Note: On 11/04/14, I began revising the entire story up until the current arc at the time, namely the Five Kage Summit Arc. Prior to this, every chapter included responses to reviews from the previous one. After this update, the review section has been removed from all but the most recent arcs, to remove clutter from the format.

Also, each arc now has a cue for its own opening theme at the start of each chapter. I should mention that I've only seen about half of the series these songs originally came from. It's easy to get lost on YouTube, but it's also quite fun. The links to all of the openings so far are at the top of my profile.

Opening 1 - Eternal Blaze by Nana Mizuki

Naruto, being the container of the Kyuubi, son of the Fourth Hokage, and likely the greatest prankster in Konoha's history, had found himself sitting before the Third Hokage more times than he cared to count. The old man had been there for him since his birth, and was the closest thing to a father figure Naruto had ever known.

Now, however, he was uncomfortable here, if only for the sake of his friends. Kiba and Hinata sat to either side of him before the Hokage's ancient desk, and they too looked worried. The Third's son, their Jounin sensei, had spent the previous day in the hospital, having lost a worrying amount of blood through the nose and having suffered a kick to the groin so vicious, it would have made Madara Uchiha himself wince.

The Hokage entered the room, wearing a solemn expression and puffing on his ever-present clay pipe. "I'm sure you three are wondering why I've called you here. I'll start by mentioning that Asuma has told me-"

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama please don't punish them it was all my idea-"

"Naruto." The Hokage silenced the Genin, sternly but not angrily. "As I was saying, Asuma has told me you did exceptionally well in your bell test, deploying several original jutsu, collaboration techniques, and fantastic teamwork. He did divulge to me the exact nature of your strategy, and I must say I'm impressed, if a little amused."

Naruto blinked, his mouth not quite shut properly. "You're... impressed?"

The Hokage puffed on his pipe with a benevolent smile and nodded. "You three have shown exceptional promise, and Asuma has asked me to give you a C-rank mission immediately."

"Whoa," Kiba breathed. "A C-rank? Already? That's awesome!"

"Believe it," Naruto added.

"You'll be escorting a carpenter by the name of Tazuna to his home in the Land of Waves. His homeland has been having a problem with bandits, and you'll be protecting him and his workers until he finishes his current project. He's promised to give C-rank pay to each of you upon his safe arrival in the Land of Waves."

It didn't take long after that for Team Eight to eagerly make for the door, giddily intent on preparing for their first mission all day. However, the Hokage sent a chill down Naruto's spine by calling him back. "Don't leave just yet, Naruto. We still have to talk."

Aw crap crap CRAP I'm so dead. He shuddered and turned back toward his grandfather figure, taking up his seat once more. The rest of Team Eight filed out of the office, with both Hinata and Kiba throwing concerned glances back at their new teammate. Once they were gone, however, the Hokage pulled a mostly plain-looking ninja scroll out of his desk, laying it before Naruto. Perplexed, the boy leaned forward and squinted at the spiral mark on each end of the scroll.

"Uh... Hokage-jiji, what's this?"

The Professor sighed. "I'm sorry I couldn't show you this years ago, my boy, but they asked me not to. I can only hope they'll be able to provide a decent explanation, since I don't have one."

He unfurled the scroll across his desk, revealing what Naruto recognized as a seal of some kind. The swirls of black ink lit up and cast a warm yellow-white glow about the room, which gradually coalesced into two distinctly human figures.

"Hello, Naruto," the woman with long, smooth red hair spoke up first. "My name's Kushina Uzumaki, and I'm your mom." The blond man standing next to her smiled cheerily, remaining silent until she elbowed him sharply. "You've gotta say hi too, ya know!"

"O-Oh, right!" The man beamed once more. "I'm Minato Namikaze... I'm your father, Naruto."

"Kami, I hope he doesn't ever have to see this," Kushina moaned. "Can you imagine how hard this would hit him?"

Naruto blinked, still not fully registering what he was seeing. He noted with worrying calm that his mother had just confirmed his suspicions that this was a premade recording and nothing more.

"No," Minato answered honestly. "But I think even if we do live, we'll probably show him this one day. Once he's old enough, of course." he turned back to face Naruto, or whatever system had been recording the conversation. "Naruto... we recorded this for you because we've been preparing over the last several months to expect an attack on the village, probably on your birthday. It's entirely possible that one or both of us could die of that attack really comes to pass, so we wanted you to... well, to meet us."

"We thought..." Kushina hesitated, then shook her head and spoke up, "We thought of making arrangements so you'd know who we were your whole life. If one of us dies and the other survives, that's the plan we'll go with. But if you've lost us both, Naruto..." she rubbed her eyes and sighed shakily. "...Well, in that case, we've decided to wait to show you this until you graduate from the Academy."

"It was a hard choice," Minato went on. "But we thought that if we weren't here with you, it'd be best if you grew up not knowing about us. If you knew who we were, you might've felt that you had to live up to some kind of standard we set, or even worse, you might've started thinking you were entitled to greatness just because of who we were. It could go either way, without us there to help you find your own path in life."

"But... but now that you're all grown up, now that you're a ninja and you've learned how to be responsible," Kushina smiled sadly, "You're ready to hear all of this. And now that you know who we were, we can give you your inheritance and trust you not to hurt yourself with it," she chuckled. "See, you're actually from a ninja clan, Naruto. The Uzumaki were never as well known as the Uchiha or Hyuuga, for instance, but we can trace our lineage back through the centuries. We have a clan compound here in Konoha, even if it's just a little one, and now it's yours."

Minato scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Naruto... I don't really have anything to offer like that. My parents, your grandparents, were both Chuunin whose own parents were civilians. I'm not from a clan, and as the Hokage I can't just leave you all of my assets as inheritance. All of the funds and resources under my name will probably be spent on repairing the village... assuming that possible attack really comes to pass, that is. So I'm sorry, Naruto, but it's your mother who has to make up for twelve years or so of missed birthday presents. The most I can give you is some hand-me-down shinobi gear."

"He's not the kind of kid who cares that much about material things," Kushina rubbed her belly, at last drawing Naruto's attention to it. "By the time he becomes a Genin, he'll already be way more grown-up than that, believe it."

X

My father was the Fourth Hokage.

Naruto sat on the polished oak floor of his new bedroom, in front of a cherrywood trunk with the kanji for fire burned into the lid. Said lid had been opened, and Naruto now had a folded white haori in his lap. The note attached said:

It may take a while before you grow into this, but I hope you like it all the same.

Love, Dad.

He unfolded the haori, noting the pattern of flames along the bottom. This was an authentic copy of Minato Namikaze's haori, probably one of his spares, since he had been wearing one in battle against the Kyuubi.

Naruto started crying. It wasn't something he did often, but he never tried to supress it when the tears came. He decided that since he cried so rarely, the times when he did were somehow important.

It was then that he noticed an uncomfortable tingling in his eyes, and he stood up, making his way into the bathroom connected to the master bedroom of the manor. He looked in the mirror, blinking away tears and discomfort, but he could see nothing wrong with his reflection in the mirror.

He looked down at his father's haori in the mirror. "I'm gonna make you guys proud," he said aloud to no one, then sniffled. "I'm gonna be Hokage..." He unzipped his neon orange jacket, shrugging it off and replacing it with the haori of the Fourth Hokage. "...believe it!"

X

Tazuna took a swig of sake and scowled. He turned and glared at the Hokage. "I paid for four ninjas. I'm looking at one ninja and two useless brats. At best that adds up to three people." he hiccupped. "Can't you idiots even count?"

"Don't worry, you've paid for four ninjas and you will have your money's worth. You will be safe." The Hokage chuckled. "And the fourth is on his way."

"What's so funny?"

"It's just ironic... 'the Fourth is on his way.' You wouldn't understand, but it's probably the most ironic sentence you've ever heard."

Hinata and Kiba exchanged glances, while Asuma puffed on his cigarette, completely at ease. "Kiba-kun, can you smell Naruto?"

"Yeah, he's almost here," Kiba replied with a sniff. Akamaru barked in agreement. "Took him long enough, though."

"Maybe he's been talking with Kakashi," Asuma joked.

The doors to the Hokage's office opened, and Naruto entered. The Third blinked as he immediately noticed the haori Naruto wore. Underneath it he wore his favorite shirt, black with a fiery orange spiral on his chest, and pants of the darkest orange anyone had ever seen on Naruto. "Sorry I'm so late, everyone," he said with a soft smile. "I got here as fast as I could, believe it, but I slept in by accident." sheepishly, he looked down and scratched the back of his head.

There were two reasons for this. One, his new bed in his parents' manor was incredibly comfortable. Two, he'd opened the Uzumaki Clan trunk just before he went to bed. There had been envelopes he could open but didn't, a scroll he was completely unable to pry open, and most importantly a mound of gold coins filling the entire trunk, which was big enough to cram two or maybe three people into. It was like something out of a pirate movie. This left him wide awake until well past midnight.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata greeted him happily. He looks really different with that coat on... it's a good look for him, she noted.

Kiba, meanwhile, cracked an amused smirk. It's like he doesn't know that coat is meant for a guy twice his size. Typical Naruto.

"Hey, Hinata." he turned to face Tazuna. "You must be the bridge-builder Tazuna. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Genin of Konoha and your bodyguard for the next month or so." He bowed politely.

Tazuna opened his mouth to spit out another insult, but then Naruto's words registered, and he realized the slick little bastard had threatened him. Your bodyguard for the next month translates as your life and well-being are in my hands for the next month. "...Whatever. Keep me alive until the bridge is built, and I'll pay you. That's as far as this goes, we don't have to be friends."

"Fair enough. Let's get you home."

Naruto... Kiba stared as the jinchuuriki passed him by, smiling but not grinning. What the hell happened to you? You were never this subtle, about anything! Your clothes, how you talk, even that stupid grin...

"N-Naruto?" Hinata spoke up and walked beside Naruto. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Never better, Hinata." he let out one of his famous gleeful grins.

"B-but what was with you and Tazuna?"

"Oh, that. I know by looking at Kiba that this baka was bothering you, so I wanted to tell him off, but a Hokage would be more... uh, what's the word? Tactful."

"And where did the coat come from?"

"My dad left it to me." Naruto beamed. "Oh, that reminds me..." he reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out an odd-looking kunai, with a bright yellow hilt and a three-pronged blade. "Flying Thunder God kunai. I have a whole bunch with me." He handed it to her, and she took it. "My dad somehow used these to teleport, but he left me a letter saying I'd have to learn fuinjutsu to understand how."

"The Hiraishin," Hinata breathed. "The Flying Thunder God Jutsu." she handed the kunai back. "That's an S-rank jutsu that only Hokage have ever learned. It's legendary."

Naruto waved his hand. "Keep it, I have spares. Besides, unless I learn the jutsu, it's just a really cool kunai."

"Thanks, Naruto." she smiled, and stashed the kunai in her own weapons pouch.

Asuma passed the Genin and Tazuna to lead the group out of Konoha. "Come on, everyone, let's pick up the pace a little," he said as he lit a cigarette. The same tailwind currently blowing Naruto's haori around would also carry his cigarette smoke, so he had to lead the group.

Naruto grinned with pride when they passed the gates of the village, and nudged Hinata with his elbow. "This is my first time leaving Konoha. What about you, Hinata?"

"It's a first for me too," she answered softly.

"Hey, Naruto..." Kiba stepped up beside his teammate and nudged him. "You know that thing's way too big on you, right? Like, way too big."

"So?" he replied casually, swishing the haori which reached down to his ankles and almost touched the ground. "It still looks cool, ya know?"

"Well, yeah," Kiba admitted. "But... look. There's a reason shinobi associate long coats with untouchable badasses, okay? Pull a kunai out of your hip pouch."

"Um..." Naruto shrugged and pushed his coat aside, reaching under it to retrieve the kunai. "Okay?"

"You see the problem, right? Long coats make it harder to reach your gear, plus they weigh you down and provide a way for an opponent to grab you. So wearing one doesn't make you a strong ninja; you have to be a strong ninja to get away with wearing one."

"Alright, I see your point," Naruto groaned loudly. "It's just... I only found out who my parents were yesterday, ya know? Besides, this is our first mission and it's just a C-rank. Lemme have my fun just this once."

"Okay, okay," Kiba answered placatingly, "mark my words though. One day it's gonna be either you or that coat that gets shredded in a fight, so don't get too attached to it."

They continued to chat for several hours, until that afternoon Naruto spotted something unusual ahead. It's summer... it hasn't rained in weeks, and the ground around us is dry... so what's with those two puddles? He drew a Hiraishin kunai. "Hey, Hinata, how are you with kunai these days?"

"Huh?" We trained with kunai a week ago, Naruto... what are you thinking? she pulled out the kunai he had given her. "I'll show you. What should we aim for?"

"See that thing ahead of us?" he pointed, and Hinata's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat. She sees them! "Aim for that."

That disguise is a ninjutsu, no doubt about it. Enemy shinobi! She threw her kunai, and Naruto did the same. A kunai stabbed into each of the puddles, getting the attention of Asuma, Kiba and Tazuna. One merely turned red with blood, but the other transformed into a very angry ninja with a kunai in his left shoulder.

"You bastards! You killed my brother!" He lunged forward in a blind rage, armed with a metal clawed gauntlet on his right arm. Attached to the gauntlet was a chain covered in blades that trailed out uselessly behind him.

Naruto shuddered at the feeling of helplessness that was suffocating him. What is this... a genjutsu? No, I... I can barely breathe! The ninja sprinted toward him furiously, his clawed arm raised for an attack. It's killing intent! I've never felt it before, it can't be simulated in training. He's going to kill me!

"Eight Trigrams!" Hinata lunged past Naruto and poked the missing-nin in the chest twice, once with each index finger. "Two Palms!" she poked him in each shoulder. "Four Palms!" A poke to the forehead, solar plexus, right hip, and left cheek. "Eight Palms!" She leapt away from her stunned opponent, and withdrew an ordinary kunai from the holster on her right thigh, throwing it directly into the missing-nin's throat.

He was replaced by a mossy log and a puff of smoke.

Asuma put out his cigarette and leapt into the trees. He returned after roughly a minute with an unconscious missing-nin over his shoulder. "Tazuna!" The bridge-builder jumped at his name being called so sharply. Asuma dropped the beaten shinobi at his feet, and pointed at the surviving Demon Brother. "Explain this. Now."

Naruto shivered, his eyes wide and locked on the missing-nin's limp form. "I... couldn't even move..." he stepped toward his sensei numbly.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just take a deep breath, relax..." he did this, and she smiled. "It's all right, Naruto. It's over."

"I couldn't move, Hinata. I just froze." he looked down at the haori he wore, which he suddenly felt unworthy of. "What if... what if this happens to me every time?"

"Killing intent affects everyone differently, Naruto-kun. Remember, we learned that in the Academy? Some people freeze the first time, but it almost never stays with a trained shinobi beyond that. Next time, you'll be ready for it."

Naruto looked up and smiled shakily. "T-Thanks Hinata. You were amazing, by the way. The Eight Trigrams... it was awesome."

She smiled and blushed. "Thanks. I've only reached Eight Palms, but one day, I'll get to Sixty-Four."

Tazuna spent the next few minutes recounting his story, explaining his quest, Gatou's villainy, and A-rank missions being far above what the Land of Waves could afford. "I'm not sorry for what I did. An entire country, my home, is relying on me to build my bridge and save them, so damned if I wouldn't do this all over again. Please, help me. I... I can pay you for an A-rank once your mission is complete! Wave has vast potential for exporting luxuries, and the international market knows that. When the bridge is built they'll be lining up to buy our goods, our economy will explode!"

"I can't just accept a deal like that, Tazuna. I'd need the approval of the Hokage, but I can make you a deal for now. We'll accept C-rank pay to take you to the Land of Waves, and send a message to Konoha upon our arrival. Ideally, that means we'll return home and be replaced by a squad of Jounin or even the ANBU Black Ops." Asuma lit a fresh cigarette. "That's the best I can offer you, no matter how much I sympathize with your intentions."

Tazuna nodded. "It's enough. Building that bridge means more to me than anything, and I don't care who keeps me alive until the job's done. If the Kyuubi no Kitsune offered me the finished bridge in exchange for my soul, I'd make that deal in a heartbeat."

Naruto sneezed.

"...That won't be necessary, and Bijuu don't buy souls," Asuma replied, and glanced at Naruto. The blond Genin was stooping to pet a pure white rabbit that was remarkably comfortable around people. "Everyone, get ready to fight. That rabbit belongs to someone nearby; shinobi use animals like this as messengers and occasional distractions."

Naruto stood and drew a Hiraishin kunai. Kiba pulled Akamaru out of the collar of his hoodie and set him on the ground, and Hinata activated her Byakugan. Naruto brought the kunai to his mouth and declared, "Wind Release: Wind Blade." He breathed out chakra in a steady stream of wind, creating a scimitar-like blade of wind chakra around the kunai, and wielded the newly formed sword with both hands. "I won't freeze up like that ever again! Never! Whoever's out there, I don't care how much killing intent you hit me with! I won't falter, I won't give up, and I won't freeze like a coward! Believe it!"

An evil laugh echoed throughout the forest around them. "Hidden Mist Jutsu."

The air grew thick with white mist, and Naruto bared his teeth in frustration and suppressed fear. "H-Hinata," he called, "can you hear me?"

"I'm right here," she answered, mere feet away. They were completely unable to see each other.

"Damn it... we can't fight in this." He raised the sword over his head and gathered his chakra, slower than he could with his hands not occupied with his weapon. "Wind Release: Wind Scar!" He brought the weapon down, but before his sword could touch the ground and release the jutsu, a massive sword intercepted his swing. Naruto found himself staring into the masked face of Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist.

"Thought you'd blow away my mist with the Wind Release, huh kid? Not bad, but you're not the first to think of it." Zabuza chuckled darkly. "The Wind Blade and Wind Scar are nice little jutsu, too. I take it Konoha Genin aren't quite as pathetic as I've heard."

"Shut up!" Naruto barked, and pushed Zabuza away, though it took extreme physical effort to budge one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

"Oh, I get it. You lost it in front of the Demon Brothers, and now your little ego's bruised? Do you even know who I am, kid?"

"I said shut up!" Naruto lunged with his sword, but Zabuza knocked the ethereal weapon aside with total ease. The Wind Blade was dispersed, leaving Naruto with just the kunai inside.

"Naruto, stand down! Team, protect Tazuna, and I'll deal with this guy!" Asuma produced his signature daggers and engaged Zabuza, pushing Naruto aside to do so. This is bad... Zabuza Momochi is easily an S-rank missing-nin. I don't stand a chance, in fact Kakashi Hatake might be the only Jounin in Konoha who could take him. But if I distract him, I might be able to buy the team enough time to escape. "Wind Release: Erasing Wind." A strong but harmless wind blew out from Asuma in all directions, pushing the mist away a considerable distance. Hinata sighed in relief; being a Hyuuga meant her ability to see an opponent was even more precious.

Naruto looked at his teammates over his shoulder, then back to Asuma, who was battling Zabuza with two daggers, and losing ground with worrying speed. He can't do this alone. "Kiba, use any ranged jutsu you've got. Hinata, use the Water Scattershot." Naruto threw his kunai, and Zabuza deflected it, but Naruto started making hand seals while he did. "Wind Release: Air Bullet!" Naruto cried, and shot a blast of deadly, forceful wind from his outstretched hands.

Zabuza disengaged, leaping out of Asuma's melee range to deal with the threat of an A-rank jutsu. He batted the attack aside with his famous sword Kubikiri Bouchou, but in the brief moment his vision was obscured by his own sword, Hinata began spitting out small blasts of water the size of Phoenix Flowers by the dozen. Zabuza scowled as he was forced to dodge and block the pesky little attacks, as he thought of them.

Asuma, with renewed courage, dashed toward him with his daggers coated in chakra. Zabuza blocked his attacks, and detected one of the blond brat's weird kunai flying at him. He leaned back, out of the path of the kunai, and smirked at Asuma, who stumbled forward. Zabuza planted a kick in Asuma's gut, and the Konoha Jounin fell.

Now! Naruto grinned, and threw a second kunai. Zabuza saw it coming and moved out of its path long before it reached him, but Naruto shouted, "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Zabuza's eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar name; the jutsu had been created by the Third Hokage and was known only in Konoha. Even then, only a few instructional scrolls existed, and the Hyuuga Clan's copy had mysteriously disappeared about a year ago. No one had noticed, the Hyuuga dedicated themselves solely to their legendary taijutsu.

The kunai copied itself as it flew, into no less than three hundred deadly kunai which all kept the momentum and aim of the original. Zabuza winced, and took cover behind the blade of his massive sword. A few kunai grazed him, but it was of little concern. "Not bad, brat!" Zabuza laughed, and glanced down at Asuma. Naruto had made sure every kunai passed over his sensei safely. "But I'm still standing! I'm still gonna kill you all," he finished in a low and menacing voice. The missing-nin raised his sword with both hands, preparing to bring it down on a prone Asuma.

As he began his swing, Naruto shouted out the name of another jutsu. "Wind Release: Air Bullet!" Zabuza swore as his blade descended. I can't dodge mid-swing! He relaxed, however, when he saw that the Air Bullet's trajectory was off, and that was his mistake. Rather than hitting Zabuza, it struck Kubikiri Bouchou, sending it and its wielder spinning wildly through the air, until they struck a tree with enough force to knock out the infamous missing-nin. Zabuza's hands went limp and released his sword.

Asuma got to his feet, lunging toward Zabuza as fast as his legs could move, which was quite fast. He raised his right hand, and with it a chakra-wreathed dagger, aiming to stab and finish the unconscious Demon of the Hidden Mist.

Two steel needles, however, reached their target before Asuma was even halfway to Zabuza. The missing-nin's eyes flew open, bloodshot and terrified, but the senbon were already in his neck. Zabuza felt himself die with perfect, nightmarish clarity.

A masked ANBU, from Kiri judging by his mask, revealed himself as the attacker by emerging from the trees. "I've been tracking this bastard for weeks. Thanks for your help."

Asuma simply hunched over and coughed a bit of blood. The pain from Zabuza's kick had finally cut through his adrenaline rush. Damn... at least it wasn't a kick in the balls again.

Naruto let his hands fall to his sides, grinning. "Thanks for your help," he replied. "I mean, we could've finished him, but thanks anyway." I did it! I didn't freeze up at all! He beamed and flipped a thumbs-up. "We had this guy beat, believe it!" And I didn't even use up a quarter of my chakra. At this rate I'll be Hokage in no time! I feel so powerful!

"Damn right!" Kiba added. "Three freakin' Genin! I don't know who that guy was, but when we get back we'll be legends!" But I gotta learn some ranged jutsu, and fast.

Hinata remained silent, but she too was smiling.

"You know what?" the tracker-nin asked. "I really believe you. You beat him, and I'll make sure you get sent a part of the bounty. You earned it, kids." the ANBU slung Zabuza's limp body over one shoulder, and retreated over the treetops without saying goodbye.

Asuma looked up in shock and alarm. "Damn it!" he fell to his knees and pounded a fist into the ground. "He took the body!"

"So?" Naruto asked, clueless.

"So, he was an impostor! Kiri's ANBU tracker-nin are trained to incinerate the bodies of killed missing-nin, every time, without fail! They only take the heads, and it's considered treason to so much as pick up the body!" Asuma punched the earth again.

"Zabuza," he said slowly, "is alive."

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