The Child of Prophecy
Chapter 2
Half of the school year had already come and passed. It was filled with Naruto and Itachi training their asses off every day, and the results were showing. Even though they were only five years old, they showed extreme skill far above their age group. Each one of them could demonstrate critical thinking skills worthy of advanced Chuunin; although, their physical strength and stamina were only at mid genin; they were five after all. Itachi, however, was unrestricted by age with the use of his Sharingan, and he put it to good use. His Sharingan had advanced to two tomoe in each eye, two-thirds of the way to being complete. Naruto, on the other hand, had taken to learning Shunshin(Quick Step), and had used it abundantly during their spars.
Since Itachi was always excellent as using deception, Naruto took it upon himself to always look past the initial attack because that was where the real Itachi would be waiting to strike. Neither of them learned anything in school; rather, they would use the classroom for training. When the teacher would look away, they would substitute themselves with another student before changing back when the teacher turned back around.
They were both growing splendidly as Shinobi; however, today was going to be a life-changing day for Itachi. He would finally ask Naruto why there was a strong genjutsu over his eyes. Normally, even the Sharingan wouldn't be able to notice something like this; however, Naruto had forgotten to control his powers once and had gone into what he called "Seven Paths Mode" where he would be able to notice all Chakra. Itachi had been looking at Naruto's eyes when it happened, and was able to see a light shimmering indicating power seeping out from his eyes. They were still in school today, but class was wrapping up soon. Then they could go spar, and Itachi would get his question asked.
Naruto was completely oblivious to Itachi's plan. He was practicing his quick step to use the least amount of Chakra possible. He was extremely good at Chakra control due to his Rinnegan, but he still was growing, and that caused his control to sometimes be less than perfect. He was currently Quick Stepping all over the class, the only indication he was even moving was the slight breeze that followed him. None of the students knew what he was doing, since their eyes weren't used to seeing fast moving things. The teacher would be able to see him slightly, but Naruto only did it when he looked away.
Even though this seemed like they were wasting class time, they were actually just trying to get the most out of their learning experience as possible.
Outside of training with each other, Itachi had learned the Great Fireball Jutsu, while Naruto was busy learning Summoning his toads. Most of the toads were quite friendly, he had yet to meet 'Bunta, who he had heard was the grouchiest Toad Boss of them all. His dad was the only one who was allowed to Summon Gamabunta. Even Jiraiya, the Legendary Toad Sage, had difficulty every time 'Bunta was Summoned. Naruto had learned several different attacks that the toads could pull off.
Back in class, Itachi was currently trying to trap Naruto in an illusion, while Naruto struggled to resist. Eventually Itachi got through, and Naruto was forced to watch as his favorite ramen stand burned to the ground. He silently prayed to the god of ramen to have mercy on Itachi before forcing Itachi out of his mind.
Itachi was the better of the two in Illusions, deception, and throwing weapons. Naruto, his polar opposite, was fluent in Taijutsu, unpredictability, and ninjutsu; his speed helped a lot with his fighting style that he took after his father, The Hummingbird Style. Their Kenjutsu was about equal, both learning from their moms. As for Chakra use, both were exceptional. Itachi was just a natural bord protégé with Chakra, while Naruto had the Rinnegan to help.
While they were both reviewing their strengths and weaknesses, the instructor finally let them out of class. Instead of running home and playing like the other kids, Naruto and Itachi went to their training ground to begin their afternoon-evening-nighttime training that they did every other day.
After a warm up of light stretches and a slow jog, the two began their initial spar. The first spar was nothing special, just a light warm up to show the opponent what he would need to work on during today's training.
With no sound at all, Naruto blurred away in Chakra enhanced speed. Itachi did the same and disappeared into the surrounding trees.
Naruto had his back pressed up against a large tree, he was several meters above the ground. His eyes were closed as he strained his ears to pick up any sound of Itachi. Suddenly, the sound of shuriken heading his way spilt the sounds of the forest. Naruto easily evaded the shuriken, only to find out that they were tied to a wire that was connected to Itachi. Itachi skillfully maneuvered the wires to trap Naruto to the tree as he ran through the hand seals for the Great Fireball Jutsu. Itachi pressed his hands up against his lips and a large ball of fire was sent speeding in Naruto's direction. It made contact and there was an explosion that threw tree back in all directions.
Before Itachi could even begin to think that Naruto had deceived him, he was kicked in the jaw. The force of the kick was strong, and it sent him rocketing towards the canopy tops. Once he got there, Itachi choose to wait for Naruto to arrive. He didn't have to wait long as suddenly Naruto was right in front of him, attempting to kick him again. Although this time, Itachi was the one who dealt the blow. Naruto was careful with his hit, but Itachi planned way ahead for this hit. The moment Naruto swung his leg out, Itachi elbowed Naruto in the abdomen, sending him crashing into a tree nearby.
The fight continued like this for awhile, each party getting hit an even number of times before counter-attacking. Right before they were going to step it up a notch, their training bell chimed, signaling the end of the fight. With a small groan of disappointment, both fighters fell back to the ground and made their way back to the training field. As they were walking, they couldn't help but admire the damage they caused to the surrounding area. Burnt trees, scorched ground, Toad footprints, and many weapons could be found all over.
"Itachi, I think what you need to work on the most is your dodging skills. It seemed like you hesitated too long before dodging, and that cost you my right hook, you remember?"
"I agree. As for you, your perception of your surroundings needs to increase. You didn't notice my ninja wire until it was too late, and you snagged yourself on that tree limb once."
"Yea yea. I got the message. Let's work on yours first, get ready to dodge only." And with that being said, Naruto threw five kunai at Itachi's vital points, forcing him to dodge each and every one of them separately in order to survive. Before Itachi could regain his footing, Naruto sped forward and unleashed a barrage of attacks, slowly enough that Itachi could dodge them, but fast enough so that it would help train Itachi.
Up next it was Naruto's turn being attacked. His job was to stay in an area while Itachi threw Kunai and Shuriken from every where around him. Needless to say, he was covered in quite a few scratches before he was done.
When they were done with that, they began running up and down trees in order to maintain perfect control while also enlarging their Chakra pools. Like always, they lasted about the same amount before dropping back to the ground, always competing with each other for who stayed up longer. Their next thing to do was Ninjutsu training, which they did swimmingly. Itachi with his Great Fireball Jutsu and Naruto with his Summoning.
After they finished, it was getting dark, and they decided to have their no holds barred sparring match as a finale. The fight was something that should have gone down in history as the best fight between 5 year olds in the world. It was basically chaos out there. Naruto, however, was the one standing at the end, Itachi had reaped his demise by underestimating Naruto's drive to win.
Just as they were about to part ways, "Hey Naruto?"
"Yea Itachi?"
"Why do you hide your eyes behind a Genjutsu?"
Silence followed his question as Naruto debated Quick Stepping away.
"You don't have to tell me, I just thought you could trust your best friend is all." Itachi said before slowly walking away. Before he got far, Naruto Shunshined directly in front of him with the Genjutsu on.
"Watch." Naruto commanded.
Just as he commanded, power poured out of Naruto's eyes and the Genjutsu was lifted.
"I have a dojutsu(Eye Technique) like you Itachi. It's called the Rinnegan. You can't tell anyone that I have it or else bad things will happen, like assassination attempts."
"What does it do?"
"I don't know yet, I start being taught how to use it when I turn 12."
"I've never heard of a third dojutsu before. I'm interested in seeing what it's capable of when you turn 12. Well Kaa-san will be angry if I stay out any later, see ya tomorrow Naruto." And with that, Itachi disappeared.
Naruto walked back to his house feeling a lot better know that his best friend knew his most protected secret. Even though he wasn't supposed to let anyone know until he was strong enough to defend himself, Naruto was glad he could tell Itachi.
The days succeeding then were no different than the one proceeding then, only Naruto and Itachi were getting extremely powerful. Although each were branching off more in their own styles. Itachi became a genjutsu and ninjutsu user, while Naruto choose more of a taijutsu and kenjutsu style, since he knew he would be learning the Rinnegan techniques later on.
Months and months flew by as Naruto and Itachi trained ever harder. Soon, their ending fights looked less like academy students and more like Chuunin fights. Far sooner than expected, a year had passed and the duo were being selected to join an older student and become a genin team under a teacher named Hagura. The team was extremely unbalanced, with Naruto and Itachi soaring ahead while their arrogant but weak female teammate was carried along with them. For Naruto and Itachi, the Chuunin exams didn't come fast enough. But eventually, they were given their forms to fill out for particpating.
The first two exams were the same, with Naruto and Itachi using their superior intellect to take down more powerful opponents. The third exam is where it got tricky. The third exam is similar to a one-on-one gladiator match where you fight your opponent in front of a large crowd of Shinobi and Civilians. The first couple matches were rather interesting to watch, especially a Nara(Shadow Clan) whose intellect exceeded even their own. Unfortunately, none of the matches so far were worthy of promoting them, since they defeated their opponents too quickly to really show any skill.
Eventually, there were only two fighters remaining. Naruto and Itachi. The amount of tension in the air was surreal. The two most powerful up-and-coming ninja of the Leaf, squaring off against each other in front of a whole stadium. With a loud yell "Begin!" both fighters rocketed towards each other at high speeds; this was where all their training would pay off.
Naruto made the first move by swinging his fist towards Itachi's face, intent on getting the first strike in. It was all for naught when his fist phased straight through Itachi's face, indicating that he was striking a clone.
Itachi, seeing an opening in Naruto's guard, attempted to hit Naruto in the chest, but just like Naruto, Itachi was disappointed when his attack didn't make contact. They both knew that they were not going to be able to score a hit by fighting like this, it was only to impress the judges and get them promoted.
After many unsuccessful rounds, Itachi stepped up the game by launching a Great Fireball Jutsu at Naruto. Naruto successfully countered with the appropriate water jutsu from his Summoning Toad. When the two attacks collided, the blast kicked up immense amounts of sand, covering the two fighters from view. The only way the crowd knew there was a fight going on in that mini sandstorm was the sounds of clashing metal and the occasional ninjutsu attack.
When the dust cleared, the crowd was witness to one of the most memorable scenes of these young boys lives. Itachi and Naruto were standing across from each other, neither looking like they were going to remain standing much longer. Slowly, they both started limping towards each other. Once they reached within 5 meters of each other, they both promptly collapsed, unconscious before they even touched the ground.
"Since neither fighter can continue, this match will result in a DRAW!" The proctor yelled to the stands. A chorus of cheers and applause was his reply, the crowd greatly enjoyed that final match showcasing the Hokage's son vs. the Uchiha protégé.
Up in the stands, several judges were discussing the promotions for the Chuunin Exams. They finally decided that there would be four promotions; Naruto, Itachi, a girl named Anko, and a boy named Iruka. The other two were unable to make it to the final fight, but they both showed an acceptable amount of forethought and ninja skills. The promotion for Naruto and Itachi was obvious, the level these kids were at was shocking.
While the judges were finalizing their picks for Chuunin, Naruto and Itachi were both in the hospital. Neither one was badly hurt, just exhaustion and Chakra loss. They would be back to normal by tomorrow, although they had to be ready for their new team as Chuunin.
Minato Namikaze looked down at his son's sleeping face beaming with pride. Even he was not as gifted as his son was, before long Naruto would be surpassing him. But as a parent, it was his job to make sure that his son would become better than him.
Across from Minato was Mikoto, Itachi's mom, who was holding a little baby Sasuke in her arms. She also was extremely proud of her son for being so strong at such a young age. Itachi's father was not there because he refused to attend due to Itachi finishing in a draw. Instead for following her husband home, she went to go see how Itachi was doing.
Once they realized their respective sons were going to be sleeping for awhile, the two parents went home. One back to the Uchiha complex, and the other back to the Hokage Tower.
Four hours later, Naruto began to open his eyes. He looked over to see Itachi was still snoring quietly, and snuck out of the hospital room. Even since Naruto was born, he hated hospitals, which is why he was currently trying to sneak into his home without letting his mom know that he left the for Naruto, his luck had just ran out because as soon as he raided the fridge, he heard a cough behind him. He turned quickly to see his mom flicking him across the head.
"Mister, what are you doing outside of your hospital bed?" Kushina demanded.
"Uh, they said I could go?" Naruto stammered before realizing how lame that sounded, everyone knew that the hospital always kept people late, never early.
Kushina stomped forward menacingly and Naruto closed his eyes and awaited the pain. Instead, he got a hug and a congratulations on his match. He was told to go take a shower and wash up for dinner, which he complied with instantly. After everything that happened today, he was extremely hungry.
At the dinner table, the room was filled with laughter as the little family recounted funny moments during the Exams, and also hearing Naruto's rendition of his fight against the "Always Hiding Itachi." Apparently, Itachi took the deception thing a little too seriously and always sent out a clone to replace him when things started to get intense.
Once they were done going over the Chuunin Exams, Minato took Naruto out to their backyard to show him a new move that he promised to teach Naruto when he was old enough, the Rasengan.
When Naruto got outside, he was confused at first when his father handed him a water balloon.
"The Rasengan is learned in three steps Naruto, rotation, power, and control. The first step requires you to use nothing but your Chakra to pop the balloon. The hint is to use the rotation to force your Chakra to stretch the balloon until it pops." Minato said before standing back and gesturing for Naruto to try.
Naruto condensed his Chakra into his hand and tried to rotate his Chakra. What he got was an explosion that sent him flying backwards on his ass.
"Let me show you what it looks like so that you know what you are going to recreate." Minato said before a glowing Rasengan appeared on his palm. Naruto took a few seconds staring at the Rasengan before attempting to do step one again. Instead of it exploding like it did last time, the balloon popped. Unfortunately, the ballon had to rip from every side at once to truly master step one, Naruto's just cut a hole in the side, and the balloon popped from there.
The rest of the evening was spent with Naruto attempting to do step one right, with Minato and Kushina watching on and off the entire time. Minato and Kushina were actually both inside when they heard a an extremely loud "Finally!" before a soft thud hit the ground. When they walked outside, they were welcome to the scene of several popped balloon pieces and an unconcious Naruto lying face down on the ground. They scooped up Naruto and took him back inside the house. There, they threw him in his bed and tucked him in because even though he was extremely skilled for his age, he still was there baby boy and six year olds still could be tucked in. Tomorrow would be an interesting day for Naruto since he would be meeting his Chuunin squad that he would hopefully be with for years, but his parents knew that he and Itachi would both become too strong for Chuunin very soon. With that final thought, the Namikaze household fell asleep for the night.