Black Sun
A/N: I want to thank everyone for their support! The reviews and warm support have inspired me to go the extra mile for this chapter.
Chapter 2: Last Day of School
Smoke rose from the smoldering charcoals of last night's campfire. The time was the crack of dawn, and a bright beam of sunlight cascaded through the canopy of thick trees directly into Naruto's closed eyes. Naruto rubbed his eyes groggily and momentarily became startled. He wasn't in his cardboard box hideout. His eyes adjusted to a fluffy arctic white fox with red eyes and a giant pink tongue. He yipped and sprawled out of his sleeping bag when he got assaulted by a bunch of impassioned licks from Himeko. The arctic-colored fox jumped off his body and laughed maniacally.
"Himeko, why did you do that?" Naruto questioned with a red face.
"Good morning, Master Naruto. I was grooming and showing my master affection. I'm your first summon, and as such, it's my duty for my master to look sharp! Dan left you a fresh pair of clothes on that log behind you," Himeko said while pointing to a pile of clothes using her right paw.
Naruto turned around and gasped. They were brand new clothes! A black shirt with a red swirl on the front and dark green shorts. His hands trembled, and his eyes started watering as he felt his heart flutter. It may have been a kind gesture, but no one had ever bought him clothes, not even Jiji. He looked around for Dan. Dan was gone. Where was he?
"Himeko, where is Dan?"
"He woke up thirty minutes ago. I was told to wake you up at dawn, help you get dressed, and bring you to him. He's not far from here… smells like he's smoking nicotine," Himeko said with a snarling frown. The arctic fox sniffed the air and shook her head. Her six fluffy tails fluttering to her right caused the fox to turn her head. "There is another scent. He must be talking with someone."
Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow but shrugged it off. He quickly got dressed at Himeko's insistence. He looked at his dirty white shirt, which had turned a nearly perfect grayish yellow from months of sleeping in dirt and grime. Naruto felt slightly better as he slipped on clean clothes for the first time in three months. Not only that, but they were brand-new too! As he popped his head into his brand-new shirt, he noticed a brand-new pair of blue shinobi sandals were in place of his old pair.
"What the… those are Hanzo shoes!" Naruto ran to the pair and saw that they were.
Holy Shit! Hanzo branded shinobi wear was the highest quality and, because of that, the most expensive. Naruto slipped his feet into his new shoes and noticed a tag that read Hanzo Industries. Naruto smiled and read aloud the backside, "Made in Ame?"
Naruto shrugged and grinned before saying to Himeko, "Dan got me a pair of Hanzo Industry shinobi sandals! I saw an ad for them. Supposedly, it's made with this cool, superconductive material that allows you to pump chakra into them and do cool stuff like stick to walls or walk on water!"
"The quality of your shoes doesn't matter," Himeko asserted while tossing her head and closing her eyes. To prove her point, she walked onto a tree and looked at Naruto from a ninety-degree angle.
"My paws prevent me from wearing shoes." Himeko looked down at Naruto and cackled.
"If I don't need shoes to climb walls, neither do you! If you want, I can show you some interesting chakra control exercises. Because you signed our contract, your genjutsu abilities will eventually become easier for you to use. Mama is the real master, but every kitsune is incredibly gifted in the art of genjutsu!" Himeko asserted before hopping off the tree and bolting straight to Naruto.
Naruto ran to the fox, and she slowly jogged while twisting her head to look back at him and say, "Let's go find Dan!"
OoOoOoOoO
Dan awoke to the crescent moon disappearing to the purple-dark blue cosmos with stars peering down over their campsite. He got straight to work getting Naruto the right supplies, rearming safe houses, and going over the city of Konoha with maps over the campfire. His only consolation as he went over the plans was that Naruto was sleeping with a smile while hugging Himeko. To think yesterday was the best day of his life…
So, the early morning went on until Dan decided to smoke a cigar over by a Creek. He left a Spore Essence over Naruto, which would alert him if anyone somehow broke through his spore genjutsu. Which was when he heard the clanking of glass against metal and heard a familiar voice.
"The Hokage will be in Suna for another ten days," replied a short-haired man wearing baggy blue pants. The man was a few knuckles shorter than Dan, yet he had orange eyes and spiky bleached hair that looked almost invisible in the sunlight. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt and a leatherbound vest stitched with fur on the inside. "The Anbu watching over Naruto are still accounted for, and they seem busy doing their job for once. They, uh, aren't alive anymore, are they? They're acting like normal people, but I haven't seen one eat in the last twenty-four hours. I don't know how you do it, Boss, but I don't want to find out."
Dan chuckled. The effects of Ophiocordyceps were groundbreaking. Anyone unfortunate enough to be infected would still have their consciousness, but that was the last remnant of their humanity. All the Anbu infected were now shells controlled by his fungus. The Anbu guarding Naruto were guilty! He knew they were actively abusing Minato's son from the shadows. No poaching law prohibited villagers from hunting or fishing in the training grounds. The medical file on Naruto was a dictionary of abuse, neglect, and botched assassination attempts. For Kami's sake, half of it was redacted! Because Hiruzen Sarutobi failed, it was his job to make everything right.
"No, you don't, Mashiro. You wouldn't be able to handle the truth. Speaking of which, I forgot my spores don't consider you hostile," Dan realized, causing Mashiro to smirk.
"I wouldn't mind tripping out for sixteen hours. I've been through worse during the Third Great Shinobi War," Mashiro said. He took a long pause, causing Dan to puff from his Cigar and raise an eyebrow. The cork to a bottle of Shochu came undone, Mashiro started sipping from his bottle of liquor and laughed, then said, "You called me in for a job and I did it. We have a window of forty-eight hours before the teams get switched. If we linger any longer, people will begin searching for the boy. I made sure to time the distraction right… if worst comes to worst, there will be a distraction."
"Thank you, Mashiro. You should have seen Naruto yesterday. He summoned Himeko all on his own. That boy got back from the hospital three days ago, and he hadn't eaten in two days when I approached him. Most children wouldn't be able to move, but Naruto still took the Genin Exam."
"And failed," Mashiro chimed in with a smirk. The Suna-nin took a long swig from his bottle of Shochu. "I'm interested in meeting this Naruto Uzumaki. I'd love to show him a few tricks," Mashiro said happily.
"No," Dan interrupted with a thick morning gruff voice. "He's too young for that!"
"Fine, I'm just saying, he is the last Namikaze! Meaning that he might have the gift. Ironically, Minato named him Naruto. Don't you think?"
"Naruto means fish cake," Dan replied with a smirk. He blew out a long stream of smoke.
"It also means maelstrom or storm," Mashiro said before taking a sip of his liquor. "Don't you think the boy has already earned a spot in our heaven?"
"There are no angels in our heaven. We agreed we'd one day change the game. But Naruto really wants to become a shinobi. His dream is to one day become a Hokage. Ironically, he wants to be a Hokage despite everything he's gone through. He wants to help those who've been trampled on and to make sure no one suffers like he has," Dan answered.
"Noble goals indeed. This boy is too good for Konoha. They don't deserve him. He needs to grow in our heaven and flourish into the legend you believe he will be. When that day comes, I'll be by your side, and the world will see it again… The Black Sun!" Mashiro explained happily.
"He is the key to unlocking that future. I'm not leaving Konoha without him. However, he must be tested. Tomorrow is the last day of school. The Academy students who passed yesterday are usually brought into the High Chunin's classroom and given their last lecture." Dan paused when he was interrupted by Mashiro.
"In Suna, if we passed the Genin Exam, we had to go take the real exam," Mashiro interrupted before taking a long chug of his shochu. He quickly said, "We had to go into the desert and walk four miles to the Sacred Well. Then descend like fifty flights of stairs to enter the great cavern. Our Academy principal then introduces you to your sensei. As a team, we would then walk the trails of Reto's tribe, leading his people to Suna. You then must make it through Old Suna, past winding rivers, past giant scorpions, and then you become a true Genin!" Mashiro huffed and took a sip from his bottle of liquor. He noticed Dan had a twitching vein on his forehead.
"As I was saying, those who haven't passed get the day off, while tomorrow they need to turn in for the end-of-year Taijutsu Exam. It's really the only real exam an Academy student must take. It accounts for half their grade. Let's say Naruto is dead last."
"What? Naruto's dead last! Damn, you've been hyping him up since I first heard about him," Mashiro exclaimed, his eyes wide in disbelief. He then began to laugh hysterically, which caused Dan to cough. Mashiro stopped laughing and quickly stuttered out, "Sorry about that. The kid sounds nice and gifted, but why have us wait for a Taijutsu Exam? We can't keep pulling off this charade forever!"
"Because I want him to see Konoha for what it is. When the Academy students face off for the Taijutsu Exam, the instructors always pit the dead last against the rookie of the year. I want to see Naruto succeed. Even if he wasn't Minato's son or was like Gaara. It would be a waste of potential, a waste of a life. Some hells are better than others, some heavens less than others, but he needs a family," Dan said gravely. He inhaled the rough tobacco from his cigar and growled. "Naruto doesn't even know the truth, but it's time he knows his origins. It's time for this to begin!"
Frogs were still croaking, crickets chirping, but the sun was up. A morning haze covered the glens outside the woods where he was talking to Mashiro. Dan stiffened as he sensed the boy they were discussing approaching them. He gave Mashiro an authoritative and vindictive glance, causing the demolition expert to flinch.
Naruto and Himeko were approaching them!
OoOoOoOoO
Naruto approached the foggy clearing following Himeko's lead, but when he came upon Dan, he saw a platinum-haired man who looked just as cool as Dan, departing in the morning mist. The man turned around and shot him a warm, friendly smile before disappearing in a flicker. Naruto was confused, so he walked up to Dan with a raised blonde eyebrow. The old, intimidating man continued smoking his cigar but pulled it out of his mouth to give him a sincere smile.
"Who were you talking to?" Naruto asked.
"A good friend and someone you will eventually meet. I'm surprised you awoke so early," Dan said before putting his cigar back in his mouth. "And you are wearing your new clothes!"
"Th-thank you so much, mister Dan," Naruto stuttered with rosy cheeks. He knew the clothes Dan bought him were expensive because he had seen the prices for them in shops on his way to school. Naruto smiled a wide, foxy grin as he mustered the courage to say, "You didn't have to go out of your way for me. I know I'm a monster that doesn't deserve it!" Dan frowned at Naruto's wording, causing Naruto to quickly say, "But I just don't know how I can pay you back!"
"Seeing that bright smile is all I need," Dan answered playfully while ruffing Naruto's hair. He looked up and saw Dan's face brighten as he smiled again. "Today is an important day. You are going to begin your first mission under me!"
"What's the mission? I didn't know Academy students even received missions. I'm not exactly a genin yet…"
"Simple: You are going to eat breakfast, and after breakfast, we are going to train! Today, we will get you up to speed. Then, after we get you up to speed, you shall rest, for tomorrow is the day of the mission! Tomorrow, you will be attending the Academy on the last day of school."
"That's my mission?" Naruto asked, he sat cross legged Indian style with hands stretched behind him. Himeko sat next to him, and both looked up at Dan, hanging on to his every word.
"Yes! But that's not all," Dan said. He looked at Naruto's eyes and saw the boy sit up. "First, you will train. Second, you will attend the Academy tomorrow. Third, between Lunchtime and after the Taijutsu Exam, you will have a one-hour window to sneak into the Hokage's office. There shouldn't be any people inside the Hokage's tower due to a joint Jonin-Chunin meeting and a discussion on this year's new shinobi teams in case the Hokage is absent. So, sneaking inside his office shouldn't be a problem, except for those who don't have the talent to become shinobi. Once inside you are to remove the painting of Tobirama on the walls, behind the painting is an ebony cabinet. Inside the cabinet are scrolls containing the wills and deeds of estates across Konoha. I need you to grab a scroll in there titled the Namikaze Estate. After you acquire the scroll, I need you to meet me by that oak tree we first met yesterday. The one outside the Academy," Dan explained, much to Naruto's surprise and disbelief.
"Hey, sir, I uh, I just met you, and you want me to sneak into the Hokage's office and steal the deed to the Namikaze estate… I mean, I've done my fair share of thievery, but this sounds dangerous," Naruto said nervously while tugging the collar of his shirt.
Ridiculous was the best word to describe Dan's mission. The whole plan was so ludicrous that Naruto froze. Would this make him a traitor? Was this part of some special ops program he heard Iruka sensei discuss in class? Something wasn't right, but in a weird sense, he trusted Dan. If this was treason, Konoha deserved it. He didn't deserve to be abandoned, spat on, harassed, beat on, kicked, or taken advantage of!
"What are you really after?" Naruto demanded, his warm sapphire irises, once vibrant, now turned cold. "Why me? Are you trying to set me up so I can't become Hokage? That's what you're after. Do you know what it's like walking down the street and watching everyone run away from you?"
Dan shook his head.
"It sucks! Everywhere I go, people hate me! For as long as I can remember, people have hated me! No one would play with me in the orphanage… the headmaster attacked me and threw me in a closet with no sunlight for four days because I played with a girl. I've been beaten to the ground my whole life, especially after I got kicked out of the orphanage. When I lost my apartment two months ago… I've been in jail, I've been spat on, and everywhere I go people give me that icy stare. Since I've been homeless, no one has given me anything!" Naruto shouted.
"I'm sorry you've been through hell. But what I'm truly after is the truth."
Naruto became petrified and didn't say a word.
"What if I told you you've been lied to your whole life? Everyone gets lied to at least once, but this lie is affecting your life. This lie has robbed you of your childhood, it has robbed you of respect, it has even tormented your soul and spirit. I can see it in your eyes. You want to know the truth! I'm after the truth just as much as you," Dan said gruffly while biting his cigar. His white teeth were almost snarling in anguish. "I know why you are hated. Yesterday, you looked like you were going to pass out and die from starvation, but you didn't. Any other boy in your position would have been hospitalized after the Genin Exam, but you stood tall! I'm not out here to get you in trouble. I want you to succeed." Dan tossed his cigar onto the mildew-covered ground. He crouched low at Naruto's eye level. He placed his right hand under Naruto's chin and whispered, "Do you know why Konohans don't want you to succeed?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Do you know what a jinchuriki is?" Dan asked.
Naruto shook his head.
"Do you want to know why Konohans hate you?" Dan asked, causing Naruto to become petrified.
Naruto trembled while nodding.
He thought about what the one-eyed man was saying. He knew the difference between love and hate. He often stared longingly at parents showering their children with faith, hope, security, and love. No one loved him, and the sad truth was that the person who cared most for him was crouching before him.
Dan had the answers to the questions that had plagued him, yet for some strange reason. Naruto didn't want to know the truth. He wanted to run away, leave Konoha, and never return, but he failed the three times he tried. Running away wasn't an option. He stood before Dan frightened, yet excited to know the truth…
"Naruto, I didn't want to tell you this because when I saw you on that swing. Despite everything life has thrown at you, I saw innocence. That is something few humans possess, and I saw it in your eyes. You have a good heart, you want the best for people, you have a spirit and energy about you that is purely benevolent. I'm telling you this because the truth is a jinchuriki is a human sacrifice. More than Ten years ago, on October 10, the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. Are you following me?" Dan asked. He peered into Naruto's confused sapphire eyes like he was expecting a reaction.
"I know the story. Minato Namikaze, our fourth Hokage, slayed the Kyuubi when it attacked Konoha that day. It's my favorite story, and it's why he is my hero. The Fourth Hokage gave his life for our village and asked nothing in return," Naruto answered.
"On paper, that is correct. The truth is that the Kyuubi is a Biju, a tailed beast made of pure malevolent chakra. The Fourth Hokage couldn't have killed the Kyuubi even if they had fought for an eternity. Biju can reform if they die, but there's only one solution to defeating a Biju. Nations create jinchuriki, a human sacrifice, who allow their body to be used to seal the Biju. On the night of the Kyuubi attack, the Fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi inside of a newborn baby who was born that very night… Naruto, you were that baby," Dan answered.
Naruto fell to his knees. Tears were starting to fall from his eyes. He now understood why everyone hated him. He was a monster, a demon, and it made sense. He cried out in the foggy meadow only to feel Dan wrapping his arms around him in a caring embrace. Naruto's eyes widened.
"Why? Why do you care so much for me? I'm a monster, a demon. I deserve to be hated!" Naruto cried as Dan soothingly patted his back. "Why me?"
"Naruto, you aren't a monster or a demon," Dan whispered in his right ear. "I bought you new clothes, fed you, and made you sign the Fox Summoning Contract for a specific reason. Even jinchuriki deserve to be loved. Konohans may have forgotten, but I haven't. From the moment you were born, you became a hero. You saved Konoha ten years ago. Never forget that!"
"Mister Dan, I can't thank you enough for teaching me how to summon foxes… you've fed me, got me new clothes, and watched over me…" Naruto said weakly as his tears subsided. "You're the first person to be there for me. You've even told me the truth. Is this what love feels like?"
Dan nodded slowly, causing Naruto's eyes to widen and smile.
"There, there, you have done nothing wrong. You are Naruto Uzumaki, remember," Dan said, causing the ten-year-old boy to smile wider and chuckle once again. "Naruto, you must keep what I told you a secret. So many people know the truth but have never said a word because of the law. After the Kyuubi was sealed inside you, the Third Hokage passed a law preventing people from openly talking about you being a jinchuriki. Privately, that is a whole other question… Sarutobi tried to make sure you'd grow up to live a normal life. Did that happen?"
"No," Naruto said, completely defeated. His entire life was nothing more than a lie, which made his blood boil. "So, I can't talk about the Kyuubi? What happens if I do?"
"That law doesn't affect you, but just keep this knowledge to yourself. I'm no longer part of the Leaf Village, so the law doesn't affect me. Soon, it won't affect you either. Naruto, if you want, I can be your guardian, the angel who will protect you. Do you want to be my apprentice?" Dan asked.
Naruto couldn't think. He was so overwhelmed with emotions. He was both angry and happy. Angry that Konoha had lied and abused him his whole life over something he never consented to. He wanted the village, the city, the capital, and his homeland to burn! Even Jiji betrayed him, and… despite all of that. He was happy! Dan finally told him the truth. Dan trusted him, believed in him, and he wanted to be his sensei!
Naruto nodded and hugged Dan with all his might. He felt his spirit soar. He will take part in tomorrow's mission. Nothing would stop him from making Dan proud! For once, he had someone he could look up to.
Himeko rubbed her furry body against Naruto, causing him to let go of Dan. Then, she rubbed her six tails around Naruto's legs, causing him to fall. The small fox pounced on him and said briskly, "Prince Uzumaki, I will always be there for you. As the Kyuubi's warden, you are seen as one of us."
"She's right," Dan agreed. "Come, you two, let me make some breakfast. Then we shall train until sundown."
OoOoOoOoO
Naruto could claim he was full for the first time in a long time. He could barely breathe. He had eaten so much. Dan had a shadow clone bring a large breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage links, pancakes, miso soup, and lots of fruit. Naruto clutched his stomach and burped happily. Himeko chewed up two sausage links before saying her goodbyes. She left in a poof of white smoke. Naruto smiled when Dan came back to their camp with a lit cigar in his mouth.
"Now it begins," Dan said stoically.
"Alright, what are we going to do? I bet you are going to teach me a super cool fire jutsu or an awesome sneak jutsu that'll turn me invisible!" Naruto enthusiastically exclaimed while bouncing from the balls of his feet.
Dan grumbled and shook his head. The old, one-eyed man walked over to Naruto, placed his hands on Naruto's undeveloped noodle arms, and inspected his legs. The old man with one eye grumbled some more, then huffed when he got right back up. The whisker-marked boy grumbled as well when he saw the disappointment in Dan's faint cerulean eye.
Naruto knew just from that look that today was going to be hell!
"Today, we will only work on Taijutsu. I don't need you to demonstrate your other abilities, as I've looked at the reports on you at the Academy. They are concerning but amusing. I read over something called the sexy jutsu or whatever you call it," Dan said authoritatively.
Naruto's sapphire eyes gleamed mischievously when he heard the name of his greatest invention. He pumped chakra throughout his body and formed the hand signs. His coils were bursting with visible blue chakra. Dan placed his hands over his face in quick protest, but he was too late.
Naruto happily yelled, "Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Jutsu)!"
Naruto's body exploded in a white cloud of smoke. What was revealed was a naked adult version of Naruto, who was now a woman! She had massive breasts that were bouncing up and down and a giant ass. Dan had a small nosebleed but clutched his right arm as if he were in pain at the sight of a naked female Naruto! A swirling white cloud of smoke covered the henge's private parts, but barely enough to leave little to the imagination. Dan stabilized himself only to see the sexy Naruto blowing a pink heart from her mouth.
Naruto quickly dispelled his sexy jutsu. His eyebrows were raised high, and his foxy grin was wider than it ever had been before. For the most part, Dan was barely standing after suffering the onslaught of the Sexy Jutsu! Naruto laughed and fell onto his butt.
"Wow! I almost got you with that, but I need to work on it more. Usually, most perverts go cold after I use that!" Naruto said after he caught his breath.
"That's interesting… no, that's one impressive jutsu, but as I said, we shall only train in Taijutsu today," Dan said with much difficulty before regaining his composure.
"Taijutsu? But if I'm going on a super important mission tomorrow, why are you teaching me only Taijutsu?" Naruto asked, his eyes closed and his arms folded.
"Tomorrow, you are taking part in the end of the year's Taijutsu competition. I want to see how much you will improve in one day! There's a Taijutsu form I came up with through three decades of research and hard work! It encompasses Judo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Krav Maga, Goken, Uchiha style Taijutsu, and Namikaze style Taijutsu. It is called Sanda, one of the deadliest Taijutsu styles known to man. Even learning the bare minimum will set you ahead of Sasuke Uchiha," Dan said before pausing to see Naruto's eyes gleaming in interest. Yes! He had Naruto Uzumaki's attention and interest. "I want to see you beat that Uchiha until he is purple and blue. Are you willing to go the extra mile for me, Naruto?"
"Yes, sensei!" Naruto shouted.
He saluted his master, and they both walked away from their camp. He kept looking at his master and thought about what Dan said last night. Every human being needs a purpose, and he realized something. Dan was his purpose! He was the one man who came into his life when he desperately needed somebody. He wasn't going to let him down!
Naruto and Dan walked back near the creek, where Dan talked with that mysterious stranger. The crystal-clear waters brushed off moss-covered granite stones. Silver carp and bluegills were leaping over rocks, which caused Naruto to flinch. Those were the fish that landed him in juvenile detention for two days and nights. Dan occasionally looked back and smiled, only to see Naruto's anguished frown.
"What's wrong, boy?"
"Nothing. I just remembered this wasn't far from where I got arrested and thrown in jail," Naruto answered, looking away from Dan's face.
"Naruto, remember that I'm your guardian. I will always protect you, especially from Konoha!" Dan asserted while placing his hand on Naruto's left shoulder.
Naruto smiled and walked faster with Dan to a flat grassy field overlooking the creek. Birds chirped in the trees surrounding the glen, and butterflies flapped from wildflowers growing amongst tall weeds surrounding their natural arena. Naruto stood across from Dan, slightly worried. The sun had barely risen over the horizon, reminding him that today was going to be a long day.
It was indeed a long day. The first half hour of training consisted of Naruto following Dan's lead on numerous stretching and acrobatic exercises. Sweat was starting to bead down Naruto's blonde-locked hair by the time he performed five sets of backflips and cartwheels. Dan seemed impressed until they got working on the Sanda Katas. Dan's level of disappointment when Naruto punched the one-eyed man's hands was palpable.
"Come on, is that all you have?" Dan screamed as Naruto continued punching his hands.
"Agh! I'm trying, I really am," Naruto screamed before punching the Cyclops with renewed strength. "Take this!"
Dan's left eye widened when he felt each of Naruto's hits. The whisker-marked boy used more power and ferocity with every punch than before. He smiled while the boy was young, skinny, and malnourished. He packed power and strength with every punch he delivered. Naruto collapsed and started huffing on the ground. His skin was covered in sweat. Dan came over and pulled out a fresh canteen of cold crystal-clear water from his trench coat.
Break time came and went, and then they went back into the grind. Dan showed Naruto the punches, kicks, grapple techniques, and other basic moves. Sanda involves heavy use of an opponent's strength, weapons, and environment against them. They trained for two hours, repeating the same basic moves until Naruto had to take another break.
"You are improving, but if you are to win tomorrow. You will need to get the basic moves under control," Dan stated before drinking cold water from his canteen.
"I don't know if I'll win," Naruto admitted. He looked up from his half-empty canteen and gazed at Dan. "Dan, you told me yesterday that a shinobi needs a purpose. What is your purpose?"
Dan looked startled by the question. He grumbled and shifted against the fungus-covered log on which he decided to rest his back. Naruto raised an eyebrow when he saw Dan close his one remaining eye. Did he open a can of worms with his question?
"I had a purpose long ago. Back then, life was good. I had a family, friends, and a lover, but then, one day, I lost it all. Now, my purpose is you," Dan said before looking back at Naruto with a faint smile. "Have you found your purpose?"
"Yes, you," Naruto answered.
Dan smiled, and then they continued training. After Naruto mastered the fighting style basics, they began to spar. The sun was high in the sky around noon when Naruto, for the twentieth time, picked himself off the ground. He stumbled back onto his two feet, but his legs were wobbling. Dan hadn't yet broken a sweat, which was infuriating Naruto. No matter how hard or intensely he fought. Dan would slam him down without him getting in a single shot.
Naruto charged at Dan, but his right fist was pulled back when he lunged his punch. Dan grabbed his hand and used his left arm to slam him back into the grass. "If you want to win, you will have to do a better job with your opening move!" Naruto glared at Dan from the ground.
"That's easy for you to say! I can't even get past three moves before you slam me into the ground," Naruto said, disheartened. No matter how much progress he made. He kept getting kicked to the ground. "I want nothing more than to kick Sasuke's ass! But how am I going to win?"
"There is a way we can speed up this training… but it is risky. You are too young. Most genin would die if I taught you this trick," Dan said with a mischievous smirk. He picked Naruto up from the ground and dusted the boy off. "Okay, get into position and make the bunshin no jutsu for me!"
Naruto grumbled but made the hand signs anyway. A great veil of light blue chakra coated his body. Dan gasped and nearly fell over when he saw, but Naruto continued pumping and channeling chakra from every single coil in his body. When he felt like it was getting to the point of no return, he released his chakra and yelled, "Bunshin no jutsu (Clone technique)!"
Two small clouds of smoke appeared, and two wobbling Naruto clones, if they could even be called clones, fell to the ground. The clones had large, dead-white eyes. Their bodies continued to wobble almost like gelatin, and their tongues flopped out of their mouths. Naruto looked away at his disastrous creation in shame. Dan walked up to one of the clones and touched it. Instead of the clone dispersing into nothing, like a normal clone, it simply wobbled against his hand. Unlike a regular bunshin clone, these were solid like shadow clones!
"See! I did the jutsu correctly, but no matter how much chakra I put into it, the damn thing never works like it's supposed to!" Naruto said. He kicked a small rock with his sandal in frustration but looked at Dan, surprised the older man kept inspecting his clones. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Naruto, I think there is a way for you to not only train on the basics of Sanda quickly, but I can teach you a new jutsu. Are you against this experiment?" Dan looked at Naruto, who beamed excitedly off the ground.
"No way, a new jutsu, and I can learn the Sanda Katas quickly! What is it?"
"I want you to watch the hand sign I'm going to use and repeat everything I do," Dan said before getting his hands in the shadow clone hand sign. Naruto followed Dan's steps and repeated the hand sign several times before focusing back on his master. Dan smirked and proudly said, "Kage bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)!"
Two loud puffs of white smoke appeared next to Dan. When the clouds disappeared, two identical Dan's appeared. Dan looked at Naruto and said, "Now that I've demonstrated the jutsu let me explain the fundamentals of the shadow clone jutsu. This jutsu splits the user's chakra evenly among my clones and me. You can't easily dispel a shadow clone, as the more chakra a shadow clone has, the harder it is to dispel it. If you use it wisely, the shadow clone jutsu is the key to your victory and success. I can guarantee that you will be one of my greatest assets in two years. Tobirama created this jutsu to confuse the Uchiha. Your opponent is a Uchiha. They possess the Sharingan, a powerful doujutsu that can copy other people's jutsu. However, a Sharingan user can't tell the difference between a shadow clone and the real Naruto. When a shadow clone is dispelled, you gain its memories and experience."
Dan's clones both dispelled, causing him to smirk.
"Uh, mister Dan," Naruto said while raising his hand like he was back in Iruka-sensei's classroom. "I don't think Sasuke has a Sharingan. Wait a minute, maybe he does." Naruto tipped his chip with his index finger, deep in thought. "Of course, Mr. Popular has a Sharingan."
"Ugh," Dan grumbled, slightly annoyed. He then smiled and bluntly asked, "Does this Sasuke Uchiha have red eyes?"
"No."
"Then he doesn't have a Sharingan," Dan answered. He took another Churchill cigar from his brown trench and happily said, "Naruto, there is no time for procrastination. Perform the shadow clone jutsu. Show me what you truly are made of!"
Naruto made the shadow clone hand sign. He pumped half as much chakra into the jutsu as the clone jutsu. Then, as he released all the chakra from his coils, he yelled, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Thirty clouds of white smoke appeared behind him in a loud exploding POOF! Dan watched in amazement as the clouds of smoke disappeared, revealing thirty perfect replicas of Naruto. He couldn't help but drop the cigar from his mouth. All the Naruto's began to cheer and jump around in victory. Dan's hands began trembling in excitement. Minato would be proud. Hell, he himself was proud of Naruto's accomplishment. How had Konoha wasted such talent? Why would they toss aside their greatest weapon, their greatest hero, and leave the son of their Hokage homeless?
Dan approached the thirty-one Narutos and happily said, "Naruto, what you have done is something no genin or chunin can perform. Most Jonin have trouble handling more than two shadow clones. The chakra required to make just one would kill everyone in your classroom if they were stupid enough to perform the jutsu."
"Is it because of the Kyuubi?" the original Naruto asked, his hands and arms scrunched over his belly.
Dan nodded. A gust of wind brought a sea of green leaves across the field.
"Jinchuriki are hated not just because of the demon sealed inside their bodies but because you will grow faster, stronger, and more deadly than most of the shinobi in Konoha. I've encountered several jinchuriki in my life, and they have always been the most powerful and devasting opponents on the battlefield. Your village would have squandered your potential if you hadn't met me. They would have hidden the truth from you for as long as possible," Dan said. He placed his hands on what he suspected was the original Naruto and sighed.
"Here's what's going to happen. We will train before sundown until you have mastered the very basics of Sanda. Then we will rest and relax until tomorrow morning," Dan clarified, much to Naruto's glee. "Do you have any objections?"
"No sensei!"
Training then came and went in a near blur. According to Dan, Naruto kept dispelling around ten clones at a time, preventing him from suffering brain damage. He felt their experiences and memories embedding into his brain whenever he dispelled his clones. It made him smile. Each hour, his grasp on grappling, disarming, and even fighting Dan became a little bit easier. By the time they retired back to camp, Naruto was covered in dirt, grass, and numerous minor bruises. His brand-new clothes looked almost as dirty as the clothes he had before. After eating a large feast, Naruto was again amazed when Dan created thousands of tiny, thin, fan-shaped mushrooms on all the trees surrounding their campsite.
"Panellus Stipticus, one of nature's greatest wonders," Dan muttered when Naruto laid down to watch mushrooms.
All the mushrooms were glowing a bright bioluminescent green, so bright that it made him smile and gaze back at his master. Dan was reading an orange book on a log away from their fire. Naruto's eyes met his one lonesome eye, and both men then spent the rest of the night watching the mushrooms glowing above them like a father and his son.
"Dan, tomorrow I'm going to make you proud," Naruto said, determined.
"You already have."
OoOoOoOoO
The next morning, Naruto awoke to Dan preparing a large breakfast at their campsite. His new sensei was wearing a blue apron while attending to sausages sizzling over a cast iron skillet. He rubbed his eyes and was handed a plate with twice as much food as yesterday, except this time, Dan cooked it himself. For a man that had one eye and a scar-ridden face. Dan-sensei sure looked out of place wearing an apron. In any other given situation, Naruto would have laughed, but he respected Dan too much to do that.
Dan took off his apron and sat on one of the two logs surrounding their campfire. He unsealed a guitar and began playing light notes. Watching the strong, hardened, and powerful man play the guitar was odd. Naruto dropped his fork on his plate, which caused Dan to stop plucking his guitar. He looked at Naruto, amused, only to go back to plucking his guitar. Naruto ate his breakfast, enjoying the music.
Dan silently handed him a new pair of clothes, underwear, and deodorant when he was done. Dan walked away and said, "Get changed behind that boulder and meet me back by the campfire."
Naruto quickly changed into his new clothes, different from yesterday's. He returned to find their campsite already demolished. The only remnant that they were there was the sizzling charcoal of their campfire. Naruto saw Dan sealing up their sleeping bags inside of a scroll. Dan smiled when he saw Naruto and said, "Today is important! Today is your last day of school. You have an important mission to acquire the Namikaze Estate Deeds behind Tobirama's painting inside the Hokage's office. After that, you will meet me underneath the oak tree outside the Academy. Then we shall discover the truth together."
"Dan-sensei, what are you after?" Naruto asked with a frown. "You told me you'd answer all my questions when I first met you."
"The truth," Dan replied. "The reason why I'm entrusting you with this important mission is simple. The best shinobi are thieves, and you are a natural-born one. You are among the few people I've encountered who quickly exceeded my expectations. Naruto, you will succeed. We will find out the truth concerning your lineage."
"My lineage?" Naruto repeated, feeling sweat fall down his forehead.
"Yes, it's one of the reasons I'm interested in you," Dan admitted. Naruto started trembling, and his hands started shaking on his hips. "The Truth is that your village has lied to you about more than the Kyuubi. Do you want to know the truth?"
Naruto nodded.
"Then bring me that scroll. Until you acquire that scroll, you will be on your own, but fear not. I will be watching over your back as your guardian and master."
OoOoOoOoO
Iruka Umino was sitting at his desk as he watched his students march into his classroom. For the past few days, he had been worried. His most troubling and difficult-to-control student hadn't been seen anywhere inside Konoha since he took part in the Genin Exam. When Hokage-sama told him five years ago that Naruto would be attending the Academy under his tutelage, he had been scared, furious, and, most of all, determined.
Iruka's parents died during the Kyuubi attack. Every time he looked at Naruto for many years, all he saw was the Kyuubi…
Since becoming an instructor at the academy, he hadn't failed a single student. Teaching and nurturing the future generations of shinobi had always been his dream. However, Naruto Uzumaki had a way of testing his primal motivations.
Naruto Uzumaki wasn't just a jinchuriki. Every report he read on Naruto's time at the orphanage was concerning. Every adult had neglected the boy, and the headmaster even abused him. It wasn't until the Anbu found the boy homeless and pickpocketing foreigners that the Hokage took more interest in Naruto's welfare. Naruto was anti-social, hyperactive, a prankster, the class clown, and one of the worst troublemakers to set foot inside the Academy. His pranks weren't malicious, often they were harmless attempts to get attention from his peers.
Iruka rubbed the bags under his eyes. The sound of a rumbling stomach kept echoing at the back of his mind. He remembered hearing Naruto's stomach rumble throughout the written portion of the exam. It was so bad Mizuki had to move Naruto to a separate room so the boy wouldn't keep distracting the other test takers. When was the last time Naruto had eaten? He was too busy grading papers and preparing yesterday's lecture to comfort the boy on the swing. Never had he seen someone so defeated, hungry, and hurt…
"I should have taken that boy into my home two days ago," Iruka thought. He shook his head and sipped his still-warm ginseng tea steaming on his desk. "Naruto still has his apartment, but he's been wearing the same clothes for three months. Something isn't right, I have never seen a student look half as dead as Naruto did."
Most of the class was present. Today was the most important day of the year. The day of the final Taijutsu Exam would account for half of their grade. Iruka sighed to himself. Today was also the last day of school, and he needed to have a one-on-one talk with his troublemaking student about their welfare. He scanned the filled seats in his classroom and became even more worried. All his students were present, except for the one that had been tormenting his soul these past few days, Naruto Uzumaki.
Where was he?
"I heard from my older sister that he was crying like a baby," Hibachi said.
Hibachi was one year older than the rest of the class. Iruka was considering dropping Hibachi out of the shinobi program because of Hibachi's terrible attitude towards his class. He suspected the boy was bullying the other students but still lacked proof. If his malicious attitude weren't a qualifier to drop Hibachi, the boy's terrible ninjutsu skills would, which were worse than Naruto's. That kid's only saving grace was his Taijutsu, which Mizuki spent a long time getting up to speed.
Gossiping to his friends, Hibachi said, "Someone told me Naruto passed out during the exam's writing portion but woke up fifteen minutes later shouting he was going to ace the exam. No wonder he's missing."
"Damn, I don't know what Naruto was thinking trying to take the Genin Exam before all of us. Right, Akamaru?" Kiba Inuzuka said. He was dressed in a purple hoody with a metal mesh shirt underneath.
Akamaru, a small, fluffy white dog with brown ears, crawled out of Kiba's jacket and barked in agreement.
"If that crybaby thinks he's going to become Hokage before me, he's up for a wake-up call." Kiba said before glaring at Hibachi. "That title is mine."
"I can't believe that idiot hasn't changed his clothes in the past few months," Sakura Haruno piped in. She was wearing a pink tunic and green shorts. She looked at her friend Ino and said, "What are his parents thinking?"
"Sakura, uh, I don't think Naruto has any parents. My dad told me not to let him near me because he got sent to the hospital for pickpocketing a noble on Madara Avenue," Ino answered. She was dressed in a purple battle kimono for the Taijutsu Exam. "But I don't think he's that bad. Annoying, but uh…"
"What do you like him?" Sakura accused her best friend.
"No, I feel bad for him. I mean, he hasn't been the same kind of Naruto in the last few months, that's for sure. He can barely spar without passing out, plus he's always sleeping in class," Ino answered with red cheeks. "I'll give him some credit. He was the only one in our class to take the Genin Exam."
"Please, he got the lowest marks on the shuriken and kunai portion of the Genin Exam. Dude doesn't have any potential. He has no skill. He should give up on being a shinobi and let me be Hokage," Kiba said with a canid grin.
"Kiba, your ego is showing again," Shino Aburame said. He wore black sunglasses and a high-collar grey jacket that hid his mouth. "You haven't yet passed the Academy. What makes you think you are going to become Hokage?"
"Because I'm the heir to the Inuzuka clan. Naruto is an orphaned nobody. Top it all off, that idiot doesn't have an ounce of talent in his body. He's always yelling all over Konoha that he's going to be Hokage. Give me a break. He can't even make a measly clone jutsu," Kiba said. The young Inuzuka huffed out his chest and noticed Hibachi grinning.
"Too bad Taru dropped out because he wanted to become a shinobi for the Daimyo. If Naruto doesn't show up, I'll have to fight the Uchiha," Hibachi said. "I hope Naruto drops out. That loser makes our village look weak with how poorly he did during the Genin Exam!"
"Tsk, you're even more talentless than Naruto," Sasuke Uchiha replied a row behind Hibachi. Sasuke wore a black shirt with a high collar with his clan's sigil stitched on the back. His hands were inside the pockets of his black shorts. Sasuke thought about the class clown he was always paired with during sparring matches. "I like beating up Naruto. It would be a shame if he stopped coming to class."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru Nara mumbled without moving his head. His pineapple-shaped hair covered the light from interrupting his dreams.
"Hey Shikamaru, you think Naruto is going to come to class," Choji Akimichi said to his best friend. He put a potato chip in his mouth and worriedly closed his eyes. "Naruto doesn't give up. He might have failed, but that's nothing for him to worry about."
Shikamaru looked up and grumbled. Over the past year, he had rarely hung out with Naruto. It used to be that Kiba, Choji, and Naruto were his best friends, but an argument between Kiba and Naruto soured everything. Kiba attacked Naruto after school because he saw the Third Hokage taking Naruto to a noodle shop. The incident made Naruto more distant, and Shikamaru worried about it.
"I hope he comes to class. It's just a stupid, troublesome Genin Exam. Failing it isn't the end of the world," Shikamaru said back to Choji.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata Hyuga said in the back. She had pupilless eyes and was wearing a white hoody. She had a small basket of homemade cinnamon buns sitting on her table. She had made them in the Hyuga kitchen after watching the villagers harass the blonde-haired boy. He looked half-dead from starvation and was crying. He didn't look like the strong Naruto Uzumaki who saved her from those bullies five years ago. "I hope he comes to class."
Iruka had enough! All this gossiping about their classmate was making his blood boil.
It was four minutes until class began. Iruka took one last sip of his tea and got up from his desk, which caused his class to quiet down. Mizuki, leaning back against the chalkboard, flinched when he felt the spike of ferocious chakra leaking from Iruka.
"THAT IS ENOUGH! Hibachi, you aren't anything to gloat about. Kiba, if I hear another word disparaging another student. I will talk to your mother after school! Yes, Naruto took the Genin Exam, but he's the only one in this class who had the guts to take it. I expected more from all of you," Iruka-sensei yelled from the podium of his classroom.
The door to their classroom opened, revealing Naruto Uzumaki. He was dressed in long, green, baggy pants that went down to his ankles. He had on a dark blue long-sleeved shirt with a sleeveless orange hoody that was zipped up almost all the way. It had a red swirl on the back of the hood. Iruka raised an eyebrow at his student's new attire. Wait, was Naruto wearing brand-new shinobi sandals? The blonde-haired, blue-eyed, whisker-marked boy was still wearing his green goggles, but something wasn't right. Did Naruto steal these clothes?
"Welcome to class," Iruka said nervously while rubbing the back of his head.
Naruto walked past Iruka-sensei without saying a word but flinched when he gazed at his troubled student's sapphire eyes. Naruto's eyes were always warm and vibrant, but all he saw was anger and hatred. Even after Naruto came back from the hospital after being beaten to a centimeter of his life, Naruto smiled and laughed. But not anymore.
Naruto looked enraged when he turned around to look at him. Then, he turned around to take his seat.
OoOoOoOoO
Naruto's walk to the Academy was eye-opening. He saw shopkeepers standing at their doors, watching his every move. The wide berth of room villagers gave him as he walked the streets felt different. The icy stares, the hatred, and the muttering of curses didn't seem to tear him apart as they normally did. Instead, his walk to school was enlightening. He knew why they hated him. He had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, but it made him feel angry.
For every villager that muttered "bastard," "demon," "thief," "ugly child," "dead last," and "monster," he gave them just as much hate back. Many villagers flinched. They looked away when he glared back at them. They feared him! They feared him just as much as they hated him…
By the time Naruto made it to the Academy, he felt sick. He wanted to run back to Dan. In a sense, he was scared, but he had to be strong. For once, he had someone he could look up to. He had someone who believed in him. Failing his mission wasn't going to happen! Right before he opened the door to his classroom, he heard his class talking about him. Instead of barging in and trying to sit down next to Sakura Haruno or Shikamaru, he listened. Every word he heard made his stomach twist, and his throat became heavy.
He knew he wasn't the best student academically, but it hurt hearing everyone he thought tolerated him talking shit behind his back. He heard a few nice things from Choji and Iruka-sensei, but Naruto clenched his fists over his chest.
He felt rage building in his stomach, and it was starting to flush throughout his body. Why should he become a shinobi for a village that hated him? What was so great about becoming Hokage? No one in Konoha liked him. No one loved him. The only person who loved him was Dan. Because of Dan, he learned how to summon foxes, the shadow clone jutsu, and Sanda! He learned more from Dan in just a single day than he ever learned after five years at the Academy.
He didn't need the Academy!
He didn't need to become a Konoha shinobi!
Naruto took a deep breath and walked into his classroom. Everyone looked at him, petrified. No one said a word except for Iruka-sensei.
"Welcome to class!" Iruka-sensei said while rubbing the back of his head.
Iruka-sensei had a horizontal scar that went across the bridge of his nose. He had dark brown hair in a ponytail, tanned skin, brown eyes, and a big, nervous, toothy smile. Naruto glared at his flak-jacket-wearing sensei. Iruka-sensei never greeted him when he came to class. Why was his teacher smiling at him, too?
"Naruto, just take the empty seat next to Hinata," Iruka said before glaring back at Naruto. "I'm glad you are finally wearing new clothes."
Naruto didn't bother saying anything as he took a seat next to Hinata Hyuga. She was a shy girl with short purple hair and pupilless eyes, and she was always red in the face when he got near her. Did she hate him so much that he made her sick? Naruto was about to glare at her, too, but he smiled. Hinata pushed a basket of cinnamon buns to his side of the table. His hands began trembling, and his stomach lurched despite how much he had eaten at breakfast.
"Hinata-hime, I think you have the wrong person," Naruto said with reddening cheeks and guilty sapphire eyes. She smiled at him and gave him a present. But why? Why would someone give Konoha's monster a gift?
"What is this?" Naruto asked skeptically. He expected her to fake him out of the gift.
Villagers had played that trick on him, and it always left him heartbroken.
"They are cinnamon buns. They're my favorite treat, and I baked them for you last night. Naruto-kun, you looked hungry a few days ago when I saw you…" Hinata stopped talking and looked away from him.
Naruto stared at her, surprised, until he heard the bells ring.
"Th-thank you, Hinata-chan," Naruto said with a foxy grin.
Iruka-sensei began his boring lecture for the first twenty minutes of class. Naruto tried paying attention, but he focused most of his attention on Hinata's cinnamon buns. They were delicious. He had never once had anything as sweet and fluffy. No bakeries in Konoha allowed him entry, and few grocery stores allowed him to shop unless they charged him triple the price for the food. This was the first time he had tasted something so magical that it made his anger subside.
An hour had passed since class began, and Naruto was about to sleep. But then his ears picked up on Iruka-sensei discussing the Genin Exam.
"As you know, we shall convene at the dojo in ten minutes to participate in the year's final Taijutsu Exam. This may account for half of your grade, but I'm grading you all on your improvements. This year, we had only one student in our class who took part in the Genin Exam. As Academy instructors, we make it our mission to grade every student fairly. The test is geared towards fairness, integrity, skill, and the will of fire! Even if you don't have the best Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu. I believe every student has the ability to become Hokage if they study hard, train their bodies, and learn to abide by the Shinobi codes. Even the dead last has a shot at becoming Hokage," Iruka-sensei said. His brown eyes peered at Naruto's sapphire eyes from across the room.
Naruto shook his head. Those were all lies!
"Naruto, is there something wrong?" Iruka asked, his hands at his waist. "You are the only one among your classmates who has taken the exam. Tell them your thoughts on it!"
Naruto gulped. All eyes in the classroom focused on him. Some of their stares were ice-cold, but most were amused. A few people like Hinata, Choji, and Shikamaru looked at him with the faintest amount of sympathy, yet it wasn't enough. The whole class began snickering after ten seconds of silence.
Iruka shook his head in disappointment, and Mizuki started chuckling with the other students. Naruto had enough!
"Tobirama created the Genin Exam as a way for even a starving stableboy to pass the Genin Exam! The exam is geared towards keeping those who are lower-class, hated, and ostracized from becoming shinobi. The only fairness is that the required criteria to become a Genin is learning the substitution, transformation, and clone jutsu… but that fairness vanishes when an Academy student can't learn one of those!" Naruto explained, causing the entire class to stop snickering.
Mizuki raised his eyebrows and looked at Iruka-sensei in disbelief. Even Sasuke Uchiha, the rookie of the year, looked startled by Naruto's answer. Naruto saw everyone looking at him, confused, so he decided to educate them.
"I studied for two straight days to pass the Genin Exam! I spent two days without a meal because I believed I could pass. I wanted to be like my hero Minato Namikaze so much I thought I could graduate at ten years old. The Fourth Hokage had parents and people who loved him, and he was gifted. I don't have parents. No one loves me. Hell, I'll be the first person to say I'm not gifted. But I gave it my all, and I still failed. I may have cried, but try spending months on the street alone. Imagine your only hope of success and survival being crushed! If being a ninja is about keeping secrets and getting the upper hand. Then why is the Genin Exam such a damn sham? Why is the system made to keep those the village despises down? Why should I become a shinobi?" Naruto began gasping for breath. Hinata placed her hands on his shoulder.
No one said a word.
Iruka Umino looked hurt by Naruto's words. The scarred-nosed chunin instructor closed his eyes and huffed. If someone handed Iruka a tanto and told him to perform seppuku in front of the class, he likely would have done it. Shikamaru had an open mouth. Choji dropped a potato chip. Sasuke, on the other hand, glared.
"You only say that because you are the dead last!" Sasuke shouted back at Naruto. "If you don't have the talent to become a shinobi, then you should quit!"
"Wait until I knock you out during the Taijutsu Exam!" Naruto shouted back.
Sasuke rushed across the classroom until he came by Naruto's seat. Naruto grabbed the Uchiha's collar, while Sasuke grabbed his. Both boys glared venomously, only for Mizuki to separate them. The Taijutsu instructor smirked and yelled at the top of his voice, "It's time for us to begin the end-of-year exam!"
Everyone didn't look Naruto in the eye as they scampered out of the classroom. Naruto was the last in line to leave for the dojo, but Iruka stopped him.
"Naruto, wait!" Iruka said, pulling Naruto back into the classroom.
Iruka closed the door, leaving them alone and staring into each other's eyes. Naruto shifted uncomfortably when he felt his sensei's hands on his shoulders.
"What do you want? Are you going to give me another lecture about how I'm wrong or how the will of fire burns in me," Naruto accused, his sapphire eyes burning with rage. All the years he spent alone, abused, and hurt were coming out. "You don't care about me. You don't even understand me. No one does, so you can save your breath. I'm not even worth it, and you know it!"
"Naruto! That is enough! You think I don't understand you?"
"I've been alone my entire life! When I got sent to the hospital for pickpocketing that noble… I know what I did was wrong, but I would have done it again. Because I'd rather steal than die! I've spent these last few months hungry. I don't even have a home! No matter who I complain to, nobody cares! Do you know what it's like to spend the weekend in jail? My village hates me! My whole life, I've had to live with that hate… my only hope was passing the Genin Exam, and you took that away from me," Naruto screamed before brushing Iruka's hands off his shoulders.
Iruka looked away in shame. He saw so much pain leaking from Naruto's eyes that his skin turned cold. He thought about all the times he wished for Naruto's death. But he remembered those years he spent orphaned and alone. The village abandoned him back then, and he sometimes had to fend for himself.
"I may not have experienced as many hardships as you, but I know what it's like to be the class clown. I know what it's like to be alone. When the Kyuubi killed my parents, I felt like everyone had forgotten about me, and I was lonely. I ended up doing crazy things that I had to pay dearly for. I should have been there for you more, but if you need somewhere to stay during our one-month break… I want you to stay with me," Iruka said sincerely.
"Why are you telling me this now? Because I called out your stupid system. Is that it?" Naruto countered.
"No, because we are the same!"
Naruto became petrified. The very demon he housed inside of him killed Iruka's parents. This could be a trick to kill Konoha's jinchuriki, which made him growl. He then smiled weakly to get out of this conversation. He looked at Iruka with a wide, foxy grin and said, "Thanks for the offer. I'd love for that to happen, but for now, I need to kick Sasuke's butt."