DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO
PLEASE SUPPORT THE OFFICIAL RELEASE!

|PROLOGUE

His lungs burned as he ran like hell.

He could feel his legs starting to cramp and his chest felt like it was on fire. He knew he wasn't going to be able to keep running for much longer, but he also knew that if he did stop running he was going to get the absolute shit kicked out of him.

Stand up to your bullies...they said. A bully will leave you alone if you fight back...they said. Yeah, that advice works great if it's a one-on-one! He growled as he turned into an alley.

As soon as he did, he had to stop suddenly as he came face to face with a fence. Behind him, his six pursuers finally caught up with him. They were out of breath too, but unlike him, they were all smiling as they blocked the only way out of the alley.

"Nowhere to run now," said the lead fucker, his nose still bleeding from when he'd been socked earlier.

This is going to suck! he thought as the six assholes rushed him. They attacked in a wave of flailing limbs. It was obvious none of them knew how to fight, they all just balled their fists and swung their arms like windmills.

He managed to get one good kick in, hitting the fucker in the front right in the nuts before he was completely overwhelmed. He tried to keep fighting back, kicking and punching as best he could, but life wasn't a movie.

The little training he had in boxing didn't help when it was a six-on-one fight—that's twelve fists and twelve feet all trying to hit him at once.

John Wick...IP Man...Daredevil...Batman and a bunch of other movies and television shows made it seem like a skilled fighter could take on half a dozen less-skilled fighters all at once.

That just wasn't true.

The truth was that it didn't matter how good of a fighter you were...if six dudes wanted to hurt you, then you were going to get hurt.

It was that simple.

He saw a flash of steel and felt a burning pain in his chest. His body balled up as he collapsed to the ground, trying to withstand the shock. He tried to move, but his body wasn't listening.

"Oh shit"

"What the—what the hell dude!"

He looked up at the hazy figures crowding around him. Strangers who had noticed the commotion were watching him. Most were on their phones, and they weren't dialing 9-1-1 for help.

They were all recording.

I'm dying, and they're recording it, he thought in shock. What the help was with people?

Only one man tried to help. An elderly man who looked like he was on death's door himself.

"Y-you're bleeding...you won't stop bleeding!"

I'm bleeding? he blinked. Well, duh. He was only human. If you stab me, I'll probably bleed all over. Damn, this is starting to hurt though...

Now the burning feeling in his chest was starting to fizzle out. Instead, an intense, frigid cold was attacking him from head to toe. That... That's probably bad... People die once they bleed too much, don't they?

He tried to speak. And failed. Shit. I think this might really be it...

The pain and the heat were pretty well gone by now. It was just cold. Cold as hell. He felt as if I was gonna freeze in place.

He was going to die. He could feel it, and he hated it. Why was he dying? What had he done to deserve such a grisly early death?

There was a sound like jingling bells and a translucent box appeared floating in the air above him.

Request reincarnation?
Yes or No?

What is that? he tried to speak. And failed. He tried to reach out and touch the box, but his arms weren't listening. They wouldn't move.

He summoned up his remaining strength, striving to whisper one more word. "...yes..."

|NARUTO|

Sakumo Izuno sat bolt upright on his bed, inhaling deeply. "What...?" he swallowed heavily, trying to process what he'd just seen.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair, trying to steady his breathing. What was that? he wondered. He could vividly remember the pain in his chest, and his body shutting down as he died.

Fucking low-life criminals. Who the hell stabbed someone for a few bucks?

But that couldn't be possible. Yet, it definitely did happen. Sakumo know enough about Genjutsu to tell what was reality and what were illusions. And what he saw was undoubtedly real.

And, he remembered things.

Things that he couldn't explain. The death of a stranger a few years older than him. nd beyond even the memories of that stranger's death, was the fact that said stranger had memories of a "Manga" called Naruto.

A fictional story following the life of Naruto Uzumaki.

Sakumo had seen Naruto around the academy. The orange-wearing loudmouth was a year younger than him, so they had never had classes until this year. And the Naruto he knew was the same blonde that he saw in the memories of this "Manga".

"What is going on?" Sakumo groaned, massaging his throbbing temples.

The things he knew about the shinobi world, of the village that he was ready to serve loyally!

It was horrifying!

Sakumo didn't know much about the future, but from what he saw about the past, the "Manga" was almost spot on. Between the Kyuubi attack, the Uchiha massacre, and how the villagers had treated Naruto, he couldn't argue against the facts.

Which meant...

Orochimar's invasion during the Chunin exams. Sasuke Uchiha leaving the village not soon after. The Akatsuki collecting the Taiiled-Beast. Pain destroying the Hidden Leaf. A fourth shinobi world war.

The amount of destruction Konoha would face in less than a decade...it seemed unthinkable.

But how was this possible? None of this made sense t him.

First: he and the stranger in his memories seemed to be from a totally different dimension. There wasn't even chakra in that other world, so how the hell could a stranger from a different dimension be able to not only see clearly into the shinobi world...but even tell its future?

And what about that floating box thing? It looked almost like a status—

With a sound like bells jingling, a translucent purple rectangle materialized in midair.

Name: Sakumo Fūma
Age: 18
Rank: Academy Student
Chakra Reserves: 0.5/5
Ninjutsu: 0.5/5
Taijutsu: 0.5/5
Genjutsu: 0.5/5
Strength: 0.5/5
Speed: 0.5/5
Stamina: 0.5/5
Chakra Control: 0.5/5

The stats on display looked identical to the "Databook" stats Sakumo saw in his memories. From what he could remember about the books, the lowest score someone could get in each category was 0.5 points.

And I have that in every category!

Sakumo glared at the screen. "What is wrong with this thing?" he asked, pissed that the literally the weakest someone could be.

Whatever this thing is, it's obviously malfunctioning!

He might not have been the strongest student in class, which was even more embarrassing considering he had failed the graduation exam last year and was now a year older than the rest of his classmates. But Sakumo couldn't believe he was the weakest either.

Not when he shared a class with Sakura.

"I haven't graduated yet," Sakumo muttered. The screen didn't react to his words. It just hung in the air. He waved his hands through the air. Then he tried to touch the screen and his finger went right through.

Nothing happened until he swiped his hand down and the screen vanished. The little icon at the bottom of his vision reappeared.

Sakumo collapsed back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I guess it could be worse," he sighed.

At least he wasn't the one who had died. And the knowledge he had gained was going to be extremely useful.

Or so he hoped.

There were some strange differences between the real shinobi world and the shinobi world depicted in the manga from his new memories. Like why was everybody so young? Sakumo frowned.

In the manga, Naruto graduated from the academy at the age of 12. Which clearly wasn't the case in the actual shinobi world. Sakumo had failed last year so he was eighteen, but the rest of the class was only a year younger than him.

And sure, in times of war, the age requirement for becoming a Genin was dropped, but that was out of necessity. To put bodies in the field even if they were nothing but fodder to the stronger shinobi.

During peacetime, the Third Hokage had been very firm that academy students had to be 17 to graduate. Of course, as with every rule, there had been exceptions. Talented students who graduated from the Academy early, but even those had stopped after Itachi Uchiha went postal.

The Academy!

Sakumo shot up off his bed and hurried to get dressed. With all the new memories and information flooding his brain he had almost completely forgotten what day it was!

Today was the day he was supposed to take his graduation test!

|NARUTO|

The ninja academy in Konoha had stadium-style seating, with several tiers rising from the teacher's podium at the front of the class.

Sakumo felt every eye in those seats turn to him as he burst through the door and took the closest free seat.

Iruka, the chunin instructor for this graduating class shook his head disapprovingly. "Late on the day of the graduation exam?" the chunin asked. "You've already failed the graduation exam once, Sakumo. You won't get a third chance."

Sakumo sank lower in his chair as not a second later the bell rang, announcing the beginning of class.

He really had been cutting it close. Very, very close.

With class now started, Iruka gave Sakumo one last disappointed look before addressing the rest of his students.

"The graduation exam will be on the three academy jutsu. When your name is called, please report to the testing room." Iruka said, before leaving the room.

Sakumo watched Iruka leave. His foot bounced nervously as he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. With nothing to do but wait, his thoughts focused on the giant elephant in his head.

His memories of the future.

In a brief moment of insanity, he considered telling someone.

Of course, Sakumo wasn't going to actually do it. No one in their right mind would believe him. The more likely scenario was that he would end up being worked over by Ibiki and the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force before being handed off to a Yamanaka to be mind fucked until his brain was mush.

He was going to pass on the torture, thank you very much.

Which left him with the option of preparing as best he could and making sure he was strong enough to survive.

In a world like his, that was really the only choice.

Sure, he could have left the ninja life behind and become a civilian. He'd probably be able to eke out a decent living in the village. But being a civilian wouldn't keep him safe. He didn't even need memories of the future to know that.

Sakumo remembered very clearly the moment he became aware of exactly what type of world he lived in.

It was ten years ago.

He had just turned eight, and the rain—so heavy he had trouble keeping his eyes open—poured down mercilessly. Standing beside him, his grandfather offered nothing in the way of sympathy or support.

"Remember this tragedy, Sakumo." His grandfather's words pushed through the rain.

Tragedy...

Not a word for an eight-year-old boy to fix in his memory. To say still less of the scene that lay before him at the moment. It was nothing remotely fit for a child's eyes.

Graves, graves, graves...

Lines of coffins as far as the eye could see.

"In a few years, you'll be a ninja too. The village will need your strength now more than ever. You must become strong."

Sakumo stood still and endured as his grandfather's harsh words filled his ears. He understood why his grandfather would say such words at a time like this. His grandfather's clan, the Fūma clan was a renowned ninja clan distantly related to the Uchiha Clan, famous in at least Amegakure and the Land of Fire.

They were well-known as an aggressive clan and fought using their characteristic giant Fūma Shuriken; a large, four-bladed weapon said to possess preeminent sharpness.

Sakumo knew his grandfather had never forgiven his daughter for marrying into the Izuno clan. One of the lesser-known ninja clans in Konoha. And they weren't known for any good reasons. They were recognized only by their use of cat-inspired ninjutsu, and their one-sided rivalry with the Inuzuka clan, but they were known for being the only ninja clan in Konoha that had never had a member be promoted to jonin.

Sakumo's mother had been a special jonin before she was killed during the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago. His father had never made it past genin, and had died when Sakumo was young because of a poison he had been exposed to in the Third Shinobi War. And despite the fact that Sakumo had his father's clan name, his grandfather refused to accept that the last of his line was more Izuno than Fūma.

The legacies of two ninja clans weren't the only legacies he had on his shoulders. Sakumo's name itself was a weight around his neck. He had been named after one of the greatest Shinobi in Konoha history: Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang.

His mother, just a chunin at the time had been part of the mission that would eventually cause Sakumo Hatakae's suicide. Ashamed of how she had acted, she named her only son after the man who saved her.

Too little too late in Sakumo's opinion.

Soaking wet in the rain, his grandfather probably wouldn't notice if he cried. Still, Sakumo didn't want to, but the tears came naturally spilling out.

People with Konoha forehead protectors. Civilians from the village. The countless dead had no family connection to anyone present. All but one of the Uchiha had been killed by one of their own in a massacre.

"Grandfather." Sakumo heard his own voice. And then, for the first time, he realized he was shaking. It wasn't the chill of the rain. It wasn't fear of the world he was living in.

Rage was making him shake.

"Why did you bring me here...?"

His grandfather was silent for a while after the question, and then he began to respond. "You are a clever boy."

Eyes still turned toward the coffins, Sakumo waited for his grandfather to continue.

"I wanted to make sure you saw this reality."

Sakumo grasped the meaning of what his grandfather was leaving unsaid. "This is the world I will live in..."

"That's right, Sakumo. Ninja are creatures that fight. Never forget what you've seen here today."

"I'm never going to forget that day," Sakumo muttered quietly to himself. His grandfather passed away two years after that day, but the memory stuck with him.

The funeral for the Uchiha had been an eye-opener. He had never seen so much death in his life. That was the kind of world he was living in now. And now it would also serve as a reminder.

Not every member of the Uchiha clan was a ninja, yet they still died.

Hiding from the ninja world and being a civilian wouldn't save him. The only way to stay alive in the shinobi world was to be stronger than everyone else.

"Izuno Sakumo!"

Sakumo heard his name and stood up. "Showtime," he muttered, hurrying out the door and down the hall to the exam room.

When he walked into the exam room, he immediately noticed the line of tree logs stacked against the wall at the front of the room. Iruka and the traitor Mizuki sat at a table at the back of the room. Sakumo didn't know Mizuki well, but he did know that tonight the chunin would trick Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Sealing.

Laid out on the table in front of the two instructors were two dozen blue forehead protectors with engraved metal plates sewn on the front.

Sakumo swallowed hard as he stared at them.

They looked absolutely beautiful.

"Izuno Sakumo, begin," Iruka said in a serious tone.

Sakumo made the correct hand seal. Then, concentrating, he did the required Jutsu. "Clone Jutsu!" he said.

When he finished, thick-as-soup smoke particular to ninjutsu exploded into existence around him. Sakumo waited with bated breath for the smoke to clear. When he saw his clones, he almost fist-pumped.

He had done it—three perfect copies!

"Very good," Iruka nodded. "Now the Transformation Jutsu."

Sakumo breathed a sigh of relief. The Transformation jutsu wasn't really that difficult. With a little practice, almost anyone could transform themselves. Fighting or using another jutsu while transformed was another story. But a simple, no-frills transformation?

Easy.

He made the Transformation jutsu hand sign.

"Transform!"

Sakumo cloaked himself in smoke while Iruka watched. He stepped out of the smoke and grinned at Iruka. "Like looking into a mirror, right, sensei?" he asked.

Iruka smiled. "Not bad, Sakumo," he said. "But you still have one more jutsu before you can pass."

Sakumo's transformation faded and he frowned. The Substitution jutsu had been the reason he'd failed last year and the year before.

I'm not going to fail again, Sakumo formed the hand signs for the jutsu slowly. He couldn't risk his ninja career by trying to hurry. Tiger—Boar—Ox—Dog—Snake!

"Substitute!"

Sakumo disappeared in a puff of smoke. In his place, one of the wooden chairs that had been lined up against the wall fell to the floor.

"Yes!"

Iruka stood up from his chair and picked up one of the forehead protectors from the table. "Izuno Sakumo, you pass!" the chunin announced proudly. "Please, turn around."

Sakumo turned around and stood waiting. He felt a weight land above his eyes as Iruka tied a forehead protector around his head.

"Congratulations, Sakumo," Iruka patted him on the shoulder. "You can head home now, but report back to the academy in one week. You'll be assigned to a genin team then."

Sakumo walked out of the room with his head held high and his mind racing. This was just step one on his path to becoming a powerful ninja!

Outside the school, students who had passed the exam were happily celebrating with their parents. When he saw Naruto sitting on the swing alone, watching the happy families a plan started to form in Sakumo's mind. A dastardly plan that could potentially get him killed. But if he didn't try, he was probably going to end up dead anyway.

With the shitstorm that was heading for Konoha a weak as fuck genin wasn't going to live long and he didn't have time to grind for power. If he wanted to survive, he needed to get stronger—a lot stronger—and fast!

And I know just the way, Sakumo thought as he headed over to Naruto.

Naruto looked up, shocked that someone was purposefully standing near him. "What do you want?" he asked, rudely.

"Just saw you over here without a headband," Sakumo shrugged. "Figured you failed."

"What's it to you?" Naruto snapped, glaring at him.

Sakumo looked back at the happy families. He could see the parents shooting distrustful looks at Naruto. He had been too young to remember the attack, but he had seen glimpses of it in his new memories of the "Anime" and it was well-known how devastating the Kyuubi's rampage had been.

Hundreds of ninja had died, and thousands had been injured. Never mind the damage done to the village itself. If it wasn't for the Fourth Hokage, Konoha might have been completely destroyed.

Sakumo understood that a lot of the village didn't hate Naruto, but were afraid of him. And that wasn't fair. Naruto didn't ask to be a jinchūriki. He didn't deserve the village's scorn.

If it wasn't for Naruto, the entire village might have been destroyed.

"Oh! That's him, isn't it?" a mother hissed in their direction.

"Yeah, that's him," another mother nodded. "I guess he flunked."

"Good. Someone like him can't become a ninja! Think of what might happen!"

"I know! If his true nature ever emerges, we'll all be—"

But before they could go on, a third mother quickly interrupted them. "Shhh, you two! We're not supposed to talk about him, remember?" she chided.

"Don't listen to them, Naruto." a kind voice said.

Sakumo yanked his head up. Mizuki stood in front of him, smiling at Naruto with false sympathy.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Mizuki patted Naruto on the shoulder.

Before they left, the chunin glanced back at Sakumo as he led Naruto away.

"Congratulations on graduating, Sakumo. I didn't get a chance to say it inside."

"Thank you," Sakumo said, staring at Mizuki's back.

He stared until the two vanished.

Sakumo followed Mizuki and Naruto all the way to the edge of the village.

Mizuki led Naruto to a tall building with a panoramic view of the village. They sat on the balcony in silence for a while until Mizuki finally spoke. "Don't hate him, Naruto. He means well."

"Who?"

"Iruka. He lost his parents when he was very young, so he's been alone most of his life. Going through all that has made him a very serious man."

"Pfft! So why does he keep picking on me?" Naruto griped, puffing out his cheeks.

"He thinks you're like him."

"Like him? How?" Naruto asked with surprise.

"You don't have parents either," Mizuki explained. "Iruka wants you to become as strong as he's had to be. Can you at least try to understand?"

Naruto frowned and stared straight ahead. "But I really wanted to graduate," he muttered.

Sakumo saw Mizuki give Naruto a quick, sharp glance. Then his face softened to its usual mild expression. I'll give the traitor this, he's a damn good actor, he thought as Mizuki continued speaking.

"You want to graduate? Then do something to impress Iruak," the chunin suggested gently.

"Like what?"

"I have an idea. Do this, and Iruka will definitely have to let you graduate."

"Wh-what is it?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Sakumo listened closely as Mizuki told Naruto all about the Scroll of Sealing and where to find it.

OC Naruto/Gamer pseudo-Self-Insert!

I have another Naruto Story up: A Sasuke-SI, but as a Main Character that story will be pretty linear to the manga. With an OC I can do more!

Leave a review if have a comment or suggestion!

Thanks for reading!