Double Upload. Enjoy.
EXPERIMENTS
"Unbelievable! I knew this would be a bad idea, Hokage-sama!" Tsume, a councilwoman and head of the Inuzuka Clan screeched in outrage toward the wizened leader of the village. She was beyond furious about the developments that were unraveling themselves slowly. Firstly, Naruto caused a ruckus on his first day at the Academy, then he taught the children about the horrors of war. Lastly, and the most unforgivable in Tsume's opinion, was Naruto's offences against her son, Kiba. He had utterly thrashed him and left him in an unconscious state for two days. She was worried sick!
"Calm down, Tsume-san," Hiruzen stated, his hand moving in a placating manner to calm the furious mother. "Young Naruto did not mean any harm to Young Kiba. It was in the heat of the moment that Kiba was injured. Please do not hold this against him..." Hiruzen trailed.
"In the heat of the moment?!" The spiky-haired matriarch screamed in outrage, her piercing eyes glaring right at the old leader's spot-ridden face. "There's no such thing as the heat of the moment, it's the Academy for gods-sake!"
In agreement, multiple other clan heads nodded their heads. The most vocal being Shikaku Naru. "I'm sorry to disappoint Hokage-sama, but Naruto, as everyone can see, is a flight risk, a danger to the village, and literally has endangered one of our most promising children!" It was surprising to see the lazy man be so vocal about anything, but Naruto Uzumaki's demeanor brought that change out in anyone.
"I can no longer defend him..." Fugaku trailed before continuing, "I believe Naruto Uzumaki should not attend the Academy. This is the best for everyone." He said sternly as more and more clan heads nodded in support.
Following suit, the Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, and Hyuga Clan heads supported Fugaku's extreme voicings.
"I too believe that Uchiha-san is correct, the boy is not fit for the Academy, shows no aptitude for teammates or the ability to care for another, and will ultimately only become a shinobi to wipe out this village. If we grant him that privilege, it will only be a matter of time before our extinction occurs." Hiashi Hyuga stated curtly, his pupilless eyes radiating confidence in each word he spoke.
"While all of your points are valid, you seem to have forgotten one thing..." Hiruzen stated, "It is my decree as Third Hokage of Konohagakure that Naruto Uzumaki attends the Academy, and my decree is final!" He shouted primally, with a dosage of killing intent spilling out along with his powerful words.
"Yes.." A voice from the far end of the room sounded. It was from the voice he expected least, Danzo. "Hiruzen is correct, the boy is too powerful to go to waste and be some civilian bum." He continued, greatly angering the civilian side of the court. It wasn't as if he cared either way.
"You cannot be serious, you too!" Fugaku and Tsume sounded identical. "This is preposterous!" Fugaku claimed with utmost confusion etched on his face. "Hokage-sama, I understand your plight, you want to do right by the boy. Danzo-sama, I understand you want a powerful weapon easily controlled and useable in any situation, but this boy is too strong, too unpredictable, and too troublesome to become a vital, law-abiding shinobi or weapon or whatever it is you two want!" He outright yelled at the elders of the court. It was ridiculous that this was even a matter to be discussed at this point. Naruto was a flight risk, there's no avoiding that. He would betray them, outright kill them, he could care less about this village and whatever stupid plan Danzo and Hiruzen were cooking up would never change that.
"I said..." Hiruzen trailed, his killing intent reaching an all-time high, "NARUTO UZUMAKI WILL ATTEND KONOHA'S ACADEMY, THAT'S THE LAST OF THIS TOPIC!" His anger was met with white faces, even from Danzo, his rival, who had trouble coping with the insurmountable level of pressure placed upon him. "If that is the last of the complaints, then this meeting is adjourned!"
With that, the meeting came to a close...Or so he thought.
Somewhere in a secret lair, without the knowledge of the elders or the Hokage, the clan heads and the civilian side of the council met.
"What should be done to counteract Hokage-sama's measures?" Hyuga Hiashi asked his companions. He too was worried for not only the village but also the safety of his oldest daughter Hinata, who was not only in the same class as the violent boy but sat right next to him. In the same seat!
"I don't know, Hyuga-sama..." One civilian member stated, scratching his disheveled beard as he pondered on what he could really do to the Hokage of all people's decree.
"We could just stage an uprising and have him kicked from the Academy. Hokage or not, no one can fight off all of Konoha's ninja forces.." An interesting idea was posed by none other than Mebuki Haruno, one of the smartest, if not the smartest, members of the civilian council. Not that it meant anything, seeing as the council comprised of civilians was generally just a pit of bumbling idiots.
"Reasonable, but should we really do this? Technically, it would be giving Naruto what he desires. Blood. He wants blood and retribution for the years of suffering he has faced at the hands of the people of Konoha. If people fight for this cause, they will ultimately die. If Naruto does not get his wish of slaughtering us himself, then it will be very entertaining to him when he sees the people of Konoha slaughter their own kin." Fugaku Uchiha explained elaborately, getting 'oohs and ahs' from the council to which he deadpanned.
"So then, the question still stands, what do we do to rid the Academy of one Naruto Uzumaki...?" Shino Aburame asked conclusively to which the council was silent.
Until...
"I got it!" It was, of course, the most passionate of the bunch, Tsume Inuzuka, who had proclaimed she had a bright idea. Naturally, they all inclined their heads closer to hear what it was that the female Inzukua had to announce. "I say that we convince Danzo-sama to see this whole situation our way, and then, when the time is right, have him plant a few of his ROOT agents into the Academy, track Naruto Uzumaki's progress, and kidnap him from the Academy while having an expertly crafted Shadow Clone that replaces him for all the rest of the years he will miss." Tsume's plan was even more extravagant than Fugaku's explanation, and as such, garnered more 'oohs and ahs' from the civilian crowd. Hence, the Inuzkua Clan head sweat dropped.
"I suppose that would work," Hiashi said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "There is one problem though. How will Naruto's shadow clone imposter never pop, or continue to adapt to his appearance as he grows older?"
It was a good question that Tsume had just the answer to. "Simple, there are seals all around. We all know that.." Tsume trailed, "There are seals from almost everything, I can guarantee that there is one for having an unpoppable shadow clone, or one for making said shadow clone adapt to the appearance of the person it is modeled after." The dog-like woman finished. Her statement elicited cheers from all around the room.
Bringing their hands together in the middle of the table, they all counted on three before releasing. "Three, two, one...For Konoha's prosperity!"
Little did they know, a certain Itachi Uchiha was watching outside of the secret lair, a glint in his eye and some very top-secret information to report back to the Hokage.
"It seems that they plan on ousting Naruto from the Academy, Hokage-sama..." Itachi began, "They also seem adamant about corrupting the elder, Danzo, and making him see their point of view. They need his help for this to work." The 12-year-old Itachi Uchiha stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Well, that certainly is a change of events.." Hiruzen said, his voice icy. The conditions of the room went from a cozy warm to a warring tundra in under one minute. Itachi shivered slightly at the thought of being on the side of this man's wrath.
"Thank you, Itachi." Hiruzen began before continuing, "Keep me posted on any recent events. As of now, you are dismissed..." He finished and just like that, the Uchiha prodigy was gone in the blink of an eye, disappearing into the night.
Hiruzen gazed through the window of his office. Peering into the beautiful night sky, he muttered, "It is either them or Naruto. I choose Naruto."
Naruto awoke.
It was not like any other day, it was not even morning yet. Precisely, it was 2:46 AM. What was he doing up so late? Why did he wake up so late?
"Power..." "Stop it!"
"Power..." "Stop that right now!"
"POWER!" "Sto-ugh!"
His mind raced, his head span, his eyes watered. Everything hurt, his legs were shaking uncontrollably. WHY?! What was going on?! He brought his arms up to his cranium and pounded mercilessly on it, trying to ease the pain in any way he could.
Red girthy lines slithered mercilessly upon his scared form. His body shivered and his legs quivered. His body was burning, toasting, sizzling. "RAH!" Naruto screamed, breaking free of the chains that housed themselves within his body.
"What..." Naruto panted, his face drenched in sweat and his body quivering uncontrollably. "What was that?!" His mind spun, it raced with possibilities. On one hand, he wanted to reject the vile power, he wanted to fight with his own. On the other, his mind loved it, it was delicious, savory. It was his own to keep. "What the fuck?!" His scream echoed ravenously. He felt the sound waves etch themselves in his arms, carving them. Grunts of pain dug at Naruto's vocal cords, begging and pleading to be released.
In his mind, an old-decrepit old man with bandages over his right eye appeared. Black flames licked his form, and to his side, thousands of soldiers dressed in all black wearing masks all similar to that Dog guy's.
"What is this..." Naruto muttered, unable to believe his eyes. What was happening to him?
"This is nothing, Naruto-kun..." The man in the middle said, a red glow escaping the thousands of bandages wrapped around his right eye. "Submit."
He fell unconscious.
Grunts sounded around him, his eyes cracked open and he peered around at the room that contained him. Hundreds of test tubes, thousands of large bulb-shaped containers that held literal humans. "What is this..." Naruto flinched at the sound of his own voice. It was raspy and deep, way too deep for a five-year-old. It was a voice suited for a smoker.
"This, Naruto-kun, is my base of operations. I myself, am Danzo-sama.." The same bandaged man that appeared in his dream said to him. "What is it that you want to accomplish in this life, Naruto-kun?"
"The complete and utter destruction of Konohagakure.." Naruto spewed, hatred seeping into his eyes. Suddenly, a fist raced towards him. Faster than he could blink his cheek was bruised heavily as the punch was administered.
"No, Naruto-kun. You are Konoha's weapon. You are to serve Konoha, never to destroy. Do you hear me?" Danzo said, killing intent lacing his words as the room took on a chilly temperature.
"Do. You. Hear. Me?" The bandaged old man repeated, killing intent flooding every word. When he received no answer, Naruto was struck again, again, and again. Blood spilled from his wounds, his eyes shut as the pain was unbearable.
"Naruto-kun...Do you hear me?" Danzo repeated for the third time.
Naruto nodded.