Naruto's Odyssey
Academy Daze II
-o-
NARUTO
Naruto sat next to a couple of his rowdier classmates, staring out the window as he did every morning, waiting for Iruka to start today's lectures. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Just yesterday, Iruka had announced that they would be starting on their first chakra control exercise.
While others his age chatted about this or that, he daydreamed about all the cool things he'd be able to do with chakra. Swarming enemy ninja with a horde of clones, shooting balls of fire, and breaking mountains with his fists.
All thoughts of greatness were pushed to the back, however, as Iruka opened the door and walked over to his solitary desk at the front of the classroom. "Good morning, class."
A chorus of 'good morning, sensei' answered the man's cheerful greeting.
"Today, we'll be finishing up on the history of the previous Hokage. So open your books to page one-forty-six."
Naruto flipped open his book, leafing through the pages until he landed on the correct one. The title read, 'Minato Namikaze, the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure.' Under, was the image of a man sporting spiky blonde hair and deep blue eyes.
It surprised him—not just because the man resembled him—but because Naruto had always imagined all Hokage as wise old men.
"First, can anyone here tell me anything about the sixth?" Iruka asked. Sakura raised her hand tentatively. She was smart, Naruto knew. And very quiet, too.
"Yes, Sakura?"
She hesitated for a moment as the class's attention turned to her but answered at Iruka's encouraging nod. "Um, the sixth Hokage was M-Minato Namikaze. He's the second youngest person to become Hokage. But he died not long after."
"Very good. You're absolutely right," Iruka said with a nod. He continued, "Minato Namikaze, also known as the Yellow Flash, became Hokage at the age of 23. But died just two years later, at the age of 25, protecting the village from one of the bijū —the Kyūbi no Kitsune."
Demon fox? The class perked up at the mention of a demon and battle. Naruto, curious, raised his hand.
"Yes?"
"What's a bijū?"
"Well, that's a bit complicated… But I guess we could go over it quickly, considering the topic. Well, then. Head over to page three twenty-nine."
Naruto turned to the page and was greeted by the sight of a creature that looked to be made completely up of sand, fighting hordes of ninja the size of flies.
"The tailed beasts are enormous creatures that wield immense amounts of chakra. No one knows where they came from, but some say they're as old as the world itself." The class was transfixed, momentarily mesmerized by these strange, titanic creatures of legend. "The tailed beasts live isolated lives, preferring to stay out of the sights of men. Few who ever see them live to tell the tale. The one you see in your notebooks is the Ichibi. The bijū of sand."
Some of the children frowned. Naruto, too, was confused. He hadn't known you could use sand jutsu. Is sand its own element? Or just a part of earth?
"Yes, sand. It dwells in the vast deserts of the Land of Wind and can control sand as easily as you and I move our fingers. The desert nomads of Kaze no Kuni, call it Saharajin, the Sand Wraith. They believe it to be the guardian of the deserts and a harbinger of wrath. Its power is said to shift the very dunes, and its presence felt in the most ferocious of sandstorms. The one-tailed beast is the one we know the most about, but there are others. Like the nine-tails that attacked our village years ago."
"Why did it attack, sensei?" asked one of the girls.
"No one knows, really." Iruka shrugged, "The last time the Kyūbi had been seen before its attack on Konoha, was during the Era of Warring clans when the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, fought it after it had decimated one of their allies. He wrote about it in his journal, detailing the strange influence his wood-release had on the bijū."
One of the kids raised their hand to ask yet another question when Iruka noticed how long he'd spent on this tangent. "No, I think that's enough about the tailed beasts for one day. We need to get on with the lesson. Though, for those of you that really want to know more, I'd recommend Homura's Odyssey. It's a book written by Homura Nakamura, an explorer from Kawa no Kuni who lived nearly three hundred years ago, about his travels across the world. He wrote many theories on the tailed beasts and their origin."
-o-
Days later, Naruto found himself standing before the library. He'd never been there, of course. Never had any reason to visit.
He hesitated before the entrance, not sure what to do. Do I knock, or…?
In the end, he just shrugged and silently slid the doors open, peeking his head in through the crack.
Inside, a bored-looking Chūnin sat behind a wooden counter, but beyond that – Naruto felt his eyes widen at the sheer vastness of the library. Tall bookshelves stretched endlessly, filled with rows of scrolls and tomes. The air was thick with the scent of ink and parchment.
Naruto's initial apprehension slowly melted away, replaced by a spark of wonder. He slowly made his way to the counter.
"Pass?" The Chūnin asked, not looking up from the book in his hand.
He froze. He hadn't known that he needed a pass to enter. "I- don't have one." He said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
The Chūnin looked up. "Ah, your first time here, I'm guessing. You an Academy student?"
Naruto nodded, and the Chūnin pulled out a card from a drawer. "Name, date of birth, and student ID?"
"Naruto, October tenth 162, 0-1-6-3-0-7."
The man glanced up with a frown, "last name?"
The question made Naruto's heart clench. He stared at his toes, avoiding eye contact and rubbing the back of his head. "Don't have one."
The man slid the card over to Naruto. "That's your library pass. You'll have to bring that with you next time you come." He noted that it was stamped with a symbol writ in ink.
The man pulled out a piece of wood with a small needle sticking out of it. "Prick your finger on this, just enough for a drop or two of blood. Then touch it to the seal." Naruto did as instructed.
Following a short set of hand-signs, Naruto watched with curiosity as the blood turned from a vibrant red to a darker, brick-like hue.
"Alright, there you go."
"Thanks." Naruto said, taking his card and examining the thumbprint. It's dry. He noted. As though it had always been a part of the card. He pocketed the card and made to head in.
"Academy students are only allowed on the first floor.", the Chūnin added.
Naruto tiptoed through the aisles, his small fingers trailing along the spines of the books. His eyes caught sight of a label that read 'C-7 Science – Botany'. On closer inspection, each bookshelf had such a label, denoting its content. He left that part of the library behind, searching for history or adventure.
Iruka's brief tangent on the origin of the tailed beasts had stoked his curiosity, igniting a spark of intrigue that refused to be extinguished, and thus he'd come to the library in an attempt to find Homura's Odyssey. Though he was having little success in locating it.
He wandered deeper into the library, his eyes darting from one section to another until a cough interrupted his search. Naruto jumped a little at the sound, head snapping towards an older, purple-haired woman. A small smile tugged at her lips, "Looking for anything in particular?" she asked in a low voice.
"Uh, Homura's Odyssey."
She quirked an eyebrow and gestured for him to follow. Her strides were long, and he had to hurry to keep up. They arrived at a corner of the library, standing before a row labelled 'M-3 History – Myth and Legend.' The books looked dusty and worn. She picked out a brown leather-bound tome and handed it over to him. The spine was cracked, and the title barely legible: 'The Chronicles of Homura, Volume I: Explorations of the Elemental Nations.'
He thanked her with a big smile on his face. Once she was gone, he hurried over to one of the desks that had a lit candle, spurred by excitement, and opened the book.
'To the curious soul who opens this book, I bid you welcome. I am Homura Nakamura, once a young wanderer, now an old man with a heart full of memories and tales that long to be shared. It has been many years since I first set out from my village, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to see the world beyond the familiar borders of my home.
As a younger man, I traversed forests and deserts, scaled mountains, and crossed oceans. Along the way, I encountered the extraordinary and the mundane, the beautiful and the terrifying. These chronicles are the fruit of those years of wandering.
These are not just my stories; they are the stories of the Elemental Nations themselves, of their people, their histories, and their secrets.
As I sit by the hearth in my twilight years, it is my hope that this chronicle will ignite in you the same fire of curiosity that once drove me. May it inspire you to look beyond the horizon, to seek out the wonders that lie hidden in our world, and to never cease in your quest for knowledge and adventure.
The world is vast, and its stories are endless. Turn the page, and let the journey begin.'
— Homura
-o-
'To honor Saharajin, the nomads perform sacred rituals during the Festival of Shifting Sands, held once every year. During this festival, they offer rare desert flowers, intricately crafted pottery, and precious stones found deep within the dunes. These offerings are believed to appease the Sand Wraith, ensuring peace and prosperity for the years to come.'
'Young warriors among the nomads undertake a rite of passage known as the Trials of the Wraith. These trials involve venturing into the deepest, most treacherous parts of the desert, where Saharajin's presence is strongest. The warriors must face the dangers of the desert and prove their worthiness through feats of courage and strength. Those who succeed return as revered protectors of their people, believed to be blessed by the spirit of Saharajin.'
Excerpt from Homuras Oddysey, Volume I: Explorations of the Elemental Nations. Chapter IV: Wind.
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AN:
So, I'm back with another chapter. This one's shorter than the previous ones. Rest assured the following chapters will be longer.
Hope you enjoyed.
(Discord link in bio)
~Zenix404~