Chapter: Hatchling
To say that Naruto was overjoyed to get out of the hospital room is an understatement, so severe that the Gods themselves would freak out. The blonde hyperactive ball of energy couldn't contain himself. He was leaping around, happily proclaiming his release to all that had even less than half an ear to hear. He had spent more than a week inside, even though the past few days he was allowed to walk around, but it was still too little for the child. He wanted room to run, toys to play with, friends to laugh with and, of course, books with dragons!
Haruna had gotten the child a few pencils and a sketchbook to pass his time in the hospital. The book was filled with pictures of dragons, in various poses and of course Narut-ized dragons, or was it dragon-ized Narutos, spitting fire and flying. It had been a good hobby for the child, one that Haruna found utterly cute, seeing the kid declare it with so much conviction, that some people actually began to believe he would become one. Well at least until Naruto had his next blunder and the image shattered.
When Naruto got back to school, many things were different. Several teachers that gave him the evil eye before now treated him fairly, almost nicely. Of course, a few still gave him that eye, but Naruto didn't really care. He had his friends. Anything else was unimportant. So, the blonde devoted as much time as he could to studying. Not the school stuff, that was boring. No, he studied on mythological creatures, the mighty dragons specifically. He'd spend many hours in the library, seeking out more and more literature.
However, after a few weeks, that wasn't enough. He had read everything on dragons, but he still didn't know how to become one. So, the little child resolved to move on to bigger and greater things. Namely, a bigger and greater library.
He spent several days planning how to enter without being found out. He recorded the guard switches, the hidden passages, everything. Then, when he finally had his plan completed, he executed it. It went without a hitch and Naruto, mere hours after leaving the orphanage and with none being wiser, had managed to swipe several scrolls.
None of these scrolls had high level techniques, after all high-level stuff was either in a jonin's safe, at the Hokage's care, or in the ANBU's hands. Instead, Naruto got his hands on something very, very different. Elemental manipulation. Being who he was, he thought that if he learned how to breathe fire, a dragon would be impressed and come to him. In his childish fantasy, that was all that he required. And so Naruto trained. However, he forgot something very important.
There is a reason these scrolls were not revealed to all chuunin. It was a very dangerous practice to use elemental chakra without guidance. Naruto, being hyperactive as he was, didn't even care to read the warnings about what could happen to him. After all, he had already fought a powerful enemy and survived, what would a little bit of chakra, be it elemental, do to him? Absolutely nothing, the child was convinced. So, painstakingly slow to his opinion, yet amazingly fast at just about everybody else's standards, Naruto began learning how to turn his chakra.
Now, Iruka might have been slightly off target declaring that with chakra everything is possible, but he didn't account for one thing, the most unpredictable ninja of Konoha, Naruto. For all intents and purposes, when a student begins his elemental training, he has already ingrained several concepts within himself, a practice, a paradigm if you will, of how the world and his skills work. However, Naruto lacked all of that. He had no knowledge of the limits of chakra, fully believing that it could make anything possible. So, does it come as such a surprise to see that someone breaks limits he didn't even realize they existed?
It wasn't an immidiate change. Far from it. It came so slowly that few, if any, recognized it's initial stages. But it was there. Naruto's limited understanding of his powers led him to a greater understanding of himself, simply through sheer imagination and belief. Tinkering with his abilities, learning as much as he could, playing with this and that, experimenting... Naruto opened up a whole new path of power. Without even realizing it.
Some teachers were surprised by Naruto's continuous drop in chakra control, it was as if his chakra simply flowed on its own, doing whatever it wanted to. Not that it was ineffective, far from it, it seemed to react to Naruto's will at least somewhat. However, the most simple techniques were simply out of reach. All the teachers though believed it was just a matter of chakra potency and reserves, being beyond prodigial for one so young. They were correct... but also they were far, far from right.
Naruto's constant tinkering with fire and how to create it, had began to affect his body. Because a child's chakra coils are so maleable, it makes it possible for a bijuu to be sealed inside. However, in such a case, due to the constant pressure of power, a jinchuuriki's chakra coils never quite solidify, remaining extremely flexible, malleable and adapting throughout its life. Due to Naruto's constant use of fire and fire alone, his coils came to adapt, changing his entire physiology. His body heat increased, he felt no cold any more. He could feel when fire was merely near him and the temperature around him increased just by his emotions running strong. When, once, fell boiling oil on his skin, he didn't even blister.
However, nothing of these became apparent to all, happening slowly and over time. At least, not until... that day. The day an ambassador came to Konoha, bringing a peace agreement. Naruto had just finished the theory on his newest technique when he learned of it, confident he could now out-bid Sasuke-teme's Gokakyou. Being a small celebrity himself, he was allowed to speak to Hyuga Hinata, who at that day was having her birthday, for a period of five minutes, just enough to hand over his present and leave.
It wasn't much, even Naruto would admit that. It was just a picture, a dragonized Hinata, soaring under a midnight sky. The blonde's skills in drawing had increased dramatically, having spent so much time both drawing and writing. Still, it warmed the child's heart when Hinata thanked him so profusely. She was a nice girl, always treating everyone nicely. She always blushed and fainted too, but Naruto didn't know why. Nor did he care much anyway, it wasn't a sickness, or so he'd been told. He could do without the stutter though. Even though it was cute.
Naruto spent that night outside, wanting to camp a bit around Konoha and practice his technique. Haruna-obaa-san let him since she knew he could handle himself, not to mention he would actually scout out a nice place for the other kids to go camping another day. They had been itching for a day like that for ages. As luck would have it, Naruto set his tent near the Hyuga compound, figuring that A) they wouldn't mind and B) if something were to happen to him, they'd know immidiately and help him.
Imagine his surprise when, during his meditation to control his inferno-like chakra, he heard rapid running, and a body running through the bushes. Suddenly, a man, not much older than his own teacher, crashed into the clearing Naruto had situated his tent.
The man cursed, there was a witness. He might not like hurting kids, but he didn't have a choice, if word got out of this, Kumo would suffer. He quickly sent a prayer to Kami, apologizing for what he was about to do, withdrew a knife and got ready to attack. However, just that moment, things went wrong for the man. He hadn't accounted for a very, very simple thing; Uzumaki Naruto is fiercely protective of his friends, so much in fact, that just being a friend of his friends made people untouchable in the Academy. Alas for the man though, he had no knowledge of that fact. What he DID learn though was that it was a mistake to let Naruto see who he was carrying.
As soon as Naruto's eyes fell on Hinata, he understood what was happening. Unconscious, bound Hinata + fleeing, foreign ninja willing to kill = kidnapping. As his anger flared, so did his chakra, phasing into the real world, bursting around Naruto with a brilliant flame. The blonde didn't even pay attention to that. This man was trying to kidnap, and possibly hurt, Hinata, one of his nakama. Nobody, nobody layed a hand on his nakama. That was a fact that the poor man soon learned. The hard way.
In a burst of fire, Naruto's flame wreathed form launched itself at the ninja in unbelievable speeds. The man realized his kunai would do little to stop the flaming charge and reversed the grip, laying it on his forearm, in order to withstand as much as possible. When the open palm strike landed on the flat side of the kunai, the man flinched. He learned of another of Naruto's past times; physical excercise. While Naruto never learned a serious taijutsu style, he trained his body to the limits. His insane regeneration and stamina allowed him to go on for much longer, reaping greater and greater rewards. As such, even as a kid, Naruto's muscles were fine tuned to an unbelievable extent. He might have been far away from shattering boulders, but a normal human's bones would stand no chance.
The man felt his body cringe and lock up in pain from the shock of the blow, but his shock turned to horror. Naruto's palm wrapped around the man's forearm with a vice-like grip. Then the child used said appendage to launch a devastating elbow strike to the man's abdomen, causing him to spit blood. As the kumo nin was folded in two, he fearfully noticed that the flames on the blonde's arm were rapidly expanding on his own arm and second, the child had placed both feet crouched on the ground and was chambering his fist ominously.
When the uppercut came, it caused several teeth to creak in protest from the force of the blow. The man was thrown back, almost flying before rolling to a stop. Realizing his disadvantage, the man let go of the girl and drew a second knife. The child's voice though froze him in absent terror.
"You... who would hurt my nakama... you who would hurt my prescious people... I won't forgive you... I will DEFINITELY NOT FORGIVE YOU!"
Another power surged within the boy, causing the very air to groan in fear and pain. The man had only one word he could link with the overbearing power of the youth, the youth that was standing in a veritable typhoon of fire and fury. "Ji... Jinchuuriki... You're a... a jinchuuriki!"
Naruto's mind may have caught the world, but in his current state, he couldn't give a rat's ass about the man's words. No, the teme had hurt Hinata, his nakama. While she wasn't by any stretch of the word his best friend, heck he barely knew her, she was a friend, a nakama. A member of the family called Konoha. Naruto quite simply couldn't find it inside him to care about what that dead man walking was talking about. He felt his power surge with him, following his desire, his heart's will, to exterminate that scum.
Naruto almost disappeared from the man's view, only visible due to the fiery trail he left behind him. The charge was viscious, but the man dodged. Leaping away from his hostage, he tried the only thing he had, if he wanted to survive the crazed jinchuuriki. Quickly he bagan making handseals for his jutsu, it might not kill the damn demon container, but it would stun him long enough to get away and maybe accuse him of stealing the Hyuga princess. He never got the time.
As soon as Naruto saw the man make his hand-seal thingies, he remembered the other man that had almost burned him alive. He knew that it would hurt, so he struck first. 'It's not completed yet but I have to risk it. If he blows fire at me again, not only will I get hurt, but worse, he may even hit Hinata!'
Naruto's chakra flared and wrapped around his hands as he struck his knuckles together. The man was more than a little bit surprised to see the fire take the shape of a dragon for an instant. His surprise cost him the fight, as he couldn't un-wind the chakra from the technique he was readying, he couldn't complete the technique in time to defend and he was still in the air, unable to dodge. Naruto ignored all that and brought his fists in front of his mouth, as if making a hose extend from it. He sucked in an almost inordinate amount of air before he exclaimed his attack.
"Karyu no... HOUKO! (Fire Dragon's ROAR!)"
A massive breath of fire issued forth, wider than three men stood tall, and slammed onto the unfortunate Kumo-nin. The ambassador screamed in pain, allowing the flames to enter from his mouth and attack his insides. When the lump of flesh landed, it was scorched beyond recognition, a mass of bone and flesh. It didn't move.
Naruto's actions caught on him, his flaming armor dissolving in the air, and he fell to his knees in exhaustion, both physical and mental. The struggling of a now-waking Hinata drew his attention though and he rushed to his friend, cutting the ropes binding her. He didn't have time to completely free her before another man charged in the clearing.
Hyuga Hiashi was a man raised in the political turbulences of the Hyuga clanhold, fought in a war and gained the esteemed rank of Elite Jounin before resigning from his ninja career to lead his clan. He had seen many, many things. However, he was still ill prepared to face Naruto after what the boy had done. He had seen the interaction via his Byakugan. The child's chakra... it was completely different than most people, it was like liquid fire flowing through its veins. Then, when the child got angry... the flare of power nearly blinded him, bathing the boy in an orange-red angry fire. However, Hiashi proved his worth as he managed to discern several things even at that.
First of all, the boy was completely unaffected by the Kyubi, the demon's power apparently was absorbed and turned to that fire-like power almost as soon as it entered Naruto's coils, submitting in a sense, to the boy's power. Then, there was the dragon shape that was formed out of chakra. As a specialist in the matter, he knew that chakra often flowed in forms that were significant to the user, often denoting the elemental affinity of a shinobi, if they were perceptive enough. However, for the child's chakra to flow in that form, instead of the expected nine-tails or even a fire as is common, and with such clarity at that... Either the kid was a genius like no other in terms of chakra, or he had found a different way to manipulate it, so much so that it could hardly be considered chakra.
Then when the technique came, it was unlike any ninjutsu. Normally, shinobi use handseals to alter and control the flow of energy, but the child didn't do anything close to that. He simply willed the power in form, controlled it with nothing but sheer talent and willpower. Hiashi wouldn't for the longest time understand why Naruto laughed amused every time he was asked how he controlled that power. And when he did understand, he still couldn't believe the answer was so simple that a child would see but an adult would never realize.
The distraught father, even if he was very good at keeping it a secret, rushed to his daughter. He quickly checked over her, seeing that the only wounds she had suffered were that of a chop to the back of her head and rope burns. Naruto saw the man get close to his friend and stood protectively over her.
"Who are you? I'm not letting anyone hurt Hinata!"
Hiashi almost chuckled at the boy, however he unconsciously stuck by the Hyuga decorum and merely allowed his eyes to curl upwards, which would be the equivalent of belly-laughter for the Hyuga clan leader. "I am her father Naruto-san. Why would I hurt my own daughter?"
Naruto accepted the simple logic of the statement and allowed the man to get close to the now sobbing girl. Naruto didn't know why she was crying really, sure it was scary, but still. Then he remembered, Hinata was... a girl! And girls cry all the time. Not sure why though. The blonde shrugged and let her father deal with her while took to watching around in case someone else came after his nakama. After all, if there's one bad person, there are bound to be more, the books said so.
It didn't take long for the cavalry, err, I mean the ANBU to arrive, flanking a grousy-looking Sandaime. Apparently the incident had forced him to wake up. The Kumo nin would never quite realize how lucky he was he had already died. An... interview... with Ibiki was FAR worse than death. Of course the fact that the fake ambassador was burned to a crisp might have helped in that regard.
"Naruto-kun! What happened here? What's going on?" Spoke the frantic Kage.
Naruto sighed, lowering his guard now that the reinforcements had arrived. "I was camping out here tonight, Haruna-obaa-san had promised to let us camp out one of these days and I wanted to find a nice place for it. Suddenly that... that teme" Naruto spat out the word as he pointed towards the charred remains of a former person. "He barged in here. I didn't care but then I saw he held Hinata in his arms, tied up. I will not allow anyone to hurt my nakama." Naruto's declaration made everyone reel back from the force behind it. "Then he attacked me and I..." Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what he had done. "I... I... I f-fought back and... I... I burned him! I burned him alive! What have I done! I-I'm a monster! Ji-chan! I'm a monster now!"
The blonde fell back on the ground, shaking with fear of what he had done. He just tried to protect his friend, his nakama, but instead he had burned someone alive. He had killed someone. He used fire to kill, like... like that man tried to! He had become just like that man, he became the one thing he hated! He burned, he burned someone alive! Sobs came through Naruto's body as his unblinking eyes, still wide with shock and terror shed tears he didn't even feel. He only whispered about 'monster' and 'burned'.
The few doubts that the kid wasn't a demon were wiped out by the faces of those present. No demon would enter such a shocked state by killing, if anything it would enjoy it. While the shinobi present were surprised at how long it took for Naruto to realize it, they also understood that it was mere adrenaline keeping the boy's emotions and realizations at bay. Since the Hokage had shown up, the boy's defences went down, the adrenaline dissipated and of course his mind caught up. Sarutobi kneeled next to the distraught child.
"Don't worry Naruto-kun, you're not a monster, you're not a bad man. You're a hero, twice already. You didn't do anything bad, that man would have hurt Hinata and you don't want that do you?"
"B-b-but... I" *sob* "I killed him, like that man did!"
Sarutobi sighed. Usually, shinobi were ready to deal with killing by the time they exited the Academy, the psychologists made sure of that. However, a child wasn't ready for this. "Naruto-kun, listen to me. It's normal to hate killing. It means you're still human. If you were a monster you wouldn't feel like that would you? A monster would have liked it. I know for sure that the Kyubi did. But you're nothing like that. You're a hero, you did what you had to do to protect your friend. It's ok to be sad, it's ok to cry. Just think of what they would have done to poor Hinata here if you hadn't done anything?"
An ANBU shunshined to the partially scorched clearing, with the orphan caretaker with him. Haruna saw the shocked state of Naruto and ran towards him, wrapping him in a tight hug, whispering sweet words to his ear, knowing how to calm the sobbing boy down. Slowly yet steadily, the boy's sobs slowed down to a crawl, but Naruto's grip on the woman's clothes didn't let up. Sarutobi sighed deeply, he could feel the headache coming, he already knew the paperwork was waiting for him in his office. He puffed a bit of smoke out of his ever-present pipe and turned to the ANBU, letting them follow protocol.
"Naruto-kun, Hiashi, I think you should come to my office immidiately, I need an accurate testimony so the politicians don't turn it against us. Haruna-san you should come with us. I don't think Naruto-kun wants to let go of you yet. I'd prefer that Hinata would also join us, but best let her rest, the ordeal must have been shocking."
Hiashi left his now-sleeping daughter at the hands of a branch member and shunshin'ed to the Hokage's office, followed by the Kage himself and an ANBU member that took Haruna and Naruto to the room as well.
Once there, Sarutobi got a couple of scrolls out and started writing all he could, trying to remove as many holes as he could from the testimony, he didn't want any politician twisting the law and hurting Naruto or the Hyuga clan for what an enemy did. So, he made sure to ask questions to the slowly subdued blonde and the Hyuga clan head. He had to cringe though when he saw Haruna's eyes drill into him every time he pushed for more info. She might have been an ex-gennin rank kunoichi and now just barely in shape, considering her sixty years of age, but she was nothing if not overprotective of her charges. He should know. He had to investigate the remains of a crazed murderer that had escaped from the prison and made his way to the orphanage to satisfy his sick obsession. The lump of meat, bone and blood was barely recognizable and the ANBU still didn't know how she managed to inflict such wounds on the poor bastard with a kitchen knife. The photos and drawings were actually used in ANBU initiation tests to test out the rookie's mettle. If they managed to not barf by the end of the file, they passed. Even Anko and Ibiki had commented she had probably gone overboard.
After the interrogation, also known as testimony, had been completed, the room fell in a tentative quiet, as the Hokage finalized the documents. He'd have to act fast if he didn't want things to get out of hand. Kami-sama knew how badly these damn lawyers and politicians could blow things out of proportions. Suddenly, Naruto's voice cut through the silence and the present people's psyche like a hot blade through butter.
"Ne.. Ji-chan, what's... a jinchuuriki?"
The room's temperature dropped as all motion ceased. Sarutobi took in a deep breath trying to stabilize himself. "Where... where did you hear that Naruto-kun?"
Naruto shifted uncomfortably, he didn't know why everyone looked at him like that. "That... that man" Naruto shivered as he remembered the Kumo ninja "He... he said I'm a jinchuuriki, after I got angry and my flames picked up. I didn't care then, but now, I want to know. What's a jinchuuriki?"
Sandaime sighed. It was something he didn't want to have to face yet. He knew he could just blow it off, but the point is the child would have to know at some point. If he lied now, who knows how Naruto would react when the truth came out? "Naruto-kun, I wanted to tell you that later, much later when you'd be grown up and understand it better. But now that I think about it, it's best to get this over and done with. Naruto-kun, this story starts 7 years ago, on the tenth of October..."
The aged man then proceeded to tell Naruto of the truth behind the Kyubi's defeat. "Keep in mind Naruto-kun, you are NOT the Kyubi, in any way, shape, or form. What you did in the orphanage and just now proves it. You are completely human, just with whiskers. Nothing more, nothing less. You are a hero, a born hero, from the moment of your birth, you've been protecting everyone, Konoha, me, your nakama. Don't let anyone lie to you about it, you are one of the greatest heroes ever born Naruto-kun. And I'm sure you will only become greater in the future."
The boy stood stock still as Haruna's arms wrapped around the child in his lap. He looked at Hiashi, who looked back with interest, not hate interest. He looked at his caretaker, who was hugging him as closely as ever. As if... as if it didn't matter what he was doing. "You... knew? You knew didn't you Haruna-obaa-san?"
The woman smiled gently at the boy. "Of course I did. Most of the village does. But I don't care about the fox. It doesn't matter to me. You're just my little Naru-chan, my boy, my hero. You're you and nothing, not even a giant fox with nine tails would ever change that Naru-chan."
The boy thought and thought hard. People knew and yet they didn't hate him. Well some did, but not anymore. Not since the orphanage fire. They saw him as Naruto, as himself. The boy felt... elated at the thought. They didn't care about the fox, they didn't mind. He... he really was their hero!
Hiashi smirked as he read the emotions of the boy. He decided to let something else be known, something that would further cement the boy's realization that he wasn't the demon, but a hero. "If I may Hokage-sama. I would like to say something else. When Naruto-san fought the kidnapper, I was too far away to interfere, but my eyes could still -san here... has a unique ability. His flames are based on chakra, but they are not. Instead of normal chakra, it's a fire-like energy unlike anything I had seen before. It's not Kyubi's power if you're wondering. The demon's power is evil, malicious. This... this is all Naruto-san's power. His own, completely unique power. It's completely separate from the demon."
The boy looked surprised. He still had his doubts, his powers might have been the result of a demon, but they weren't. It proved to him that he wasn't in fact the demon, he was innocent, he was himself. He was Uzumaki Naruto, a future dragon! The boy's determination urged him to make another declaration.
"Yosh! I've decided! I won't let the damn fox out, no matter what! If I keep him inside, he won't get our right? He won't hurt my nakama, so I'm not letting the bastard fox out! I'm going to protect everyone!"
The room was filled with Sarutobi's chukle and Haruno's giggles at the boy's dramatic pose. Hiashi's mirthful smirk was the equivalent of rollin around on a floor laughing for a Hyuga and conveyed about the same amusement. The Hyuga thought to himself, 'how much of a fool had I been to fear this child? he's so innocent and brave, even when learning of his burden. He truly is... a hero. How ironically deserving, considering how much he looks and sounds like them'. Of course, that last thought had opened up a new avenue of thought for the Hyuga, causing his eyes to widen at the thought and then relax, if his suspicions were correct, then the child was truly a born legend, even before the Kyubi's attack.
A week passed from the Hyuga incident when a reply finally came from Kumo. Despite the Hokage's best efforts, things got twisted yet again. The Raikage wanted the head of the shinobi that killed his man, even if it was in self defence. Sarutobi told him, in fancier words though, to go mate with a goat. The man's threats however were not unbased and managed to strike an agreement when he found out that the killer of his ninja was naught but a boy, a ninja in training at that. He managed to get the boy expelled and banned from the Academy, believing that this way he would limit Konoha's access to such a potentially powerful student. One thing he didn't account for however, was Sandaime's own skill in law twisting. As soon as the wizened man saw the letter, his mind had already planned dozens of counterattacks. The Raikage tried to limit his resources would he? Well, not on the Sandaime's watch, not if his name was Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Naruto was summoned at the Hokage's office, entering to find the old man seated behind his eternal paperwork pile, Hyuga Hiashi waiting for the boy to start the meeting.
"Naruto-kun, finally you're here. I have something very important to talk to you. I got this letter from the Raikage. He... he demands that you be dropped from the ninja curriculum. For ever."
Naruto, predictably, exploded. "What? How can he demand anything! You're the Hokage right! Noone commands anything from you!"
Sarutobi nodded. "Of course. However, if I don't accept his demands, he will attack Konoha, causing a war, hurting everyone, including your nakama." That calmed Naruto down, at least somewhat. "However, don't think I'm ready to give up on you because some teme thought he could hurt you. He sees you as a threat Naruto-kun, he's scared of you so he tries to weaken you. We can't have that now can we. However, before I continue, Hiashi-san here has something to tell you as well."
Hiashi squatted down to Naruto's height, looking at the child. "Naruto-san, in the past week, I have been observing you closely, even though you never saw me. I noticed some things. You... you're practicing your abilities the wrong way." Hiashi raised a hand to stop the child from interrupting him. "Or at least what's believed to be the wrong way. Somehow, you have managed to make it right, doing something that noone else can. Noone can manipulate fire like you can. Not me, not the ANBU, not even Hokage-sama. It may not be powerful yet, but it's there. However, for all this, you have a problem. You... can't use chakra any more. Not in the way a ninja can. You can't become a ninja, because your power is too different. It's so different I can barely understand it."
Naruto gaped and looked between each man, tears in his eyes. "But.. but I wanted to be a ninja! I wanted to learn jutsu and become a dragon! I wanted to..."
Sandaime bowed his head a bit, saddened by the child's broken hopes. "Now now, Hiashi said you can't be a ninja, and you can't, but he didn't say anything about not becoming a dragon? You're closer to it than anyone else your age, you can breathe fire remember? I believe in you Naruto-kun, I believe you can become a dragon. Besides, I said I wasn't going to let the Raikage win didn't I? You may not become a ninja, officially at least, but you still can fight for Konoha and protect everyone, just in a different way. You can become what's known as 'freelance contractor'. You're a, supposedly, foreign person, unaffiliated with the village, but one that is sanctioned by the village, getting missions and money from it. You won't be on the roster officially, but you will get a rank and all the rights with it once you're good enough. I will even get people to train you. So, Naruto-kun, please don't worry and don't be sad. You will reach your dreams, just in a way noone knew yet."
Naruto looked between each man. "So... can you explain it some more. I didn't quite get it. What's with the freeland thingie?"
So, for several hours, Sarutobi and Hiashi explained Naruto how things would go in the future. The child would be given material to learn from and practice, teachers the Hokage would pay for and when the time came, he would be an ally to the village. Not a Konoha ninja, but more like a mercenary of Konoha. Since Naruto would be able to protect his friends anyway, he didn't really care about how he'd do it. If protecting his nakama meant he wouldn't be an 'official' ninja, he wouldn't care. It was his nindo.
It quickly became known to Naruto's class mates. When they learned of it, they bid him good luck on learning something else than ninjutsu. Of course, they didn't know of his special training, as that would cause several problems. Hinata was almost tearful when she learned of Naruto's trouble for protecting her. Her spirits were raised somewhat however when Naruto walked away from the class one last time, his arm raised in the air, his pointer aimed to the heavens. "Minna, train hard! I'm going to protect you all so don't worry. If something happens, this Uzumaki Naruto-sama will be there to save you!"
As a responce to the boy's cheerful declaration, his hand burst in flames and a fireball shot out in the sky, exploding in a myriad of colored flames.
As the hatchling struggles to escape the bindings of the egg to freedom, so did Naruto's trials spur him on to his destiny. To his destined place as a legend amongst legends. The legendary... Dragon Slayer.
A/N: Welcome to the next chapter of Tail of a Dragon Slayer, hoped you enjoyed it. This time Naruto faces and overcomes several odds, making his way to his destiny as a hero. With naught but a dream and his own power, how far will he go?
Pretty darn far I'd wager. Anyway, this chapter's also been beta-read by my dear friend Libra'sAngel27.
As always, please read and review, it feeds my inspiration, urging me to write more and better. One thing I'm having is if I'm going to have the Fairy Tail characters showing up (though Natsu wouldn't immidiately). Beyond just pairings, I'm wondering if I should alter a few characters (like Haku or Tenten) to suit their Fairy Tail counterparts, or add the crew to the Naruto world as people with 'different powers', much like Naruto himself is. I'll be setting up a poll soon, so take your time, think it out and let me know of your opinions. Keep in mind I like playing the devil's advocate so no matter what your opinion is, if I should discuss it with you, I will support the other one, if only for conversation's sake.
As a side note, the Kumo ninja didn't know about Naruto being a jinchuuriki. However, he saw a freakin' dragon made out of flames erupt around the child. He knew no better so he assumed that the child wasn't normal, categorizing him as a jinchuuriki. A little misundertsanding that, ironically, cleared up several others.
I also would like to apologize to my female readers on the 'girls cry a lot' part. Do not forget this is from Naruto's point of view, who at that time had no contact or real knowledge of women and kunoichi, still being at the tender age of eight. So of course it strikes him the most if a girl cries, considering he doesn't consider boys to doing such a thing, believing that 'big boys don't cry'.
*Libra'sAngel27 smacks Soulblazer87 on the head with a wet fish* Libra'sAngel27: Not all girls cry a lot you dimwitted buffoon!
Yikes, note to self, don't piss of women.