The Uzumaki Mask Temple: A relic with untold treasures, masks of unrivaled power and mysteries. Some of the masks were creepy-looking, others questionable, but they were all dangerous. Anyone who knew Uzumaki sealing techniques would understand the dangers, and yet this temple sat unprotected on the outskirts of Konoha. It was careless, a complete dereliction of duty. The Uzumaki had entrusted this to Konoha, and yet they didn't even take good care of it.
It wasn't worth getting worked up over, and yet the man beside Naruto was seething. He balled his fists in anger, so much that he was even drawing blood. It was like watching a balloon filling up dangerously, and you just knew it was going to explode at any moment. Yet the man didn't explode; he just deflated as if all the air had been sucked out at once.
"These are treasures, and yet they sit here unprotected. Do those people not even know how dangerous some of these masks are?" Sato exclaimed.
Naruto shrugged and glanced at the mask of the Shinigami, among others. There was one so ugly it could be used to frighten children. It would be truly nerve-wracking and quite memorable if an Anbu wore one. If life were simple, maybe he could simply wear one of those as an Anbu if he joined. But he had little control over anything; he was sure he would never even join Anbu.
"The Uzumaki have always known, and yet we just let it be here. Getting angry over it is being overly dramatic," Naruto replied nonchalantly. But he would admit, the masks were dangerous in the "right" hands.
He walked over and picked up the Shinigami mask, along with two others that interested him. He would keep the former and release the others in the near future. It was truly a pity that Konoha possessed untold things they didn't know about. His father might not have even died if he had the complete knowledge. But still, for a non-Uzumaki, his father had been a true genius. The modified work on his belly was truly a work of art. Even the senior Uzumaki, who frightened him, were impressed by the Yondaime Hokage. If the man were still alive, they might have even adopted him.
Sato glanced at Naruto with a cold look. The young Uzumaki just smiled. Sometimes, he'd hold up his hands, grinning foolishly. He was a frustrating brat. Quite unlike his mother when she was younger. Yet, he had a different side of him that Sato quite liked. How he wished he was serious all the time, that way, he wouldn't feel like strangling him to death.
Really, getting mad at someone who'd just brush it off was quite annoying.
"Give smart responses like that, and I will show you hell."
"What is with everyone and the knack for violence? A little bit of an annoyance and you hit someone!" Naruto exclaimed. How many times has he had his head smacked, or faced punched by a violent Uzumaki? Really, his village may as well be filled with demonic beasts. They were warm people, but flip them off, and they became thugs.
How had his father even managed being married to an Uzumaki woman? Naruto cried just thinking about the torment, being glared over by a menacing crimson beast, with all the power to tear every limb of your body apart, or even seal you off to a little pocket dimension called purgatory.
How glad he was that he was no longer in the company of his clans' people. It was tiring, dealing with people who were exactly like him. He was still surprised they didn't unintentionally kill each other! The curious thing was that nobody even held a grudge over any beatings! It was all for spots.
Sato snorted. "Says a savage brat," he rolled his eyes.
"It's not me… it's the Kyubi."
Sato cackled. "Yeah, right," he said sarcastically.
"See these whisker masks? This is the Kyubi! It affected my appearance, and you think it didn't affect my personality?!"
'Don't blame me for being a twisted brat!' Kurama shouted from inside of Naruto. 'And I thought your mother was worse. Mito wasn't like this. There is something wrong with all of you Uzumaki.'
Naruto was seven years old when the Kyubi introduced itself, a gigantic nine-tailed fox living inside his little body. Even the Bijuu's pinky toe was almost four times his size at the time. And he later learned that wasn't even the Bijuu's real size. How something like that was stuffed inside his infant body was curious. The mechanisms of Fuinjutsu were baffling. He had gotten along with the big beast. Well, if you asked it, he wanted nothing more than to smother him in his sleep and be free. But it could never do so surrounded by humans who could seal it again in a crueler place.
Naruto had been certain he heard the Kyubi whistling happily as they went past the whirlpools that surrounded Uzushio.
'Shut it, Foxy.'
'I'm the Kyubi, a beast with enough power to-!'
'Yes… I know all that, but you're sealed inside a 13-year-old right now,' Naruto interrupted the Bijuu.
"Save that for someone who cares," Sato said with indifference. "Have you taken the necessary things?"
"Yes."
"Keep it safe until the right time." Sato said in a stern tone. "I'll take everything here back to the clan. It's not like it is doing anything here. And those people wear our crest, yet, don't even care about us," he said with contempt.
The Kyubi claimed to be hatred incarnate. It wouldn't even complain if Naruto called it 'Hatred.' It would only be annoyed it if he called it 'haty.' But Sato was a hateful kind of person. If someone said he was a vengeful spirit of one of the many Uzumaki slaughtered by a coalition of Hidden Nations, Naruto would agree, but still freaked out at the same time.
"Sure," Naruto said, and then sighed, his expression falling into a blank look for a moment as Sato emptied the temple.
"Let us go meet your new home."
Uzushio, a near ruin of a village. Trampled upon by people afraid of them. Naruto hadn't been born there, but in the Leaf. On a fateful night both his parents met their demise against an unknown assailant. But, Uzushio as the only home he knew. They were his people. Everyone from his mother's side was murdered of course. And even in Konoha, everyone related to his father was murdered. There were no aunts, no cousins, and no uncles.
An orphan.
The shinobi loved them. It produced them in a heap. There was nothing special about him. The fact that he had no mother or father was no novel story. There were other miserable people like him. Even more lonely people like him. Luckily for him, he was born into a clan. They'd loved him, cared for him, and always made him feel like one of them, despite being a blonde and holding the Kyubi inside of him.
Two years ago, the Hidden Leaf sent a letter, he was to be returned to the Leaf. Konoha claimed him. The only reason they'd allowed him to leave was because the Sandaime Hokage didn't want him to suffer the fate suffered by Jinchuriki. Of course, the only special about him was the Kyubi. If he didn't have the Kyubi inside of him, the Sandaime Hokage wouldn't have insisted on his return. That he was the surviving child of the Yondaime Hokage didn't mean anything. The only thing that mattered was the power inside of him.
Naruto sighed deeply. "Why must my life be like this?"
"Curse Iwagakure, Kumogakure and Kirigakure."
"I curse the bastard who attacked Konoha when I was born. I could have had a beautiful childhood. Showered with love by my mother, and riding off the fame of my father." Naruto said in a thoughtful tone. "I could have been beautiful. I'd been the Crimson Flash, and he, the Yellow Flash. Father and son terrorizing enemies in battlefields… ah, beautiful…"
"You're still thirteen. You can still become the Crimson Flash." Sato pointed out to Naruto.
"I feel older."
"I'm not going to give you any sympathies."
"You're much colder than the Kyubi."
"I'll take it as a compliment."
"I wish you didn't. I meant it as an insult."
Sato shrugged. "And I doubt you'd be ganging up on anyone as the perfect duo with Minato. If he saw you in battle, he'd be disgusted to even call you his son."
Naruto laughed. "Parents love their children unconditionally."
"Says a child." Sato said with a shake of his head. "I raised you, changed your diapers. And I don't like you."
Naruto grinned. "Sure, you don't," he said with a roll of his eyes.
The gates were as gigantic as advertised. Naruto's felt insignificant staring at the large gates of the Leaf. As he stepped in, he realized, the Leaf was truly a huge village. He could feel the thousands inside the wooden walls. The thousands of civilians and shinobi population. It was overwhelming. He'd never seen so many people in one place. Uzushio was a village of about a hundred people, about 25 percent of them old people who were only alive because they were Uzumaki.
The invasion had caused catastrophic damage, not only on their land, but the very existence of their people. They could have all been destroyed. The numbers were even made up of those who had been living outside of Uzu and returned once they heard of the destruction and started the process of rebuilding.
Konoha was the largest and most powerful of all the Hidden Villages, and yet, Uzushio was destroyed under their watch. It did nothing. It wasn't doing anything. Yet, they called themselves friends of the Uzumaki. Perhaps that died with Mito and Hashirama. Then again, as he has been taught, everyone was self-serving. Konoha wasn't going to go into a war it wouldn't win. If sacrificing Uzushio ensured its survival, then it could only take the logical choice.
"Don't make a fool out of yourself." Sato warned in a stern tone.
"What?"
"You're going to be drooling soon. Is it that interesting seeing this many people?"
"Yes."
"Grow up."
"Those are not magic words." Naruto said, deadpanned.
Sato sighed, and suppressed the edge to smack Naruto. He'd come here a couple of times. The last time he came to prepare a place for Naruto to stay. The Sandaime Hokage was smiling and chatting happily. Nothing about the old man was fake. He was just an honest person, and yet, that frustrated him. A part of him wished the Third was a corrupted scum like Danzo. That way, it would be simple hating him.
"They do not know me, do they?"
"You can announce yourself, if you want." Sato suggested, smiling a bit.
Naruto laughed. "Sato-san, you're cruel. You should blame yourself for some of my flaws. I take after you."
He'd been told, Jinchuriki were hated everywhere. It was some irrational fear. But maybe not in Konoha's sense. A lot died when the Kyubi went on a rampage, set loose by a man with an agenda. A lot were left without their loved ones. Many became orphan's just as him on that night. The villagers have been hating the memory of the Kyubi. And now that the Bijuu's host had turned up in the flesh, they would turn their eyes on him. For now, they looked at him with indifference. They didn't know him. But once they did, it would change.
A cursed fate.
But he had to embrace it. However, he wanted to enjoy just being Naruto, for a little longer. This was a new village. He'd have to make friends. Enjoy the little things he didn't enjoy in Uzushio. He couldn't do that when the whole village was hating him.
Sato ignored Naruto's words. "They know nothing. It's better that way. Do you want to be known as the Yondaime's son or as Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Either way works. I become famous, don't I?"
"Have some shame."
Naruto shrugged. "If they know me as the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, they hate me? I don't work for that. If it works that way, I won't mind hogging the fame of being the only child of Konoha's greatest Hokage. It would be nice if he was the most powerful." He lamented with a slight shake of his head.
How Sato hated it when Naruto made sense over such things, even if it was a little twisted. "Regardless, the only fame that is worthwhile and what you should be proud of is one you have worked for. You've trained hard. You can become famous on your own right." He said with confidence.
"You say I trained hard like a had a choice." Sato glared at him, but Naruto continued blissfully. "If I wasn't Uzumaki, my body would be scarred all over as if I've fought all Three Wars. When I meet mother in the afterlife, I'm going to tell her. And I know she will tear your soul apart."
"Ungrateful." Sato spat.
"Oh, something that scares you."
"Your mother was chosen to become a Jinchuriki because she had the most powerful chakra at her age."
"And I'm her son. Truly my mother's son." Naruto said proudly.
And a Jinchuriki. Naruto was Uzumaki, but he had some ridiculous chakra levels. Then again, the other Uzumaki was a cripple, and even had had a sea sized pool that it didn't make any sense. And both of these people were not even full blooded Uzumaki. And people thought the Senju were special. Then again, it didn't take an invasion of Three-Great Nations for the Senju name to stop existing. The only other Senju living was just as Uzumaki as she was Senju.
"The world is really unfair," Sato said bitterly. "The Sandaime Hokage became powerful enough to be called a God of shinobi. Yet, he is filled with naivety. Same as the Shodai Hokage. Minato took the Nidaime's jutsu to new levels. He'd probably be the most powerful shinobi alive. And yet, his life was cut short. He had the intelligence, and coldness to do what needed to be done. But even he was limited because he didn't have the same chakra levels as you." He then glared at Naruto. "And then there is you."
Naruto chuckled. "You must be the only sensei who is envious of their student. Shouldn't you be proud I learned the things you taught me?"
"I had to force you."
"But I learned."
And that was the disturbing part. Naruto's eyes picked on things very quickly. He'd learned to manipulate chakra to extreme lengths even the wizards were amazed. The worst part was that he'd never actually given it a hundred percent. And some kids struggled day and night, but could never reach the heights because they didn't have the intelligence and chakra pools.
"We're all proud."
"Hmm… well, I must live up to the names of my parents. I'd question if I was really their child if I was an idiot."
Sato just shook his head and looked ahead.
By some conventional wisdom, the Kage always resided in the tallest building: easy targets, at least for aerial attacks and long-distance attacks. It wasn't like they could move the building even if they saw a powerful attack, such as a Bijuudama.
Naruto halted his train of thought. Uzushio's destruction had seen the villagers become obsessed with strategies. He had been trained to think strategically in brutal ways; Naruto thought it was borderline child abuse. He liked to rebel against his training by charging headfirst into battle. If he got stabbed, he could simply heal.
How would one go about destroying the level then? Aerial attacks would not be defended. Then the first act was to launch simultaneous attacks on the Hospital, Kage Tower, the Academy, and any known bunkers. In the chaos, the real attack would then begin. With the Kyubi, he'd make sure Jiraiya and the Sandaime were occupied—they were the only ones likely to do something about it.
Tactics in a tight battle like that were fun. But, in an easy battle, not so much.
They reached and entered the Kage Tower while Naruto was in his thoughts.
"Come in," the voice was aged, yet sounded very powerful. Not even the old wizards in the clan who survived the destruction spoke in a tone with so much hidden power.
Hiruzen looked up as the door creaked open. A redhead and a blond, both Uzumaki. He smiled and forgot about the load on his desk.
Finally, Minato's son had returned to his home. It had been a careful decision, but one he was sure would save him from castration from Kushina. He had been more than happy to allow Naruto to leave so that he could enjoy a childhood without hate and loneliness.
Looking at him, those clear blue eyes filled with mystery and mischief, he thought he had made the right decision. The young boy wore a crimson long-sleeved t-shirt with the Uzumaki crest on both sleeves around the shoulders. His hair, long, looking uncut and unruly. An Uzumaki headband adorned his forehead. He wore dark shinobi pants with dark shinobi boots.
Hiruzen nodded in approval of his build. It was evident he had been trained physically. Then again, as an Uzumaki and Jinchuriki, he could take just about anything.
"Sandaime-sama," Sato greeted with respect.
"Eh," Naruto looked surprised. "You can talk like that?" Sato didn't respect the elders of the clan. Not once had he ever seen him bow. They no longer even complained.
Sato cleared his throat while the Sandaime looked amused. "I'm sure you remember him well," Sato said, pointing at Naruto. "Introduce yourself properly," he added in a stern tone.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto held up his right hand. "Son of Kushina and Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Fourth Hokage."
There was casualness, yet pride in being Minato and Kushina's son. Hiruzen didn't have to worry about Naruto hating his father for making him a Jinchuriki. Then again, he probably never suffered. It reinforced that he indeed made the correct decision in allowing for Naruto to be taken away, to enjoy a normal childhood among people who'd show him love.
"It's good to see you again, Naruto-kun. Last time I saw you, you were just a couple of days old," the old man said in a happy tone, filled with warmth.
"Well, I can't be hard to miss, with the whisker marks," Naruto said with a grin. "If I didn't have them, people would look at me and think, 'doesn't he look like the Yondaime?' Someone would add, 'now that you say it.' Of course, there'd be someone who adds, 'no, I don't see the resemblance.'"
The Sandaime chuckled at Naruto's narration while Sato shook his head. "His imagination runs wild."
"He is still young," the Sandaime said, still looking amused. "You know everything then, about your parents, the Kyubi, and why you had to leave."
"Yes."
"And why you had to come back?" The Uzumaki hadn't been willing to let Naruto come back, but Hiruzen couldn't let it slide. Even if he didn't want to use Naruto as a weapon, the Kyubi was important for Konoha's safety.
"Yes."
"Are you happy about it?" Hiruzen didn't hide his curiosity across his face.
"It's a new life experience. I get to make new friends, experience new things, finally get to explore the shinobi world! I never got to leave Uzu. Always surrounded by whirlpools and seawater."
Hiruzen nodded his head. "I'm happy you feel that way. It would make things difficult if you were not happy. You're Minato's son, I don't want you to be miserable in this village. Your father sacrificed his life to protect us all. We took your parents, the least we can do is care for you."
"I am in your care, then."
"You're going to become a shinobi of this village. It means you'll have to wear a Leaf headband. I've already prepared a team for you. You'll meet them tomorrow." Hiruzen said in a serious tone, yet still retaining the grandfatherly warmth.
Naruto lifted his right arm and touched his headband. He didn't particularly like the idea of removing his headband. He was a proud Uzumaki. And finally gaining the headband was an achievement. But more than anything, the headband held sentimental value. Sato may claim he changed his diapers, but Naruto knew one person who fed him and bathed him. She was the person whose headband he now wore.
"You're not happy?" Sandaime Hokage asked curiously, looking at Naruto's reaction.
Naruto smiled sadly and spoke in a quiet tone. "This is more than a headband. It holds sentimental value to me. A precious gift that I can never replace," he said. "But I understand. I am here to serve as a Konoha shinobi."
"I'm relieved," Hiruzen said earnestly. "But is sad to take away something you hold that dearly."
"I'll just keep this in a private place, where it can't be damaged."
He'd been told the Sandaime Hokage was a nice old man, a little naïve, but a good person. And it turned out they were right about his kindness. Naruto had never met any other Kage, but the leaders in the Uzumaki could be unreadable and they didn't display the same emotions as the Sandaime Hokage. He thought, life was going to be smooth if the people were like the old man. Without, doubt, they could even get along.
The old man was also a walking library. He's seen all three wars fought by shinobi. He was trained by the Shodai Hokage. The very man who founded Konoha. Still, that just meant he was really old. And he did look old. Naruto really wanted to ask just how old the Sandaime was.
"Is there anything else you want to ask of me?"
Naruto cocked his head, a hand on his chin. He'd noticed the portrait his father on the side of the office. But nothing curios. "Where is the other Uzumaki?"
"Other Uzumaki?" Hiruzen asked with confusion.
"He means Tsunade-san." Sato said. Nobody in the Uzumaki clan actually thought of her as an Uzumaki, despite having Uzumaki blood in her. But Naruto thought differently.
"Oh," the Sandaime smiled. "Tsunade is not in the village."
"Not in the village?" Naruto thought there was something deeper. If she was out on a mission, the Third would have just said so. "She is not dead, is she?"
The way he asked that caught Hiruzen off-guard. He stared at the Young Uzumaki for a few seconds before shaking his head. "No. It is a long story. I'll explain. But you'll eventually find out even if I don't say anything." There was a hint of sadness and disappointment in the Sandaime's tone. "As I said, you'll meet your team tomorrow. I'm sure you're tired after a long journey. You must want to rest."
"Eh," Naruto shrugged with nonchalance. "I'm Uzumaki. We have a lot of energy."
Hiruzen chuckled. "You're indeed Kushina's son," he said. "Then you can go and look around the village. This is your home now, and must be curious about what it is like and its people. You can do that while I speak with Sato."
Naruto glanced at Sato and then turned away. He departed the office in a jumpy jog, seemingly excited about the idea of exploring the village.
Hiruzen shook his head and then leaned against his chair. He'd been curious about the kind of child Naruto had become. Minato's son, but children hardly developed their parent's personality and skill set. The exception was that Naruto was Uzumaki, he was sure to be like his mother, in some areas.
The Uzumaki had been rather secretive about Naruto since they took him. In the first six years, they were a deathly silence. Danzo had thrown a fit, and tried to infiltrate Uzushio. There was no success. Even Jiraiya failed. Danzo had accused him to losing the Kyubi. And then, to his relief, a letter came and a way to communicate with the Uzumaki. Disappointingly, the letter didn't disclose much. His only happiness came when this man came to the village, but still didn't reveal much about Naruto.
"He seems lively."
"Too lively," Sato said with a groan. "He talks and talks. He has energy to waste. Worse, he is a little curious about things." He then smiled warmly. "But he is a good kid."
Sato had never given Naruto that smile when he was still present. It seemed, their relationship was complicated. but not in a bad way. "What of his skill set? I have assigned him to a team, without even knowing anything."
"He is not a Genin."
"I noticed." For someone as aged as him, it was hard not to. Anyone else would dismiss Naruto. His appearance didn't give off anything, but it was his aura. "You must have put him through a lot."
"He is a Jinchuriki. He has to become strong enough to challenge the future ahead of him."
As long as he came out okay, and not a cold hearted machine Danzo would have turned him into. Or maybe if he had lived here and faced the wrath and hatred of the villagers. "You still haven't said anything about his skill set."
"You'll know."
Hiruzen frowned but didn't press. Seeing it was perhaps better than being told. Kakashi would no doubt put him to a test. "Fuinjutsu?"
"It's only natural." Sato said with a shrug.
He was dismissive about the idea of Naruto not being good at Fuinjutsu. But Fuinjutsu wasn't easy. Hiruzen could use some Uzumaki seals, but he'd never created a seal. He was no seal master, even if he could use some complex seals. He had the mind to learn what he was taught. Kushina taught Minato a lot of Fuinjutsu skills. The village didn't have anyone of the same caliber anymore. Jiraiya was good, but not exceptional like Minato or Kushina.
Shinobi underestimated Fuinjutsu. But it was dangerous. it was the thing that saved Konoha when no Ninjutsu worked. It just made Hiruzen curious about what Naruto could really do. Kushina came with some seals, but not the whole catalogue of the Uzumaki. Naruto must have been trained hard on the Uzumaki ways.
"Your clan has still not opened any other channel. The only thing you respond to is about Naruto. You ignore everything else," Hiruzen said in a stern tone. "We're worried about the future."
"We just don't want to get involved in shinobi matters. We want to stay away from everything else. Our alliance with Konoha was partly the reason we nearly extinct. We've returned Naruto, taught him the Uzumaki ways. He can solve your Fuinjutsu problems. When we feel it is safe, we will come out. But we don't feel safe enough. They might hunt us down to finish the job."
There was a lot being unsaid. There couldn't be many members of the clan alive. Hiruzen didn't even need to ask this much. But he was certain Sato was telling him that Uzushio wasn't even going to depend on Konoha for protection nor was it going to trust them.
"Let us keep dialogue then."
"I'll be coming around to see Naruto. We'll talk then. We've been careful with letters because we don't them to be intercepted."
"You're not going to stay then."
Sato shook his head. "I'll stay for a couple of days just to make sure Naruto has adjusted. I won't return in a while."
Konoha had no allies to speak of. Friends were hard to come by. The Uzumaki were friends of the Senju. But the great Senju clan has become extinct. They still wore the Uzumaki crest and some people made clothes with the crest without even knowing much about it.
"We'll keep everything about him a secret, for now." Hiruzen said. "His status as a Jinchuriki is something we can't hide forever. We don't know what will happen when it is revealed. But once it is revealed, we will expose everything about his parents."
If Naruto doesn't expose it himself, Sato thought mildly. "I think we can predict what will happen once it has been exposed. I don't think even being Yondaime's son will even save him."
Hiruzen sighed deeply. He could imagine. But as long as Naruto had a happy childhood, he thought everything would be nice. He just hoped, by then, he'd have made some good friends. "I want to hope for the best," the Third said. "Has he been trained on its power?"
"Why do you sound unsure?"
"I'd rather he was just a normal shinobi."
"But he is not," Sato said with a shake of his head. "The Yondaime had created key for the seal. But it is originally our seal. Reshaping it was simple. If you looked at it, it seemed his father did want him to use the power. He could have chosen another method, but he chose the method he used because he wanted to give his son the power. So, the seal was designed for Naruto to be able to use the Kyubi's power, unlike Kushina's which was simply meant to restrain it."
"I'm asking because I want to know if there are measures we can take, to prevent a catastrophe from happening."
Sato scoffed. "Fuinjutsu is our trade and you think there is a chance of the Kyubi escaping?"
Hiruzen was amused, because Sato honestly looked offended by his statement. This was a man with absolute confidence in his clan's abilities. There were other Jinchuriki, but there was no seal as powerful as those created by the Uzumaki. Was there anything absolute in this world? Hiruzen didn't think so. He didn't press on to avoid offending the man any further.
The Hokage Monument, a memorable structure, stared down at the village. The unblinking faces of the Kage were carved into the stone. Naruto liked his father's face the most. Someone even bumped into him while he was staring at the face of the legendary shinobi. The man apologized and then went on his way. He was probably a civilian, maybe a retired Genin. Naruto had learned that some shinobi grew grey hair without ever rising above the rank of Genin. It was baffling to him that some people were so unskilled and lacking in progress. These were the people who made their children orphans.
After visiting the Kage Monument, Naruto went to the shinobi academy. It was crowded, with some students his age still in class. The younger ones ran through the halls, playing pranks on each other. For a moment, Naruto almost joined in, even though he was older. Who would have cared, as long as he had fun? But he was removed from the academy grounds because he was not a student and didn't have any relatives there.
He visited other places, including his father's house, or at least what used to be his father's house. It was now a different family's home. This was a little disheartening for Naruto. He would have been happy to live in the house his parents built, a house where he could have grown up if they had lived.
After everything, Naruto found a ramen stand and settled there. The ramen was delicious, and the owner and his daughter seemed like pleasant people. It didn't take long for Sato to find him.
"I hate sensory-type shinobi," Naruto said with a deep frown. The Uzumaki clan was quite gifted with chakra sensors. Hell, Sato could pinpoint a specific chakra signature in the entire village. He could even identify which clan a person belonged to and their natural elements. Naruto hated any of the kids with sensory abilities. How could he even play hide and seek with Karin? She would always be able to tell where he was, even if he tried to hide his chakra signature.
"It's hard not to notice you when you're a walking chakra column," Sato replied.
"You're making fun of my chakra suppression abilities," Naruto said. "You should try miso ramen. It's the best. I've also tried pork. The noodles, the soup, everything just melts in your mouth."
"Give me your best bowl," Sato said, just so as not to order anything Naruto advised. "Seen everything?"
"The village is huge!" Naruto exclaimed. "People, streets, and corners! It's really huge. Truly, the first Hidden Village."
"I was wondering about your headband," Teuchi said. It was hard not to notice. "You're not from here. First time?"
"You could say that. But technically, no." Naruto made a point to highlight this. "My village was small. Here, you can hear the child next door being hit or the couple fighting because everyone is so close!"
Teuchi laughed but got a look from Sato that made him decide to cut short the conversation. "I'm glad you enjoyed our food," he said and trotted away to talk to another customer.
"That's just rude."
"Watch it," Sato warned Naruto.
Naruto enjoyed talking, but Sato didn't fear the blond saying what he shouldn't say. He was good at talking and saying anything he wanted, but he didn't do slips. It was freakish. For someone who said a lot, he had a fine control over his thoughts and tongue.
Naruto shrugged. "I think I'll make it. Might even enjoy it too much. Too many personalities to deal with."
"As long as you don't forget who you are."
"Yes... yes..." Naruto said dismissively. "How long are you staying?"
"Might leave in a day or two."
Naruto glanced at the man with a blank expression. "What did the Third say?"
"He wants a relationship with Uzushio," Sato snorted at the idea. He thought it ridiculous considering the past.
That was entirely predictable. Thinking of it, the emotion in Naruto's face returned and he turned around on the stool to face the streets. He'd be surprised if he didn't even have someone tailing him. The Sandaime was apparently good people, but it would be childishly naive to blindly trust him, considering how the Uzumaki have handled things.
"If things become difficult for me, it's your fault for not making good contact. You've just been giving Konoha no reason to trust you all."
Sato shrugged indifferently. "You say it as if I had a choice."
"You always do as you please."
"That's how it looks to you."
Naruto sighed. "Well, good thing the Sandaime appears pleasant and has no negative emotion toward me. If my sensei is fine, life will simply be a joy. I can feel it!"
Once Sota left the office, Hiruzen released a long breath. He expected Danzo to come barging in at any moment. Naruto's team had been decided before the first letter was even sent. Danzo had his ideas, and Hiruzen begrudgingly agreed with some of them because, truly, they didn't know anything about the Uzumaki or Naruto.
Hiruzen cared for him because he was Minato's child, but Danzo was someone who would have him killed if he thought there was danger. He wouldn't even need much, just a whiff. He would have to determine the blond's personality before deciding what to do.
Jiraiya and Kakashi appeared in the office. His last loyal student sat down in front of his desk while Kakashi remained on his feet. Unusually, he didn't have the same look of boredom and complete disinterest in what was happening around him.
Hiruzen smiled—Minato had treated Kakashi well. He didn't expect Kakashi to give Naruto special treatment; he just expected him to care as Naruto's father had cared for him. If there was someone who could look after the blond, it was the Jonin. Maybe it could spark some life into his life.
"What did you think?"
"He is curious," Jiraiya said.
The Sannin had waited years to finally see his godson. Uzushio was locked up. Even the Toads couldn't make it past the whirlpools that twisted the seawater with anger. It was like after the invasion, they had tripled in strength, some rising like tornadoes. No ship got near. Even if he could walk on water, Jiraiya had not tried it. The torrents were so powerful, even with his strength, nature could drag him to the bottom of the sea for his burial.
"But more, when I talk to him."
When the Sandaime's eyes fell on him, Kakashi sighed. "We'll see tomorrow when he is introduced to the team."
He felt his peaceful days were over. Uzumaki were problematic. Nice people, but with too much energy. He already had enough with Sasuke's gloomy days, Sai's indifference and complete lack of social etiquette, and Sakura's fawning over Sasuke, as well as her ineptitude.
It was partly on him as her sensei, but how did he improve someone who had no interest in being a kunoichi?
"I'll be watching that with interest. I'm told he isn't a genin. Chunin, perhaps. It will be good to test his skill set tomorrow."
"Chunin, at that age?" Jiraiya asked with a raised eyebrow. "They must have been training him as if it were wartime. It's normal for children his age to be developed during wartime. But now, some his age are barely genin."
The strength of the generation born after the Third War was laughable. The Sannin were famous, legendary shinobi. But their strength was nothing compared to their sensei. Yet, Sannin strength was something not even these children could reach. They were not serious about anything.
Peace hardly even lasted long. It took one wrong look for war to begin. And if they were sent to war, they would be slaughtered.
"We're no longer at war. The shinobi world seems to be at peace. We should let them enjoy it."
Jiraiya expected the response from the Third, not Kakashi. "How many genin died in the last Chunin exams?"
"A handful."
"Yeah, because of that attitude," Jiraiya said sternly. "What did that man say about his skills?"
"Nothing. He said we'll see tomorrow." Hiruzen smiled. "Fuinjutsu? It must be even better than yours."
Even if children didn't necessarily inherit their parents' skills, and Fuinjutsu was a difficult art to learn, Naruto's both parents were masters of the art, and he was Uzumaki, raised by them. The idea that he could be better than him didn't make Jiraiya blink.
"Its only good for Konoha. We don't have anyone like that." The Toad Sage said with a smile. "It will be interesting to chat with him about seals and even learn a few things."
Once more, Kakashi cursed the days ahead. His peaceful days were over. If Naruto was skilled, there would be more missions for the team and more duties. His free time and personal time with his books would all be ruined.
"Sasuke is the best out there. Sai is a former Root, but nothing compared to Sasuke. It will be easy to judge his level with Sasuke," Kakashi said confidently. After all, the Uchiha had awakened the Sharingan. He was hailed as a genius, a student Kakashi could be proud of, if only he had some respect. "What is going to happen to Sakura?"
She was still his student. He didn't want to see her discarded, even if her attitude toward being a shinobi bothered him.
"She'll be assigned to another team. I've looked at your reports. I'll find a suitable teacher. You could have improved her if you wanted."
"Other students make their own time to train," Kakashi defended himself. "She never asked me for anything regarding training."
"Either way, you did not guide her. I hope you will focus on this team."
"An emotionless Root Anbu with an interest in understanding emotions, a brooding Uchiha with vengeance on the agenda, and an unknown Uzumaki... I don't think I'll have peace," Kakashi said. "I may have to retire early."
"Look at us, and you're talking about retirement," Jiraiya smiled bitterly. His sensei was old, but he was still holding on as Hokage. Jiraiya could even be someone's grandfather, but he didn't think of retirement. He'd only retire in death.
"You have to watch him and Sai. You know what happened to Uzushiogakure and our actions towards it. The Uzumaki have become a mystery to us. Naruto is our child, but we never raised him. He doesn't know us. He knows them."
Uzushio was destroyed. Konoha did nothing to defend the village for its own protection. They didn't even hold anything against the villages that did it. The Uzumaki had now become a forgotten clan. Then again, they've long been thought extinct.
"And Danzo?" The mood immediately changed at the mention of the name. None of the three actually liked him. Jiraiya avoided the war hawk. He went against everything the man stood for. Hiruzen just tolerated him as a necessary evil, and Kakashi tried to steer clear given their shared history.
"He threw a fit when the Uzumaki took Naruto. He even sent his Root after them," Jiraiya laughed. The moment still burnt fresh in his mind. He had been disappointed that his sensei hadn't consulted him, but he understood. He'd even been left speechless when asked if he'd taken Naruto out of the village to raise him.
"All about the Kyubi," Hiruzen said in a quiet tone. "All about manipulating the power of the Kyubi. We've never actually used our Jinchuriki for power. I suppose he finally saw enough. Perhaps influenced by the fact that we've lost a great deal of our shinobi."
The Leaf never truly recovered from the Third War. There was never a point where their military power peaked above where it was when the war ended. They had more shinobi, but nothing special to speak of, and there were no Uchiha to frighten anyone from even trying to invade the Leaf.
"He'll be suspicious. But there is nothing he can do. This is Minato's son," Hiruzen continued in a hardened tone.
"I'll put in a shift to ensure he doesn't get closer," Kakashi said, sounding serious. Danzo was corrupt. He didn't want an ignorant Naruto to fall prey to the man. "What about his status?"
"What do you think?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
"Can he use the power of the Kyubi?" the Jonin asked.
"Yes... apparently."
"Then we can't hide it, at least from his teammates. If he couldn't, then we could keep it a secret, for now and until they got to know him better."
Hiruzen nodded. "Then tell them about it. Just his status, not his parents. There is really no need to even hide it, but let's keep it that way."
"Sai is Danzo's person, he most likely knows everything. The only person in ignorance is Sasuke," Kakashi pointed out. "I think it's safe to tell him everything. It's not like he is going to tell anyone." The Uchiha didn't have friends. He didn't even like Sai and had found Sakura to be an annoyance.
Hiruzen thought about it for a second and then said. "Do what you think is best for your team."
"Hai," Kakashi replied and then excused himself, leaving the student and teacher to face off. Jiraiya had a sad look on his face.
"How am I going to deal with him? What excuse do I need?" Jiraiya wondered aloud.
"Is there a need?" Hiruzen asked. Naruto wasn't ignorant about anything. The only thing he probably didn't know was that Jiraiya was his godfather and he was named after a character from the Sannin's book.
"No," Jiraiya conceded. He was just a little afraid that Naruto might not like him. Minato had been his student, and he had failed to be there for him.
"From our brief interaction, I can tell you that he'll probably be excited you're his godfather," the Third Hokage said with a smile. It slipped away in a second. "He asked something that stuck."
"What?" Jiraiya asked, narrowing his eyes.
"He was asking about Tsunade. And he asked if she was dead. That's not odd at all. It was just the casual way in which he asked."
"Should we be worried?"
"I don't know, Jiraiya. I really don't know," the Third Hokage said with a slight shake of his head. "We just have to be careful and not give him a reason not to trust us. We have no ulterior motives, but simply care because his father is someone we loved. If we can express that earnestly, it should be fine. Lies and attempts to manipulate things will only ruin everything."
"Easier said than done."
"Indeed." Hiruzen said. "But we must try."
The rooster did not crow, yet he woke up at the time the damn chicken rang the alarm without fail. By 6 am, his body was programmed to wake up. Naruto's eyes simply snapped open, and he stared at the unfamiliar white ceiling. There was too much color. Destruction of Uzushio had left it black and white.
The sun wasn't out in full force. He could still close his eyes, but he imagined Sato pouring refrigerated water all over him and then shivered. He almost jumped out of bed on reflex but remembered he was alone in this apartment.
He got up from his bed, tossing the sheets to the side. He was in his birthday suit and didn't mind as he walked over to the window. He parted the curtain. The streets were empty. People were still snoring. No sane person should really enjoy the morning. They were always cut one off from sweet dreams, the comfort of blankets, and just being lazy.
A knock on the window and Naruto nearly jumped. It was an unexpected sound that caused his train of thoughts to derail straight into the ocean.
He glanced outside and then opened the window, still naked as he was. A silver-haired Jonin, a mask hiding his left eye. He should have responded with a fist to the face, and the Jonin would crash into the ground. He'd blame being startled.
"Yo!" The Jonin greeted.
Naked, and yet the Uzumaki didn't seem to care. Kakashi got a good look at Naruto's physique. His upper muscles were fully developed and toned. There was no question, he packed a mean punch. It was like looking at Lee. Kakashi has never had a body like that. Refined through sheer physical training.
"If it isn't the Copy Ninja. Fancy seeing you here," Naruto said in a casual tone, grinning at the Jonin, who was standing horizontally on the wall, chakra on his legs to make them stick.
"You already know me..."
"Who doesn't know you?" Naruto asked, surprised. "I'd be shocked if there was an ignorant person who didn't know you."
There were Genin in Konoha who didn't know him, but almost everywhere Kakashi found out his name was famous. Copy Ninja. He was almost as famous as the Sannin.
He didn't ponder on this for too long, shrugging off his fame. "You do realize you're naked and someone in the streets will see you." Kakashi said.
"Eh… you're a man. Besides, its not as questionable as a grown man staring at the naked body of a child." Naruto said, deadpanned.
Kakashi nearly fell off the wall. But he quickly caught himself. Naruto burst out into laughter. The Jonin realized he was going to have a handful time with the blond. Why could his days never be simple?
"Meet me at Training Ground 7 in three hours."
"9 am? Where is Training Ground 7? I just got into the village yesterday." Naruto pointed out, with a raised eye brow.
Kakashi eye-smiled. "That's why I'm giving you three hours."
Naruto laughed. "I suppose you'll be my Jonin sensei."
Kakashi eye smiled in response. "I've decided to let your teammates know about your parents and your status as a Jinchuriki. It will be better for them to know what they are dealing with. But if you're not comfortable with it, we can keep it a secret until you're ready."
The cruel reality. His father. The Kyubi inside of him. There would be negative reactions from the majority of people. A daunting prospect. But if a Kakashi wanted to tell his teammates, it probably meant he thought they were good sport and wouldn't make it a big issue.
"It's better that way." He said. "They wont have to pretend to like me."
Kakashi was silent, staring at Naruto. "9 a.m. Don't be late and come prepared for battle. You'll be challenged," the Jonin said instead of replying to Naruto's statement. He was gone in a puff of smoke before Naruto could respond.
"Well, I have an excuse why I'm late..." Naruto said and closed the window, shut the curtains to block the sun rays from coming in. He went back to bed, safe in the knowledge that the door was locked and Sato wouldn't break it down to bother him. He was programmed to wake up early, but it didn't mean he couldn't go back to sleep if he wanted.
And so, he dragged his sheets and tucked himself into his warm and comfortable bed, closing his eyes. As soon as he closed them, he was in front of the Kyubi. The Bijuu had its head resting on its paws, in a greenish scenery, much better than the sewage Minato designed. Or maybe that was his mind.
"Damn it, Foxy... I was trying to sleep, not stare at your hateful face. How am I going to sleep now that I have seen your glaring eyes!" he exclaimed with frustration.
Kurama ignored Naruto. He wasn't shackled as he was before or locked up in a cage. The Uzumaki changed Minato's seal. There was no cage, and Naruto could access his chakra as he pleased. But Kurama knew he couldn't take over the blond's body even if he wanted to, or even force his chakra. He'd often tried to have the blond rely on him, just to corrupt him little by little. The blond simply ignored him.
"Konoha has only forced you back into this village because of my power."
"Tell me something I don't know," Naruto said, rolling his eyes.
Kurama ignored Naruto. It was just better that way. "There will be more dangers, and you'll be used as a weapon. If you die, I also die. You have to remember that. You mustn't be stubborn now. You must use my power to keep both of us alive and stop with your recklessness!"
"It's still early in the morning, why are you shouting?"
This time, Kurama didn't ignore Naruto. He rose up, his chakra flaring, and a wave hit the blond, but he didn't move. He yawned. Kurama knew it was done to annoy him, but he still felt frustrated. He lifted his right paw and tried to swat the Uzumaki away from him like a fly, but chains burst from the ground, quickly wrapping around his arm before he could even reach the Uzumaki. Bound, he shook violently and glared at Naruto.
"You will let your guard down one day, and I'm going to put these chains around your throat and then slaughter every human in sight before ending you," he threatened.
Naruto sighed and then clapped his hands. The chakra chains dispersed, freeing the Kyubi. "Why do you always make things difficult? We could simply be partners without the need for all this," he said.
He had even offered to allow the Kyubi to manifest his chakra outside and into a small fox, but the Bijuu forcefully refused. It was proud of all its Nine Tails and would not be turned into a pet of a mere child. It still found it offensive that it had been sealed after so many years of evasion. Naruto was only fifth on the list of people the Bijuu hated. The top of the list was Madara. Second was Hashirama; Third was the masked man who freed it the night he was born. Fourth was the Yondaime Hokage, and Naruto was fifth. Oddly enough, it didn't seem to loathe his mother as much.
"But I hear you. I'll be careful. I'm too young to die. And worse, of recklessness," Naruto assured.
"Good," Kurama settled down and closed his eyes.
"But I'll use your power when I want," Naruto added.
"I'm going to let you be stabbed to near death before I let you use my power," Kurama warned.
Naruto opened his mouth to speak but then shut it. He just walked away without another word. He was walking away for effect as it wasn't necessary. He then stopped, and glanced at the Bijuu through the corner of his eyes.
"You were angry, but you attacked me not out of anger but just to test if the defenses were still strong, didn't you?" He smiled slyly even when the Kyubi ignored him. "You truly are a fox."
The misconception was that Bijuu didn't have the same intelligence as humans. If humans had treated them better, there wouldn't have been a need to create Jinchuriki, but would have allowed Bijuu to retain their freedom. This way, they could harness the destructive power of a Bijuu. The Kyubi often tested him, and the seal, checking its capabilities and weaknesses in an attempt to escape from him.
Sometimes, it did so head on, sometimes sneakily like a thief.
"I'm a fox in that way? Then what are you?" Kurama asked without opening his eyes. "Those strategies the Uzumaki beat into have made you a nasty person. You probably asked the Sandaime if Tsunade was dead in such a casual tone just to see what he'll do about it as he'll have surely noticed."
Naruto cackled. "I'm not that foxy."
Naruto woke up just thirty minutes before 9 am. He slid off the bed and dragged his feet to the shower. He stood there, enjoying the warm water for five minutes before stepping out with a towel to dry himself. He went back to the bedroom and made his bed before going to the kitchen. It was a large kitchen. The apartment had one bedroom, a lounge, and a kitchen with a small dining table. The cupboards were empty, and so was the silent fridge.
He needed to stock up and understand economics a little bit. In Uzushio, he'd never bought anything. Sato took care of everything. Naruto couldn't even recall holding money. Then again, money was hardly of any use in the village.
The best way to find training ground 7 was to ask a shinobi, anyone with a headband. He didn't even have the Konoha headband but still wore his Uzumaki one.
He asked the first Kunoichi he found in the streets. She was kind enough to answer pleasantly when he told her he was looking for the training ground used by Kakashi.
There was a small little field, away from the buildings and people. Trees, large and small, surrounded the small clearing. He stood in the middle of it, closed his eyes, and imagined the many sparring sessions that had occurred.
Under a tree, there was a black-haired, onyx-eyed boy. The Uchiha symbol and Naruto knew it was Sasuke—the Uchiha survivor. On a tree away, there was another pale boy, standing upside down, legs stuck on a tree, looking at him with a fake smile and eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Yikes..." Naruto said, seeing that his teammates clearly didn't get along. And they were not even trying to talk to each other.
While Naruto stood in the sun, looking as if he had no interest in introducing himself, Sai leapt from the tree and walked over to the Uzumaki.
Even as he made a slow walk, the Uzumaki was seemingly in a staring contest with the sun. Sai stopped just a few inches away from Naruto, trying to get into his face. Naruto's head slowly turned to face Sai. When his eyes met Naruto's, the ROOT Shinobi leapt away on reflex while drawing out his sword.
He moved so quickly that even Sasuke looked on with interest, but no attack came. Even Naruto didn't lift one of his arms; instead, he had a look of amusement across his face. Sai, a ROOT ANBU, couldn't believe he was frightened like that. What had the blond done? He had felt the attack coming and was certain he hadn't imagined it.
"I always knew you were just a little better than Sakura," Sasuke said with a snort, looking at Sai with contempt.
"Shut it, dickless," Sai snapped, fully facing Naruto. He racked his brain, trying to fully understand what had just happened. The fact that Uzumaki looked amused revealed that he had done it intentionally.
"Nice, huh?" Naruto asked.
"Nice?" Sai asked, his head cocked to the side. If he didn't think Kakashi was probably watching, he would have attacked the blond. "Was that an illusion?"
Naruto chuckled, waved his right hand, and then walked toward Sai. "I don't know a single illusion. That is just something I do to test someone's battle reflexes. Of course," he raised an index finger and wagged it, "if you were a little stronger, you wouldn't have reacted at all."
Sai felt nothing. Sasuke would have been boiling. Naruto was practically calling him weak, even if he tried to dress it up with battle armor. But his interest in the Uzumaki grew. His smile didn't even seem fake; it seemed genuine. Then again, he could be wrong. It could all be a mask.
But he could still attack Naruto and simply say he just wanted to test out his new teammate's strength. Kakashi would probably feel it too bothersome to even ask too many questions. He'd shrug with indifference and then just continue with his business.
While Naruto held out his right hand, Sai was thinking about kicking it away. However, he never got to practice it as Kakashi appeared in the training ground.
"You're all here... Please come this side..." the silver-haired Jonin said to Naruto and Sai, while sitting on a tree branch, his beloved book in hand.
Sasuke remained sitting, leaning against the trunk of a tree with his hands folded across his chest. He glanced up at the Jonin through the corner of his eyes. He was always frustrated by Kakashi's tardiness. They had been sitting here since 8 am. Sometimes they even waited for longer.
"I thought that given a new teammate was going to join us, you would try to show a good impression and be on time."
"I am on time."
"You told us to be here at 8 am!" Sasuke shouted with frustration. He had considered reporting this to the Sandaime. But after six months with the Jonin, he realized nothing was really going to change, and the Jonin wasn't completely useless. Since Sasuke asked, he offered help with training, and he had come to realize that there was nobody else better.
He simply had to endure the tardiness, the indifference. And he would become stronger. With the Jonin as their sensei, they had been able to do some missions outside the village, some dangerous ones that he even wondered how they had all returned alive.
"Our new teammate just arrived as Sensei did, he likely told us different times." Sai said, stopping at the tree with Naruto standing by his right side.
Kakashi ignored Sasuke's glare and just focused on his book. He didn't even look up as he spoke; he just paged through his book.
"He is Sakura's replacement in the team. Naruto, introduce yourself to your new teammates."
"Naruto Uzumaki, from the Hidden Whirlpools, land of the Uzumaki. I am the greatest Uzumaki there was, there is, and will ever be." Naruto had introduced himself, grinning happily. His voice wasn't loud or obnoxious. He had spoken in a low tone, completely contrasting his ridiculous words.
"It shouldn't be that difficult," Sai said, doing his best to sound creepy. "Nobody knows any other Uzumaki."
Even Sasuke looked amused as he smirked. Naruto found it funny; he clapped his hands and chuckled. He appreciated the effort.
"That is true," he said. "But luckily for me, eh? Unlike the Uchiha here, I don't have mountains to climb in the form of shinobi like Madara or even..."
"Sai, Sasuke, introduce yourselves," Kakashi cut off Naruto.
Naruto didn't miss the hatred that emanated from Sasuke. Kakashi interrupted him on purpose, and it had everything to do with the Uchiha. He could have pressed on the issue but decided it was wiser to follow the Jonin's lead.
"Sai," Sai simply said, holding out his right hand. Naruto shook it.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
Naruto nodded. He had two very different teammates. One seemingly lacked any emotion and faked them, failing. The other had an abundance of emotions and a little bit of hatred, but it wasn't directed at him. This was really going to be an interesting team.
"The others don't know your strength, Naruto. For team dynamics during missions, this is necessary. We need to see your strengths. The first test is against Sasuke."
"I wouldn't complain if it is against both of them," Naruto said with a grin.
He didn't have a problem with showing off. He had trained hard to be where he was. He wasn't ashamed of anything, and he would take any opportunity to reveal his power to everyone.
Besides, he also needed to know their strengths as well. He needed to know how he would behave during missions. Did he rely on them or did they rely on him?
"Sasuke is the best in the team," Kakashi said, closing his book. "If you can defeat him, then you can have a better idea of where Sai stands."
"Defeat me?" Sasuke scoffed. He had not been defeated by any other Genin. The only other Genin with a similar level of strength was the Hyuga, but he was a year older.
"Oh?"
There was nothing is beautiful as humbling someone who was very proud. Naruto dreaded the day someone humiliated him in battle. But that snort, and looking down on him made him want to beat up Sasuke. What if he was Uchiha and had the Sharingan? Naruto was Uzumaki, they were both descendants of the Sage of Six paths, and while Sasuke possessed his eyes, Naruto possessed his strong life-force.
He could attack like a maniac, but Sasuke deserved something much more calmer, to clip his wings.
"Descendants of the sage," Naruto smiled, nodding his head. "Anything goes?"
Naruto asked innocently and immediately Kakashi wanted to say no. They didn't know anything about the blond but he appeared confident. Then again, even Sasuke was confident, but he wasn't always the best. Nevertheless, going all out was the only way he could fully judge Naruto's strength.
"Why?"
"He is Uchiha… he should be able to take a punch or two." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"But you're not planning on just throwing a punch or two."
Naruto smiled slyly. "Who knows?" He threw his hands into the air. And then turned to Sai. "Feel free to jump in." He said, and then leapt backwards, landing in the clearing. The mood around him completely changed, so did his expression and his eyes. He looked dead serious that even Sasuke hesitated to step forward.
A gust blew around Naruto, causing dust to pick up and Sasuke disappeared into the trees.
Sai didn't need Sasuke's permission to enter the fold. But he did want to see just what the blond could do against the Uchiha. That Sasuke was better than him in battle was unquestionable. He'd tried and tested the Uchiha a couple of times, and he has failed. Arrogant, but he was skilled. Danzo could have worked to cut off some of that arrogance but the Sandaime stood in the way and Sai thought it was the one thing standing in the way of Sasuke's improvement.
"You really don't know anything about him?" Sai asked Kakashi, who was now focused on Naruto. It couldn't be helped, the blond's entire 'nature' seemed to switch the moment he stepped into the battlefield.
"No. He just arrived yesterday." Kakashi relied. "Focus."
Battle. Sparring sessions. Life and death. His body was beat hard for such situations. He'd been told, as a Jinchuriki, he would live for battle, and most likely die in battle. There were greater things to be achieved, and he and his fellow Uzumaki held the fate of the entire clan in their hands. A heavy burden, one that made him wish he enjoyed life a little more.
He could flaunt his power. Joke with people. But in battle, there was no fooling around. He was a little reckless, but he was serious. The Kyubi hated that he didn't mind receiving hits. But Naruto had learned his body was more likely to remember where he was cut than where he was missed. Cuts and blows built reflex. Reflex saved life in a deadly fight.
Sasuke was playing smart, hiding in the trees before deciding how to attack. Perhaps he'd attack by throwing Kunai before setting off to face him head on. But Naruto thought it was all amateurish. He was not Karin or Sato, but tracking down someone like Sasuke was simply child's play.
He'd drag the Uchiha into the field.
Sasuke was doing his best to hide his presence in the trees. He saw no opening. Even if he threw Kunai, they would be deflected. He felt, he could only create an opening by attacking head on—but he didn't want to do that because he didn't know just how good the blond was in a Taijutsu battle or his Ninjutsu arsenal.
"I could fool around with you." Sasuke froze, hearing the Naruto's voice behind him. When had he moved. How did he not even noticed? Was it an illusion in the field. "But, I must make an impression."
Sasuke jumped away from the tree branch, or at least tried to without even turning back. But he never got anywhere as Naruto grabbed him by his right foot, and then dragged him to the ground.
Boom!
He crashed into the ground on his back, his upper body getting buried in a small crater. Pain shot through his head and spine. The debris from his crash clouded his view but he felt Naruto's iron grip on his ankle. He was dragged out of the crater. Pulled as if he was a stick, and then flung toward the clearing as if he weighted nothing.
Sasuke flipped twice in the clearing in an attempt to regain control of his body. He hit the ground with both legs, skidded a bit before coming to a halt.
His glare only intensified.
Naruto flashed behind him, and lifted his right foot. It cleaved through air in high speed for a roundhouse kick. The kick seemingly hit Sasuke on his shoulder, but he exploded into a log. Naruto's foot collided with the log, and the strength behind the attack caused the log to completely shatter into small wooden splinters.
Sasuke took the opportunity to attack from behind with a kunai. He lunged, driving a kunai toward Naruto's back. He didn't care if it stabbed on the neck or spine, as long he got a hit. Just as he was inches away from stabbing the Uzumaki, he ducked under the stab without even looking back.
As he ducked, he was twisting around, and a knee collided with Sasuke's gut. It felt like he'd been hit by a concrete brick. His stomach burnt, as he grind his teeth to stop himself from spitting our saliva. While airborne, carried by the momentum, Naruto appeared above him, and dropped an axe kick straight on his forehead. Sasuke felt fortunate the kick hit him on his forehead protector. His head rung. He heard a loud ringing sound, his head aching dangerously after Naruto hit him.
Before he even crashed into the ground, Sasuke's body had exploded onto lightning. He crashed into the ground like a lightning bolt, creating a small human sized crater before getting up in a hurry, panting a little.
Just two hits and his body felt sore already. He sped through hand seals, kneading the chakra inside his body as Naruto took slow steps toward him. He exhaled large amounts of oxygen, and then placed his fingers around his mouth. Without warning, he did a quick leap into the air, before releasing his Jutsu.
"Great Fireball no Jutsu!"
While in mid-air, Sasuke released a huge ball of fire. The inferno was hot, and was flushed out toward Naruto. Its size dwarfing Sasuke's entire frame.
Naruto stood from the ground and watched the flames and then held a single hand signs. "Wind Style: Win Breakthrough!"
Gusts of wind formed in front of Naruto, picking up debris before colliding with the ball of flames. The collision caused the flames to explode, expanding in size as the two Jutsu wrestled to cancel each other.
Sasuke appeared in front of Naruto, with a drive toward his chest. Naruto blocked the drive by folding his hands across his chest. Sasuke then threw a left punch toward his face and Naruto avoided it by leaping back slightly.
As soon as he landed on the ground, Sasuke flashed behind him, once more driving a kunai toward his shoulder. Naruto spun around while lifting his left arm. He caught Sasuke's outstretched arm around the wrist, much to the Uchiha's shock over how effortless it was. Naruto created a fist with his right arm, and then tried to punch the arm he held.
Before he could connect, Kakashi zipped into the clearing in the blink of an eye. He moved so fast, he kicked Sasuke out of the way having realized Naruto was likely to break Sasuke's arm.
Simultaneously as Kakashi kicked Sasuke away, a huge white and black tiger roared from behind Naruto. Even impressing the Jonin, the hand that had attacked Sasuke opened, and in the blink of an eye, a small rasengan formed and Naruto twisted around, slamming the jutsu into the tiger, causing it to explode into black ink.
Sai stood surprised, though, he didn't show it. He thought Kakashi was ridiculous for judging that Sasuke was likely to suffer and then cutting the distance to save the Uchiha while Naruto was attacking and the blond wasn't exactly slow. But for the blond to go from a fist to creating a rasengan was just ridiculous. That was an insane reaction speed.
No Genin could move that fast. Sasuke hadn't even been able to land a hit and he was considered a genius! Naruto's was far beyond of Sasuke and him.
Naruto ignored Sai, who had attacked him, and focused on Kakashi. If either Genin attacked, he could defend. However, he was sure Kakashi's intervention meant they were finished for the day.
"Kakashi sensei, that was truly amazing!" Naruto exclaimed. "The distance was this small..." he made the size with his hands. "You had the mind and speed to intervene! Nothing short of what is expected from someone as famous as you. I didn't even see anything until you'd kicked him."
Kakashi sighed and glanced at Sasuke, who was silently seething but didn't look like he wanted to fight anymore. It was a short battle, but it proved Naruto was deadly. He was strong. And Sato was right to say he was no Genin. His reaction to create a Jutsu like the Rasengan at that speed were simply incredible. Even some Jonin couldn't switch attacks like that.
It simply proved that the Uzumaki had excellent chakra control, despite possessing a ridiculous amount of it. Naruto was truly Minato sensei's son. He could imagine seeing his sensei grinning ear to ear at just how good his son was.
"You were really going to break his arm," Kakashi said with a stare. "It is a sparring session... between teammates."
Naruto sighed and then smiled apologetically. "It's nothing evil. A force of habit. If I go into a fight like that, everything is reflex. I'll remember it next time. Good thing we have you!"
"Who taught you the Rasengan anyway?"
"Taught it myself. I was told its basics. Took some doing, but I learned it. You were his student, surely you must know it as well."
Kakashi nodded his head but didn't show it. He was simply shocked that Naruto taught himself the Rasengan without even seeing it.
"We can still continue. I haven't even used my Sharingan," Sasuke said, stepping forward while glaring at Naruto.
While those two blows had knocked the air out of him, he was simply caught off-guard. He didn't expect the blond to be this good. But he now knew what he was dealing with; he could adjust accordingly.
Still, he had a long way to go before he defeated Itachi. If Naruto, who had no bloodline, could treat him like this, he was still weak. It frustrated him. He wanted to have another go, to better himself. To reveal those glaring weaknesses and improve on them, this frustrating defeat by an unknown Uzumaki proved to him that he hadn't been strong; rather, the Genin he had faced were simply weak. He needed to do more. Kakashi needed to do more in order to reach the level of Itachi.
"That is enough for today," Kakashi said with a slight shake of his head. "You need to calm down, Sasuke. Naruto is our new teammate. He'll be around, and you will all improve together. Tomorrow, we'll hold a training session to test how well you can all work together."
It was better to test this once Sasuke was feeling well towards his defeat. The Uchiha was much better controlled now. Kakashi did try, but he still had a long way to go.
"Naruto didn't fully introduce himself. There are things that he should have said but didn't say," the Jonin said in a strangely serious tone. "Naruto is the son of the Yondaime Hokage and a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. By that, I mean he has the Kyubi sealed inside of him." He was directing this to Sasuke.
Sasuke blinked. Well, it made sense why the blond was strong. He had no parents, dead on the night he was born. And he carried the thing that almost everyone in this village hated. It was almost funny.
Naruto turned to Sai. "Well, if I exchange Uzumaki with Namikaze and say 'the greatest there will be,' will that still be easy? Granted, there is a Namikaze everybody knows."
New story!