NARUTO
Destiny Breaker
Hand Before Foot
The next morning…
Naruto sat in his seat in the classroom, upper-body and head lying on the table with an exhausted and dreary look on his face. He had been like that since Iruka came around the isles to pick up their exam sheets for marking, leaving him and the rest of the students with an hour or so of break time while their sensei ticked or crossed away. The atmosphere couldn't have been anymore tense or anymore chatty.
Students left and right were either nervously watching their teacher's monotone expression as he flipped through the test sheets with his pen one after the other, or were turning in their chairs and having a conversation with the person next to or behind them. This left Naruto with nothing to do but to sit, wait and hope for the best.
"I spent all night studying all of my text books and scrolls," Naruto thought, groaning with a bit of drool leaking out of his mouth and his eyes squinted in their characteristic manner. "I must have gone through two years worth of work and rework in eight hours…ugh…"
Wanting to pass the time, Naruto looked up and around him to see if there was somebody nearby he knew that he could talk to, or try to talk to.
Looking across the way to his right from where he was sitting, he saw Amy seated and chatting with one of her friends… not really someone he knew very well, nor was she someone he really liked that much.
She was kind of stuck up.
Looking in front of him, he saw Choji.
Kind of a weird guy, but he was more preoccupied with his chips then he was with what was going on around him. Sure he had hung out with the guy a lot back when they were younger, which was fun, but after a short amount of time, the orange haired boy sort of stopped hanging out with him.
Which was even stranger considering the last time he saw him was when he was taken away by his dad when they were playing on the playground.
Naruto then looked behind him, quickly dismissing his rotund classmate.
He had a second to identify Sasuke sitting in the row above…
…
He didn't want to talk to him at all. Full stop.
Naruto then looked to his left.
Shino was sitting next to him. Boy was his luck high today. Though he barely knew the guy, the one thing that he did happen to know about the Aburame was that he was uncomfortably quiet. When he was placed in a line up or crowd of students, he was normally the easiest to pick out because he was the tallest, was one of the only boys to wear sunglasses, and he just seemed to stare at you for hours on end.
It was nerve-rattling.
Nevertheless, figuring a one-sided conversation was still good conversation, Naruto sucked in air, his smugness, and let it all go, before smiling at the silent boy.
"So… how did you do?"
"…"
Shino turned towards him, his sunglasses flashing in the light from the sun beaming in through the windows.
"…"
Naruto kept on smiling, even though the corner of his lip was twitching nervously under his classmate's intense gaze. He managed to keep his blue eyes locked with the other bo-wait… reevaluation, with the other boy's sunglasses. Whether Shino was looking directly at him or not was a good question, since those things obscuring his eyes made it difficult to determine otherwise. Regardless, it was still unnerving.
"…"
The blonde jinchuriki's smile faltered a little after a full minute of silence, and after another thirty seconds and not getting even a visual quirk from the shady academy student, Naruto looked away. He plopped his chin back down on the desk in front of him with a submitted expression adorning his features, and simply took up to staring at the blackboard at the front of the classroom, hoping to see the words written on it come to life and start attacking each other for his amusement.
"Yeah, I think I did okay as well," Naruto sighed. What was the point? Even Shino refused to talk to him. But understandably, responding to an unasked question seemed the most logical answer.
"…"
"…"
"It was… a fair test," Shino replied, his voice set on a single track and tone.
Naruto literally jumped in his seat when he heard the statue speak, and looked over at the Aburame with a bewildered look on his face. He was more or less surprised. Then again, who was he to argue? He wasn't even expecting Shino to reply.
"Oh, so you can talk?" Naruto exclaimed, resting his hands on the table.
"I was waiting to see if you were going to add any more detail to your question," Shino murmured back, his glasses flashing. "However, repeating my answer from before, I believe the test we had just taken was… fair. I'm anticipating good marks at the end of today."
Naruto blinked.
Man. And he thought Sasuke was wound up. Shino, on his end, was just as quiet as the Uchiha, but went about it in his own way. Then, when he actually provided some descent input into anything, he only said what he needed to say and nothing else. They were very short, untimely responses, mostly due to the long pauses. This was something he picked up in class whenever Shino answered a question, and it sort of put Naruto off a bit. It was enough to make him feel like not wanting to continue a prolonged conversation with the guy.
Actually, with the way he responded, Naruto was wondering whether Shino was much for talking in the first place. It wasn't a really social response. He was pretty damn passive for a normal person.
The jinchuriki just smiled weakly and looked away.
"That's cool, Shino," Naruto chuckled. "I just wanted to know how well you did in your test, that's all…"
"And… how did you do, Naruto Uzumaki?" Shino asked in kind, his expression and tone unchanged.
The jinchuriki glanced over at him, raising his head somewhat. "Hnn… fairly well. I studied all night."
"I see," Shino nodded back. Satisfied with that answer, the boy looked back towards the front, continuing his wait for the final stage of the exams. "Best of luck to you."
"You too," Naruto replied, and rested his chin back on the table. For the next minute or so, the jinchuriki threw odd glances over at his glasses wearing classmate, unable to shake the chill that ran down his spine every time he did so. "Man… that guy creeps me out sometimes."
It took Iruka some time, but he eventually filed through all of the tests he had collected from his students. After checking to make sure he had ticked off all of the names present, he put the sheets into a separate folder and collected all the other nonessential documents on his workspace into his arms. He then rose to his feet, his movements silencing everyone in the room and drawing the class's attention towards him.
"Okay. Now that your written tests are over and done with, we can move on to the final phase of the examination process," Iruka announced, arm behind his back as he looked down at his clipboard and the list of student names provided. "In order to obtain a solid pass, you'll have to do a Bunshin no Jutsu and produce two clones. When you're called up, come in to the next room…"
"Ugh… jutsu!" Naruto thought with a look of dread on his face, during which time Iruka exited the classroom with the first student on his list in tow. "Even after all that time practicing I still can't do a single one. Why?" He dropped his right hand in front of him where he laid with his chin on the cold surface of the table, and glared at his palm. Flexing his fingers a few times, he then scrunched it up into a tight fist. "Is it because of these… things attached to my wrists? Am I not doing it right or what? COME ON!"
From that point onwards, Naruto spent whatever free time he had in between the present and his Clone Jutsu test, trying to perform a descent Bunshin in class, while one after the other, students were called into the room next door to take their final test. But despite his efforts, the young blonde just could muster any chakra during the transformation process. He even tried hopping on top of his desk and trying a stand-up approach, but it was no use.
While he was squatting with his hands formed into the correct seal and his face looking like he was going to drop a hard one, several of the students around him couldn't help but notice his plight.
"What in the world are you doing?" Shikamaru asked, walking down the stairs towards the door, hands in his pockets and looking like he didn't care… well… looking like he didn't care about anything going on really. Although, he was a bit concerned over the blonde's public display.
Naruto glared down at his classmate from where he stood on the desk. "Why? Is it bothering you?"
"Look, it's not that hard. The toilet is down the hall, sixth door on the left with a little man on the front. You can't miss it," Shikamaru thumbed over his shoulder. He was willing to guess what his eccentric friend was doing, but he had half a mind thinking that it probably wasn't what his other half was imagining.
A tick mark formed on the jinchuriki's head, followed by gritted teeth which he directed down at the lazy, good-for-nothing. "I'm not trying to take a dump! I'm trying to perform a jutsu!"
"Yeah… well…" Shikamaru picked at his ear and flicked the excess wax away after digging it out. "Either way, it's not that hard. Good luck with whatever it is you're trying to accomplish. What a drag," the boy muttered before continuing on his way out of the room.
Naruto shook his head and proceeded from then on, while several of the other potential Genin sitting around him snickered.
Eventually, Naruto was called into the next room to undergo his final phase of the exam. Dropping down from the desk, the blonde marched out of the class and into the next one, where he was placed in the middle of an empty hall with his two senseis Iruka and Mizuki sitting at a desk in front of him. The two Chunin watched and waited patiently, as the jinchuriki took a stance and formed a hand seal.
"I've got to try…" Naruto shut his eyes tightly and gathered his chakra. "Please… just one! Ple-eease!" But the results were the same as before.
Try as he might, he could gather his chakra, but couldn't do anything with it. It just sat stone cold in his stomach.
Eventually, after several minutes, both Chunin grew impatient. They only continued to watch him to the point where sweat began spilling from his face and he turned blue. By which time, they both decided to call it a day on the boy wonder. Iruka shook his head and simply ticked off Naruto's name, whereas Mizuki was laughing on the inside as he sat back with his arms folded, watching the blonde struggle.
"That's okay, Naruto," Iruka smiled up at the boy, who then keeled over onto his back, landing with a loud thud on the floor. Clearly, even with his persistence, he had given up. "You pass… barely. Come on…" The scarred shinobi picked up one of the headbands on the table and held it up, emphasizing that his student had at least made it through academy, at last.
The youngster quickly recovered from his collapse, and after the dizziness faded, Naruto wasted no time in picking himself up and jogging on over to collect his long awaited prize.
"Are you sure you want to pass him, Iruka?" Mizuki asked with concern, glancing over at his companion as he handed the headgear over to the eager teen. "I mean… he hasn't been able to perform any jutsu successfully throughout his years at the academy. He's failed two times, and it was always at this point…"
"Nobody is perfect, Mizuki," Iruka replied as he commented in the space under Naruto's name for the record. In the meantime, the blonde in question was leaping around the room in front of them happily, hugging the headband to him as if it were a treasured possession returned to him. "I trust him to work hard… and that's all I need to have faith in him…"
"But…"
"Besides," Iruka smirked over at the other teacher. "I was distinctly reminded by the Hokage that there were a couple of past students who did pass, and that they had no talent for jutsu whatsoever." The Chunin nodded his head affirmatively and then turned towards the subject under discussion, while Mizuki remained quiet where he sat, unable to deter his comrade from his decision. "Alright Naruto, you can go."
"Yatta!" the blonde exclaimed, wrapping the headband around his head and giving his teacher the thumbs-up. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!" the boy shouted and, without a moment to waste, ran out of the room.
The scarred Chunin who had been thanked shook his head with a small smile and rose to his feet, intent on retrieving the next student. This left Mizuki sitting in his chair, glaring out the door Naruto had recently dashed through.
"Hmph… it can't be helped. Guess I'm going to have to do this chore myself…"
Later that afternoon…
Iruka sat outside in the hallway of the hospital he had taken Naruto to. If there was any place a shinobi was going to get their body checked for any faults or, in regards to shinobi as well, their chakra network, then it was here. The Chunin had decided to drop him on a specialist this time in one of the departments, a Hyuuga who was well rehearsed in treating the chakra network throughout the body. If there was a problem with Naruto then that person was the one to visit.
After about an hour of waiting, Iruka got the wake-up call he needed from his bench. As soon as the door to the office opened, the Chunin was on his feet and facing the doctor who had finished her checkup on Naruto. The woman with long brown hair and wearing a light and dark blue, flower patterned kimono was going over the documents on her clipboard when she looked up to see Iruka standing right in front of her. The crystal eyed Hyuuga acknowledged his presence with a nod.
"Well?" Iruka asked with shrug. "How is he?"
"In terms of physical and mental health… a perfect male specimen," the woman replied, flipping a page on her clipboard over and skim reading her notes. "He's extremely fit for a boy his age, clean and well rested. However, I advice you may want to consider adding more vegetables to his diet. He told me in detail what he had for lunch today and I'm a bit surprised that broth hasn't been found in his bloodstream yet…"
Iruka furrowed his brow. "I'll take that as a side note, ma'am. What I mean is; how is his chakra network?"
The Hyuuga woman then developed a very puzzled expression as she flipped another page, and scrolled down it to the issues at hand, if there were any. She considered the information she had documented on her checkup to be quite perplexing and after a minute or so, looked back up at the Chunin curiously.
"So you're saying he can't perform any jutsu?"
"Yes," Iruka folded his arms and gave her a firm nod to affirm. "I've been teaching him for years and have even brought him in for several face-to-face catch-up lessons in his spare time. He's got the basic steps and processes down, and he's also physically worked over the steps himself. But…" The Chunin shrugged. "It's been two years and… well… nothing."
"I see. Well… that's certainly interesting," the woman replied, looking back down at her charts and sliding her pen off of its catch. Clicking it, she began scribbling the information she was given down. "I'm surprised that the other doctors didn't find anything wrong with him."
"Why do you say that?" Iruka asked, concern now lacing in with his serious tone of voice.
"According to these scans, his chakra network throughout most of his body is fine," the Hyuuga explained, moving closer to the Chunin and showing him the scans of Naruto's spiritual and physical energy system. She began pointing out the key areas of the boy's body, around the stomach, head and limbs. She even emphasized the various points along the branches of the chakra passages, having made sure to account for everything. "Note: there are no blockages around the left side of his body, heart or stomach. His chakra flow is smooth and unbroken, so there shouldn't be any issues with him learning the advanced exercises as a Genin, such as the tree climbing and water walking exercises."
"So… what's the problem?" Iruka asked.
"After I scanned him, I found some irregularities that I have never seen in a patient before," the Hyuuga informed and turned to another scan, pointing out Naruto's right arm and circling it with her red pen to draw the Chunin's attention to the problem. "He has a huge well of chakra… more chakra than I have ever seen in a human being, and I'm not talking about his umm… 'clears throat'…resident. All of that chakra is his. Chunin, Jonin… not even the Hokage's levels come even close to the amount of energy that he has. But that's not the problem. The problem is here; his arm leading from the shoulder down. The chakra passages aren't blocked and the key points aren't obstructing any flow. The network there is completely open, so his chakra should be fluid through there all the way through to his hand and fingers. But for some reason, it's not. There is no chakra going through there whatsoever. It's like its being nullified or pushed back."
"Is that bad?"
"For a ninja who relies solely on jutsu; yes. But this boy doesn't, so it's okay," the doctor stated and then moved the board back into her view to analyze it a bit more closely. "This is something that can easily be overlooked, and it has. You can look at him time and again on the outside and test him physically, and you'll find nothing wrong. However, deep underneath the skin it's a completely different story. I had to use my Byakugan to examine the full extent of the problem."
"Really?" Iruka asked incredulously.
"Believe me, even I found it difficult trying to spot the abnormality," the woman looked back up at the man with a firm gaze. "I don't know why. Usually I can see the chakra network as clear as day, but around that boy my Byakugan suddenly went hazy. I got a headache just from looking him over."
"Hmm…" Iruka murmured, looking away. "That's unusual. Naruto isn't that hard to figure out. This ability issue seems to extend far beyond his chakra network. It's even affecting others around him…"
"This explains why young Naruto can't perform any jutsu," she continued, tapping the board. "A normal shinobi would have a steady chakra flow throughout their entire body. The balance of yin and yang is maintained via the limbs and molded through hand seals from the center of the chakra network, where chakra manifests itself. It's what allows a shinobi, even a novice, to perform the most basic of techniques. I'm surprised Naruto could actually feel his chakra to begin with. To be able to manifest it in the conventional way, in his case, would be impossible. That arm is causing him way too many problems, so he can't perform jutsu using normal hand seals. It cancels out his chakra and stops its flow completely."
She then showed him the chart under the one she was on, showing a blue branch area around the body which Iruka assumed was Naruto's normal chakra network. Then he was drawn to the arm in question, where instead of seeing blue chakra, he saw a purple tree effect branching from the shoulder down.
"What is that?" Iruka asked.
"I have no clue," the Hyuuga shook her head. "Whatever it is, it's beyond me. His chakra network isn't damaged, he has plenty of energy to share with an entire army, and there are no physical or mental abnormalities causing this effect. I'm… pretty much at a loss. But whatever this is…" She closed up her clipboard and tucked it under her arm. "It's a unique case. Young Naruto will need to find out a new way to perform jutsu without hand seals if that right arm of his is going to keep getting in the way. There is nothing I can do about it."
Iruka nodded in understanding. "T-Thank you very much. I'll… I'll take care of it." He then gestured towards her office. "Is he… okay?"
The woman nodded with a wave of her hand. "Yes. He's fine. You can take him home now. He took the information better then I expected, what with the rabble he's caused to us in the past after each of his visits." She shook her head in dismay as she departed, both amused and distraught at the memories she has had in this hospital involving her compatriots having to deal with the troublesome youngster. "My goodness…"
Iruka smiled a bit when the doctor left, but then quickly turned his attention to the room. Just as he was about to open the door, it opened for him and Naruto came stepping out, zipping up his jacket with his headband hanging around his neck. Looking about, the blonde then looked up into his sensei's concerned face, which he returned with a smile.
"Hey Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned. "That doctor lady was very nice…"
"Yes, yes, Naruto, she was," Iruka cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. "Anyway… are you feeling okay? I mean… I'm sure the doctor already told you what is wrong with y-"
"It's okay, sensei," the jinchuriki replied quickly, closing the door behind him and showing the man his right hand. He flexed it several times, as if it were an interesting show-and-tell item. "It's this isn't it? I can't control my chakra properly because of my right hand and arm, right?"
"Riii-ght," the Chunin replied with an affirmative nod, now slowly starting to feel a little bit anxious of what Naruto was really thinking about his current situation. Not really being the brightest kid, he was still the most spontaneous student he had ever known, so Iruka had a right to feel concerned… for a whoo-le lot of reasons. "Please don't come up with any stupid ideas, Naruto… please…"
"So… if I want to be able to use jutsu just like everybody else in my class, I have to… chop off my arm and sew a new one on, right?" Naruto asked excitedly.
Really, he sounded all too enthusiastic over the idea.
He thought it was brilliant.
Iruka on the other hand, had it placed flat against his face.
"Okay… please don't come up with anything stupid or crazy. Ugh," Iruka rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head in dismay
He then immediately placed his hand on the boy's shoulder to calm him down. "Naruto, you can't just chop off your own arm and put a new one on just because you can't use any jutsu. It still won't solve your problem of how you're going to be able to use ninja techniques with your hands. It's something you'll be and I am disappointed at you for just thinking about."
This statement had Naruto's excitement, as well as his eagerness to go through with his plan, plummet. After coming so close to an easy solution to his dilemma, his teacher immediately went and forbade it, or made it seem to the boy that he had forbidden it. But Iruka was impressionable that way.
"B-But… sensei?"
"Look, it's not the end of the world, and it certainly isn't something you can go and start mutilating your body over. It's not right," Iruka lowered himself down to one knee and began explaining the situation to his student on a more eye-to-eye level. He braced the boy by both his shoulders and lightly shook him, just to make sure he was paying attention. "Listen, even though you can't use jutsu with the hand seals you've learned in class, you can still be a ninja. There are ninja in our village who can't use jutsu or don't use any because they choose not to."
Naruto blinked in surprise, and dropped his hands to his sides at this new reality. "R-Really?"
Iruka smiled and nodded. "It's true. Maybe, if you're lucky, someday you might run into one or two of them around Konoha. You'll never know," the teacher informed, with Naruto smiling at the prospect of being able to meet famous and awesome shinobi who didn't use ninjutsu techniques at all.
"This is a big village and it is an even bigger world out there. People just have to cope with what they have and adapt to whatever the world throws at them, just like how you'll have to learn to live with your troublesome right arm. You can still use chakra, but you'll have to master it in a different way, and I think I can help you along with that." With that said, the man then rose to his feet. Letting out a sigh of relief, he then decided to focus more on the new concept he had in mind that he knew would help the young jinchuriki out.
After all, he wouldn't be able to call himself a teacher if he didn't guide his students in the right direction every once in a while.
"There are easier ways to solving your problem other than senselessly chopping your arms off."
"Oh?" Naruto blinked and placed his hand on his chin in thought. After a brief moment of contemplation, he looked back up at his teacher. "Like… working hard to be an awesome ninja without jutsu?"
"Lucky guess," Iruka chuckled and began leading the boy on down the hallway. "There are things that you can learn that I wasn't able to teach you in class; stuff that you're expected to learn by yourself. You especially, need to teach yourself how to use completely different techniques that you can employ without your chakra."
"Like what, sensei?" Naruto asked curiously, looking up at his teacher after fastening his headband back onto his forehead.
"Well… I'll show you…"
Sometime later…
Konoha Library…
"Why… do we have… to be here… sensei?" Naruto whined out in a strained voice, while carrying a stack of at least a dozen books in his arms, at the same time waddling after his teacher whom was patrolling the surrounding shelves, accompanied by a young lady who had volunteered to help them out. "I hate the library… and I hate books!"
Naruto's practical shout had nearby patrons shush at him. The blonde quickly clamped his mouth shut as dictated by the other visitors and simply resigned himself to following his sensei. To him, this was torture. But to Iruka, it was more like a pleasure walk.
The man hummed to himself as he skimmed over the backs of the books left and right. The shelves literally ran up to the roof, which had to be ten feet above them. For all those articles that they couldn't reach on their own, the young lady, who had to be at least a couple of years older than Naruto, ran up and down the sliding ladder to collect those books. She had light blonde, slightly unkempt hair hung back in a ponytail, wore glasses with a swirl pattern in them, and a white coat over a red dress, casual gear, and her ninja headband worn around her waist. Despite her age, she was quite intimate with the library, and knew exactly what Naruto needed as she scaled the shelves up and down at a comfortably hurried pace.
She also sung herself a happy tune to fill in the white noise around them while she scanned the upper levels of the shelves, plucking another desirable book from the top.
"Let's see… Outdoor Survival Volume 1… you'll definitely need this… oh… and Volume 2!" the girl named Shiho exclaimed, and slid down the ladder back to the floor. As soon as she hit carpet, she placed the two books on Naruto's already significant pile.
So far, the stack the jinchuriki was struggling to carry consisted of stealth and taijutsu basics and advancements, an assortment of materials that would teach him how to cope in the wild when supplies were low or naught, weapons maintenance, ninjutsu and genjutsu albums and how to identify them, and three copies of physical exercises and fighting forms to go with his taijutsu. It was a pretty hefty load, which Naruto could feel in his lower back and shoulders.
"Iruka… sensei!" Naruto hissed, feeling a copy of Basic Hand Seals weigh him down even more. "Is this… enough?" His body was trembling under the pressure at this point.
"Geez, Naruto. You can split logs two meters thick, yet a few light reading articles are weighing you down?" Iruka asked with a grin. "Perhaps I've overestimated your strength?"
"No… not… at… all…" Naruto panted, gritting his teeth as he propped the stack up even more to balance his core. "It's just… a cramp… in my thigh. Nothing big." The blonde quickly shook it off, hoping this little excursion wouldn't cost him his headband on his first day. Iruka had to suppress a little laugh at his complaints.
Shiho hummed as she ran the ladder down the isle and stopped midway. Clambering up some, she then plucked what looked like a really heavy book on Sealing Techniques. On her way down, she then spotted an old looking book she knew quite well, which was just sitting there. Shrugging her shoulders, she plucked that as well and clambered down the rest of the way. Landing in front of her fellow ninjas, she then systematically placed the two items on top of the overloaded, walking cart.
"You'll need this, this, aaaa-nd…" She jogged over to the other side of the isle, grabbed a copy of Explosive Tags: How not to get your legs blown off, and skipped back over. "This!" That one book had Naruto drop down some more. The boy broke out into a sweat as he attempted to maintain his balance, while Shiho dusted her hands down with a grin. "There… that should do it."
"Thank Kami…" Naruto wheezed. Iruka grinned and patted him on the back.
"Oh yes, this truly is a God-send," the Chunin replied before smiling over at the girl who had assisted them. "Thanks very much, Shiho. I really appreciate this."
"Not to worry," the girl exclaimed, adjusting her glasses as she strolled over to another section of the isle they were in, and pulling another book out from between its cousins. "I was a Genin once, so I know exactly what he needs. Hmm…" She studied the title: Explosive Tags: How to Master their Fire. She then walked over to Naruto and placed that one on top of the other.
"Oh, Come on!"
"Shhh!" Several of the other library attendants hushed, glaring at the loud boy responsible for yet another outburst.
Naruto grinned nervously and in embarrassment, and waved back at them.
"Sorry…"
"Well now… let's get you acquainted to all these books I picked out for you!" Shiho giggled, and hurried both the ninja back down the rows of shelves towards the seating area. "Come! Come! Time is essential for a shinobi's learning, which is something we have little of, I'm afraid."
She took the pair to one of the vacant cubicles along one of the library's walls and planted the boy and his reading material there. Once he had placed the books down and got the wind back into him, Naruto then took the very first book he was given, which was a volume on basic ninja tactics and stealth, and pulled up a chair. It was a heavy read in its own right, which made him quite discouraged at the idea of reading it. But Iruka, regardless of his student's reluctance or his expression of doubt, opened the book up to the first chapter and slapped his finger down on the very first word.
"Get to it, Naruto," Iruka exclaimed and ruffled his hair. "This book isn't going to read itself."
"But Iruka-sensei!" Naruto spun around in his seat and looked pleadingly up at his teacher. "I can't read all these books at once! It'll kill me!"
"Well then, be smart about it. I'm not asking you to read all of them today or in one night. Pace yourself, work at it, and read a bit every day between your lunch breaks and training, until you've finished, and then read some more. Rinse and repeat," Iruka stated, and tapped the side of his head. "Just remember: the sharpest tool in a shinobi's arsenal isn't his techniques, his swords or his kunai; it is his brain."
"His brain?" Naruto blinked out of his distressed appearance from his teacher's statement. "Are you sure?" The boy tried running a finger down the side of his head to test his theory, but then when he looked down at his fingertip, he saw no blood. "It doesn't seem that sharp to me."
Iruka shook his head in dismay at what he saw his student try to accomplish from his actions, while Shiho giggled on the sidelines, trying not to lose it. He didn't know whether it was a joke or not, but he knew the boy wasn't one to miss a beat with these things. Regardless of its hilarity, the academy teacher knew he had to make this work for the boy, or risk losing him the moment he stepped out on his first mission.
The scarred Chunin took Naruto by the shoulders and shook him out of his daze, drawing the youngster's attention back up to him. "This is no joke, Naruto. This is important. Listen to me: a carpenter may have all the right tools and equipment he needs, but without the knowledge or the proper instructions on how to follow-through with his craftsmanship, he can't build the floor or fix the house he is working on. This is the same principle that applies to us shinobi. If you're on a mission, and you approach an objective without a well constructed plan, you will be killed." Naruto visibly flinched at that and how Iruka emphasized the word 'killed' in his sentence. "Without the knowledge or the correct methods on how to use your techniques or your tools, and you run into a fight without thinking first, you will also be killed. You can endanger yourself and your comrades if you don't know what you're doing or how you're going to accomplish your objective!"
Naruto gulped at the seriousness in his teacher's voice and the information he was being given, and looked back at the pile of books in front of him.
"Out of all the material in Konohagakure, these books are our most important resource. They detail our village's history, our lives, and are the foundations to everything we have ever built or are going to build," Iruka informed, folding his arms. "If it weren't for these books, all our past shinobi would have been nothing more than pig farmers and beggars. Use these books to carry on our village's legacy, learn new and awesome techniques, learn of our history, our tactics, and come up with your own techniques and tactics once you've mastered the ones you can. These books will guarantee your success in the future."
At this point, the large stacks of assorted reading material were starting to look more appetizing to the new Genin.
Iruka grinned behind the boy's back.
The Chunin knew full-well of Naruto's reluctance of reading stuff he didn't know about, as well as his dislike of reading vast amounts given to him. This was accentuated in the amount of homework he gave out and got back, with Naruto either doing the absolute minimum or forgetting it completely. Only when his situations seemed desperate would he cram, and cram he did. It was how he was able to pass his final written test with an eighty, which was an incredible jump from the forties and sixties he was getting beforehand.
What Naruto needed was literary practice, and by Kami, Iruka was going to make him work on it.
If there was any time he was going to make up for Naruto's lost ground over the years, this was it. He was the only one who could get him to, if no one else.
Seeing Naruto on the brink, Iruka pushed one last time, slamming his hand down on the open book in front of the boy… hard, literally shaking the entire cubicle.
"I figured it would piss you off, Naruto!" Iruka shouted unexpectedly right into the boy's ear. "To have your classmates mock you for so long! Kiba! Ino! Amy! Sasuke! What are you going to do about them? HUH!"
Naruto's eyes widened at his teacher's words. The reminder of those names struck a chord deep within him and out of the blue, the voices of his classmates and their laughter from yesteryear began filling his ears.
"Ha! What a dumbass! Failed again?" Kiba chuckled. "You're nothing but a loser, a dead-last… the underdog!"
"How do you become Hokage if you can't even understand the simplest of things, you idiot?" Ino frowned. "All you'll do is get yourself killed." The idea of her folding her arms and scolding him filled his head with frustration, which caused him to clench his fists angrily.
"You're a moron. That's all you'll be… it's all you'll ever be," Amy stated with a prideful grin. "Morons don't become Hokage, especially a failure like you!"
"Heh, loser," Sasuke chuckled, his smirk being the biggest one of them all.
More and more faces filled Naruto's head, his ears becoming clouded with laughter and past mockery. His fists clenched even tighter and his teeth gritted. With a loud growl, Naruto slammed his fist on the table together and turned to glare up at Iruka, pointing at him.
"ALRIGHT, DAMMIT! YOU'RE ON, SENSEI!" Naruto roared and quickly turned back to his book, his eyes falling onto the chapter in front of him as if it were an opponent glaring him down. With his new mindset established, he began reading what was laid out before him. "I will read every single book you throw at me and become an awesome Hokage! The best Hokage! Just you watch!"
Iruka grinned and patted him on the back. "That's the spirit!"
"Excuse me, sir!" Just like that, the mood just melted away.
An old woman's voice filled the air, causing Iruka to freeze instantaneously and stand stock straight on the spot directly outside of their cubicle.
Slowly turning around, the scarred Chunin came face to face with the librarian. The woman wearing arced glasses and the red kimono looked to be around her eighties, an appeal that was often mistaken for a harmless and kind hearted individual. However, despite her appearance, she had the reflexes of a cat and the strength of an ox. With a swift swipe and a vice like grip, she grabbed Iruka by the ear and pulled him down to her level.
Since she stood a couple of feet beneath his nose, it was pretty amusing to see Iruka get man-handled like he was.
The Chunin was forcefully bent over rather painfully with a red, throbbing ear.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"We do not tolerate loud shinobi in this library!" the librarian informed coldly, before turning heel and marching towards the exit with her troublesome quarry in tow. The man cried out at the fingernails piercing his earlobe as he was dragged across the room. "I suggest you take your big mouth and your misguided enthusiasm outside, young man. Take it out on the training fields, not the books!"
"B-B-But… OW!" Iruka whined and winced as he was tugged around the corner. Before he was completely out of sight however, he turned back to Naruto. With his last ounce of strength, he called out with an extended hand. "Shiho! Teach him in my stead! I'm counting on you! OOOOWWWW!"
The girl watched the man disappear and after hearing the sound of the doors revolving on their hinges as he was ungraciously kicked out, turned back to Naruto. When she did, she saw that his attention was still fixed on the book and not on the commotion.
It was an interesting spectacle.
Shadowing him for a minute or so, the young girl watched him study. He seemed to be stressed out at first, and appeared to be rereading the same text over and over again, apparently having found something important. At this sight, Shiho then got an idea and ran around to the library desk where she normally worked. After rummaging through the materials in the cabinets for a moment, she then jogged back and placed a pen and a blank, hard cover text book beside the boy. Naruto looked down at it in surprise, before glancing up at the blonde haired girl as she planted herself in the chair beside him.
She smiled and gestured towards the new goods she had provided for him. "Here. You can use these to help you in your study. Write down everything that you find useful."
Naruto took the blank book and considered it.
Momentarily looking it over from cover to cover, he then smirked and opened it to the first page. Taking up the pen, he put his dominant hand to work and at the same time flipped through the chapters set before him.
For the next few hours he would remain in the library, with Shiho sitting right beside him to oversee his progress, and assist him when needed.
Later that night…
Hiruzen Sarutobi was feeling a lot more cheerful this afternoon. Although the ruckus the other day with the Hokage Monument did cause somewhat of a small headache for him, it was nothing big. Because today; it was all quiet.
No shinobi rushing into his office with an emergency, no messages of impending doom, no threats of invasion made from other surrounding nations, and no news whatsoever of a little boy with blonde hair and wearing orange causing any havoc around his village. So far today, Konohagakure was absolutely silent. Not a whisper on the wind or any signs of disturbance.
That was the way he liked it.
His hat off for the day and with time to spare, the Third Hokage decided to go to his living room for a nice hot cup of tea and a nap. After all, it has been a while since he had had an afternoon all to himself. It was ample time for him to contemplate on past memories and give further thought to the future; with all considerations towards a better one.
He needed to keep his mind clear.
While making his way down the hallway, the small smile he was wearing as he puffed on his pipe suddenly vanished. Pausing for but a moment, the elder perked an eyebrow and veered to the right, stepping off of his intended path.
It seems… things weren't as quiet as he was hoping for.
Traversing down a different corridor, he came to a stop just outside of his reading room across from the Scroll Storage Room. This part of the mansion had been built back in the time of Hashirama Senju and was designed to store all the closely guarded secrets of the Kages. The entrances had been premeditated to alert the current resident of the mansion of any intruders, which was why the Third was here to investigate. Access was only permitted to authorized personnel and the present, reigning Hokage.
Somebody was boldly overstepping their boundaries.
Huffing on his pipe, the Third entered the reading room soundlessly and with no hint of worry whatsoever.
Treading carefully in the dark for several paces, the old man then effortlessly reached out and with a flick of the switch, turned the lights on. The overhead illuminators blinked into life and lit up the entire room in a bright orange glow. A hardwood floor with white walls and railings up in the ceiling, and shelves of assorted books and scrolls lined up along the lengths of walls were the primary fixtures of the hall. There was also a reading desk set up against the far side of the room with a comfy chair seated alongside it, making up the definitive aspects of the chamber.
There was no place like a private study area.
Hiruzen walked up to his desk and looked down at the empty seat momentarily. He then sighed and looked up, his expression conveying his lack of amusement to the situation.
"What are you doing in my house, Naruto?" the Third asked to the wall in front of him, but meant it for the set of ears hiding up in the rafters.
A split second later, a body fell from the shadows of the railings above and landed with a loud thud against the hard floor. The Third turned around and glanced down at the blonde staggering back to his feet, a bundle of scrolls in his arms and a large one hanging from his back. The elder raised an eyebrow while he watched the boy gather up the articles he had dropped before grinning at the village leader.
"Heh… hey, Sarutobi-jiji," Naruto grinned.
"Naruto," Hiruzen grumbled with his voice set on a low tone and close to dangerous. "Have you resorted to stealing from me?"
"Huh. Oh! N-N-N-No! No! Of course not! Why would I steal from you, oji-san?" Naruto hurriedly replied, trying not to drop the scrolls as he hopped over to the reading desk and deposited them on top of it. Leaving the big one to hang at his side from the strap over his shoulder, he then staggered back a bit and stood before the Hokage with his hands behind his back and a shame filled look on his face. "I-I'm sorry, jiji. It won't happen again."
The Hokage sighed as he shook his head down at the boy. "That's quite alright, lad." He removed the pipe from his lips and then gestured down at the other item hanging at his side. "Why do you have the First Hokage's Scroll of Seals with you?"
"Oh?" Naruto jumped a bit, before fumbling around to move the giant article into view. He removed the strap from his neck and propped the scroll upright in front of him, with a wide, beaming grin on his face. "You mean this?"
"Yes… that," the elder replied, lowering his pipe and giving the boy a sterner gaze. "Did you take that from the vault?"
Naruto nodded his head excitedly, earning another mumble from the Hokage as he tapped the tip of his pipe against his balding head.
"Naruto… that is a very dangerous relic you are holding," Hiruzen murmured, looking down upon the object as if it were a cursed item. "The First Hokage sealed away many Forbidden Techniques within that object and locked it away in this mansion, so that no other ninja could learn of its secrets. There are kinjutsu of the worst kind on that scroll you are holding, harmful abilities that are not to be performed even by the most formidable of shinobi, particularly a young upstart such as you." Naruto's face fell at this news, and watched as the Hokage stepped forward and tapped against the side of it.
"Why on earth would you come to my place seeking such a thing?"
Blinking, Naruto then smiled again and rushed to the desk. He laid the giant scroll down on it and unfurled it a bit, before turning back to the village leader.
"So I can learn ninjutsu, jiji!"
"So you can learn… ninjutsu?"
Naruto nodded his head feverishly. "Yup! Yup! I read in one of the books that Shiho-chan gave me that the Hokage mansion had mountains of scrolls in the storage rooms, containing all sorts of techniques throughout our village's history. I figured, because I can't use normal hand seals like everybody else, maybe I could find a technique in one of these scrolls that even I could use… because I can't use normal ninjutsu." The blonde frowned a bit at this and looked down at his hands.
Glancing from palm to palm, he clenched both his fists tightly and looked back up at the Third with determination evident on his face. "Iruka-sensei said that I could learn new techniques by reading! So I came here to learn from the Kage scrolls, because the Hokage can do everything! Right?"
Hiruzen considered the boy's words for a while, his face scrunching up a bit after listening to the youngster's exclamations. He then smiled slightly after his mind worked around the information in his head, and he shrugged his shoulders as he watched Naruto jump back into a stance and set his fingers in a cross like seal.
It was one of the first techniques he had learned from the Scroll of Seals, and he was determined to make at least one of the jutsu work.
"See! If I can use hand seals that aren't like the ones taught at the academy, than maybe I can finally perform ninja techniques!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin. The Third stepped away with his attention fixated on the youngster, pipe hanging from his mouth and hands behind his back.
Curious to see what the boy had learned from his brief period here, Hiruzen observed as the jinchuriki concentrated hard and began the simple process of molding chakra.
Well, attempted to.
The Hokage unflinching watched Naruto struggle, puffing on his pipe lightly as the boy tried to produce a jutsu. However, after several unyielding attempts, the jinchuriki eventually threw in the towel and grabbed his right wrist with his left, and throttled it. He was glowing red with frustration by the time the minute of practical experimentation was over.
"STUPID ARM!" the boy roared, shaking his limb. "You good for nothing-"
"Calm down, lad," Hiruzen chuckled, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and ceasing his attack on himself. The spiky haired rookie, crestfallen at yet another failed attempt, glanced up at the village leader when he felt the elder jerk him lightly to get his attention. "Look, I'm sure you've taken Iruka's words to heart, that you can read to learn and surpass all your weaknesses, but… you should really know that there are some things that you just can't learn." The old man then gestured down at the giant article unrolled on the table. "This scroll that you took from my storage room is one of those things that you're not allowed to learn from, with the contents of it better off not learning at all."
"But oji-san," Naruto took the elder's hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "W-What am I going to do about ninjutsu then? I… I want to learn it… but… I just… I can't do it. The doctor says I can't and Iruka-sensei… he… he"
"Well…" the Third sighed and rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully, his pipe still hanging from his mouth.
After a moment of thinking of a way of cheering up the boy and setting him straight, the elder then smiled and refocused attention on the young Genin.
"Listen Naruto, I've lived a long life, and have seen and learnt many things. One of these things that I've learnt is that life isn't easy. But with every obstacle and with every pothole I've encountered over the years, I've corrected myself. I worked my way around those obstacles and hopped over every pothole, and have kept my eyes open for any more with every step that I've taken, yet I still managed to hit some sort of roadblock. I've learnt from every accomplishment and every failure I've had. Do you understand?"
Naruto nodded his head slowly, earning a nod of understanding from the Third as well.
The Third took Naruto's right hand and held it up. Examining it momentarily and running his thumb over the boy's palm, he then looked the youngster in the eyes. "You may not know it, but this right hand of yours, despite its misgivings and problems, may become something special one day. You have to learn from these problems that it gives you, and work your way around them." He then lowered the jinchuriki's right hand and picked up his left, performing the same look over before enclosing the boy's fingers around the palm. "Your left hand possesses none of the problems the right one does. So learn to use techniques with your left instead of your right. Be creative."
Naruto blinked and raised both his hands to look at them again. He made sure to give them a thorough examination himself, but then had his eyes stray to the scrolls he had deposited on the desk. His mind trailed over every possibility, accompanied with the new information he was receiving from the village leader.
After one or two glances, Naruto then turned his attention back to the Third Hokage to see him still smiling at him.
The elder placed his hand on the jinchuriki's head, in a comforting manner to ease the trials going through his mind.
"I know you're a bright young boy, Naruto, one who is just beginning to discover his true potential. You just have to open yourself up a little bit more," Hiruzen exclaimed. "Try not to ask too many questions. If you can, try and answer them for yourself." The elderly shinobi then straightened up and took the pipe out of his mouth, blowing a ring of smoke into the air space in front of him.
He laughed quietly at his next thought, but made the following statement clear enough for his lowly, young audience to hear. "Though the idea may sound a little bit farfetched, why not? If you can't use ninjutsu with both hands, then try going through the seals with only your left hand and follow the processes from there. Who knows… if you can make it work, then you might just be able to perform ninja techniques yet."
Naruto's eyes widened a little and looked down at the solitary hand in question. However, before he had a chance to explore this proposed concept, he was suddenly turned on his heels and hurried out of the room by the old Kage. The village leader gently shuffled him out into the corridor, using the boy's stupor to gently comb him out of his hair.
"Come on, lad. Time to go home," Hiruzen chuckled. "You can practice the new techniques you've learnt out on the field. I'm sure you've picked up one or two things from your many library excursions today." After being gently nudged out the door, the boy turned around to face his idol. When he craned his head upwards, the jinchuriki was met with an amused smirk from the old man.
"Try not to sneak into my house again, Naruto. I don't want the ANBU getting the wrong ideas. Go on now." Hiruzen gestured down the hall with a nod, indicating the general direction of exit from the premises.
After a nod of understanding, Naruto then smiled and leapt at the old man, hugging him briefly. "Thank you, oji-san."
With a final exchange of smiles and a wave, the Genin then hurried down the corridor and leapt out the nearest window. Not particularly the most civil way to exit a house, but it meant that he was punctually out of the Hokage's way for the time being.
Hiruzen shared a quiet laugh after watching his unexpected guest vacate the area, and turned back to attend to the mess in his reading room.
With his hands behind his back, he waddled over to the desk to collect the deposited scrolls. He only had to spare a brief glance down at the material laid out in front of him to determine that young Naruto had gone through quite a bit of the stuff from the vault. Most of the items of interest were based on unique hand seals and techniques that didn't require any seal weaving whatsoever, with some of the other titles being based on specialist techniques and tactics used only by the Kages, but he figured they were nothing to be concerned about.
Rolling up the ones that were open and collecting them in a bundle, along with the Scroll of Seals, the Third prepared to take them back to the room they belonged to.
However, just as he was picking up the last of the articles, he heard a shimmying of gentle footsteps behind him and quirked an eyebrow. The elder's movements stopped altogether when the floorboards behind him creaked at being treaded upon.
He panned his head slightly.
"Judging from the weight of your right foot, I can safely say that you are not the Naruto I saw two minutes ago," the Third Hokage stated, and glared at the figure standing directly behind him. The darkened visage of an exact copy of Naruto, dropped in an aggressive stance and grinning widely, was an indication that this new visitor didn't intend on leaving without causing harm. Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "I take it you didn't drop by for a cup of tea?"
"No. But I will have that scroll you're carrying!" 'Naruto' shouted and tossed a cluster of pellets on the ground.
The tightly wrapped balls detonated simultaneously as the Third Hokage wheeled around to face the enemy. However, due to the weight in his arms and probably a bad leg obtained from one of his past battles, he was unable to face his adversary quickly enough. He also made the mistake of breathing in the purple cloud of fumes that suddenly filled the room, and he soon found himself retching on the thick vapors.
Seconds later, the old Hokage dropped to his knees, discarding the scrolls at the same time to stop his fall. He rested his upper body as best as he could on the desk chair while he continued to cough on the clouds filling his lungs. Tears welled up as a result of the gas and his face broke out into a sweat, the paralyzing agent quickly taking effect.
Mustering up whatever strength he could, the elder glared up through a hazy vision at the Naruto copy strolling into view through the gas.
"Take a nap you old fart," the copycat exclaimed, swooping down and picking up the discarded Scroll of Seals. Hanging it from his shoulder, 'Naruto' then stood straight up and flashed his headband at the shinobi hacking on the fumes. "You'll probably need one after this. So long!"
Performing a mock salute the thief then turned and sprinted for the exit, eager to leave the premises and, by extension, the village before anyone caught wind of what has happened.
Hiruzen gritted his teeth and tried to force himself up, but couldn't due to his muscle strength atrophying.
"C-Curses… argh…" His bodyweight seemed to increase tenfold. "That Mizuki… damn him!"
Meanwhile…
Some ways down the road…
Naruto had left the Hokage Mansion willingly behind him, not only out of respect for his oldest and kindest mentor, but also to contemplate on what he was recently told by said elder.
As he nudged passed oblivious civilians down a lantern lit street filled with clubs and restaurant, he was too busy staring intently down at his left hand to concentrate on anything else, whereas his right hand was slipped comfortably into his pocket.
It was an odd sight; seeing a boy staring down at his hand while aimlessly following a random, busy road. Not to mention that he wasn't even changing his route for anything.
A lot of the villagers out in the nightly air had to give the blonde troublemaker quite a wide berth, as the jinchuriki had knocked over a noodle cart unintentionally, and had almost nearly walked into several transporters and couriers crisscrossing the boulevard. This lack of contact or attention gave the jinchuriki the environment he needed to contemplate.
"Could that be the answer to my problem?" Naruto blinked, and stopped in his tracks. "If my right hand is preventing me from creating jutsu with both, then maybe I should just use my left hand to form the seals. I mean…" The blonde paused for a moment in thought and looked up. Ahead of him, he saw Kotetsu and Izumo crossing the road to a pub on the other side of the street, with their respective arms around what Naruto suspected were their girlfriends. They were locked in deep, animated discussions with the admirable companions they were entertaining for the evening, and were looking quite happy. This didn't throw Naruto off one bit, as he chose to regard it as typical, off-duty shinobi time. "I could probably be the first ninja in Konoha to be able to form hand seals with only one hand!"
Naruto fisted his left hand and thumped it into the air. "I'll go back home and reread my copy of Hand Seal Basics. I'll just use the seals designed for the left hand and practice with them… then afterwards, maybe I'll try out some jutsu."
With a new goal set and his resolve to learn ninjutsu strengthened, the smirking jinchuriki turned heel and prepared to head back to his apartment. However, just as he turned around and began a hurried trek back down the avenue he had already marched, he violently and rather inadvertently ran into someone running in the opposite direction.
Both Naruto and the runner roughly brushed by each other's left shoulders and slammed the opposing person in question around on a 180 degree turn. In the end, the two, head-long colliders ended up facing each other on their opponent's previous side of the footpath.
"Hey, watch where y-"
Naruto was about to begin a confrontational argument, only to cut himself off when he realized that he was actually talking to himself…
Literally…
The newly made Genin blinked in surprise as he stared at who he immediately discerned as a doppelganger, who was also glaring back at him in mild surprise. The copy's expression however changed when it also realized who it had bumped into, and stepped back a pace as the twin Narutos sized each other up.
The real jinchuriki looked his duplicate over from head to toe, taking note of the stance he had taken and also the strangely familiar object he had slung over his shoulder.
"W-What? Another me?" Naruto remarked, before turning his attention to the giant scroll under his exact-look-a-like's arm. It only took him a couple of glances before he realized what the article actually was in the other boy's possession. The jinchuriki jumped back somewhat and pointed accusingly at his mirror image with an angry scowl. "You! You stole the Scroll of Seals!"
"Stupid, loudmouthed brat!" the copy-Naruto growled back, wrapping a protective arm around his package. At the same time, he looked around at the light crowd of villagers whom had suddenly stopped to look at the commotion starting up between the two hotheaded individuals. "Great, first I try to pass myself off as the demon spawn, and then I run headlong into him."
"You… how…? Grrr… you snuck into jiji's home and stole his scroll, didn't you?" Naruto growled and dropped into a confrontational stance of his own. "Give it back!"
"Shut your mouth, you babbling moron," the copy shot back, now becoming increasingly weary of any shinobi that might be nearby. "Don't think that you can stop me. If you get in my way, I'll cut you down!"
"Hmph," Naruto huffed. "You may look exactly like me, but your voice lacks the balance of seriousness and charisma that I have. There's no way I sound that brittle and threatening at the same time."
The copy scowled even harder, and was preparing to draw a kunai when he caught onto the sight a series of shadows hopping across the rooftops in the distance. Glancing up, the fake Naruto tried to make out the fast moving silhouettes and the direction they were heading in, in order to evaluate his situation.
It took him only a moment of observation to realize that the squads of shinobi forces were running towards the Hokage mansion. Judging from the numbers, they must have picked up on the commotion from the sensors at HQ, or were maybe performing a routine check-up, he didn't know. All 'Naruto' knew though was that something was going down, and with everything that has occurred so far, he was more or less leaning towards the idea that the squads of ANBU and Chunin were coming to their leader's aid.
The real Naruto seemed to take notice of his doppelganger's attention lapsing, but ultimately decided to keep his eyes locked on him for the time being, instead of taking action. After all, he had no idea who the person impersonating him was and that if he acted irrationally, it would probably cost him.
"Dammit… the old man must have raised the alarm," the Naruto-copy thought, shaking his head when he saw the shadows on the horizon disappear, and cursed his luck. "I thought my gas had stunned him, but even as an old crock the geezer still has some energy to burn. Guess I underestimated him."
Not wanting to alert his presence to any possible eagle-eyed ANBU nearby as he had already done so with the villagers thanks to the untimely presence of the real Naruto, the copy decided to make a hasty retreat.
The crowd around both him and the jinchuriki had grown, and with the only shinobi for some ways being the Genin in front of him, he figured that this was the best time for him to leave without being discovered.
With a huff, he spun around and began to sprint away.
Naruto however, closed in on him in mere seconds just as he was making a break for it. The spiky haired Genin lunged out with his right hand extended and with a roar, grabbed hold of his doppelgangers arm.
"Hey! We're not done yet you copycat!"
Naruto managed to stop his duplicate, his hand getting a good grip.
However, the moment he made contact, an unexpected result occurred.
A white puff of smoke exploded around and enveloped the Naruto double, surprising the original. Seconds later, after several surprised gasps from the surrounding villagers and some light coughing from the blonde Genin, the cloud dissipated.
When Naruto looked up at his quarry, he got quite a surprise when he found himself glaring up at none other than his other academy teacher Mizuki, who was looking down at him with a shocked look on his face.
TO BE CONTINUED…