Turn of the Wheel
Summary: When the Kyubi attacked 12 years ago, Hiruzen was forced to reveal to the world that Naruto is the son of Minato Namikaze. As a result, Naruto went his entire life as a target for revenge by those who lost someone to the Yondaime during the Third Shinobi World War. 13 Years Later, when Tsunade returned to Konohagakure, she launched her first mental health clinic to aid ninja, traumatized by the Ninja World, taking Sasuke as her first patient and eventual student, teaching him the ways of Medical Ninjutsu in hopes that as he learns to heal others, he could learn to heal himself. Sakura Haruno was born to no clan and was told all her life that she could not be a ninja; she defied those odds, achieving the best grades all across the board. After surviving the Chunin Exams, she begs the Toad Sage to take her on his journey throughout the Elemental Nations to find her friend who left home to protect Konohagakure from any threats that would come after it because of him, Naruto Namikaze.
Their hands have changed the destiny of the three friends after Hiruzen had defied his fate, all thanks to the Turn of the Wheel. Join Naruto Namikaze as he travels the Shinobi World, taking down Missing Nin, paving forth a new legacy for the Namikaze with Team Ramen, Sasuke Uchiha as he battles his demons and searches for the truth behind the Curse of Hatred, and Sakura Haruno as she defies the logic of the Shinobi world, proving that it doesn't matter what your bloodline is, but who you are as a person that makes you a powerful ninja. All three ninjas will CHANGE the world.
Dattabayo.
Turn of the Wheel - by Code_Beelzebub
Chapter 1 My name is Naruto Namikaze!
"I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!"
"Citizens of Konohagakure! The Kyubi no Yoko has been slain by the Yondaime, Minato Namikaze, at the cost of his own life! Before you, in my arms, is the new Jinchuriki of the Kyubi, Naruto-" A voice called out only to be interrupted.
"Naruto Namikaze, son of Minato Namikaze! The Forth Hokage gave his life to seal the Kyubi inside his son! A burden he could not ask anyone else to bear! Having only been recently born, Minato made his Son a Hero for all of us, at the cost of being able to live an everyday life." Another voice called out. Two men stood atop a smoldering building, battle scars adorning their bodies. One was dressed in all black, wielding a black and gold staff; anger roared through his eyes as he glared at his comrade from the corner of his eyes. The other was a man dressed in a white and black robe; his right arm was held in a sling, with the right half of his face covered in bandages, a reminder of what was lost. In the robed man's left hand was a tiny baby, sunflower yellow hair, ocean blue eyes, sun-kissed skin, and three whisker marks on each side of his cheeks, wrapped in an orange cloth.
Six Years Later.
"Naruto Namikaze, you must learn how to make a friend," Hiruzen spoke, drawing a massive pillar of smoke into his lungs as he bellowed it out, emptying the ash from his pipe into the tray on his desk. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, father of Asuma Sarutobi, sat at his disk, a pile of papers lined the desk of the Hokage's office in Konhagakure. The floor was made of golden tatami mats worn from the ravages of time. The walls were made of brown stone, with windows cut out behind the Hokage. Sarutobi was wearing his usual White coat over his red kimono with a white sash and his red hat with a white brim with the kanji for "Fire" painted in red. The older man was scribbling away on a few pieces of paper, occasionally throwing a few into the trash after reading a few lines. "It's what Minato and your mother would want."
"If friends are so important, why don't you have any?" Naruto responded, his body tied to a chair, pouting away as he faced the wall. He refused to set his eyes on the Sandaime and ignored the part about his parents.
"They all died, and you know that," Hiruzen replied, his tone turning to ice as he narrowed his eyes at the blond-haired boy. "Naruto, your parents died protecting you so you could grow up. Part of growing up is having friends."
"But I don't need any friends! I'll just become Hokage so that everyone will have to respect me!" Naruto shouted from his chair. He was wearing a blue shirt with a pair of orange shorts. His eyes were ocean blue, his hair was sunflower yellow, and his skin was sun-kissed tanned.
"To be the Hokage, you need to make friends who you will want to protect. We, as people, are stronger when we fight for someone or something we love to protect. For me, it is the village I watch over; for your parents, it was you." Hiruzen responded, putting down the papers he was looking at, opening a drawer, and pulling out a slip of rolled-up paper with an orange ribbon. "If you want to be Hokage Naruto, you will have to attend the Academy, and I will only let you do that if you make one friend."
Naruto sighed as he walked through the park, ignoring the mixed looks he was getting. It wasn't easy being the son of Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime; some people blamed him for all the attacks Iwa and Kumo engaged in, including when Kumo tried to kidnap a member of the Hyuga Clan not too long ago. Naruto was somehow blamed for that. Letting out another sigh, the young boy sat under a tree, playing his conversation with the Sandaime over in his head. 'If you want to be Hokage, you have to attend the academy, and I will only let you do that if you make one friend.' The Voice of Hiruzen echoed through the mind of Naruto. 'So I need to make one friend? That shouldn't be too hard, dattabyo!' Naruto thought to himself as he looked up at the sky.
"You're in my spot." A tired voice called out, catching the attention of the Namikaze kid. Naruto turned his attention from the sky to the other kid standing before him. He had short black hair tied into a spikey ponytail; he wore a grey shirt and black pants.
"Get lost. I was here first," Naruto responded to the kid as he pulled down one of his cheeks, exposing his inner eyelid to the kid. "Nyaaaa," Naruto teased, sticking his tongue out. "Can't you see that your future Hokage is busy trying to pass his first mission?" Naruto questioned, squinting his eyes at the pineapple head kid.
"What mission?" The kid asked, sliding his hands into his pocket.
"Well, if you must know, before I can attend the Academy and learn how to be a Ninja, I, Naruto Namikaze, Future Hokage, must make a friend," Naruto responded, standing up as he raised his finger to the sky, then pointing it at the young boy standing in front of Naruto.
"Wait, before you can join the academy, you have to make a friend? Do you have any friends?" The boy asked, cocking his head to the side. 'This is getting troublesome.' The kid thought as he could feel a yawn coming on. He just wanted to look at the clouds but couldn't because some yellow-haired kid was in his spot.
"No, but by the end of the day, I will make a friend! Dattabayo!" Naruto shouted, smiling toothily. "My name's Naruto Namikaze, and I will be Hokage someday," Naruto shouted, his smile growing more expansive, the wind blowing through his hair and blue shirt. Suddenly, before the other boy could respond, a scream could be heard throughout the empty park, catching both boy's attention. "Come on! Let's go find out what that sound was!" Naruto shouted.
"This is going to be a drag." The black-haired kid sighed as he watched the blond-haired kid run off toward the scream, following him when he felt his brain begin to annoy him.
A young pink-haired girl was crying hard as she reached up, trying to grab a red ribbon given to her. Three bigger kids stood before her, laughing as one of them held their hand on the pink girl's head. Next to the girl was another girl with long blond hair. "G- Give it back! Ino gave it to me!" The girl cried as she began to swing her fist, only to be pushed back more.
The other girl, the one with the blond hair, tried to kick one of the boys in the shin, but when she brought her foot up, all it hit was air. "When I get my hands on you, I'll make you regret making Sakura-chan cry! Don't worry, Sakura-chan, I'll get your ribbon back!" The girl yelled, anger flashing through her eyes.
The girl called Sakura sniffled as she swung her fist more, trying to force her way forward. She pushed and pushed and pushed with all her might, but she couldn't move because of how strong the bully was until she felt his hand leave her head, causing Sakura to barrel right into the bully and past him. When she opened her eyes and turned around, she saw that the bully she steamrolled had his pants down to his ankles and a bucket on his head.
"That should teach you to pick on someone half your size, dattabayo!" Naruto shouted as he crawled out from under one of the bullies. "Hey, other kid, that's your queue!" Naruto shouted in the distance. Suddenly, the other bully began to punch himself in the face, backing away from the blond-haired girl. As Naruto crawled from under the first bully, he saw a long black shadow-like streak run from the second bully to the bushes near them.
"Mendokuse." The bushes said as the second bully continued to punch himself in the face, stopping when the third bully ran away after the girl named Ino threatened to beat him in the crotch, allowing the second bully to run off when the boy in the bushes canceled his special attack. Once the fighting was over, the boy stood up, walking out of the bushes, looking at Naruto. "Thanks to you, I missed out on some quality cloudwatching."
"Is cloud watching all you think about Shikamaru?" Ino asked, socking the boy now known as Shikamaru on the shoulder. "I'm sorry about my friend Shikamaru," Ino said, turning her attention to Naruto after returning the red ribbon she took from the hands of the first bully, who was trying to get the bucket off his head. "He can be very lazy with his one-track mind. I'm Ino, this is Sakura-Chan!" Ino said, grabbing Sakura and pulling her before herself and Naruto. Ino and Sakura were around the same height; one had blond hair and blue eyes and was wearing a purple shirt with yellow shorts, while the other had pink hair and wore a red shirt and white pants. "Say hi, Sakura-chan, huh? Sakura-chan?" Ino asked when she didn't hear her friend say anything.
Naruto and Sakura just stared at each other, looking deeply into each other's eyes, when the pinkette slowly brushed her hair away from her eyes to get a better look at Naruto. Her emerald green eyes made contact with his sapphire blue, her pink hair blowing in the wind with his yellow hair. The two stared at each other, neither one saying a word as they were stunned by what they saw. She was drawn to those whisker marks on his cheek, while he was drawn to her eyes and hair.
"Something tells me you two will be perfect friends," Ino smirked as she fixed the ribbon on Sakura's head, bringing her friend's hair out of her face to expose it to everyone. Naruto and Sakura stayed silent, looking at each other, at a loss for words.
It has been twelve years since the Kyubi attacked Konohagakure. Six years since Hiruzen told Naruto about his father, Minato, while keeping his mother Kushina a secret, as stated by both their wills. It was also Six Years since Hiruzen decided to direct Naruto's prankster nature more constructively by sicking the Namikaze heir on Danzo. This morning was the same as the Hokage was busy writing an inspirational quote down on a banner, only to be interrupted by two Jonins. "Hokage-Sama! Come quick! It's Naruto! He's trashing the Monument."
Hiruzen sighed as he put down the paintbrush, taking a drag of smoke from his pipe, stood up, and followed the two Jonins to the roof of the Hokage's tower. When Hiruzen got outside, it took all his willpower not to laugh at what he saw. Naruto had painted a bunch of graffiti over the cravings of Hashirama and Tobirama, Hiruzen and Minato were left untouched, while next to Minato was a cartoonish painting of Danzo with stink lines coming off him and an angry speech bubble saying "Blah blah blah I do evil because I must blah blah blah." 'Naruto's gotten pretty good at being able to paint something like this and not get caught until now. If only he applied himself to his work as a ninja without all these extra steps.' Hiruzen mused as he tuned out the shouting from the Jonins and Naruto.
"Sandaime-Sama!" A voice called out, belonging to a Chunin named Iruka; he wore the standard olive green jacket, dark blue pants, and blue headband while sporting a scar across his nose. "I apologize for this!" Iruka stated, bowing before the Hokage to show respect, then turning his attention back to Naruto. "What are you doing during class time, Naruto? Get down from there now!" Iruka shouted, causing Naruto to drop the paint bucket and brush he held.
An hour later, Iruka was standing over Naruto, glaring daggers at him, as Naruto sat on the floor tied up before all his classmates in the academy. "Tomorrow is the Ninja School's graduation exam. You have failed the test the last two times, Namikaze! This is no time to be causing trouble or even picking a fight with Shimura-san, MORON!" Iruka shouted, his head inflating briefly as fire bellowed from his mouth. When Naruto rolled his eyes and replied, "Yeah, yeah." Iruka snapped. "Time for a review test on Henge no Jutsu, aka Transformation Jutsu, everyone line up!"
Ten minutes passed after Iruka demanded everyone show their ability to use the Transformation Jutsu; half the class had been tested, and while a few failed, most of them passed. "Up next, Sakura Haruno," Iruka shouted, reading the name off his clipboard.
"Sakura Haruno, reporting in." A girl with pink hair, wearing a red dress with a white circle on the back, said, walking forward to Iruka. When she heard Iruka give the okay to transform, she changed into Iruka.
"Huh, another me, well, you pass. Come on, kids, you can't just change into me; you can, but try turning into someone who isn't in this room. Bonus points for originality." Iruka sighed as he looked up from his clipboard, rolling his wrist as he felt it become stiff. 'Carpule Tunnle is no joke; how many Shinboi do I know who had to give up because of it?' Iruka thought to himself as he shook the pain from his wrist, marking Sakura's passing grade. "Up next, Sasuke Uchiha."
"Wahoo, I passed!" Sakura said out loud, turning back into herself as she walked off, eyeing Sasuke and Naruto. 'Shannaro! Hell yeah! We did it! Let's see any of you clan babies try that!' An inner voice shouted throughout Sakura's mind.
"Hm." A boy wearing a blue shirt with a red and white crest on the back, white arm guards, and white shorts walks up to Iruka, changes into Iruka, switches back, and walks off. 'This is a waste of time, that usuratonkachi.' Sasuke thought, running a hand through his spiky black hair while his black eyes watched Naruto.
"Okay, you, uh, pass. Next up, Naruto Namikaze." Iruka said, blinking away the confusion from his eyes. 'He could have at least waited for me to say begin, whether or not he passed.' Iruka thought to himself, writing about Sasuke's success using the Transformation Jutsu.
"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru said as he cocked his head to the side, gazing at Naruto.
"Yeah, Naruto, we always pay for your problems and antics! What's your beef with this Danzo guy anyway? You weren't like this until a few years ago." Ino questioned, crossing her arms at her old friend. It was true; until a few years ago, Naruto wasn't causing that many issues or problems. Sure, he would pull a prank or two, but that was at people who deserved it according to Ino's morality system, except whenever Naruto pranked Sasuke, like when he put a tomato in Sasuke's lunch. Then, out of nowhere, Naruto starts ramping up his pranks, often aimed at a man named Danzo, whom Naruto hates.
"Yeah, yeah, you always say that Ino and Shikamaru, and I have my reasons," Naruto responded as he walked forward when Iruka called his name again. An evil smirk appeared on Naruto's face, which Sakura, Iruka, Sasuke, and others caught. 'Oh no!' They all thought when they saw the massive output of Naruto's signature blue chakra flow around him. "TRANSFORM! Orioke no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as smoke filled the room to the sound of Poof. Where Naruto once stood now stands a tall, slender woman with no clothes, barely censored by the smoke. "Hehe." She giggled. "So, do I get double the bonus points for these origionalities?"
Iruka was in shock at what he saw. He could feel the stress headache about to come on as he gripped the clipboard tighter. "What the hell are you even thinking!" He shouts, blood running down his nose from rage. "Your test is in two days, and instead of taking any of this seriously, you're playing tricks! This is your last warning, Naruto; CUT IT OUT!" Iruka continued, using chakra to expand his head and voice to comical proportions. "Just for that, you can help me clean up after your prank!"
It was after school, and Naruto was busy scrubbing away the paint he used earlier today to draw the cartoon of Danzo shouting about how he must do evil things. "This sucks."
"You're not going home until you clean off every last bit of paint, Naruto," Iruka said, sitting on the head of the Forth Hokage, making sure Naruto was cleaning the paint off the Monument.
"So what? Nobody is waiting for me at home; my parents died twelve years ago." Naruto shouted back, scrubbing harder as he hated being reminded he had no one. Initially, it didn't bother him that much, but over time and ever since he made friends with Ino, Shikamaru, and Sakura, the idea that he didn't have anyone at home started to bother him a lot. 'Is this why you wanted me to make friends, old man? So I'll be miserable whenever I'm reminded that I have no one waiting for me?' Naruto thought to himself as he slipped, scraping his arm against the rocky surface.
"Naruto..." Iruka said he had forgotten that Naruto was an orphan, despite being the son of Minato Namikaze, something that resonated deeply with Iruka, being reminded that he lost his parents and that he wasn't that different from Naruto. 'He has to be acting out for attention.' Iruka thought to himself.
"Yeah, what is it this time Iruka-Sensei?" Naruto asked, refusing to lift his head as he returned to scrubbing the paint off.
"Well, I was thinking, after you're done... I'll take you out for some ramen, the good stuff, you know." Iruka continued, blinking in surprise when he saw Naruto pick up pace and determination after hearing of the promise that Iruka would buy ramen for Naruto. 'Is the secret to taming Naruto really ramen?' Iruka thought to himself.
It was nighttime, and Naruto was hungry and covered in paint, but he was hungry. His mouth watered in anticipation as he waited for his second bowl of ramen to be served. "Come on, Teuchi-san, speed it up. I'm starving over here!" Naruto cried, his stomach letting out a loud rumble.
"Naruto, learn some patience." A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a blue apron, white robes, and a white cloth headband, was carrying over a bowl of ramen, which she set down before Naruto. "Dad's busy finishing the next batch of Ramen for you to eat." The young woman informed her customer as she tapped his head gently.
"Sorry, Ayame, you know how much I love your dad's cooking! His ramen is the best in all of Konohagakure!" Naruto cheerfully replied as he took a pair of chopsticks, separating them and guiding some noodles to his mouth, slurping down hard and fast.
"Hey, Naruto," Iruka asked, still working on his first bowl of ramen. Can I ask you a question? Why would you do that to the Hokage faces? You know who the Hokage are, right? Iruka continued, putting his chopsticks down as he turned his head to Naruto, a look of genuine concern appearing on his face.
"Mhm! Yeah!" Naruto replied, gobbling down his ramen, lifting the bowl with his hands as he drank the broth. "Everyone knows who they are; they're the best shinobi of their time, the best of the best; only the strongest ninjas get to be called Hokage. My dad was the fourth Hokage; he was the one who defeated the Nine-Tailed Fox." Naruto explained as he put his empty bowl down.
"Then why did you-" Iruka began, only to be cut off by Naruto.
"Because I'm going to be better than any of them, me Naruto Namikaze, the next Hokage, a ninja legend, making everyone stop disrespecting me and look up to me, and because I know how much it will annoy Danzo. Believe it!" Naruto shouted, pointing his chopsticks at Iruka, a smile of determination on his face. "Oh, that reminds me, there was something I wanted to ask you, sensei." Naruto began, turning his body to Iruka, who was now slurping the last of his ramen.
"There is?" Iruka asked between bites, casting his eye down to Naruto.
"I wanna try on your headband; come on, please?" Naruto begged, clasping his hands together.
"Oh, this?" Iruka asked, fiddling with his Konohagakure forehead protector; it was a simple design, the image of a leaf with a swirl in the middle etched into a plate of iron. "No, no, this is for after you graduate. This," Iruka said, tapping his forehead protector, "is a symbol that you've come to age. Maybe you'll get one tomorrow." Iruka smirked at Naruto, realizing that must be why the orange jumpsuit-wearing ninja took off his green goggles.
"No fair! Ayame, give me another bowl!" Naruto shouted as he turned his attention to the daughter of Teuchi, giving her a sad look.
The next day.
"Alright, class, today is the final exam day. To graduate, all you have to do is successfully make ONE CLONE using the Bunshin no Jutsu. When you are called, come to the next room. Shino Aburame." Iruka shouted as he read the first name off the list. "Follow me, Shino," Iruka said when a boy with spiky brown hair, back sunglasses, and an oversized white coat walked down the aisle.
'AGH! That's my worst technique! There is no way I will pass!' Naruto thought to himself as he slapped his cheeks, regret going through his body now that he remembered spending all his time making the Orioke no Jutsu instead of practicing the Bunshin no Jutsu.
It took a while, but eventually, Naruto's name was called. The young Namikaze sighed as he faced the music. 'Alright, maybe you can pass this. Who knows? It isn't like destiny is real; if it is, screw destiny!' Naruto thought to himself as he walked into the empty classroom, his eyes catching the sight of Mizuki and Iruka sitting at a table with thirty blue headbands folded neatly on the table. Seeing the two teachers give the non-verbal go-ahead sign; Naruto calmed down as he gathered as much chakra as possible to make one clone. A swirl of energy flowed through the room, originating from Naruto as his blue chakra spun around him. The chakra turned faster as it blew some papers around by the velocity of the wind; it kept spinning, more quickly and brighter, until POOF, the sound of a clone being made, filled the room. Naruto kept his eyes closed for just a second before opening one. He immediately fell to the flood in defeat when he saw the result of his clone: A failed, lifeless, empty husk.
"FAILURE!" Iruka shouted in annoyance, seeing Naruto fail right here and then after everything from last night.
"Iruka-Sensei. The rules you stated were, "You have to make ONE CLONE to pass." You never said it had to be a successful clone that can move or talk. Technically speaking, Naruto did make one clone, even if it does look like a lousy scarecrow. I say we let him pass. It is his third time, and the amount of control he has shown is an excellent improvement from any of his exams. With the right teacher, who knows what he could do in the field." Mizuki said, brushing his white hair out of his eyes; he was wearing the typical olive green Chunin jacket and black pants.
"Mizuki-sensei, the other students have at least three copies that can walk and talk. Naruto only made one that can't do anything. It wouldn't be fair to the other students; I know I said all you need is one to pass, but I can't let Naruto pass if he can't even make a useful clone." Iruka said, marking down Naruto's failure on the clipboard. "Naruto, I'm so-" Iruka began, only to be cut off when the sound of a door slamming was heard; Iruka looked up, only to find Naruto had run off.
Everyone was laughing and cheering, and everyone had passed except Naruto, who sat away from everyone, holding the rope to the swing. His head hung low as he replayed his last few years. It was always the same: Naruto would fail, and he would have to repeat the exams, and if he wanted to pass, he would have to steal supplies, books, and scrolls from other people, specifically Danzo, but this time? This time was different. This attempt was Naruto's third and final chance to become a Ninja, and he failed. All that training, all that time playing pranks on Danzo, all that time spent practicing the stealthier aspects of being a Ninja, all of it was worth nothing if Naruto couldn't be a ninja. Hell, he can't even be Hokage and surpass his father.
"Hey, that kid..." A voice called out.
"Yeah, that's "THE" Kid, and he's the only one who failed." Another voice called out.
"Well, that's good. We can't have him becoming a Shinobi." The first voice responded.
"Imagine what could happen if they let him out? Especially since he is..."
"Shhh, you can't say that!"
Naruto heard enough and left the scene. It was always the same thing; people would whisper about him left and right, never about how he was the Son of Minato Namikaze; no, they were always talking about something else.
"Iruka, we need to talk," Hiruzen said, standing away from the crowd as he watched Naruto run off. 'Naruto. No matter how hard you try to break from it, it seems destiny wants to pull you back.'
"Naruto, wait," Mizuki said as he watched Naruto run off. Sighing, he followed the young boy into the street, calling his name a few more times until finally Naruto stopped. "Naruto, come with me; let's talk," Mizuki said, extending his arm to Naruto.
Naruto and Mizuki soon found themselves sitting on a rooftop overlooking the village of Konoha. "Iruka-Sensei is a serious person, but he's not against you," Mizuki said, watching the sunset over the village hidden in the leaves.
"So why, why does he only pick on me?" Naruto asked, watching the people below him run about their daily busy lives.
"Iruka-Sensei's parents died when the Kybui attacked Konohagakure; he was young when it happened. As a result, Iruka had to do everything on his own and get tough on his own. He probably sees himself in you; he wants you to be strong with all his heart, but that will never happen if he goes easy on you. Try to understand his feelings, Naruto." Mizuki explained, turning his head to Naruto and watching the young boy.
"But I really wanted to graduate this time; I wanted to take my first steps in surpassing my dad."
Mizuki's eyes darted to Naruto when he heard those words. A smile formed on his face as an idea came to his mind. Chuckling, he said, "Then I have to tell you. It's a secret, so you can't tell anyone."
"A secret?"
Hiruzen pondered his past actions as he walked the hallway of his home: Was it wise to tell the world that Minato had a son? Probably not; it would have saved a decade of attacks by shinobi villages who had a score to settle. Then again, if Hiruzen hadn't done more, Naruto's isolation would have been much worse. It could have posed a severe threat if Danzo swooped in to recruit him into Root, using the villagers' hate against Naruto to destroy any emotion in the kid. 'Not to mention, Naruto would have targeted me more for pranks.' Hiruzen sweatdropped as he began to imagine the horrors of Naruto's pranks. Then he heard it, the sound of someone moving through his office.
Naruto's body was shaking from how intense this was; his eyes were bugging out as he lifted one hand, quietly slapping his fingers against the side wall of the Hokage's residence, scaling the side wall in the dead of night, changing out his usual orange jumpsuit for a dark blue jacket with a red swirl on the back, a brown shirt, navy sneakers. Naruto had his hair hidden by a blue hood, with his green goggles resting neatly on his forehead. Sweat dripped down his body as he pumped chakra into his fingers, cursing how he could do this but not make one functional clone. 'It takes waaaay more chakra control to do this, but then again, I'm probably not pumping as much chakra into this as I do to make one stupid clone. Maybe that's why I'm failing? Nah.' Naruto thought to himself as he slowly climbed up the sidewall of the Hokage's residence. When Naruto reached the window, he quickly pulled himself up, landing with a plop on the tatami mat. 'Phew, I made it. OW, my fingers huuuuuurt!' He thought to himself, holding up his fingers to his eyes, seeing them pulsate an angry red. Quickly blowing on his fingers, Naruto looked around, trying to figure out where the scroll he was supposed to steal was.
"If I was Jiji-san, where would I hide my ninjutsu scrolls?" Naruto questioned aloud, walking over to the door, sliding it open, and looking around. Looking down the hallway, Naruto hummed to himself, narrowing his eyes as he tried to get into the mind of Hiruzen Sarutobi. "In plain sight!" Naruto's eyes widened as he snapped his fingers, a look of embarrassment washing over him as he figured out where Hiruzen would hide his scrolls. "Now, to get to the library without anyone seeing me," Naruto stated, looking at his fingers again before wincing. "Maaaaybe not. I don't want to risk anything. I've already failed the Bunshin exam three times; there's no telling how or when I will screw the Sticky Fingers Jutsu up." Naruto said aloud, putting his hands into his pocket and sighing. The exam he failed earlier today was really getting to his confidence. He shook his head, slapping his cheeks, letting out a "YOSH" as he pulled out a reflective blanket. 'Alright, classic Ninja time.' Naruto thought, holding up the cloak as he pressed his back against the wall, sliding down the hallway.
"Did you hear that?" A voice called out from down the hallway, stopping Naurto in his place; his breath held as the blond-haired kid waited for the body that the voice belonged to pass him.
"It's probably nothing; you know how wild animals tend to get in here. I wonder why Hokage-Sama won't install glass windows." A second voice responded as two Chunins walked down the hall, dressed in black pants and green flack jackets, their legs wrapped with tape and a weapon pouch attached to their left legs. One had brown spiky hair while his head was wrapped in bandages, his forehead protector worn around his neck. The other had long, muddy red hair, and his forehead protector was on a bandana that covered his head.
"An animal? Are you serious? We caught three shinobi from Iwagakure carrying explosives and trying to bomb this building because they believed the Namikaze kid was here. Talk about trouble." The brown-haired Chunin responded, conking his co-worker on the head, recalling the three Iwa shinobi they caught. "I'm so glad I'm not those three; I wouldn't want to be one of Morino-Sensei's toys." He continued as the two of them walked past Naruto, who was currently hiding behind a reflective cloak. They continued their conversation as they walked down the hallway, their voices getting quieter in the distance.
Naruto quickly dropped the cloak, a sad look on his face as he played the conversation in his head again. 'Shinobi from Iwagakure are still attacking Konohagakure? Kumogakure backed off two years ago; there are talks that Kumo might attend the Chunin Exams to discuss moving the Chunin Exams to the Land of Iron.' Naruto thought, remembering the rumors he overheard the villagers spread while practicing intel gathering.
"What are you doing in my house at this hour, Naruto?" A voice asked, catching Naruto off guard and causing the young boy to drop his cloak. When Naruto turned his head, he saw that the voice belonged to Sarutobi Hiruzen. Naruto's brain went blank as he panicked; he wasn't expecting the Sandaime to still be up at this hour. Old people are supposed to go to bed early.
Seeing no other option, the young Namikaze raised his hands to form a hand seal. "Transform! Sexy Jutsu!" A loud poof could be heard as smoke filled the room; once again this week, Naruto has transformed himself from a 12-year-old kid to a grown woman wearing nothing, only covered by the smoke clouds. Hiruzen's eyes widened as blood rushed from his nose, knocking the man out. POOF, the sound of Naruto's jutsu being canceled resonated through the hallway as he returned to his regular appearance. 'Huh, so this jutsu works only on people who are massive perverts, closeted or not.' Naruto thought, an evil idea coming to his mind as he fished through Hiruzen's robes, pulling out a little map.
"Wait, so even Jiji-san gets lost here? Must be because of the old age -" Naruto stopped, his eyes widening as he held the map up in the air towards the light. Before his eyes, the map slowly changed, revealing hidden doors and passageways that can only be opened using chakra on seals. "So that's why you carry this around, Jiji-san," Naruto stated, looking down at his surrogate grandfather. "Sorry about knocking you out, but I have to steal that scroll to graduate. According to Mizuki-Sensei, this is the only way I can graduate to be a Ninja." Naruto sighed, sliding the map into his pocket after plotting out the quickest route to the room where the Forbidden Scroll was held. It took a while to reach the room, but when Naruto did, he bit his thumb hard, drawing blood, and placing his hand against the wall; a white light flashed behind the door briefly.
"Alright, no turning back now," Naruto said, opening the door as his eyes widened at the library before him. All around him were scrolls and books containing knowledge of a wide range of shinobi abilities. "Come on, Naruto, focus. You're here for the scroll, not these sc-" Naruto began, stopping short when his eyes landed on a scroll that read "Naruto Namikaze." on the side. Naruto felt drawn to it, reaching out as he touched the scroll. "This... this has my name on it," Naruto stated the obvious, his fingers wrapping around the scroll, lifting it off the shelf. Naruto was tempted to open it, but something deep inside him said, "Don't open this yet. Not until you graduate." Sighing, he slid it inside his blue jacket. A little annoyed he didn't bring anything to carry the scrolls, he suddenly found himself pocketing. "Chakra control, Basic Chakra Affinity, advance infiltration, huh? Seriously?" Naruto asked as he picked up a red book with golden letters. "Tales of the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero? Written by Jiraiya," Naruto read the title out loud. "Hmm, it must be a fantasy book." Naruto mused, sliding the book into his pocket, only to groan loudly when he saw an unused sealing scroll. "Really Namikaze? You couldn't have found that first?" Naruto groaned as he pulled out the book and scrolls he was pocketing.
It was half an hour since Naruto entered the library, sealing the scrolls and the red book he found into the sealing scroll the Namikaze heir found. "I really hate reading, but it's the only way I can get smarter to spite Danzo, and that bastard has gotten crafty where he hides now. It's been months since I last raided one of Root's bases just to steal books and scrolls from them so I could grow as a Ninja." Naruto groaned as he lay on his back, looking at the ceiling. Standing upright next to Naruto was a large red and green scroll with the word "Forbidden" painted across the side. "Hm, I could leave now, but if I do, there won't be another chance to access knowledge like this," Naruto stated. He could always sneak into the library. Still, it would be difficult since Ebisu-Sensei banned him after returning a scroll with doodles. 'How the hell do Ebisu-Sensei AND Iruka-Sensei know when I'm in the library?' Naruto questioned as he thought back on the two Academy teachers. "Alright, stop goofing off, Naruto; you're taking too much time being greedy." He said aloud, swiping a few more scrolls; who knows, maybe the team he gets placed on will benefit significantly from these scrolls and books he stole. After robbing a few more scrolls and books, sealing them into the scroll, rolling it up, and sliding it into his jacket, Naruto picked up the Forbidden Scroll, strapped it to his back, and quickly left the building, heading off to the forest. 'Alright, I just have to learn one Jutsu from this scroll, give it to Mizuki-Sensei, and perform the Jutsu before Mizuki-Sensei, and then I'll become a Ninja; I'll show you Iruka-Sensei. I have what it got to be a Ninja, DATTABAYO!'
As Naruto lept out of the Hokage's residence, he grabbed a loose thread on his jacket, exposing cloth-like wings attached to his arms and sides; he almost looked like a flying squirrel soaring through the night sky. 'Hahahahaha, I am so happy I stole this outfit from Root.' Naruto thought to himself as he glided through the sky, feeling the wind blow against his face. It was dangerous to fly through the dense city-like structure of Konohagakure, but Naruto didn't care. It felt right to be this high up, passing through the air like he had an affinity for the wind. "Yahoooo!" Naruto shouted as he swooped down and up, rising up in the air as he looked down at all of Konohagakure. 'Despite all the trouble this village gives me, it's gorgeous. I can understand why Dad wanted to give everything to protect it and me.' Naruto thought, looking over at the Hokage Monument, his eyes resting on the carving of Minato's face.
'Dad... would things have been different if you were alive?' Naruto thought sadly, descending quickly to the ground thanks to gravity. Naruto landed safely just outside the gates of Konoha, quickly darting off into the forest, pulling the Forbidden Scroll off his back, tearing it open, and reading the first Ninjutsu written down. "Are you kidding me! The first Jutsu in this is a Bunshin Jutsu!? Agh! They're my worst!" Naruto shouted as he ran through the woods. "Screw it; I have no time to learn anything else," Naruto stated, doubling down on brute forcing his way into learning the clone jutsu. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu." Naruto read aloud as he sat down.
Unbeknownst to Naruto, as he was flying through the night sky of Konohagakure, two people beside Mizuki bore witness to the son of Minato Namikazi. One was a thirteen-year-old boy with black hair, black eyes, and pale skin; he was wearing a blue shirt with a circle on the back; the top half was dyed red, while the bottom half was dyed white. He wore white shorts and blue shoes and had a Konohagakure forehead protector tied to his head. The young boy stood on top of the roof of his empty home, overlooking the abandoned Clan's compound. Before his eyes, he could see the ghosts of his family walking the streets, talking with one another before the fateful night when his brother slew them all. Sasuke Uchiha lifted his head up, looking at the night sky, catching a glimpse of a young boy with a large scroll flying through the air. "What the?" He asked aloud, his eyes widening as his black eyes changed from their obsidian-colored irises to crimson red; one black dot in the shape of a comma appeared around his pupil as the Uchiha stared at the flying boy. "Naruto?" He questioned out loud, shocked to see the dead last student acting like a hawk. 'What the hell is that dobe doing?' Sasuke thought, jumping away from his rooftop and settling on the idea that he should follow Naruto.
On the other side of Konohagakure, in a small apartment, leaning out the window, staring up at the sky, was the other person who caught Naruto flying through the night sky. She had long pink hair, emerald green eyes, a red dress with a white circle on the back and sleeves, her bangs were kept back by the blue cloth of the bandana, all Konohagakure Ninja wear, the metal plate with Konoha's symbol etched in it, resting at the top. She was wearing blue shorts that hugged her body tightly, having learned a hard lesson about wearing baggy clothes after a sparing match between her and Ino in their first year at the academy. When Sakura Haruno spotted the small dot moving across the night sky, she felt compelled to pull out her telescope that she won at a carnival game a few years back. When she aligned the telescope with the dot in the sky, she closed one eye to peer through the socket, gasping when she saw it was Naruto. "Naruto!" She stated, tracking him through the night sky as she watched her classmate.
'He's going to get himself hurt!' Sakura thought to herself as she felt concern for her friend's safety. She thought back to the day she met Naruto six years ago, how he pulled the pants down of the bully who was picking on her and Ino, and how that was the day she met Shikamaru. After that day, Ino insisted that the four of them become friends, often annoying Shikamaru by inviting Naruto to hang out because of how much fun Ino and Naruto would get into pulling pranks. Once, Ino convinced Naruto to pretend that he was possessed by an evil ghost to scare off Kiba after he tried to pick a fight with the four of them. 'I am the Great Bahgra! I eat the souls of naughty puppies and their masters, and Kiba, you have been very naughty! Wahahahahah!' Sakura giggled as she replayed the memory of Naruto hanging upside down from a tree branch, scaring Kiba. "Naruto..." Sakura began when she saw Naruto descend to the ground, disappearing into the forest. 'Shannaro! What are you waiting for? Go after him! Your friend was flying through the sky and keeping something like that from you, Ino, and Shikamaru! We should teach him a lesson!' An inner voice rang throughout Sakura's head, slightly annoyed that Sakura just saw Naruto fly through the air. Since when did Naruto learn how to do that, and why didn't he tell his friends he could do that? Sakura's inner voice was right; she should teach Naruto a lesson. Putting away the telescope, the pink-haired kunoichi climbed out the window, jumping off the ledge outside her window and onto the roof of the building across from her, heading out.
'Iruka.' The voice of the Third Hokage ran through Iruka's head as he lay on his bed; he had removed his usual attire, putting on a pair of baggy black pants and a baggy black shirt. 'Yes Hokage-Sama?' After the Graduation ceremony, Iruka recalled his conversation with Sarutobi earlier today. 'I know how you feel, but he is similar; you both grew up walking the same path. You both went without knowing the love of a mother and father, the warmth of a family.' The Third's voice rang out as Iruka's mind began to bombard the Chunin with the traumatic memories of Twelve years ago.
Twelve Years Ago
Iruka could feel the chakra rolling off the Kyubi from this distance. His eyes stared in horror at the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox as it roared in the distance, its massive body casting a shadow throughout the forest. The smell of smoke, blood, chakra, and death permeated the air as the young boy struggled to get free of the Jonin's grip.
"Don't let it get near the village!"
"We have to hold it off until the Yondaime can arrive!"
"Where the hell are the Uchiha Clan? We desperately need their help!"
"Didn't you hear? Danzo-Sama ordered the Uchiha to protect the villagers and avoid the Kyubi."
"What, why!?"
"Someone has to protect the villagers while we're busy drawing the Kyubi away and keeping its attention on us! We already screwed up by not letting any of the Genin help, forcing them into a bubble where they're forced to helplessly watch. What the hell are Danzo and the Third thinking?"
"Look out! It's flinging debris at us!"
The sound of rocks, trees, and animals came crashing down around Iruka as he watched the platoon of shinobi try to avoid the falling objects and bodies. "Let me go, Ibiki! My parents are still fighting! I can fight, too! It doesn't matter that I'm not a Genin! I'm better than any of those losers!" Iruka shouted as he saw the battle grow smaller and smaller before his eyes.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang
The sound of someone banging on the door brought Iruka out of his memory before he could remember anything else. His breathing was hard, sweat rolled down his body, and he was sitting upright, a kunai in his hands. 'That's the sixth time this week. Something isn't right with my head.' Iruka thought as he put the kunai away, sliding off his bed and heading to his apartment door.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
"Iruka-Sensei, are you there? Wake up!" the muffled voice of Mizuki called out from behind the door. Iruka groaned quietly as he opened the door, tilting his head in confusion as he saw the panicked look of Mizuki.
"Something wrong?" Iruka said, sliding his shoes onto his feet, stepping outside his apartment as he closed the door.
"We must go to the Hokage's right away. It's Naruto; he stole the sacred scroll of forbidden jutsu as a prank. He must be outraged that you failed him and decided to punish us by stealing the scroll!" Mizuki informed Iruka, grabbing his friend's arm and trying to get him to move.
"You mean the scroll of sealing? NO! Everyone knows what's inside of it! Naruto doesn't know what he is doing; if he comes across THAT jutsu, there's no telling what will happen!" Iruka shouted, his eyes wide with fear as he remembered the attack twelve years ago.
"And he's the son of Minato Namikaze; he's constantly under threat! What if there are shinobi from Iwa or one of the minor villages that hate Konoha? We can't risk losing the scroll to any of them!" Mizuki shouted as Iruka finally began to move, the two of them hopping from rooftop to rooftop, their destination the Hokage's Office.
Naruto groaned in annoyance as he grabbed a stick, throwing it off into the distance. "Agh! It's no use! I can't make a simple clone!" Naruto cried, looking down at the husk he had created, smoke still rising from the body. "Useless, useless, useless Bunshin no Jutsu! Why did I think learning the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu would help me perform the Bunshin no Jutsu!?" Naruto cried as he picked up the scroll again, reading the contents. "There must be something in here that can explain this. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu requires more chakra than the Bunshin no Jutsu and slightly more control, so why can't I make a damn clone!?" Naruto screamed, falling to his back as he read through the scroll. He felt hopeless; sure, he was progressing with the Shadow Clones. However, it bothered him that he could perform an A-ranked Jutsu but couldn't even complete a D-rank Jutsu like the Bunshin no Jutsu. "Note: The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is preferable to be used by those who have a large chakra reserve over the Bunshin no Jutsu, as those with massive Chakra Reserves like a jinchuriki will have trouble with jutsu like the Bunshin no Jutsu, resulting in failed clones. This is why a jinchuriki should be taught the more advanced forms of the Bunshin no Jutsu instead of the basic Bunshin no Jutsu, as it will never work." Naruto read aloud, his eyes growing wide when it finally hit him after reading the passage for a third time. "Wait! So the reason I can't make a stupid clone is because I have an outlandish amount of chakra? That's so stupid!" Naruto shouted as he tossed the scroll to the side. "If I can't make a clone, I'll perfect the shadow clones! That'll show everyone! Naruto Namikaze may not be able to make a regular clone, but he will be known for perfecting the Shadow Clone Technique as a Genin!"
"My loyal shinobi, thank you for coming at this hour. I have a grave announcement to make. As of half a day, Naruto Namikaze has stolen the Forbbiden Scroll of Sealing Techniques. This is a severe situation, as we have reports that enemy shinobi have infiltrated the village to end Minato's son's life." The Third Hokage announced to the gathering of Jonins and Chunins before him. He was taking a long drag from his pipe, bellowing out a massive cloud of smoke, waiting for the news to hit the shinobi that Minato's Son, Naruto Namikaze, had stolen the scroll and that both he and it were in danger. "As many of you know, Minato, myself, and my predecessors, Tobirama and Hashirama, sealed away dangerous techniques that the average shinobi should have no access to in that scroll. If it falls into the enemy's hands, we are looking at a disastrous situation." Hiruzen finished, closing his eyes.
"What! Hokage-Sama, is this true!? Did Naruto really steal the scroll!?"
"We can't let him get away with this!"
"This is not just a prank but a serious crime!"
"Those secrets were sealed by the past Hokages for a reason, Sandaime and that scroll contains secrets that belong to our village!"
"If it falls into the wrong hands, it could destroy our entire way of life."
'You idiots, I just said that.' Hiruzen thought to himself as he took another puff from his pipe, exhaling a large cloud at the shinobi. His head was already beginning to throb from their shouting. "Alright, bring Naruto here at once. If you see any shinobi from foreign villages, do not hesitate to scare them away. I want no bloodshed this night if it can be avoided. We've killed enough shinobi to fill multiple mass graves these past twelve years."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" The group of shinobi shouted before dispersing in different directions. Mizuki had run off before the others, hopping from roof to rooftop, spreading the word to as many shinobi as he could that Naruto stole the Forbidden Scroll. Soon, word of Naruto's Treason had spread out through the village.
"Iruka. Wait." Hiruzen commanded, stopping Iruka from leaving. "Check the forest with your echolocation jutsu. If Naruto is out there, that's the most likely place he will run off to. Bring him back unharmed; he's still a kid with great talent." Hiruzen said to Iruka, watching the Chunin nod and jump off toward the forest. 'Iruka, despite what things seem, you don't have many friends either. The two of you need one another.' Hiruzen thought, returning to the building as he made his way up to his office, pulling out a pillow with a crystal ball on top. Putting the pad down on his desk, the Third Hokage outstretched his hands, channeling chakra into the orb, casting an image of Naruto sitting in the forest, covered in bruises, scratches, and more.
"What!?" Ino shouted to her friend Shikamaru as he stood outside her bedroom window on a telephone wire.
"Shhhhhhh! Do you want your parents to know you're awake? You're so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed, crossing his arms as he felt his grey jacket hug his body tighter, his mesh shirt flexing as he breathed air. "Naruto stole the Forbidden Scroll; we have to go find him before any other shinobi do. Naruto's our friend, and you wouldn't be in a good place with Sakura if it wasn't for him." Shikamaru stated, pointing out how, not too long ago, Ino and Sakura's relationship was about to fall apart because they were pinning over the same guy, Sasuke Uchiha.
"What about Sakura?" Ino asked, putting her shoes on, crawling out of her window so she could jump across the alleyway, grabbing a metal bar, and swinging herself to the other side.
"She wasn't home when I swung by on my way here," Shikamaru replied, following Ino as he jumped across the rooftops, taking the easier route as he watched his friend swing from bar to bar, jumping from root to rooftop, even running across the wall once. "How the hell did you do that?" Shikamaru asked, turning his attention to his friend as they made their way to the forest beyond the gates, the one place Ino and Shikamaru knew Naruto would run off to if he wanted some alone time.
"Don't tell anyone; my dad taught me to walk up a tree when I had trouble controlling chakra. It's customarily taught to Genin later, before the Chunin Exams." Ino replied, jumping onto a telephone pole as she pulled out a pair of binoculars. She brought the ocular device to her eyes, scanning the forest's edge for any sign of their friend. "Come on, blondie, show us a sign." She muttered to herself. Ino could feel the dread washing up in the pit of her stomach. She heard that Naruto failed the test for a third time in a row, meaning he wouldn't be graduating with them this year and would have to retake the exam next year. But when she heard that hyperactive knucklehead steal the Forbidden Scroll, there was no doubt in Ino's mind that Naruto would never become a Ninja.
"Ino, over to the left, isn't that Iruka-Sensei?" Shikamaru asked, directing Ino to the direction of their academy teacher. It was hard to tell from this distance. Still, Shikamaru was sure that the shinobi he saw jumping across the rooftops, onto the wall, and into the forest was their teacher.
"Yeah, it is! I recognize Iruka-Sensei's scar anywhere." Ino confirmed, spotting Iruka's face through the binoculars; the Yamanaka girl quickly put them back into her pouch, turning to her friend and signaling that they should follow.
Sakura huffed as she found herself jumping through the trees of the forest. Why was she out here at this hour? Oh, right, because her idiot friend was flying through the sky. Stopping on a branch, she leaned against the tree, huffing hard as she grew tired from the long day.
"Shit, someone must have alerted the Shinobi of Konohagakure." A voice called out, alerting the young girl.
"What? Damnit! We have to go; we'll kill the Namikaze brat some other time." A second voice responded.
'What? Namikaze? Naruto? Someone wants to kill Naruto?' Sakura thought, leaning further against the tree. Sakura peered around the corner, spotting three shinobi dressed in reds and browns. One had long brown hair that went past their shoulder, another was a big, stocky fellow, and the third was the smallest of the group as they were crouching on the ground, a pair of green goggles on his face. 'I don't recognize any of them.'
"Hold on, I almost located his chakra signature." The short shinobi with the green goggles said, tapping the side of his head. He smiled after the fifth tap; before his eyes was a blue chakra trail leading further into the forest. "I think I got him. He's that way." The shinobi replied, standing up and pointing east.
"Great work, Masao, now all we have to do is-" But before the bulky man could finish, a kunai landed between them with a strip of paper attached. It quickly began to smolder before it burst into flames, as a large explosion covered the area, sending the trio flying against the tree. Three Jonins landed before them, pinning them to the ground as a fourth pulled out a rope when he walked out from behind a tree.
"Iwa Shinboi, should we kill them?" One of the Jonin asked, adjusting his black glasses after the Jonin with the rope tied up the bulky fellow who was pinned under.
"No, Hokaga-Sama wants them alive." The Jonin with the rope said, tightening the knot he made. "I'll finish up here; you three go look for Naruto. He couldn't have gotten far."
"Yes, sir!" The three Jonins shouted, jumping off into the woods as the Jonin with the rope finished tying up the Iwa Shinobi.
'Why are the Jonin after Naruto?' Sakura thought to herself as she watched the ambush go down. The young kunoichi pushed herself off the tree, resuming her venture further into the forest, only to collide with Sasuke Uchiha. 'Shannaro! Who the hell crashed into us! I'm going to turn them into a dumbass tree, CHA!' an inner voice rang out through Sakura's head as she picked herself off the ground, her world spinning slightly.
"Watch where you're going." The voice of Sasuke rang throughout the forest as the young Uchiha stood up, turning to face Sakura with a look of annoyance. "You'll end up hurting people if you don't." He stated, slowly walking off in the direction he swore he saw Naruto run off in.
"Sasuke, wait!" Sakura shouted, a blush appearing as she stood before the coolest guy in their class. "Why are you out here?" She asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the kid.
"None of your business." Sasuke deadpanned, hopping off into the trees with Sakura in hot pursuit. "Why are you following me?" He asked, turning his head towards the young girl.
"I'm not following you, silly; we're just heading in the same direction," Sakura responded with a giggle as she jumped through the tree branches, following the Uchiha as they seemed to be heading down the same path.
"IDIOT, I FOUND YOU!" A familiar voice rang out through the forest, catching the attention of Sasuke and Sakura.
"Hey, Sasuke, doesn't that sound like Iruka-Sensei?" Sakura asked, not getting a reply from Sasuke, who only sped up. 'I'll take that as a yes.'
Naruto fell back down on his butt, a look of satisfaction on his face. "Hahahahaaha, I did it! Dattabayo!" Naruto called out, breaking out into a fit of laughter as he felt his stomach rumble. He was exhausted, and his body felt way more drained than it ever did, not to mention when he thought back to what just happened, it was like he was witnessing it from every angle. "Alright, Naruto Namikaze, you can do this. You just have to get the scroll to Mizuki-Sense and show him you learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and then you'll be a ninja!" Naruto shouted joyfully, slowly sitting up as a shadow descended upon him.
"Ha...ha...ahahaha... I've finally found you, Naruto. It's all over." Iruka forcibly laughed, his body riddled with exhaustion. The anger rolling through the young man was nothing compared to how tired his body was after blasting wave after wave of chakra through his feet, pulsating it to act as a radar to find the little punk named Naruto.
"Hehehehe, oh hey Iruka-Sensei. Looks like I found you! Is it over already?" Naruto asked, barely able to contain his excitement. Naruto couldn't believe that the person standing before him wasn't Mizuki, but Iruka-Sensei was the man who failed him for being unable to perform a single clone. The thought of proving Iruka wrong brought his mind joy as he recalled how Mizuki said Iruka only pushed him to be the best. "I only had time to learn one technique."
"IDIOT, I FOUND YOU!" Iruka yelled angrily, inflating his head and voice with chakra on instinct; talking to Naruto seemed to have made Iruka forget about everything and bring him back to the classroom. Then, Iruka noticed the state Naruto was in. His blue jacket, hood, goggles, pants, shoes, everything, even his skin was covered in bruises, dust, dirt, scratches, blood, leaves, and a few pieces of wood were sticking out of Naruto's hood. 'He's been out here practicing? Just one technique? He looks like he fought an entire army; there's no way Naruto learned only ONE technique; he has to have learned more.' Iruka thought, taking in Naruto's exhausted figure.
"Listen, Iruka-Sensei, I'm gonna show you what I learned, and then you'll let me graduate! Then everything will be okay! That's how it works, right? I steal the scroll, learn something from it, and then show what I learned to the examiner who finds me." Naruto said, joy filling his mind and voice as he raised his hands, gathering chakra.
"Naruto, where did you get the scroll, and who told you that this was some kind of test?" Iruka asked, fear rising through his body. It was quickly becoming apparent to Iruka that something was up. He pumped another round of chakra around him, hoping it wouldn't pick up anything. There was no lie to Naruto's words; he, indeed, was under the impression that this was all a test given to him. But what Naruto has done to steal the sacred forbidden scroll of sealing techniques and jutsu was considered treason. Especially now that they were beyond the village gates, Naruto could easily be labeled a missing ninja.
"Mizuki-Sensei told me! He told me about this location, the scroll, and that all I had to do was show you, him, or anyone who found me the jutsu I learned. Then I'll be allowed to graduate because I passed the makeup exam determining whether you have Anbu potential!" Naruto replied with a smile, patting the scroll he now had on his back.
'Mizuki?' Iruka thought to himself. There was no way a fellow Konohagakure Shinobi, let alone a teacher of the academy would lie to a student like this. To set them up for a serious crime, one that is punishable by death. Then again, Orochimaru betrayed the village, lying to Anko, causing her to commit heinous acts. If the teacher's actions, manipulating the student, were a crime, Anko would never have been able to redeem herself. "Naruto, whatever Mizuki said, it's a lie. There is no makeup exam."
Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the news Iruka gave him. "W-What? But Mizuki-Sensei said-" Naruto began only to be cut off by Iruka, who explained that Naruto was in serious trouble for stealing the scroll.
"Look, Naruto, just give me the scroll and come back with me. Let's set the record straight with the Hokage. If we explain the situation, I'm sure he'll go easy on you. I give you my nindo." Iruka said, smiling softly at Naruto. Suddenly, his eyes widen. "DUCK!" Iruka shouted as he felt his echolocation jutsu flair up when it detected multiple things moving in fast. He grabbed Naruto, pushing the kid to the ground, as Iruka's body was riddled with kunai and shuriken.
"Nice job finding him, Iruka." Mizuki's voice rang out through the clearing in the forest. "I see you found our little hideaway." The shinobi continued from his spot on the branch above Naruto and Iruka.
"I see..." Iruka groaned, pulling a shuriken out of his knee. "So that's what's going on. I should have known all along, Mizuki." Iruka continued, blood leaking out of his mouth from internal bleeding.
"Naruto, give me the scroll!"
"Don't give him the scroll, Naruto, even if you die!"
"Hey, Hey, what's going on here!?" Naruto called out, turning his head from Mizuki to Iruka. Confusion and fear ran through his body as he tried to make sense of the situation. Mizuki-Senei told him that if Naruto stole this scroll, learned a jutsu from it, and then showed someone what he learned, he would be a ninja. So why was Mizuki-Sensei attacking Iruka-Sensei, a good friend of Miuzki-Sensei? Nothing was making any sense.
"Naruto! That scroll contains forbidden, dangerous jutsu known only to our village! Mizuki lied to you, tricked you into stealing that scroll so he could empower himself, leaving you a scapegoat for Konohagakure!" Iruka shouted, setting the record straight as he saw the confusion going through the mind of Naruto Namikaze.
Naruto growled at Mizuki as he fell into his battle stance, narrowing his eyes into a glare. 'Bastard! I'll teach you to trick me!' Naruto thought to himself as he placed his hand on the scroll, swearing to never let someone like Mizuki get their hands on it.
"Iruka-Sensei is just trying to trick you, Naruto because he doesn't want you to have it. Give me the scroll, and we can get out of here." Mizuki responded, trying to convince Naruto to hand over the scroll.
"Stop lying to him, Mizuki! Naruto, don't listen; he's telling nothing but lies." Iruka shouted, pulling a few more shuriken and a kunai out of his body, turning his attention to his student."
"Iruka-Sensei!" Two voices called out on either side of the forest. On one side, Ino and Shikamaru ran out, breathing hard; on the other side, Sasuke and Sakura landed from the tree branches.
"Oh, I'll tell you who is really lying, Naruto, and what perfect timing. Naruto, did you know that your friends and Iruka-Sensei have been keeping a massive secret from you all this time?" Mizuki began, catching a look of confusion on everyone's face except for Iruka.
"NO! Mizuki!" Iruka shouted, catching a look of confusion on the face of the children.
"You're friends, and Iruka has been lying to you for twelve years since the decree made on the night the Kyubi attacked." Mizuki began, a twisted smile forming on his face as he saw the look that Iruka was giving. "The night when the Demon Fox attacked, the night you were born, the Hokage made a new rule for the village."
"STOP! DON'T TELL HIM OR THE CHILDREN!" Iruka shouted, his energy fading from his body because of the blood loss.
"A rule?" The children asked, their attention turning to Naruto as dread and fear began to bubble up inside them. It wasn't unknown to Naruto's friends that most of the village stayed away from him, avoided him, or blamed him when things went wrong. Still, they weren't aware that there was a rule that was created involving his birth and the attack of the Kyubi.
"See, Iruka's even trying to hide it from you right now! He'll do anything to shut me up." Mizuki laughed, enjoying the ordeal he was putting Iruka and Naruto's friends through.
"Naruto, what's going on?" Shikamaru asked, finally asking the question on everyone's mind. "Why is Mizuki-Sensei attacking Iruka-Sensei? What's this rule?" Shikamaru asked.
"DON'T SAY IT, IT IS FORBIDDEN!"
"Don't you know Shikamaru? Naruto is the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox; he is the Kyubi no Yoko!" Mizuki shouted, spilling the beans as everyone but Iruka and Naruto looked shocked, catching Mizuki off guard. "Why aren't you shocked Naruto!? I just told you, you are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
"Because I'm not the Kyubi, I'm it's PRISON!" Naruto shouted, revealing to everyone that he was aware of his status as the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. "Jiji-San told me six years ago that my dad sealed the Nine-Tails into me," Naruto confessed, shocking Mizuki. Suddenly, everything in Naruto's life made sense: why the village seemed to hate him, why they seemed to blame him for everything, why they ignored him. To them, all they could see was the Nine-Tailed Fox, not Naruto Namikaze, the person. That explanation brought anger to Naruto's mind as his body began to swirl with visible chakra, his hood flying off as his hair stood up.
"What? Naruto's a jinchuriki?" Ino questioned, looking at Naruto, Iruka, and then Mizuki. "Shikamaru, what do we do?"
"What a drag," Shikamaru responded as he thought about the situation. a
"No one cares that you're the jinchuriki! All they see is the spirit of the nine-tailed fox! Iruka, Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, and Shikamaru all hate you for being a jinchuriki! You will never belong or be one of us!" Mizuki shouted, egging Naruto on while destroying his trust in anyone.
'Iruka. Naruto never had a mother or a father to care for him, to love him. He's been shut out of everything and doesn't know why. Most people won't look at him; those that do do so with hate in their eyes. How would you feel if, everywhere you go, people turn their backs on you? That's why he gets in trouble, so people will finally pay him some attention. He seeks acknowledgment in any way possible. It may not show, but he always thinks of the family he doesn't have. He acts tough, but deep down, Naruto is hurting inside.' The words of the Sandaime rang through Iruka's head, watching Mizuki pull a Fuma Shuriken off his back, spinning it rapidly to pick up velocity.
"Now DIE, Naruto!"
"NARUTO GET DOWN!"
Naruto didn't hesitate; he immediately ducked to the ground when Mizuki threw his weapon. The sound of the fuma shuriken soaring through the air, the silence of the forest, the held breaths of his friends, Naruto closed his eyes, waiting for the moment when he felt the pain of the metal stabbing into his body. Then he heard a scream; it wasn't from him, Iruka, Sasuke, Ino, Mizuki, or Shikamaru; it was Sakura.
"Iruka-Sensei!" Sakura screamed, causing Naruto to open his eyes, looking up to see Iruka shielding Naruto from the shuriken with his own body, receiving another deep wound. "W-Why?" That was all Naruto could get out as he saw the caring look in Iruka's eyes.
"Because we're the same, you and I." Iruka struggled to say, blood falling from his mouth and onto Naruto's cheeks. "When my parents died, no one seemed to care. No one was there to compliment me or acknowledge me. I was so sad, and they all seemed to forget I existed; they just didn't care. My grades dropped, and I became the class clown, acting out like an idiot just to get attention. I just wanted them to see me, to know my name. I wasn't good enough at schoolwork to get their attention, so by acting like a clown, an idiot, it was better than not being acknowledged." Iruka said, tears rolling down his cheeks as memories played before his eyes.
'Hahaha! Iruka fell off the rope again! What a loser!'
'Hey, check it out; Iruka's hanging from the ceiling wearing the teacher's bra on his head!'
'Hahahahahaha, Iruka, such an idiot, he got himself stuck to the training dummy instead of the kunai.'
'Iruka's covered in dog shit! HA!'
'Hahaha, Iruka let the chickens out of the coop, and now they're running all over the place.'
"I did a lot of crazy stuff, Naruto, and I was punished for it, all because I wanted someone to see me. It was better than being ignored because that pain was too much." Iruka continued, crying as he looked down at Naruto, regret in his eyes and face. "I know that's how you feel; you feel lonely, and it hurts inside." Iruka choked, sniffing hard as he could sense his students quickly moving in on him while Mizuki watched the moment. "I could have been there for you more; I let you down. I'm sorry, no one should have to suffer so much, no one should have to be alone like that. Especially you, Naruto." Iruka finished, the tears rolling down to Naruto's face as he heard the sniffles of his students.
"Heh...Hehehe...HAHAHAH, Don't make me laugh!" Mizuki snapped. "Iruka's always hated you because the Nine-Tails murdered his parents, and now that fox is inside you! He'd do anything to get that scroll to kill you and the Nine-Tails."
"That's not true!" Iruka yelled, turning his head to Mizuki, fire in his eyes. "Everyone, get Naruto out of here, now! You're Genin, aren't you! That's an order from your Chunin!" Iruka commanded, watching Naruto run off as the four shinobi followed him. 'Good, they're not going to abandon Naruto; I don't have to worry too much.'
"Hehehe, sorry, but Naruto isn't the type to have a change of heart. You saw it in those eyes, that anger, that wrath; those weren't the eyes of a human, they were the eyes of a demon." Mizuki chirped, jumping down from his tree branch. "He's going to use the scroll and get revenge on that stupid village."
Iruka had enough of Mizuki's voice; his best friend for the past few years openly mocking the village that Iruka loved, openly attacked Naruto, breaking the rule that the Third Hokage instilled to protect Naruto, tried to turn Naruto's friends against him, tricked Naruto into committed treason, oh it was all crashing down on Iruka as he stood up, pulling the fuma shuriken out of his back, glaring at Mizuki. "Naruto isn't like that!" Iruka shouted, throwing the shuriken at Mizuki, cutting his face. "You know, Mizuki, since we're being honest with each other, I was the one who kept eating your snacks," Iruka smirked, jumping away as he chased Naruto with Mizuki in pursuit.
"Quick, everyone, transform into Naruto, then split up! We'll meet back at the Village gates when the sun rises." Shikamaru ordered as the five ninjas jumped through the trees with their hands and feet. "Mizuki will be looking for Naruto; the best option we have is to use the Henge no Jutsu to transform into Namikaze, throwing Mizuki off track."
"What if Mizuki turns into one of us?" Sakura asked as she sped up just a bit to be next to Shikamaru. "Shouldn't we have a code word or something?"
"Ramen," Naruto shouted from the front, adjusting the scroll so it wouldn't fall off his back while pulling his goggles down. "Our codeword is Ramen for when we're in the clear, Vegetables when we're not," Naruto stated, jumping off a tree branch, pulling on the same loose cord as those flaps extended. "All of you, please be careful," Naruto stated before disappearing below the branches as he glided around.
"Okay, did anyone know Naruto could fly?" Ino shouted, slightly annoyed at their friend for keeping a secret like this. When the hell did Naruto learn how to fly? Wait, was that how he would pull off multiple pranks across the village in such a short time? Was Naruto flying from one end of Konoha to the other? AND HE DIDN'T OFFER HER A TRIP? Ino was angry at Naruto for keeping a secret like this and not letting her in; she was madder that Naruto didn't feel he could tell them he had something like that.
"Focus on the mission first, then we can beat up the dobe for information," Sasuke said, raising his hands to his face, forming a hand seal, and pumping chakra through his body; a loud poof could be heard as smoke covered Sasuke, and when it dissipated, in his place was a perfect copy of Naruto. "Remember the code words. Ramen good, Vegetables bad." Sasuke-Naruto said as he broke off from the group.
"Right." Shikamaru and Sakura said, transforming themselves into copies of Naruto Namikaze and breaking off from Ino, leaving her all alone as she complained about the situation before turning into Naruto herself. "I swear, I will make you pay for this, Naruto," Ino-Naruto shouted as she jumped to the floor, running through the forest.
"This is not good." The Third Hokage said, channeling chakra through his hands and into the crystal ball, smoke rising from his pipe. Through his crystal ball, he saw the entire quarrel go down, how four children got involved, were exposed to the dark secret about Naruto, and how they all turned into him to confuse Mizuki. "Mizuki has a big mouth if only those children weren't there." Hiruzen sighed, his crystal ball flickering to the images of Ino, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Sakura. "Their relationship with Naruto has seriously been hampered." Hiruzen sighed, the image switching back to Naruto as he glided through the forest; a wave of emotions was washing over his face: fear, anxiety, and concern. Hiruzen sighed as he thought to himself about the current situation. If Naruto felt that he had no choice but to tamper with the scroll some more, the son of the Fourth Hokage might undo his father's dying work. Naruto was just a young boy; he wouldn't understand the sealing jutsu used on him if he found it in the scroll. That hyperactive knucklehead would brute force his way into learning the jutsu and, in the process, would revert back to the Nine-Tailed Fox. 'The odds of that happening are a million to one, but still...' Hiruzen thought.
Iruka panted hard as he frog jumped through the forest, his heart beating fast as he tried to find Naruto. "Naruto!" Iruka shouted with hope when he caught the sight of the red scroll. Pumping what little chakra he had left, he increased his speed to come close to Naruto. "Everything Mizuki said was a lie to trick you into giving him the scroll! He won't stop until he gets it! I don't want you getting hurt!" Naruto didn't respond. Instead, he stopped, turned slightly, and shot toward Iruka, headbutting the Chunin in the stomach. The two collided hard in the air, flying away from one another and crashing into the ground. Naruto smirked as he looked at Iruka, who was coughing badly. "H-How did you know?" Iruka asked as a cloud of smoke bellowed out of him with a poof, reverting to the form of Mizuki. "How did you know I wasn't Iruka?"
"Because I'm Iruka," Naruto said, a cloud of smoke bellowing out of him with a poof as he changed back into the badly beaten form of Iruka, who was laughing hard at Mizuki, flipping him off.
"You're a fool," Mizuki laughed, standing up as he walked over to Iruka, oblivious to the sound of five sets of feet dropping to the ground around him. "Why are you protecting that freak, let alone transforming into the monster that killed your family?" Mizuki questioned, pulling the fuma shuriken off his back and pressing it against Iruka's throat.
"I don't care what you say or do to me. You're not getting your hands on that scroll." Iruka smirked, sliding his jacket zipper down to reveal the inside of his flak was covered in explosive tags. These homemade explosive tags would land anyone, including Iruka, in prison for life because of how deadly they were. Shinobi were not allowed to make explosive tags without the direct approval of specialists who engaged in the creative aspect of chakra imaging needed to translate it into a two-dimensional form. "I'll blow us both to hell to keep you from hurting Naruto or any of the children. These aren't any ordinary homemade explosive tags but an Umino family specialty. Hidden Technique: String Light Formation!" Iruka shouted, throwing up a barrier that kept him and Mizuki in place, unaware that he had also trapped the five children who were eavesdropping, waiting to see what would happen and if any of them had an opening to take out Mizuki.
"You're an idiot. What? Do you think you can just trap me in this barrier with your remaining chakra? Do you really think you can stop me? Naruto's just like me; he's probably hiding behind a tree in this barrier, too." Mizuki stated, pressing his shuriken further into Iruka's neck, pricking the skin as blood coated the iron blade. "You're probably wondering how is Naruto like me? Don't you get it, Iruka? You can do anything you want using any of the Forbidden Scroll's techniques!" Mizuki continued, stepping on Iruka's knee. "Naruto wants the scroll for his own power, so he can enact his revenge on this crappy village and kill everyone terrible to him. That's just how beasts are." Mizuki finished, breaking Iruka's knee as he stomped down on it. "There's no way that Demon Fox wouldn't try to use that power. He'll pour all his rage into the scroll, unleash his true form, and destroy everything."
"You're right," Iruka grunted through the pain as he gripped his broken knee. He sent out a pulse of chakra to see if there were any Jonin in the area, only to realize that the five kids were surrounding them and that Naruto was behind him. "The Nine Tails would do that, but Naruto isn't the Nine-tails. Naruto is different." Iruka continued, deciding that Naruto needed to hear the truth.
Naruto gripped the scroll tightly as he heard what Iruka was saying. To Naruto, it seemed that Iruka was about to agree with Mizuki that Naruto was some kind of beast who Iruka didn't believe in until he heard Iruka say that the Chunin believes Naruto isn't the Nine-Tails. He pulled his goggles down to his eyes, trying not to cry as he heard Iruka's following words echo throughout the forest.
"Naruto's one of a kind; he puts his entire heart into what he does. He may not be the hardest worker..." Iruka began, using his chakra to send out a sonar pulse, receiving back an image of his students. All of them were intensely listening in on the conversation. Naruto was behind the tree Iruka was leaning against to the north. To the East was Sasuke, hiding in the bushes with his hands ready to cast an offensive jutsu if needed. To the West, hiding behind a large rock, was Sakura. In one hand, she held a kuni with a rope attached around that she had in her other hand. Directly south of Iruka, Naruto, and Mizuki was Shikamaru, crouching down in the Nara family's signature position, his shadow slowly creeping forward to contact with Mizuki's shadow. Next to Shikamaru was Ino Yamanaka, who was wielding a pair of shuriken.
"And he's clumsy, so nobody accepts him, making it easy for everyone to jump on him. He already knows what it's like to feel pain in your heart, but his suffering only strengthens him. That's what separates him from being a beast, from being the Nine-Tailed Fox. So you're wrong, Mizuki; he's nothing like you or the Kyubi. He's a member of the Hidden Leaf Village, he's one of my best students, and he's my friend, he is Naruto Namikaze! Dattebyo!" Iruka shouted, mimicking Naruto's verbal tic with a smile on his face.
Mizuki narrowed his eyes as he frowned hard, pulling the fuma shuriken back and spinning it fast and hard. "You really believe that dribble? Pathetic!" Mizuki laughed. "I was going to save you for later, but know what? I'll just end you here and now, so hurry up AND DIE!" Mizuki screamed, returning his arm to tear the Chunin apart with the fuma shuriken.
'So this is it...' Iruka smiled, proud that he was dying for one of his students. The Chunin brought his hands up to form the seal to release the homemade explosive tags; before Iruka could detonate them, Naruto rushed out of his hiding place, jumping up, kneeing Mizuki in the head, as a second Naruto came running out, leaping through the air with his leg extended, kicking Mizuki in the gut. 'Naruto!' Iruka thought as he saw Mizuki fly across the forest floor, dropping his fuma shuriken. One Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke, as the Naruto who kicked Mizuki in the stomach landed on the ground, planting the forbidden scroll next to him.
'Woah!' Ino thought as she saw the scene before her eyes. Naruto had torn his hood off and lifted his goggles to his head. His blue jacket was zipped down, exposing his black shirt with a red swirl pattern in the middle, his blue pants fluttering in the wind. "Don't touch Iruka-Sensei. If you do, I'll kill you." Naruto threatened, glaring hard at Mizuki, watching the traitor stand back up.
"You idiot! Why did you come out! You should have stayed hidden like the others; that way, you wouldn't be caught up in the blast!" Iruka shouted, fear washing over his face as he realized that his plan to blow himself up with Mizuki wouldn't work anymore now that Naruto was out in the open.
"You shouldn't have done that, punk..." Mizuki groaned, picking himself off the ground and dusting his jacket as he glared murderous daggers at Naruto. The demon brat dared kick him, and with a shadow clone. Oh, Mizuki was going to enjoy taking his frustrations out on Naruto. "You stupid brat, I'll kill you with one move, and then I'll kill your stupid Sensei!"
"Take your best shot, trash." Naruto dared, bringing his right and left fingers up, crossing them in a cross-shape formation. "I'll return the pain one thousand times over!"
Sasuke's eyes widened as his Sharingan activated; the chakra flowing through his eyes allowed the young boy to see Naruto's blue chakra swelling around him like a maelstrom. 'That loser has this much chakra? No wonder why he kept failing; he has too much!'
Sakura loosened the grip around her rope and kunai, sighing as she felt the rope sliding out of her hand. Something in her gut told her that Naruto had this in the bag.
"You can relax now, Ino," Shikamaru said with a sigh, easing his stance as he fell to his butt, looking up at the night sky.
"What? Shikamaru, you lazy ass, Naruto needs us!" Ino shouted, turning her attention away from the battlefield, frowning at her friend as she crossed her arms.
"This is troublesome," Shikamaru muttered to himself with a sigh. "That hand seal Naruto has up right now, that's the Kage Bushin no Jutsu. I've seen my dad make a copy occasionally to avoid housework."
"You're not making any sense," Ino responded, only for Shikamaru to hold up a finger, pointing it at the fight she was ignoring.
"Alright, Demon Fox! Show me watch you got!" Mizuki shouted, extending his arms as he glared at Naruto, exposing his body for the young shinobi to attack.
"Taju Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, pumping his chakra through his body. A discourse of explosions went out, filling the entire forest with smoke. Coughing can be heard from everyone as the wind blows through, clearing the smoke out of the way. Where one Naruto once stood, now there were over a thousand Narutos, each holding a different weapon, ranging from staffs to kunai, to shuriken, to kusarigamas, to short swords. One Naruto was even sporting a crossbow.
"What's going on here! I know you could make one Shadow Clone, but this is ridiculous!" Mizuki called out, intimidation washing over his body as he took in the sight of a thousand angry Narutos, all carrying weapons. Wait, was that a fucking crossbow? One of Naruto's clones has fucking crossbow!? Mizuki internally screamed as he felt all the fight leave his body.
"What's wrong?"
"Weren't you going to kick my ass?"
"Yeah, weren't you going to kill us with one shot, Misuki?"
"Kiss my ass bitch. I'm immortal!"
'Naruto, those aren't illusions; they're solid clones! Over one thousand stable clones! He's mastered an A-Rank Ninjutsu and created a variant of it all in one night! Heh, Naruto Namikaze, you're going to surpass ALL Hokages!' Iruka thought in awe, watching his dead last pupil show such mastery of an high ranking jutsu that not even the Kages of the past could accomplish.
"Hey, over here!"
"No, over here!"
"Oi, up here!"
Mizuki fell to the ground, fear running through his body as he saw no way out of a beating. This was it; right here and now, Naruto would hand his ass on a silver platter to the Shinigami. Mizuki tried to crawl backward but stopped when he bumped into what felt like one of Naruto's clones. He yelped as he saw a Kunai land between his legs.
"If you're not coming," One of Naruto's clones shouted from up in the tree, his pants pulled down, mooning Mitzuki.
"Then we'll just come to you!" Another clone shouted from across the clearing, standing on his own branch, a metal bat resting in his hands as he grinned viciously at the terrified Mizuki. "Alright, boys! It's clobbering time!" The clone shouted as he leaped into the air. "YEAH!" the clones roared, jumping into the air as they all landed around or on Mizuki.
"NO!" Mitzuki screeched as punches and kicks echoed through the forest, the night sky quickly turning to day as the first rays of the sun shone down on the clearing, casting Naruto in a golden light. His friends had come out of hiding, running over to Naruto and Iruka to make sure they were safe while noting Mitzuki's unconscious body lying on the floor.
"Heheheh, yeah, I'm alright. Hehehe, sorry, I kinda got carried away." Naruto admitted to his friends, then to Iruka, laughing away as he scratched his head in embarrassment. "You okay, Iruka-Sensei?"
"Yeah," Iruka responded without delay, staring intensely at Naruto. 'He's amazing, he wants to surpass all Hokage, and I believe he will do it someday.' Iruka thought in awe, his body hurting as he moved his head slightly. Iruka made up his mind; there was no more delaying it. He should have done this long ago despite failing the Bunshin test. "Naruto, come over here; I want to give you something. Hey, you four, cover your eyes; I don't want any of you to ruin the surprise."
The sun threatened to break the tree lining and cast its morning rays on the village of Konohagakure. Outside the Hokage's office stood every Chunin and Jonin of the village, running around like headless chickens.
"Did anyone find him!?"
"No!"
"Damn, this is bad!"
"He may be far away by now!"
Hiruzen chuckled to himself as he saw the panicked state of his shinobi, his pipe resting in his hands, smoke rising from the embers. "There's no need to worry longer."
"Hokage-Sama!" A man with white hair, his left eye covered by his black forehead protector, said.
"The scroll is safe, Naruto will be back with it soon, along with his friends."
"Sense, how much longer!" Naruto groaned as he kept his eyes closed, fidgeting in his spot on the ground.
"Okay, you can open your eyes, all of you," Iruka said, smiling. As the image of Iruka flooded Naruto's and his friends' eyes, they all noticed something immediately. Iruka was not wearing his headband. "Naruto Namikaze, congratulations, you graduate!" Iruka shouted, falling to his butt as he sat against the tree, exhausted. Before Iruka stood Naruto, blue flying-squirrel suit and everything, but now on his forehead sat Iruka's forehead protector, now Naruto's.
"Alright, Naruto, way to go!" Ino shouted as she ran over to Naruto, slinging her arm around him. "The way you beat up that creep Mizuki was awesome! You must teach me that Shadow Clone move and whatever it is that lets you fly!"
"Alright, Naruto!" Shikamaru cheered, patting Naruto on the back as he looked at his best friend, a smile plastered on his face. "You're a Genin now like us."
"I knew you'd pass eventually, Naruto!" Sakura shouted, running over to the jinchuriki and pulling him into a tight hug that elicited a rather large blush from Naruto, which was not unnoticed by Ino, who was now teasing Naruto about his apparent crush on Sakura.
"Hey, dobe, good job," Sasuke called, turning around as he began to walk off, but not before shooting Naruto one last look, a quick smirk appearing on his face. "Don't slack off now that you're a shinobi."
"Hehehe, hey Sasuke, where do you think you're going? We have to celebrate Naruto graduating, and I know the perfect meal, ramen!" Iruka shouted, catching everyone's attention. Especially Naruto, who pulled his forehead protector over his eyes, covering the tears that were flowing down. "Huh?" Iruka asked, opening his eyes as he spotted Naruto slowly moving forward before tackling the Chunin in a tight, brotherly hug, evoking yelps of pain from Iruka and laughter from Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru.
'Naruto, this is only the beginning; the road gets tougher now that you're a ninja. I wanted to tell you that, but it would have ruined the moment, so I'll tell you later, over ramen.' - Iruka Umino.
There you have it, folks, the first chapter of Turn of the Wheel. This will be a three-part story where the roles of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke have changed, but they will need more to stay true to who they are as characters.
Anyway, please post their name in the review section if anyone knows a good Medical Ninja in Canon or Filler who belongs to Kirigakure, Iwagakure, or Kumogakure. I'm creating a five-person team, one member from each of the five great villages who play an essential role in Parts 2 and 3.
Also, for the Chunin Exams. I'm still determining if I want it to be held in Konohagakure like it was in Canon or if I want to move it to more neutral grounds. I should mention this right here. I'm moving the Tsunade Retrieval arc up before the Chunin Exams because I want Jiraiya and Tsunade to participate in the Chunin Exams. Jiraiya training Naruto and Tsunade training Sasuke. Who will train Sakura, you ask? That's a secret, but let's just say it's two people.
Please leave a review.