Black Sun
By darthwizard
A/N: I often read hundreds of fics focusing on the Uzumaki clan. I love those stories, and they're fun to read. Sadly, I don't see too many fics focusing on the Namikaze clan…
… so expect this story to delve deeply into Namikaze lore. Be warned: This story will become dark and violent and is an AU. Don't worry! Naruto is still Naruto, but don't expect this story to follow canon.
Summary: After failing the Genin Exam for the first time, Naruto is approached by a one-eyed, blonde-haired man. Learning the truth about his family, he begins a journey with two fellow jinchuriki in The Land of Wind. Will his resolve stop the sun from turning black? Strong, Cunning, Storm-release, Fox Summoner Naruto! AU.
Chapter 1: A Gift
In those distant days, in those ancient nights when bread was first tasted in the sacred shrines of the land, the sun was black and shined with silvery/red rays of light. The Sage of the Six Paths created two stone tablets. One of them forbode the Red Moon, the prison of the Ten-Tailed Jubi, which would one day cast a spell entrapping the world in bliss. The second stone tablet detailed the Black Sun!
Not much is known about the Black Sun, except that its reach is as universal and terrifying as that of the Red Moon. The Namikaze clan holds the second stone tablet in their old clan headquarters in the Land of Wind.
The first recorded Jinchuriki was the Land of Wind's Ichibi (one-tail), after a priest read from the Namikaze stone tablet. The priest Bunpuku would clutch his tea kettle in his prison cell while muttering, "Black Sun." Until the day he died, he would say those two words, Black Sun, as if he was summoning an unspeakable cosmic force. Bunpuku, in a state of consciousness, once said, "A Black Sun isn't something that can be explained or understood unless you saw it yourself."
Minato Namikaze reread his father's journal. He frowned and settled his father's journal where he found it. He was in his father's study, which was more like a madman's library. Every wall except the windows had a tall bookshelf that went high up to the ceiling, every space occupied by scrolls or books. Even the floor of Koga Namikaze's study was covered in stacks of books.
The door to his father's study opened, and Minato quickly moved away from his desk, unsure if his father was present. He closed his eyes, expecting his angry father to lash at him again. Instead, he heard the chuckling of someone who made him smile. Before him was his older brother Kazuhiro Namikaze, who looked every bit like him except for his hair, which was kept in a long golden-yellow ponytail. He wore a Konoha flak jacket, a symbol of his status as a Jonin at seventeen.
"Father isn't coming back home… he left the village for an important meeting with those friends of his. Minato, you shouldn't be so afraid, especially since my younger brother is finally grown up," Kazuhiro said with an enchanting grin. "When I heard my little brother graduated from the academy today. I came rushing home faster than a flash. I'm sorry I wasn't there for your special day."
Minato hoarsely sighed. He smiled a weak smile, but he still felt some pain. After the Genin Exam, he spent his entire graduation ceremony sitting on a swing, watching the other graduates celebrate with their parents. He waited for his father, Koga Namikaze, to show up and congratulate him, but he was left alone on that swing outside the Academy.
Minato didn't want to admit this, but he cried. Tears fell from his eyes when he was alone, swinging by himself outside the Academy. He should have gone home but continued waiting until the sun disappeared below the horizon. The only person to congratulate him on his graduation was Kushina Uzumaki, who left him by himself on the swing not long after she gave her congratulations.
His big brother's forehead protector shone in the dim orange light from the candles in the room. Minato grinned as his big brother smiled and looked at the book opened on their father's desk. It was their father's journal, Black Sun. Kazuhiro grabbed the journal, closed it, and softly said, "Interesting. Father once said he planned on writing a final book. Too bad the old man is gone."
"Big brother, do you think it's true? That there are such things as Red Moons and Black Suns?" Minato asked innocently.
"Minato, they are nothing more than myths. Stories parents tell misbehaving children before bed. You sound as conspiratorial as Jiraiya of the Sannin, next you're going to tell me you believe in the Sage of the Six Paths or the Jubi." Kazuhiro chuckled and crouched down to look at his ten-year-old younger brother. Both of their blue eyes gleamed off each other's mischievously. Kazuhiro smiled and placed his hands on Minato's shoulders, "Minato, tomorrow I'm heading off. It's a dangerous mission, I was hand selected by the council to personally take part in this operation. There hasn't been a mission of this magnitude in a generation… Sakumo Hatake and Dan Kato are leading the charge, but I have a bad feeling about this. The Shinobi Council thinks that if we succeed, we will prevent another Great Shinobi War. Brother, this might be our last night together."
"Wait, what! Dad's gone, and now you too. Are you both coming back home?" Minato asked, horrified.
"Unlikely, if this mission is true, it is my duty to protect not just you but Konoha too. The Will of Fire is our clan's motto. The First Hokage honored our clan when he wrote it out. We are both a part of the legendary wind clan! We embody the will of fire, and I believe you will become Hokage one day." Kazuhiro stated so assuringly that Minato gasped. His older brother had never looked prouder and happier than now. "We are the children of wave and wind. Namikaze's are the strongest, most resilient, and deadly soldiers on this planet. Even one Namikaze is more than enough to change the world. If I die, remember that I love you brother."
"Kaz, you don't have to go on this mission."
"Minato, that is enough. I have a duty, and as much as I'd rather run away and take you with me, our duty as shinobi compels us to make decisions much bigger than us," Kazuhiro explained solemnly. "We are brothers! Nothing can change that, but Konoha is part of our family, too. I'm willing to risk my life to protect it at all costs. Even if I die or our clan dies. Our homeland must survive!"
The much taller Namikaze left Minato half in tears, alone in their father's study. Tears fell from Minato's eyes as he muttered to himself, "I love you too, big brother."
24 years later
Sad sapphire eyes stared longingly at all the other Academy graduates celebrating with their parents. Most of the graduates were twelve years old, and a few were ten years old like him, but everyone outside the academy who wore a Konoha forehead protector was celebrating. Most of his class decided to wait two more years to take the Genin Exam, but Naruto Uzumaki had no choice.
Becoming a shinobi was his dream, but it represented more than that. If he became a shinobi, he wouldn't have to rely on the Hokage's measly monthly allowance, he could learn new jutsu, and eventually become Hokage. He frowned and kept pushing his legs back and forth in the weeds surrounding his swing. Every single academy instructor had little faith in him except for Iruka-sensei, who scolded him for pulling pranks in class. Naruto heard fellow graduates leaving with their parents while some snickered as they passed by. He remembered one other person who believed in him. Tenzo Mukhi was a late middle-aged chunin who was the designated psychologist counselor at the Academy.
Before every student took the Genin Exam, Tenzo had to analyze them. The chunin carried a large notepad and assessed every student on their thoughts about killing. To be a shinobi, every Academy student had to be debriefed on how they should react to killing someone and how willing they were to do it.
"Naruto, every shinobi is faced with killing someone. Unlike most shinobi, I think you'll enjoy it. True shinobi have hearts of steel! They know they are monsters! When you kill someone, remember you're that monster who everyone despises," Tenzo said. He peered at Naruto with a caring smile, his eyes glinting behind his thick-lens glasses. "Be the demon you were meant to be. Accept that is who you are, and I know you'll be a wonderful shinobi."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully after the wise counselor gave him those words of wisdom.
A cold blast of wind brushed his blonde hair over green goggles that hugged his forehead. Numerous children were snickering at his failure, accompanied by a cacophony of spiteful muttering from glaring adults. Naruto, for his part, looked up from his swing and watched the celebration even more defeated. He saw their glares, the hate and contempt for him at the edges of their eyes, and worst of all, he heard some of their comments. A pair of moms were whispering, "Glad that monster didn't pass," another woman scoffed, "Only way I'll ever sleep soundly is when that demon is dead."
If only he were a demon or a monster like his counselor said he was.
Naruto hung his head low. His throat was scratchy and stiff, his eyes were watering, and his heart sank. He heard more muttering, and he picked up on the words "bastard," "monster," "dead last," and "filthy fox!" Their words, mixed with their spiteful glares, dug deeper into him than a kunai.
Naruto turned around on the swing as more parents edged closer to his favorite oak tree. Many parents laughed and smiled when they heard him sniffling to himself. They had successfully shunned Konoha's Monster, the unadoptable, lonely, ugly whisker birth-marked prankster extraordinaire. Naruto tried not to listen to their gleeful and hateful comments, but it still hurt. He couldn't even gaze at his school without every villager tormenting him. He looked at the Hokage Monument from the corner of his sapphire eyes. The stone face of Minato Namikaze was carved into the mountain overlooking Konoha, the final remnant of Konoha's most beloved hero.
Konoha may have loved him, but no one loved Minato Namikaze more than Naruto.
Minato Namikaze's stone face was full of life, hopeful, assertive, but very much the man Naruto wished to become. A winner, not a loser. He wanted to become a shinobi who fought for people like him who were tossed out by society. His dream was to become Hokage and for future generations of children like him to be as enthralled with the Fourth Hokage as he was. He was going to be the Fifth Hokage and one day have his face next to the Fourth's. He had read the biography of the man titled The Yellow Flash numerous times. Before he took the Genin Exam this morning, he recited the passage on the Fourth Hokage, graduating at ten years old. He frowned, so Naruto continued to sway back and forth on his swing to keep from crying.
He ignored whispering parents who were escorting their children away from the Academy.
"The Fourth Hokage had it easy. Everyone loved him… after all, he was a once-in-a-generation genius. He had parents, defeated the Kyuubi, and graduated from the Academy at age ten," Naruto grumbled as tears fell to the tall weeds around the swing. He softly muttered, "I'm as old as Konoha's greatest hero when he became a shinobi, but I'm a failure."
He was failing horribly as much as he didn't want to believe his own words. Dark thoughts bombarded his mind over the awful beating he received over a week ago. The Hokage always gave him a monthly allowance at the end of every month, but the last few months had been very troubling. After paying rent and utilities and watching every Ryo, he had disappeared from his frog wallet due to monster taxes.
Naruto grumbled alone under the tree. His stomach churned and growled very loudly, making him flinch. He hadn't eaten much after he recovered from the hospital. Food, oh, how much he needed some right now… the thought of a bowl of delicious Ichiraku ramen only made his stomach rumble even louder. Ichiraku Ramen was the only restaurant willing to serve him food. They often made free meals for the young ten-year-old whenever he wandered to their restaurant half-dead from starvation. If he were willing to work cleaning all the dirty dishes, Teuchi would specifically make him two free bowls for his labor.
Not that their sympathetic gifts abated his growing hunger. Since Jiji left Konoha nearly three months ago for an important diplomatic conference in Suna, he didn't have a single Ryo to his name. Naruto had been left in the lurch, and he sniffled even more. He didn't have his apartment anymore! No one bothered to give him his monthly allowance after the Hokage's departure. With all his money gone, the young blonde-haired boy sniffled and thought about pickpocketing one of those angry parents! That would be a better alternative than him feeling guilty over the Ichiraku family giving him free ramen.
Except that the last time he stole, he was in the hospital for over a week and almost missed the Genin Exam. The Hokage's departure, the loss of his apartment, and that terrible beating all came at the worst possible time.
Today was supposed to be the day he would become a shinobi. He would go on cool missions, fight bad guys, and, most importantly, finally earn money. Throw in opportunities to train and leave Konoha, and it was a dream come true. That's all it was—just another silly dream! Naruto angrily bit his cheek to prevent more tears from flowing down his face.
"I'm going to be Hokage! They can take my home! They can hate me and beat me to the ground. They can throw me in jail! But I'll keep coming back up! One day, I'm going to rule this village!" Naruto proclaimed to himself. He wiped all the tears from his eyes and grumbled when he saw white smoke drifting from behind him. "Eww! Jiji, are you back!"
Naruto turned around on his swing excitedly! Jiji wasn't just the Hokage! He was the only man who could fix all his problems! Instead of seeing his Jiji, Naruto flinched upon seeing a tall, blonde-haired man in front of him. "You're not Jiji!" Naruto said, slightly intimidated by the mysterious man.
The man had long, dirty yellow hair tied into a ponytail, which went down his back. This man's hair was spiky like his, but that was the only resemblance Naruto could impart while glancing at him curiously. The man before Naruto was well over six feet tall with broad shoulders and muscles he'd seen on heroes in manga. Most startling about the man was a black eye patch strapped over their right eye. Scars covered the man's face, which made his left eye more intimidating.
A cold, ruthless, and an oddly glowing left eye. The man wore a red beret over his spiky hair and a long brown trench coat. Underneath that coat, Naruto noticed this man wore camouflaged olive-green clothes as he had come back from combat. The man took his still-burning Churchill cigar out of his mouth and smirked at the stupefied young boy. The mysterious man said with a thick and powerful voice, "You remind me of someone."
"Tsk, figures," Naruto said annoyed.
Everyone who knew him hated him. This old guy might have been one of his unfortunate pickpocket victims. Like he'd fall for that!
"Who do I remind you of?" Naruto questioned while blowing a blonde lock out of his eyes. He fiercely looked at the mysterious man from his swing.
"You remind me of the Fourth Hokage," the mysterious man said before inhaling more cigar smoke. He blew out a long white stream of smoke that bathed the outdoors in the rank aroma of his tobacco. "Does that ring any bells?"
"Uh, no! I mean, yes, I mean… how am I like the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto stammered, completely startled by the comment. "The Fourth Hokage was the hero who killed the Kyuubi. Everyone adores him and wants to be like him. Hell, he passed the Genin Exam at the age of ten, unlike me. Minato Namikaze wasn't ever a failure like me," Naruto admitted.
"Oh, really?" The one-eyed man said with an odd smirk. "I remember him well. Minato Namikaze wasn't always a winner. I saw him fail more than any other man I know, but the key was that he always got back up! That's the key to becoming a splendid shinobi! You must endure everything life throws at you, even when you are defeated. That is the time to double down. Giving up is for the weak, but looking at your eyes, I can see a resemblance! The eyes of a true Hokage!"
Naruto's cheeks turned red at the compliments. His hunger went away as he edged closer to the man. The rope tying his swing to the oak tree began to strain, but Naruto didn't care as he leaned even closer. He needed to know more!
"Who are you?"
"Why do you care?" the mysterious, one-eyed man asked with a playful smile. "I'm not fascinating. If I were, they would have put me in the history books."
"You know so much! You probably know more than even Iruka-sensei, and that's saying something," Naruto said to the visitor. "Plus, you are being nice to me." Naruto frowned and looked down at his feet. "No one is nice to me."
"Diamonds and gold don't look pretty before they are mined. You look like a normal ten-year-old boy to me," the one-eyed man said. He crouched down to stare at Naruto at the same eye level. "But I know there's more to you than meets the eye."
Naruto's cheeks turned even more red. He smiled a wide foxy grin and scratched the back of his head. He sniffled and said, "You really believe that?"
The mysterious man nodded. A gust of wind blew the cigar smoke between them. Their blonde-locked hair carried over their sparkling eyes, making the moment even more precious for Naruto. For once, right in front of him, he stared at a man who believed in him. The mysterious man smirked and took his cigar out of his mouth. He looked Naruto up and down, his cold, ruthless left eye widening.
"Tell me, why didn't you pass the Genin Exam? You should have passed!"
"Because I can't make a stupid bunshin jutsu," Naruto admitted with big sad eyes. "Besides that, I had to cram the last three weeks in two nights. So, I got the lowest marks on the written exam."
"Why is that?"
"Because I spent over a week in the hospital… I did something bad. The Anbu interrogator Ibiki said if it were anyone else, I'd be thrown in the dungeon." Naruto looked away from the mysterious man. He felt embarrassed remembering the incident that started the riot. It would have been a regular beating if the people doing the beating weren't trying to kill him. "I got caught pickpocketing a fat snot-nosed noble over on Madara Avenue. Please, don't hate me! I was hungry, I swear!"
Naruto got up from his swing right in front of the stranger. The stranger, for their part, looked at him furiously. Naruto shrank below the mysterious man. He was scared under the man's murderous, glinting left eye. He felt a wave of terrifying, suffocating dark chakra that hung so densely in the air. It made his throat tighten even more. Naruto quickly crawled backward, away from the man, even more terrified.
"I swear I didn't mean to do it! I was hungry, I didn't have a home... I still don't have a home, but I swear I didn't want to do it. If the Anbu stopped arresting me for poaching, I would have fished or gone hunting. But the last time they caught me poaching, I spent the weekend in juvie," Naruto cried and bit his bottom lip.
He was sputtering too much information right now.
The mysterious man's dark aura grew far more powerful, making the air smell like chlorine and leaving a disgusting metallic taste in his mouth. The powerful energy felt as if the atmosphere was tearing apart. Earth and heaven were again dividing, and he was at the center of it. Naruto scurried backward in fear until he felt his back against the wooden fence surrounding the Academy. His shinobi sandal-clad feet were digging into the Earth as he prayed silently for his life.
"They threw you in juvie for hunting and fishing! Where was this?" The mysterious man screamed furiously.
"Th-the training grounds. I was told they are state property and that little boys don't belong there. They said hunting and fishing are prohibited to anyone who isn't a shinobi! No matter what I do, everyone always blames me for it," Naruto conceded, tears welling up in his eyes. "Even when I do nothing wrong, I get blamed for it."
"They left you hungry, homeless, and attacked you. You're just a ten-year-old boy, and they tried to kill you! I've seen many things, but I never thought I'd see the day when Konoha betrays their greatest hero! They took a steaming shit on his legacy," the mysterious man said angrily. His face contorted between a mix of utter disbelief and bloodlust. He smiled weakly at Naruto, who looked back at him in absolute fear. "Fear not, for I'm not angry at you. I'm angry for you!"
Naruto's eyes widened, and he stopped crawling backward. He froze, petrified, and looked at the mysterious man, unsure what to say. Naruto noticed the sun was starting to set below the meridian, and they were the only two souls still at the Academy. Naruto's stomach rumbled even louder, causing the mysterious man to stop emitting that horrible energy.
"It's getting late, boy. What is your name?" The mysterious man asked curiously.
Naruto got up and held his hands together under the watchful gaze of the tough-looking, one-eyed man. He meekly said, "M-my name is Naruto Uzumaki! You better remember it because one day, I'm going to be Hokage!"
"Naruto Uzumaki, what an interesting name," the one-eyed man said before tossing his dead cigar onto the silty ground. "People call me many names. The Legendary Soldier is my favorite, but I used to be known around here as Little Fox."
"You aren't so little anymore, mister," Naruto said excitedly.
The mysterious one-eyed man shook his head. He smiled a white toothy smile that made Naruto smile wider at the man. Even though this man looked dangerous, he didn't glare or say anything mean to him yet.
"No, I grew up, and soon you will, too. Call me Dan. Can you promise me that you'll keep my name a secret?" Dan asked while crouching low to meet Naruto's gaze.
"I promise," Naruto said with a salute.
"Good, I knew I could trust you," Dan said with a widening smile. "You know why I wanted to talk with you?"
Naruto shook his head, confused. He anxiously rubbed the top of his right goggle lens with his thumb and index fingers. While he didn't want to admit it, he was lonely and sad when the man approached him. He was ready to bolt away from the man, thinking it was a trap. But this was the nicest anyone, especially a stranger, had been towards him for a long time. Unlike everyone he encountered in Konoha, except for a couple of people, this mysterious Dan didn't automatically judge him.
His heart fluttered and warmed up. Was this what it was like having a father?
Dan held out his hand to Naruto. His one eye shined warmly at him. It glistened orange and red in the setting sun, causing Naruto to become entranced by the man. Something about Dan made him shift his feet anxiously, only for him to notice the man's outstretched hand in front of him. "Hold my hand, Naruto. You look hungry, and I know you have a lot of questions."
Naruto grabbed Dan's right hand with both of his much smaller hands. Dan wrapped his left arm around the ten-year-old's back, causing a yellow-green dust storm to swirl around them. Naruto's sapphire eyes widened in terror as the dust storm grew more powerful. He screamed as the vortex surrounded them, but that was when several odd things happened. A fairy circle of red-capped mushrooms grew around them as everything outside the vortex changed from the sprawling city streets of Konoha to a woodsier area. They were far away from the Academy, that was for sure.
Dan released Naruto from his embrace, causing the whisker-marked boy to fall onto his knees. Gasping and coughing from the dissipating vortex of yellow and green dust made the boy frown. Damnit! The one time, his goggles could have been useful, and he forgot to put them on. Shaking his nauseous head, Naruto gasped yet again when he realized they were in front of a giant slab of stone with numerous names etched into it.
A lone pair of orange goggles and a fresh bundle of flowers were nestled caringly before the stone slab, which, to Naruto, resembled a monument.
The yellow-green dust-like particles dissipated in the air, causing Naruto to raise a blonde eyebrow. He closed his eyes and coughed again, saying, "What the hell is all that? It looks like dust, but I'm not so sure."
"Those were my fungus spores," Dan answered quickly. He pulled out of his brown trench coat an unopened chocolate candy bar. "Here, eat this." Naruto grabbed the candy bar like a vulture grabbing chunks of flesh from a carcass. Dan smiled as he watched Naruto devour and moan with each bite.
"It takes some getting used to, but traveling with spores is almost as quick as Minato's special jutsu," Dan explained before handing Naruto another candy bar. Naruto wasn't really paying attention as he opened the second candy bar and ate it with tears in his eyes. "When was the last time you ate?"
Naruto looked up, his mouth half stuffed with chocolate. He frowned and turned his head away, embarrassed. He thought about the last time he heard that question. Jiji was looking through his fridge and bought him a one-month supply of groceries to refurnish his cabinets. At the time, he was excited to get his monthly allowance on top of all the food. It was Naruto's only complaint with the entire arrangement ever since he got his apartment. Paying rent on top of paying for overpriced food always left him broke at the end of every month.
Jiji's kindness should have helped him out. Not that it did him any good.
Since Naruto was kicked out of the orphanage when he was five, Jiji has been there for him. Jiji would always dedicate one day every month to check up on him. Damn, Suna! Damn, the conference! A few tears fell from his eyes as he thought about what had happened. His own village, his homeland, and even Jiji had all abandoned him. Naruto remembered begging his landlord that he'd pay double the required rent when the Hokage came back. However, his landlord had already changed the locks the moment he left his apartment to go to school.
Naruto came back home begging his landlord to allow him to fetch his stuff, only to see it all confiscated by two teams of Genin. His landlord said it would help pay for his overdue bill. He had only 500 Ryo left to his name, but that too was confiscated by his landlord because of late payment fees. When he went to file a report and explain his situation to the Anbu and the Hokage's office, everyone told him the same thing. You must wait for the Hokage's return as he handles civil issues. All his clothes, his weapons, and everything he owned had been taken from him. Because his weapons were legally repossessed, he had been borrowing the Academy's dull training shuriken and kunai for his tests. That was why he scored the lowest marks for the kunai and shuriken portion of the Genin Exam.
Jiji might have been the Third Hokage, but that old fart of a Hokage really fucked him over when he needed him most! Naruto expected to get his allowance sometime in the last three months, but when he complained and begged for it, he was told the same thing again. You must wait for the Hokage's return as he handles special cases like you.
"Naruto, are you alright? Please, tell me the last time you ate!" Dan asserted yet again.
Dan was about to repeat the question for the third time, but his words were cut off by frustrated sniffling from the small boy. "It's been… I can't believe it's been more than two days ago," Naruto said, startled by the time and how damned hungry he really was. "The last thing I ate was a bowl of ramen. Ayame-chan made it for me two days ago."
"Two days ago!" Dan repeated, completely taken aback by the revelation. He looked at Naruto more intensely, leaving him deep in thought over how the boy was still standing. Sure, he had seen children run up to him so malnourished their bones looked like they'd poke through their paper-thin bodies. Such realities were unheard of in the Land of Fire. "Most kids in your situation would be on the ground right now. Didn't you say you took the Genin Exam and failed?"
Naruto nodded. He noticed Dan was looking at him strangely, as if he were abnormal. Naruto growled at Dan, who flinched awkwardly. Naruto couldn't believe the man who gave him two chocolate bars was looking at him like that.
"What about it?" Naruto asked. He looked up at Dan suspiciously and quickly said, "Why are you being so nice to me just to give me that look?"
"That look?" Dan asked.
"Yeah, that's the one. You were looking at me like I wasn't normal, like I'm some monster!" Naruto shouted. He threw down the second empty chocolate bar wrapper on the ground and clenched his fists by his side. "I'm not a monster. I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"
Dan looked surprised by Naruto's outburst, but he smiled very warmly. "That's right, you aren't a monster! You are the exact opposite of a monster. The people of Konoha are the true monsters. I'm sorry if I looked at you the wrong way. I can't help but be amazed you took the Genin Exam in your condition and circumstances. I think you have a lot of potential."
"I have potential?" Naruto repeated, confused. His cheeks were once again heating up from Dan's compliments. It felt good to have someone praise him, even though he wasn't sure why anyone in their right mind would praise him. "You told me there was a reason you wanted to speak to me." Naruto looked up at Dan with a wide-open smile. "Why would someone cool like you want to have anything to do with me?"
"How about this? Let's have dinner, and I'll explain why I brought you out here and answer any questions you have," Dan said, snapping his fingers.
Naruto saw green and yellow spores exploding around Dan's thumb. A giant white puffball mushroom sprouted out of the ground at an astounding rate. His eyes widened as the round mushroom membrane that was one meter in diameter grew taller. Two smaller puffball mushrooms sprouted next to the giant one. They were smaller and oddly shaped, almost like natural cushioned chairs. Dan took a seat on one of the smaller puffball mushrooms and smirked. He extended a hand for Naruto to take a seat across from him.
"Wow! That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. He had never seen a shinobi perform something so fantastical before in his life. "How do you do that? I didn't know mushrooms can grow so big!"
"Take a seat. I sent a shadow clone to acquire food. Tonight, we shall have a feast! I know those chocolate bars won't quench your hunger, but you looked so famished that you needed something sweet," Dan explained mischievously with a wicked grin. "My control over fungi is essentially a Kekkei Genkai that I acquired. Please, take a seat."
Naruto sat down on the other puffball mushroom across from Dan. He had never had dinner with anyone besides Jiji, and he fumbled his fingers nervously. "Th-thank you so much, mister Dan. I might have failed the Genin Exam, but… this is one of the best days of my life," Naruto said while wiping his face with his dirty white shirt. "You are so cool!"
"Thank you! I'm glad there's someone who appreciates mycelium. Do you know what a Kekkei Genkai is?" Dan asked.
Naruto scrunched his face, confused and unsure of how to answer. "Is it some kind of special power that only some people have access to?" he asked with parched lips.
Dan nodded. He gazed intently at Naruto's face and noticed the boy's mouth was dry. He pulled out of his brown trench coat a scroll. He unsealed it, causing a cloud of white smoke to appear. Dan settled down a thermos and two clean ceramic cups when it cleared. He handed a cup and poured hot green tea for Naruto.
"In a sense, yes, that is correct. Kekkei Genkai are bloodline limits. The ability to learn a Kekkei Genkai is limited by blood. Only people related to me can learn my abilities," Dan explained while pouring himself a cup of green tea. Steam rose from their cups of green tea on top of the giant white puffball mushroom. "When I told you that you have potential, I meant it. Everyone has the potential to grow and become special. Most people squander their potential or become hopeless due to the strains and pains of life. Please understand that just because I have a Kekkei Genkai, I'm no more special than you are."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
Before Dan could answer, a perfect replica of Dan appeared before them in a white cloud of smoke. Naruto gasped when he laid his eyes on the shadow clone, which was holding a large paper bag filled with takeout. The shadow clone settled a tablecloth on their table and settled two bento boxes before Naruto and the original Dan. Naruto opened his bento box and began drooling at all the food.
There was a pile of steaming rice, six gyoza, deep-fried pork cutlets of tonkatsu, and beef stir fry. Naruto was handed a pair of chopsticks and quickly said, "Itadakimasu!" He quickly began stuffing his face while taking sips from his cup of green tea.
He'd occasionally look up from his food and see Dan simply nibbling on his food uncaringly. Naruto slowed down, forgetting his manners, but Dan stopped eating. The one-eyed man frowned then said, "Eat, this is a gift among many more."
He didn't have to be told twice. Naruto quickly finished his entire bento box. He released a content burp, which made Dan laugh. Dan's laugh was heartfelt and warm for a dangerous-looking man. He grinned widely, only to become startled when the shadow clone replaced his empty bento box with another one.
The clone then dispersed in a cloud of white smoke.
"What's going on?" Naruto asked.
Dan was halfway through his first bento box, probably because he ate slower. He gazed back at Naruto and smirked, "Eat until you are full. There's more tea, water, and even soda in the bag. Tonight, we are having a feast! This is a special occasion! Not every day, a young man takes part in a Genin Exam!"
"But I failed!" Naruto protested.
"And? You had all the cards stacked against you," Dan said. He ate an entire pork cutlet tonkatsu before saying, "In a sense, I am proud of you for failing. Despite not eating for two days and having to cram three weeks of test material in those two days. Passing in your current condition is impossible. Despite its limited uses, I'm surprised they still test on the bunshin no jutsu (clone technique)."
Naruto dropped his chopsticks. He didn't know how to respond. He wiped the grease from his lips and squinted his eyes. "That's all nice to hear, but I still failed. Dan, you don't understand."
Dan dropped his chopsticks and listened.
"Becoming a shinobi is my only hope," Naruto admitted, determination leaking out of every word. "It's the only way out of my situation. I've been homeless long enough that I don't want to be anymore. I'm always relying on the Hokage now that he's gone… I have no one, nothing! And if the Fourth Hokage could become a Genin at the age of ten with a family, then why can't I?"
"Because you were set up," Dan answered. "If you weren't starving and had a real home, maybe you could have passed. But I still have my doubts."
Dan looked around until his eyes settled on the memorial. Then he suddenly said, "Every time I come to training ground three, I become enamored by the memorial stone."
Dan got up from his chair and walked away from Naruto. He walked up to the stone monument and gave it a salute. Naruto quickly left their mushroom table and came to Dan's side. He looked up curiously at the saluting one-eyed man. The sky was now purple, and he could barely make out his new friend's face. That didn't stop him from asking Dan what was wrong.
"What's so important about this memorial anyways?"
"Everyone's name on that monument was a shinobi who gave their lives for the Land of Fire. They were Shinobi from Konoha, and even though I didn't like this place, as a shinobi, a soldier, a man, and a human being, I must pay my respects to the dead," Dan explained firmly. "If we as human beings forget the dead, then who to say when we die, people won't forget us, too?"
Naruto gasped. He felt Dan's right hand scuffing his spiky yellow hair, which annoyed him. Oddly, the gesture made him blush because he rarely felt anyone do that to him except Teuchi two weeks ago before he got sent to the hospital. He raised his right hand and saluted the dead with Dan.
Dan smiled at the boy and continued ruffling his hair. He placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders and then pointed to the memorial before saying, "Watch this!"
The sun made its full descent below the horizon, and six large lanterns below the memorial came alive. Right at the foot of the memorial sprouted a large orange-yellow flame that raised a foot in the air. Naruto, yet again, gasped at the amazing sight. He never once imagined his village had something so splendid to show its respect to its fallen shinobi.
Dan walked in front of the memorial. He snapped his fingers, causing a shockwave of yellow-green dust to spread far past the clearing. Naruto was about to say something but saw Dan appear before the burning flame.
"I performed a spore-based genjutsu one mile around us because I want to show you something," Dan said gleefully. "What I am to show you is nothing short of a gift. Naruto, why do you want to become a shinobi?"
Naruto looked at Dan, slightly confused. He had so many answers to that question that he didn't know where to begin. He saw the other six memorial stones illuminated by the lanterns and noticed thousands of names etched onto them. There were many reasons not to become a shinobi before him.
"I want to become a shinobi because I…" Naruto paused, thinking about the Genin Exam. He thought about the worst couple of months of his life and having to go to school every day in the same dirty clothes. "If I became a shinobi, people would acknowledge me. I want to be a shinobi who fights for the unfortunate and those who have been trampled on! I want to become Hokage so one day I can make sure no one in Konoha has to live the life I had."
Dan's smile disappeared from his face. He looked back at Naruto, startled by what he had just heard. Only for the one-eyed man to grin like a madman. Dan shook his head while replying, "Those aren't bad reasons, but you lack a true purpose."
"Purpose?"
"Yes, a purpose. Every soldier, hell, every human being has a purpose in life," Dan said. "I've been a soldier my whole life. For as long as I can remember, my purpose has been to protect my family. When I left home, they were at the top of my mind. They gave me the strength to want to return in one piece. If you never fight for anyone but yourself, you will never be strong, no matter what you do!"
Naruto looked at his feet. He rubbed his right knee and shifted his goggles back in place. His actions may have looked normal for a ten-year-old, but they were reactions to Dan's stinging words. His goals were noble, yet he lacked a true purpose. Becoming Hokage, helping the needy, and everyone acknowledging him were nothing more than dreams and fantasies.
"I wish you were wrong, but I don't have that kind of purpose. Just not yet," Naruto said, his head hanging even lower. "Look, sir, I need to know. Be honest! Why did you feed me? Why did you bring me here, and why me?"
"You want to hear the truth, don't you… very well. I brought you here to test you. The Genin Exam is nothing but a sham. It's a test to keep most people, civilians, the lower class, and even the ostracized, from becoming shinobi. However, the test is geared towards being as fair as possible for civilians compared to cases like yours. To pass the Academy, you must master the transformation, substitution, and the measly clone jutsu," Dan answered. Naruto looked away in shame. The boy looked broken.
"The reason those three jutsu are infamous for almost every ninja village is simple. While those who are hated are discouraged from becoming shinobi, there must be a test for those like you. The test was created by Tobirama so that even a starving stableboy can pass the Genin Exam. There is a stipend program for orphans, but unlike you, their funds always arrive on time." Dan turned around. He stared intently at the names on the memorial stones. "So many lives thrown away, all in the name of honor."
His lone eye settled around a particular name. Naruto wondered whose name Dan was so intensely staring at, yet it was impossible to tell with how dim the lighting was.
"Naruto, I fed you because you looked hungry. I brought you here to hear your thoughts on what it means to be a shinobi, yet I think you are too young to understand what kind of path you are going on," Dan answered.
"Oh," Naruto said. He lowered his head even more.
Those were perfectly good answers, but each answer stung him. His chest felt heavy, and his throat tightened. Part of him wanted to hear that Dan was his father. Naruto looked up and saw that Dan was staring back at him.
"What is wrong?" Dan asked.
"Nothing, I guess," Naruto said while blowing a strand of blonde hair from his eyes. "Thought maybe you took me because… never mind."
"Naruto, I'm not going to abandon you just yet," Dan said with a wide smile. "I heard a rumor from a spy that there was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy who was a monster. When I met you, I didn't see a monster, just a sad little boy betrayed by his village."
"I failed the Genin Exam fair and square. You keep saying I was set up and that the test is a sham, but if that's the case. Why should I become Hokage?" Naruto had his hands in his hair. He couldn't help but believe this Dan character. After all, the man had been nothing short of overly generous to him. "I never give up! I have never gone back on my word! But if Konoha really hates me…"
A black steel kunai fell between Naruto's feet. Naruto jumped back in surprise. He saw Dan bite his thumb, drawing blood. Dan made five hand signs slowly, but he made them slow enough that Naruto saw what he was making. Boar, dog, bird, monkey, and finally, Dan finished with the ram. Dan slammed his bloody hand on the ground and yelled, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"
Three large white clouds of smoke appeared in front of the monuments. The first cloud to disappear was to the left of Dan, which revealed a large ten-foot-tall black-furred fox that had a Suna forehead protector over its slit eyes. The summoned fox on Dan's right was massive. It was a twenty-foot-tall pure white fox with five fluffy tails twisting in the air behind its rump. The white fox has shining red slit eyes that glowed in the darkness.
Naruto gasped as he gazed at the giant white fox that bowed before him along with the giant black fox. Never in a million years would he have guessed such creatures existed and would bow before the Konoha Academy's dead last. When the final smoke cloud dissipated, Naruto fell back onto his butt in complete and utter disbelief. Dan stood atop an enormous fifteen-foot-tall red fox with a white-furred belly. Three swooshing red-furred tails were behind the creature. These tails were massive, roughly three times the animal's length.
Dan smiled from atop the middle fox's canid head. He held his hands high in the air, causing one of the red-furred tails to slam into the ground before Naruto. The tail was curled up, holding a massive scroll. Naruto gasped as the tail uncurled, causing the scroll to open.
Numerous names were written in blood in specified areas. The last name signed in blood was Kazuhiro Namikaze.
"Naruto, take that kunai and approach the scroll," Dan commanded.
Naruto didn't have to be told twice as he grabbed the sharp-edged kunai in his left hand. The red-furred middle fox quickly bowed before Naruto, but it shocked the small boy when it opened its human-sized jaw to talk.
"Welcome, prince! My name is Fumikuni. I am the son of the boss Fox, and because of that, I hold the summoning contract for the foxes. I can smell such power, potential, and a rebellious spirit. A cunning fox you will make indeed," Fumikuni said so coherently that Naruto fell back onto his butt.
He quickly got back up from the ground and bowed before the three-tailed beast. He didn't know the specifics of a summoning contract, yet that didn't matter. If Dan believed he, of all people, was worthy of such a gift, then he was going to accept it with open arms.
"Thank you, kind fox-summon-beast-sir," Naruto said all at once while scratching his head, embarrassed. "Oh, uh, why did you call me prince?"
Dan gave both the white and black foxes a peculiar look. All three foxes were muttering incomprehensively that Naruto wasn't sure what they were discussing, but Dan's eyes held nothing but pride. Fumikuni laughed at the question. Dan, on the other hand, wasn't so amused.
"Naruto Uzumaki is very special, isn't he? You have the spirit of a fox. That is why I have chosen you to become the next fox summoner," Dan explained. He then tapped his right foot on Fumikuni's head, causing the giant fox to groan. "Foxes are cunning, wise, strong, and sneaky creatures. If you train well under the foxes, and they follow my guidance concerning you! I know you will become more than a shinobi! You will become a legend among the eyes of man!"
"Yes, he's right," Fumikuni said dejectedly, but Naruto saw a glint in its canid eyes.
It was a look he was familiar with. Much to his chagrin, Naruto wanted nothing more than to make that look stop. All he could do was gaze at Dan, who was watching him intensely. Naruto was right in front of the fox summoning contract.
"Now is the time for you to receive your gift. Take that kunai and cut your thumb and index finger," Dan said.
Naruto followed the command. The blade stung, and he gasped as scarlet, coppery-smelling blood leaked from his thumb.
"Good, now write your name in the next box," Dan commanded.
Naruto signed his name inside the box in big, bold characters. They were far larger than all the other names written in the scroll. He wanted even a blind fox to know that Naruto Uzumaki could summon foxes. When that was complete, Dan dispelled his summons and explained to him the fundamentals of summoning foxes. Naruto kept nodding along as he practiced the hand signs for the jutsu repeatedly.
By the time Naruto and Dan finished training, the moon was high in the sky. Naruto was able to summon a small white fox with six swooshing tails. The fox was only one foot tall and still a baby compared to the giant white fox Dan summoned before, yet he found the creature incredibly cute and fluffy.
Dan quickly brought them to the woods, far from the memorial stones. The older man had set up two sleeping bags and created a firepit for warmth. He made sure to seal their leftovers in a scroll in case Naruto got hungry. This is where Naruto was when his eyes started to close.
"Master Uzumaki, you are cold," Himeko, the fluffy white fox, said.
Himeko snuggled against the ten-year-old boy. She used her fluffy body as a blanket for the boy. Naruto fell back against the wooden log that was his chair before. Naruto strained to keep his eyes open. Despite failing to pass the Genin Exam, this was the best day of his life. He kept looking at Dan, expecting the one-eyed man to disappear, but he was still there.
"What's going to happen to me?" Naruto asked. Tears began welling up in his eyes as he thought of the man leaving him. "Please don't leave me!"
"I'm not going anywhere," Dan replied across the firepit. "Together, you and I will change the world. Tomorrow, your first mission under me will begin. Are you willing to go the extra mile for me?"
"Yes!"
"Good, then get some sleep," Dan said, his remaining blue eye now glowing like a star.
Naruto passed out with Himeko snuggling against him. The older man smiled and placed Naruto in a sleeping bag with Himeko over his body. He then watched the whisker-marked boy sleep soundly by the fire, which caused Dan to smile.
"You might be the child of the prophecy that Minato wasn't," Dan said to himself. He continued watching Naruto sleep until he became weary himself.