A/N - The first chapter is basically canon. I ask that you be patient in your reading- it will get more and more interesting.
"Hokage-sama!" The voice of a few shinobi rings out. The old man sighs- his writing now disrupted. "What is it? Is Naruto causing trouble again?" The two of them nod rapidly. "Yes! That punk Naruto is desecrating the Hokage Monument! And this time with paint!" The old man lets out a deep- hearty sigh, looking down slightly.
A large group of shinobi stand atop the Hokage Tower- shouting at a lone boy. "Hey! Stop causing trouble!" "Stop Doing this every-day!" "You'll pay for this!" "Look at all that…" The voices ring together- forming into a mass of disbelief and awe. The boy they're shouting at cackles. "Shut up- you idiots!" He has a bright- overly wide smile on his face. "None of you guys could do something this horrible. But I can! I'm incredible!" That's some logic and a half right there.
The Hokage arrives on the top of the tower- exasperated. "Geez… what has that idiot done? (Even My face…)" He grumbles the last part under his breath. A shinobi with dark hair- and a ponytail stringing it up puts his foot on the rail, and x shaped scar adorning his face. "3rd Hokage-sama. I apologize for this." The Hokage smiles as he looks over. "Oh! Iruka!" Iruka takes an extremely deep breath before shouting at the top of his lungs. No one shouts like a teacher shouts…
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING DURING CLASS TIME?! GET DOWN HERE, YOU MORON!" Naruto jumps- panicking, knowing he's in for it now. "Yikes, that's Iruka-Sensei!"
Not even a few minutes later- Naruto is tied up- sitting in front of the rest of his class- face pointed away from Iruka. Iruka points to Naruto- a face of irritation clearly marrying his face. "Tomorrow is the ninja school's graduation exam. You have failed the last 2 times! This is no time to be causing trouble, MORON!" Naruto gives a light sigh. "Yeah yeah…" SNAP!
Well there goes Iruka's patience. "Time for a review test on the 'transformation jutsu'. Everyone line up!" A wave of protest rises in the class. "Transform perfectly into me!" A line forms- the students grumbling- and glaring at Naruto. A few kids transform- before Naruto ends up at the front of the line. A few kids are grumbling sourly. "This is all your fault…" Naruto clicks his tongue. 'Damn this sucks… Ok, here we go!' "Transform!" He transforms into a busty blonde beauty- blowing a kiss at Iruka- sending him away with a nosebleed. He cackles- turning back to normal. "I call it, 'Sexy no Jutsu!'." Iruka jumps up- tissue handing out his nose. "YOU DUMBASS! DON'T INVENT STUPID SKILLS!" The rest of class goes without much issue. After class Iruka and Naruto are out by Hokage Monument- Naruto scrubbing away his graffiti.
"I won't let you go home until you clean all of it." Iruka's stern voice echoes. Naruto clicks his tongue. "Like I care… it's not like I have anyone to go home to." He looks down- going back to work. Iruaka's face softens… his heart aching for the blonde boy. "Naruto…" He says softly. "Now what?" Naruto looks at him with squinted eyes. "Well… umm… if you clean all this up. I'll buy you some ramen tonight." He says- looking a bit embarrassed. Naruto lights up. "Ok! I'll work hard- I will!" Late into the evening the two sit at Naruto's favorite ramen bar, Ichirakus, the pair eating their noodles in silence.
"Naruto…" Naruto glances over. "Hmm?" Iruka sighs. "Why were you doing that to the monument? Don't you know who the Hokage are?" Naruto nods. "Of course! Basically, those that receive the Hokage name are the strongest ninjas in the village, right? And among them is the 4th. A hero who saved the village from a fox demon." Iruka nods- sighing deeply. "Then why?" Naruto returns to eating. "One day I'm going to get the Hokage name… and then I'm going to surpass all the previous Hokage! And then- and then- I'll make the village recognize my strength!" Iruka pauses. Well… that's sweet- but it didn't answer his question. Oh well. "-By the way Sensei… I have a request…" Iruka raises a brow. "What? You want seconds?" Naruto shakes his head. "No… Can I borrow your leaf head protector?" His voice is sweet, and a bit too nice, a hallmark of someone asking for a favor. "Oh this? No no, this is for after you graduate. This is a symbol that you've come of age. Maybe you'll get one tomorrow. Who knows?" Naruto clicks his tongue. "Stingy!" They laugh- bantering over some ramen until it's time for Naruto to go home.
The next morning- Naruto is sitting in the classroom- and is a genuine nervous wreck. Iruka's voice rings out to the classroom. "Now, For the graduation exam, you will do the Bunshin no Jutsu. When you are called, come to the next room." Naruto internally panics. 'Damn! Why that one?! That's my worst skill!' He walks into the testing area- Iruka and his co-sensei, Mizuki sitting behind a desk with a few dozen headbands on it. 'I'll do it! Watch me!' "Bunshin no Jutsu!" He makes a single- dead looking clone. Naruto is sweating, full of dread. Iruka is sweating with exasperation. "Fail!" Naruto looks dejected, completely floored. "Iruka-sensei…" Mizuki's soft voice rings out from beside Iruka as he looks at his Co-worker. "This is his third time… and he did technically create a clone… we could let him squeeze through…" Naruto gains a look of hope- a smile crossing his face.
Iruka sighs looking down- waving his hand as if physically dismissing the thought. "No way Mizuki-Sensei… Everyone else made 3. But he made one and it's completely useless… I can't let him pass." Naruto grits his teeth- the hope that was there disappearing.
After the exams they all stand outside together- being congratulated by friends and family alike. All except a little blonde boy- sitting on a wooden swing on a tree- alone, wanting to go home- but being paralyzed by the words of his peers and their parents. "Great Job! That's my boy!" "Now you're a Man!" "I'm so proud of you! I'm going to make your favorite dinner!" Two adults glance over, one of them mumbling. "Hey, that kid…" The other one nods. "Yeah, he's 'that' kid. And he's the only one who failed." The other one sighs in relief. "Well that's good. We can't have him becoming a shinobi." Their voice is filled with a surprising amount of venom. "Since he's the-," The other adult cuts them off. "Hey- you know we can't talk about that." Naruto grits his teeth- and runs off… completely unaware of both of his Sensei's gazes- one full of pity and sadness, the other… it's intentions are not so simple. Naruto makes it far down the road- walking alone- his head down. "Naruto…" He hears a soft voice ring out behind him. He turns his head- and sees.
"Mizuki-Sensei!" The two walk together- eventually ending up on a balcony, looking over the village. "Iruka sensei is a serious person, his parents were killed when he was young and he's had to do everything himself…" Naruto sighs- sounding exasperated and a bit angry. "But why does he only pick on me?!" Mizuki smiles- glancing over at Naruto. "He probably sees himself in you." Naruto stops- looking a bit stunned. "He's probably thinking that he wants you to become strong the real way. Maybe you can understand- since you both are orphans?" Naruto looks down- no longer angry, just sad. "...I wish I had graduated." In that instant- faster than Naruto would be able to perceive- even if he was paying attention. A flicker of Mizuki's true intentions flickers in his eyes, a hidden malice- before he locks it away once more. "Well then… I'll tell you a special secret." Naruto looks over. "Huh?"
Later that evening- Naruto moves silently through the village- quietly weaving between balconies and rooftops. He goes through an open window- landing into Hokage Tower- sneaking through the office to get to a vault. Naruto freezes as he hears the aged voice of the Hokage behind him. "What are you doing in my house at this hour?" He sounds slightly exasperated- as if expecting another prank. Naruto- in a moment of split second thinking makes a hand sign. "Sexy no Jutsu!" "Wha-?!" Hiruzen- just like Iruka- is no match for the pervy instincts.
Naruto rummages through the vault- tossing scrolls over his shoulder until-... "Found it!" He grabs the scroll- and flings it over his shoulder- getting out of dodge before the Hokage wakes up. Mizuki- watching from the shadows- likes a sly, eerie looking smile- malice clear in his eyes. Naruto runs off into the woods- before finding a secluded place. He opens the scroll- and starts to read. Let's see… the first skill is… Shadow Clone Jutsu? What the hell?! Why does it start with the one I'm bad at?!"
Away from the forest- Iruka lays in bed- a sad look on his face- unable to rest- the words spoken between himself at the 3rd Hokage ringing in his mind. "Iruka…." Hiruzen's aged voice rang in his mind. "Yes, Hokage-sama?" Iruka responds- the memory ringing true. "I know how you feel but… he is similar to you…" Iruka stares at the moon- the sight reminding him of that fateful night- October 10th… the night that the Nine Tailed Fox attacked… Images of battle flashing through his mind- a picture of him being dragged away by a shinobi- away from his still fighting parents. He's jolted from his awful memories by a frantic knock at the door. He opens it, and see's Mizuki- his Co-Sensei, panic etched onto his face. "What is it?!" Iruka asks- his voice urgent. "We must go to Hokage-sama's place! Naruto has…" Iruka pauses- expecting a ludicrous prank- but the words that escape Mizuki's mouth send him onto the floor. "-Taken the scroll of the forbidden seals as a joke!" Iruka flash turns to one of shock and horror- and the two race away to the Hokage Tower.
In the Hokage's office- several shinobi shout together. "He won't get away with this one!" "Hokage-sama!" Hiruzen sighs- looking every second of his age. "Yes… those are dangerous scrolls forbidden by my predecessors… if used in certain ways, it can cause incredible trouble. It's been several hours since the scroll was taken. Hurry and find Naruto- before he hurts himself or someone else!" The shinobi responded with a loud "Yes!" Before disappearing. Iruka races around- before heading to the woods. And he finds evidence of a scuffle… but freezes when he sees Naruto. Rather than seeing a boy scuffed up from running- or even training… he finds the boy badly beaten. It's clear he's hardly breathing. He pulls out a flare gun- and shoots up a red flare- a signal for an severely injured person- and a potential dangerous assailant.
As he fires the flare- he gets kicked in the back of the head by an unknown person. He gets his bearings- and pales when he sees Mizuki, a scroll planted firmly on his back- a prominent scowl on his face. He knows that escape is now impossible. Best case scenario- he makes it about 40 miles outside of Konoha- before he gets completely trashed by Hunter Nin… "Iruka… you damn bastard… you couldn't just be glad the damn Fox Brat was dying- could you?!" Iruka grinds his teeth. "Is that what this is all about?! The Kyuubi?! Damn it- I've known for months- he's just a boy, he's Uzumaki Naruto- and he may not be the best or the brightest- but he's got a damn good heart!" Mizuki scowls even harder- looking almost deranged. "You think that's enough?! To redeem what he holds?!" Mizuki roars with loathing- and throws a massive shuriken- but not at Iruka. It's heading straight toward Naruto- to finish him off. Iruka- still groggy from the blow to the head- is too slow… the shuriken pierces directly into Naruto's gut. "Naruto!" Iruka screams out. Mizuki cackles- but before he can speak- a hand covered in screaming lightning from a very- very pissed off looking man- with a rapidly spinning Sharingan bursts from his chest.
Iruka doesn't pay Mizuki a single glance- rushing over to Naruto to administer emergency first aid with what little medical jutsu he knows. "Damn it… DAMN IT! Stay with me- Naruto! Don't you dare stop breathing." The wound begins to close- the foxes chakra leaking out of the seal super charging any healing that's taking place… but Naruto doesn't wake up. "Naruto?" Iruka speaks weakly- he checks for a pulse- and it's there- but it's still weak for a boy his age. Iruka rushes the young boy to the hospital and he is administered- watched over by the Hokage's personal medics- his future uncertain and his life is in the hands of fate.