tendrils escaped from his clenched hands only to be sucked back into the matrix of energy.
On the outside, however, blue streaks of chakra surrounded him as he unconsciously bent his knees, every muscle tensing as he brought forth his very life force. Iruka and Mizuki watched in awe; the amount of energy being released was enough to contest with a low-level ANBU, or at the very least a high-leveled Jounin. And the boy was only thirteen!
The floor creaked in protest as the pressure pushed said boy into the ground, spectral cerulean flames lapping at his ankles.
Back in the mindscape, Sasuke released the energy, a single image of Itachi's smile appearing before him, then vanishing.
"HENGE NO JUTSU~!"
In a poof of smoke, a perfect replica of the former Uchiha Clan heir stood before them, hands still folded, in the place of Sasuke. Mizuki looked at Iruka, who nodded once, then back at the Henge-d boy, who released the jutsu and became himself once more in another puff.
"You pass. Welcome to Konoha's Shinobi Roster, Genin Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke nodded, his eyes meeting Iruka's as they communicated in a way only orphans who can still recall their parents can. The brunette could feel a slight moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes as he looked away, and Sasuke gently lifted a headband from the table.
He tilted it, and his reflection in the plate disappeared as the metal flashed in the light. Bending his head slightly, Sasuke tied the bandana on, making sure his bangs weren't caught beneath the cloth. Then, he straightened and walked from the room without a backward glance.
Somehow, Iruka suspected that the gesture meant more to the now-Genin than he would ever let on.
気
Heads shot up from their relaxed positions, tucked against chests or leaning on hands, as the door slid open. Sasuke's footsteps seemed oddly loud in the ensuing silence, tapping against the wood-and-tatami floor in a rhythmic pattern.
Right, left, right, left…
Sasuke could feel twenty sets of eyes on him, following the movement of his feet as he walked back to his place and re-opened the scroll he'd been absorbing, resting his cheek I his left palm as he did so. Iruka called the next contestant, and Sasuke lost himself once more in the elegantly inked characters running the length of the page. It was in his mother's script—elegant, flowing, calm, like the wind in the trees and the flight of a morning dove.
'Vampirism is a disease passed on by certain carriers. A first-generation vampire is infected by the virus, known as the Kyuketsuki (bloodsucker), through ingestion or infusion through open wounds. The afflicted ninja becomes what is known as a mononoke (vengeful ghost), or a vampire without the ability to transform back into a human, whose only goal is to infect as many people as possible. Mononoke usually have a life span of two weeks after they are first infected, after which most die of complications. They have no recollection of their former lives, and the intelligence levels of a goldfish. Those whom the mononoke infects become second-generation vampires, with the ability to transform back and forth between their forms. Their intelligence is heightened, and they are considered to be the most powerful type of vampire. Third-, fourth-, and fifth-generation vampires decrease in strength, and the fifth-generation of vampire can no longer pass on the disease.
The virus has a two-hour incubation period, as well as a 75% chance of being passed on.
Only shinobi with chakra can be afflicted; the disease targets the tenketsu, or points where chakra is exuded from the body (which are undeveloped on those without use of the energy), and widens them exponentially, as well as increasing chakra levels to the point where the amount of energy is so massive that it is nigh impossible to control…'
He could remember the long nights she'd spent, researching his condition, trying to find a cure, or, at the very least, a way to seal away the virus. Uchiha Mikoto was nothing if not tenacious. She had been determined to remedy him, and in her studies she'd amassed quite the amount of information.
Information that Sasuke was using to further his knowledge of himself.
He was so absorbed in his studying that he almost didn't notice Sakura slide back into her seat and rest her head on the desk. In fact, the only reason he knew of her return was the vibration of the desktop under his palm when she let the side of her head gently fall to the cool, clean wood. The pinkette sighed, an expression of complete exhaustion.
"Mou, Sasuke, how was your exam?"
"Hn."
"…What jutsu did they test you on? I got the Bunshin no Jutsu again, 'cuz I'm more of a genjutsu type than anything."
"…"
"Kami, you're so quiet! How do you stand it?!"
"…Hn."
"UGH!"
Sasuke wasn't really listening to her as she flopped back in her chair. He was too busy trying to imprint the knowledge in the scroll into his mind. He was no genius, but Sasuke was well-known as a prodigy among his classmates—the lowest grade he'd received was around a 95%. He was a kinesthetic learner—he absorbed the most information by doing, working at something over and over until he'd committed it to memory.
Suffice to say, books didn't cut it. He'd have to transform in order to actually ascertain just how his condition worked.
The problem was transforming without losing any and all control.
Sometime later (though it only felt like seconds), the Uchiha was wrenched from his futile attempts to study by Iruka's shout of, "You're excused!" and the shuffling of chairs and feet on the floor. He sighed as he rolled the scroll closed. Maybe he'd have better luck at home.
気
Son of Kami-sama. Am I allowed to die yet?
Sasuke thought, groaning as he poured over the length of sturdy paper in his lap. Mikoto's writing had not undergone a sudden lack of ambiguity in the short, ten-minute walk from the Academy to his apartment, and his mother's words continued to confuse him. The jargon-filled explanations had given way to lists of traits that seemed to apply to all vampires, both when transformed and when normal.
'Physical Appearance and Traits (Non-transformed):
Pale skin
Lithe build; built for speed and agility rather than brute strength
Long, thin fingers
Delicate bone structure
Extremely attractive
Cat-like grace
Good balance; always land on feet
Longer-than-average nails
Skin is always cold
Physical Appearance and Traits (Transformed):
Pale skin; shimmers
Crimson eyes with black sclera (Sharingan users' eyes have the Sharingan with a four-point shuriken around the pupil when the doujutsu is active)
Hair lengthens and spikes out; becomes wilder
Movements become more elegant; no energy is wasted
Nails sharpen into claws
Heart stops beating
Fangs grow from teeth directly to the right and left of the upper front teeth
Muscles become denser; allow for greater resistance to attacks and more power
Personality and Mental Traits (Non-transformed):
Secretive
Cold
Mysterious
Likes silence
Socially awkward; cannot hold a conversation well
Extremely intelligent; almost all vampiric shinobi are considered geniuses or prodigies
Personality and Mental Traits (Transformed):
Extremely possessive
Quick to anger
Impaired logical thinking (only applies to chimayo transformations)
Heightened bloodlust
More volatile emotions; heightened desire and rage
Intense presence of being; loss of chakra control leads to extreme Killing Intent (only applies to chimayo transformations)
Become incapable of coherent speech; only communicate through bestial roars and snarls (only applies to chimayo transformations)
Strengths (Non-transformed):
Can blend in with shadows
Functions better in darkness
Fighting in the moonlight
Fighting 'blind' (without use of eyes)
Enhanced night vision
Faster than average shinobi
Resistance to cold temperatures
Resistance to most poisons/potions
Resistance to illness
Enhanced hearing (10% better than average without chakra enhancement; range of up to 1000 meters)
Enhanced sight (10% better than average; 20% better than average three-tomoe form with use of Sharingan; range of up to 100 meters; 270 degrees of vision)
Enhanced sense of smell (15% better than average Inuzuka clan member without chakra enhancement; range of up to 500 meters)
Moonlight
Weaknesses (Non-transformed):
Sunlight; chakra decreases in potency by 2%, meaning more chakra is required for various jutsu, lessening the amount of jutsu a vampiric shinobi can use
Fire (does not apply to fire-type shinobi, while lightning-type are more resistant to flames than average vampires)
Loud noises
Sudden, bright flashes of light (eyes are extremely photosensitive)
Strong, pungent odors
Blind spot
Strengths (Transformed):
Blood; the scent of blood drives a vampiric shinobi into a state known as 'blood madness' or 'blood fury' (only applies to chimayo transformations)
Resistance to taijutsu-style attacks
Increased muscle density
Immunity to most poisons/potions
Immunity to disease
Moonlight heals wounds
Weaknesses (Transformed):
Silver; it has a dampening effect on vampiric chakra
Wood
Running water; the purity of running water is said to 'cleanse' a vampire and forces them out of their transformation
Supernatural Powers:
Telepathy vampires can read conscious thoughts when they wish to and sense strong emotions
Psychic connections; vampiric shinobi who develop strong bonds with others (i.e. lovers, teammates, and siblings) can sense the other's mood and/or if he/she is in danger. Connections strengthen over time and usage.
Unnatural healing; vampiric shinobi heal faster in the moonlight
Enhanced senses…'
Sasuke couldn't help it. He was completely, totally, utterly bamboozled. None of his mother's extensive research made sense to him. He supposed, however, that when he transformed he'd be able to understand…
Right?
気
~Tsuzuku~
A/N: And so concludes the first chapter of N:BMS! Now, to answer some questions before they appear;
-No, I do not read Twilight. In fact, the idea spawned from excessive watching of Naruto and excessive reading of The Mortal Instruments. I don't know why people assume that just because someone writes about vampires they must read Twilight. Honestly!
-Naruto and Sakura will be developed further in the next chapter, since Sasuke doesn't really know them yet. Sasuke pretty much sees Sakura as an annoyance (though less so than his fangirls), but appreciates the fact that she isn't like the rest of the girls. Naruto, on the other hand, is the idiot dead-last of the Academy to him. Don't worry; he'll learn to like 'em!
-More on Sasuke's vampiric abilities will show up later, spread out throughout the story. Soooo…yeah.
Sasuke: *pokes his head around the corner* Whatcha doin'?
KBA: *is watching Naruto and crying* NO~! SASUKE, WHY U NO-!
Itachi: *slaps hand over KBA's mouth* No spoilers! :D
Sasuke:…lolwut?
Itachi: You don't wanna know.
KBA: *still sniffling; Itachi hands her a tissue* Alright, well, since you're here, YOU do the next chapter's intro, Sasu-chan!
Sasuke: Don't call me that… -_-
Itachi: Just. Do. It.
Sasuke: Fi~ne. *in the Pokémon announcer's voice* Our young hero meets his newest rival, and why is sensei so late? Join us next time for: Power of Three! Kakashi's Infamous Bell Test!
This chapter's page break is ki, or mind.