Chapter 2: Treacherous Leader
Enjoy the fic
5 Years after the Kyubi incident :
A boy of five years, with golden blonde hair and three whisker-like marks on his face, walked on a stone gravel path that was not widely known to the civilian population. It was only known to the shinobi population that frequently traversed it. If asked why, he would respond that he hated the stares and whispers, as they made him feel uncomfortable. Sometimes, he even felt like he didn't belong in the village, although the truth was quite the opposite - his life had been sacrificed for the sake of this very village, so he had every right to walk its streets, proud and happy, without being whispered about or gawked at. A hero, that was what his father saw him as; unknown to him.
The clock in a nearby house chimed at six as snow fell from the dark cover of clouds, making the evening breeze colder by every passing second. Naruto walked towards the Hokage Tower, as the mean warden of his orphanage had refused to let him enter again. She said he had completed his term in the orphanage. He just wanted a home for himself, so that he wouldn't get scolded for simple things like talking to others or standing up to the bullies in the orphanage.
In this vast village, he was only loved and given attention by five individuals.
His Inu nii-san, who always brought him gifts and tried to spend as much time as he could with him each week, the keyword being tried, since Inu was in Anbu and was almost always busy, he had never seen Inu's face due to the Anbu mask that he wore.
The second person to acknowledge him was his crazy snake sister, Anko, or that what's the villagers called her. She was always there for him, since the time he had his memories Anko was always there for him. She taught him how to read and write, as mean ladies from orphanage didn't teach him things like that.
There was something strange about the orphanage itself; throughout his stay, he had seen six wardens change, and there was one common thread among them – they all hated him passionately. He didn't know the reason for that hatred, though.
The third person who loved him was the Sandaime Hokage, or as he liked to call him affectionately, "Jiji." The old man had always helped him, treated him to ramen at Ichiraku's every Saturday, and always preached how this village and its people were a family and a hokage's duty was to protect them. The other two people were at the ramen stand, Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku; they were the only people in the village, besides the rest three, that didn't glare at him with disgust. They always treated him kindly and affectionately.
Naruto wanted to become the Hokage, so that one day others would no longer ignore him; he wanted to earn the respect of his fellow villagers. As he turned a corner, he saw a single person in a Jonin flak jacket and wearing a leaf hitai-ate standing in the middle of his path, leaning against the fence and eyeing him with that familiar disdain. Naruto turned around to take an alternate route, only to be stopped by a kunai that landed at his feet.
"So, you're my assignment, huh? It'll be damn easy, just a swing of my kunai and your head will roll on the ground." The rough voice of the man mocked.
Naruto was stunned; he had practiced with blunt kunais given to him by Anko, whom he had pestered to train him in shuriken and kunai throwing. But these real kunais were razor-sharp and being thrown at him with an intent to kill, Naruto was brave but not an idiot; he knew that a Jonin was far stronger than him and he didn't stand a chance against one. He started to sprint the other way, but was easily subdued by the man, who was about to puncture Naruto's neck with a kunai, but surprisingly, fell limp on the ground the next moment.
Standing behind the Jonin was a purple-faced Anko; she was feared by even the toughest Anbu of the village due to her brutal interrogation techniques and sadistic nature. And one thing that even the Hokage knew was that it was unwise to hurt Anko's friends, as the girl was vindictive in a very sadistic way. The blonde brat had made a special place in Anko's heart; there were only four people who could subdue an enraged Anko.
Kakashi Hatake, as the masked ANBU and the interrogator had spent five long years together, they had gained grudging respect for each other over those years. The second person was Kurenai Yuhi; Kurenai was the first and best friend of Anko. The third being Naruto himself, for after five years of protecting the brat, Anko had developed a bond with Naruto. They both had a relationship similar to that of a brother and sister, where they both bickered and insulted each other constantly, that too with passion, yet they were fiercely protective of each other. Lastly, the Hokage himself earned Anko's respect because of his strict but gentle approach towards the kunoichi.
"Are you okay, brat?" Anko inquired worriedly, with seriousness and anger glinting in her eyes.
Naruto was unable to speak anything, so he just nodded and tackled Anko in a hug. Anko stiffened at the contact, but she eventually relaxed as they continued their silent and awkward hug for another two minutes before finally parting ways.
Naruto's small and soft voice cut through the silence. "Why did he attack me, nee-san?"
"He was a traitor, Naruto. He was on his way to desert the village and attempted to use you as a distraction, or most probably a hostage" Anko lied swiftly, she reached out to the Jonin's body after extracting herself from Naruto and sealed the body in a statis seal.
Naruto shook his head to accept the answer, but deep down, Naruto suspected that it wasn't true. He couldn't explain how, but he could sense and feel others' emotions, even if they were trying to hide them, like Jiji always felt guilt and love when interacting with him, Inu Nii-san felt hope and comfort around him, and Anko Nee-San felt happiness and satisfaction by his side.
Naruto's musings were cut short by Anko's voice, "By the way, what are you doing out here, that too this late, gaki? Don't you have to return to your orphanage?"
Naruto just hung his head and shook it sadly. "The mean lady at the orphanage said that I was out of the orphanage, and should find another home for myself."
"That bit..." Anko started to curse the foul lady, but then halted, noticing Naruto was still there. The last time she had cursed around Naruto, he had repeated it in front of the Hokage, thus Anko had received a good lesson on "how to behave properly around children."
"Let us go and see Hokage-sama then, He will surely have a solution for this" conceded Anko after contemplating for a moment.
Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door of the Hokage's chamber.
"Enter," replied the elderly leader.
Sandaime glanced up from his mountain of paperwork to see his favorite yellow bundle of joy and Anko entering the chamber, and by the scowl on her face and the time of their arrival, he immediately knew that something was wrong.
"Heya, Jiji." Naruto chirped and jumped up onto the old man's lap, settling comfortably.
"Hi there Naruto-kun, what brings you here my boy?" asked Hiruzen with a chuckle, in the response the said boy only hung his head. Sandaime instantly understood that this time something seriously bad has transpired infront of the young boy.
Even after the announcement of the S-ranked secret on the boy's status, some bastard from the council had leaked the information about the boy's jinchurikki status, and then started a series of assassination attempts on the boy. The last one being this Jonin, who was contracted by a civilian councilman. Sandaime flashed Anko a questioning gaze, in response she made a discreet Anbu sign for fake explanation and explained the situation to the village leader.
"It still doesn't answer why you were outside, shouldn't you be in the orphanage at this time of the day?" asked the Sandaime Hokage anxiously; it wasn't safe for Naruto to roam around the village at this time of the day.
Naruto said sadly, "The mean lady wouldn't let me enter."
"Oh...that's unfortunate. Care not Naruto, I will look into this matter personally and will arrange a different accommodation option for you. Until then, go rest in the fourth room to the left from here," said the Sandaime frowning a little.
Naruto muttered something under his breath and climbed down from Hiruzen's lap before walking out of the chamber. "What did you say, my boy?" asked Hiruzen softly.
"I want you to train me to become a strong ninja like you, Jiji. I was scared today when that man attacked me, and couldn't move my body. Please train me, so next time I won't freeze or have to rely on anyone else for help," said Naruto determinedly in front of the Hokage.
For a moment, Hiruzen saw a vision of a similar-looking blond man with the same pleading expression, begging for permission to enter the war.
Hiruzen pondered on the request; Naruto was a brave, determined, and smart kid. Hiruzen was sure that one day Naruto would even surpass his own father. It would cause a lot of disarray in the council, as they didn't want Naruto to become stronger, but Hiruzen had firm control over them and would rule over their bickering.
"I will see to it, my boy" Hiruzen stated nodding to himself.
Naruto nodded and left the chamber towards his assigned room. Sandaime returned his attention to Anko, and asked her to explain the real story behind the whole fiasco. After a brief recounting of the events of that evening, it appeared that the Jonin was Yuri Akasura, a low-level Jonin who had qualified for the Jonin exam last year in Takigakure, placing fifth in the final round.
He was given this assignment by Hakido Yashuda, a man who managed the steel trade and held a position on the Council; however, Yashuda was already on the list of people suspected of treason. Sandaime ordered her to keep the Jonin alive as evidence against Yashoda's crimes, and dismissed her. It was risky to keep Anko with him while he interrogated the man; she was brutal and somewhat brash when it came to the safety of her loved ones.
He then reached out to the last drawer of his desky and took out a scroll with red corners and green ribbon tied to it. He opened the scroll, which was littered with various kanjis and seal arrays. He cut his finger and spread a little amount of blood on the scroll and made five necessary hand signs; there was a puff of smoke and a Red Toad with green stripes and purple lips appeared out of it.
"I want you to take a message to Jiraiya; tell him that he needs to make some important decisions regarding his godson. I want him in my office by tomorrow evening, or else, I will strip him of his Sannin status and force him to complete 25 D-Ranked missions."
"Hai, Hokage sama" croaked the toad and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Hiruzen made a hand seal and two Anbu agents appeared in front of him with a chorus of "Hokage-sama!"
"Inform all the councilmen to gather in the chamber in half an hour, and arrest the warden of the orphanage and send her to Ibiki Morino" ordered Sandaime, both the Anbu vanished after nodding.
"Neko, unseal the prisoner out of scroll and bring him to the chamber in half an hour" He tossed the scroll that was caught by the said Anbu, she nodded in confirmation and receded back in the shadows.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Half hour later in council chamber :
Both sides of the council was assembled and were murmuring about the sudden call from the Hokage.
The Hokage entered the chamber accompanied by four Anbu, and one Cat-masked Anbu trailing behind them with a man in handcuffs.
The Shinobi side of the council was confused by the sudden appearance of a bound man, although it was evident that the man had committed a heinous act to be brought before the council for jurisdiction. Sandaime took his place on the seat of Hokage and began addressing the council. "As you all know, I have called this urgent meeting with full attendance. I believe you all remember about Naruto Uzumaki; his status was to be kept secret from the people outside this chamber, but someone from this council leaked that particular information, endangering one of our village's residents." He said with disappointment clearly in his voice.
"As a result of that, there have been several attempts on the life of the little boy. Though, all those attempts were dealt with by the Anbu guarding him. But today, I stand here, disappointed and enraged, because someone from among us in this very chamber dared to hire a Jonin to kill him." He thundered.
There were several gasps, and people began to whisper among themselves.
Among the crowd, one individual was utterly disappointed, another was unnerved, and the last one was fuming with anger.
Danzo was disappointed with the stupidity of the people who tried to kill the vessel. He wasn't too fond of the boy, as he hadn't sought him out at any point in time, but he couldn't deny that the boy had strong blood running through his veins; he had the capacity to become a strong shinobi that could protect the village.
Hiashi Hyuga frowned; he didn't know the Uzumaki boy personally, but the boy's mother was his teammate and a good friend who had helped him on numerous occasions.
The enraged one exploded in a torrent of profanity. "Who dares to touch him? I will rip off their arms and feed them to my dogs, tell me who harmed Naruto, Hokage-sama! I will rip off their balls..." Tsume's ranting was stopped by a firm hand over her mouth; the Aburame clan head was the only one brave enough to take such a risk with the Inuzuka clan matriarch.
"Apologies, Hokage-sama. She is merely scared for the boy; we all are. She is just open with her words regarding her feelings." Aburame Shibi apologized.
"I certainly don't hold her reaction against her, Shibi. On the contrary, I would like to offer her a chance to do what she transpired when we catch the culprit behind this plot" Hiruzen responded calmly.
This elicited gasps throughout the chamber; the Hokage was practically allowing Tsume to carry out her threats, which demonstrated just how seriously the village leader took this issue.
Danzo's voice cut through the whispers "Nevertheless, who is responsible for the attack, Hokage-sama?"
"That's what I also want to know," Hiruzen replied swiftly. He signaled to Neko, "Bring out the prisoner, Neko, and ask him who gave him the assignment."
Neko brought the prisoner forward. "Who gave you this assignment, Yuri?"
"H..Haki.. Hakido Yashuda" The jonin blurted out fearfully.
The said man tried to run off but was immobilized by Anbu present in the room, but before anyone could interrogate him, he clicked his teeth and fell limp with foam coming out of his mouth.
Neko moved quickly and checked his pulse, but the answer was clear, he had used some sort of poison to avoid interrogation. The Anbu guard present there checked his mouth and found traces of purple poison on his tongue.
Sandaime motioned for her to take him out of the room.
"The culprit committed suicide out of fear of punishment or further disclosure," Hiruzen stated neutrally.
"May I say you cannot carry out your threats, Tsume?" Hiruzen faced the woman who nodded in response.
"Carry that man to Anko, or Inu if he is present." He ordered one of guard, who nodded and went off to carry his order.
The meeting was adjourned and the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure moved back to his office to complete the mountain of paperwork.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
The Next morning :
Hiruzen was seated in his chair, signing some papers pertaining to the circulation of weapons within the village, when a familiar chakra signature landed outside his window. The window opened, and Jiraiya jumped inside the office.
"Hey, Sensei!" Jiraiya waved his hands in the air as a greeting.
Hiruzen facepalmed at his students' etiquette; Jiraiya could not be Jiraiya if he became too serious. Nonetheless, he explained the situation regarding Naruto's security and the orphanage.
To say Jiraiya was angry is an understatement, he was livid and was ready to kill the person responsible for this, but was calmed down by Hiruzen after he informed him of the events of the previous day.
"Now, what I want from you is permission, as you're his guardian, any decision regarding his accomodation and education must be taken only after your consent." Hiruzen stated suggestively.
"Permission? For what exactly?" Jiraiya asked confusedly.
"For two things: First, I will give Naruto an apartment in the non-shinobi area, as his father's account has been frozen due to not being having an official heir, the apartment is small but comfortable for use" explained Hiruzen, but was interrupted by Jiraiya before he could state the second need.
"No, my godson will not fend for himself and live in a paltry apartment. I have chosen a house in the shinobi living district; I will buy it. You'll give it to the Gaki, and all his expenses are to be managed through my account," Jiraiya said in a firm voice and handed a piece of paper to his sensei. "Here, this is my account number and details. However, only you are to know about this, and you are the only one allowed to use this."
"At least you're a responsible godfather, Jiraiya," Hiruzen complimented him fondly.
"And as I was saying before your interruption, the second need is that of training him." Hiruzen added placing the parchment into one of the file on the desk. "I want to take him as my apprentice, and teach him in the way of shinobi life" He stated.
Jiraiya was flabbergasted by this; Hiruzen Sarutobi had never taken an apprentice in his entire life - his Genin teams were a tradition that was to be followed by every Jonin of the village, and to take such an interest in little Naruto was quite surprising.
He pondered for a moment, but nevertheless agreed to sign the required form. He himself wanted to train his godson, but his sensei would nurture the boy ideally. It was a bitter irony; he was supporting his sensei to train his godson, when he and his teammates hadn't fared best in their own lives, even after being trained by the same man.
"That's done, anything else you want to discuss about, Sensei?" Jiraiya asked impatiently.
"Yes, there is another issue regarding him that I would like to discuss with you," Hiruzen said as he placed the papers in the same folder he had put the account details in. "As you may already know, Enma and his family have vowed their allegiance to the Sarutobi clan, and they will not accept a shinobi from any other clan." Hiruzen paused for a moment before continuing. "The dilemma arises when it comes to him signing the contract."
"You don't need to worry about that, Sensei. I have already thought of adding that brat's name to the Toad summoning contract. You can teach him all about summons and their support in battles." Jiraiya replied back. "Call him here, I will retrieve the scroll till then." He added.
Sandaime signaled an Anbu to call Naruto; two minutes later, the door to the Hokage Chamber opened, and the young boy entered leisurely. Jiraiya peered at the boy in front of him and was stunned by the similarities he shared with his parents. As the days passed, he grew more confident in his decision.
"Hey Jiji, what'cha got there for m..." Naruto started high but halted his words when he noticed the big man with white spiky hairs dressed in a red and green obi standing next to Hiruzen.
"Ah Naruto-kun," the Sandaime began, "I have some good news for you." He stopped, however, noticing that Naruto was now looking at Jiraiya, curiously. Jiraiya, too, felt a bit nervous under the intensity of the blonde's gaze.
"Well, Naruto-kun, I see you're interested in learning more about this man here," Hiruzen said, gesturing toward Jiraiya. "He is Jiraiya, my student and your godfather." The Sandaime had decided to reveal his identity to Naruto; after all, Naruto deserved a family, so he could form some bonds with them.
Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before they quickly darted down to the floor. "I'm not in the mood, Jiji," he said. "I will be in my room if you need anything." He shut the door behind him as he exited the chamber.
"You should go and talk to him, Jiraiya. He is sad probably because you didn't try to reach him earlier. He has always been bullied and hated in the orphanage, and I believe that if Kakashi, Anko or myself didn't intervene in his life earlier, he would have turned totally different, even resentful if I must say. It will be better for you both if you talk him yourself, and also inform him about his living arrangements and training" Hiruzen encouraged him patting on his shoulders.
Jiraiya nodded his head in affirmation, and exited the chamber to leave his sensei alone to ponder over the training schedule he would adopt with Naruto.
He stopped in front of the room Naruto had been assigned temporarily and knocked on the door.
"I don't want to talk, Jiji" came a short reply.
Jiraiya opened the door quietly to find Naruto sitting curled up like a ball on the bed. He entered the room and took a seat beside Naruto, who looked toward him but didn't say anything. Jiraiya placed his hand on the boy's head and said, "I am sorry, kid. Your father's death was a pretty big shock for me; he was more of a son to me than anything else, and you are just a perfect replica of him. I was unable to handle it all in such a short span of time, so I took some time off to reign in my emotions."
Naruto looked up toward him with teary eyes and asked " Do you hate me coz I look like them?"
"No...No...No, it's just the opposite, kid," Jiraiya said, denying what he had said by holding his hand up to stop Naruto from saying anything further. "You know you just look like your parents; I knew, if I spent any more time with you, I wouldn't be able to leave you for my missions, and at that time I needed some time to handle those emotions."
Before Jiraiya could say anything else, Naruto tackled him into a fierce hug. He clung to Jiraiya like a lifeline and cried his heart out. After fifteen minutes of Jiraiya attempting to console him, Naruto calmed down and stopped crying. Jiraiya promised him that he would never leave him alone. After another ten minutes of random conversation, he informed him about his living arrangements and his training.
"Yay! I'm going to have my own home. Can I invite Inu nii-san and Anko nee-san over to my house?" asked Naruto excitedly.
Jiraiya chuckled at the blonde's enthusiasm and answered, "Yep, you can call them. But, only those two. No new guests without my permission; do you understand?"
Naruto simply nodded his head up and down in answer.
"Will Jiji really train me?" he asked with wide-eyed wonder.
"Yes, he will" Jiraiya answered gently.
"Now, don't go telling others that I'm related to you; that will cause problems for you. I have many enemies, kid, and they will target you to take revenge on me," explained Jiraiya, taking a more serious approach.
Naruto's face instantly changed, from playfulness to seriousness; he nodded his head sincerely. Jiraiya took down the huge red scroll from his back and unrolled it, then he signaled Naruto to come closer.
"This a gift from me for your birthdays that I missed, Gaki. It's a very cool Jutsu that will let you call toads to help you." He explained him further
"Toads? Naruto looked a little skeptical. "Can't I have wolves or lions or something like that, toads don't sound that strong." He whined, glancing at Jiraiya.
"What disrespect! I can't believe my godson would stab me in the back by denying the awesomeness of Toads," Jiraiya exclaimed animatedly, making Naruto giggle.
"I am sorry, but I still don't think toads are that cool," Naruto proclaimed with innocent eyes.
Jiraiya chuckled at Naruto's innocence. "Believe me, brat; toad summons are far better than any other summon."
"Now, stop whining so much," Jiraiya said as he laid out the scroll. "Just cut your finger and put your fingerprints where I told you to and write your name above it using the same blood."
Jiraiya fully unrolled the scroll and there were several names etched with a maroon colored liquid on the scroll, but only two of those names were familiar to Naruto: Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze. Jiraiya was one of the legendary Sannin, and had earned the moniker of "Toad Sage." He had destroyed several battalions of enemy villages with the help of his toad summon and his renowned toad sage mode during the Second Shinobi War. Jiraiya was an army killer, or as some also use the term, a Kage-level shinobi. Minato Namikaze, a.k.a "Yellow Flash," was even a bigger legend than Jiraiya. A former Hokage, who had destroyed 1,000 of Iwa soldiers in a single minute, and killed the Kyuubi sacrificing himself in the process. He was the only known SS-ranked shinobi in the Elemental Nations, and had an order of "Flee on Sight."
Naruto was jumping with excitement at the prospect of signing the summoning contract related to such legends.
With a grimace, he quickly cut his finger and wrote his name beside that of Minato, then thumbed his fingerprints below that.
Jiraiya looked upon the name carefully for a moment before rolling it up and slinging it over his back. "Now, Naruto," he said, looking him in the eye, "you will not show your summoning skills to anyone but just Sarutobi-sensei and myself. At the right time, he will teach you everything about summoning." Jiraiya spoke sincerely.
Naruto nodded affirmatively in response.
"Now that it's done, would you like to have some ramen?" asked Jiraiya, knowing his answer and leading him to the Ichiraku stand.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Anbu Interrogation Training department :-
Anko dragged the bound Jonin to the torture cell for interrogation and eventual execution; turning against a member of your own village was one of the most heinous crimes in Konoha. With an evil smirk, Anko strapped the man onto a chair, pouring down a green liquid into his mouth that intensified every feeling one experienced.
"Now, I will teach you why no one should ever intend to harm anyone who is dear to me," she drawled as she unwrapped her infamous torture rack.
A few minutes later, the department echoed with screams that went on for several hours. All the agents wisely chose not to disturb Anko until the end of her session.
"This new victim raised Anko's bar slightly, but not enough to rival Inu-Senpai's record."
"Yet," a goat-masked Anbu said as he entered the Anbu locker room.
"What was the record again?" asked another occupant.
"Anko-san has disposed of 2 Wardens, 3 Jonins, 2 Chunins, and 1 Assassin. While Inu-taichou has disposed of 4 Wardens, 5 Jonins, 3 Chunins, and 2 Assassins." recited the mouse-masked Anbu.
"The kid has endured a lot, don't you think?" she continued.
"He surely did," said the Goat masked Anbu before exiting the room, signaling the end of their conversation.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
8 Hours later Hokage tower :
Hiruzen was about to exit the chamber when a Weasel masked Anbu appeared kneeling in front of him. "My lord, my father is planning something, Hokage-sama." The young man said nervously. "There have been constant clan meetings and the clan has become far more secretive than before. I am allowed to attend these meetings with Crow, should I use this opportunity to keep an eye on them?"
Hiruzen sighed; the Uchiha clan has been in unrest since the Kyubi attacked. The village as a whole knew that the last time the fox had visited Konoha it was under the control of the Uchiha Madara. As such, the Uchiha have been under constant scrutiny by some idiotic villagers, who clearly Hiruzen and the council didn't even spare a moment to review those claims. They were false, as much as they knew, the Uchiha had been sent to guard the hospital and bunkers for the duration of the whole attack.
It seemed he didn't have any choice; he couldn't possibly let the renowned clan try something drastic. He peered toward Weasel for a second before nodding his head. Although he couldn't say that he hadn't noticed that Fugaku had been on numerous journeys across the border of the Fire Country in the name of clan business in the past few years. Moreover, Hiroki Uchiha, the son of Kagami Uchiha, who was a friend of Hiruzen, had suspiciously disappeared recently.
"You and Crow are ordered to join the clan meetings, we don't need every details of the meeting just the facts that will effect the Village and its population. I also want you two to look after the case of Hiroki Uchiha, and you two are only answerable to me. Do you understand that ?" Hiruzen asked sharply.
Weasel nodded and went on to relay the message to Crow.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
7 years after kyubi incident :-
Sarutobi Hiruzen was a slave driver, those were the thoughts of one blonde boy. He was exhausted from his physical training and drenched in sweat from head to toe. His training regime had been set by Hiruzen two years ago, on the very day they first met. He still remembered that day clearly.
*Flashback, two years ago*
Naruto was truly excited as he was to be trained by his Jiji. Hiruzen had called him an hour ago, and he was standing in front of the old leader right now, who was in a training armor.
"So, what are you gonna teach me, Jiji?" Naruto asked excitedly. "I have some knowledge about kunais and shurikens. Are you going to teach me cool jutsus? When will you teach me summoning? Please tell me 'ttebayo!" Naruto's eyes were as wide as saucers, and he was bouncing up and down on his heels due to the adrenaline rushing through his veins.
Hiruzen said gently but in a deep voice, "Stand still, Naruto." Naruto stood at his place, straight.
"You won't be learning jutsus this early, that will be in time but not presently" Hiruzen stated calmly. The blond lost the smile and instead pouted, he wanted to learn some awesome jutsus from his Jiji.
"The first one and a half years would be spent on your physical training, and you will learn and master a taijutsu style given to you by me," Hiruzen stated calmly.
"Physical? Will I learn to jump on roofs like Inu nii-san?" Naruto asked with slight tilt of his head.
"No, I'll teach you a taijutsu style. That's how to throw punches and kicks, you'll also work on how fast you coul move" Hiruzen explained calmly.
"Then I'll train in the art of bukijutsu, and mastery over a weapon of your choice" He continued.
"Busi-Bumi… What's that thing, jiji?" Naruto questioned, confused as he had never heard of that word before.
Hiruzen said with a chuckle, "That's called Bukijutsu, the art of using tools like kunais, shurikens, and explosives."
"Then lastly, we will move on to jutsu training," said Hiruzen sternly. "From today onwards, you will address me as 'Sensei' during your training sessions, and I will not tolerate any laxness in your training. Do you understand me, Naruto?" he questioned.
Naruto just nodded and replied with a "Hai, sensei."
*Flashback ends*
He didn't know what he was getting himself into. His physical training was brutal; if he could use a word to describe it, that would be 'tiring.' Three laps around the village, one hundred pushups, pull-ups, and one hundred and fifty squats. Moreover, Hiruzen kept increasing the number of exercises by twenty-five and the run by two miles, every six months.
Hiruzen taught him a taijutsu style called "The Hummingbird Style." Unbeknownst to him, it was the taijutsu style that Minato had formulated for himself. The kata was divided into six levels; the first two taught stances and defenses, while the next three moved on to utilizing various parts of the body, and finally culminated in using Hiranashi.
Naruto was to be trained only till 5th level, as he didn't know 'The Hirashin', for that matter; no one was able to decipher the move and the seal used in it, to copy it. Only the Hokage Platoon knew the technique and that too in a group of three, not individual teleportation, as Minato himself had trained them in case of any emergency.
Naruto had mastered the stances he'd been taught and was now ready for the offensive moves.
Jiraiya had returned several times to check on Naruto; on one of his birthdays, he had taught the boy one of his personal jutsus, "The Invisibility Cloak." He had predicted Naruto would use it to peep into bathhouses, but unlike him, Naruto used it for stealth training. It was an useful jutsu for sneaking in and out of places as long as one could be silent enough. Jiraiya had also changed Naruto's dressing style. Naruto now wore a half-sleeve black tee with the Uzumaki clan's crest on the front, black pants, and blue shinobi sandals for training. For regular use, he wore a white tee instead of the black one and an orange half-jacket over it.
Hiruzen had started Naruto's weapon training months ago. After correcting his stances and accuracy in throwing shurikens, kunais, and other projectiles, Hiruzen had asked him about the choice of weapon he would want to learn. Naruto, quite stubbornly, asked Hiruzen to train him in bojutsu as he wanted to look cool like his sensei. He had completed stance training and was now moving on to guard positions for the said weapon.
It was five o'clock in the evening, and Naruto was returning to his home. Hiruzen had given him an early leave as he was busy with some essential meetings. Naruto was still in his training clothes, and a wooden bo staff was wrapped in black cloth and tied to his back.
He was passing by an alleyway when he heard voices behind the fence; his curiosity got the best of him, so he went on to check it out and found that three boys were picking on a lavender-eyed girl. His eyes darted toward the three boys pestering her, and his anger built up inside him; he despised bullies, having always fought them in the orphanage.
"You're a Hyuga, aren't you? Your eyes look so weird" one of the boys scowled at her.
"Yeah, they're all arrogant and have weird white eyes," said another boy beside him.
"I didn't do anything," said the timid voice of the little girl.
Hinata was afraid; her guard had gone to drink tea, leaving her to play on the swings. Suddenly, these three boys came around and started to push her around and berate her. The boy in the middle started to walk toward her, but suddenly a yellow blur appeared in front of her and hit the boy with what looked like a big stick. The boy was on the ground, clutching his abdomen.
"Hey, who are you!? Why are you hitting us!? We were just teaching her a lesson for her arrogance" said an another boy.
This broke the chain of thoughts running through Hinata's head, and she looked up; in front of her stood a yellow-haired boy wearing an orange jacket and black pants. He had a large stick in his hand and was standing in front of her protectively.
"Leave her alone, and don't try to bully her again. Or you will be taught a lesson by the future Hokage of this village." declared Naruto determinantly.
"Look here, Rika, someone is trying to play a hero. A Hokage wannabe, let's teach him a lesson" said the third boy.
"Yeah, let's beat him up, Shiba" agreed, the now recognized, Rika
"Yeah bring it on, 'ttebayo" Naruto challenged them taking his stance.
The boy named Rika tried to punch him in the face, but he ducked underneath his fist and hit her in the abdomen with his wooden staff. His other friend tried to help him by grabbing the back of Naruto's jacket; the blond retaliated with an elbow to the boy's face. Both the bullies were now on the ground, clutching their abdomens and faces where they had been hit.
He turned around and smiled at the pale-eyed girl, extending his hand to help her up. Hinata took his hand and pulled herself up, thanking him shyly for his help.
"Could I help you reach your home...um?" asked Naruto as he tried to get her name.
"I...it's Hinata Hyuga," she answered timidly, looking down.
"Hinata? That's a nice name, Hinata," Naruto complimented her with the iconic grin on his face. "By the way, my name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki," he introduced himself. "Where do you live?" he asked innocently.
"Thank you. I live in the Hyuga manor, Naruto-san." Hinata replied meekly.
"Don't call me San, just Naruto is fine. So...yeah...let's go, Hinata." He held her hand delicately and led her toward the big mansion that he had seen quite a few times; it had the word "Hyuga" written on its front in a large font on a board. His gentle yet firm touch caused her face to turn red, and her mind went blank for a few seconds.
They reached her house after a short travel of fifteen minutes, he let go of her hand and smiled at her. She bowed her head, and said a "Thank you" before running inside, clumsily.
"You've been hunting princesses since this age, Gaki," came the amused voice of the one and only Toad Sage, Jiraiya.
Naruto turned around and glared at him for his comment, but nonetheless tackled him in a hug. "How many times do I have to tell you to not do something like this in public, Baka?" Jiraiya scolded him fondly.
"Let us go to your house, brat," Jiraiya said and held on to Naruto's hand to vanish in a seamless Shadow Clone Jutsu, only to reappear in Naruto's living room. They both failed to notice a Inu-masked Anbu operative observing them and smiling behind his mask.
Naruto exclaimed, "Ero-Ojii, what are you doing here?" in surprise at the sudden appearance of his godfather.
A tick mark appeared on Jiraiya's forehead. "Hey! Don't call me that, you brat. I have come here to sign some papers for you, don't you remember you're going to be enrolled in the academy next year."
"Yes, I remember that. I just didn't know you had to sign documents for that, by the way, I am going to be the best graduating genin the academy has ever seen 'ttebayo" Naruto declared excitedly.
Naruto was a very smart and observant boy; yet, he still had his excited, loudmouth moments. However, during his training or sparring against Anko or Hiruzen, he was completely focused and sincere during those sessions.
It sometimes unerved Jiraiya that the brat could shut off his excited side while training, Minato used to do something similar albeit at a much older age.
"That's what I am here to discuss with you, gaki." Jiraiya took a serious tone on the subject. "You need to hide your skills and use deception at the academy; I want you to fail two or one of the annual exams in the first two years." Jiraiya held up a placating hand to stop Naruto from yelling in outrage.
"You are already on the hit list of many people, since the information has leaked a few years ago that you are being trained under Sarutobi sensei. By showing your excellence, you will attract more attention, which we don't want to happen. We want you to be safe, Naruto. Treat this as a mission in deception and stealth." requested Jiraiya with serious expressions, knowing full well that forcing the boy to do so would never work, for he was too stubborn just like his mother.
"But then no one will think that I am cool, and I won't be able to make friends," argued Naruto sadly.
"Let it be, gaki. Real friends are those who hold onto you, overlooking your bad qualities. And as for attention, there are six people in this village that love you dearly, including me." Jiraiya stated gently, but suddenly grinned mischievously.
"Moreover, I am pretty sure that the Hyuga princess will also like to be your friend after what you did for her today, brat," he said with a wink. Naruto spluttered out at that and shot a questioning gaze on Jiraiya.
"Yes, I saw everything and I'm proud of you Gaki" Jiraiya praised him, ruffling his hair. Naruto just half heartedly punched Jiraiya' legs for the comment on Hinata, he had just helped coz he didn't like bullies.
"Okay, I accept, but for just two years. Afterward, I'll show everyone how awesome I am," declared Naruto, pumping his fist.
'Well, I only need that much time, brat. You will be able to protect yourself after two more years of training from Sarutobi sensei, to a certain extent. Beside, Kakashi and Anko are always present for you' mused Jiraiya.
"Now let's go to Ichiraku's, My treat today" Jiraiya chuckled at Naruto's speed to the Ramen stand, the boy was too fond of the dish, similar to Kushina.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Six months later :
Naruto was returning back from the training ground that Hiruzen used to train him in, he had begun the third level of the 'Hummingbird style' moving on to offense from defence and guards, his Bo-Jutsu was also on offensive terms now.
He was walking down the path alongside the forest, when he heard some noises from inside. Hiruzen had instructed him to be on guard, as a convoy of shinobi had arrived from Kumogakure for a peace treaty. There was a possibility that they might have secret motives that could harm Konoha or cause disturbances. Thus, he went on to check, but being a bit cautious, he activated his "Invisibility jutsu." What he saw shocked him; in front of him was a blonde shinobi wearing a hitaiate representing the lightning country, a white flak jacket on his body representing his rank as a Jonin, and a brown sack draped over his back.
The sack was moving constantly, indicating that a living being was captured within it. The Kumo shinobi adjusted the sack and it let out a familiar squeak. He immediately understood that there was an alive person inside that sack, and judging by its size it was a kid, which could only mean one thing; this shinobi was kidnapping some child from Konoha.
He needed to do something quickly, something noticeable, that would allow the ANBU patrolling the area to pinpoint his location; he couldn't fight a Jonin alone. Even if he was trained by Hiruzen, a Jonin was out of his league. He focused and recalled the jutsu that the Sandaime had taught him as a reward for completing his second stage of Bojutsu. Unfortunately, performing that jutsu would cause fluctuations in his chakra system, causing the invisibility jutsu to wear off.
He made the decision to take the risk, and formed the six hand seals needed for the jutsu. He put all his chakra into the seals and yelled "Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu." A fireball of the same size as a human flew through the air. Naruto's affinity wasn't katon, but Hiruzen had decided to teach Naruto to use jutsus from all the five elements. As it was ideal with Naruto's chakra reserve. He would be able to combine different elements like Hiruzen easily. First, he started with fire since it was more common in the Fire Country. The Kumo jōnin heard the voice and stopped at the sight of a massive fireball flying in the air. He was awed by the capability of such a small kid using a C-ranked jutsu, but was also cursing him for the attention that it would garner.
The Jonin dropped the sack on the ground, and charged towards the blonde brat to deal with him; he threw two kunai at Naruto. Naruto deflected them with ease, frowning at himself as he had used nearly half of the chakra from his reserve, and it would take quite some time to refill it. He was now helpless, and his mind went back to the day when that Jonin had attacked him, and the resolve he took to deal with his own problems himself.
The Jonin smirked to himself; he had probably hit jackpot with this second kid. By the size of the fireball, it seemed that the blonde brat was from some clan, probably that Yamanaka clan, the color of his hair certainly indicated towards that assumption.
Naruto shut his eyes tightly and tried to reach for his chakra again, but the adrenaline in his system and the feeling of helplessness caused some of the fox's chakra to come forth, and he unintentionally grabbed it and used it for his next fireball. The Kumo jōnin was about to charge but halted as a fireball, twice the size of the previous one, was fired towards him. He was shocked at the size of the fireball coming toward him. He tried to dodge it by jumping to the left, but the fireball caught the right side of his body, and he screamed in agony as his left side limbs and face were burned by the ball of inferno.
Naruto left the man twitching on the ground and approached the sack, which was bouncing side to side continuously. He opened the knot on the top only to be tackled by a purple blur; he looked down to see pearl-like teary eyes of Hinata looking up at him. She started to cry profusely in his arms; he wasn't the best person to console someone, as he himself was rather scarce in that department. He did what he remembered Jiraiya did to him in the similar situation. He started patting her on the head and told her that he would protect her. This was the moment Hiruzen, Hiashi, Kakashi, and three more Anbu reached their location.
They had felt the large amount of chakra being used there and calculated something was amiss. When they learned about Hinata being missing, they somewhat predicted that the events were related.
Hiashi was stunned, the shinobi was one of the Jonins of Kumo; not an elite, but still a Jonin, and had been defeated by a seven-year-old boy. At this point, Hiashi recalled another instance, where Minato had also saved Kushina at the age of eight from three Kumo Jonins.
He was brought back from his musings by the firm voice of Hiruzen. "Inu, take Naruto and Hinata to the Hospital. Hiashi, you go with them. You three capture the jonin and take him to the Anbu hospital; interrogate him, but keep him alive. We need an undeniable proof of Kumo's treachery."
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Half an hour later- The Konoha Hospital:
Hiashi was stressed; he had lost his wife last year due to the excessive loss of blood during the birth of his second daughter, Hanabi. His two daughters were the last piece of his wife and were too precious to him. Hinata shut down completely after his wife's death, and this latest incident only added more problems for him and his daughters. The clan elders would deem Hinata unworthy of the title of heiress due to her timid and shy nature, and they would surely force him to place the Caged Bird Seal on her. She would then be moved to the branch family, where she would be treated as a second-class Hyuga for the rest of her life.
He can't let that happen; his wife would never forgive him for that. And his brother Hizashi won't tolerate it - Hizashi loves Hinata like his own daughter and will definitely fight the whole clan for her. More importantly, he cannot let that happen because he loves Hinata too much to let her endure something like that; he needs to talk to Hiruzen about this.
On the other hand, Naruto was also worried; his first and only friend, of his own age, was in the examination room being checked for injuries. After the bully incident, Hinata and he met several times to play at the park with Anko in tow, and even went on to have a few bowls of ramen, where Ayame and Anko had teased them about being a couple. He had blushed hard but denied the claims, Hinata had also become red in the face.
Hinata walked out of the examination room slowly, her eyes falling upon Naruto. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at him; the golden-haired boy had truly been a savior for her, having saved her twice thus far without making fun of her stuttering or timid nature. His captivating blue eyes were mesmerizing to her; she had never seen anything like them before. As she became increasingly nervous, she began doing what she did best - sticking her index fingers together.
Naruto saw Hinata coming out of the examination room and went up to talk to her. "Hey, Hinata," he said. "Did you get injured? Did that man hurt you? If he did, just tell me, and I'll beat him up again."
"No, no, I am fine, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, fixing her gaze downward. "And thank you for rescuing me." Hinata's voice trembled slightly as she spoke. She had opted to call him Naruto-kun after their first meeting, and truth be told, Naruto liked it. He felt like he could be himself around her.
She felt like a burden; this was the second time Naruto had helped her, and if this kept up, she would feel like a burden to him, at least in her mind.
Two days later :
Kumo, or particularly the third Raikage, had thought that Konoha shall have killed the Jonin sent for kidnapping of Hyuga, if he was caught in between his quest. Thus, they tried in to cash in the opportunity to get Hiashi Hyuga. However unexpectedly, Konoha had kept the prisoner alive and moved him in infront during the negotiations.
Though Jiraiya had destroyed the chakra networks of the Jonin, by applying overpowered paralysis seal developed by Minato on the jonin's chakra network instead of nervous system.
The seal was too powerful and restrictive for the chakra network to handle, and as a result it collapsed completely; however, this whole fiasco also resulted in an additional entry being added to the Bingo Book in Kumogakure, listing an E-rank shinobi.
(:--:)
Name: Unknown
Aliases: None.
Description: A young boy of around 7 or 8 years old, possibly an Academy student.
Abilities: Can use C-Rank Katon ninjutsu and can use Bo staffs.
Caution: N/A
Bounty: 12,000 Ryu for live capture and 10,000 Ryu for dead.
(:--:)
Naruto was walking through the village happily; he had been shown his bingo book entry by Hiruzen, but was ordered not to take such risks again. He had gotten the day off and was on his way to see Hinata. He was strutting through the park, searching for his friend, when he heard sobbing coming from behind a large tree. Curious, Naruto went over to investigate and found Hinata sitting behind the tree, her knees raised to her chest, and she was crying silently.
Naruto immediately sat beside Hinata, asking, "Hinata? What happened? Why are you crying?"
Hinata looked up toward him and said "T..t..they threatened to brand me a...and disav..disavow me"
He rubbed circles on her back and assured her that he would always be there for her. After half an hour, she finally stopped crying; Naruto looked down to see the face of a sleeping Hinata in his lap. He fought back his blush vigorously at the closeness, and shook her. She woke up frantically, and tried to jab him. It was only due to the sparring sessions with Hiruzen that he was able to dodge it at the last second. Naruto was amazed; Hinata had told him about her problems while using her clan's taijutsu, but her reflexes and reaction times were something else entirely. He asked her to follow him so they could talk about it in private.
He led her to his home and made her sit on the couch in the living room. He went into the kitchen to bring something to eat for her; she was probably hungry from all the crying she had done. He cut an apple and brought a glass of milk to her.
Meanwhile, Hinata was looking around the living room; the house was of a decent size. Not as big as her mansion, but big enough for a family of four or five. There were several pictures of Naruto with the Hokage, Jiraiya, Anko, and an unknown person - a white-haired man with his half face covered by a mask.
"Hey, Hinata! I brought you some fruits and milk; I've started learning how to cook from Inu-nii, but I'm not as good at it yet," said Naruto, placing the plate of apples and milk on the table.
He asked her kindly, "Are you okay now?" Nodding affirmatively, Hinata responded with a nod of her own.
Naruto sat beside her and started to converse with her. "You know, you don't look weak to me, Hinata. Especially not after your reaction when I woke you up." Hinata blushed red at that statement, she had nearly hit him with one of her chakra-enhanced hands. "Why don't you show them your precision and fighting prowess? They might just change their minds about you."
"Because they use their family members to practice Jyukken, and I don't like hurting people," Hinata replied weakly.
"Those bastards! Are they senile or something? Using their own clan members as practice dummies?" Naruto gritted his teeth.
He said determinedly. "I will inform Hokage Jiji of this."
Hinata looked a bit pale at the prospect; if the clan elders found out who had disclosed their secret, they wouldn't hesitate to force Hiashi to disown her from the clan.
Noticing the strain on Hinata's face, Naruto calmed her down. "Don't worry, Hinata. I will make sure that your name is not revealed anywhere."
Hinata looked up to Naruto and nodded; she conversed with him for quite some time before he dropped her off at the Hyuga estate. He then went on to eat at Ichiraku's.
The next morning, Naruto recounted everything to Hiruzen. Hiruzen was tense; he knew the Hyuga were prideful, but using one's own kin as a practice dummy seemed cruel. He would have to talk to Hiashi about it, besides, it seemed that the most powerful clans in the village were causing more problems for Konoha. After two years of spying, it had become clear that the Uchiha clan was planning a coup d'état against the Hokage. Fugaku had planned to kill Hiruzen, and take the post of Hokage after killing the elders and Danzo.
(_-_-_X_-_-_)
Same night in Hokage tower :-
Five people could be seen standing in the Hokage chamber, conversing among themselves. Two of them were Anbu, namely Weasel and Crow, while the rest three were Jiraiya, Danzo, and the Hokage himself.
"According to the last meeting, they are going to make a move on the day after tomorrow," Jiraiya said thoughtfully.
Weasel nodded in response.
"We need to do something, Hiruzen. We can't let them go forward with this plot. This will not just start a civil war in the village, but other villages will take the opportunity to attack us" stated Danzo sternly.
"Weasel and Crow, remove your masks. We will talk face to face now, and Jiraiya, please put a full-level security seal around the room," ordered Hiruzen firmly.
Crow removed his mask to reveal Shishui Uchiha, the grandson of Kagami Uchiha. He was also known as "Shushin no Shishui," the moniker given to him by Kumo for his 80 kills in the Valley of Black River during the last war. He had lost his best friend in that skirmish, and that had awakened his Mangekyou. He then killed all the opposing shinobi forces with his famed Shunshin technique, in vengeance. The Weasel removed his mask to reveal Itachi Uchiha, the elder son of Fugaku Uchiha and the current heir of the Uchiha clan. These two were the sole holders of the "Will of Fire" currently within the famed Uchiha clan.
"Hokage sama, may I elaborate on their plans?" asked Shishui composedly; Hiruzen shook his head and gestured for him to continue.
Fugaku Uchiha had planned to capture the Kyubi jinchuriki, and use his Hyuga friend to emotionally break him to the point where he could break the seal and extract the Kyubi. Then he would seal it in his younger son, Sasuke, and use him as a means of destruction; Shisui clarified the plans of his treacherous clan head.
"That bastard will never get his hands on my godson," growled the white-haired Sannin. "I will tear that man to pieces even if he tries to come near him."
"He is no longer a man; he is a monster who will not recognize any limits until his hunger for power is satisfied," Itachi interjected stoically, though an edge was still evident in his voice.
"To fall to a level where he would not hesitate to use his own son, my brother, as a pawn," vowed Itachi decisively. "I will never let that happen."
"I have a proposition for the welfare of the village, Hokage sama" offered Itachi in an emotionless voice.
"What do you suggest Itachi?" asked Hiruzen contemplating.
"I will kill Fugaku, the clan elders, and all those who are willing to carry out the coup d'état by their own orders. However, Shisui, Sasuke, some of the adults, and children will not be harmed, as they are not involved in this coup. But you must promise me that the news of this coup will not leave this room. requested Itachi calmly.
"But, I want to help you in this, Itachi; you shall not do it alone," protested Shishui.
Hiruzen and Danzo were musing about the prospect, and Jiraiya was frowning at the thought of so many people being killed.
"No, we need someone powerful enough to lead the clan, Shishui. Besides, you will lead the clan more effectively than I would." Itachi denied his request.
"Sensei, this would be outrageous. We cannot kill a whole clan just for the treachery of one man. This is not right, we could arrest him and then execute him. That will break the will of the clan members and we'll able to control restrict them" Jiraiya cut it.
It was Danzo who answered. "You don't understand this, Jiraiya. Fugaku has the support of most of his clan. The Uchiha clan consists of 112 members; 72 are adults - 36 males and 36 females. Moreover, the clan also houses 27 teenagers, including Itachi and Shisui, and 13 kids. Out of the 112 members, 30 males, 28 females, 22 teenagers support Fugaku's idea of a coup. Tobirama sensei used to say that 'No one loves more than an Uchiha, and none hates more than an Uchiha.' They will retaliate far more aggressively if we execute their clan head. They have at least 40 fully developed Sharingan and two Mangekyo Sharingan in the form of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha."
"Yes, I agree with Danzo this time Jiraiya, we don't want to do this, but we have tried everything else to earn their trust but they will not leave their kin's shadow for us" said Hiruzen in a voice that indicated that a Hokage needs to take such disgusting, sinful and painful decisions for welfare of the village.
Itachi pondered for a moment and said "So it's decided, I will do it tomorrow night. I just want some promises. First, you've to save Sasuke from the darkness of revenge, second, Shishui will lead the Uchiha clan from now on and third, I will take up the blame and become a missing ninja and will spy for Konoha from outside."
"It's decided... Itachi Uchiha this is an S-Ranked Mission and it's detail are to be kept secret. You'll execute Fugaku and his supporters and I promise to save Sasuke from any harm" ordered Hiruzen.
And thus the majority of the Uchiha clan was massacred by Itachi and a Spiral-Masked Individual.
Disclaimer:- I Don't own Naruto, all rights are reserved to Kishimoto.