Author's Note: Good Morning, Afternoon, Evening, or Night to yall. Thanks for tuning in to the next Chapter, this one had long been fixing to be an interesting one, just hadn't yet realized how beefy it would get until I'd finally labeled it adequate.
Summary: Graduation has come! Even with Naruto's poor Chakra skills (or more accurately poor will to do so), he believes that he'll pass with no problem! There will be heartbreak, family found, and inspiration thought myth come to life. Without further ado, let's get into it.
One step Forwards, Two Steps Back
Temple of Inari (Day Later) [Daiki's Pov]
Daiki hefted up his axe one final time and saw the mighty chestnut fall, it would take time to take apart the tree. He placed the axe on the cart and moved back to hoist the tree atop the cart. It wasn't as strenuous as it once was, but he knew that would change soon. "Naruto should be helping me," he groused before he shook his head, "Or rather, I should be training the brat." As he prepared to mount the cart, he affirmed in his mind that, though his words were true, maybe it was too early, or late, to bring up his stance on Shinobi.
Before the aging Guardian could consider if his thoughts had merit, he heard a small yip and tensed in preparation, until he saw a little fox wander nearby. Smiling he walked close to it and scratched behind its ear, Inari-sama hadn't steered him wrong yet. His wayward apprentice would find his way back to him, and hopefully, they could lay the matter to rest until he had the time to properly array his thoughts.
Naruto's Apartment (Same Time) [Naruto's Pov]
When it came down to it, he didn't know what to do, there were only two real options here, he could leave, or he could let his patience kill him and just go ahead with it anyway. The blonde slammed his head on the table and let out a pitiful groan, Daiki-sensei always said that he needed to eat better, but how could he ever disgrace Ichiraku-Kami?!
A cup of Instant Ramen sat in front of him with innocent stoutness, and poor Gama-chan looked like he could only afford two bowls…
"AAAAAAAAH, what should I do!?", he yelled, slamming his head down, before he had a thought, maybe he could convince Sas…no, that bridge was burnt for now. He leaned back, looked around his bare apartment, and thought about what he should do. With a frown he began preparing his instant ramen, he'd have to save some money for when he graduated from the academy, after all, a celebration was in order for such an important moment.
As he dug into the meal, he thought back to his little fox and wondered whether he should visit Yuki, then again, maybe he should start practicing before the exam came around. They'd have to let him pass if he was good enough with his stances! They let that Lee kid pass and he wasn't as good at him when it came to Chakra! With a determined smile, he dug in with gusto, this wouldn't fill him up, but maybe a second one would...
Nara Clan Compound, Head's Home (Same Time) [Shikamaru's Pov]
"This is such a drag," Shikamaru groused as he stared down at the board, his father's gin₁ were pressing his kei₂ and fu₃ faster than any of his plans could bear fruit.
"I've told you again and again, no plan survives contact with the enemy, why do you think you've never beaten me?", his father asked with his lazy grin.
"You're making plans around my plans Roujin₄," he complained before he laid back and watched the stars in defeat. His father's deep voice reverberated around him as he started laughing, it was just like him to poke fun, but who cared? He lost, he could be petty sometimes.
"Come on, help me clean up, so your mom won't yell at us this time around," his father said, smiling, Shikamaru slowly stood up, he'd work for that fantasy, no matter how unlikely it was to come true.
Hyūga Head Minka₅ (Same Time) [Hinata's Pov]
Hinata breathed in deeply, ignoring the bruises, and the urge to cry, she looked at her proud sister with a smile in her mind, if not on her face. They might brand her for her repeated losses against her sister, her inability to use Jūken (never mind the fact that they asked her to do so against her eight-year-old sister), and her weak-willed nature, but she would smile knowing that she was a good older sister.
"Hinata," her father's voice said with its usual disappointment, "Clean up and return to your quarters, am I understood?"
"Hai Ota-sama," she said with a bow, low enough to show subservience, but not too low to discredit her position as heir, her mother had taught her as much. She waited until his light footsteps walked away and towards Hanabi-chan to dismiss herself. Her father may be disappointed, no was disappointed, but she knew her mother was smiling at her. She had done as she'd asked and protected Hanabi-chan.
Hinata sank into the warm water with a smile, the graduation exam was coming soon, and then she'd have a new family that wouldn't be mad at having a branch member, they'd be happy to have her, for her. Maybe she'd even have Naruto on her team!
Academy (5 Days Later) [Naruto's Pov]
Naruto smiled as he filled out his test, it was harder than he would have expected but thanks to Daiki-sensei's insistence that he studies, he knew most of it, and what he didn't know he guessed. Smiling as he turned the paper over he laid his head down on his desk and waited, the practical was next.
Naruto dodged the blow with a startled expression, Iruka was really fast! He could barely keep up with him, but he tried to. After nearly ten minutes of dodging, Iruka stopped his assault and grabbed a clipboard before beginning to write notes on it. This was it.
"Iruka-sensei," he started, waiting until he saw the brunette look up with a quirked eyebrow," I was hoping I could also show my skill with a Kenjutsu." The instructor looked at him with academic interest before nodding, he walked away and returned with a wooden katana which he handed Naruto.
"Perform what you know," he replied with a clicked tongue, before walking away. Naruto did so with commendable precision, Daiki-sensei said it was like dancing with more dire consequences than embarrassment, he believed him, but didn't dancing require a partner? It felt strange to just use his sword instead of spar with it, but judging by Mizuki's broad smile, he felt he did good!
"Perform a Henge, Kawarimi, and a Bunshin," Iruka said after adding some more notes to his clipboard. Naruto felt his previous enthusiasm fade away but performed the Kawarimi with ease. He created a horrible impersonation of Iruka and created three pale and poor imitations of himself. Sighing he dispelled them.
"I'm sorry Naruto but you need to know at least two of the three Jutsu if you are to be a reliable Shinobi, you can try again after a year of remedial service, but for now maybe put less effort into learning how to use a sword and more into learning how to be a Shinobi," Iruka said with a clipped tone before returning to the stupid clipboard.
Naruto looked at him with confusion and anger before shouldering past the students waiting outside and left the building. With a dejected sigh, he began walking towards the nearest training ground. He needed to train. Before he got too far he heard a voice calling his name and turned around to an out-of-breath Mizuki.
"Hey Naruto-san, I was trying to catch your attention for a while there," his white-haired teacher asked huffed out.
Naruto stared at Mizuki with anger building in his chest but shook that away, he wasn't the one that failed him. "What did you need Sensei?", the blonde asked.
"I know you might be just a bit mad at Iruka," the Chūnin started," But I wouldn't worry too much about not passing, he did offer an alternative, but you left before he could continue," the Chūnin stopped once he noticed the perplexed expression dotting Naruto's face.
There was something else he could have done? The blonde asked himself before he shook his head and looked at the Chūnin with a resolute expression, of course, there was. The next time he saw Iruka-Sensei he'd have to apologize, patience would be the death of him if he kept taking things at face value.
Broad laughter filled the streets as the Chūnin instructor refused to hide his amusement, much to the blonde's ire. Shaking his head, the Chūnin wiped his eyes before he stared at the annoyed blonde with a semi-serious expression.
"As Iruka was saying, you could spend another year of remedial training improving your skills as a Shinobi, or you can return to the roots of a Shinobi and complete an infiltration and retrieval mission relying purely on your skill, as opposed to the Chakra most Shinobi have access to," the instructor said.
The blonde's eyes widened, this would let him pass, sure it sounded hard but…wait. The blonde stopped to ponder the task, he would fail if he tried to take it by force, and by the sounds of it, the skills he learned with Daiki-sensei weren't an option. Frowning the blonde, thought about how his Sensei would view the matter. He'd likely say, 'There are no shortcuts to power' and add something philosophical at the end, but would that be him talking, or the Daiki-sensei that hated Shinobi?
"It's fine if you don't want to do this Naruto-san, I would understand, but the rest of the information is in this scroll, burn it no matter what you decide, stay safe, and have a good night," Mizuki bid with a smile before leaping onto one of the buildings and bounding away.
Naruto stared up at the departing Chūnin with a conflicted expression before shaking his head, try and argue as he might, he knew what he had decided. He'd wanted to be a Shinobi for as long as he could remember and wouldn't stop now.
Temple of Inari (One Hour Later) [Daiki Pov]
The aging brunette grumbled as he stood up from his lotus stance, his mind wasn't settled, and, judging by the antsy fox who had finished tearing his poor Sobakawa (pillow) into little pieces, neither was Inari-sama's. He wouldn't rest well tonight, but perhaps practicing some Katas would soothe his mind tonight. Hefting up his katana, he walked outside, cleared his mind, and started working on katas long since mastered.
Naruto's Apartment (Same Time) [Naruto's Pov]
Full of nerves and a stomach that growled painfully, Naruto nervously bound his clothing with rope and looked down at the baggy, poorly dyed, grey uniform that he had decided to wear. He sighed at his reflection, it wasn't perfect, but it was better than the bright clothes he normally wore, red, green, and orange looked great, but he'd be willing to bet it wouldn't help with this job. Especially since he had to steal the information from the Hokage's tower. He and Ojiisan used to be close when he was little, but after he joined the academy and started training with Daiki-sensei, there wasn't all too much time to see the weathered old man.
Hopefully, Ojiisan didn't have any hard feelings, he was administrating this test so he must not! The blonde shook his head as he carefully wrapped his weathered scarf around his head, it may be red, but it was better than his sunlight blonde. With a heavy heart and shaking hands, Naruto stepped out of his apartment and leaped to the nearest building.
Feet stumbling, he barely managed to steady himself before he leaped to the next building, and the next, and the next. Smiling as some of his nervous energy left him, Naruto let a broad grin overtake his face, it may take some effort, but he'd be able to do it!
Scarcely able to stop a whoop, Naruto slowed to a stop, there it was, deep red and jutting from the ground, the Hokage's Tower stared down at the entire village. Swallowing down a gulp, he judged the distance between his building and the tower, the blonde empowered his legs with as much chakra as was humanely safe and leaped.
His landing was less than adequate, but, looking around, there weren't any anbu running towards him quite yet. Arms like lead he inched his way towards the hatchet and pulled, with as much grace as he could muster he dropped down onto the top floor of the tower and began to inch his way toward the vault. Recalling the scroll all the while.
Objective: Secure the Scroll of Secrets
The scroll will be locked away in the vault, next to the Hokage's office, tread carefully, as the Hokage himself will be closely observing you for any awry sounds. Good luck Naruto, when you retrieve the scroll, go to training grounds 5, there I'll be to ensure that it is the scroll, and induct you as a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf.
Quietly, he inched forward, his feet almost hovering over the floor before he inched the door open for what felt like minutes. As soon as the gap grew wide enough for him to enter, he scurried inside and frowned when he saw dozens of scrolls lining the room.
It took him longer than he would have liked but he found the scroll on one of the shelves towards the back (thankfully they labeled it!), with careful steps he returned to the roof, and stopped. He stared down at his ill-gotten scroll and thought again of Daiki-sensei. His creed, one that he thought he adopted. Shaking his head he bounded away, towards Training Grounds 5.
Same Place (Same Time) [Hiruzen's Pov]
The weathered Hokage stared at the fleeing blonde with eyes half-lidded as he puffed out smoke through his pipe, frowning he raised a hand and in an instant, a masked figure kneeled before him. "Tora, watch him, I expected Mizuki to make his play, but not with Naruto, observe him, and if need be, bind him."
The operative was gone by the time another puff of smoke left Hiruzen's pipe, "Is this a ploy of your own division Orochimaru?" he questioned himself," No…you would not use a pawn as ill-prepared as Naruto, nonetheless, the pieces are in play, let us see if the Will of Fire can stand against your cursed tendrils." The Third Hokage mused to himself, wondering why the blonde had failed, whatever misgivings the instructors had with him, Konohagakure needed to show the rest of the villages that the seeds sown would be greater than their forefathers.
Konohagakure's Outskirts (Ten Minutes Later) [Naruto's Pov]
Naruto stared at the training grounds Mizuki expected the two of them to meet in before he shook his head. This…wasn't the way he wanted to graduate. Frowning he sat down on the branch and looked around, there wasn't anyone here yet, and the scroll didn't say there was a time they had to meet…
Naruto bounded off, with the scroll slung on his back, he turned towards the only adult he could truly trust to quell his troubled mind. It didn't take him long to reach the temple, and when he saw his Sensei practicing, truly practicing without being hindered by teaching, Naruto stopped to gawk.
"If you think you can sneak up on me, you're a few years too young Naruto-san," his Sensei's voice called out, and the young blonde stepped out of the shadows abashed and with a question building, how could his Sensei catch him, but the Hokage did not?
"It's good to see you Daiki-sensei," the blonde admitted before he felt the little paws of Yuki begin to scratch at his leg, laughing he scratched the little fox and looked at his Sensei with shame on his face.
"Something tells me you're not here to reconcile with me, do you need my wisdom now?", the guardian jested before seeing the hesitant face of his students. Smiling broadly, he sheathed his katana and walked forward to engulf his young student.
"Speak, and my ears will harken, what ails you Naruto-kun?", his sensei asked him, the blonde sighed before pulling away and placing down the scroll, seeing his mentor's quirked eyebrow he cringed before explaining the situation. Would his sensei still care for him? After he had turned his back on his code? On Bushido?
Temple of Inari (Fifteen Minutes Later) [Daiki's Pov]
He felt his years then, as his student professed his woes, the troubles his student had been unwilling to bring to his attention, and that he had not thought to search for.
"I failed you," he spoke, simply stating a fact that his student moved quickly to deny. Raising a hand to smother the words he saw prepared to erupt from the blonde's mouth, he explained, "I gave you the misconception that you cannot trust me to aid in that which you know not." Kneeling, he stared at the blonde with a tired smile.
"Naruto-kun, I can use Chakra, likely Samurai were the first to use it after Monks, but I forgot to teach you in my rush to mold you into a Samurai. You were right to come to me, I will teach you to use Chakra, and tomorrow, you will decide whether you wish to become a Shinobi now, or in a year." He told his student. Smiling broadly as he forced his old bones to stand.
"Now, what do y…", he pushed his student to the side, pushed Chakra to his hand, and caught the Fūma Shuriken with a grimace, it had still drawn blood. "Go get the Katana under my futon." He commanded his student, who had already taken a kunai out in preparation.
"We ca…", the blonde began.
"GO!", he shouted to the blonde, avoiding the shuriken with well-practiced steps before throwing the shuriken he had caught, and blurring forth with his unsheathed katana, moving into a forward stance, his blade pointing downwards in preparation to swivel to any direction he required of it. His eyes scanned the foliage, hunting the Shinobi that would attack a Guardian and his student before his eye caught the blonde still waiting in the clearing.
"Your loyalty is laudable, but you need a real weapon, go Naruto, your sensei can hold off whatever fool is attacking us," he commanded, sidestepping the projectiles he could and deflecting those he couldn't. He heard his student leap, a crash followed soon after, but his eyes were focused on the cyan-white individual prowling forth with the gait of a man assured of his victory.
"Hahaha, so, this is where he learned how to use a blade?", the man asked amidst mocking laughter, "Give me the scroll, the demon's head, and then I'll leave you be, how does that sound?" The Chūnin (if his vest was anything to go by) offered.
Breathing deeply, Daiki rushed to battle. His instincts and experience saw him easily beat aside the Chūnin's attempt to ward him off, but like all Shinobi, once he realized a frontal attack would fail him, he retreated to the foliage. Daiki followed with a stalwart pace, he wished to kill the fox, had tried to kill his student, and on Inari's hallowed ground, he would put down this wayward Shinobi.
He didn't know how many kunai he cut, or explosive tags he jumped away from, but he felt a lull in the Chūnin's attack beginning to form. Face stoic, he blurred forward and cut a log in half, narrowly dodging the spray of rocks, he despised jutsu, especially Kawarimi, deception had no place on the battlefield. If the Shinobi had his way, he would keep this game going for hours.
He heard the air distort as the kunai were launched, but ignored them, blurring forth, chakra empowering his legs, he managed to gouge out a decent chunk of the Chūnin's leg, this would end soon. The attacks came in slower intervals before they stopped altogether. Hairs raised he prepared to weather the final storm.
"Yo…you're strong, but…," the Chūnin's pained voice rang from the forest, heralding the arrival of dozens of kunai and shuriken that the Guardian blocked or evaded with minimal effort. Amber eyes widened when he saw a furred form appear, and his body was racked with fierce pain as it launched him through the trees and branches. "…but you aren't strong enough to stand before the blessing of Orochimaru-Sama," A baritone voice growls out. A lithe monstrosity, the Chūnin if the cyan-white hair was an indication, with orange fur and black striped dotting its body, a terrifying hybrid of man and tiger.
Frowning the guardian leaped back and studied his opponent. He was stronger than before, his aching (and likely shattered) ribs were a clear sign of it, and his speed had vastly increased, but…focusing Chakra into his ears, he felt the wind shift behind him and narrowly dodged the blow, he was simply a brute. He moved to slash the Chūnin in twain and felt his sword impact wood.
Internally cursing Shinobi, Daiki righted his form just in time to block another punch with his katana, shattering the blade, unfortunate, but it allowed him time to unsheathe his Wakizashi and stab the furred hand. Roaring with pain, the Oni-possessed Shinobi lashed out with raised claws. Daiki grasped his blade firmly and held tight as the claw launched him through the foliage and back from the grounds the fight had begun in.
Daiki saw the Chūnin stalk forward, right hand all but useless as tendon and vein hissed out blood without abandon. His foe prowled back and forth, breathing strenuously, and his eyes looking for an opening.
"Dai-…!", his student began to shout but was cut off by the primal roar of glee as the Chūnin saw an opening and launched himself forward, left claw outstretched in preparation to claim his student's head. Sending a brief prayer to Inari-Sama, he poured what Chakra he could, and likely more than even that, into his legs, and bounded forth.
He felt his legs shatter when they left the ground but smiled when he felt his blade pierce warm flesh and was thrown back with a brutal counter before he saw the Chūnin leap away. The battle was over…the wounds he dealt to the man, he couldn't come back from that…he tried to stand, but found his strength leaving him.
"Daiki-sensei that was amazing yo…you," his student began before the blonde saw the full extent of his injuries, raising a hand to stop his next few words, he chuckled looking down at his broken body.
He looked up at the confused and distraught azure eyes, he smiled, his hazel eyes going dark as the fox from before prowled forward and laid its little paws on his cheek. Coughing a final time, the weathered mentor looked towards his student, "…I am glad to have my final moments…being of use…and not…", he felt his tongue grow thick and saw the tears gathering in his student's eyes.
Laughing he let his head fall onto the grass, why did his student cry? He would watch over him in death, just as he had in life. As his energy left him, he opened his eyes anew and saw a ghastly sight, dozens, if not hundreds, of foxes, both with injuries and without. Smiling he stepped up and walked alongside the foxes that he had buried so long ago. It was a grand life and a grand death. He patted the shoulder of his student, grieving and shaking his body something fierce, and left this realm.
Temple of Inari (Same Time) [Naruto's Pov]
Naruto felt his chest thrum with pain, tears flow with reckless abandon, and then goosebumps erupt from his shoulder. He was lost, Mizuki had killed his Sensei, and it was his fault. He felt a little tongue lap at his hands as they tightly clenched his sensei's kimono. Shaking himself, he patted Yuki and smiled, felt the little fox's fur, and tried to collect himself.
He raised his head just in time to see Mizuki walking forward, steam pouring from his body as his flesh knitted itself back together and forced the wound his sensei had inflicted before his death to heal. The wakizashi fell with a pitiful thump before Mizuki's heel shattered the tool and then he felt true pain.
Rough-furred hands clenched tightly around his throat, and the blonde tried to grasp the Katana, so easily out of reach. "Pity, Roujin over here might have won had he not stopped to save a weak," Naruto felt his hands grow tighter," little," and tighter, "demon brat," Mizuki growled, anger and pleasure writ upon his face as Naruto's vision began to blot, his strength failing him.
The blonde's vision returned to him when Mizuki cursed, and Naruto could hear fierce growling and yelping beneath him. Yuki! A sickening thud and crack heralded the end of the fox's effort to save its friend. "I thought we wiped them out, but it makes sense that the last would throw away its life trying to save its master," the Chūnin mocked.
Naruto felt his chest thrum with pain and something more. An emotion that he had buried away until his sensei believed him able to control it. His sensei was dead now. Mizuki killed him. Mizuki killed Yuki. Rage. He felt rage coursing through his veins. He felt rage at this man, this monster who had taken everything from him in one night. His hands grasped Mizuki's and clenched, snapping the bones with terrifying ease.
Fear overtaking him, Mizuki leaped back and forced whatever Chakra he had left into his hands. Roaring in righteous fury, Naruto leaped at the Chūnin and, before the man could prepare himself, tore into the man with reckless abandon. The man tried to put up a desperate defense and tried to use a jutsu, but the rage-fueled Jinchūriki didn't allow him the chance. His left arm was the first to go from a devastating slash that Mizuki couldn't hope to dodge, the right was pulled out of its socket with a cruel twist. The rest of his body fared no better; Naruto tore the Chūnin apart until no one would recognize his body.
He roared his victory to Konohagakure and prepared to continue his rampage until he saw the corpse of sensei and the little fox he had taken to call his friend. The whisps of energy that had surrounded him slowly began to dissipate, and the rage in his veins bled way to guilt. He bowed his head and looked at the temple he had so many fond memories of.
"Wh…what am I supposed to do now Inari-Kami?", the blonde asked, staring at his dead mentor with regret and pain. Is this why sensei hated…use to hate Shinobi? In a moment everything he had could be taken without anyone accounting for it.
"Why didn't I think?", he asked himself, staring at the corpse of his mentor for a few more seconds before he wiped the tears gathering in his eyes, and sat down in the clearing he had so many fond memories of, and cried.
There he sat, mind hurt, body in pain, with sensei and dear friend lying dead. They needed to be burned. After a few minutes of sitting with that thought, he dragged himself up and walked towards the stables of the temple. There should be tools to gather the wood. He'd finish before dawn rose, enough time for Yuri to wake up, she'd oversee everything he could not. How to handle his…remains, Daiki-sensei would have a cremation deserving his role as Guardian of the temple, and Yuki, the valiant little fox would as well.
The blonde, mind as occupied as it was, didn't notice the corpse of Mizuki go missing, nor the scroll that he had gone to such efforts (and heartache) to retrieve.
Hokage's Office (Fifteen Minutes Later) [Hiruzen's Pov]
The aged Hokage felt his years then as his mind went over the report Tora had just now finished giving him about the situation. "Why did you not interfere when Mizuki attacked Guardian Daiki?" The Hokage asked, eyes weary as he thought of the inner turmoil the Uzumaki must be going through.
"My orders were to observe the Jinchūriki Hokage-Sama, if I were to deviate from the path chosen, it could have interfered with Operation: Susanoo, though the interference of Uzumaki Naruto dissolved the only concrete lead we had for the Snake Sannin." The anbu agent replied with an indifferent tone.
The Hokage nodded and sighed, before reaching into his desk and pulling out a weathered headband. "Give this to Naruto-san, after the service for Daiki-san, his actions tonight warrant a position in our forces," he told the anbu. Ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that said the Jinchūriki would have joined the ranks of Konohagakure's Shinobi today, no matter if he had a hand in bringing Mizuki to justice or simply chose to wait a year. The balance of power was truly a horrendous thing.
When the anbu left his office with the headband, the Hokage sighed before standing, feeling his age at this moment more than ever. "I failed him Minato, hopefully, a piece of you will ease the passing of his mentor", the Third Hokage mused allowed, staring out at his village. Naruto would not know it, and likely not care for it, but this was the first battle against his former student with so few casualties.
Temple of Inari (Two hours Later) [Naruto's Pov]
Yuri-san had woken up sometime during the fight and had told him Daiki-sensei had gathered wood some time ago, she was insistent that he clear his head while she prepare the pyre and gathered an urn. Left with nothing to do but listen, he wandered the forest near the temple and saw the trees knocked, or destroyed, during the fight between Mizuki and his sensei. After a few minutes of walking, he found a log cut in twain, likely Kawarimi. Naruto could only imagine what that slash would have done to the human body, his sensei was truly skilled with a katana.
Frowning, he realized that he hadn't seen his sensei's katana with his body, following the signs of battle, he saw a glint of metal and found the shattered remains of the katana discarded near a slashed log. Another Kawarimi, but what shattered the blade? Frowning he leaned down and picked up the katana, it was ruined. The mekugi₆ was the only thing holding the lower half of the blade together.
Saddened that this was all that remained of his mentor, he tied the blade to his belt and walked back towards the temple where he saw the katana his master had wanted him to get. Picking it up, he felt tears threaten to overwhelm him, in his haste to get a weapon, he had missed something. The sheath was the horrible orange he loved, his master always complained about it, too strong for his eyes he'd say. It was meant for him unless his master harbored some secret love for the color. Chuckling at the thought of the old man with a secret stash of gaudy orange kimonos, he tied the gift next to his mentor's shattered katana, and sent a brief prayer to Inari-sama, to watch over Daiki-sensei's spirit.
Holding down the tears he felt coming, he walked towards the back of the temple, where Yuri-san prayed, and his mentor refused to allow him to go. There he saw the Miko priestess waiting patiently for him. The pyre was built, and his sensei and little Yuki lying atop it.
He felt his mouth dry up, and his hands go dry, this was far more real than he'd ever hoped. "You didn't have to wait," he told the priestess, staring at the bodies with shame.
"I would never forgive myself if I didn't Naruto-kun," Yuri said with a small smile before she picked up a torch that he hadn't noticed. "Go with Inari-sama," she whispered to the dead before she dropped the touch onto the pyre. That was short, he thought to himself, staring at the Miko priestess with confusion until he noticed her puffy eyes and dried tears that the darkness had hidden so well. They were both mourning, he reprimanded himself before looking toward the pyre to afford the priestess privacy as new tears trickled down her face.
Naruto watched the fire crackle and spit, was it supposed to burn so fast? This didn't feel real. He saw the mentor that had nearly raised him burn and fall apart with ease, he wanted to turn away, but he wouldn't dare. Feeling the dam begin to break, he turned to pay his respects to little Yuki and furrowed his brows in surprise. The fire wasn't supposed to be white, was it?
Ivory wisps puckered and fluttered around the little fox, whose stubborn body refused to yield to the flame. "Wha…", Naruto began before the ivory wisps overtook the body of his late friend. Alarmed he moved forward to stop whatever forces were interfering in this hallowed moment. Then he stopped cold, a paw twitched, a little stomach began to move up and down, and then Yuki's eyes opened.
The little fox leaped up with life that he lacked minutes ago, turned, and quizzically stared at the flames lapping at its pale white coat until its crimson eyes landed on the blonde. Yipping with excitement it jumped towards the blonde and scratched and growled beneath the blonde with happiness.
Confused the blonde brought the fox into its arms and held his friend close for dear life. He was alive.
"A kitsune…", Yuri breathed out in awe before as she stared at the pale fox sitting in the blonde's arms.
"I…thought they were myth," Naruto admitted as he patted and scratched at Yuki, staring at his fox with amazement and confusion. "It doesn't matter, I…excuse me Yuri-san, I need to think," he apologized as he shook his head and walked away with Yuki tightly clutched in his arms.
He didn't go far, he walked to the spot where he used to train with Daiki, sat down on a rock, and stared at Yuki in confusion. "What brought you back?", he asked the fox, confusion building in his mind. Did Inari bring Yuki back? Why didn't she…no, it wasn't right to think about that.
Sighing his mind wandered to his mentor and the last moment they had spoken before…any of this, before the graduation. He jumped up and ran to the room he had so many memories of and looked around. It didn't take too long to find his quarry. Face full of determination, he ran outside, hefted up the straw target, nocked an arrow, and refused to let his determination dim when it tumbled to the ground. He raised the bow again, knocked an arrow, practiced until his fingers bled, and continued to do so after.
Minutes (hours?) later, he felt the wind shift and turned around, prepared to fight with an arrow if need be, but saw no one. Huffing he forced himself to stop. Good training was never done when the mind was pulled in too many directions. He grabbed the bow, gathered the arrows, and woke the kitsune sprayed out on the grass. He walked towards the entrance (and exit) of the temple and was surprised to find Yuri waiting for him hands holding a plain urn.
"He'd want you to have it," Yuri-san said with a small smile, eyes puffy but voice strong. Naruto took the urn with trepidation before he looked up at the priestess with conflicted eyes.
"Thank you," he told her, wanting to say more but before he could she shook her head and stepped away, returning to her duties. Smiling he walked away, feeling rejuvenated in a sense. He'd visit the temple, whenever he could. Yuki by his side, his sensei's urn clutched tightly in his left hand, and his right clutching the bow. Truth be told, his belt felt heavy, and his arms were tired, but he wouldn't put anything down, not until he got home.
When he finally got to his apartment, he pushed the door open with some trouble, but his training gave him flexibility that served him well now. When he stepped inside, he placed the weapons down on his table and placed the urn down with reverence deserving of his mentor's resting place. Moving to shut his door, he stared quizzically at the headband hanging from his doorknob, stepping out to ensure he didn't miss anyone, and sighed when he couldn't make out a single person.
Breathing deeply, he picked up the weathered headband, quirking an eyebrow at the scratches and dents, he walked inside his apartment and prepared for the meeting that would take place in a few hours. He was a Shinobi now. He didn't like that thought, he didn't know their skills, didn't understand the way they thought, but maybe he could? Frowning, he put the headband next to the weapons and his sensei's urn.
This wouldn't do. He picked up the urn and moved it towards the desk he never used, grabbed the shattered katana, placed it next to the urn, and sent a prayer to his departed mentor. This would serve as a shrine until he got enough money to buy a good table. Chuckling at the thought of a jade table for his departed mentor, he moved to lie in bed. In a few hours, he'd be a genin of Konohagakure, he patted the kitsune lying next to him and went to sleep.
Academy (Seven Hours Later) [Hinata's Pov]
She watched everyone who entered the classroom with hopeful eyes, Naruto hadn't come back after the tests, but she could say the same for Sasuke and (though she didn't care for the Uchiha Heir) he definitely passed. Her confidence began to waver when Iruka-sensei began to name the members of Team 1. It was crushed when he announced Team 7: Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Choji Akimichi, under the last member of Clan Hatake, Hatake Kakashi, the Copycat Ninja. Her father didn't care for the man but respected his strength.
Team 8 was next: Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame led by Yuhi Kurenai, Mistress of Genjutsu and rising Jōnin. She was surprised that she had three clan heirs under her, but she must be something special to be entrusted with them. Giving Shino a small smile as he walked towards and away with the crimson-eyed woman. The bug user nodded his head at her before walking away with his new team. Stifling a giggle, she turned her attention back towards the door, Shino was weirdly mature for his age, though she could same the same about Neji-Niisan.
Hinata's eyes swiveled to Iruka's when he began to announce Team 10: Hinata Hyūga (this was it!), Shikamaru Nara, and Naruto Uzumaki (she couldn't help but let a little gasp escape her mouth, he had passed! And he was on her team!), led by Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the Third Hokage, and once a member of the Twelve Guardians. She stood up and moved to stand behind Asuma, alongside Shikamaru who moved slower than she'd have hoped for such a pivotal moment. Her eyes scanned the classroom for their third teammate but couldn't find the sun-kissed blonde anywhere.
"Hmmmmmm, your third teammate may still be asleep, let's go wake him huh?", the grizzled man said with a smile, as though sensing her worried actions. Nodding abashed that he had addressed her directly and not the two of them, they left the academy and began to head in the direction towards Naruto's apartment complex.
"Is Naruto usually late?", Asuma-san asked, barely withholding a grimace at the lack of an honorific, she shook her head," No…usually he's one of the first few at the academy." She told her sensei who nodded at the information.
"Do any of you know each other beyond names?", he asked the pair as they walked, Hinata furrowed her brows in thought before she shook her head.
"We don't really talk, and honestly, I'm surprised that I'm with Naruto and Hinata," Shikamaru began, shooting Hinata a glance," no offense, but I was told by my father that we would be replicating the Ino-Shika-Chō," the lazy genin said with an unusually focused look. She hadn't thought about that…had something happened between the clans?
The Jōnin smiled before shrugging," What can I say? Hokage-sama wanted to try something new," Asuma paused when he noticed Shikamaru's lack of belief and sighed," if you pass, we'll discuss it over dinner, happy?", the Jōnin offered, letting out a drawn-out sigh as he noticed the two genin tense at his words. If they passed? What did that mean?
"Enough small talk, we'll continue this once we get your wayward classmate," he said with a forced smile. Hinata nodded at his words, while Shikamaru looked to be thinking harder than he ever had in class, strange.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the complex, but a problem arose to which only Hinata had a solution, though she wasn't too keen to solve it.
"Anyone know what floor, heck what apartment, this brat has?", Jōnin asked as he stared at the four-story building. It was big, too big for them to go knocking at each of the doors, feeling a heat begin to creep on the nape of her neck, she hesitantly stepped forward.
"He…he lives on the third floor…third door to the right," she said with a meek voice, ignoring Shikamaru's gaze (why did it look like he thought more in the past half hour than he had for the last six years?). Asuma gave her a broad smile and began to walk near the stairs, motioning for the two to follow him.
When they finally arrived at Naruto's door, they heard a large commotion going on inside the apartment. Crashing, banging, and the occasional yelp as they heard the blonde's distinct voice cursing and stumbling about inside. Not pausing in the slightest their sensei walked forward and gave three quick raps to his door. The booming heralded the end of all the noise inside the room, and after a few moments, the disheveled blonde hesitantly opened the door.
Hinata's eyes widened at his appearance, he wasn't dressed too differently from his usual earthy clothes, with brown pants, Shinobi-issued boots, and a burnt orange shirt, he looked normal; no, what surprised her was the bow strapped to his back with an ill-fitting harness, a sword with an orange sheathe that swayed wildly in a belt refitted to accommodate the weapon and the white fox that followed beside him with excited little steps. He must have domesticated it, that was the only way she could see the fox keeping its white coat.
"Oh…sorry…uh…sir?", the blonde said with a smile," I had a long night and was told that I was a Shinobi a few hours ago, I'm going to assume that you're my Jōnin instructor?", the blonde asked. Now that Hinata focused, she could see a headband tied around his arms, why did it look like it had been through a battle, or twenty, already?
"That depends on whether you pass, mind coming with us, I figure we get this out of the way today," her sensei told the blonde, studying the weapons with interest. Naruto nodded and they were off, the domesticated fox following close behind, it almost resembled a kitsune from her mother's books. Shaking her head at the absurd thought, she set off with her team.
Training Ground 13 (Twenty Minutes Later) [Naruto's Pov]
He brushed his fingers against his katana in anticipation as they got closer and closer to the training ground. His mind didn't know what to think, but if he had to settle on one thought: he would never back down. A piece of him wanted to, but a bigger one wanted to show the world that Uzumaki Naruto wasn't the kind to back down. With a fortified mind, he stalked forward, and bumped into Hinata who…meeped? She must feel nervous too, her face was beet red. Honestly, he could feel his face heating up a bit too, when had they stopped?
Apologizing to the Kunoichi, he looked around the clearing. Surprisingly there was a distinct lack of forestry, but he could see a river not too far away, a field of dandelions, and a lilac bush here and there. This was…surprisingly peaceful.
"I'm sure you're wondering what we're doing here, and now that we have our third teammate," he said with a pointed look at the blonde," I can explain how you aren't genin yet." He said with a clap before a frown sat on his face, "Or a genin with me as your instructor, you see the initial test was just to weed out the kids who weren't cut out for this life, this test is to weed out the genin who aren't deserving of representing the village and will instead serve Konohagakure in a specialized role, questions?", the grizzled man finished his longwinded sentence with a chuckle before he took out a small porcelain tree.
"Good, now, before we do anything unnecessary, like introduce each other, this is the Kikumi, if the three of you can protect it for ten minutes, after ten minutes of preparation, then you'll be my team, do you think you're up for it?", the Jōnin asked with a challenging smile before he walked away after placing the little tree on the ground. "Good luck," he called out as he walked away.
Naruto watched as Hinata hesitantly walked forward and picked it up before she stared at her two teammates with a bated breath," W…what should we d…do now?", she stuttered. She must be really nervous, the blonde thought to himself. She could barely speak!
"We can't bury it, it would be obvious where we disturbed the ground…", Naruto mused as he stared at the fragile little tree for a few seconds, before sitting down with a frown. "I'm more of a front-line fighter…we could have two of us distract him…but he'd see through that," he concluded as he stared at the other two with a furrowed brow.
"Hmmmmmmmmm…how about…no…too open….," Shikamaru mumbled, ignoring the confused glances of his teammate, the blonde sighed as he thought for a few minutes himself before he looked down to pet Yuki and noticed the little scamp was already next to Hinata who was eagerly doing what he had planned. Traitor.
"A…ano…naruto-san…where did you get him?", Hinata asked the blonde, who ignored Shikamaru staring at him as he mumbled to himself.
"Ah…I found him not too far from a temple, next to a lake actually, the little guy has been a good friend ever since," he told Hinata with a smile, Yuki seemed to really like her.
"Ah…do you keep him inside?", she asked," I don't think I've ever seen a fox with a coat like this unless it was domesticated," she added with nervous laughter.
"Oh…no…I think he's just like that," he replied lamely, faking a smile before he noticed that Shikamaru was still staring at him, tired of the staring he moved to speak but was beaten to the punch.
"Naruto are you fast?", the Nara heir asked the blonde with a piercing gaze. Frowning the blonde thought for a few moments, shaking away the thoughts that came to the forefront of his mind before shaking his head.
"Not fast enough to beat a Jōnin…," he said with a frown," I trained to fight in close quarters, not run," he added as an afterthought before he stared at Shikamaru with confusion, "Why?"
Shikamaru smiled before taking off his jacket and kneeling down, taking his sweet time to wrap it around the Kikumi, "Hinata can I borrow your jacket too?", he asked the Hyūga heiress, ignoring the blonde's question, much to his chagrin.
"A…yes?", she said with a tilted head before nervously removing her jacket and giving it to Shikamaru with a red face. Maybe he should get her some ginger? That usually helped calm his nerves. Shaking his head, he focused on Shikamaru, not the time, besides that was in his apartment.
"Okay," pineapple head mumbled to himself, as he wrapped up Hinata's jacket to look the same as his in bulk if not style, before he raised his hands, and made a few quick hand signs that shifted the bundled jacket to look like Shikamaru's. "Oka-chan would be mad if I failed…thankfully…I can say I tried," he said wiping away some sweat gathering on his forehead.
"Okay…Naruto-San…grab my jacket, Hinata-san grab yours," he waited until they did so, and then he smiled," Okay, here's the plan, we split apart, but…", he raised a hand sign and henged into Naruto. Moving closer to the blonde he leaned in close, "I'm going to perform a Bunshin of me, running with a jacket and unless you follow it, he won't believe it, but looking like this, he won't know who to follow, and he'll have to choose one of us." Fake Naruto said with a tone of finality.
"What if he chooses me? Or the right one?", he asked the dashingly good-looking blonde," Won't we be disqualified immediately?"
Smiling at the original, Shikamaru nodded," We can't beat him, all he needs to do is break the Kikumi, we have to distract and waste his time, can you do that if he goes after you?", the blonde asked Naruto.
Grinning ear to ear Naruto held out a thumbs up to the fine specimen standing before him," You got it." He affirmed before he held his bag tight, waited for Shikamaru to summon his Bunshin, and ran behind it. Yuki followed behind him with a yip and dash, strangely almost keeping up. Though he lost track of the little kitsune in the field of flowers.
After a few minutes of running, he felt the ground shake, and he barely managed to dodge the three kunai that were launched with frightening accuracy, Bunshin Shikamaru held no such luck and was puffed out of existence. Turning around, he saw his sensei approaching with a calm gait, as though he had all the time in the world. That's right, waste your time!
Kneeling down he placed the package down, and slowly stood up before unsheathing his katana. "Oh? No banter, the genin get more and more…," his sensei began before Naruto launched himself at him, the Jōnin batted aside each of his swings with painful ease. Frowning Naruto lowered himself and switched from long swipes to careful but quick slices that should have landed. Each of them was dodged with a mocking grin. "…boring," the Jonin said with a laugh before he leaped back, and got into a strangely loose stance. Maybe he should prepare to defend himself, the genin thought with trepidation.
Before he could switch his style, the genin felt a foot connect with his chest and was launched back. Narrowly missing the jacket, he got up and rushed the Jōnin yet again. Who yawned with boredom before he removed a cigarette from a cartoon and lit it as he dodged the strikes yet again. How was he doing this so easily? The blonde raved in his mind, he was distracted, he had trained for years, what was he missing? As though catching the blonde's frustration, Asuma leaped back and shot him a cocky smirk.
"Look kid, this is fun and all but…", breathing deeply he blew out a deep miasma of smoke that smothered Naruto,"…I just can't see this ending your way." The Jōnin admitted, after a few seconds he cursed," Damn, the other team, had it? Well, guess my job is over," Smokey said before Naruto heard a pop and the smoke slowly dissipated, looking around he only saw an empty jacket and Yuki lazing next to it.
Smiling he picked up the jacket and began bounding back from where he came, now that he knew he didn't have the Kikumi to worry about he could run just a bit faster, hopefully in time to help Shikamaru and Hinata.
When he finally arrived he saw a Shikamaru holding back the grizzled man with his…shadow? Puzzling over that he looked around and saw Hinata dodging, but never striking, at the Jōnin who didn't share the same problem. Was he using corporeal clones?
Unsheathing his katana, he moved to interfere in Shikamaru's battle but was knocked aside by the Jōnin previously entangled with Hinata. Frowning he joined Hinata's effort, taking the clone's attention as Hinata attempted to lay a disabling blow. It was a brutal back and forth, not Naruto's constant pressure nor Hinata's frightening speed could land a blow against the Jōnin. Then he stopped moving, aiming to capitalize on the moment, Naruto moved forward, and so did Hinata. Not wasting a moment, Asuma's hand grabbed Naruto's scalp, forced him forward, and disappeared with a puff of smoke when he was stabbed by Naruto's katana.
Smiling at the small victory, Naruto missed the panicked expression on Hinata's face before the tip of her fingers hit his chest and left lancing pain shooting through him. Powering through he ignored Hinata's apology and looked at the Jōnin fighting Shikamaru and tried to force his body to move faster when he saw the groaning genin on the ground while the Jonin picked up his bounty.
Outraged he prepared to launch himself at the clone when he revealed…an empty jacket? Pausing to work out that particular conundrum, a beep began to emanate from the lone tree. Looking towards it he saw the real Asuma slowly disentangle himself from one of the oak tree's branches and appear right next to the three genin. The last clone disappeared with a puff of smoke.
"Hmmmmmmmm, where did you leave it?", the Jōnin asked with a curious look in his eyes. Smiling Shikamaru walked over to where he had originally taken off his jacket, and after digging around for a few seconds, revealing the Kikumi.
"Naruto's plan was good until he said it out loud…I figured if we did something obvious that we said we wouldn't do, you wouldn't have looked for it," pineapple head told their sensei.
Internally Naruto was pumping his fist in the air before he thought: screw it,and celebrated externally. "Yeeeeah, my idea saved the day huh guys?", he said with a grin before he started laughing at the stoic look Shikamaru had sent him. "Okay okay, you have to admit it was funny pi…Shikamaru-kun," he said with a grin, ignoring his almost slip-up. Calling people by nicknames you made up out of boredom was never a good idea in his experience.
The Hyūga heiress stared at the two genin for a few seconds before a little peep of laughter came from her corner, and like that the dam broke, the Nara heir let out a small chuckle, nodding. "Yeah…you could say that, but…", he turned towards their new sensei. "Where exactly are we getting dinner, getting knocked around and using all those jutsu really builds a guy's appetite."
Letting out a deep, broad, laugh, Asuma smiled before walking motioning for them to follow, "I know a great barbecue place that I think the three of you would enjoy, while we're there I might even tell you a little bit about me, but before I forget, welcome to Team 10."
Grinning, Naruto walked behind his sensei, Yuki taking short steps behind him (likely out of laziness), Hinata just a step behind him, and Shikamaru walking aside him; the blonde had a feeling something interesting was going to happen with this team. He could even say he learned something today! Shikamaru was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. After all, he knew a good plan when he heard one!
Author's Notes: Hey yall, sorry this took so long, had this writer's fervor that just wouldn't allow me to post a normal chapter. It's a hefty one I'll give ya that. Also, fun fact, I learned Shogi so I could give some valid thoughts whenever Shikamaru and Asuma played, and woah, it is a different beast from Chess. Fun when you get the hang of it but a pain if you don't.
Sorry if yall don't like the route I took the story. I felt like Daiki's death was something that was going to happen no matter what, except the details would simply shift the further we got along, this way we could lay down the groundwork for new things. What did yall think of this new team? I thought it made sense, and hopefully, the next chapter's explanation gives some light into why I changed things around if yall are left wondering. Asides from that, it pisses me off when people shift Naruto's power scale but make it so he's somehow still the dead last or magically gets placed on team 7 cause cannon. It's a fanfic don't ya know!
2/28/2023: Update, sorry if I got yall's hope up for Chapter 5; I was going about my day when I realized that I hadn't put in the seperators, and rushed to do so. Sorry for those who read it as normal, but thanks nonetheless
Anyhow, hope yall enjoy, review if ya did, review if you didn't. Without further ado, here's the explanation bank for the words with the numbers.
1-Kei = Known as the Keima, it is Shogi's version of the Knight, but it cannot move backward or to the side, only being able to move forward. So less versatile but an interesting piece nonetheless if used correctly.
2-Gin = The Silver General, or Ginshō, a piece unique to Shogi, which reflects the legitimate attitude where armies would have more than their King leading them. Though they don't need to be killed for the game to be ended.
3-Fu = Shogi's equivalent of Pawns, though these can only move and attack in a straight line, and the full word isfuhyō.
4-Roujin = Stands for old man, a bit of a disrespectful way to say it unless you know the person, hence why Shikaku laughed and Daiki was prepared to kill Mizuki.
5-Minka = A traditional Japanese House. I made it so the main family would have a home separate to the compound. Figured that was something that the Hyūga would do.
6-Meguki = A pin which attached the blade of the katana to the handle, usually made of bamboo and usually just being one pin or two (depending on the craftsman).