Chapter 4: Flames and Shadows
A year after Naruto's date with Anko, found the young elf in quite a conundrum. After that fatefull date, he was... forced... to take the woman on several more dates. Also, apparently, she had spoken to her friends about him, making sure to cloak him in enough mysteries and secrets that, together with his exotic appearence, drew many female eyes. The poor man had his own set of fangirls and he wasn't even and adult by elf standards! Just over his thirties, he was still considered and adolesent and, unfortunately for him, elven puberty doesn't last for a couple of years, it can last for a decade! Oh the horrors...
In the meantime however, Naruto had trained as a Shadow Lotus Assassin, or at least went through their training regimes, often using Kakashi, Anko or Sandaime to simulate attackers. He had also 'unlocked' a few more recipes from the bag of holding, increasing his repertoire of elixirs and potions, not all of which were to be drunk.
He had come to a... bizzare relationship with the rest of Konoha, selling them a few of his creations in exchange for money or favours, though he did make sure to save the real good stuff for his friends, meaning Anko and Sandaime.
Hinata hadn't identified him from that fatefull night, something he was very grateful for, she seemed to stalk his human disguise enough. If she knew that her crush was the same person that had saved her that night... well, it wouldn't have been nice if what he had heard of female jealousy was anywhere near reality.
He often spent nights leaping around Konoha, enjoying the freedom of the wind, away from the troubles of earthbound creatures. It was one such night, but it would soon break off to become something much more.
Naruto's keen eyes spotted an irregular orange-red glow far ahead. Recognizing it as tell-tale signs of fire, he realized it was the Uchiha district, from the direction and distance. However, he thought, what reason would the Uchiha have for fire in an outside location? Curious, Naruto, reverting in his 'alter ego/true form' of Elrad, leapt towards the place.
Hidden by shadows, he approached it and, almost instantly, his nose picked up a scent he did not expect, that of blood. A cry of pain echoed in the distance and he sped off, understanding that either the assassin or his victims would be in that direction. His quick feet brought him towards the home further in the compound, one that he knew the head family lived in, Uchiha Fugaku, his wife and two children. Having read some of his mother's journals, he knew that the wife, Uchiha Mikoto, was his mother's best friend. Determined to not let her die if he could help it, he sped up, leaping into the roofs to cut time.
He came upon the open door of the house, heard the tell-tale sounds of infighting and, a second later, the sound of steel ripping into flesh and a gurgling, pained sound. He landed in front of the house and came upon a sight that froze him, for he didn't know what to do.
Uchiha Fugaku, a strong, confident and skilled man, was dead or dieing on the floor, a poo of blood forming under his body. On him, kneeling was Uchiha Mikoto, sobbing about her husband's death or maybe about her own soon to come demise. A step further stood the most unlikely figure, half cloaked in shadows for humans, yet plain as light to the adapted eyes of a shadow elf. It was Uchiha Itachi, the pride and joy of his clan, ANBU commander at a prodigial age, decked out in full combat ANBU gear, sword in hand and covered head to toe with blood, even his eyes seemed to be that of swirling blood. Elrad stored the fact that the sharingan in his eyes was different than normal in the back of his mind. For, unfortunately, the Uchiha prodigy was already slashing with his sword, to kill his own mother.
Elrad didn't know what to do, how to protect his mother's best friend. He couldn't use Kawarimi no Jutsu to replace himself with the Uchiha matriarch and, even if he could, the blow would kill him instead, seeing as he didn't have Kyubi's unwanted power any more. The only hope was to use Firavel's Shadow Port skill, but he couldn't. He had tried to pull it off, but he had failed every time. Raging at himself to focus, Naruto dove into the shadow stuff that was his race's magical power, diving right into it and commanding it, with such force it surprised even him, to bow to his will.
And bow it did. Naruto felt a weird sensation, like dispersing into a million pieces all traversing through time and space to recombine to a targeted area, right next to the lowering sword. He lashed out with a gloved hand, grasping the blade and knocking it away, while his left hand dove next to his boot and pulled his poisoned dagger. An instant later, while Itachi tried to withdraw his arm, Naruto's world froze again, as his concentration steeled.
It was a little known fact why Shadow Lotus Assassins could attack weakspots of their enemies without actually getting a good enough opening, like most others. They accomplished that via a rigorous training regime, combined with acupuncture, anatomical studies, Ki training and several near-toxic drugs and herbs. They increased the adrenaline production to an insane level, almost stopping time for them, so they could direct the blows with immense accuracy, regardless of positioning. Of course, it was very exhausting to perform, most being only able to do it once or twice in combat, Firavel himself, for all his magical and alchemical aid could do it a maximum of seven times before, panting, needing to rest. The strain on the muscles and hormone-producing system was just too great and many an assassin had completely torn their own muscles by pushing their limits.
With the world frozen in place, Naruto's mind went into overdrive, figuring out the best route to attack and promptly taking it. His arm flashed as Itachi tried to withdraw his arm, but it was too late and Naruto's blade bit deeply into the flesh, cutting and poisoning it, almost cutting it off from the force of the blow, but definitely severing some tendonds and muscles.
Itachi leapt back, more than a little bit surprised. He glared at the newcomer with his Mangekyou Sharingan, only to be glared back by glowing red eyes, with such ferocity he felt like a little child in the path of a red-eyed, ebon-skinned predator. He made to cast a jutsu, but the red-hot pain that shot through his cut arm stopped him, as he cringed unwillingly. He fell at one knee, his strength leaving him. "W-what?" He rasped out, surprised beyond all thought. "P-poison?"
"Yes traitor. Poison." Came the hateful reply as the figure wrapped its arms around the shocked Uchiha Mikoto. "You are dead traitor, you just don't know it."
Itachi cursed, this wasn't supposed to be how it happened. It was a complete mess of his plans. Suddenly, a new figure came at the door, a young boy by the name Uchiha Sasuke, Itachi's little brother.
"N-nii-san? What happened Nii-san? Who's that? What happened to mom and dad? Wha-"
The boy was cut off abruptly as Itachi activated his sharingan, knocking the child out and then vanishing with a shunshin, his weakened body had no strength to do much more.
Elrad sighed deeply. He felt the pain and tear from his muscles being overworked, he wasn't ready for such a move yet. Not to mention his eyes were swimming and couldn't focus due to his violent activation of Shadow Port. Grunting, he picked up Mikoto and Sasuke fireman-style and walked outside, trying to keep them from getting more hurt than they were.
Sasuke might have been hit with the genjutsu, but it was Mikoto who needed more assistance, her mind had gone into shock by the sudden and violent change of her own son, not to mention seeing her entire clan and family die mercilessly in front of her eyes. Tears streaked down her beautiful face, as her eyes were wide open and unfocused, her limbs hanging limp, her clothes ripped in places, trailing behind her in the dust. The woman was sobbing silently as she tried to comprehend what had happened to her.
Naruto had barely reached the gates to the compoud when shinobi began to surround him, creating a hemisphere on the ground and the roofs, most with weapons drawn. Some took a step forward to capture the apparent felon, until a voice stopped them. "Halt! Do not attack him!"
Sandaime Hokage had arrived, flanked by his most trusted jounin and the ANBU Captain Commander, the second strongest person in Konoha, who's identity was as secret as Naruto's own birth, well before the Sandaime had broken that law. "What's going on here Elrad?" Asked the wizened leader of Konoha. The fact that he apparently knew of the man in question was very surprising to the shinobi of Konoha.
"Good evening to you, most esteemed Hokage-sama. I am saddened to tears to reveal that aproximately ninety-nine of the Uchiha clan... has been slain tonight. There are only three survivors I am sure of. Uchiha Sasuke, his mother Uchiha Mikoto and... the apparent perpetrator of the assault... Uchiha... Itachi..."
The words shocked the people, not a few of which began crying 'liar' or 'impossible'. However, Sarutobi did no such thing. "And how would you be so sure of the attacker's identity Elrad?"
The boy took a deep breath. "I saw him... ready to kill Mikoto-san here. I managed to surprise him and land a blow with a poisoned weapon. It should have taken full effect by now, so if you hurry up, you may yet capture him. We must find out what caused him to snap like this. Meanwhile, I request assistance to take these people to the hospital. Sasuke-san was knocked unconscious by a genjutsu attack and Mikoto-san has been in shock ever since. It shouldn't be something too strong, but I am no doctor or man of medicine. Better for someone to check on them both."
The old man nodded and turned to his shinobi. "Gai, Kakashi, come here and take the injured, get them to the hospital and stay with them until the morning! Everyone else, form into teams of three and hunt down Uchiha Itachi! Anko, take Elrad here to my office, me and Tatsu (The ANBU Captain Commander) will need his statemens. SCATTER!"
Ninja blurred into action as they feverishly tried to hunt down what could be Konoha's greatest mass murderer after Orochimaru. Anko took Elrad by his shoulder and used Shunshinto take him to the Hokage's office to await her leader's arrival, calmly... well, for the most part. As soon as they were inside, she rammed Naruto onto a wall and smashed her lips onto the boy's own, enjoying the spicy taste. A few seconds later, Anko broke the kiss, sat down on the couch and dragged Naruto with her.
The purple-haired woman sighed in contentment as she sat on the couch, Naruto next to her, his head on her lap. She ran her hands through his hair, sensing his discomfort at the whole ordeal, having revealed his true form to the populace of Konoha. "So, Naru-kun, should I be jealous of my boy-toy rescuing other women?"
Naruto bolted up sputtering and blushing. "I'm not your boy-toy Anko-san! And I did what I had to do! There's nothing going on between me and Mikoto-san!"
Anko gave him one of her dangerous smiles. "Really, 'cause you looked awefully comfortable, holding her like that, I'm sure her runt was very annoying wasn't he? And here I thought our kiss a few minutes ago meant something." She began pouting, sticking her lower lip out in an attempt to look cute. "You took advantage of my maiden heart Naruto-kun! How would I ever forgive you?"
"I.. uh.. er.. well.. Anyway! It was you who took advantage of me!"
"And you liked it! Shame on you, playing with a young maiden's heart like that!"
"Well, how about you? Trying to seduce a child? You should be even more ashamed! It was you who pushed me on the wall after all!"
"A child? You? But weren't you saying you were thirty years old the other day?"
"Exactly! I'm a child by elf standards! And you violated me!"
A loud 'ahem' shook both out of their quarrel. There, right in the middle of the office stood Sandaime Hokage, an amused look on his face. "Lover's quarrel Anko, Naruto-kun?"
Both looked at him, pointing at each other, shouting. "She molested me!" / "He played with my heart!"
"While I would love to know what exactly happened, " Said the aged leader. "we have more pressing matters to attend do, so Elrad-kun, I need your statement on what happened, just in case something was misunderstood."
"Of course, Hokage-sama. It began while I..."
It was a short story granted, but Naruto's keen mind had memorized almost all aspects of his nightly tour. So, when he finished... "... and that's when I exited the compound. The rest you already know. Hokage-sama, if I may, if Uchiha Mikoto-san has awoken, I would like to visit her and, if possible, offer her to live in my home, along with my alter ego. I would have to brief her on the truth of my existence, but I believe it would be more beneficial to her and her son, Sasuke, if they were to live with someone else, away from the massacre's site. It could harm their psyche if they were forced to re-live every instant of it by revisiting the location and living in it. While, undoubtedly, they will have to return to it at some point in time, right now isn't that time. They have to come to grips with it and move on before being allowed to return to their home. I doubt you would like a vengeance-obsessed person with Itachi's potential in Konoha's forces, especially since Uchiha clansmen were known to not be the most... stable of people, thanks to their accursed doujutsu."
Anko looked quite distressed by it, not to mention jealous, but Sandaime had more things to consider than just one of his shinobi's dislike. "I see. I agree with your resoning Naruto-kun. You are free to visit Mikoto as soon as you want, she has been discharged, though Inoichi-san will be checking on both her and her son from time to time to ensure their recovery is normal."
Naruto bowed and made to exit, but Anko's hand stopped him. "Why are you going so far for her Naruto-kun? You have never invited me to your home and yet you would ask of her to live there after seeing her just once. Is she that better than me?"
Naruto shook his head and looked at her with sad eyes. "Nothing of the sort Anko. She's just my mother's best friend, the only person I have that can tell me more about my family. Besides, it's common courtesy, even if she never cared about me in an direct way, I know she tried to help by swaying her husband's ideas and decisions. He just proved to be too stubborn a jerk to listen to his wife."
Anko just stood, cursing herself for her assumptions, while Naruto left the office. She turned to her leader. "I messed up didn't I?"
Sarutobi gave a deep, grandfatherly chuckle. "Not nearly as much as you think. For all his changes, Naruto-kun is still notoriously easy to read sometimes. He's just stressed, he doesn't know how to react, what to do. You should go home Anko, you need your rest if you have to deal with Itachi in the off chance we get him."
In the meantime, Naruto was making good time in getting to the hospital. He may not feel the loyalty he used to, nor had he the mountain-moving friendship he had read Firavel had developed, but Mikoto was one of the last few people to have a link to his mother. He needed to talk to her, preserve his mother's memory as best as possible, even if he wasn't a human any more.
With his mind a veritable cyclone of thoughts, Naruto reached the hospital, wondering how he could break the news to Mikoto, how he could tell her who he was or offer her to live in his house. Naruto's senses were assaulted by the scents, sounds and sights of the hospital, making him flinch, since he wasn't used to all these numerous inputs. Shaking his head to clear it a bit, he went to the information desk and politely asked for Uchiha Mikoto, getting a very happy reply from the nurse. A strong contrast to how they would react to him not five years earlier. Naruto shook his head at human hypocrisy and moved along.
He found the Uchiha matriarch standing over her son's bed-ridden form, anxious, worried and fearfull. She was so deep into thought, why's and how's, that she didn't even register the gentle knock on the hospital's door. Only when a soft voice called her name did she react, startled almost leaping to the other side of the room.
"Mikoto-san? May I have a word with you?"
"W-what? Oh, it's you Naruto-kun... I... I apologize but... I, well..."
Naruto waved off her apologies and looked at the young Sasuke. "No worries, I understand. It must have been a major shock to you. I wish to offer my sincerest apologies. However, this isn't a visit to speak of the past, but of the present and future."
Mikoto looked at the youth questioningly, what could he mean. "Ano, what are you talking about Naruto-kun?"
Naruto sighed and looked at her with his almost supernaturally piercing eyes. "This is a most dreadful and emotionally trying affair Mikoto-san. It is practically impossible for neither you nor Sasuke-san to get out of this unchanged in a major way. However, one must take care to counter the greatest evils if the root of the problem can't be removed. I can completely understand that you, and Sasuke of course, have been wounded deeply, possibly permanently scarred by that night's... events. To that end, I extend an invitation to you. It would be very harmful to both you, but most importantly Sasuke's, psyche to remain in the compound for now. You would be forced to relive that occurence until you either loose your mind or find some convoluted, insane, way to maintain some form of sanity. Yes, that is why I believe you should stay in my manor, seeing as you were my mother's best friend. Think about this if you will; how do you believe Sasuke-san will react once he awakens, to find out that his beloved aniki murdered the entire clan in cold blood, including his father and almost his mother? Then being forced to live in the compound, the site which the massacre took place in, surrounded by the whispers of the dead, the loneliness and despair? He would, at best, develop some sort of obsession to deal with the stress. At worst? Complete insanity, considering his young age."
Mikoto was taken aback by the force of the monologue, the sheer passion he seemed to exude through simple words, a gift of Charisma he had inherited from his parents it seemed. "I... I see what you mean. But I don't... I don't think I'm ready to leave the compound, it's my home after all, the place where... where..."
Naruto's hand was placed comfortingly onto her shoulder, the sixteen-year-old boy understanding her plight. "I know. You are not required to immidiately reply, especially since I can understand your desire to remain near Sasuke for the time being. However, you should consider my words, at least until he awakens. Make up your mind quickly, before he is forced to re-live that massacre and possibly ruin his mental stability forever. That is all I ask. For now, farewell my mother's best friend, may Luna's light guide you."
Naruto's words left many thoughts to wonder in Mikoto's mind. For one, she couldn't understand why he cared. He had separated himself from Konoha almost completely, not trusting the hypocrites that would lick his boots for the 'glory' of being favoured by the Last Namikaze, the Kyubi-slayer. She too hadn't been as close to him as she would have liked, what with her husband and clan rules. She had deluded herself into believing that she had done all that she could to help the kid, but she realized she really hadn't tried that much. So, why did Naruto, who didn't owe her anything, try to protect her and her son? Why would he care? Maybe that boy was genuinely nice or was there an ulterior motive? And what the hell was Luna?
It took a couple of days for Sasuke to awaken, his mind having been assaulted by viscious illusions of his brother killing the entire clan. His first words when he woke up was his former aniki's name, a heart-wrenching cry of hate, betrayal and raw fury. It awoke his mother who had rushed to hug him and whisper sweet nothings to him, trying to calm the hysterical boy down.
However, that event helped Mikoto along with her choice. So, the next night, while Sasuke was asleep on his bed, the Uchiha matriarch left the hospital, intent on meeting a Namikaze heir and accepting his offer. Surely, the boy would help her son along. So, with heart pounding, she knocked on the door. Before an instant had passed however, a figure walked out of the shadows behind her, catching her by surprise.
"Greetings and salutations, Uchiha Mikoto."
"KYAAAAH!" Came the surprised reply as the woman nearly leapt into the air from fright. Down on earth, Naruto seemed to have the closest thing to a cocky smirk she had ever seen on her face, a look that was in fact only accetuating the natural rugged good looks of the teen. After her heart had calmed down enough from the almost-heart-attack, Mikoto spoke as calmly as she could. "Naruto-kun, I... I have come to accept your offer. With your help, maybe Sasuke-kun will get over the event and not get consumed by the avenger's path... My poor boy sounded so hurt, so angry... He swore to kill his brother Naruto-kun... I don't know what to do. My eldest son has killed his family and my youngest wants to kill his own brother..."
Naruto nodded in understanding. "I see. I wish it wouldn't come to it but it has and we must make do with what we have. However, do not for an instant believe I will dissuade Sasuke-san from his quest. It's something that has to be done. On the other hand, I will teach him loyalty and discipline, even if I have to beat these concepts into his mind literally! Now, I believe it's getting quite chilly out here and some things are too sensitive for eavesdroppers to hear. Come with me." Naruto opened the door to the manor with a mere push of his hand, the seals on the door having identified himself as the owner.
Once inside, Mikoto was treated to the changed appearence of the entrance hall. Where once hang happy colors like pink, yellow and reds, now was a gentle silver or pure black with small blotches of red, green or deep blue to break the monotony. There were several plants lieing around, in very good health too. The couches had gone from a positively traditional theme to a more exotic and, had she known, elven theme. Browns, silvers and green colors decorated the table cloths and couch, while a couple of portraits and pictures, mostly displaying Minato and Kushina, were placed around the house. Naruto waved at a couch and Mikoto sat on it, marvelling at the softness of the fabric.
"Now," Spoke the blonde boy. " there are several rules in this house, all of which will be followed or I will not hesitate to turn by benevolence to malevolence. I do not make for a kind enemy I assure you. Now, rule number one; noone enters the armory or the basement. They are my lairs and my lairs alone. Ignore it and, if the traps don't, then I will kill you. Second, you are not to enter my room without my permission, it is my sanctuary and therefore untouchable. Third, this house needs maintenance so, while living here, you and Sasuke will help take care of the place. So far, I've been the only one cleaning and whatnot, but I will expect you and Sasuke to help in whatever way, be it cooking or mopping the floor. Most will be done by me, but it takes a lot of time, which would otherwise be better spent. Fourth... I have a secret that you are to not reveal to anyone, should you do so, you will be executed, as per law, since it is an S-ranked secret. I only reveal it because you are inevitably going to find out anyway. I would rather this be over and done with. Now watch and, please, do not scream too loud."
With these words, Naruto let the illusion of his Naruto persona drop, revealing his true form in all its majesty. He was tall for an elf, but only a little bit taller than the now stunned Mikoto.
The woman for herself was not only stunned, she was absolutely frozen. She remembered quite clearly the man that had saved her from death. She had thought it was a play of light, maybe an illusion or a dream, but it was true! The dark-skinned Warden of Konoha that Hyuga child had spoken so fervently of was real! And it was Naruto of all people! "How? what? Who?"
"As you have probably figured out, this is my real form. If you believe it's the result of Kyubi's death, you are wrong as the roles are reversed. The Kyubi's death is the side-effect of my... rebirth into this form. I will spare you the details as I think they are mostly unimportant but I will tell you this; I am no longer human. Thanks to Sandaime's actions, my anonimity had caused me to think I was a nameless, worthless orphan with no family or clan to speak of. As a result of this, when the chance to become a legend, even at the cost of my previous family, presented itself, I leapt to it. Long story short, I inherited the powers and duties of a very, very powerful individual and have become what's called a 'Shadow Elf'. It is this why I have no access to chakra. My... race's abilities give me other powers, but I have yet to discover them all. If you have any more questions, please, let me know. I will answer to the best of my ability."
Mikoto stood there watching the elf closely. His demeanour hadn't shifted at all, merely his shape, much like a Henge no Jutsu. His eyes had maintained the same remote calmness from before, unchanged. He had gained a few inches, but his build had thineed out considerably, giving him a wiry, toned physique. His face had acquired a angular look with almond shaped eyes and long hair cascading behind him. His skin, ebon-dark, seemed to soak up the light in the room, giving him an ephemeral look. However, Mikoto's mind also noted that his muscles were much more prominent and quite developed for a child his age, much more so than anyone else she had seen, a testament to Naruto's hard work.
"W-well... I... I didn't know... I mean, I couldn't imagine that you would..."
The boy nodded once. "Understandable. I have been very careful in concealing this form but unfortunately, I was forced to reveal it that night, though noone has made the connections. A select few know of it, but that's it. Since you and Sasuke-san will be living here, invariably you would find out about this, so I chose to let you know earlier. This form will slowly be... familiarized I think is the best word, with Konoha's populous. In time, they may learn to accept this though, having seen the depths of humanity's hypocrisy, I doubt it. Now, I believe it is quite late in the night, not a good time to move around. I humbly ask that you join me for dinner before you select your room for the night. We could go visit Sasuke in the morning."
The elf led his guest over to the kitchen for a light dinner, which paradoxically enough used candles for light, seeing as how Naruto's elven blood made him sligtly distrustful of technology, preferring the gentle heat of a flame to the cold light of a lighbulb. The dinner consisted mostly of plants and vegetables, cooked however in ways the brought out a taste Mikoto had never felt before. There seemed to be a myriad aftertastes under the unified flavour, confusing the woman's taste buds, but even so it was expertly made. Naruto chuckled slightly at her wondering face, letting her know that he had acquired a taste for more subtle flavours rather than the stronger ones, like sushi or even takoyaki.
Even though the food was mostly based of vegetables, it was quite filling and Mikoto quickly found her hunger, which had raged on for days in the hospital, die down quickly. Still, dinner was a quiet affair, little talk being made. Naruto was apparently a quiet person on his own, or simply didn't trust her enough, something she couldn't blame the child for. At least the boy was courteous enough, showing her how to enjoy the dishes the best, seeing as a human's tongue couldn't notice the subtle distinctions an elf's can. On top of that, the boy had brought out some kind of alcoholic beverage, with a thin yet strangely satisfying density that seemed to almost evaporate once it passed Mikoto's lips. Its taste though was top notch.
Once it was over, Naruto quietly took the plates and placed them under the sink to wash later. With an lithe offered hand, he took Uchiha Mikoto to the guest's wing of the manor. He let her choose her room and gave her some of his mother's night clothes before leaving to allow her some privacy.
"If you hear any sounds later on, do not be concerned. I only need four hours of sleep to be completely functional, so I will probably be spending the rest of the night training or studying. I shall wake you at daybreak." Spoke the young elf before, with an elegant bow with his hand held horizontal at waist level, he left. It would signify Uchiha Mikoto's first restful sleep in over a week.
The next morning, Uchiha Mikoto and Naruto, under his disguise of course, went to the hospital to, not only check on the former's son, but also to tell him of the news. As expected, the boy was quite against it initially.
"I refuse! I am an Uchiha! As are you mother! We must train and avenge our family by killing that traitor! It's our duty to become avengers!"
Naruto shook his head sadly. "I never said you wouldn't train. Merely where you would train. Do keep in mind that your brother was considered a genius, so much so that at a mere 15 years of age he was capable of annihilating the entire Uchiha clan, apparently on his own! Were it not for the mysterious warden of Konoha, both you and your mother would be dead by now. Even though you are alive, he could return at any day and, if you stay in the Uchiha compound, then the only thing you will know is Uchiha skills, something that your sibling has already surpassed. Does it not then stand to reason to learn from somewhere else, if not but to surprise him? Besides, I believe that your fight with Itachi is destiny, not the outcome, that is up to each other's skills and determination of course, but its occurence will happen. If you fight Itachi as you are now, even if your skills are a hundered times greater, you will die. A warrior's fight begins and ends with his mind."
"Oh yeah?" Cried out the child. "And how would you know huh? You're not that much older! How would you know what it means to be strong?"
Naruto sighed. "Because boy I have stood in front of the endless power of the Kyubi and ignored him. Something even your oh-so-vaunted brother couldn't do! So do not test me. You will live in my manor with your mother and you will abide by the rules, or Luna be my witness I'm going to beat humility so strong into you, your ancestors will feel the blows!"
The oppresive force of personality exhuded by Naruto was so great that the young Uchiha could only nod dumbly and accept, it was like Naruto's presence towered over his, an insurpassable giant compared to a lowly ant. Unbeknownst to even Sasuke at that time, he had already found his new idol to look at.
With that business settled, Mikoto took Naruto at the compound to pack up everything. It was then she realized just how much it would have hurt Sasuke to remain there, with the phantoms of the past haunting them, like poisonous clawed fingers scratching on an open wound. At least Naruto was quite strong, able to life quite a bit despite his lithe frame, and soon enough, with the help of a few other shinobi of course, they had packed up most of their belongings and left the compoud, not to return for a long, long time.
Sasuke's relationship with the blonde was... turbulent. On one hand, the boy admired the blonde. His determination to keep going despite the loss of chakra was very inspiring, more so when Naruto would wipe the floor with Sasuke, sometimes literally in order to remind him the ever-valuable lesson of humility. On the other hand, Naruto was... strange, he would sleep at the oddest time, speak in the weirdest way and smile at things Sasuke couldn't comprehend. What was worse for the boy was that Naruto had began to develop a strong bond with his mother.
Mikoto for herself was quite troubled as well. Naruto reminded her of her deceased husband, though it was a political love-less marriage, she had come to respect and care for the man, but at the time he was also very, very different. While calm and collected, even cold at times, Naruto wasn't harsh or uncaring, if anything it was the opposite. The boy was simply loathe to trust others, open his heart and let people in. Slowly though, she had begun to sneak past the boy's defences, as evident by the fact that he gave her warm, kind smiles as opposed to uncaring looks or smirks he rewarded the rest of Konoha with. The worst thing for the Uchiha Matriarch was that she didn't know how she felt about the boy. He was young, but not overly so considering his age. He was kind and caring, knowing when to push, when to back off or when to simply rub her back soothingly when the night terrors came. He was also very kind to Sasuke, showing him when he did wrong and correcting him.
Finally, after a year since the massacre, it was Naruto's time to graduate. Sasuke still didn't know of Naruto's true self as Elrad, but that was mostly due to Mikoto's attempts and Naruto's secretive lifestyle. The boy, while he had lessened his obsession, was still quite heavily set into discovering the Warden of Konoha and defeating his brother.
Speaking of the Warden, the shadowy figure had appeared in a few other situations as well, in an attempted rape and in a revealed spy's attempted escape, both of which had ended up with the perpetrators heavily wounded, permanently crippled and utterly terrified of the 'ebon-skinned demon'. Naruto had also picked up a smattering of seals, due to his father's work with seals that gathered and stored foreign chakra or even natural energies like heat or electricity and converted them to chakra. He didn't bother much with it beyond the basics of sealing because he just wasn't that good at it. The only reason he had picked it up was to complement his other skills and because it was one of the few ninja skills he could actually use. At least, he often thought, it made carrying his poisons and weapons much easier.
At any rate, Naruto had very little dealings with the rest of Konoha, including his graduating class. He simply didn't care about their opinions of an illusion, nor about many a fangirl's attempts at wooing him. His marks in the Academy were top-notch, at least in written exams, taijutsu and weapons. His inability to use chakra however was quite heavily noted by the fools that tried to beat him, only for him to either ignore them or outright beat the living daylights out of them with ease. To that end, Naruto was given an alternate test to see if his supposed skills in infiltration, tracking and seal-crafting were adequate.
The seal-crafting test was first, which Naruto aced simply by virtue of being able to study for four hours more than anyone else and, of course, his own obsessive thinking of mastering anything he got his hands on. Of course, it should be noted, that the test was mostly on theory and application rather than crafting.
Tracking he once again aced, since Firavel had left a lot of material on tracking having himself been forced to hunt after many of his targets. A pack of Inuzuka had appointed that test, which was identification of tracks, creation and interception of escape routes and general wilderness survival. Not that hard to a trained assassin to perform, even if Naruto's skills were more directed to infiltrating a home rather than hunting his target like a wild animal.
Last was the infiltration test and what Naruto had depended on mostly. Between his Shadow Port and his skill at hiding, it would be a very easy task to complete. The test was scheduled to take place in an ANBU training ground, a house with several clone guards surrounding it. Some distance away, a small building housed the spectators, with several cameras peeking inside to let them know how Naruto would perform. Inside, were Mitarashi Anko, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Tatsu, the ANBU Captain-Commander. Why only them? Because Naruto had clearing to go all out, which meant he'd be dropping his disguise.
Naruto snuck around silently hiding away from the clone's prying eyes. Spending time to comprehend their route patterns, he timed his dash so that he'd be out of sight or sound of the perimeter. Once he was near the wall, he took out a pair of climbing claws, usefull for scaling walls and the like. With quick, practiced motions, he disappeared, climbing the walls.
In the cabin, Tatsu whistled lowly. He had seen few assassins move that gracefully and without trace. Anko was equal parts impressed and turned on, seeing the man she would definitely claim as future boyfriend more or less run up a wall with his hands. The Sandaime on the other hand, simply smirked serenely.
Once on the roof, Naruto crept slowly, hanging from the edge, coming level with the highest window. With a quick motion, and an impressive act of agility, he pulled himself in and landed soundlessly on the floor before leaping up to the ceiling and grabbing a wooden beam. Moments later, a guard came in, to see why the window was open. The clone didn't realize what had happened when a thin rope fell around its neck, strangulating it and bring it it up. Naruto, hanging upside down, quickly died the garotte wire on the beam high enough that the clone wouldn't be visible. Seconds later, the struggles ceased and the clone reverted to a rock, still suspended in the air.
Naruto landed back down on the floor and moved to the door. Seeing noone, he moved like a shadow, with quick motions, his senses fanning out as far as possible. He went down a flight of stairs to the basement and his 'objective', a trinket he was supposed to retrieve at any costs. On the way down, he met a few more guards, but a quick dart from his blowgun knocked them out with a powerful sleeping poison. Naruto made his way to the storage room, seeing a pair of guards standing at each side.
The shadow elf backed off a bit, using the concealment shadows afforded him to climb up the wall undetected. Unfortunately, the ceiling was too clear of handholds to grab on, so he was forced to hang on the wooden beams that were used for support. Taking a deep breath to stabilize himself, Naruto leapt quickly from beam to beam. On the second beam however, he slightly miscalculated, causing it to shake a bit. However, he was quickly gone before the guards could notice him. Standing above the guards, Naruto retrieved his shortstaff, correction, Firavel's shortstaff. He gave a gentle twist and it soundlessly separated into two short sticks, like a pair of escrima, with a long, sharp needle on each end. The spikes were treated with several alchemical substances to make sure they wouldn't dull or break, but maintain a very sharp edge, helpful in penetrating armor.
An instant later, a black shape had landed between the two guards. In even less time, Naruto had twirled the two weapons and stabbed them into the temples of the two guards, defeating them instantly. The boy then picked up the trinket, stored it in his vest and quickly made his way out, with long, graceful steps, almost like small leaps really. Once near the door, Naruto's face scrunched up in concentration and he vanished in a wisp of shadow-matter, only to re-appear far away from the perimeter, well at least far away that he would be safe until he could approach the 'extraction point'.
Panting from the exertion of pulling a Shadow Port while running, something he was still not used to, Naruto made his way to a grinning Hokage. He was quickly given a high grade at the infiltration mission, since he revealed he could just as easily disable as kill his target, not to mention he had displayed the uncanny ability to keep track of the perimeter guards' locations even after sneaking in a house and completing his onjective.
Given his grades, Naruto was quickly awarded a high total grade in his selected skills and given the right to become a shinobi. Sarutobi, Anko and Tatsu were quite pleased to see the boy smile warmly, having his efforts being recognized.
It was quite the celebration when he came home as well, with Naruto agreeing to unseal some of the brews he had made, the party lasting quite far into the night. None of the people living inside the Namikaze manor would remember everything that happened that day, but Naruto and Mikoto were given a strange awakening in the morning. It seemed that the inebriation of last night had caused them both to sleep on the comfortable couch, rather than their beds. Embarassingly enough... they had both slept next to each other and, in the middle of the night, snuggled up. Naruto would never have believed Sasuke could scream quite that loudly in the morning...
A/N: Took my some time for this, sorry. My laptop kind of failed so I had to write stuff on paper before going to friends to type them out. Annoying like hell too. Anyway, it's here now. I'll probably have a new chapter for most my fics this week or the next. It's damn hard getting your inspiration back.
For the record, Naruto is currently at about level 5, which is the lowest level I usually allow a campaign to start with. It's where the fun begins, Wizards get Fireballs (Wand of Fireballs FTW!), Rogues become killers and Monks... Let's not start with them or Psions and Psychic Warriors. So yeah, it's where the real fun starts so I usually begin there.
On a similar note, I have added a poll at my profile. For all of you DnD fans, please vote on it. Thank you very much.