Chapter 5: Tests of Wisdom, Patience and Skill, Part One

Naruto woke up early. After his morning workout and a short breakfast, he left for the training grounds for his test.

'Kit I want you to know that unles your life is on the line I won't be helping you. You have to grow strong on your own. Also even if your life is on the line, I won't provide all solutions. Life or death situations provide the best incentive to growth. So stay sharp kit. I won't be talking to you unless it is absolutely necessary. Now get ready for your test.'

'Ok Kyubi. I appreciate your heads-up. Besides I want to win beat this test on my own, not due to a power simply given to me. That would make me as bad as the Uchiha right? I can't depend on someone else to get stronger, even though it may be a demon king. Now let's go finish this.'

Naruto arrived a bit early for his test, so he sat under a tree and took a small nap. Next to the training grounds was Hinata. When she looked at the sleeping form of her crush she blushed and went to wake him up. As she woke him up and looked into his eyes she couldn't help but blush harder. Naruto on the other hand simply blinked at her and smiled.

"Ohayo Hinata-chan. How are you?"

"F-fine Naruto-kun. A-and y-you?"

"Great. So are you ready to win this little challenge of Kurenai-sensei?"

"I-I think s-so... I t-think it is g-going to be h-hard though... K-Kurenai-sensei is a j-jounin... a-and w-we..."

"Heh no worries Hinata-chan. Win or loose we'll learn something anyway. Besides I am confident in our team. I know you're quite capable when you put your mind to it, Shino has been hiding his potential and me... well let's say I've got it covered on my end. Besides I doubt its going to be a fighting-only challenge. That's just not what our team is for. We're a scouting team with infiltration elements in the mix."

"W-w-what do you m-mean Naruto-kun?"

"Well simple; you have your Byakugan, Shino has his bugs and I got my clones and senses that rival Kiba's. We're a scouting team not a strike team. We'll see though."

"A-ano what do you mean Naruto-kun. Y-you c-couldn't use bunshins right?"

"Yes I couldn't. The night I... graduated though, I learned an B-rank Kinjutsu called Kage Bunshin. Material clones made of raw chakra, much more costly than normal and they are capable of independent thought. What's cool though is that whatever a clone learns, I learn as well. Helps a lot with training. Besides I couldn't make normal clones because I had too much chakra, but Kage Bunshin requires no such thing as maximum chakra. The more the better really so its perfect for me. Anyway Shino seems to be close. Let's greet him and get ready."

Indeed Shino was close and after a greeting, they got ready for their sensei. After a bit of waiting Kurenai walked to the training grounds.

"Ok team 8, Its time to start your test. Simply put you'll have to find me, retrieve this scroll and either neutralize me or keep it safe. Now get ready." With these words Kurenai simply dissolved into flower petals. In the meantime the real Kurenai watched them and started working her genjutsu. They were all naturally resistant to it in one way or another, but all defences had their cracks and she had found theirs. Softly mouthing her techniques she sent wave upon wave of subtle chakra, inducing them into a multi-layered genjutsu. Time to see if this team was good enough.

No team member felt the chakra waves as they were too subtle for any of them to notice. The team blinked a few times before looking at each other and nodding.

"Ok, she's probably far away now, that was probably a genjutsu anyway. Hinata,would you be as kind to search for her?"

"H-hai Naruto-kun."

With a handseal and a command 'Byakugan', Hinata activated her doujutsu and started looking for Kurenai.

"I-I'm sorry,b-but I can't find her... Gomenasai..."

"Maa don't worry Hinata-chan, she's a jounin so finding her shouldn't be easy."

Even as Naruto spoke Hinata could hear a barely audible whisper coming from Shino's direction. "Worthless" This simple word that hurt her so much scared Hinata. What if everyone thought of herso little. She was worthless after all. She was weak and never could maintain the untouchable visage her Otou-sama could project. She was weak, maybe she should just quit and...

Interrupting her thoughts Naruto spoke "Well if you can't use your eyes, use your nose eh? Alright let's see..."

Chakra rushed through Naruto's nose enhancing his abilities. Awareness rushed through his mind, he could smell people that were there days ago, what Shino had for breakfast, even a couple of his bugs on him and Hinata. Naruto closed his eyes and focused. After that he smiled.

"Heh she's a jounin alright. She's hiding her scent real well. Sorry I can't help much here. Too many scents confuse me. Shino is there anything you can do?"

Shino merely nodded once before he let his Kikai bugs out to scout. It was then he heard a voice whisper "Freak" coming from Naruto's direction. Shino tensed. While most thought the Aburame were emotionless, they were merely very good at hiding their emotions. The very reason they were wearing these coats and glasses were in order to mesh as much as possible with people that couldn't understand them. Shino despaired after hearing that word, the word everyone had for him while he was a kid. Freak, abomination, monster, hate-filled words by those that couldn't understand him.

Shino luckily found something of Kurenai, a strand of her hair to be exact. Reluctantly handing it over to Naruto, and ignoring his questioning look, he nodded at him.

Kurenai was watching carefully at her could-be team. So far so good she thought, but they need to trust each other more. This test will show if they have it in them.

Naruto sniffed the hair and got a lock on Kurenai's scent. With a wave, he started following her trail, team following him. As he jumped from tree to tree he thought he heard a female voice whisper "monster". Naruto almost fell from the tree thinking that Hinata, kind and gentle Hinata of all people would think of him like that. Then again everyone else did. Everyone hated him, no one acknowledged him, no one comforted him, no one cared for him. Steeling his heart, trying his darndest to to ignore the pain he was in, he moved forward.

Meanwhile Kyubi was laughing in his cage, what a great way to use one's skills. Maybe taking on an apprentice of sorts wasn't so unreal a choice.

After closing in on Kurenai's position, Naruto turned to Hinata and nodded. Hinata got ready to activate her doujutsu but was stunned when she saw the pain in Naruto's eyes. Before she could speak though the world around her blurred. Same thing with Naruto and Shino. Caught in Kurenai's Genjutsu they saw their worst fears.

Naruto was trapped in a dead-end. Just like when he was a kid. He saw everyone's glares. Looks of hate and malice. They hated him. They despised him. He felt the despair, he felt the black abyss of loneliness rise up to swallow him whole as his loved people, Anko, Hinata even Teuchi and Ayame looked at him with hate.

"Demon, Demon" they called and they raised their hands to hit him. Smite him down like the demon he was. Perhaps he deserved this. Perhaps he was a demon...

Something stirred in Naruto. Determination, stubbornly rising up, enveloping, comforting, strengthening him. He felt fury rise up inside. This was not real, this was a lie. How... HOW DARE SHE! How DARE she use this to curb his resistance. Anger mixed with determination. He drew upon his chakra.

Kurenai looked at her team. Hinata had broken down crying, Shino looked terrified and Naruto... Naruto looked so hurt that she almost broke her illusion. But then his features changed. She saw such anger boiling behind his eyes that sent shivers of fear coursing through her. Suddenly trapping them in that specific genjutsu was not such a good idea. Then she saw the chakra swirl around Naruto. Kami how much chakra did he have? It was visible and rising quickly. He had already been moulding as much as she had at 100% and it kept rising! What the heck was he?

Naruto gathered his chakra and channeled it to his arms. Raising his hands in front he cocked them back. His chakra moved to the palms of his hands. The glow was so condenced Kurenai couldn't see his hands anymore, a Hyuga would have been blinded.

"CHAKRA NAMI!" Naruto thrust his hands forward unleashing a wave of raw chakra. Kurenai felt the world around her shudder for an instant. Her illusions, so carefully crafted, so delicate yet so powerful... shattered. No one had ever overpowered them so... completely before. Even Kakashi couldn't just shatter them like a mighty avalanche completely destroying a mere person standing in front of it. She felt... awed.

"Kami..." she whispered.

The chakra wave went on for a hundred feet before finally loosing power and slowly . Kurenai was too shocked to do anything but blink.

Hinata and Shino suddenly released from the Genjutsu saw Naruto, arms still extended forward, and Kurenai blinking at him. What surprised them though was the still swirling chakra of Naruto. Naruto spoke words of raw anger.

"How... How dare you... How dare you show that to me you bitch... How dare you insult everything I care for... I will kill you... I'LL KILL YOU!"

Kurenai barely had any time to dodge as Naruto charged her with speeds most jounin would be hard pressed to match. Carefully she tried to speak to Naruto, to apologize for whatever she had forced him to see.

"Naruto calm down. It was a test, a mere illusion to see-"

"You think I CARE? You are not scum, it would be insulting to scum. How dare you show THAT of all things?"

Hinata was officially scared. What could Naruto have seen that caused such a reaction? He always seemed so nice, so caring so what could have forced such a reaction...

Shino was taken aback. T his knowledge, Naruto was a carefree person, took everything lightly and laughed at the smallest thing. Yet this Naruto was nothing he would have expected out of the laughinb blonde. Quickly he turned to Hinata and spoke carefully.

"Hinata-san we must stop him. Try restraining him while I'll try to get Kurenai-sensei's scroll. We'll have to ask him about this behaviour of his."

"I-I don't k-know if I c-can Shino-san, b-but I w-will try..."

Hinata ran to Naruto and took advantage of Naruto's enraged state to hit a couple of the pressure points on his hands to paralyze them. Naruto almost hit her with his other hand before he froze looking at her.

"Hinata?"

"N-Naruto-kun... I d-don't know what s-she showed you b-but it c-can't be t-that bad?"

"It is. She showed me... my childhood."

Kurenai hearing this froze. Kami no wonder he reacted like that. Shino on the other hand chose to wait for later before he would question Naruto on his words. Now he had a scroll to get. Quickly swiping it he returned to his team. Kurenai decided she'd seen enough. They had the teamwork, they had the skills. Quickly she announced.

"Alright team, you performed perfectly. You are now officially Genin of Konoha. You pass. This test was made to test your cooperation and teamwork. In other words getting the scroll or not was irrelevant."

"Yeah whatever. I'm not going to work with you though Kurenai. Anko said you were understanding of things. Guess she misjudged you."

"Naruto calm down. I didn't know what the illusion showed you..."

"Would you like to see? Want to live one day of my childhood Kurenai? Its not so bad I'm sure."

"Naruto I'm so sorry. This genjutsu was made to project your deepest fears and nightmares. I didn't know it would project that..."

Hinata interrupted the conversation. "A-ano Naruto-kun w-why did y-you react l-like that? I-it wasn't l-like you."

"Yeah guess so Hinata. Then again I'm not like you or anyone else but at most 8 other people..." *sigh* "Since we're gonna be Team 8 we have to trust each other. For that to happen I'll tell you everything about me. By the time I'm done you'll have the right to kill me and I'll hold no grudge about that. Sit down because this will take some time."

Hinata and Shino sat under a tree while Kurenai, feeling guilty about what she had Naruto go through, sat next to them. Naruto chose another tree to sit down facing them. Looking at them each in turn he turned to the sky before beginning his tale.

"This story really began ten thousand years ago, when humans didn't even exist. However I'm going to skip to 13 years ago. On the tenth of October 13 years ago. Hinata what happened then?"

"T-the K-Kyubi attacked K-Konoha..."

"And what else?"

"Y-you were b-born Naruto-kun..." She said blushing at his attention.

"Yes. You see I am not exactly human. I was born one though. I was human for about 15 minutes. Tell me Shino, if someone threatens you and everything you hold dear yet you cannot kill him what do you do?"

"The most logical solution would be to restrain or seal them... But you can't mean that... the Kyubi... was..." Shino slowed down as the implications of Naruto's words struck him.

"Exactly. Yondaime couldn't kill the Kyubi. No man can. Instead he chose another solution. He had to seal it. But you see that's not so easy. The more tails a Bijuu has, the stronger it is. The Ichibi could be sealed in a normal item, the Nibi in a specially prepared sphere... But as one goes up the tails it gets harder and harder to seal off. The Kyubi couldn't be sealed in an item, the seal would be too weak. It couldn't be sealed in an animal or the animal would become the submissive personality to the Kyubi. It couldn't be sealed in an adult because the Kyubi's youki would tear the person apart from the youki overflowing the chakra coils. So only one solution remained... Seal the Bijuu inside a newborn baby. And the only baby born that day was... me. I am Uzumaki Naruto and I am not human. My classification is Jinchuuriki. The Kyubi no Jinchuuriki to be exact. In my gut lies the demon that tried to destroy Konoha..."

Naruto let them think about his words for a little time, to allow it all to sink in. Hinata looked terrified and Shino was as always unreadable.

"Now no human, no matter how strong, could devise a seal to hold the Kyubi back. Yondaime didn't die because he used all his chakra. He died because he summoned the one thing to be able to seal off the Kyubi. He summoned the Shinigami himself. That is the real reason he died. Just before he died though he left behind his last words. My name and one request. That I be looked upon as a hero to hold the Kyubi back. The one thing to stand between the Kyubi and all of you. He believed in the people he tried to protect... The fool... they never listened. They saw me as the Kyubi itself. You wondered why I reacted like that to seeing my memories? Tell me how many times have you scavenged trash for food? How many times have you been tortured to the bliss of unconsciousness? How many times have you been poisoned? How many times have you been looked on with nothing but hate, as if your very existence was a blight upon the earth?"

Hinata looked terrified. How could people treat someone like that. How could they torture the one person to save them all... Shino on his part saw someone he could relate to, even though he was outside his clan. Kurenai began to undestand exactly what she did and was feeling guilt unlike anything she had felt before. Naruto though continued.

"There are more. Five years ago... remember a burst of chakra so evil you probably had nightmares of? That was me. Or rather Kyubi. Five years ago, I was hunted by a mob. The weekly chase they gave me. That was one of the few that they actually caught me. I was fortunate. I was only tortured for an hour. Then I got stabbed by a chakra infused sword. Right on the seal." *sigh* "The seal is really powerful, but also delicate. The tiniest disruption could free the Kyubi. And it did. The Kyubi's seal broke. The Kyubi could and heck probably should have gotten free, killing me in the meantime. But of course killing me would be too kind for Kyubi. Instead he chose to devour my soul. He took me to my mindscape and challenged me. There is no escape from such fights. Tell me, how would you react if you saw the Kyubi, a dead demon and realized he was the reason for all your suffering? Tell me? How would you feel if the one person you ever trusted fully never told you anything about who you really were?"

"I fought the Kyubi. Normally I would have died. But Kyubi misjudged something. We were in MY mindscape. There whatever I say goes. There I am god. So I fought him... and won. I also met Yondaime there. Or well a clone of him he placed in order to repair the seal should it ever break. He told me a few things, including my parentage, but that is irrelevant. The point is I defeated the Kyubi. Victory in such a fight means the winnder completely devours and takes the powers of the looser. So I started absorbing Kyubi's power and knowledge. See a problem here? His power was too great. His knowledge too much. I would tear me apart mentally and physically. So... I brought Kyubi back."

Gasps echoed.

"There was no way other than that. I had to. I brought him back and tied him to my blood. I also changed him, erased his bloodlust and made him... my kekkei genkai of sorts. Kyubi will be within all of my children and be their mentor and teacher. He will guide them through a life of kindness. Now... Kyubi is a grumpier version of Iruka-sensei. Oh and he hates cute things." *chuckle*

His team looked at him wide eyed.

"That was not all though. While I absorbed his power most of it escaped and... incinerated the men attacking me. You see... the Kyubi's chakra is poison. I developed a resistance over time though. It allowed me to survive though not as I was. I became even less human. My body is unstable. My DNA is half-broken. However, I can control it. I can cause my body to mutate and change form to make weapons or alter my perception. I can form claws, wings, see warmth or change my eyes to that of an eagle. My body adapts faster than any human's. My bones are denser, my skin harder to pierce, my muscles evolve a hundred times faster than anyone else's, I can heal almost any injury. In short my body's physical abilities go as close to perfection as a human is allowed to be. Tell me... What defines a monster? Birth? Looks? Fame? Actions? Thoughts? What is a monster?"

Pain evident in his eyes, Naruto awaited his teammate's approval. It was the time of truth. They would judge him.

Hinata was torn. Her family had lost many in the Kyubi's attack. Now the Kyubi was alive, in front of her. She was taught it was evil, it was dead. But it wasn't dead. It was a lie. Was it being evil also a lie? Would she go against her family? Her devotion to it had been literally beaten into her all her life. Hyuga above all... Yet she was hesitating. Naruto never asked for this, never had a choice. If he was the Kyubi, they'd have all been killed. He really was the only thing standing between them and the demon lord. She tried for a second to imagine the loneliness he had suffered. It was impossible. Unbearable. She made her choice.

Shino also tried to think about Naruto. His logic said that he was a danger, yes, but an acceptable one. Were he the Kyubi they'd have all been killed. But they were alive. Hence if the person in front of him had that much kindness after all this, it meant he was untouched by Kyubi's hate. Shino also thought about Naruto's loneliness. To him it was even harder. A life without his clan and his insects... without anyone. It scared him. Terrified him. No one to turn to, no one to look up to. He also made his choice.

Kurenai had long since made her choice. It was the obvious one.

Slowly Naruto's teammates spoke.

"N-Narito-kun is no demon. Y-you d-din't ask for it. Y-you kept us a-all s-safe. I-I don't t-think you're a m-monster. Y-you're t-too kind f-for it..."

"I concur with Hinata-san. It would be impossible to maintain a charade of innocence for as long as and especially against all you seem to have gone through. Besides if anyone understands your position in Konoha, it is my clan."

Naruto was elated. Another two people who didn't see him as the damn fox 'I heard that brat', he could finally entrust them with his final secret.

"Arigatou minna, for seeing me as I am. However I have not shared my final and greatest secret."

Kurenai and her team perked up. What was he talking about. What secret was greater than the Kyubi being sealed inside him.

"This secret is known by three people in Konoha, including me. It is an SS-ranked secret you will not reveal to anyone. Say Shino, what is the first rule of being a Hokage?"

Shino answered automatically. "Do not send others on a mission you wouldn't go yourself. Wait... that means..."

"Yup. Think about it. Would Yondaime ever trust that burden to just any random child?"

Kurenai's eyes widened as she caught up. "T-t-that means you're..."

"Heh come on Hinata-chan, you know better than anyone. Who do I look like? Here's a hint. You see him every day."

Hinata was thinking hard before the answer hit her on the head. Naruto looked exactly like the Yondaime's face on the Hokage Monument. It was impossible yet it was true.

"N-Naruto-kun i-is... Yondaime-sama's... s-son..." was all she got out before fainting.

Naruto chuckled. She was so cute like that.

"Kurenai and Shino, I don't think I have to tell you about this but you will not share anything that happened here with anyone else. Not even my parentage. If these retards don't treat me well, even if I'm an orphan then they don't deserve my father's legacy." Shino nodded. Kurenai found the time to apologize to Naruto.

"Naruto I want to apologize. I didn't know what I would have shown you. If I did, I would have chosen something else."

"Yes you didn't. However that does not excuse you from your actions. I do not forget or forgive that easily Kurenai-san. But if you're wondering, I'll be fine. I've survived much worse. It will simply take some time."

After a little while Hinata woke up. After being told not to repeat anything she heard there, the team exchanged their secrets to bond together even more.

Hinata was on the ground a second time at that time. She had finally found the courage to tell Naruto she liked him only to be surprised by his answer.

"I know already Hinata-chan. I like you too. Even though, thanks to me being an orphan, I don't know in what way exactly. Still the fact remains I like you and it is one of the reasons I'm in this team."

After waiting for Hinata to wake up from Happy-land the team debated on a name. Naruto cam up with their final choice. The team would be named FEAR. Or First Encounter Assault Recon. They will be the first ones to be sent in, recon the enemy and possibly attack its positions using strategic thinking and knowledge over pure firepower. Seeing as it was getting late, the team meeting broke up so everyone could go to their respective homes. To Naruto it was a good day.

Kurenai went to the Hokage and was surprisingly chasticed for being late. However her words shook up the poor Hokage.

"I am late because I had my first team meeting. Also Naruto told me all his secrets. And I mean ALL of them. Including his parentage. Shame on you Hokage. You really have forgotten who you are in your old age."

Of course that drew gasps from the assembled jounin that were however silenced when they heard their Hokage "I... see... I can only apologize I'm afraid..."

"That won't work Hokage-sama. I used my genjutsu to make Naruto view his worse nightmare. He almost killed me and that's without him using his abilities. I'll tell you what he told me 'I don't forgive or forget that easily'."

Sarutobi seemingly aged in a few seconds by her words. He sighed before dismissing everyone. He turned to his crystal ball to see Naruto chased off from a shop.

'Have I really failed you that much Naruto? Minato? Have I really failed you so much?'

As if on cue Naruto turned and stared right towards where the crystal 'eye' was. The look on his eyes gave the aged Hokage his answer.

A/N: Finally completed it. I know it took me a lot of time but I have this weird writer's block. Not the no-ideas-what-so-ever kind of block. More the so-many-ideas-I-can't-choose kind of block. So many ideas... so little time... My new puppy also takes up a significant amount of my time, she's 45 days old after all so she's pretty whiny. Ah well all babies are I guess. Anyway till next time.

Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.

I shall not update this, or any other story.

I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.