Author Notes- Hello fellow readers. I am updating this chapter early, since I had been thinking about it a lot. So, just had to put it out there as soon as possible. I hope everyone comes to like it.
So, this chapter shows how Naruto actually feels about the shinobi world. I know, I'm making Sakura and Hinata close friends of Naruto. Naruto and Hinata's relationship will start off slowly. It wont be a typical romance. They will come to realize their feelings for each other later in the story. A lot later. But they will have close moments. Naruto's personality will change slowly. He will keep himself slightly withdrawn. Not completely giving into his hatred. He will have his kindness. But he will go through some instances which will make him lose faith in the shinobi world. This is just the beginning.
[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]
Anyway let the story continue
Chapter 4: Awakening
Next day, Namikaze Compound
Naruto slowly opened his eyes as the first rays of the sunlight bathed the entire room with its sunny rays. The blond sat up from his sleeping spot and glanced at the clock on the wall in front, which showed seven in the morning and stretched his arms to get rid of the stiffness from them. He removed the blanket on top of him and stepped out of his comfortable bed and walked into the washroom to have a bath.
An hour later, Naruto could be seen walking downstairs wearing a grey t-shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol on his back and black ANBU pants. He had black sandals on and was wearing black gloves. As he walked down towards the kitchen, he saw his tou-chan and Jiraiya already sitting on the table having breakfast. It had been a while since he had seen his oji-chan. Even though Jiraiya was not an active shinobi of Konoha anymore, his job was far too important for him to be staying within the village.
The last two years had made Naruto see Jiraiya in a different light. The old man had helped Naruto grow immensely in various aspects. He may be a super pervert but the man was an experienced, wise and a strong shinobi. Incredibly strong. He still shivered thinking of how much his body hurt after all those taijutsu exercises with him. There were times when he would return home with various scrapes and bruises all over his body. If not for his potent chakra which provided him advanced healing powers, he doubted he could have continued that sort of brutal physical training with the Sannin given his age.
His smile faded slightly as he remembered the promise he made to himself a while back when he overheard Jiraiya and Fukasaku talk.
Flashback One year ago
For the last couple of months, Naruto and Jiraiya had worked intensively on their ability to harness senjutsu chakra. Jiraiya often took Naruto to Mount Myoboku so they both could train together and to indulge the boy in various aspects which comes under senjutsu.
Earlier, Jiraiya required the help of the two great sages of Mount Myoboku, Fukasaku-sama and Shima-sama to enter sage mode, while Naruto could enter the enhanced state all on his own. This attribute of Naruto baffled Jiraiya and even the great toad sages greatly. In all their time, they had never come across anyone who was so closely connected or compatible with nature chakra.
Naruto was able to do things which a normal six year child should not be able to do. The little blond boy could understand all the techniques taught to him on his first try without much explanation. Despite his small body, he could defeat ANBU level shinobi in taijutsu alone when he enhanced his muscles with senjutsu chakra and could sometimes go toe to toe with Minato or Jiraiya when he's using Sage Mode. His abnormally amazing chakra control was another aspect which should not have been possible for Naruto. Such a level of precision was something only Tsunade Senju possessed.
That alone raised a lot of questions in Jiraiya's mind. For a long time, he had thought Minato to be the Child of Prophecy. But watching Naruto grow made him question his speculations. The rate at which Naruto was progressing also terrified him. He was an Uchiha after all. Jiraiya still hadn't forgotten the look in Minato's eyes when he butchered those Iwagakure shinobi. He knew by the time that Naruto grew past the age of fifteen or even twelve for that matter, his powers would be comparable to even gods. That thought alone sent shivers down his spine at times.
What were the boy's limits?
Did he… have any?
Eventually, it began to make more and more sense to him. Naruto was incredibly mature for his age. Even though he acted his own age in front of Minato, he showed wisdom far beyond his age. He saw things from an adult's point of view and understand their concerns.
While training in senjutsu, Naruto had discovered that he could enter the enhanced state instantly. Senjutsu is a specialized field of technique that allows the user to sense and gather natural energy that is flowing in the world. However, for Naruto, it's a completely different experience. He could feel the energy flowing within the world as if it was a natural practice to him. While most users must gather the natural energy and balance it with their Yin and Yang chakra, in Naruto's case, the senjutsu chakra would come rushing inside his body like a tidal wave and balance itself on its own.
Another thing which Naruto discovered was that he had the ability to transfer chakra, even senjutsu chakra. In any case Jiraiya required to enter the Sage Mode and time was of the essence, Naruto could channel natural energy from himself onto him. So, all Jiraiya had to do was balance the natural energy with his spiritual (Yin) and physical (Yang) chakra. In the amount of time Jiraiya had trained with Naruto, he had learned a few things from him. He reduced the time it took him to enter Sage Mode and no longer required Fukasaku and Shima to assist him.
Currently, a six year old Naruto was standing beside Jiraiya in the gardens of the Namikaze Compound.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Summon Gamakichi and tell him to ask Fukasaku-sensei to reverse summon us." Jiraiya said.
"Hai Jiraiya- sensei!" Naruto replied which earned a smile from the Toad Sannin. That was another thing which the blond had started calling him during their training sessions. Apart from his father, Jiraiya was the only one who could understand Naruto completely. He thought it was probably because they were the only three people who could utilize senjutsu in the elemental nations currently.
Naruto bit his left thumb, drawing a bit of blood and went through a couple of hand signs and slammed his left hand on the ground saying,
"Kuchiyose No Jutsu"
Suddenly there was a cloud of smoke and there appeared to be a small toad. It was a young orange toad with purple markings around his eyes, mouth and stomach. The toad was small enough to fit on top of Naruto's head.
"Gamakichi!" Naruto yelled as he picked up the toad in his hands and put him on top of his head. Gamakichi shifted a bit to get comfortable in his spot and bumped fists with Naruto as a show of their friendship. The two had known each other since Naruto was four years old and had become friends immediately.
"Yo! Naruto. What's up? Why did you call me?" Gamakichi asked.
"Kichi, could you ask Fukasaku-sensei and Shima-sama to reverse summon us to Mount Myoboku. We need to get some training done." Naruto replied.
"Sure Bro!" with that Gamakichi disappeared in a cloud of smoke to the land of Toads. Jiraiya and Naruto stood close to each other as they waited for the reverse summon technique to take place.
After a few seconds, both were transported via reverse summoning to Mount Myoboku. Jiraiya and Naruto soon found themselves standing near a special portal that linked Mount Myoboku and Konohagakure. This was known as the Distant Body Water or Enshinsui. This portal enables smaller toads to quickly travel between the two places without the use of the summoning technique. Combined with a toad that can perform the summoning jutsu, the toads can be summoned to aid Konohagakure in the event a living Toad summoner isn't in Konoha at the time or summon people to Mount Myoboku from Konoha.
"Naruto-chan. It's been a while since you have come to visit us. How have you been?" asked Fukasaku. He was a small green toad with white hair styled in somewhat of a Mohawk, very thick eyebrows and a small goatee. He wears a simple brown colored cape and has black pigmentation around his yellow eyes. His pupils are bar shaped and are black in color. Fukasaku, often referred to as 'Head' is an elder toad over eight hundred years old and a revered user of senjutsu.
Naruto bowed his head in respect before the elder toad sage.
"I'm good Fukasaku-sensei. Jiraiya-sensei says I'm almost done with finishing the Frog Katas and has one final test for me." Naruto exclaimed as he felt Jiraiya ruffle his hair gently.
Fukasaku glanced at Jiraiya from the corner of his eyes and saw him nod his head ever so slightly. 'So, it's time… it's hard to believe how fast you're growing, Naruto-chan.' The elder toad thought as he released a sigh.
Jiraiya ushered Naruto to go ahead and look for Gamakichi while he had to talk with Fukasaku. Naruto could feel something was troubling Jiraiya and wanted to ask him about it. But one look at Jiraiya's face and he knew he wouldn't be told anything. Naruto innocently nodded and ran ahead, while discretely making a single hand seal. Jiraiya smiled softly, looking at the blonde's retreating form. The boy looked so innocent right now. As soon as Naruto was out of sight, his facial features took a grim expression thinking of all the difficulties Naruto would have to face.
"Nothing has changed Fukasaku-sensei…" Jiraiya said tiredly.
"What do you mean, Jiraiya boy?" asked Fukasaku curiously.
"Shodai-sama created the system of villages, forming an era of temporary peace and ended the era of Great Clan Wars. But did it change anything? Wherever you go, there is always war. The last three shinobi wars are a prime exemplar of that. I hear a civil war might start soon in Kirigakure due to the madness of their Mizukage, who is a jinchuriki. The relations between Iwagakure, Sunagakure and our village hasn't been steady. I fear they may be planning something as per my spy network. There's this group of mercenaries which is made of entirely missing ninjas. They are new and are being funded by Iwagakure and some smaller villages I have heard. And the thing is, they are all S-Rank shinobi. I don't know their objective yet but it won't be anything good. I dread if this situation continues, another shinobi war is not too far away." Jiraiya said grimly.
"There's so much of hate in this world. A shinobi of one village is ordered to kill the shinobi of another even during these times if they are from an enemy village. The shinobi don't even know each other and fight to kill the other because of the hate that has been festered since generations ago. And if the war does occur, young children will be sent to the front lines again. Sometimes I wonder if true peace is ever possible. Minato and I have lost so much fighting in the last two shinobi wars. I don't want Naruto to go through the same."
Fukasaku stared at his long-time student with a solemn expression. He knew how much Jiraiya cared for Naruto and to watch the young child train only for him to go through a war must be hard on the Sannin.
"He has a strong will Jiraiya. Believe in him. He will grow up to be a man of unimaginable strength."
Jiraiya and Fukasaku went ahead to the grassy fields to look for Naruto, completely missing a pair of violet eyes followed by the whole body that shimmered into existence at the side.
'Peace… A place where people don't hate each other. I… will create a world where you can live happily… Tou-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan.' He thought with a few tear rolling down his face.
That day Naruto felt hate for the first time. Hate for those who made his tou-chan and oji-chan suffer.
The sun mark and half crescent moon mark on Naruto's hand glowed for a second before it went back to normal.
Flashback End
His face then opted a happy smile as he walked towards the table where his father and godfather were sitting.
"Good morning tou-chan, oji-chan." Naruto greeted as he sat down on the table to Minato's left.
"Naru, you woke up early today. Did you sleep okay?" Minato asked.
"Hai, tou-chan. Well, I was going to go meet Sakura today. You know, I wanted to ask her if she was joining the academy." Naruto said. He heard his godfather giggling slightly and looked at him narrowed eyes. His godfather had the tendency to get ideas for his orange books from uncanny situations.
"Hey! Hey! No need to look at me like that. I'm not going to do anything." Jiraiya said frantically as he saw both Minato and Naruto looking at him suspiciously.
"Yeah right! First chance you get to see me hanging out with her, you will start scribbling ideas in your notepad for your smut!" Naruto said nonchalantly as he filled his cup with some milk. Minato had to stifle a laughter upon hearing that.
Jiraiya scoffed on hearing his work being called a smut. "I will let you know that my book's sales are great and a lot of people tend to enjoy the literature in it."
"Yeah only the lonely and single people read those books of yours." Naruto said. There were still times when Naruto had nightmares, remembering the descriptive words in the book he read.
Minato laughed seeing a pout on Jiraiya's face. Soon enough everyone started to laugh seeing Jiraiya's predicament. Naruto smiled inwardly, feeling the jovial and carefree emotion radiating from his tou-chan and oji-chan.
'I wish everything always stays like this.' Naruto thought.
It was around an hour later that everyone got up from the table after the satisfying breakfast and went off to do their work.
Jiraiya had to leave the village again for a while to gather further information regarding the situation in Iwagakure and the Civil War that recently started in Kirigakure that had divided the village into two fractions- Rebels and the Resistance. The war was allegedly started by the Yondaime Mizukage of Kirigakure, the jinchuriki of the Three Tails, Sanbi. The man was leading a war to purge the bloodline users from Mizu. It was said that he thought them to be too dangerous and their blood had been tainted due to their Kekkei Genkai. Thus, he decided to kill his own people. Thousands of innocent people had already been slaughtered and this was only the beginning of the genocide.
Minato had gone to the Hokage's office to finish off the remaining paperwork he had and some of the council meetings he had to attend regarding their upcoming treaty talks with Sunagakure.
Seeing as he did not have much to do today, Naruto decided to complete his morning routine of physical exercises and head off to meet Sakura sometime after and then train on the west side of the village as usual.
Late Afternoon, Shūmatsu no Tani
Shūmatsu no Tani (Valley of the End)
The Valley of the End serves as a monumental place for the shinobi of Konohagakure No Sato. This was the land where their Shodai Hokage, Hashirama Senju, fought the fallen Uchiha Clan leader, Madara Uchiha, stopping him from destroying the Hidden Leaf. That is what majority of the population were led to believe of Madara's intentions.
The destructive power displayed in the epic battle left a scar in the earth that is today known as the Valley of End. The waterfall serves as the border between Land of Fire and Land of Sound. The valley was later memorialized with two giant statues of the main combatants: Hashirama Senju on the Land of Fire's side of the waterfall and Madara Uchiha on the opposite to symbolize his defection from the village. The statues are posed to make the Traditional Shinobi Sparring's Seal of Confrontation, which is protocol before a duel.
A young boy around the age of seven standing at a height of four feet and one inches could be seen standing on top of Hashirama Senju's head. He had been waiting around the area for the past few hours to meet with the team that would be executing tonight's mission. From first glance, one might think the boy was an ANBU because of the mask he was wearing over his face and his style of clothing. However, the strange thing about the mask was that it was completely blank and white in color, with a kanji of 'Ne' at the top right corner of the mask. This signified that he was a Root ANBU agent.
Half an hour later a group of three shinobi could be seen emerging from the forests behind the statue of Madara Uchiha. They quickly crossed the lake and were now standing in front of their informant/assistant. The leader looked at the boy standing in front of him and was surprised a boy so young was an ANBU agent.
"Who are you, boy?"
"We are the roots that protect the village from the shadows." Replied the boy, gaining a nod from the team's leader.
The ANBU handed the leader a folder, who looked at the ANBU with narrowed eyes.
"There is no need to look at me with suspicion. The folder contains the information regarding the boy. You know your job well. Get him back to Iwagakure dead or alive. If you keep your deal, our master will be willing to cooperate with Tsuchikage-sama." Said the Root agent in a monotone voice.
"Tch. Don't tell me how to do my job, kid. That bastard's son will be dead tonight." Said the leader irritatingly.
"Do not fail the mission." Were the ANBU's last words before he disappeared in a shunshin.
"Let's rest here for a few minutes. Tonight, Iwagakure shall their revenge against the Kiiroi Senko." The leader ordered.
Late Evening, Konohagakure No Sato
The whole day went by either training or studying scrolls inside the Namikaze Compound for Naruto. His father was still busy within the Hokage office and Itachi, Kakashi and Shisui were all away on missions. The only other person who Naruto considered his close friend in the village was Sakura. So, here he was now outside, looking for her.
Naruto was silently walking towards the playground with his hands in pockets of his new kimono. It was a windy night and Naruto was wearing a maroon color kimono over his gray t-shirt and black colored pants. It was high collared, held close by a black color stash. The collar of the kimono was adorned by nine magatamas, which was surprisingly Kurama's idea.
"Loner." Commented Kyubi, seeing Naruto's current predicament.
'Hey! No one asked you okay and I'm not a loner. I'm just… I'm a very astute child, who likes indulging in decent conversations. So, it's hard to find someone like me.' Naruto replied to his friend folding his arms over chest and puffing his cheeks in embarrassment.
"That was pathetic. Even for you." Snickered the Kyubi, hearing Naruto's response.
Deciding not to indulge his friend in further humiliating him, he kept quiet and walked towards the park. A few minutes of walk later, he arrived at the park and found it to be empty, much to his dismay. In two years of knowing her, he still did not know where she lived. Thinking of that itself made him feel somewhat stupid. He was about to leave when he saw two people sitting on the sandbox on the far left and talking to each other.
He went a bit closer and smiled on seeing it was Sakura with another girl sitting opposite to her. He was startled that it was the same girl he saw the previous evening.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said loudly, gaining the two girls attention.
Sakura turned towards the voice and was surprised to see that it was Naruto. Her cheeks reddened a bit, but went back to their original shade immediately. It had been a few months since she had last seen Naruto. She got up from her spot and stepped outside of the sandbox.
"Naruto-kun. What are you doing here?" Sakura asked gently. Naruto stopped in front of her and was amazed at how much she had changed in the past few months. Her pink hair was now longer, which reached up to her mid-waist and had a dark pink colored ribbon on her forehead. She wore a red colored t-shirt along with a black skirt having polka dots design carved on them.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. A trait which he seemed to do a lot in front of her.
"Ah well… You know. My tou-chan is busy today and I don't have anyone to spend time with or talk to. I thought I might come visit you. It's been a while since we met, you know." Naruto said.
Sakura was about to reply when she realized she wasn't alone here. She turned back and motioned for her friend to come over. Again, Naruto couldn't help but be mesmerized by her eyes. To him, it looked even prettier under the moonlight.
"Naruto-kun, this is my best friend Hinata Hyuuga. We met few months back in this same park. She usually comes here with her mother." She said.
After few seconds had passed, Naruto snapped out of his trance and put his hand forward as a sign of friendship and said "I'm Naruto Namikaze. Pleased to meet you."
The Hyuuga Clan is among the oldest Clans in Konohagakure No Sato. Even though it was the Senju Clan who had offered them to become part of the village, they went along moderately well with the Uchiha. The Hyuuga and Uchiha are the only clans in Konoha who have doujutsu based Kekkei Genkai. While the sharingan allowed the user to see chakra, giving it color in order to distinguish it by its composition and source, the Byakugan allows the user to see the chakra pathways, the tenketsu points as well as providing a near 360º field of vision.
Hinata herself did not have many friends. Being part of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan demanded her to hold a certain air of nobility around herself. She was rarely allowed to go out and there were only few occasions when her mother took her out to the park for a walk. After her sister, Hanabi was born two years earlier, her parents had become extremely busy in taking care of the little baby. Although, they never secluded Hinata and loved her immensely, Hinata often felt alone due to the lack of friends. She had been trained in the arts of the Hyuuga Clan taijutsu katas since the age of five. Hiashi couldn't have been any prouder, seeing his first born having such aptitude for the Juken. Many within the clan described Hinata to have both Hiashi's and Hitomi's features- Hiashi's talent in taijutsu and her mother Hitomi's kind and gentle nature. Her training in the shinobi field and her status as the clan heiress often got in her way of making friends. That led to her being rather quiet when meeting new people.
She knew who Naruto was. Who in the village didn't know of him? Naruto Namikaze, son of Yondaime Hokage, the greatest Hokage, Konoha has ever seen and the grandson of Madara Uchiha, the greatest traitor in the history of Konoha. Her father had told her about the Namikaze Clan when she was made to study politics. Because of the Yondaime's actions in the Third Shinobi War and his great help during the Kyubi attack almost eight years ago, the Namikaze Clan had also gained a royalty status within the village.
Thus, she was surprised by his offer of friendship. She remembered seeing him last night in the market place and wanted to talk to him, but never got around to it. She stared into his eyes and saw the same warmth and kindness she remembered from last night and it made her feel…. safe.
Holding his hand gently, she replied with a kind smile "Hello Naruto-kun. I'm Hinata. It's very nice to meet you."
Sakura who was watching the interaction from the side, was looking them with amusement. She knew both Hinata and Naruto belonged to major Clans of the village and did not have many friends. She felt glad to have introduced these two.
She softly nudged them both on the side.
"Well, are you two going to be holding each other's hands all night? Let's go sit somewhere!" Sakura said and giggled when both took their hands back and blushed a little.
On second thought, it might be more fun teasing them.
"Hai, Sakura-chan." Naruto said with a smile, which made the pink haired girl to smile faintly. Sakura didn't know why she smiled so much around him. She guessed it was probably because he was her first friend in this village.
The three went to the sandbox, where Hinata and Sakura were previously sitting, and sat there comfortably. Naruto felt slightly uncomfortable doing things which kids his age normally do, which was not missed by Hinata.
Looking at the two, Sakura felt slightly down thinking that while most of the students in the class would belong to major clans of Konoha, she was a civilian based aspiring Kunoichi. It was a fact that most of the children belonging to Clans were given specialized training of some sort before they are made to enter the academy. Although Sakura's parents were ninja, they were only active chunin during the Third Shinobi World War and had retired after that. She knew while she was smart, she did not have any experience in hand to hand combat.
"Are you joining the academy Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.
"Uh-Huh. I will be joining this September. My parents told me that several other clan heirs and heiress' will be joining." Replied Sakura. However, both Naruto and Hinata could see that she looked somewhat troubled.
"Sakura-chan, you seem a bit upset. Has anything happened?" Hinata asked as she rested her hand on shoulder. Naruto smiled at seeing the look of genuine concern on Hinata's face.
"N... no. It's nothing." Sakura said as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Hinata immediately engulfed her in a hug and ran her hand on her back soothingly.
Jiraiya had once told Naruto that he was probably the foremost sensor in the shinobi world now. Combined with his senjutsu abilities, Naruto could exactly feel one's emotions in their heart. It was an extremely significant compliment made by someone who had witnessed the Nidaime Hokage in battle.
Closing his eyes momentarily, Naruto focused his senses on the pink haired girl and allowed the waves of emotions to enter his mind.
Insecurity… Timidity… Approval of friends…
Naruto understood the reasons behind her troubles. The girl did not believe in herself. She considered herself less important compared to others and did not think she could reach out to her dreams.
He opened his eyes and frowned seeing her sad. He never liked seeing anyone close to him upset. He too rested his hand on her other shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You will be a great Kunoichi one day, Sakura-chan. I believe in you." Naruto said with a kind smile.
Sakura's eyes widened on hearing Naruto's words. No one, apart from her parents and Hinata, had ever told that they believed in her. She shut her eyes and thanked the gods for giving her such caring and understanding friends. She saw Naruto gesturing her to come towards him with his left hand. As she moved closer to him, Naruto poked her on the forehead lightly and laughed when he saw her pout.
"Why do you always do that Naruto-kun?" asked Sakura as she rubbed the spot.
"Because it's fun Sakura-chan." He said simply.
It wasn't anything paramount, neither was it said in a striking manner. Just the fact that he understood her and made her laugh was enough for her. Sakura wiped the tears off her face with her hands and sat down beside Hinata. She looked at her only two friends and smiled inwardly.
'I hope everything always stays like this…'
Hinata who had now broken the hug from Sakura, sat in her place neatly. She saw the interaction between the two and wondered if she'll be ever close to anyone that way.
"Hinata-chan, you too will be joining academy, won't you? It would be fun if all of us are together. Meeting different people and making new friends. Won't it?" Sakura asked cheerfully. Naruto and Hinata wondered how she had a complete change in behavior in a split second, but gave no further thoughts to it.
"Hai! I will be joining the shinobi academy this summer. My tou-san's been training me in our family taijutsu and making me do some physical exercises to better prepare me for the shinobi world." Hinata said politely.
Before anyone of them could continue their conversations, Naruto heard multiple shuriken coming towards them from their left and right side at a fast pace. Reacting quickly, he yelled at Hinata and Sakura to jump back immediately and he, himself, jumped a few meters back. Not even a few seconds later, the sandbox where they were previously sitting was bombarded with at least eighteen or twenty shuriken from both directions. There was dust everywhere in the area, which blinded Naruto, Sakura and Hinata momentarily.
As the dust started to clear in the next few seconds, two people jumped out of the ground from behind Sakura and Hinata and grabbed them by their hands and tied them with ninja wire. The two girls gave out a loud shout. But before they could scream any longer, their mouths were stuffed with cloth.
Upon hearing the shout, Naruto immediately turned to look towards Sakura and froze on his spot. There were two identical shinobi behind each of them, holding a kunai to their throats. He looked to his left and right and saw two more shinobi standing there, with their hands resting on their kunai pouch. He sensed another shinobi behind himself and cursed himself for not being able to sense any of them earlier.
A small black mouse under a nearby tree turned to ink and splattered over the ground, sending the necessary information to the caster of the jutsu.
"Don't even think about moving from your position, Namikaze" Naruto heard the voice coming from behind. He slowly and carefully turned behind to look at the person speaking. The shinobi was wearing a black cloak. It was quite dark and it made it hard for Naruto to see his face clearly. However, the shinobi looked rather tall and had a Iwagakure headband.
'Judging from their chakra, they are probably Jounin level and those holding Sakura and Hinata are mostly Doton Bunshins seeing as they emerged from the ground and their low chakra reserves.' Naruto thought as his mind thought of a way to get out of this situation.
'Why would Iwagakure shinobi come... Tou-chan.' Naruto realized.
Schooling his features vaguely, he asked the shinobi "What do you want with me?"
"Oh, you know. A lot of people were killed by your dear father during the Third Shinobi War. It would only be fair if his only child was killed by an Iwagakure shinobi. Both Minato Namikaze and Madara Uchiha had killed a lot of our shinobi in the past. There are a lot of people in our village who would readily give anything to see you dead. Killing you would be justice." Said the man with a twisted smile on his face, as he took out two kunai out from his pouch. He then sunshined in front of his Doton Bunshins who were holding Hinata and Sakura in place.
Naruto's heart faltered when he gazed into Hinata's and Sakura's eyes.
Fear… Apprehension… Dread…
So many emotions pouring out of them in abundance. He himself was a little alarmed. But he knew, one wrong move on his side and the two girls would be dead.
'I can't let them…die' Naruto trembled a little at that thought. He couldn't let that happen. Sakura was the only other kid his age he was close friends with. He couldn't lose her. And Hinata…He may not have known Hinata for very long, but Naruto knew the girl had a gentle and kind soul. He didn't know why, but she felt different from the other people he has ever met. Even though they only talked for a little while, he considered her a friend. She did not deserve to die. Not because of him. Not because of some foolish man's crusade to get revenge.
"But if revenge is as you call justice, then that justice breeds yet more revenge, and in the long run it becomes a chain of hatred. Even if you somehow kill me tonight, all it's going to start is another war between our villages." Naruto argued.
Naruto looked back at Hinata and Sakura, and saw them panic as the Iwa shinobi stepped right in front of them.
"Do not hurt them." Naruto asked.
"Is this your first time seeing someone close to you on the verge of death, child?" asked the same shinobi again, as he turned to face the blond boy.
"…" Naruto just averted his eyes and stared at the ground as he clenched his fists.
"Why…? Why are you doing this? What will you gain by killing them?" He asked again. His violet eyes stared into the shinobi's eyes to search for any meaning behind his actions. But all he found was emptiness, anger and hatred.
He could hear the muffled screams from Hinata and Sakura. Yet, he couldn't do anything to help them. Sakura and Hinata kept struggling to free themselves from the holds of the ninja wire. But every time they tried, the wire around their hands would get tightened.
The leader of the team looked at the young Namikaze's eyes and saw a hint of desperation. It reminded him of the time when he saw his parent's and friend's lifeless bodies for the first time. The desperation that makes one cling to the hope that the reality will change any minute. It never did for him and he would make sure that the Namikaze suffered the same fate.
"I see. My name is Ittan. My father was a mere chunin in our village. I will honestly say, he was an average shinobi. But he always took care of me. Gave me everything I needed. My mother was an academy teacher. She… she was a great woman. But do you know what happened to them? Do you know how they died?" asked Ittan softly as he looked up at the dark sky.
"…" Naruto shut his eyes as he couldn't bear to look at Ittan anymore. He had a feeling as to what he was going to say. But he did not want to hear it.
"THEY WERE KILLED BY YOUR BASTARD FATHER, THE KIIROI SENKO." Yelled Ittan.
"THEY WERE BUTCHERED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OF THEIR FRIENDS. SEVERAL OF MY FRIENDS WHO WERE SENT TO THE FRONT LINES. THOUSANDS OF OUR SHINOBI WERE KILLED BY HIM."
Again, Naruto didn't have a reply to that. He knew Konohagakure had mainly won the Third Shinobi War because of Iwagakure's defeat against his father. But he never told him in details what he did to make their village come out victorious. Naruto understood now why he did not or rather could not. What type of father would he be? Tell his only child that he butchered thousands of Iwagakure shinobi for the sake of his village? Because of his orders from superiors? Because that was the only way to make the rock shinobi back out from the war?
"So many parents lost their children, men lost their brothers, their sisters, their friends. That day still haunts everyone in our village. Your father shall go through the same pain as them."
"After I'm done killing you, I think I might take the Hyuuga girl back to our village. A pair of Byakugan would be invaluable indeed, and may be of use later on..." Said Ittan sickly, as he traced his index finger along Hinata's neck. Hinata had tears falling from her eyes upon being touched like that. She didn't know what to do. She felt so afraid. Helpless. Even though she had been trained in the shinobi arts, no amount of training could ever prepare a young girl for what the Iwa shinobi was suggesting. She cried in her mind for someone, for anyone to come and help her. Sadly, no one did. Hearing the man talk about killing Naruto followed by Sakura, terrified her. Sakura's body started to tremble badly seeing what the guy was doing to Hinata.
"And once I take your head back to Tsuchikage-sama, you can be sure Konoha's days will be numbered too. The Kiiroi Senko will certainly die by the hands of Tsuchikage-sama." Ittan said coldly.
With each word the Iwa shinobi spoke, Naruto clenched his fists tighter and his detest towards him intensified.
"You asked me what I will gain by killing these girls, did you not? You are a naïve little child, Naruto. You still haven't witnessed the horrors of the shinobi world. We shinobi are killers. If you do not know the same pain as another, you can never truly understand them." Ittan said as he now pressed his kunai a little deeper into Hinata's neck drawing a little blood. Hinata cried in pain as she saw her blood dripping.
"Do you hate me now?" he asked impassively staring at the blond with his arms folded over his chest. This time there was no abhorrence in his voice. A mere question asked for the sake of his satisfaction.
"Many of Konoha shinobi were also killed during the last Shinobi World War by Iwa. Whatever my father did was to protect the village and those he loved. Whatever any Konoha shinobi did during the war was to protect those they love against the enemy. Konoha is not a village made of buildings. Love, Peace, Camaraderie and most of all the Will of Fire that is present in each of us Konoha citizens, these are the very essence of Konoha." Naruto said with closed eyes as he could feel how calm the village was at this very moment. Despite of his current predicament, he always felt a sense of relief knowing his family, his village is safe.
"Ignorant child. There can never be true peace in this cursed ninja world. True peace is nothing but an illusion." Ittan spat out.
The two shinobis standing on either sides of Naruto looked at Ittan warily. They were aware of how devastated he was when he heard the news of his parents and friend's deaths. Even they were saddened on hearing the news. But they never showed such animosity openly, not against innocent children at least. But looking at the blond Namikaze, they did not feel a hint of remorse for what they set out to do. Minato Namikaze and Madara Uchiha were both hated in the Rock Village. For they knew, both had forsaken their humanity and butchered thousands of people of their village. And knowing that the boy before them was their descendant, made him a threat in their eyes.
"There is no point in over thinking anything young Namikaze. Come with us without too much of trouble and we just might let the pink haired girl go." He said somewhat smugly.
So many different thoughts were racing through Naruto's mind as he looked down at the ground.
Why is there so much hatred in the shinobi world?
Can there ever be true peace?
Can shinobi from different villages ever learn to trust one another?
Will the endless killing in the shinobi world ever stop?
"What will it be Namikaze? I don't have all night. Ten seconds, otherwise the pink one dies here." To prove his point, Ittan pointed his kunai straight at Sakura's jugular vein.
Naruto's face portrayed no emotions as his mind became clouded by those views. His eyes hardened as he resolved himself. He couldn't… no, he can't lose his father. He loved him the most. H…He was his world after all. He looked at Sakura and Hinata briefly and knew, he couldn't lose them either. They were his friends. His only friends… He would do what was needed to protect those he cared about. He could feel his chakra flowing into his eyes and at that moment his eyes glowed red.
Ittan saw the kid move his head up slowly and looked at him straight in the eyes, which made him take a step backward involuntarily. He composed himself right after. Staring into those eyes, Ittan realized he had never seen such cold eyes in one so young before.
The Sharingan…
The eye that reflects the heart
It is said that when a wielder of the sharingan Kekkei Genkai experiences powerful emotions regarding a person precious to them, their brain releases a special form of chakra that affects the optic nerves, transforming the eyes into Sharingan.
Ittan felt as if his entire soul was being judged under the gaze of those red eyes.
He could see the love he had for his family. The love he had for his village. Staring into those eyes, he understood one fact. Naruto's love for Konoha is far greater than his hatred for the Leaf.
The two shinobi took a step forward and readied their kunai in their hands.
"I know what you're thinking Naruto… I won't stop you either. I will be there in case you need any help." Kurama said seriously.
'I won't let them or anyone lay a finger on my family.' Naruto thought. He took a deep breath and composed himself for what he knew would be inevitable.
"Let…. Them…. Go. Otherwise, I will… kill. You. ALL." Naruto whispered and could feel his chakra riling up.
Hinata and Sakura looked at Naruto with wide eyes, for they had heard what he whispered.
"What was that?" Ittan asked bitterly.
Ittan looked at his two team members from the corner of his eyes and gave them the signal to move towards the blond.
"I SAID… LET THEM GO!" Naruto yelled as he punched the ground with his right hand which was coated with large amounts of chakra. Several cracks started to develop on the ground and travelled outwards from where Naruto's fist connected.
However, before the three shinobi could reach Naruto, the entire training ground shook violently, forming a large crater. Several large and small pieces of rocks were sent flying in different directions and as a result there was a cloud of dust covering the area. The three Iwa shinobi lost their footing on the ground and were thrown backwards due to the impact. The Doton Bunshins that were holding Sakura and Hinata were immediately crumbled to dust as several of the rocks crashed into them from random directions. Sakura was already unconscious by this point due the large amounts of chakra that was pouring out of Naruto.
Hinata was able to hold out for a little longer, but eventually succumbed too. Before she did, she looked back at Naruto one last time and whispered. "Naruto..."
Naruto, who was crouched down, quickly found out Sakura and Hinata's position through his sensory abilities. He made a single hand seal and formed a Kage Bunshin. The Kage bunshin immediately shunshined to their location and got them out of the area promptly, heading straight towards the Hokage Tower.
As the dust started to clear, the three Iwa shinobi could be seen standing on the far edges of the training ground. Blood was dripping from several places on their body. It was a clear indication that they were smashed by several of the rocks that were sent flying around. The three glared at the boy standing before them in pure hatred and couldn't comprehend the fact about how a boy so young had such monstrous strength. They knew their mission was compromised now and proper protocol indicated to abandon the mission.
However, hate is an extremely compelling emotion. Makes one do things their rational mind wouldn't normally do.
The three shinobi took out their kunai and readied themselves. They slowly walked ahead, step by step and soon enough, they were running towards the blond.
Naruto stood in the middle of the destroyed ground. The cold gust of wind hitting his face under the moonlight as a few golden-brown locks of his hair that fell over his right eye moved with the rhythmic movement of the wind. His two tomoe sharingan glowed brightly in the dark. He saw the Iwa shinobi running towards him with kunai placed in their hands. To any normal shinobi, they would be blurs. But his eyes could track their every movement. He picked up a kunai that was lying beside him on the ground and readied himself for what he was about to do.
"If you don't' want to, you don't have to do it Naruto. I'm sure Minato would have felt your chakra by now." Even Kurama felt a little sympathetic towards the blond. Naruto's love for those he considered family was far too great. The boy reminded Kurama a lot of Indra. Both loved their families deeply. Both wanted nothing more than to live peacefully with their loved ones. But this cursed world had changed Indra. The hatred in this world molded the hatred and the darkness in Indra. He would be damned if he let the same fate consume Naruto.
"This is something I must do Kurama. It's true this shinobi world is pinned to a never ending cycle of hatred. It's also true people cannot truly understand each other if they don't understand each other's pain. But if there's darkness in this world, then there's also light. One cannot exist without the other." Naruto whispered, more to himself rather than to Kurama.
Not even a second later, the three Iwa shinobi jumped towards Naruto. Two from the left and one straight ahead of him. Naruto ducked under Ittan's punch swiftly and rolled to his right. Getting up quickly he gave a powerful punch to the man on his ribs. Ittan went crashing to the side and fell unconscious as the sickening sound of his ribs cracking could be heard. However, Naruto made sure not to kill him immediately.
His eyes then landed on the other two shinobi who were now looking at the young blond cautiously. Reacting quickly, Naruto back flipped from his position to avoid a kick that was aimed at his thigh by the second shinobi. Naruto's sharingan quickly picked up the third shinobi jumping in the air and throwing his kunai coated with chakra straight at Naruto's heart with flawless accuracy. Gripping his kunai firmly, Naruto deflected the one that was aimed at his heart. Just as Naruto was about to jump at the third shinobi, he ducked under several shuriken that were thrown at him. Maneuvering around the shuriken with practiced ease, Naruto coated his kunai with Futon chakra. Keeping the location of the third shinobi in his mind, who was to his right now, Naruto threw the chakra coated kunai straight towards the second shinobi. Due to the dark, it was slightly difficult for the Iwa shinobi to see around themselves. Before the second shinobi knew what had happened, a kunai passed straight through his head, killing him instantly. As his lifeless body fell on the ground with a resounding thud, the third one immediately stopped in his tracks. He looked to his right and to his horror, his friend was lying there with a hole in his head.
Overcome with anger, he ran towards the boy. Naruto somberly looked at the shinobi who was running straight at him. He slowly touched his cheek and found a few tears to be rolling down. He didn't even know when he had started crying. As the shinobi was mere inches away from him, Naruto swatted away his sloppy attempt to thrust the kunai with his right hand. Sidestepping him quickly, Naruto made a single hand seal.
Behind Naruto, the water in the atmosphere condensed, forming several needle like water bullets. As the shinobi turned to face Naruto, his eyes widened at his imminent death.
"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu (Water release: Water bullet technique)" whispered Naruto as he simply pointed his finger towards the terrified shinobi.
A painful scream was made by the man, his eyes becoming wide as saucers before closing for the last time as he too fell dead on the ground as the water bullets tore through his body in various places, splattering his blood everywhere. The last thing the Iwa shinobi saw was the remorse in the glowing sharingan eyes. A few splashes of blood fell on Naruto, but either he didn't notice them or was too shocked at what he had done.
Naruto slumped down on the ground as he sobbed looking at what he had done. Not even a few minutes later, three people landed near the clearing and their eyes widened at the scene in front of them. Two shinobi lying dead on the ground. One with a hole through his head and another with various holes in several parts of his body with water around him, indicating the usage of Suiton jutsu. They looked around carefully and found the third shinobi lying there unconscious.
Their eyes then moved to the form the young boy who was sobbing silently with his eyes closed. The blood dripping from his face and onto the ground, forming a small puddle. Naruto did not even notice when someone laid a hand on his left shoulder gently, and brought him into a tight embrace.
"Shhh… It's alright Naru… Don't worry. I'm here now."
So, thats a wrap for this chapter. I will probably update it either by March 12th or before that.
Next chapter will feature Naruto starting off at the academy. What happens between Minato and Naruto will be shown in a flashback either in next chapter or at an appropriate time later on. Sasuke somewhat will have the same character as canon. He will be jealous of Naruto, as he will remind Sasuke of Itachi. Their relationship will be shown too in the coming chapters. Also, Naruto's sharingan will be special.
Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story. The reviews will be greatly appreciated. Do send me a PM if you had like to suggest me anything regarding the story and I will be glad to discuss it with you.
Until next time!