Naruto's Flying Thunder!
Summary: After stealing the Scroll of Seals, Naruto accidentally discovers a mock-teleportation jutsu. Prepare to have your expectations subverted or whatever... Telling y'all now that it's eventual NaruSaku so if you don't like NS, just don't read.
Chapter Summary: Naruto is a troublesome, but ambitious kid. His current goal is to become a shinobi, but inability threatens his opportunity.
Chapter 1: Revelations
Twelve years ago, the Hidden Leaf Village was attacked by the nine-tailed demon fox, wreaking havoc on its citizens. Even the fourth hokage Minato Namikaze, the most powerful ninja to have ever lived, perished as he defeated the demon.
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In the Hidden Leaf
A massive cliff bore protruded busts of four men - - each one a hokage of the village, former and current. On the faces, someone had painted copious obscenities and other forms of nonsense. The beautiful morning sun made the vandalism reflect brighter than it would at any other time of day.
A boy dashed across rooftops in his village. His skin was tanned, with odd whisker-like scars running across his cheeks. His black shirt and white shorts were covered in paint, as his short golden hair flowed behind the goggles on his forehead.
In pursuit was an angry older boy, just twenty years old, darker of face, though plain, blemished only by a scar running horizontally across the bridge of his nose.
The younger boy shouted, "I di'n't do nothin', Ir'ka-sensei! Can't prove anythin' and you can't catch me neither!".
Iruka, the aforementioned older boy, shouted back, "Quit screwing around, Naruto! I've told you a thousand times that you gotta stop messing around all the time!".
Naruto retorted, "Those damned rocks are public property, ain't they?! They belong to the whole village, I'm well within my rights to splash some paint on 'em!".
Iruka yelled, "Just because they're public property doesn't mean you can vandalize them! Even if you could, no one wants to see cusses and genitals on their leaders' faces!".
Without missing a beat, Naruto yelled back, "I don't care if n'one wants to see 'em, I'm gonna paint 'em anyways!".
Just then, Iruka sped up, tackling Naruto as he jumped onto another roof. He caught the boy in a belly-to-back hold. Naruto's flailing-arm resistance forced Iruka to begin rolling around until he himself was on the top. As he rose with the unruly boy tightly in his arms, he admonished him.
"You just admitted that it was you, you moron!".
Now that he was still, Naruto's hair had taken its regular messy shape, somewhat mopping over his goggles.
"You already knew it was me, ya dick.".
Iruka grunted, and struggled against Naruto further. Naruto, failing to escape, let his arms go limp as he pouted.
Iruka then sighed pensively, gently placing Naruto back on his feet. He guided the boy to turn around and placed his hands on his shoulders, kneeling down to meet Naruto's cerulean eyes at-level with a somber expression.
"It makes the whole thing a lot easier if you confess to this kind of thing, Naruto. It's just a misdemeanor and you're just a kid, so if I can tell the hokage that you admitted to it and won't do it again, we can spin it around so you don't get scolded too badly. ".
Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What's it matter that I 'confessed' if you're gonna lie to the old man anyways?".
Iruka lightly grinned, waving a finger as he chuckled.
"I'm not gonna lie to the hokage, I'm just gonna... exaggerate a little bit.".
"What?".
"Naruto, the hokage may not have psychic powers or anything, but he can tell when someone's being blatantly dishonest. I'm not gonna tell him anything that's untrue, I'm just gonna make the truth look favorable for your character.".
Naruto scowled.
"Yeah, well, I don't really care about my character. I'll just paint the stupid faces again.".
"No, you won't.".
"What makes you so confident in that?".
"Well... If you help me clean up the monument, and promise not to mess it up again, I'll buy you all the ramen you want for a month.".
"A year.".
"Six months.".
Naruto smirked.
"Deal.".
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Hokage's Office
The current hokage, the leader of the Hidden Leaf village, was an old man named Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was the third man to take the mantle, but he signed up for the job again when his successor passed.
He stared blankly at Naruto.
"The hokage's faces? Really?", he croaked. "Couldn't you have at least done it to someone less honorable, or painted something less degrading?".
Naruto shuffled in his feet. "Well it's like Iruka-sensei said, Old Man... I'm sorry and I won't do it again. It was wrong of me to do so...".
Hiruzen soflty replied, "Alright, just go clean it up and be on your way...".
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As the village basked in the glow of the moon, Naruto and Iruka, tired and drenched in sweat, sat in shelter from the cold at the counter in a ramen stand.
From behind the counter, a man nearing middle-age and his teenage daughter emerged, large bowls chock-full of ramen in their hands, which they set in front of their customers.
Naruto quickly began to slurp it all down, cleaning out his bowl desperately and thoroughly.
Iruka asked, "Don't you wanna savor it a bit, Naruto?".
"Nah...".
"Why?".
"I've had ramen a thousand times already, an' it ain't gonna taste any better if I waste my time and let it get cold...".
"Hm.".
Over the course of the meal, Iruka picked at his ramen, leaving Naruto, who had finished bowl by now, with no stimulation. He eyed his teacher, sensing a muddy puddle of thoughts within him.
Mustering the strength to speak, Naruto asked "... So... What's on your mind, Iruka-sensei?".
Deep in his heart, Naruto groaned at Iruka's initial reaction.
That stupid sighing again. What's wrong with him? Did I really do something so bad?
It was as if Naruto were watching his own father cry. Deep-rooted shame began to grip his heart.
Iruka stammered a bit, but eventually was able to properly respond.
"Naruto, you're a good kid. You know it, I know it, and you know that I know it.".
"Where are you going with this?".
"Your grades in the academy have been getting better, you've been less hostile to strangers, and you've even gotten up to a healthier weight for once. You're not the starving, skinny, delinquent troublemaker you used to be. You're doing great, Naruto. I mean it.".
The shame in Naruto's heart was lightly covered by a blanket of relief. However, Iruka's tone told him that this wasn't a conversation of mere positive affirmations.
Hesitantly, Naruto questioned, "But...?".
"There's no 'but' about it. What you did today hasn't made me think any less of you. I just wanna know why you did it. Is this an isolated incident?".
The shame slowly crept back up in Naruto's chest. His cheeks flushed red, as it was now his turn to stammer before giving a proper response.
"It's kinda dumb...".
"Regardless, I really want to know, Naruto.".
"Promise ya won't mock me or anythin'?".
"I swear to God.".
"Alright, fine... I did it because...".
Am I gonna regret this?
Iruka waited for Naruto to answer.
"...".
"...".
"...".
"...".
Iruka placed an assuring hand on Naruto's back.
"You can tell me anything, Naruto. You're like a kid brother to me. Brothers confide in each other.".
Naruto frowned.
"I don't wanna be like a kid brother to ya. I thought you were more like a father or somethin'. Why ya gotta do me like that, don't I mean more to ya?...".
In a moment of realization, Iruka's eyes widened. He squinted and cleared his throat.
"Naruto, the specific ways that we view each other aren't too important here. What matters is that we care for each other a whole lot. The pertinent issue is that I'm concerned about this... misbehavior you've engaged in. Whether it's fatherly or brotherly, I just want to be someone you can trust with your feelings.".
Naruto's expression had turned to one of shock.
I never thought anyone would be so honest with me. Does Iruka-sensei really like me that much?
Iruka awkwardly smiled and noted, "Hey, you're spacing out on me. Everything good?".
Naruto, recognizing his own strange demeanor, shook his head and muttered, "Yeah, yeah..." before he continued to explain himself.
"Anyways, I was gonna tell you that I just- It's like...".
"...".
Scorn washed over the boy.
"... I'm just a bitter attention seeker or somethin', okay?".
The sour dialogue made Iruka wince, but he gave Naruto space to speak.
"Before - - back when I just slacked off an' everything, people would notice me. Even if it was to say that I'm an idiot, or if they laughed at somethin' I said, I was just glad that someone acknowledged me, y'know?".
"And what about now?".
"Now? I've been doing better in class, and at first it was nice that people would point it out to me - - even Sakura congratulated me for doing better, and I thought she'd never even look my way! But now that it's been a while, the luster's worn off. No one's impressed because now I'm just completely average, and I hate it... I've tried my best to score higher, but I've only ever broken into the top, like, 10th percentile, and now it's the end of the year and all that's left is the academy finals in a couple days.".
Iruka pondered Naruto's words, taking time to try and absorb them. His distress was palpable, even to Naruto, who began to wonder what Iruka was thinking. He shifted his body back to face his empty bowl as he twiddled his thumbs and gently swung his legs back and forth.
Finally, Iruka opened up again.
"Naruto... I honestly don't know what to say. I wish I could tell you something that would make you feel better, or that I know something you can do to make things better, but I can't..."
Naruto looked downtrodden, dejected at the thought of Iruka admitting his own helplessness.
Iruka continued, "Yet. I don't know yet. I'll mull it over, I swear I will, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. Just keep working on your clone jutsu, okay? Tomorrow's the last baseline, but you just need to get it right the day after tomorrow. Trust me, it's probably the only time you'll ever need to use the jutsu for as long as you live.".
Naruto collected himself, replying, "Yeah- yeah, sure...".
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Naruto's Apartment, Nighttime
Atop a cozy apartment complex was an apartment built for 2 or 3 people, though it was currently inhabited by just 2.
As Naruto entered his place, he announced, "Hey, I'm home...", to no response.
Of course Anko isn't home; is she ever? Some caretaker she is...
Disappointed as usual, Naruto pulled off his goggles, revealing the unkempt form of his hair, as misshapen bangs fell over his forehead. Biting his lip, made a beeline for the shower.
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The next morning
After completing his morning ablutions, Naruto left the main bathroom, going straight to the kitchen for breakfast.
To his delight, his sometimes-annoying purple-haired roommate (as she preferred to be called) was at the table.
He greeted, "Yo, Anko. Good morning.".
With an uncharacteristically sweet smile, she responded, "Morning, Naruto. I guess you're wondering where I was last night?".
Making his own way to the table, Naruto noticed that breakfast was a real treat this morning. Veal, veggies, some honey, and a warm glass of milk. Fixing himself a pre-breakfast glass of water, he replied, "Not really. I just assumed you were getting your regular fill of man juice or whatever.".
As Naruto drank his water, Anko scoffed. She jested, "I got my fill the night before, actually.". She then added, "Truth be told, I was at work. Remember that promotion I got?".
Naruto nodded, "Yeah.", as Anko told him, "Well, I'm gonna be busy for a while setting up the second part of the coming chunin exams - - it's my first time, and I'm really excited about it!".
Naruto grinned, "And it's on that account that I eat like a prince this mornin'? Old man's really gotta promote ya some more.".
Anko quipped, "There's a time and a place for everything...".
In between bites, a question pinged in Naruto's mind.
He furrowed his brow and asked, "Hey Anko, how come you can tell me about this? Aren't the chunin exams really big? Isn't this stuff classified?".
Anko informed, "It kind of is. At the same time, there's a lot of integrity assumed with this position. Like, a lot. That promotion put me in a high place - - among some of the most elite shinobi in this village. If the hokage couldn't trust me with this job, he wouldn't have given it to me.".
Naruto nodded again. "Huh...".
The company I keep...
As the boy continued picking and eating his meal, Anko piped up.
"You're kind of a walking contradiction, y'know.".
"What does that mean?".
"It means that half the time you're all 'look at me, I'm so apathetic', and the other half you get all emotional and stuff.".
"...".
"...".
"So what?".
"So, it's kinda weird. You're weird.". Anko poked his nose. "
Naruto pouted.
"You know, that doesn't even make any sense. Just because I behave diff'rently under different circumstances, doesn't mean I'm a contradictory person. That's like, pseudoscience or somethin'.".
"Yet you continue to prove my point.".
"How?".
"You act like a totally helpless moron, but all that talk about psuedowhatever clearly shows that you've got a little bit more going on inside that head of yours.".
"...".
"...".
"Have you been watchin' those artsy character study movies again?".
"... Yes.".
Naruto rolled his eyes. "That explains it. I'll be sure to ignore you for a while.".
Anko quickly replied, "Hold on, now. We still gotta talk about those shenanigans you pulled yesterday.".
Naruto scoffed.
So that's why she's to talkative today.
"No we don't.".
"I think we do.".
"What's there to all about? I painted some stupid rocks, and then I cleaned up.".
Anko frowned. "I just want you to open up to me, Naruto. Believe it or not, I really care about you, and it hurts me to see you troubled.".
Naruto cleared his throat. "All due respect, I already poured my heart out to Iruka-sensei. I'm waitin' on what he's gotta say.".
If he says anything useful at all.
Anko sighed. "Alright...".
.
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The next day, Hidden Leaf Ninja Academy
Naruto showed up to the academy in his usual school-compliant attire - - a blue T-shirt, a vest, sweatpants, and running sneakers - - all provided by the hokage, albeit in a manner deemed obnoxious by his peers. The boy was often mocked for his choice in color, as his vest and pants were almost painfully eye-piercingly orange.
But they've gotten used to even this.
He looked around at everyone, believing this may be the last time he'd see them all.
Kiba Inuzuka... Stupid fatherless bastard. I hate him.
Shino Aburame... Weird. Never says a word.
Ino Yamanaka... Vapid. Insipid.
Choji Akimichi... Obese dumbass.
His heart melted, though, as he spotted his long-time crush and, over the past half of a year his tutor, lusciously pink-haired Sakura Haruno.
Man... I really like her a lot.
In Naruto's eyes, the girl was perfect. Every feature and expression just tugged at his lovestruck heartstrings further as he approached his chair next to her.
She spotted him out the side of her eye and greeted him.
"Hey there, Dork.".
"Hey, Sakura... You ready for the test?".
Stupid question! She's always ready!
"Of course I'm ready; when am I not ready?", she joked. "Anyways, how are you doing with the clone?".
Naruto sighed. The girl knew what that meant.
"That bad, huh? I really wish I could help, you know.".
He's kind of annoying, but I'd hate to see him fail.
Just then, Iruka walked into the room with his teaching partner, a blue-silver-haired young man named Mizuki.
Mizuki announced, "Alright, class, we're gonna be doing a preliminary evaluation of your ability to create a visible identical illusionary clone of yourself using your chakra. We'll be doing this in alphabetical order, so just be ready for your name to be called.".
Naruto, being that his last name was Uzumaki, was always the last one to come up in these situations.
Thus, one by one, Naruto watched as every single one of his classmates created visible clones of themselves.
Almost the same view each time - - both hands brought together for the hand sign, a puff of smoke (sometimes colored), and a clone.
Some much more visible, others better copies, and as usual, Sakura obtained a perfect score. Naruto felt a certain comfort in just how pink her smoke was.
As the tests went on, all of Naruto's classmates eventually successfully made a clone.
And so came the part Naruto dreaded. He was the only one left to take this exam, and all eyes were on him.
He shuffled his feet to approach the front of the room, his heart racing faster and faster as he reached his spot.
Mizuki informed, "Whenever you're ready, kid...".
Naruto inhaled deeply, scanning the room. For the first time in months, he'd felt something he had been missing.
All my classmates... They're eyeing me up and down... They wanna know if I'm gonna be able to make a clone?
The very attention that he desired - - the attention that he craved.
A grinch-like smile overtook Naruto as he reached a definitive conclusion.
Might as well savor this for as long as I can.
Naruto exhaled, then brought his hands together to form a sign that closely resembled the clone jutsu, and channeled his chakra appropriately for the purpose of...
Emerging in a golden cloud of smoke having disguised himself in the illusion of a naked woman.
Most of his peers laughed, but a few groaned - - including Sakura.
Iruka, clearly disappointed, sternly ordered, "Come on, Naruto, clone jutsu.".
Naruto dispelled his illusion and grumbled.
Making the same hand sign as before, he created another cloud of smoke...
Emerging this time as a spitting image of the hokage himself.
He turned to Iruka and jested, poorly impersonating the octogenarian, "Alright now, sonny, you must give Naruto Uzumaki a passing score!". This act earned him the same response as his previous mischief.
Iruka was not impressed. He rolled his eyes and said, "Quit screwing around. We really don't need to waste any more time with your antics.".
Naruto grumbled, "Alright, alright...".
He made the proper hand sign for the clone jutsu, and honestly really tried to channel his chakra properly, only to summon...
A delapidated, squirming, blue thing on the ground. If it wasn't for the presence of a head-like limb, it couldn't even be determined as being human.
Iruka remarked, "Tomorrow's your last chance, Naruto. You're the only one who can't do this technique. Get it down by then.", followed by an announcement to the class, "Class is over! Tomorrow's your final; be prepared!".
Most of the class rushed out immediately, except for Sakura, who made an awkward attempt to comfort her peer.
She put a hand on his shoulder and softly said, "I'm sure you'll get it tomorrow, Naruto... Good luck.", and walked out of the room, giving the boy one final almost-pitiful glance befote going her way.
Even Iruka had promptly left, trusting Mizuki to get his material in order. An act not unnoticed by Naruto.
Did I really piss him off that badly? Damn...
Intense despair crushed the reactionary boy's heart.
I've been such a stupid ass, when Iruka-sensei was just tryna help me, but I've wasted his efforts... And Sakura's too. All that work I've done means nothing if I don't even graduate from the academy. What's wrong with me?...
He felt a larger hand rest in his shoulder.
Mizuki enticed, "Naruto, it's okay... Let's go get some ramen.".
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Tower in the Village, Sunset
Naruto and Mizuki sat atop a tower, the sun now setting.
"So, Naruto, you ready for that secret test I told you about?".
"Yeah... Just gotta wait until nightfall to slip in the old man's place unnoticed and steal a secret scroll. I do that, keep it 'til midnight, and I graduate without needing to demonstrate the clone jutsu, right?".
Mizuki's mischievous lips curved upwards as he replied, "Exactly...".
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Hokage's Office
Eager to show the hokage the plans she was working on, Anko giddily approached his office.
Only to discover her boss lying unconscious at his desk.
She rushed to his leader as she radioed the security teams to bring medical help.
"Lord Hokage! What's happened?!".
She checked the hokage's pulse, letting out a sigh of relief as he suddenly began to wake up on his own.
Frantically, the jonin asked, "Lord Hokage, are you alright?".
The hokage grumbled, rising to sit upright as he wiped his bloody nose.
Nasally, he answered, "I'm perfectly fine, Anko. Just find Naruto; I'm worried about him!".
Deep in the Village Forest
Bored, Naruto sat at the base of a tree in a clearing, reading the scroll he had stolen from the hokage's office - - against Mizuki's orders.
Flying Thunder Technique
Inventor: Minato Namikaze
MINIMUM CHAKRA LEVEL A5
(see chakra table for leveling guidelines)
Warning: This ninja maneuver must not be attempted by any individual with insufficient chakra levels.
The Flying Thunder is a specialized chakra traversal technique designed to give the illusion that the user is instantaneously teleporting from one place to another.
This technique uses a chakra rubber-banding effect to transfer the user's chakra from one location or object to another, by using the chakra to effectively pull the user to the desired point. In addition, the user can bring any object he or she desires, provided the user has enough chakra to account for the extra object(s).
Instructions: User must apply a chakra storage seal onto an object. From this moment on, that seal will become a checkpoint for the user. By focusing the transfer of chakra to this checkpoint, the user will activate the rubber-banding effect.
Drawbacks: Large amounts of chakra needed to perform any part of this technique. Failed attempts due to insufficient chakra may cause chakra burnout, exhaustion, excessive weight loss through perspiration, temporary mental instability or retardation, momentary heart arrythmia, inflammation, excessive hunger or thirst, temporary loss of vision/hearing/other senses.
Extra notes: Chakra capacity below A may be safe if chakra control is beyond a certain category. Further research necessary.
Naruto's interest was piqued. Of all the scrolls he could have grabbed, he ended up with one written by his own personal hero, the fourth hokage.
This is awesome!... But I've never seen chakra level A5 before...
The boy had an epiphany as he considered the requirements.
I've always been told I have low chakra capacity, but what if it's just my control that's low? It would explain why I can do transformation illusions, since they need less control than clones...
He nervously gulped.
Might as well try it out...
And so, with no regard for the danger, Naruto, completely starstruck, decided he would attempt the technique.
He closed the scroll, found a log, and tried his best to apply the seal. He felt a sting in his hand as he did so, promoting him to quickly remove his hand from the log. He was able to see in the nightly glow that he had indeed marked the log, with a string of ancient linguistic characters. Along with something odd...
Why's the log bleeding?
At first perplexed, Naruto wiped the blood off the log with his thumb, before realizing that it was probably his own blood - - strange, considering he hadn't cut his hand at all.
Naruto turned his palm around and noticed that it was covered in blood, from the bottom of his palm to the tips of his fingers. Luckily, the bleeding had stopped, so he just wiped it on his other arm; after all, it would have been a shame to sully his outfit.
Naruto then skipped over to the other end of the clearing, and took a deep breath.
Alright, I can do this. I can do this I can do this, I can do this!
He continued to breathe deeply, going faster and faster with each breath, attempting to clear his mind before attempting the technique.
Wait... What if I end up summoning the log to myself instead?
Shaking his head, he looked around for a solution. He mulled it over, eventually coming up with the idea to grab a bundle of sticks from nearby branches and plant them at his origin point.
Okay... Now that's all set. Am I really ready for this?
Beads of sweat began to drip from the boy's forehead. All the tension of possibly failing to graduate, stealing the scroll, betraying Mizuki's trust by reading the scroll, and all of the potential devastation the flying thunder could cause rose within him.
Yet, I feel so... Alive. What is this?...
In Naruto's mind, all pistons were firing now. He was eager not only to perform the technique, but to figure out everything he could about it as soon as he could.
So came the idea to test the illusion of instantaneous transportation.
Naruto reached into his inside-vest pocket, pulling out a stopwatch that had been gifted to him by Iruka-sensei. His brow narrowed in spite at the man, who had been unexpectedly cold to him that morning. A grunt of anger dispelled any further thoughts of Iruka as Naruto decided to go forth with his plan.
This thing's supposed to be instantaneous... But just in case it isn't, I'll set my timer to a minute.
Fiddling with the object, Naruto readied the timer.
Naruto breathed deeply once more, focused his chakra onto the log, and activated the timer as he prayed.
Take me there now!
Before he even knew it, he was standing right above the log, which now lied between his legs. He almost didn't need to double-check what he had done - - he physically felt the pull of his chakra from the sticks to the log. Nonetheless, a quick look back and forth between the log and the bundle of sticks, as well as the fact that that not even a second had passed on the running timer, confirmed what the blonde had known deep within his heart: the technique was a success!
Naruto's eyes widened, and a wild smile appeared on his face as he began to break into a hushed chuckle.
The hushed chuckle quickly turned into uncontrolled, maniacal laughter at his achievement. The forest echoed with his unhinged voice, ringing through the night. Anyone none the wiser would think that some sort of hyena had found its way into the Hidden Leaf, as Naruto continued to lose himself in this feelings.
Naruto ran out of breath, but nonetheless continued to laugh. He wheezed, coughed, and fell to his knees, all the while losing his grip on sanity. Dropping the stopwatch, he grabbed onto his stomach in an effort to contain his laughter, but found himself still unable to just stop.
Coherent thought had long since been overtaken by raw emotion, effectively emptying Naruto's mind for the moment.
Tears poured out of the boy's eyes, himself having completely collapsed onto the ground.
Without knowing how long had passed, however, as if in an instant, Naruto stopped laughing. No winding down, no sudden bursts in or out, just a sudden halt of his siezing and howling.
Naruto, now calm and breathing right, brought himself up to his knees, then up on his feet.
What the Hell was that? I was totally wiggin' out!
A sharp breath exited Naruto's body as he pushed his hair back with his hands. Concern creeped up on his mind, as he shook his head to try and clear up his thoughts.
"Hey, Naruto. There you are...".
Naruto looked up, spotting Mizuki in a tree above.
The younger boy begged, "Oh God, is it past midnight? Please tell me it is! Please please please!".
Mizuki snickered, "Yeah, yeah, it's about a quarter past, actually.".
Naruto tumbled down in relief.
"Ah, that's great! So I get to graduate, right?".
"Well... Not exactly.".
Naruto scoffed.
"Wh- what? You said if I stole a secret scroll, and managed to evade everyone until midnight, I'd pass!".
Mizuki yawned, his smile seeming crueler by the second.
"I lied.".
Naruto's heart sank.
"What?".
"The truth is, I made a bet with some of my friends that I could actually get you to do something so stupid. I'm still kinda shocked that you actually did it!".
"...".
"I should really be thanking you - - I'm 500 ryo richer 'cause of you.".
"...".
"So... Just give me the scroll and I'll tell the hokage you got confused or something.".
"I'll just tell the hokage the truth!".
"You can try, but it'd be your word against mine. Who's he gonna trust? Some crazy retard, or the chunin who's his teacher?".
"... I-...".
Naruto was heartbroken. He slowly began to cry as he picked up the scroll.
All that, and for what? Just to find out I'm the biggest idiot that's ever lived. What's wrong with me? Stupid idiot...
As he received the scroll, Mizuki commented, "C'mon, kid, is it really that bad? It's just a harmless prank...".
Naruto sniffled, wiping his tears with his bloody arm, as he whined, "You wouldn't get it... sniffle people like you are jus' mean an' assholes for the Hell of it. You don't care how I feel...".
"...".
"Asshole. sniffle ".
Mizuki couldn't have cared less.
Shit... I didn't think he'd take it this hard. And no one's taught me what to do with a crying kid! And what does he mean "people like me"?! Is this little pushover getting short with me?
The man rolled his eyes and ordered, "Come on, let's get going.".
He sent a message on his pager, then grabbed Naruto's clean arm, pulling him out of the clearing to lead him through the forest. All the while, Naruto continued wiping his tears, which were flowing steadily but silently, unintentionally covering his eyelids and brow in blood.
Naruto had always been a very emotional person, to the point of borderline instability. He'd compared his emotional fits to a roller-coaster in the past, going high and low and somehow looping around...
This damn low's pretty low, though.
A wave of depression panged at the walls of his mind - - he was used to it, but that never made it any easier. The boy was prone to strong emotion by nature, and sometimes there was just no helping it. He just stumbled along with his teacher, cursing his own existence all along the way, as Mizuki continued communicating on his pager.
Eventually, they had made their way onto the main path in the forest, and soon after, were out of the woods, finding themselves on a stone path in the village.
It was there that they were approached by none other than Iruka, one of the absolute last people Naruto wanted to see at this moment.
Iruka gasped in a mix of relief and worry, as he kneeled in front of Naruto.
Sternly, he asked, "What the Hell were you thinking, Naruto?!".
The younger boy, still completely down in the dumps, gave no real answer. He just cried and babbled, "Rgahbebad'do'da!...", sniffling and wiping his eyes.
Iruki, confused, questioned, "What?".
Mizuki cut in with, "He got confused or something.".
Naruto momentarily broke his crying at the lame excuse. He began breathing deeply to catch his breath, and stared at Mizuki in perplexity.
Really? That's what you're sticking with? How am I the retard here?
Iruka was doubly confused, as he pressed further. "Naruto, just what were you confused about?".
Bitterly, breaking eye contact, Naruto spat, "None o' yer business. Not like it matters to ya neither.".
Iruka winced. He felt pain in his own heart, as he tried to repair Naruto's hurt feelings.
"Listen... Remember what we were talking about last night? At the ramen stand?".
"Y-yeah...".
"Well, I was thinking about, and... I think you should know something.".
"What is it?".
"I was kinda the same way when I was your age. Orphaned, attention-starved, angry at everything... I used to lash out like you did.".
"Why'd ya stop?".
"I guess I just realized that it was kind of a massive waste of my time and energy. No matter how much attention I got, it was never enough. I wised up.".
Though Naruto appreciated Iruka's sentiment, he was still confused.
How does that help me in the slightest? Does he really think I care that he was "the same way" or whatever?
It was then that Mizuki cut in once more, with an urgent demeanor.
"Sorry to break up the pity party, Iruka, but I just got paged about some criminals making their way into the forest.".
"What? Damn it- Naruto, go home, we'll talk later.".
And with that, Naruto was left all by his lonesome.
Does he really think I'm just gonna watch 'em leave?
.
.
.
Deep in the Forest...
Iruka and Mizuki tread carefully, with Iruka leading, keeping their senses up for any strange sound, sight, smell... Anything that could give them a sign as to where the criminals were.
Unbeknownst to them, Naruto had followed them all the way, sticking to treetops as he stalked his teachers.
The older boys made their way into a clearing, and had crossed it halfway, when suddenly...
Thud!
A kunai was thrown right in front of Iruka's feet!
The chunin stepped back as three men stepped out of the shadows.
Wearing ski masks and covered in black, the strange men towered over the chunin, seeming to ooze intimidation.
The tallest and biggest one, clearly the leader, spoke up.
"Weren't supposed to be some fodder chunin showing up...".
The next-tallest, his direct subordinate, replied.
"Must've been some other incident here. Primary target is usually the closest to this place.".
The third man, who stood like a mouse among his peers, yet still high above the chunin, put in his own two cents.
"We should just kill 'em. It'll take them out of the equation quickly, and maybe that brush-headed bastard is gonna slip up if he sees his allies' heads detached from their bodies.".
The second-tallest added, "Nah... Let's cut their heads off, and then sew them onto the other!".
The boss' voice boomed, "Shaddap ya morons, you can do whatever ya want with these idiots' heads after we catch our target!".
The chunin could only watch, as they had been completely frozen in fear.
But just then, another kunai was thrown into the fray - - this time, at the feet of the leading criminal.
The criminals put their guards up, believing their target had arrived. Instead, what they saw next was a little boy standing in the clearing with them. Strangely enough, no one had seen him actually arrive; he just... Showed up.
Darkness shrouded Naruto's figure, a racoon-like blood mask on his face, as cold, burning hatred oozed out of his voice.
"Don't touch Iruka-sensei... Or I'll kill ya!".
Mizuki deadpanned. "Oh sure, but if they touch me I guess that's fine.".
Naruto turned around to respond, but just as soon as he did, the leading criminal pulled out a giant shuriken. He threw the shuriken at Naruto, who was picked up and turned around by Iruka.
Naruto watched helplessly as the shuriken dug into Iruka's back.
Horror ran through Naruto and Mizuki's spines, as Iruka collapsed, dropping Naruto flat on his buttocks under him.
The second-tallest criminal brandished an ax, circling around the trio to stand behind Mizuki, who was still completely frozen.
Mizuki could feel the man swinging his axe.
Shit, shit, shit, I'm gonna die! Why can't I move?!
Naruto, trapped under Iruka, struggled to escape.
That Mizuki might be a stupid bastard, but I can't just watch him die!
Naruto struggled on an on, to no avail. He searched for something he could grab onto - - anything at all, when he noticed a familiar block of wood right behind the axe man.
This is the same clearing as before!
As the would-be axe murderer brought his weapon up and around his head, and went in full swing...
He was suddenly stabbed in his bicep!
He emitted a girly shriek of pain, dropping his axe, noticing the kunai that had been embedded in his arm.
The culprit was none other than Naruto!
By stroke of (Naruto's) luck, the axeman had unknowingly stepped just a few yards in front of the log Naruto had marked earlier.
Without missing a beat, Naruto used the flying thunder to reach the kunai he had just thrown, yanking it out of the criminal's arm and throwing it towards the leader.
However, the other subordinate was quick to push his boss out of the way, taking the knife in the back of the neck for him. This allowed the boss to recuperate, stepping back as he pulled out another large shuriken.
Not gonna let this little bastard get one over on us!
Before he could act, however, another participant joined the battle! Leaping and landing right between Naruto and the leading criminal was a man with brush-like silver hair, a feature which further betrayed his already deceptive youth.
This man wore a mask over his mouth and nose, with his ninja headband leaning over his left eye, and a standard jonin green-vested attire.
He looked up at the criminal with his menacingly emotionless eye, and quipped.
"You really picked the short straw tonight, my friend. What say you surrender right here and now - - spare us all any further trouble?".
The criminal sighed and dropped his shuriken. He slowly brought his hands behind his head, responding, "Alright, alright...".
The jonin smiled - - somehow with his single eye.
"Finally, someone listens to-"
PUFF!
"OH, come on!", the jonin yelled.
Immediately, he began to chase the criminal, with Naruto in tow (without the man's knowledge).
.
.
.
Naruto followed the older men throughout the forest, eagerly waiting for either one of them to make a move.
This is lame! Can't someone just kill someone already?
Naruto made the sentiment known when he shouted, "Hey, Brush-head! Do something already!".
The jonin quickly replied, "Can't - - had a long mission a while back and I've just about run out of chakra!".
The criminal, feeling the opportunity to strike, began to spin around to throw a kunai at the man.
However, the jonin seemed to be ready for this. Before the kunai had even left the criminal's hand, the jonin had completed handsigns that made arm-like roots eject from a tree, incapacitating the criminal by completely covering his arms and legs.
The criminal, visibly shaken with fear, could barely speak a word.
"S-so... That's the great elite ninja Kakashi Hatake, huh-h?...".
Naruto followed Kakashi as he approached the criminal, pestering, "I thought you said you were out of chakra...".
Smugly, Kakashi responded, "Deception is one of the greatest tools that a shinobi can use. To be honest, I haven't had a good mission in weeks!".
Curiously, Naruto asked, "One of the greatest tools? What are the others?".
Kakashi chuckled at the boy. "Well, one of them is the simple act of knowing. For example, I have known that some creepy little gang has been stalking me for a while. On account of the times they stalked me, I knew they would try to lure me into the forest at this time of night, when they knew I would be closest to the deep woods, and furthest from any other shinobi. I knew that I was their target and I knew exactly how they planned to capture me. The only thing I didnt know was that you'd show up. Though I probably should've expected as much, what with the hokage's little announcement and all.".
Naruto just stared at Kakashi, dumbfounded.
The criminal's ears perked up at this opportunity for espionage. Fortunately, Kakashi was still quite a few steps ahead of him. He stared the man in his eye and mockingly said, "And that's as much as you'll get out of me. Don't be embarrassed, though; if our roles were switched, you would have gotten even less.".
He turned back to Naruto, smiling. "As for you... You're on the track to becoming a genin...! But you seem to have forgotten a core tenet of shinobi...".
Naruto began to think about what Kakashi meant. His mind spun around the events of the night, scanning for what shinobi virtue he could have missed.
Oh crap, Iruka-sensei!
Naruto gasped, turning around immediately to get back to Iruka.
Kakashi smiled.
.
.
.
As Naruto returned to the initial clearing, he heard a conversation taking place.
Not wanting to barge in, he decided to hide behind a tree and eavesdrop.
First was Mizuki's voice.
"Don't sweat it, Iruka. Help's coming. I just wanna know... Why would you go so far for that little brat? Isn't his his fault you're an orphan?".
Naruto was intrigued, yet insulted at the same time.
He listened as Iruka's voice came next.
"You mean all that demon kid nonsense...? Come on, Mizuki, you know as well as I do that he's not actually the demon.".
Naruto wondered... Demon?
Mizuki cut his co-teacher off. "Yeah yeah, I know, kunai in a scroll - - you've only said it a hundred thousand times... But still, what's so special about this kid?".
There was a short pause before Iruka spoke again.
"It's his persistence, to be honest.".
"His persistence?".
"Yeah... Half the village - - probably more - - hates his guts, but he's still trying so hard to get to that point where he can protect them. He wants to be hokage, y'know...!".
"Hokage? Really?".
"Yeah, and I really believe he can do it... I've told him that we're a bit similar - - I mean, we're both unstable - - but the truth is that his potential is so much higher than mine. I used to have the same ambitions he has now, but I let the world drag me down and I've given up on becoming even a jonin, much less hokage.".
By now, Naruto was in tears. Silently breaking down, he began to cry. He managed to compose himself quickly, however, hoping to hear more of the conversation between his teachers.
He really thinks that highly of me?
Mizuki continued the conversation.
"But you're barely in your 20s. You can still do all that stuff, Iruka!".
"I know that much, but I just don't have the will for it anymore...".
"And the 'demon kid' is your best bet?".
Naruto's ears perked up.
What 'demon' are they talking about? And how am I it?
He cleared his throat and straightened his back, before stepping out into the clearing and approaching his teachers, noticing that Iruka was slumped up against a tree, with Mizuki kneeling beside him.
Iruka and Mizuki tensed up as Naruto sternly. asked, "What's all this about a 'demon'?".
Iruka awkwardly chuckled.
"You h-heard all that?".
"You bet I did! Now gimme an answer!".
Iruka and Mizuki exchanged unsure looks. Though, Iruka seemed to overcome his uncertainty with ease...
He whispered, "I think I should tell him, Mizuki...".
"Are you crazy, Iruka?! You know that's banned speech!".
"Sometimes the law is more of a suggestion than a rule... Besides he's gotta know at some point, right?".
Mizuki grimaced. "It's your funeral, man...". He sighed and turned away from Iruka.
Naruto's pleading eyes pierced into Iruka.
With a sad smile, Iruka told him, "Naruto... You obviously know about the nine-tailed demon fox attack...".
Naruto nodded, motioning for Iruka to continue.
"The official story is that the fourth hokage 'expelled the demon from this world' - - basically, that he killed it.".
Naruto squinted at his teacher. "Go on...".
"The truth is that he had to seal the demon in something, or... someone.".
"What?".
"For reasons beyond my understanding, he chose to seal the demon inside a newborn baby.".
Iruka paused.
Am I really gonna tell him?...
"Who was it?".
"It was- it's- well... It's...".
Iruka groaned.
I hadn't thought about what I was going to say... I just made that decision on the spot! And just look at that face... How can I break his heart like this?
Naruto blinked, anticipating what he was about it be told.
Iruka sighed through his teeth and finally came out with it.
"It was you, Naruto... You're the container for the demon. That's why so many villagers hate you...".
Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"W-what? That doesn't make any sense. How could I be the demon? Why would the hokage say the demon is dead if I'm it?".
Iruka quickly corrected the boy.
"No, you're not the demon itself, Naruto, you're just containing it. It's like a ku--".
Iruka felt a dirty, annoyed glare from Mizuki.
Recouping his words, he stated, "It's like, uh... A sandwich...? In a plastic box?".
Mizuki groaned, "Real smooth, Iruka.".
Naruto seemed dumbfounded. After a contemplatory breath, he offhandedly remarked, "I guess that explains the tattoo on my stomach...".
After receiving no response from his teachers, he began to feel awkward. Silence, above all else, struck a chord in his discomfort. Naruto rolled his eyes and sarcastically added, "And my innate desire to destroy every human that crosses my path.".
Iruka and Mizuki harmonized with "What?", promoting Naruto to explain.
He shrugged and told them, "It was a joke... But like, c'mon... You're the adults here; carry the conversation! You still haven't told me why the hist'ry books say that the demon was killed.".
Iruka chuckled and responded, "Yeah... He made it a law that no one can speak about what happened that night; my guess is that he wanted to protect you.".
"Protect me? From what?".
"Well... a good amount of the villagers have been vindictive about the whole demon fox issue. There's been some close calls with you nearly being attacked, as well. So, it'd make sense that the hokage would make it illegal for people to tell others that you're holding the demon. Safety.".
Mizuki added, "Probably the same reason you're living in a decent, low-key neighborhood with that hottie, Anko.".
Naruto ignored that, focusing on replying to Iruka.
"But wouldn't it be more dangerous to make that sort of speech illegal? Like, it's the truth, isn't it? Censoring it just gives way to even worse rumors, like a conspiracy about me or something. And falsely altering the annals of history kinda feels like a major sin, y'know?".
Iruka shook his head, smiling.
"That's classic, Naruto. Always going against the grain... I really admire that about you.".
Then, Naruto continued ranting about the holes he'd found in the speech suppression law. From the semantics of it, to its failure as legislation, and all sorts of other things that droned on in his teacher's minds.
That was, until, an angered feminine voice reached Naruto's ears - - none other than Anko.
"THERE YOU ARE, YOU LITTLE BRAT!".
Thus, Naruto scurried his way home with a purple ball of flaming fury following him all the way.
How'd you all like it? Be kind. Please point out any typos; I'm writing and editing all on my own! Peace!