How's it goin'? Well, this is a bit early, but usually I'm good at submitting something before the deadline. So, this probably should have been included in the last chapter, but oh well. First off, if you haven't figured it out already, Naruto is a Jashinist. Secondly, Haku was his girlfriend until she was killed and he unleashed a bunch of Kyuubi's chakra. Thirdly, Jashin created Kyuubi and the other Bijuu as a means to remind various plains of existence that he was still there after he left due to sacrilege. I think that's pretty much it, so onwards!

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Disclaimer: Acolyte stands there in the recording studio, reading off of a note card. "Once more! C'mon, we gotta' do this every chapter, so just read your lines! Time's money!" shouted a rather annoying director.

For the twentieth time that hour, Acolyte sighs. "I do not in any way, shape, or form, own the various franchi-…" he started rather miserably.

"Cut!" shouted the director. That was the last straw for Acolyte.

"You know what, go fuck yourself! I can't deal with this guy, have Mike do this, 'cause I'm outta' here!" with that, he stomped out of the studio. Unknown to him, Mike had strep throat and thus could not read the lines, and no one else was willing, leaving the disclaimer unfinished. Oh dear, what will be the fallout?

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Chapter 2: Starting the School Year Off… Well, I Wouldn't Consider it Right

It was early in the morning as Naruto made his way to the place the bus was supposed to pick him up. He was dressed in an unbuttoned green blazer, with a white shirt underneath and a red tie. He also had on a pair of brown slacks. He had a bag tossed over his shoulder. The early morning sun reflected off of his pendant. He had made a point of hiding it before as to avoid any unwanted questions, not that anyone really made a point of interacting with him, but with the way Kyuubi was acting, he no longer felt a need to hide it.

'Fuck, I hate dressing up. You think that they could at least pick a more appealing colour than green. And I think these pants are making me chafe.' That was all he thought about as he reached his destination, a simple bench on a street corner. Nothing really made it stand out, so he wasn't even sure if this was where it was supposed to be.

He sighed as he plopped down on it and relaxed, tilting his head to the sky. He was rather glad that he had decided to just lived in the woods. It meant that he hadn't had to get a job to pay rent on an apartment, not like he would ever be able to meet it with going to school most of the time.

As he continued to think about trivial things, he didn't notice as his eyes slowly drifted shut and his breathing became softer. He was asleep before he knew it.

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Aono Tsukune was walking down the street in the early morning at a leisurely pace. He had a content smile on his face, knowing that, somehow, he had gotten into a school. Sure he was nervous, but he thought that the good outweighed the bad.

He remembered how earlier his parents had offered to escort him to the bus stop, but he declined, saying he would need to be doing more things for himself from now on. He gave out another content sigh as he spoke to himself. "Man, life is good. I can't believe I actually got in though. This means I'm not a failure!' he chuckled to himself. Poor misguided Tsukune. "I just hope my parents don't rent my room out."

A few minutes later, he was at his destination. He noticed that there was a blonde kid already there, dressed the same way he was. 'Is he going to Youkai Academy too? He looks familiar. I think I've seen him walking in the halls at my old school. Hmm, maybe I already have a new friend.' So, throwing caution to the wind, he approached Naruto.

"Hey, I'm Aono Tsukune, are you going to Youkai Academy as well?" Naruto peaked an eye open, unaware that he had even fallen asleep, as he heard the voice. He looked at the hand in his face with a confused gaze. He followed it up to its owner and was met with a smiling face.

'Isn't this the guy I tailed my first day here?' he wondered. Shrugging, Naruto decided to play nice and grasped the other boy's hand. "Uzumaki Naruto, I suppose it's nice to meet you. And considering I'm wearing the uniform, I would imagine I'm going there."

He watched as the boy gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose you're right. That would make sense." The next few minutes were spent in awkward silence as Naruto stared down the still smiling, though obviously uncomfortable, boy. It was then that the bus arrived, sparring the brunette.

Without another word, both got on as the door opened with an, "All aboard." From the bus driver.

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'What the fucks with this guy?' Naruto thought as he saw the bus driver watching him and Tsukune in the mirror. He was normal enough, in his uniform and hat, smoking a cigar and a little mustache on his face, but what unsettled them was the fact that his eyes were glowing white. Also, the fact that he never seemed to be watching the road and his perpetual smile put off Naruto even more.

Eventually, he spoke. "So, I take it you boys are going to Youkai Academy?" it was Naruto who responded.

"We're on the damn bus, aren't we? Speaking of which, shouldn't you be watching the road?" he said, no small amount annoyed.

"Now what would be the fun in that?" this served to unnerve Tsukune more than he already was, but at least the bus driver stopped talking. Intent on taking his mind off of the seemingly insane man currently putting their lives at risk, he regarded the whiskered blonde next to him.

"So, Naruto-san, I couldn't help but notice your necklace. What does that symbol mean?" he asked, referring to his pendant.

Tsukune received a rather lazy gaze and response. "It's the symbol of my religion."

He expected more, but when it became obvious that it wasn't coming, he prodded further. "And what is your religion?"

"Jashinism." Was the simple reply. Naruto didn't even bother to look at him this time.

"Really? I've never heard of it."

"I'm not surprised." Seeing he was getting nowhere, and that the blonde was becoming annoyed, Tsukune decided to leave him alone.

"Bus Driver-san, how long until we get to Youkai academy?"

"Not much longer. Speaking of which, I would hang on if I were you." This was followed by the bus driver leaning forward a bit as the bus accelerated, headed for a tunnel which no one could see any bit inside of.

"Hey! Slow down, damnit!" shouted Naruto, tired of the bus driver's attitude.

"Hell no." was the simple response he got as they entered the tunnel. At that moment, he could have sworn he was on a bad acid trip. The pitch-black darkness was accompanied by swirling neon colours along the walls. Naruto looked to Tsukune, seeing a similar 'what the fuck' look on his face. Glad that it wasn't just him, Naruto once again directed his attention forward, only to see a bright light getting progressively bigger.

As the rocketed out of the tunnel, the bus driver slammed on his breaks, causing the bus to skid and for both Tsukune and Naruto to bash their heads on the seats in front of them. Nursing the wound on his forehead, Naruto grabbed his bag and looked out the window.

It looked like they were in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but dead trees on the landscape. As the boys got off, the bus driver said one last thing to them as he pulled away back from where he came. "Have a nice day kids. And remember, Youkai Academy can be a veeery scary place indeed."

In front of them was a scarecrow, the only thing but dead trees around for seemingly miles, besides a druggie's nightmare of a tunnel behind them. "Do you think this is the right place?" asked Tsukune as the duo began down the path.

Naruto snorted. "With a name like Youkai Academy, I'm not surprised it's located in a place like this. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a creepy ass cathedral instead of a conventional school."

As they continued to walk, they eventually came upon bones and headstones, causing Tsukune to sweat some more. Naruto acted as if he didn't see anything. "D-do you t-t-think those are r-r-r-real?" the brunette stuttered.

Naruto completely sidestepped the question. "You're annoying, you know that?" a few minutes later, and Naruto had gotten sick of Tsukune jumping whenever someone stepped on a twig. "You know what, find your own way to school! I've had enough!" and with that, the blonde took off into the trees, uncaring that someone had seen some of his shinobi skill.

'Not like anyone will believe him.' He thought. 'Heh, maybe they'll send him home for thinking he's crazy.' Traveling at half of his full speed, Naruto had gotten to the school in under a minute. Low and behold, it was, indeed, a creepy ass cathedral. 'I just had to say it, didn't I?' with a sigh, Naruto followed the other students milling about to what he could only assume to be the auditorium.

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Two hours later, a bleary-eyed Naruto emerged from the auditorium and unleashed a monstrous yawn. He had just been subjected to a never-ending line up of teachers welcoming the freshmen to the school and explaining what they taught and how things worked around here. He didn't really pay attention, and after it was over with, had almost forgotten to pick up a schedule.

He wearily looked down at it to see where he would be headed. 'Hmm, homeroom with a Mister Yakasu in room 1-5. Better get going.' And so, he was off, with all the speed of a slug that just drank two times its weight in NyQuil.

When he did arrive, he found the room surprisingly empty. He just shrugged and took a seat by the window. As time passed, kids slowly started flowing in, until all the seats were eventually occupied.

A slight chatter filled the room as new acquaintances gossiped and talked about meaningless things. It all stopped as the door opened and in walked a middle-aged man with graying brown hair and light blue eyes with deep bags under them.

He had on a white lab coat with normal clothing underneath. He cleared his throat as he spoke. "Good morning class. As you may know, I am Yakasu-sensei, and I will be your homeroom teacher. I will also be your science teacher. Now, seeing as it wasn't explained to you during the welcoming ceremony, this is a school for monsters to attend, though you already knew that. What you may have not known is that it is imperative to remain in your human forms at all times while on campus."

Naruto sat up straighter at hearing the last parts of the speech. 'Wait, is this for real?' he looked around to see people either bored out of their minds of giving small nods to show that they understood. 'Well, fuck, Tsukune must be scared shitless.'

The rest of the class went by rather smoothly, seeing as everyone was rather mellow. It was announced that no classes would be held today so students could get used to their surroundings.

It was soon after that the bell rang, signaling lunch and, subsequently, the end of the day today. Naruto was one of the last to leave. As he walked down the halls, he noticed a commotion going on. It soon became apparent that Tsukune and some pink-haired girl were being harassed by some big dude. He thought maybe, just maybe, he should help. 'Then again, do I really care?'

No. The answer was no, he did not care what happened to the annoying dumbass or his girlfriend. As he was about to continue on his way, said annoying dumbass was thrown into him. He looked over to the poor sap that did it, and saw him almost molesting the girl. That was something he wouldn't stand for.

"Oi, fuckhead!" he called out as he stood up and pushed Tsukune off of him. The guy looked at him with an almost pissed expression.

"What, can't you see I'm busy here?!? Go bother someone else!"

"Don't just throw random shit at people!"

"Well, don't walk where I'm throwing shit!" at this point, the boy dropped the chick as she ran over to Tsukune. He wearily got up and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Wait up. He's super strong. You're no match for him." he wanted to say more, such as 'Holy shit man! He's a monster. I'm lucky to still have my fucking head!', but for obvious reasons, couldn't.

Naruto shrugged his hand off. "So what, I can take a lot of punishment. Just stand back." He said whilst cracking his knuckles.

"Please don't, violence never solves anything." Pleaded the girl who reminded him a bit of Sakura, in the sense that the bitch never did anything.

"Bah." Was his only reply as he rushed after the guy. Now, in shinobi terms, he was barely mid-chunin speed, but to regular people and some monsters, that was fast. He saw the guy's eyes widen as he delivered a punch to his gut, followed up by an uppercut that lifted him a foot off the ground. He finished the combo with a spin kick, sending the lug tumbling a few yards away into a wall. He was almost surprised to see him get up.

"Bastard, I'll make you pay."

"Heh, bring it."

They were stopped from ripping each other apart by a loud voice. "Hey! Unless you both want detention, break it up!" the source of the voice came from a redheaded man. From the way the man was dressed, Naruto guessed he was the gym teacher.

The other guy gave him one last look and some parting wards before going off down the hall. "Watch your back, kid. This isn't over."

He was about to go off as well, but was stopped by a voice. "Hey, wait up!" he turned to see the girl he helped followed by Tsukune come up to him. "Thank you for the help, would you like to have lunch with us?"

"No thanks." Was all he said as he walked off.

"But…" the girl started.

Tsukune put a hand on the girls shoulder. "It's okay, Moka-san. Naruto-san will eventually come around." In his head, Tsukune was worried, though. 'Just what is he? Never mind that, how am I supposed to survive here? Oh god, what do I do?'

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Naruto had somehow found himself outside, walking through the trees. He didn't know why, nor did he care. He didn't care about much, nowadays. It was by sheer luck that he stumbled upon a little lake, glistening in the light of the sun. It was a contrast to everything else around him. 'Haku would've liked it here.' He thought somberly.

With that in mind, he took off his jacket and shirt, folding them in a pile a little ways away. He then unsealed his blade and used it to cut his wrist. He clenched his teeth at the feeling of the serrated blade rending the sensitive flesh. He used the blood to draw Jashin's symbol and then lied down in it.

He poised his blade, ready to stab, as he thought back to a conversation he had with Hidan about this practice.

///flashback///

"Hidan-san, why do we stab ourselves?" asked a young Naruto. He watched as the white haired man pulled a stake out of himself and start to clean up. They were currently in him basement, where he prayed regularly.

"We do it to worship Jashin-sama and to provide him with the pain needed to sustain him."

"But isn't that why we kill other people?"

Hidan sighed as he looked at the kid. "And how do we normally kill people?"

"By stabbing ourselves, but why is it required?"

Hidan started up the steps with Naruto trailing behind him. "You see, Jashin-sama needs pain to sustain himself and his plain of existence. It's just how it works. Now, a follower's pain shows dedication, but it's more than that. The passion that comes with it, that makes it so much more meaningful and valuable to Jashin-sama, worth more than a hundred sacrifices. It shows that we care for him. And it reminds us of the mistakes we make in life."

He left it at that and told Naruto to go home. At the time, he didn't really understand it, but that look he had in his eye, he decided not to question it.

///flashback-end///

A content smile made its way onto his face as blood trickled freely from him. He was in a state of bliss. So much, that he didn't notice as another presence made its way into the clearing. That is, until he felt someone nudge his shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" his eyes snapped open and he was met with a blue gaze. In front of him was a girl. She had light purple hair that went down to her shoulders, and pupiless blue eyes. She had a lollipop in her mouth and was wearing a white hoodie with purple sleeves that covered her hands. She had the school's skirt and purple striped stockings.

Naruto slowly stood up. "Uhh, I'm fine." It may have sounded stupid, seeing as he had a blade imbedded into his gut, but at the moment, he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Really? Then why did you stab yourself?"

"To remember, I guess." He answered truthfully as he removed the blade. He put a hand over the wound in a show to stop the bleeding. It slowly started healing under his hand.

"How does almost killing yourself help you remember?"

"It was a mistake. It's mostly symbolic, I guess. And it would take a lot more than being stabbed to kill me."

"But why would you want to remember a mistake? Especially if it meant doing this to yourself?"

"So it doesn't happen again. I may not like the people here, and that may never change, but I will make sure that those I see as friends are never harmed, and for that, I'm stronger. Every life is something special in its own way. Someone important taught me that, and they left me with that lesson before they disappeared." All was silent for a moment afterwards, in which Naruto put on his shirt, uncaring as the blood made it sticky.

"I see. I think I understand. Your Uzumaki Naruto, correct?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I'm in the same class as you."

"You are?"

"I sit right behind you."

"You do?"

The girl sighed at Naruto's apparent obliviousness to his surroundings. "Yes. My names Shirayuki Mizore."

Naruto smiled a bit at the, admittedly, cute girl. "Well, Mizore-san, it was nice meeting you."

"As it was you, Naruto-kun. And please, call me Mizore-chan. I'll remember what you said and see you in class tomarrow."

Naruto gave a nod as he watched the girl disappear. As he began the walk to the dorms, the Kyuubi felt the need to put in his two cents. 'She's a nice girl. She also interreges me.'

'Yeah, she is, isn't she. I think we could be friends.'

'Maybe you could be more.'

Naruto was now at his door, the room number on his schedule. He had his key half way in the lock. 'What are you talking about?'

'Come on. She's been dead for over a year now. I can feel it. You crave companionship and have been looking to fill the hole in your heart. You're only torturing yourself, you know?'

'That may be,' he thought, as he opened his door. He threw his jacket on a desk that also held his bag. He stripped off his shirt and placed his sword back in the seal, glad that he hadn't bumped into anybody. With a sigh he flopped onto a futon and closed his eyes.

It was only about one in the afternoon, but he would spend the night training, so he was going to get some sleep. 'But I refuse for her to be just a replacement for Haku-chan.'

'Then make a new place for her in your heart.'

'I just met her. I doubt she barely sees me as a friend. Besides, I don't have those kinds of feelings for her.'

'Yet. You know that if you spend enough time with her, it will happen. Just give it time.'

'Whatever.' Naruto left it at that as he slowly drifted off to sleep. But, he couldn't stop thinking about the purple-haired girl.

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And that's the end of chapter two. Don't worry, more conflict will soon make it way into the story, seeing as I love a good conspiracy.

I suppose I'll have Naruto join a club next time, unless I think of something else. Feel free to participate in any way you wish. Well, see ya later. This chapter was 3,613 words, including these ones!