BTW in case no one noticed, academy probably starts in April like normal schools in Japan. This story started on late August, so by their academy year lasts for 7-8 months. Eh... Naruto is 7 now, coincidentally graduating the same age as Itachi. Though he is not a genin yet, he graduated nonetheless.
It made me wonder how the hell Kakashi graduated at 5 DX
It seems whenever the village is in a war footing or at least the generation before Naruto's, ninja graduate early, or maybe graduating at 10 considered to be average in Minato's generation.
4th Legacy: Prodigy and Paranoia
Beta-ed by garoorar
"You're someone who has seen how foolish humans become when consumed by hatred."
Uchiha Itachi
Naruto woke up with cold sweat drenching his whole body. He quickly gathered himself and moaned at his current state. He had to do his laundry twice a week at the rate he was using up his shirts whenever he woke up like this. He once contemplated sleeping naked but that's not an option in autumn, it may not be as cold as winter but it is still cold nonetheless.
He knew he was still a child, and to be haunted by nightmares is normal for children like him. But Naruto wanted to act like a mature boy, since whenever he acted mature the Sandaime would listen to him more, and so does the rest of his ANBU guards. All the times he acted as a brash and loud boy was simply to attract attention of villagers, but he realized that lately he cared more for the attention of the few people who acknowledged him.
So telling them about his nightmare was a big NO-NO! Especially if there is a chance that they might think that he was not mature enough after all and therefore not ready to graduate early… NO way in hell. Not to mention it was not a dream he could simply tell to anyone.
The dream was always the same, amidst the sound of rattling chains he saw a blond baby who he recognized as himself due to the whisker like marks on his face. He was cradled not by one but two pairs of arms, warm and loving. But there was so much blood and he cried as hard as he could to no avail as the warm cradle became colder and colder. He also saw a massive claw, one he knew so well, which belonged to Kurama. He had cried himself hoarse when he realized what he was seeing, or at least what he thought he was seeing. The scene of his parents impaled in Kurama's claw. The scene of his parent's dying from Kurama who was under someone else's control.
"I had parents..." He whispered to himself. Anyone else would feel incredulous hearing him utter those words. Of course everyone had parents who gave birth to them. However to a boy who has been orphaned for so long, the concept of having loving parents was foreign.
Ironically enough, Kurama seemed to understand the concept better than him, since to Kurama, the Sage of Six Paths was a father to the fox and the other bijuus. Thus this dream was something he never told Kurama, and the fox never asked either. Naruto had forgiven Kurama for his parent's death, and that forgiveness was something he didn't have to say out loud. Both of them had come to an unspoken agreement of the forgiveness exchanged between them, it was mutual.
Since then, academy instructors started to leave him alone, which for him was much better than the sabotage he once endured. It seemed that they really wanted him to get out of their hair as soon as possible, and Naruto wanted the same. At least for now the academy was the least of his problems. All he needed to do was do his best to get that apprenticeship right and he'll be out of the academy. So Naruto poured all of his efforts to do his best for the rest of the year to further his studies in every field. He really was not required to be the best in practice in other fields aside from Fuuinjutsu so he could still work on his own pace in theory and focus in his chosen field.
Much to Naruto's delight the Sandaime gave him his full support, and even went as far as to give his old books for Naruto as a birthday present.
Tori warned Naruto about his naturally large chakra reserves and suggested that he start to learn chakra control exercises early on, because if he didn't he would be bound to screw up in chakra sensitive techniques. So Naruto started to squeeze in tree climbing and water walking in his already heavily packed schedule. While life was good for Naruto, he noticeably started to distance himself from his classmates. If before he kept trying to get their attention, now he was too busy with his studies that he completely neglected his already nonexistent social life with his peers.
It was worrying the Sandaime, but he couldn't blame Naruto for focusing in his studies. Then again it seemed that Naruto had given up on trying to form any friendships with his classmates, all the boy could think about was getting out of the academy and fulfilling the Sandaime's expectation. Naruto still called him jii-chan from time to time but whenever they talked about his apprenticeship Naruto would switch to Hokage-sama. He had no idea where Naruto learned how to act professional and awkwardly mature at times, but it was obvious that Naruto tried to adapt speaking like this with his most frequent companions, which consisted of the Hokage, the Ichiraku family and his ANBU detail. But it was not healthy for a boy his age to only socialize with adults, and ANBU shouldn't be Naruto's most frequent companions. The Sandaime brought this topic up with the ANBU squad he assigned to protect Naruto, and thankfully they had a solution. Hopefully Naruto could bond with someone around his age before he graduated and completely cut himself off from his peers in pursuit of knowledge.
Naruto was becoming too much like Orochimaru for his comfort.
While the Sandaime was worrying over his nonexistent social life, Naruto was over the moon with each passing week that put him closer to his dream. With his latest report to the Hokage about his studies, it was almost a sealed deal that by the end of academy year he would be introduced to a seal master to be apprenticed. Life was good, however there was one problem still hanging over his head.
Namely Uchiha Itachi, the scion of Uchiha clan who had been a constant companion of his for the last few weeks. It was not like the Uchiha heir treated him badly, it was actually the opposite. Uchiha Itachi was trying to be his friend, or at least he thought that was what the older boy had been attempting in the last few weeks.
Naruto eyed the Uchiha who had occupied his favorite haunt, namely the branches of the Yūjō no Ki. The tree had become a sacred monument of Konoha but the Sandaime allowed him to use the said tree, as long as he took a good care of it. The tree was so old it was imbued by Hashirama's chakra, and those who knew the man would have felt it. It was actually one of the reasons why they allowed him to use the precious monument, hoping to calm the bijuu and lessening the risk of escape. Fortunately for them it works somewhat, but not for the reasons they suspect. Kurama didn't like the tree but it soothed him, not because of Hashirama's chakra but because he inherited his ancestor's body thus to bijuu, Hashirama's tree had some sort lingering scent of their creator. Like how a child would feel safe and comforted by something with their mother's scent.
"Uhm... good afternoon Uchiha-san." He rarely called someone with their proper honorifics, since to him it was a sign of unfamiliarity. He was still wary of the Uchiha but he was willing to give Itachi the benefit of doubt. After all it was partially thanks to Itachi that he got a chance to prove himself.
"Just call me Itachi." The prodigy suggested as Naruto pushed himself up to sit on the branch. "You can add senpai if you insist on calling me with honorifics."
Naruto nodded hesitantly, "Okay... Itachi-senpai."
For some reason he couldn't comprehend why Itachi started visiting the Yūjō no Ki around same time he did. There were not much words exchanged between them. Itachi would come out of nowhere, greet him politely then ask about his day in the academy. Greetings he would return with a curt nod and same amount of politeness.
Eventually, the Uchiha scion started bringing him treats, and not just candy kind but Japanese sweets like dango, youkan, mochi, etc. Naruto couldn't recall just when Itachi started sitting beside him in the same branch of Yūjō no Ki, eating Japanese sweets and drinking green tea.
Unless Itachi was on mission he always arrived at the same time in the afternoon at 4PM, and only stays for twenty minutes tops. The topics of their conversations were light and would shift from the weather to the taste of sweets and exchange of greetings. It was like they're maintaining some sort of status quo.
A status quo both Naruto and Kurama were running out patience for, especially when Tori not so subtly implied that the ANBU squad allowed Itachi to keep him company whenever he visited the tree. Apparently they were worried about his lack of friends, and thought Itachi would be good for him. The Uchiha heir had a younger brother Naruto's age, and while Itachi was four years older than him, he too was still considered a kid like Naruto. He was also a prodigy, and they thought he could relate to Naruto.
They arranged for him to have a play dates with Uchiha Itachi! Imagine that!
Kurama was throwing tantrums on his cage, and demanded him to stop visiting the damn tree. Naruto pointed out they had no choice, because unless Kurama could think of a reasonable excuse to give to Tori, it would be too suspicious for someone as lonely as he was to reject company. Not to mention Naruto somewhat felt guilty for his behavior towards the young heir in their first encounter. In short there was no way out for him but to endure the play dates.
At the start of third week of their somewhat awkward afternoon routine, Naruto found the Uchiha heir waiting for him in the same branch again. As usual the Uchiha was sitting on the branch in a lotus position, a small package of sweets and a thermos of green tea by his side. He looked as serene as ever and was patiently waiting for Naruto's arrival. It made Naruto wonder if this guy didn't have better things to do. Wasn't he a newly recruited ANBU?! Then again, he was part of Tori's squad, so accompanying Naruto was probably part of his job. He could always appreciate a company, but not from an enigma like Itachi. He couldn't put a finger on what kind of person Itachi was, and he wondered if he wanted to know the Uchiha at all.
"Good afternoon Naruto-kun."
Naruto nodded hesitantly, "Itachi-senpai, were you waiting for me?" He asked as he pushed himself to stand on the thick branch.
Itachi nodded, "Yes, I wish to speak to you… It's important."
"..." Naruto was not used to feeling surprised. He was the one who always takes everyone by surprise after all. Then again this was the famed prodigious scion of Uchiha; he thought that he would be the one to confront Itachi to know the older boy's true objectives in approaching him but Itachi beat him to it. "What would you like to talk about?" Naruto asked politely.
"You don't have to be so formal with me Naruto-kun, you're even less formal with Hokage-sama than you are to me." Itachi pointed out sternly.
Naruto shrugged, "Fine senpai, but I am still at a loss as to why you even want to talk with someone like me."
"It is someone like you that I want to talk with." Itachi replied swiftly.
The jinchuuriki raised an eyebrow at Itachi, "Like what?!"
"You're someone who has seen how foolish humans become when consumed by hatred." Itachi told the younger boy bluntly.
Naruto's eyes went wide as he suddenly stood, and then he unconsciously took a step back from Itachi. Then he burst to a fit of laughter, "Wow! Nice one, senpai! You have a flair for theatrics! Is it an Uchiha art? Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"…"
"Ha ha ha!" Naruto continued to forcibly laugh.
"…"
"Ha ha ha ha…"
"Hn."
'This is getting ridiculous! What this guy is up to?!'
'I heard that, this Uchiha is sharp damn it.' Kurama cursed. 'Don't let him to take the reins in this conversation, or better yet… ditch him.' The bijuu suggested helpfully.
He groaned inwardly, 'I will look too suspicious if I did it again! Better get him to spill now then dragging it on!'
'Whatever~ I will take a nap, go learn how to deal with an Uchiha by yourself but keep your head where it belongs.' And with that Kurama went back to sleep, keeping an eye open just in case his jinchuuriki screwed up.
Naruto snapped at the older boy, "Get to the point! Screw subtlety! Mind games are not my forte! I am seven!" He shouted at Itachi, pointing an accusing finger at the Uchiha's scion.
"I am not playing mind games with you Naruto-kun." Itachi assured the younger boy.
Naruto slumped back to his sitting position, "Fine! I just don't have the patience for talking in circles." The young jinchuuriki stated with a huff, "Are you implying that I know 'why' they hate me?" Now it was his turn to be as blunt as a rampaging Rhino, giving the Uchiha a taste of his own medicine.
Itachi's eyes widened for a moment before he schooled his stoic face back. "I see…"
It seemed Naruto had found out about his jinchuuriki status from some source. Then again it was not that much a stretch of the imagination since wherever went, whispers about demons and the kyuubi followed the child like a plague. Naruto had an aptitude for Fuuinjutsu, a branch of study that requires perceptiveness, so it won't be impossible for the child to put two and two together. Especially once he learned about the applications of fuuinjutsu, sealing demons after all was one of the first objectives in the creation of fuuinjutsu.
The blond snorted, "What did you see now, I wonder?" He gritted his teeth, "So I am right, you just wanted to confirm that…" The majority of village already distrusts him, it would seem that this person was just another in that already long list. What else is new, Naruto thought sarcastically.
Itachi flinched inwardly, his lips curved down. "I mean no harm Naruto-kun." He stated sternly, "At this point you must have understood the basic theory of fuuinjutsu, and villagers are never subtle to show their animosity towards you… I wanted to know what you would do about it."
Naruto glared at the Uchiha heir, "If you're afraid that I am going to do something stupid as taking revenge on them, you needn't worry, rest assured... the occasional prank is as far as I would go." He waved his hand in negative, "As far I'm concerned, hating them back is not going to make me happier." He gritted his teeth as his eyes closed, "I will just sink to their level…"
Itachi looked at Naruto with an unreadable expression, but there was an unmistakable spark of gratitude and admiration in his eyes. "That's… very wise of you…" This boy hadn't even lived through war, or witnessed countless lives lost as those left behind mourned their passing. But Naruto understood the misplaced hatred the villagers have, that they wanted someone to blame on for their loss, and he understands that returning their hatred would just make the pain last longer, and in doing so the wounds that everyone kept in their hearts would never mend.
The jinchuuriki snorted, "I am no saint though, I believe life is easier when you take it in stride…" He gritted his teeth, "But that doesn't change the fact that they want to make my life as miserable as they could, so I am reasonably wary of anyone who approaches me…"
The chuunin titled his head to the side, and then he sighed. "I hope so far I have done nothing that could make you think I hate you for your burden." He drawled calmly.
Naruto shook his head, "Look Itachi-senpai… I don't know why you keep me company for the last two weeks, and I am torn between being grateful and terrified of you."
"But I…" Itachi opened his mouth to refute.
Naruto cut him off, "No! Don't you understand? I am aware of your clan's position right now." Itachi blanched at that, "Which is why I am reasonably wary of you."
Itachi paused as he contemplated Naruto's statement, and then after a beat he replied. "You're right."
Naruto looked at the older boy incredulously, "You just… accepted it? Just like that?"
"Yes." Itachi nodded, "You're right, it's inevitable to be wary of a member of clan with a traitorous history. To be honest I have to say that it's wise of you to be wary of us, especially because of what you hold."
His blue eyes couldn't get wider as he stared at Itachi with a mix of disbelief and astonishment. He shook his head, "I can't believe you just approved of my paranoia concerning your clan, but before you get any ideas… no, I have nothing against the Uchiha clan personally. It's just…"
"Could you talk with it?" Itachi asked with a voice that tinted with curiosity.
Naruto glared at the Uchiha, "If I say yes, are you going to think I am possessed and report me to Hokage-jiichan?"
Itachi shook his head, "I remember how its chakra feels, if you're possessed I am sure I can tell." Then after a beat he added, "I promise I will not report this conversation to Hokage-sama, unless you give me your consent."
Naruto sighed in relief, "Thanks, but it's him not it." He corrected, then he eyed Itachi who raised an eyebrow at him cynically. "You're a Shinobi and yet you tell me you will keep my secret from jii-chan if I ask you? Just like that?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
The Uchiha nodded, "You have your reasons to keep it a secret, and you have no intention to harm our village in spite of your suffering because of them… you have right to keep your secrets at least." He listed on, and then he added. "I have… a brother your age, just a few months older than you."
"Oh?" What was he getting at?
"That night… my parents were out, and I was left behind to tend for my brother… I didn't see the Kyuubi firsthand but I can feel his chakra." Itachi rubbed his temple as the terrible memory resurfaced. "The Kyuubi's chakra was dangerous… children were crying the moment they felt it, if Yondaime-sama didn't seal him as soon as he did the casualties wouldn't be just from ninja on the front lines… those who were already physically weak like the elders, pregnant mothers, infants… at that point they would have died just from exposure…including my brother..." Itachi stood suddenly and bowed to Naruto with respect, "That night… everyone was desperate to protect our village, and Konoha would have been no more if not for your sacrifice. For bearing that burden for all of us and not giving in to hatred, I can't thank you enough…"
That was the longest sentence Naruto ever heard from Itachi. He knew people who cared for him were grateful for his sacrifice, but Itachi was the first to honestly express that gratitude to him, to say it out loud for him. For once… someone was being plainly honest to him. Maybe Itachi really deserved that benefit of doubt.
Naruto rubbed his temple, a smile painted on his lips. "I guess… you're really different after all." Itachi raised an eyebrow, "I will ask you one thing, and I want you to answer it honestly Itachi-senpai…"
"I will…" Itachi vowed.
"Do you hate him? My tenant?" Naruto asked.
That was an unexpected query, and it caught him off guard. "Do I hate him?" Itachi echoed, he never thought Naruto would ask how he feels about the bijuu who was also the source of the growing distrust towards his clan. "To be honest I should hate him, considering that he is the reason my clan is ostracized by our village. However... that's if he really is a natural disaster and was not controlled by my kin to attack Konoha like they suspected. Then again in that situation the Kyuubi is enemy of Konoha, as one of her shinobi I shall protect her from him out of duty and love for the village, not because of any personal feelings such as hatred."
Naruto blinked owlishly, there's nothing that could knock this guy off of his feet huh? But his reason was more believable that way. "Well... that's so rational of you Itachi-senpai." He admitted then called his tenant mentally. 'Kurama, sorry for disturbing your nap, but what do you think of him?'
'I heard everything, and while I still don't like the Uchiha or this boy. I have to say he is a lot more logical than any Uchiha I was unfortunate enough to meet." Kurama grunted, 'Unfortunately for him, the village's suspicion towards his clan is not wrong. An Uchiha was the culprit who controlled me years ago.'
"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted, startling Itachi but the older boy was calm enough not to show it. Naruto covered his mouth as he realized that he accidentally talked to Kurama out loud. 'Kurama! You didn't tell me that!'
'I thought it's easy to put two and two together, I told you I was controlled! Hashirama is dead, and you know how my previous hosts treated me, of course it's an Uchiha!'
'Well... when you put it that way...' Naruto flushed mentally then he looked at Itachi, how the hell he was going to break it to the older boy. "It seems, the villagers' suspicion towards your clan... eh..."
Itachi closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. "So it's not misplaced…" He looked at Naruto, "This is actually another question I need the answer from you Naruto-kun, I want to know… if it's really someone from my clan who caused that tragedy..." His gaze hardened, "Could he tell you who it is? Did he recognize anything that we can use to identify the culprit?"
"Wait! Wait!" It was the first time Naruto saw Itachi on the brink of losing his composure. "Give me time to talk with him please?" Itachi flinched guiltily at that as he waited for Naruto to speak again with his bijuu. 'Kurama, do you know which Uchiha?'
'Madara.' Kyuubi spat in disgusted tone.
Naruto face palmed, 'Kurama, that better be not your grudge talking…'
Kurama groaned, then again he had to admit his memory of that night was not the best. 'He was wearing a mask that only has one hole for a sharingan eye, and was wearing black cloak. His chakra is foul and full of hatred, typical of the Uchiha. If he is not Madara, he might as well be the second coming of the bastard.' Kurama muttered scornfully.
Naruto nodded, "He said the culprit is wearing a mask that only shows his right sharingan eye, his chakra is full of hatred..." Naruto titled his head to the side, "He said it's typical for Uchiha for some reason."
Itachi swallowed heavily at that, "So even the Kyuubi thinks so... maybe the Uchiha really is a cursed clan."
"Considering his long standing grudge against the Uchiha, you shouldn't take it too seriously." Naruto said bluntly before he could stop himself, Itachi eyed him curiously. "Eh I mean... at least I can say that you're not a bad person Itachi-senpai."
"Thank you Naruto-kun." Itachi muttered solemnly.
Naruto nodded hesitantly, "You're welcome, and I guess I should start blaming this guy or something?" He shook his head, "I doubt he is even in the village right now though since my tenant would have been throwing tantrums more often if he ever feels the guy anywhere even near Konoha." And unless that guy had a legitimate reason to cause so much destruction... Naruto gave himself a mental shake, he already had enough on his plate for today, for now he had to survive and stay sane, that was a hard enough task.
Itachi rubbed his throbbing cranium, there went his plan to find the culprit and hand the bastard over to Hokage-sama to regain Konoha's trust. "This is so messed up." He concluded wearily.
"I'm starting to think that every time a truth comes up it's bound to be a mess." Naruto muttered sardonically, "So, what are you going to do now that you have learned the truth you wanted, Itachi-senpai?" He asked curiously.
For the first time since Naruto knew Itachi Uchiha, the prodigy looked really lost. "I don't know." He admitted honestly, "How do you deal with this Naruto-kun?"
"You're asking me?" Naruto asked back incredulously, "I told you, I just take it all in stride I guess, and work hard for the best. Even if the villagers don't like me any better than before, my life is starting to look up. I now have something to pursue, to live up to the legacy of my clan... everyone I care about could be proud of the present me now that I am no longer a failure." Itachi chuckled softly at that, earning a raised eyebrow from the blond. "What's so funny?"
Itachi shook his head, wearing an apologetic look on his face as he realized that he might have offended the younger boy. "Pardon me, but it's just... from what I gathered you're far from being a failure, both as a human... and as a jinchuuriki." He stated firmly, "I haven't met any other jinchuuriki, but I have heard that those who are shunned by their people usually grow distant, uncontrollable, and are sometimes even driven to madness..."
"I thought any info on jinchuuriki is closely guarded by each village…" Naruto wondered out loud.
"No secret is safe in war, especially when it comes to full-scale wars like the Shinobi wars." Itachi said solemnly.
Naruto eyed Itachi skeptically, "I see, so I am pretty stable by jinchuuriki standards?" He asked curiously.
"If half of the things I heard about what other villages have to deal with their jinchuuriki are right, I have to say Konoha is very lucky to have you." Itachi said honestly. On his last mission he worked with a jounin that had a mission involving a short visit to Suna. The senior told Itachi that he had seen a boy around Naruto's age killing someone out of the blue.
"... Nice to know I am appreciated for being sane." Naruto droned, shaking his head in disbelief. He then eyed the older boy dubiously, Itachi is holding out a hand to him, "Is that what I think it is?"
"It is." Itachi said cordially, his lips curved up to a small and barely noticeable smile as Naruto accepted his hand.
"This is the start of a very unlikely and awkward..." Naruto trailed off but the smile on his face betrayed his feelings.
"…Friendship." Itachi finished. "But I am sure the awkwardness will wear off with time."
Naruto moaned, "Great, do I have to deal with you rationalizing everything all the time from now on?"
Itachi nodded, "Someone has to be a voice of reason Naruto-kun."
"I am sure I will appreciate that." Naruto said with a grin, ignoring Kurama who lamented the inevitable and how they were going to regret this one day. Perhaps the Yūjō no Ki was really more than just a monument, and under that tree's blessing he gained his first friend.
"Hn."
"Oh! The famous Hn of the Uchiha." Naruto chirped, rolling his eyes. "By the way speaking of your clan Itachi-senpai... the Uchiha is a clan of fire-breathers right?"
He nodded, "Yes." Itachi answered. "Why?"
Naruto grinned from ear to ear, "Perfect! Is there anyone in your clan that you think would volunteer to be an experimental subject?"
"You mean, stupid enough to be a guinea pig for your demonstrations which might involve explosions among other things?" Itachi rephrased in stoic tone.
Naruto's left eye twitched, "And here I tried to make it sound humane."
"Hn."
The blond jinchuuriki face-palmed, "How Uchiha of you." He complimented theatrically.
Three days later...
Uchiha Shisui didn't know what to think when Itachi asked for help in some sort of mock spar to demonstrate some new shinobi products. His younger cousin was a genius, and he'd also like to think himself as one, even though he may not be of Itachi's caliber, but most of the time even he couldn't understand Itachi's train of thought. Then again his favorite cousin was just that special.
"Sure." He answered without second though. "What kind of stuff we're going to do a demo for?"
"High-quality seals." Was Itachi's curt answer.
One hour later Shisui had one opinion of the tags the blond boy generously gave him, "Awesome stuff! This is the fire seal ever!" He exclaimed while looking at the cross shaped burn mark on the ground. They were in training ground 22, which consisted of rocky ground that was the typical terrain found in Earth country.
Naruto stared at the Uchiha, wondering if this was a mutated Uchiha or an adopted one judging from how un-Uchiha like he acted. Itachi in the first glance was a typical Uchiha though one could say that he is actually a bit off as an Uchiha. Shisui was even weirder, and so carefree. Then again, so far all his info on how Uchiha were supposedly like came from Kurama. "Uhm thanks?" He said awkwardly. "I am glad to hear that." Deep inside he wanted to whoop at the praise, but decided to against it in front of a stranger like Shisui.
Shisui raised an eyebrow at the socially awkward child, acting mature and polite that didn't fit for someone his age. How unlike the little Sasuke who would have been beaming with glee when praised. "No wonder you're Itachi's new friend, you're as awkward as he is."
"Pardon me? What did you say just now?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
The oldest Uchiha in vicinity stared at the blond in disbelief, then looked at his younger cousin. "What did you do Itachi? He said 'pardon me' …him! a kid as old as Sasuke-chan!"
Itachi frowned at his cousin, "Pardon me?" He echoed, "What makes you think it's my fault?"
The said cousin scoffed, "Well... kids Naruto-chan's age are supposed to whoop and grin when praised."
"…chan?" Naruto drawled in an indignant tone.
Itachi face-palmed while Shisui was grinning from ear to ear. The younger Uchiha could tell where his cousin's train of thought was going, Shisui was trying to get Naruto to show his real personality. Itachi knew Naruto always put his guard on whenever he meets a stranger, acting polite, stiff and distant. Unless he was pressured like what Itachi did to him, Naruto won't show even a shred of his real personality. Especially since Shisui was supposed to be Itachi's sparring partner to field test his seals, to Naruto Shisui was some just sort of business partner.
"Yes Naruto-chan." Shisui was nodding sagely, "You're... seven right? So you're Naruto-chan, you're even shorter than little cousin Sasuke! And here I thought he was a midget."
The use of past tense wasn't lost on Naruto as the blond boy struggled to keep his temper in check. 'Who did he call a midget?! How dare he!' Naruto roared inwardly but all he said in reality was, "I see..." No, he did not see… at all.
In his mind scape Naruto was throwing a tantrum in front of Kurama's cage, much to the fox's amusement. 'I almost thought that you've really growing up, it's a relief to see a small insult like that could still get on your nerves so easily.'
'Kurama...'
The fix opened one eye, 'Yeah?'
'Do you know any methods to grow taller?' He asked hopefully.
'I guess.' Kurama answered curtly, 'Go drink lots of dairy products and eat and high protein stuff.' As usual Kurama opted give him advice in a single sentence and hoped his host could figure out the rest. It always worked anyway.
'Hmph! Fine Kurama!' As he finished his mental conversation which lasted for no longer than few second Naruto turned to Itachi, raising an eyebrow asking a silent question, how he could stand Shisui. Which was replied by a shrug by the Uchiha heir, translated as he grew used to it.
Shisui's left eyebrow was twitching dangerously as he watched the silent exchange, "I can't believe you, Itachi! You corrupted a kid like Naruto-chan!" He shouted indignantly, pointing an accusing finger at the stoic boy.
Itachi face-palmed, "Shisui, be quiet."
Naruto decided to copy Itachi's strategy, just tolerate Shisui's antics before his hair got prematurely grey. He cleared his throat, "Hokage-sama is coming soon, do you need more time to experiment with the seal? Would you like me to explain how it works again?" He asked in a solemn tone.
Itachi nodded, "Maybe we should wait for Hokage-sama and the seal master, that way you won't have to repeat it later."
"Oh, I guess that would be good." Naruto agreed with a nod.
Shisui titled his head to the side, curiously eyeing the stack of tags on the wooden stump that Naruto used as a table. His eyes were drawn to ball shaped bomb with seal array and kanji for Hikari on it. "Hey Naruto-chan, you didn't explain that tag to us! It's a new flash tag right?!" He pointed at the flash bomb.
Naruto shook his head fervently, "Don't even think about it Shisui-senpai." He warned the cheerful Uchiha, "I have yet to test that flash bomb properly, and I don't want anyone especially doujutsu users like you to be blinded by the end of the day." He shuddered mentally; maybe inventing that flash bomb was not the best idea, but Kurama was very adamant about it, in case-they ran to that bastard Uchiha who controlled him again.
Shisui blinked when he saw Itachi scooped the three small round bombs and hand it to Naruto, "You better keep it with you then before my dear cousin gets any ideas." The onyx eyed shinobi muttered.
"OI!"
Naruto sweat-dropped as he put the bombs back to his backpack, both of them ignoring Shisui's indignant shouts. "Thank you Itachi-senpai."
"It's better to be safe than sorry." Then he turned to Shisui, "And I told you to keep it down cousin." Itachi said in chiding tone.
"I am older than both of you!" Shisui reminded them.
Naruto's eyes widened in faked shock, "You are?"
"I keep forgetting that myself." Itachi admitted, his voice devoid of emotion but the slight shake of his shoulders gave away his mirth. "He certainly didn't act his age Naruto-kun."
Shisui moaned, "Great! Now there are two smart-asses I have to deal with!"
"Shisui, mind your language." Itachi chided him, "You're the one who called him Naruto-chan, and yet you use such language around him."
The curly haired Uchiha pouted, "I know!" Shisui huffed, "Sasuke-chan is my favorite cousin now, and you're the new least favorite cousin! Right under Tekka!" Shisui exclaimed triumphantly.
Itachi nursed his throbbing cranium, "Shisui..." Of all people he put him below that Tekka? Their cousin who was five years older, but just recently promoted as a chuunin. He had been glaring daggers at them since the last exam because Shisui's team gave Tekka's problem in second round and on the third round Itachi defeated him in less than ten minutes. Uchiha prodigy or not, Tekka's pride was severely crushed in being defeated by a ten year old kid.
"Yeah! Tekka! That Tekka!" Shisui howled.
"Shisui." Itachi said in berating tone.
The cheery Uchiha looked really happy boasting that Itachi was below this Tekka person, maybe a stuck up cousin of theirs? And for once Itachi looked really insulted by the arrangement. "Hmhm… Ha ha ha." Both Uchiha stopped as they stared at Naruto, the blond jinchuuriki was laughing, his eyes closed but they could see a glimmer of bright azure under golden eyelashes that shone with delight. Naruto hunched over as holding his stomach, his lips curved up to a wide grin as he tried to keep his laughter in control but light chuckles still escaped him. "Ha ha... "
Naruto cleared his throat, flushing a bit red on his cheeks. "Uhm, sorry... I..." The next thing he knew, Shisui had glomped him.
"Gosh, it's like seeing the mini Itachi losing his composure!" Shisui cackled mischievously, lifting Naruto up enthusiastically, earning a yelp from the blond. "How cu..." His sentence was cut short by a kick on his face. "Gah!"
Naruto didn't know what possessed him, but he had acted on instinct. The moment someone he still dubbed as stranger went too familiar and had gone as far as hugging him, he kicked said person. And then he ran to the only familiar person nearby and tried to hide. He froze when he realized what he had done, and wondered if Shisui would be angry. Unexpectedly Shisui burst to a fit of laughter, "Oh my god Itachi! He is hiding behind you! He is shy!"
Itachi looked at Naruto who looked ready to curl up to a ball and decided he had to save the younger boy from further unintentional humiliation by Shisui. "I think that's enough from you, don't tease him Shisui. You know who he is, and how villagers treat him." Shisui stiffened at the reprimand. "He is not used to... someone he just met getting overly familiar with him." Not to mention hugging him, Itachi added on his mind. He remembered before their conversation, Naruto was very skittish around him, and that he had to approach the boy with caution.
Shisui looked apologetic as he crouched down so his eyes were in Naruto's level. "I am sorry Naruto-chan. Bad habit of mine..."
Naruto titled his head to the side as he contemplated what the Uchiha said. He nodded slowly, "I am sorry for overreacting too, uhm... Shisui-senpai." Even so he was still unwilling to leave his comfort zone, namely behind Itachi's legs. Why was his paranoia was eating at him this much? God! Being cautious was one thing; paranoia was making him crazy. He rolled his eyes inwardly when Kurama told him that if being paranoid could get him to live for another day, it was worth it. Kurama had almost zero concern regarding quality of his host's life, then again considering his life for the last few centuries...
"No problem Naruto-chan." Shisui assured him, laughing at the sight of Naruto's strained smile that didn't match the throbbing vein on his temple.
"Naruto-kun."
Two Uchihas and one Uzumaki turned to see the Hokage approaching, smiling genially at them. Naruto's eyes were briefly drawn to a man who walked a few steps behind the Sandaime. He was probably in his mid to late thirties, a soft smile in his face made him appeared a mild-mannered, curly dark brown hair that parted on the left and eyes of the same color framed by a square glasses. He wore a black kimono and a white haori with kanji for fuuin on his right and left sleeves.
They bowed in respect to their village leader, "Hokage-sama."
The Hokage returned it with curt nod, "I see you have become friends with Itachi and Shisui, Naruto-kun." The old kage didn't even bother to conceal his relieved sigh, earning a puzzled look from the blond boy. Then he turned to the man who stood a few steps behind him, "This is Aizen Sousuke, the current head of the Fuuin Division of konoha."
Naruto looked at the gentle looking man, rather than looking like a shinobi he looked like a scholar. Then again you could never judge a shinobi from his/her looks, most of the time at least. Aizen smiled genially at the blond, leaning down so he could look at Naruto in the eye. "Hello Naruto-kun, I am Aizen Sousuke and I will be your teacher."
The young jinchuuriki tried his best to smile, "That is if I can impress you with my meager skills Aizen-san." He reminded the seal master modestly.
Aizen shook his head, "Nonsense, I have seen your research notes and I am very impressed." Then he looked at the Sandaime, "After studying those, I don't think I'm going to let anyone else get their hands on him."
Sarutobi chuckled softly, "Eager to utilize the potential of a young talent Aizen?"
Itachi didn't know why but his instincts told him to be wary of Aizen Sousuke. He had rarely seen anyone from the Fuuin Division because most of them spend a majority of their career in their headquarters to maintain Konoha's barrier and other fuuinjutsu defenses that the Shodaime's wife left for Konoha. While they were an important part of Konoha's defense force, they were relatively weak compared to other divisions when it comes to physical strength. They mostly do paperwork like the chuunin secretaries at the Hokage tower which is why it is easy to consider them to be more like scholars than shinobi.
Frontline seal masters were rare, and as rare as they were, the level of mastery of most of them was sketchy. Not everyone could juggle between research and combat practice, and attempting fuuinjutsu in battle was quite a feat even as support. Konoha currently only had Jiraiya and Kakashi and while a number of Jounin may have a little above-average skill in the obscure art, none of them could use more fuuinjutsu-save-kuchiyose in the heat of battle. While Naruto with his jinchuuriki status was more suitable for the frontlines, his lineage would make Konoha's upper echelon keep him in check. He was an Uzumaki, a clan with unparalleled skill in fuuinjutsu. While Konoha could use Uzumaki Mito's legacy from generation to generation, no seal masters including Jiraiya were capable enough to modify, improve or fix the seals, it was an untouchable work of art of the highest caliber in Fuuinjutsu. If there's anyone with potential to create seals of that caliber, it would be Uzumaki Naruto.
He could see what Konoha wanted, and what the Hokage would do to give it to her.
Itachi ran through the rocky ground, hopping from one rock to another. Shisui was ahead, and both of them were well aware that they were heading to a clearing. Shisui's grin was a signal that Itachi should start attacking. The prodigy jumped, his sharingan came to life as four shuriken shaped objects were held between his fingers. It looked like normal Shuriken at a first glance but it was made of ceramic not metal, and the tips were not sharp but tapered, a rune carved from each tip to the center which held 炎(Honoo) engraving He threw it with admirable precision, two of them passing Shisui and as soon as both landed on the ground the seal carved on it glowed briefly before cross shaped fire sprouted from its tips, forming a wall of fire.
"Whoa!" Shisui yelped as he was trapped in a square formation of Katon no Juujika-Fuuin (Fire Element Cross Seal) The older Uchiha grinned as he backed away from the fire only to stop on his tracks the moment another wall of fire erupted and blocked his escape route. Shisui shunshin-ed away from the cage of fire with ease and reappeared ten feet away from his original position. His sharingan eyes widened as he bent backward to avoid another of the same seal carved projectile which was this time already active as it cut through the air. Shisui could feel the intense heat on the tip of his nose as the he missed the flaming current of the projectiles by two inches as they wheezed past him.
The Sandaime smiled bemusedly at the two Uchiha, it seemed that they enjoyed their fiery spar. Then again the Uchiha were always a clan of pyromaniacs, his sensei used to tell him. "That's enough! Itachi! Shisui!" Shisui seemed unsatisfied at cutting the experiment short but Itachi shot him a warning glance. The two Uchiha walked back to where the spectators of the spar sat, under an Adenium tree which was the only tree that grew in that training ground.
Aizen Sousuke clapped a few times, a gentle smile firmly in place. "That's prodigious, as expected of the Uchiha clan. Naruto-kun only told you how to activate the seal and its functions, but you figured out how to apply it in battle yourself."
Itachi nodded, "Thank you for your kind words Aizen-dono, the last seal I used... Katon no Juujika Fuuin seems very useful to corner opponents and can be used as a surprise attack." He turned to Naruto as he fished out the last shuriken shaped device from his pouch, "Its design makes it convenient to use but... Naruto-kun, why it's made of ceramic?" He asked curiously, though he was sure it won't break since Naruto used durability seals on it too.
Naruto sighed at that, "Well... for one, I am no smith and I don't have that kind of money to purchase customized shuriken from a blacksmith."
Aizen nodded in understanding, "I see, is it possible to make this seal work for other elements?"
Naruto looked thoughtful as he contemplated the query, "Probably." He decided, "I asked Itachi-senpai since these seals would work better for ninja with fire affinity. I can make this seal to be general so what comes out would be the user's affinity. Though not for earth... water may still work but it's easily more applicable for fire, wind and lightning." He shook his head, "That's only in theory though."
The Hokage nodded in approval, "How about the other seals you used? Itachi-kun? Shisui-kun?"
Shisui titled his head to the side as he fished out a tag from his pouch. "This one..." He glared at Itachi. "…made my feet stick to the ground, very good for trapping unless you face an earth element ninja." He eyed his bare feet in distaste, "Though if it only get to our feet, anyone can pull lizard style escape."
Itachi shrugged, "I have to say that while Shisui is correct, those who are caught unaware would be an easy target even for a few seconds. This seal, Gome Jimen Fuuin (Sticky Ground Seal) is good, though the range is poor as it only works on a three feet radius from the seal."
Naruto sighed at that, "Actually it depends on how much chakra you put on it, though to be safe I put a limiter symbol on it so that it gets sticky enough to trap people in that small range and last longer." He informed them, "It's not an elemental seal anyway, it's..."
"…a stronger version of the tree climbing exercise on a seal?" The old kage muttered in an amused tone. "So much room for improvement, especially since... The ground looks the same after you applied the seal on it, so unless you have a doujutsu to see chakra, you can't tell there's a trap."
Aizen nodded in agreement, "This seal works instantaneously the moment it touches the ground, you don't have to stick it, and it's reusable too." He eyed the tag, "Most of us instinctively move with a chakra boost, thus any body parts where chakra is focused would stick to this like magnet."
The blond boy nodded, "I recommend it for trap use... but it needs a lot of chakra to last more than few minutes. But it won't be a problem once someone is trapped in its range... the seal would be powered by the captive's chakra." Naruto informed them, "Speaking of the poor range, I can provide you one with wider range but you need more chakra to make it sticky and last longer until it catches your opponent." He muttered as he rummaged through his backpack, "And here is the last one I have for today." He muttered and pulled out a flash tag. "This one is a flash bomb, but it can last more than five minutes and comes in seven colors. Eh... no." He shook his head at the look Sandaime shot him. "It's not for pranking."
"..."
"..."
"We have to use sunglasses to use it for sure." Shisui quipped with a grin, he was referring to doujutsu users in general. "And a warning that it's not to be used in anywhere near the Uchiha and Hyuuga compounds."
"I concur." Itachi drawled.
Sarutobi smiled at that, it seemed Naruto was still a prankster at heart. "I will get my ANBU and Oinin to test it. If it works effectively, I would want that for them."
Naruto wisely didn't ask how they're going to use it, he just hoped he would never find out if any missing Nin that ends up blind because of it. "Of course Hokage-sama." He bowed in respect, earning a sad look from Sandaime that disappeared the moment he raised his head.
Sarutobi cleared his throat, "Aizen has voiced his interest in your talent, and I have seen it myself... what you could do with modifying basic seals and simple concepts such as the tree climbing exercise." He pulled a red scroll with golden trimming and the Konoha symbol and handed it to Naruto. "You deserve it Naruto-kun." He said cordially as Naruto accepted the scroll with awe and thinly veiled nervousness. "Congratulations, you passed with flying colors."
The blond jinchuuriki held the scroll with trembling hands, while he was confident of his skills he was still in disbelief that he at last gained the acknowledgement he longed for. "Thank you Hokage-sama." He bowed in respect to the old kage then turned to Aizen. "It's an honor to learn your art Aizen-san, I will do my best as your student."
Aizen smiled genially, "I am looking forward to it Naruto-kun, and call me Shishou from now on... "
"Hai Shishou." Naruto obeyed readily.
'Naruto...'Kurama called from the depths of his mind.
'Yes, Kurama?' His bijuu would rarely be the first to attempt a conversation.
'I don't trust this man at all...' Kurama growled.
'I see...' Naruto chuckled inwardly, 'I will be careful, I promise.' He glanced to his back, where he could see Itachi's eyes had narrowed at Aizen only to gaze back to him. He smiled reassuringly to Itachi then nodded. 'You're not the only one my friend...'
'Bah!'Kurama snorted in disgust.
March 7th, seven years after Yondaime's death. Uzumaki Naruto graduated from the academy to be apprenticed under Aizen Sousuke, which marked as a significant turning point in his life.
Graduating at 7! How epic, or so I thought. I hope his character is believable, Naruto tried to act mature though he is very much a child underneath that. He didn't hate Sandaime but will hardly trust the hokage.
For those who wanted Jiraiya, I am SO SORRY but I can't have him to drop by so fast... He WILL teach Naruto one day, I promise! So Jiraiya's fans don't be disappointed! Aizen is imported from Bleach, and yeah... I am sure everyone can foresee where's this going~ AND NO there's will be no Bleach element here, I just borrowed Aizen since he would fit in there. AND I guess you would know I will get this guy out SOON!
I hope you like Naruto's interaction with Itachi, and he is a very important character in this story... as both of them care a lot about their ancestor legacy. I just can imagine both of them going to an excavation mission together and Shisui tagging along while complaining.
I don't really get what kind of man Shisui is in canon but I think he is kind of like canon Naruto but much calmer. At least I thought so!
About teams, that's already decided... and to be honest I don't hate any character in Naruto though some of them annoy me.
PS: Naruto won't address Itachi as his senpai forever~