-=- 著者からの言葉 -=-
First off, THANK YOU to Exploding Sun for reviewing the story so far. To answer your question, or implecation, this is not your typical 'OverPowered Naruto' Story. Will he become overpowered? Maybe. But so will the rest of the world. Until he's the best in the world, there will ALWAYS be plenty of people strong enough to pimp slap him down a few pegs.
Also! Thank you to the favs and watches! It means a lot! Now then, on with the story!
-=-物語で上-=-
Orochimaru. The Lord of Serpents. The Legendary Sannin. The Dark Professor. He had many names, but few people addressed him as any of them. Surprisingly the only remaining student of the Fourth Hokage in the village, he was in charge of the R&D Division of the Konohagakure. And in the last 12 years, he'd been responsible for many of the jutsus that was added to the Hidden Leaf register.
His imposing figure stood before the students, his hands in his labcoat pockets. His long black hair swayed in the wind as his yellow eyes looked at each of the children before him. Then he smiled, and many of them shivered at the site of it.
"So you all are the potential ninjas we have for this term. A few more than usual, that's for sure. And soooo many interesting specimens." His eyes flicked to several kids in the crowd, including Sasuke and Naruto. One kid actually lost his nerve and ran. This only promted the snake master to let out a laugh. "I see my reputation preceeds me. It is all right though. I have in my years done many, many things that would make other's blood run cold. And I shall continue to do so, because through my actions, I serve the village."
One student spoke up. "Um… is it true you do experiments on people?"
"Yes. I do. Spies, criminals, the people who betray the village are my unwilling test subjects. And when the jails run dry, I go looking for trouble beyond the walls of Konoha." His face turned serious. "This is the world we live in. Madmen and heroes stand side by side. What is evil to one can be the life saver of another. My actions, in another world, may have me exiled from this place, or even killed. But I am lucky enough to be able to continue my research, and further aid the village."
He walked to the telescope, laying a hand on the side of it. "I was trained by the third Hokage. I owe my life to him, in many ways. At my lowest moment I should have been put down. But through the actions of my team, and my sensei, I stand before you now. There will come a time when you look into the stars, and ask yourself… "Why am I here? Is what I do making a difference? What is my purpose?"…" he looked back to the students. "When that time comes, lean on your friends. Let your team propel you to greater heights, and in turn, push them towards their goals as well. You will be asked to do many things that are hard. You will be asked to spy, asked to kidnap and interrogate, and many times, asked to kill." He adjusted his collar, and Naruto spotted the Leaf Headband around his neck.
"All this and more will be expected of you. So I ask you now… Do you have what it takes to be a ninja?" He looked about the students, and at first, no one moved. Then Naruto took a step forwards. Then Sasuke. And eventually all the students stepped forwards, their faces looking determined. Orochimaru smiled again, his hands in his pockets.
"Very well. Let the Genin Exam begin."
He performed a hand seal, and Naruto suddenly felt very dizzy. Blinking, he shook his head and let his eyes focus again. He was standing in an empty classroom, and it was nearing sunset from the view outside. He frowned… What… had happened.
The door to the classroom opened and in walked one of the Teachers. Naruto recognized him quickly. "Mizuki-sensei, what are you doing here?"
The teacher just smiled and sat at the front of the desk of the class. "I'm in charge of your testing today Naruto."
"So this is still part of the Genin Exam?"
"Of course, Now…" Mizuki held up a sheet up paper. He placed it on the desk in front of him, facing Naruto. "The mission is stealth based. You are to infiltrate the Hokage's library, acquire the Forbidden Scroll, and then run."
Naruto frowned. He looked at the page… It was a map of the Hokage tower. He'd been in there plenty times, even got to hang out in the Old Man's office. But he hadn't had much of a chance to explore. This map showed him everything.
"What should I do after I get the scroll?"
Mizuki's face twitched, his tight smile never waivering. "Like I said, just run. The longer you have the scroll without getting caught, the higher your score."
Naruto grinned and nodded, taking the paper and putting it into his overshirt. "Alright, Mizuki-sensei! I won't let you down!"
As the boy bounded out of the room, Mizuki's face turned dark and his smile lacked any humor. Tonight demon… You will die….
Naruto snuck into the side window of the Hokage Tower, the sun just starting to set. After looking at the map he spotted a place where the patrols didn't cross for about 30 seconds. That was his moment. He crept passed the inner guards, and made his way to the Hokage's Library. Finding the Forbidden Scroll was simple, it was the huge one in the corner with a big red wax seal on it. Naruto hefted it up and placed it on his shoulder.
"Alright… on to the next part." He quickly ran out of the room, slipped passed the guards and was onto the roof. He was about to leave when
"Naruto!" The voice of the Hokage made the boy flinch. He turned and saw the 3rd, smoking his pipe and looking very sternly at him. "What do you think you are doing?"
Wow, the Hokage himself was part of the Exam? This was a lot harder than he thought. Naruto glanced around In a panic, no way he could make it away from the Old Man. The Third took a step forwards…
And the door slammed in his face. Both people were surprised by the random action, but Naruto took his chances and bolted.
Sarutobi looked at the closed door, and the faint red apparition that had closed it in his face. He was an old man, he'd seen a lot in his days. Frogs the size of a mountain, women who could spew acid and eat through metal, humans able to shatter cities with a single fist. But never in his lifetime did he ever experience a ghost.
"… I don't believe in ghosts, but I don't think you care about that." He said to the apparition. "You must be that red mist that follows Naruto around… I've heard nasty things about you."
The red floating cloud didn't move, just floated there.
"When he was younger a drunk tried to kill him. Instead a witness said that a red specter appeared and ripped the man apart from within. And when other tried to attack the boy later, accusing him of the Kyubii's power, again a red ghost like figure appeared, tossing them hundreds of feet in the air. You never seem to harm anyone though, unless they try to harm him…"
The red specter just floated there, in silence. Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, putting out his pipe. Then he dashed for the window, hoping to catch it off guard. But no luck, as the red mist suddenly grabbed his leg and drug him all the way back to his office, made the door lock itself from the outside, and then flew out the window. The old man groaned and sat up, rubbing his side. That actually hurt a little. He made a hand sign and two ANBU showed up.
"We need to find Naruto. Gather the available ninja. And find Iruka, we need to do this…" He winced and rubbed his side again. "… Non-lethal…"
Naruto was under a tree near one of the training grounds. So far, no one had caught him. The Forbidden Scroll was tucked under his arm as he scanned the woods around him. He had to hide for as long as he could right? So it would probably take them a while to find him…
Naruto glanced down at the scroll under his arm. Well… He was here, and he wasn't gonna get caught… Reading the scroll for a bit wouldn't hurt. He set the scroll down, taking a look at the first jutsu at the top. He rotated his neck, cracking it and getting the stiffness out. Time to learn a jutsu or two.
An hour had passed since Naruto had escaped the Hokage's Tower. ANBU, Chunnin and Jonin were all out and about, looking for the boy as stealthily as possible. Naruto had become quite an infamous figure with the village ever since his birth. Nevermind the boy's nack for getting into trouble and pranking , but he also had a guardian angel by his side. Or guardian demon, depending on who you asked.
Iruka was currently checking out the training grounds, looking for the boy. He caught a glimpse of yellow behind one tree and dashed over to find Naruto looking the other direction. A hand came down on the boy's shoulder and he jumped, looking up to his teacher. Iruka looked at the boy sternly and said "you have a lot of explaining to do, Naruto." But the blonde just grinned at him. "Sorry, but your student is in another castle." Iruka just blinked but then coughed and staggered back as the Naruto in front of him poofed away in a cloud of smoke. The man blinked… Naruto had learned the Shadow Clone already?
Far away Naruto blinked, looking in the direction of his popped clone. So they were after him now? Well an hour was good enough he supposed… His eyes turned back to the scroll in front of him.
"… but the longer I don't get caught, the better my points are…" he said with a grin. The young boy made a hand sign, and a clone appeared in front of him. "Stay here, keep them distracted." The clone gave a grin and salute and the real Naruto grabbed the scroll and took off for another hiding spot.
It was nearly dawn when Iruka managed to find Naruto within a small forest glade just on the inside of the city's walls. The teacher landed hard, panting from exauhstion, his eyes wide and slightly twitchy. "Naruto… I swear… If you poof away again…" he gasped out, half expecting the blonde to vanish like he had five times before. But Naruto just smiled and shrugged. "You caught me Iruka-sensei. I can't run much more… So how did I do?"
Maybe it was from running all day that kept him from responding. Normally he would have been grilling the boy for stealing the Forbidden scroll and evading capture, demanding to know WHY this had happened, what he was thinking. But breathlessness held his peace long enough for another to join them.
"Well done Naruto." Mizuki said, standing on a tree limb. "Looks like you've lasted longer than I thought you would. But what else should I expect from a demon?"
Iruka and Naruto's eyes went wide. The chunnin stumbled forwards "Mizuki you can't! It's against-" A kunai to the shoulder silenced Iruka as Mizuki looked at Naruto with hatred. The young boy was confused. Why did Mizuki call him-
"A demon." The other teacher said, his voice seething from clenched teeth. "That's all you are. A demon responsible for the deaths of countless villagers!" The man was shaking. "For years I've had to watch as you parade around in front of everyone, with that stupid smile! When twelve years ago the Nine Tailed Demon Fox tore through Konoha!"
A strange feeling began to turn in his stomach. Naruto tried to take a step back, but found himself too tired to move. Mizuki slowly walked towards him, another kunai in his hand.
"The demon that is sealed inside you still lives… and I cannot lat that go on. So… I'm going to do this village a favor before I leave with the Forbidden Scroll you snatched for me. I'm going to make this place your grave." He grabbed Naruto by the collar and lifted him up, the kunai poised to stab him in the chest. Iruka suddenly slammed into Mizuki, making him drop Naruto in the process.
The two chunnin teachers squared off against each other, Mizuki on the offensive and preventing Iruka from doing much more than avoid being stabbed. Naruto was slumped on the ground, his mind in a hurricane. Was he.. a demon? No, that couldn't be right… But his parents… Did his dad really seal the Nine Tails in him?.. But why? How…
"NARUTO!"
Iruka's voice broke Naruto from his turmoil. The man was locked in arms with Mizuki, who was trying to put another kunai in him.
"You are NOT a demon! You are a precious student of mine!" Naruto blinked, his cheeks feeling wet. "You may have the Kyubii inside you, but that doesn't decide who you-OOF!" Mizuki sent his knee into the other man's stomach and then kicked him to the ground. "Shut up you pathetic sympathizer." He spat, bringing the kunai down. Iruka let out a scream of pain as Mizuki drove the blade clean through his arm, severing nerves and flesh to the bone.
"Get away from him…" Mizuki raised an eyebrow and looked at the blonde.
Naruto stood shakily and made a hand symbol. But nothing happened. Mizuki glanced up and smirked. "Pathetic child... You think i wouldn't plan for you and any ninjutsu you may have? I let this little chase go on until you were drained and helpless. Speaking of which."
He tossed a kunai into a tree, and suddenly a tripwire let loose a barage of exploding tags underneath the blonde. Naruto's body hit another tree and he slumped down. Mizuki walked over and grinned, cracking his knuckles.
"I'd stay and enjoy flaying your corpse, demon. But I have places to be. I'll be taking the... Where's the Forbidden Scroll?"
THe man frowned and looked around. The oversized hard to miss scroll was nowhere to be seen. He turned and glared at Naruto, who was struggling to stand up.
"Where is it? WHERE IS IT?" Naruto was suddenly slammed against the ground, Mizuki holding a kunai to his throat. "GIVE ME THE SCROLL DEMON!"
Naruto coughed, looking up at the man he considered a teacher. His eyes narrowed, and for a split second Mizuki saw his blue eyes flicker red.
"Get. Off. ME!" Naruto shouted, a wave of dense chakra exploding out from his body and throwing the man off of him. Before Mizuki could right himself, Naruto was suddenly plowing his stomach and launching the man into the air. HIs body was cloaked in a flickering layer of chakra, and when he touched the ground he launched into the air, zipping passed Mizuki. Naruto turned midair, his arm reared back to punch. But all around him a massive fist of chakra formed, until it was as large as a boulder. Naruto punched downwards, and the massive fist slammed into Mizuki, crashing into the ground and leaving a fist shaped crater. Naruto landed, the chakra cloak flickering out and he collapsed. Mizuki's body twitched in the crater, his bones broken and leaving him incapacitated.
Iruka drug himself up, wincing as his arm dangled at his side. He looked around, the wreckage around him finally falling to silence. "Well… that was certainly interesting." The man blinked and looked up, seeing Orochimaru in a tree. In his hands was the Forbidden Scroll. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, I might have prevented your arm from sustaining damage. But do not worry, I'm sure we can fix it in time." The Sannin hopped down and inspected Naruto.
"Poor boy… To be betrayed by a teacher, I hope he doesn't hold it against all of us."
Iruka looked in the crater where Mizuki's body lay. "He told him about the Nine Tails." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, looking towards the crater. "Well… Most interesting indeed. Looks like I have a new subject to experiment with. I've always wondered if Mizuki-kun had anything hidden in his blood."
The teacher shuddered as he could hear other ANBU and teachers approaching. Orochimaru only talked that way when he had something particularly nasty in mind for a test subject. "What are we going to do with Naruto?" Orochimaru said, walking into the crater and picking up the twitching body of Mizuki. Iruka looked at his unconscious student. He smiled.
"You know… Maruto reminds me of me when I was a kid. Full of life and unpredictable. And he preformed admirably as a ninja, keeping away from his persuers and adapting to the situation. I think he has truly earned the Title of Genin."
High above them, a red apparition floated up, and again, giggled to itself before flying away.
Naruto awoke in a soft bed not his own, feeling drained and sore. He looked around… he was in a hospital bed. Next to him was a table and on it a note and a…
The headband. Memories of the previous night came back to him as the blonde reached over and picked up the note.
Good to see you're alright. The doctors said you had a small case of chakra exhaustion, so a good night's sleep was well in order. Also I want to congradulate you, Naruto. You passed the Genin Exam. The headband is yours. Be sure to make it back to the school Monday to be assigned to a team. And thanks for helping us recover the Forbidden Scroll.
There was a smiley face with its tongue sticking out next to Iruka's name. Naruta grinned and picked up the headband. He grin grew, then he laughed. The boy jumped out of bed and raced out the door, passing several people in his wake. Two of which were Orochimaru and Sarutobi.
"Excitable boy. I look forward to seeing his growth over the next few years." Orochimaru said, watching Naruto vanish around a corner from view. Sarutobi chuckled and nodded. "Yes… He's got an interesting life ahead of him."
"Where do you think he is going?"
"If I had to guess? He's going to talk with his mother."
-=- 著者からの言葉 -=-
Well... that was much more interesting than the vanilla beginning.