The Pathless Sage
A/R: Wow, I am on such a roll that it should not be okay. I am writing the fourth chapter in almost the same sitting.
Thanks to people that reviewed. If you think that Naruto getting the Azure Flames is the main thing, you haven't even begun to see what is coming. As for people that say I should have left the training in, that's a good idea. I will keep that in mind next time and try to slow it down a bit.
Thanks to my friend 'I Before A Except After K' for helping me fix the problem with the text wall and uploading the last few chapters. He wrote a couple stories that are really good, so if you have time, go check em out!
On with the story!
Naruto awoke to the sound of shuffling feet. As soon as he remembered where he was, he sat bolt upright, not wanting to get sneaked up on by someone. His eyes flew open as realisation hit him, looking around, he saw Iruka coming towards him.
"Stay back, don't come closer," Naruto moaned in a hoarse tone. His throat felt like someone had used sand paper to rub it clean. Not wanting to get caught, Naruto tried to stand up.
"Easy there, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to pick you up, the Hokage wants you see you." Iruka tried to soothe him, rather than alienate him even further, but didn't stop his forward advance.
"He's lying to you Naruto," called out a sickly sweet voice. Naruto, now stood upright, turned to see who the voice belonged to. Mizuki was standing on a branch on one of the trees that formed a ring around the clearing, "He only wants to get the Scroll of Sealing from you and use it for his own gain."
Somehow, Naruto felt sharper, smarter, faster and stronger, though his body ached and complained, almost refusing to listen to him. Things looked clearer to his eyes, he could see Chakra coming off of the bodies of the two ninja close to him, he could hear both of their calm breathing. His brain worked faster than ever.
"No, you tricked me. You only wanted to get the Scroll. You are the one that wants to use it for his own good," Naruto muttered in a deathly calm tone. His eyes shifted from Mizuki to Iruka, "Take the Scroll and give it to the Hokage. Roll it up and no matter what you do, do not read a single word that is written in that exerpt."
"What are you going to do, Naruto?" Iruka asked, already rolling up the Scroll, looking at Naruto with concern.
"I am going to take care of this traitor and come back to the Hokage Tower, I have some explaining to do to the old man." Naruto replied, already turning towards Mizuki and getting ready for a battle. Spotting a flash of yellow from his peripheral vision, he moved towards it rather than Mizuki.
"You may be the demon, brat-" Mizuki started, only for Iruka to interrupt.
"NO, STOP MIZUKI! IT'S FORBIDDEN!" Iruka screamed, cutting off what Mizuki was going to say.
"Why not, he would learn about it someday, that he is the reincarnation of a demon-" For the second time in less than a minute, Mizuki was interrupted.
"Save your breath, I already know I was the one who the Fourth Hokage Sealed the Kyuubi in. There is nothing surprising about it, considering the treatment I receive from the Village." Naruto sighed slowly. He had picked up a nodachi from the floor.
It had appeared there once the Seal was removed, as his father had promised. A black lacquered nodachi patterned with azure flames. The hilt was a simple white, the pommel a stark silver. The sword was simple, but even an amateur could see the craftmanship behind in the sword. It exuded power and menace.
Iruka gasped upon hearing Naruto say this, while Mizuki only sighed. Iruka opened his mouth, then closed it, only to open it again.
"Forget it Iruka-sensei, just go, I don't mind one bit. I'm going to quickly finish off this moron and come to catch up with you." Naruto was getting tired of waiting.
"Well then demon, how do you plan to beat me, a Chunin, in that crumpled, humanoid form of yours?" Mizuki screamed, convinced that Naruto was the Kyuubi and not Naruto himself, and pulled out a Fuma shuriken.
"Simple. One move, that's all I need." Naruto said, implying just how much stronger he was than a normal Chunin.
"Azure flames freeze,
And azure flames blaze.
Azure Phoenix cry,
And azure Phoenix smile.
Azure Dragon sing,
And azure Dragon wail."
Suddenly, Naruto wasn't in front of him anymore. One moment, he was there holding onto the nodachi, while the next, he was gone. Vanished into thin air.
Something was burning, he could smell it. It was something alive, fleshy. It smelled like burning meat.
With horror, he realised what was happening. He screamed as pain overtook his mind and his body started to burn away.
Standing on a branch a few trees behind where Mizuki was previously standing, Naruto muttered: "Uzumaki Bloodline Limit: Azure Dragon's Wrath."
Naruto was happy with this new katana, it seemed to be attuned to the azure flames. He wasn't, however, happy with the way his body had reacted when he had used Chakra. His Chakra Network burned, as if it was still recovering from the strain of the Seal that had just been recently removed.
"I really like this Jutsu. Burning away the target until even the atoms don't remain. The heat that it gives off is ridiculous, but so is the amount of Chakra that it consumes. Whoever invented this Jutsu is a genius, combining Space-Time Ninjutsu with Fire and Wind Manipulation and then outputting it through the sword. Took me five months of constant Chakra Exhaustion to even get this Jutsu to a point where it can be used. I still need to master it though." Naruto's thoughts ran rampant as he sped through the forest to catch up to Iruka.
-TT-
Naruto awoke to a smell of disinfectant, sight of white sheets and curtain and the sound of a whispered conversation. He wasn't aware of where he was or what had happened after he killed Mizuki. "Where am I?" Naruto thought.
"I'm telling you Hiruzen, there is no need to put the Genin back into the Academy just because of one measly Dead Last," Danzo whispered to Sarutobi, trying not to wake the already awake Naruto.
"What's going on? Where am I?" Naruto questioned, cutting into the conversation that the older males were having. He wasn't aware of it just yet, but they were talking about him.
"Naru-bou, good to see you awake. You are in the hospital, I admitted you here because of Chakra Exhaustion and some minor damage to your Chakra Network. How are you feeling?" Sarutobi asked the boy kindly, not giving him any clues as to what the prior conversion was concerning.
"I feel fine, just a bit sore, hungry and most of all thirsty. However, all things considered, I feel perfectly fine. How long has it been since my admission?" To say Sarutobi and Danzo were surprised was an understatement. Overnight, the boy's tone of voice had changed, along with his speech pattern. No longer did he speak in a friendly, bright voice, gone was the sloppy, almost tramp-like speech pattern that Naruto had used before.
"What's going on? The boy sounds more like a Hyuga than a random ninja that lived on the streets for half their life." Danzo thought in astonishment, while Sarutobi thought in a similar line, but in a much kinder fashion.
"Not long, you just slept overnight," Sarutobi answered, ignoring the fish-like gaping Danzo was doing right now.
"I see, when will it be possible for me to take my leave? Also, concerning what you were speaking of before I intervened, what were you implying when you said the Genin were being sent back to the Academy?" Naruto asked suspiciously, his second question being directed at Danzo.
This time, Danzo answered coldly before Sarutobi had a chance to answer the question. "Sarutobi has decided the Genin that recently passed should be sent back to the Academy due to corruption and favouritism among the teachers. This time, he has decided all students will be monitored by a Jounin he trusts."
"You will be able to leave any time you want, you have been treated." Sarutobi added, remembering the first question that was asked.
"I see. I will take my leave after a short slumber. As for the other matter, I agree. I was the only one that failed the Graduation Exam, even though I was certain I was one of the top scoring students during the Exam. I scored, by far, the highest on the fifth test, which was said to award the highest amount of marks towards the end result. This shows that there is at least a slight bit of corruption within the Academy teachers, as well as the fact that one of the teachers of the graduating class was a traitor who I, regretfully, had to kill." Naruto informed, much to the Old Men's shock, and to Danzo's chagrin.
The Hokage only nodded at the information provided by Naruto, while the Warhawk only thought: "You foolish brat, of course I know there was corruption within the Academy, I was the one that ordered them to fail you after all."
Naruto frowned at the smirk that had unconsciously come onto Danzo's face, but chose to ignore it. "Now, if you will excuse me gentlemen, I have some sleep to catch up on." With that, Naruto was back under the covers and under the cover of sleep.
A/R: Shorter chapter. I would have kept writing, but the next bit makes for a perfect beginning to a chapter, so I decided to stop. I have a slight idea as to where I want the story to go, but no concrete idea as to what I want the plot to be.
If you are enjoying the story so far, please be so kind as to leave a review, it really helps me out and boosts my confidence.