Chapter Text
Part 1: Acceptance
“Are you nervous for the exam today, Naruto?”
“No, sir.” Naruto stood stiffly in front of the classroom. He wore his least broken jumpsuit. Everything of his body posture told the examiners that he was lying, except for the smile on his face.
“Let me get some facts straight. You entered the Academy when you were four years old, correct?”
Naruto nodded. “I’ve been a diligent student and I have participated in every optional extra-curricular training.”
“You’ve tried to graduate early twice now and both applications were denied.”
“I was confident that I had the course work under control. I was hoping to start early as a ninja to gain more experience than my peers.”
“And the reason it was denied?”
“Both times the committee thought I was ahead of the curve, but that I was not at the level yet that a graduate should be.”
“You appealed both decisions, but with limited success.”
“I had collected many precedents that supported my early graduation based on my early start. I’m hoping today I will be judged more fairly.”
“I should tell you not to worry. Today is more a formality than anything else. I can guarantee you that you will walk out of this classroom with a headband.”
“I understand. But there is more than just the headband I’m interested in. I want to be in the top 9.”
That made the examiner asking the questions shift uncomfortably. Beside him, Iruka-sensei sighed. “Naruto, we’ve talked about this.”
Naruto did not waver.
“We’ll see what the results of today are then. That’s the only thing that matters in determining whether you’ll get to work in the field or will have to settle with an administrative position. What’s your talent score?”
“It’s… it’s a 1.”
The examiner seemed like he wanted to argue, but Iruka touched his arm and pointed at the documentation. There was silence for close to a minute as he reaffirmed what Naruto had just said.
“Just a 1? I don’t think there’s been a 1 in the top 9 ever.”
“Not since the war.” Iruka confirmed.
Naruto was undeterred. “I am sixth highest in both combat and theory. Fifth in ninjutsu and overall score. I deserve the spot.”
“There’s more to it than just grades. How do you suppose to keep up with your teammates? The lowest other contender has a talent score of five. Won’t you get tired?”
“I can do it.”
“I am sure you believe that. I noticed you did not mention your jutsu score. How are you with the basic three?”
“I’m top with Henge and second with the Kawarimi.”
“And the clone?”
Nartuo tensed his fist. “Not important. My overall jutsu score is good.“
Iruku sighed. “Naruto has a success rate of 10 percent.”
“That’s not... very good. I can’t see how I can recommend top 9 with those numbers.”
“That’s bull!”
“Naruto...” Iruka warned.
“No, I did everything I was supposed to. This is just an excuse. The clone technique is the least important of the three. The illusionary clones can’t do anything but confuse an enemy. ‘Situational tactical advantage’. That’s all! I mastered the important ones.”
“I assure you we do not take this lightly. we are supposed to assess your current strength, but also your potential. The clone technique is not important by itself, but it has an important purpose. Do you know why?”
“No, sir.” Naruto bit the words.
Iruka stepped in. “You can figure it out, Naruto. You’re smart enough.”
Naruto wanted to object, but his second-favourite teacher had an effect on him. He breathed evenly and turned it over in his head. The three techniques and how he had learned them. How others had learned them. And how they had struggled with them.
It felt like he was sinking through the floor.
“Control thresholds.”
“Exactly. The henge technique that allows you to look like someone else cannot be overpowered. Excess chakra is used to compensate for bad control or expelled with smoke. The kawarami that lets you trade places with a nearby object has a lower threshold. I assume you struggled with it at the start? Extra chakra helps with the technique, but too much and the whole construct will collapse.”
“Bunshin has the lowest.” Naruto said. “That I can’t make clones means my control is not good enough.”
“You are capable.” The man said. “But you do not have the control required to function properly in the field. You will struggle to learn new techniques and you do not have the Talent to compensate for such a weakness. Not without sacrificing the other things you need to learn. My recommendation is that you be placed in administration.”
~*~
Naruto sat on a swing, idly staring into the distance. He had a headband in his pocket that he had not put on his head yet. It was the wrong colour. Generic black instead of Konoha Blue. He was afraid to wear it and show off his failure. The kids always put him down when he talked about his ambitions to be top nine.
He just wanted a jounin sensei and go on missions. Was that too much to ask? Apparently, it was.
The other kids were greeted by happy parents with enthusiasm and cheer. They were promised celebrations and they were hugged before they were cheerfully kissed on the top of their head. He heard many different plans being made. Finishing the Academy was a rite of passage and each clan had their own traditions.
Naruto should have graduated two years ago. The talent scores of that class were a lot lower and he had jumped on the chance. They had failed him on his taijutsu stances. He had won most of his matches, but they had confronted him on his lacklustre mastery of basic stances. He had spent a whole year fortifying his technique.
Then one year later he had tried again. The talent scores were even worse and he knew he would have been in the top three of graduates. He showed not only his skill, but also his ability to shore up his weaknesses. That should have been enough. But they held him back on his theoretical scores. Though he understood the material, he had trouble memorising the details. So he had spent a full year of torturous study.
He had prepared with the teachers. He knew by now that adults tended to find the smallest excuse to diminish him. He did not know why. Some adults just hated him as soon as they saw him. Some tried to avoid him. Most of them did something worse.
“Hey, buddy. Are you alright?”
Naruto cringed. He did not have the energy to deal with one of those right now. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“Did they hold you back a year? Is that why you’re sad?”
The man was middle-aged and Naruto had never seen him before. “I graduated.”
”That’s great! It’s just, I don’t see you wearing your headband. Don’t you want to put it on? Come on, it’s tradition.”
“They’re giving it to me later.” Naruto lied. “I need to get back inside soon to receive it.”
“Well, that’ll be nice then. Now how about a smile?”
“What?”
“Come on. You’d look much happier if you smile. You’d feel better too.”
Naruto looked at the man, memorising his features. Then he smiled at him. “Yeah, you’re right. I should head inside.”
“That’s a good lad. I’m proud of you.”
Naruto hopped off the stool and went back inside. His grimace returned.
It was the pity that annoyed him the most. Like he had not fought hard to get where he was. Like he had not earned it with blood, sweat and tears.
If he were in a better mood, he would have pulled a prank on the man right away. Iruka might have yelled at him for making trouble on the school grounds, but it was the only way he knew how to break the pattern and change people’s first gut reaction on how to treat him. He would seek the man out later and figure something out.
“I think you need a break.”
Naruto looked up. “Mizuki-sensei.”
“Come on.”
~*~
It was quiet on the roof. They had a view of the kids that had graduated and of a large part of the village. There was the Hokage monument looking over them. The monument he would be part of one day.
“You had my vote.” Mizuki said. He had a drink in his hand and offered one to Naruto. “You definitely had the grades.”
“I lack chakra control.” Naruto groaned. “How could I have missed that? Why didn’t anyone warn me?”
“It wouldn’t do much good. How much would training have helped you?”
“Not a lot.” Naruto admitted.
“Look, we didn’t want to blind-side you. We just worried telling you might make them ask about it. Best to avoid it altogether.”
Naruto sighed. “I just wanted this so bad.”
Mizuki draped his arm over Naruto’s shoulders. “I know. It isn’t fair. If they saw you in action just once, they’d change their mind.”
“That’s all I wanted. To get a real chance to prove myself. None of that useless chatter that doesn’t show off anything important .”
“I’m happy you agree. Because there’s one special way you could get exactly what you want.”
Naruto pushed the man away. “Are you flirting with me again, sensei?”
Mizuku hit Naruto on the back of the head. “That one time did not count, as I keep telling you.”
“But it was so meaningful! So romance! So love!”
“It was so inappropriate.” Mizuke rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I can understand your Henge fooling me into thinking you’re an adult when I’m drunk, but how did the doorman, the barman and every single ninja in that bar get fooled too?”
“There’s a reason it’s my specialty.” Naruto grinned.
He sighed. “Now I don’t want to tell you.”
“Yes you do. You like me too much.”
“You’re a little gremlin and I hate you.” Mizuki said, but he did it with a smile.
Naruto chuckled. There was a reason Mizuki was his favourite teacher. “What’s the alternative you tried to tell me about?”
Mizuku tried to keep up his fake anger, but he relented quickly enough. “You know the top 9 get recruited into teams led by jounin. Three of the village’s strongest shinobi. When these graduates work well on missions, they get promoted to chuunin, then Tobuketsu jounin and finally jounin. They’ll take on students of their own and continue the cycle.”
“Everyone knows that.”
“And you know the alternative path. Working in the administration. Work diligently and you’ll get access to more information. More skills. More responsibilities. You could get any position in power you want.”
“But not the very top ones. They’re reserved for ninja who are injured. Or for family or friends of whoever’s responsible for deciding who gets the job.”
“Hard-working people do get promoted.”
“Of course. Rarely, but often enough that it will seem possible. They’re not stupid.”
Mizuki shook his head. “The point is, these are the two tracks that are arranged by the village. Sometimes people from the field get injured and they are pushed into the administrative branch. Some people excel despite being placed in administration and get drafted to supplement a ninja team that has lost a member. It is all clean and orderly. Now let me ask you. Where do ANBU come from?”
The ANBU were the shadow ranks. They consisted of elite guards that took on secret missions and guarded the village without ever being seen. They wore masks to conceal their identity and they hardly ever spoke. They had stepped in whenever Naruto was under serious risk of attack, as they did for all citizens. Whenever a drunk citizen stormed towards him and threatened to hurt him, there was an anonymous saviour for him.
When he was little, he used to think they were his friends. He had been saved multiple times by a man in a dog mask. Naruto had drawn him a picture in gratitude. He had gone to Grandfather Hokage and asked it be given to the nice dog guardian. Jiji had told him he should not mention the ANBU to anyone, since their patrol routes had to be kept secret. He had not seen the dog mask ever since. It still frustrated Naruto. He should not have handed it over with that many flaws.
Naruto had never quite thought about where the ANBU came from. He hardly thought about them at all. That made it easier not to talk about them. The only exception was after particularly nasty attacks when he needed to get the experience off his chest. Mizuki was a patient listener and Naruto doubted Jiji’s warnings applied to a Konoha chuunin. “Aren’t they just recruited from higher skilled field ninja?”
“You’d think that. But there are a lot of ANBU necessary to keep this big village protected. It’s not enough to draft a few of our ninja into it. Especially since the ANBU don’t generate income like our higher skilled ninja do. And it’s too conspicuous. We do not have many ninja in this village. People pay attention to them. People would notice if they kept disappearing. The ANBU can hardly be a secret organisation if everyone figures out who they are.”
“You’re saying… they aren’t combat ninja?”
“Exactly.”
“Then where the hell do they come from?” Naruto had seen them in action. They could subdue civilians without ever being seen. That took stealth, but also a whole lot of strength. More than any of the administrators he had met.
“Now that’s the question. I know you’re already thinking about it.”
“It’s not clan mumbo-jumbo, is it?”
“No. You don’t need secret knowledge about clans to figure this out.”
There were three options if they were not combat ninja. ANBU could be contracted from outside the village. That guaranteed nobody knew who they were. But where would Konoha even start finding these people? The only people powerful enough to qualify would be missing ninja, known for backstabbing their own village and going rogue. Not great bodyguard material.
The second option was to recruit civilians from Konoha. But if there were civilians training to be ninja without going the administration or field routes, Naruto did not know about them. Which left the third and the most likely. Recruiting them from the administrators. But how could administrators get powerful enough to be an ANBU without ever getting designated as a combat ninja?
Naruto was thinking about this the wrong way. If it was impossible for Konoha to get fully trained ANBU, yet they existed nonetheless, they had to get trained at some point. Then all Konoha needed was potential ANBU candidates. So that was what Mizuki was implying.
“There has to be a third track. Another way to climb the ranks. ANBU would be at the top of that, with lower tiered training positions coming before that. And you’re mentioning it because I’m eligible. You’re telling me that I won’t have to settle as an administrator if I can start studying to be an ANBU.”
“Exactly, my favourite student.” Mizuki ruffled Naruto’s hair. “It’s a secret organisation and it’s surprisingly easy to get in. Most of the challenge is figuring out the possibility exists and learning the specifics of the test.”
“And they won’t keep me out on a technicality? They won’t claim I’m disqualified because you told me?”
“Ah, but I didn’t tell you.” Mizuki said. He went through his pockets and retrieved a small sheet of paper that he handed over. “You were investigating my office for information to extort me into supporting your bid for the top 9 and you happened to find this among my things.”
Naruto looked at it. It was in code, but not beyond Naruto’s ability to decipher. “I don’t sound particularly ethical in that scenario.”
“Trust me. They’d kind of like you for passing the test, but they’d love you for a willingness to uncover information and use it to better your own position. I’ve never been in ANBU, but I’ve heard the stories. They sabotage each other and call it training. They welcome cheating as long as nobody gets caught. They’re looking for people who thrive in chaos and subterfuge. You’d do amazing in there.”
“How do you even have this?”
“I’m supposed to give it to another of your classmates. But they aren’t nearly as qualified as you are.”
Naruto smiled as he looked over the requirements. “I just need to learn one technique from this ‘Forbidden Scroll’? That doesn’t sound too… oh. The Hokage’s office? Really?” Naruto sighed. “I can’t read the scroll there. So I have to steal it first and find somewhere secluded. I’m assuming I’ll be chased?”
“Of course. It’s not just about stealing the scroll. It’s about evading authorities and showing you can be calm under pressure. At least enough to learn a new technique.”
“Okay. This will all require some planning, but okay. I think I can do this. For the final part, I need to confide in a Konoha ninja and suggest a place to meet up. Can that be you even if we’re telling the bureaucrats that I stole this scroll from you?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem. Because obviously you confronted me once you found the paper. I was so surprised, but quickly agreed to become your confidant.” Mizuku chuckled. “Where do you want to meet?”
Naruto gave it some thought. “I can get into the Hokage tower. I can get the scroll. I can get out. I’ll have to figure some way to escape away from the tower. But I don’t know of any place in Konoha where the ANBU won’t find me. That means leaving the village.”
“That’s its own challenge.” Mizuki noted.
“I can do it.” Naruto said confidently. “We’ll meet at the old mine building east of Konoha. It’s abandoned and easily forgotten. It’s easy to see people approach and it’s easy to hide there.”
“Good boy. I’ll be there at midnight then.”
“Midnight.” Naruto confirmed.
Naruto left the roof with a spring in his step. Things were going to be all right.
~*~
“You can’t be here, Naruto.”
Naruto put on his saddest face. He was wearing the black forehead protector so the guard knew that he had not made it into the top nine. “I just want to talk with him.”
“We’ve discussed this. Repeatedly. The Hokage doesn’t have time outside of your scheduled visits.”
Naruto reached into his backpack. “I brought you muffins.”
The guard tensed. “Blueberry?”
“Like I’d forget they’re your favourites.” Naruto pulled out the pastries and handed them over.
The guard looked troubled, before he accepted them. “But this time is really the last, okay? Just because it’s graduation day.”
Naruto hugged the man. “You’re the best.”
“Yeah, yeah. Now shoo and don’t make me regret it.”
Naruto swallowed down the guilt that rose within him. He would make it up to him later. This was a test and he had to think about himself first. He had learned the guard rotations and their favourite bribes because he genuinely liked visiting the Hokage. That he abused that knowledge now was only a fair utilisation of his resources.
Sarutobi-Jiji was hard at work behind his desk when Naruto came in. “I said no visitors.”
“I couldn’t resist.” Naruto said.
Konoha’s Third Hokage lit up when he realised who it was. “And to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I know you’re busy with all the delegations and I didn’t want to bother you. But today was the Academy graduation.”
The man smiled wider than Naruto had ever seen before. “I can’t believe it slipped my mind. Congratulations, Naruto-kun.”
“Thanks, Jiji. I didn’t make it into top nine, though.” He pouted. ”I thought you said you’d put in a good word.”
The Hokage chuckled. “I’d put in a good word if you didn’t prank anyone this year. So that went out the window after the first week.”
“I lasted more than a week! Nine days!” Naruto laughed. “But then your advisors started heckling you and I couldn’t let that stand!”
The Hokage laughed along. “I never quite figured out how you were able to give them the hiccups. You hadn’t gotten into their food supplies.”
“I had my ways.” Naruto smiled. “Anyway, I know you’re busy and all, but you also need to eat. I brought Ichiraku ramen.”
“I promised I would finish this.”
“But you also need a break.” Naruto insisted. “The paperwork can wait. I know those colours. All the red scrolls are already taken care of. You’re working on orange right now.”
“Orange is important too.”
“Not so important that it can’t wait till next week. Which means it can wait till you’ve taken your break.”
He had a large container to keep it all warm and two bowls which he set out on the desk. He was careful to divide the broth and the noodles equally. Old man Teuchi had balked at selling take-out ramen without any condiments, but it was important that it all went into the same warmth-isolated container. Not like he had a second container for condiments anyway.
“Dig in.” Naruto smiled, using his chopsticks and slurping a huge helping of his own bowl.
The Hokage still looked a bit worried, moving papers around so they wouldn’t get stained, but he joined in nonetheless. They chattered about the graduation process and how Naruto had prepared for it all. It was easy to lose track of time with one of the few parental figures in Naruto’s life.
Sarutobi rubbed his head. “You know, maybe the paperwork can wait till tomorrow. I should probably get some sleep.”
“You sure, Jiji? What will they say when they see you leaving this room?”
“It’s not my first time sneaking a nap in here. Never wondered why I have such a comfortable couch in the corner? It’s not because I care deeply about my guests.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Naruto asked, clearing up the bowls.
“No, but thank you. I should lock up before I go to sleep. It was nice seeing you and we should do this again once the ambassadors have left.”
“Don’t be silly. I can let myself out. Where do you keep the blankets? Is it in that coffer you won’t let anyone in?”
The Hokage took a step towards Naruto, but he was unsteady on his feet. “I shouldn’t be this tired.”
“It’s cause you work so late.”
“Naruto, I know my body. I know when I’ve been drugged. What did you do?”
“Nothing.” Naruto tried again, but he was fidgeting and his mask started to crack. “I was worried about how much you were wearing yourself out…” Even his other lie did not sound too convincing with Naruto’s nervousness so transparently on display.
“How did you even manage it? We ate the same food.”
“I coated your bowl.” Naruto said. “It’s just for a few hours.”
The Hokage tensed. He was clearly about to go into action.
Naruto didn’t have many weapons, but he did have one secret trick up his sleeve.
“Sexy no jutsu!” Naruto yelled out, his body transforming. Henge had always been his specialty. He gave the Hokage his most alluring look, showing off naked skin of a blonde woman nearly twice his real age.
The Hokage’s eyes went wide, his nose started to bleed, and then he passed out.
“I hoped to do this the easy way, Jiji. But it’ll all be worth it when you give me my ANBU mask.” Naruto said. He took a moment to put Sarutobi in a more comfortable position, so he wouldn’t wake up stiff. Naruto was happy enough that the old man had not been hit by anything on his way down. He hid a note on his body for the medic they would call with the name and dosage of the anaesthetic he had used. They would take care of him.
Right, he only had a bit of time. He had to hurry. He went straight to the room behind the Hokage’s desk and started pulling out big scrolls. They were clearly labelled, but it was such a mess that it took him precious moments to find the correct one.
He pulled out a much smaller sealing scroll and stored the larger scroll within. Then he hurried out of the office. He tried to look cool and collected as the guard greeted him.
“Had a good talk, Naruto-kun?”
“Yeah and I’m pretty sure he didn’t mind the distraction.”
“That’s good to hear. Now you’d better get back home and straight to bed.”
“Yes, sir.” Naruto smiled. He moved past the guard, but then hesitated. “Man, you’ve really been keeping him busy. I’ve never seen him look so exhausted. You should take better care of him. Promise me you’ll get him some tea soon?”
“I’ll take care of things.”
Good. The guard would not disrupt him immediately, but he would look in on the old man soon. Naruto walked off at his regular pace, which quickened as soon as he had rounded a corner. To get in, he had taken a slow and very secure path. Now to leave, he took a much more direct route. He knew the guard patrols. It should be safe. But running drew too much attention and he never knew what might be hiding in the shadows.
He was just climbing out of a window when the alarm sounded. They would be coming then. That was fine. He made a seal with his hands and felt his body transform again. He took the time to get this right, since he needed it to last.
He had debated with himself the best form to take. He knew the faces of a lot of random civilians and they would work. But civilians were slow and it was suspicious for any of them to be out so late at night. For ninja, he only knew his classmates and a few others. He had thought about using Mizuki’s face, but being too specific had too many risks. Mizuki was a known ninja and a lot of people knew where he was supposed to be.
The answer was quite simple in hindsight. There was an obvious choice if Naruto wanted to blend in, use the speed of a ninja, yet be a ninja that was only known by a tiny group of people.
He stood taller on the window’s ledge, his trademark orange replaced with the black and greys of the ANBU. He had changed his hair and had included a mask in his Henge. The only one he really knew by heart.
Then he was off. He knew his way through the dark alleys and the back parts of the village. He just needed to get to the Eastern gate. The distance was not that great. Of course, it felt a lot greater once ninja started moving all around him.
He was glad nothing happened. People were looking for orange and a big scroll, not an ANBU member. The few ninja who got close enough gave a cursory look and then moved on.
It was not until the gate that he ran into trouble. The gate itself was too heavily guarded of course. His destination was the maintenance door next to the gate. It was not locked on the village’s side and it had only a small lock on the other side. He had not expected to be approached just as he made for the door.
“I didn’t think you’d be on duty, Hound.”
Naruto stilled and did his best impression of the ANBU. He stood straight and stared stoically at the ninja. The mask had a beak and markings around the eyes that looked like feathers. Naruto remained silent. He had little other choice. He had never heard Hound speak and would not know how to emulate his voice.
“Come on, don’t be like that. I know you like the kid. There has to be a good explanation why he’d do something like this.”
Naruto stood still. Let the guy interpret that how he will.
“Look, I won’t tell. You go that way, I’ll go the other. Okay?”
Naruto had to do something. If he couldn’t speak, he could use his body language. Nodding might work, but it was also informal. The ninja in front of him clearly knew Hound and might ask more questions. But there was another option. He had only seen ANBU communicate with each other three times. They used a complicated language of hand signs which Naruto had found impossible to decipher. But there was at least some signs that he understood. Especially the one sign they used to respond to each other after much longer instructions. He had interpreted it to mean ‘understood’. He flashed the hand sign and hoped to god his hand would not tremble and give him away.
The other ninja used the same sign and then disappeared.
Naruto tried to keep his breathing steady as he slipped into the maintenance door and got out of sight.
The lock was as easy to pick as he remembered. He was out of Konoha. That just left one more transformation.
He used his normal size, but he transformed his clothes. The orange would stick out. He liked wearing it because it stuck out. But here he needed dark greens. He had included body paint in his transformation, making his skin brown and green. It was hard to make his hair an unnatural colour, so he had added a hood to his jumpsuit.
He slipped out of the gate and trod carefully for the first hundred yards. He looked around to be sure nobody had followed him and then he started running.
The hardest part was over. Naruto could cry. He had done it. Everyone said it was impossible for him to do anything. But he had done this. He had proven them all wrong. He was going to be ANBU.
His mind nagged at the encounter he had had. The bird ANBU had not sounded like he was trying to catch Naruto as part of a test or a game. He had sounded like there had been an actual crime.
Naruto pushed his doubts aside. He did not know the rules of this game. Mizuki was his favourite teacher. It would be fine.
~*~
It was hard to read with so little light, but he was not such a fool that he would openly broadcast his location. He had a small torchlight that he held in his mouth as he tried to make sense of the scroll.
Learning a technique was more difficult than he had thought. Which was a testament to the steep entrance requirements of the ANBU path. The first technique on the scroll was an advanced clone technique. He dismissed it as soon as he read the specifics. The minimal chakra requirements were out of this world. He had higher chakra stores than his classmates and probably more than most genin and he would still have to be crazy to try it.
The next was an advanced seal. Naruto had read about sealwork, but he had never pursued it seriously. He had not had the time. He knew how to store items and how to activate an explosive tag and that was enough to pass the Academy’s curriculum.
The next few were high level elemental jutsu, which required a basic training in elemental chakra. Naruto knew he had wind chakra from the few experiments he had done, but resources for more were just not available at his level. The one wind jutsu in the scroll was far beyond his ability to learn in the few hours he had.
It had to be deliberate, Naruto thought. Put all the big flashy jutsu in the beginning. Anyone stupid enough to try to learn those, or impatient enough not to check the whole scroll first, would fail the test by biting off more than they could chew.
Naruto passed over a genjutsu mastery technique. He passed over a taijutsu style of fighting that was so complicated that it required months of training to get the first forms down. He passed over a similar treatise on fighting with weapons that were not available to him.
Then came the studies on bloodline limits. Of course there was an easy option for clan members in here. A small ocular technique only Sharingan wielders could learn. A camouflage technique for the Hyuuga’s eyes. Intermediate instructions for other clan techniques. Naruto knew he was not Chouji and without the Akamichi basic training these instructions for body morphing were useless no matter how much the Multi-size jutsu resembled the henge.
Annoyingly, there was no information about how clans cultivated their talents. Nothing about their spirit guardians other than the same allusions Naruto had read about a hundred times before. The clans were so tight-lipped that their secrets were not even noted in a forbidden scroll of techniques.
Naruto’s hands were getting sweaty as he neared the end of the scroll. So far, there had been a reason to dismiss every single technique he had read about. He lacked resources or basic skills or a bloodline. This was supposed to be his chance to prove himself. Why was he dealing with the exact same unfair clan privilege that he had had to deal with his whole life?
And then there was the very last part of the scroll. Chakra control. Something that was impossible to improve in short amounts of time.
It was done. The scroll held nothing for him. He had failed.
Naruto swallowed. He had to change his thinking. He was supposed to learn something from this scroll. Maybe all the techniques were too advanced but if he learned something, anything at all, he could argue on technicalities. Adults loved pulling that crap on him. Why shouldn’t he return the favour?
His best bet was the chakra control. He would not be able to master any of the exercises, but they were exercises precisely because they gradually showed effect. The bunshin technique was fail or success. But something like the leaf floating they did as children became better the more he practiced it.
He started reading. The scroll mentioned tree walking as an exercise that could be learned in a few days. Water walking built from that as a next step. There was an exercise on air walking as a culmination. It sounded extremely cool and amounted to a double jump feature in real life.
Naruto was annoyed that so much of the space used was on the theory and known instances of air walking. It was pretentious bullshit.
This is pretentious bullshit.
Naruto laughed out loud. There was a little note written in different ink on the scroll.
Here’s some wisdom for this scroll. Non-traditional chakra control exercises, for when your chakra feels more like a stormy ocean than a calm lake.
Naruto was entranced. The writing was not at the technical level of the rest of the scroll, but it was clear and easy to understand. The exercises were simple even.
All his life, he had been judged for having trouble with his chakra control. All his life he had felt like a failure when others picked it up
Other people need to learn to draw from their lakes. That doesn’t work when you’re a lifeboat in a storm and the water keeps moving. You don’t need to worry filling your bucket with water from the waves. The waves are your enemy. They are too wild to tame. Focus on keeping your container still and let it fill itself. The crashing waves will make it rain.
He sat still and discarded all the chakra theory he had been taught his life. That his energy was something he had to harvest. That he had control about how much he took out and that it was just a matter of practice.
Instead, he meditated on the unrest of his chakra. He had always felt it. The chakra reserves he had built were unsteady and chaotic. He always thought the metaphor of the lake did not resonate with him because he was doing something wrong. But maybe it just did not apply to him.
He followed the instructions and he practiced gathering chakra passively. His chakra ebbed and waned. He had learned those patterns years ago so that he would know when to grasp for it. Now, he opened himself up for chakra that was offered and used those patterns to protect the chakra he took within. He knew how much he wanted. He just had to wait as it gathered itself.
Unfortunately, Naruto hated to wait. Time passing without hardly anything to do itched something terrible. He glanced around outside. Nobody was around. It should be fine.
He grabbed his cassette player from his bag and put on some headphones. He left one ear exposed to listen out for intruders and then pressed play. Listening to the songs he had heard a thousand times before soothed him better than anything else could. He went back to work.
The first time it took half an hour, because he kept losing the chakra he had stored when his chakra flared unexpectedly, like a strong wave capsizing his boat. He used the gathered chakra to create two bunshin replicas besides him and they looked nearly perfect. It was laughably easy when he did not have to wrestle with the control threshold.
The second time it took only fifteen minutes. His clones looked better.
He spent two hours like that, gathering up his chakra and using it to create clones. He had gotten better at protecting his chakra. He had also gotten better at passively gathering it. His chakra rained and he learned where it was raining hardest. At the end, he could gather his chakra within a minute.
More importantly, he had made dozens and dozens of clones. Not all of them had been perfect. He had been so focussed on the amount of chakra before, that he had never practiced the shape and size of them. He could work on that now. Because not even one clone had been a dud. His success rate was not at 10 percent anymore.
“Naruto?”
It was not his favourite teacher, but it was a close second. “Iruka-sensei.” Naruto beamed and pulled off his headphones. “I did it. I can show you what I learned and you’ll pass me.”
Naruto started concentrating to show off his new skill.
“Naruto, I…”
“Shhh. I need to concentrate.” Naruto held steady. He needed a little time, but he could do it now.
“Naruto, this is serious. I need to know what you are talking about.”
“The hidden third track. I know you’re not supposed to talk about it, but I found out from Mizuki-sensei. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I passed!”
“Mizuki-san?” Iruka seemed very confused. “What exactly did he tell you?
Suddenly Naruto was pushed aside and where he had been, dozens of kunai were imbedded into the floor. Iruka had been hit with some of them but was standing protectively between Naruto and the source: Mizuki.
“This has gotten unexpectedly complicated.” Mizuki said.
Iruka gasped. “Mizuki tricked you into getting the scroll.”
“No... it’s an ANBU test. Tell him, Mizuki-sensei.”
“There’s no such thing, you idiot.”
Naruto swallowed as Mizuki put on the meanest snarl Naruto had ever seen. Naruto shook his head. “But you told me. How else could there be enough ANBU to protect the whole village?”
“There aren’t. There are maybe ten ANBU at any time.”
“No... they protect the villagers. Ten aren’t enough to do that!”
“They don’t protect the village. That’s the lie you’ve been told to protect the village’s biggest secret.”
“Mizuki, don’t!”
“You think you are just some random orphan? How wrong you are.”
“I don’t… I don’t understand.” Naruto’s hands were trembling. Mizuki, his favourite teacher, was looking at him as a predator. Like he wanted nothing more than to string Naruto up and cut him open.
“The reason that you are pitied. The reason that you are hated. The reason that people prefer to avoid you all together. And the reason I thought it would be useful to manipulate you. It’s all the same.”
“Mizuki!” Iruka warned again, pushing Naruto protectively behind him.
“Naruto, you’re the new container of the Demon Fox.”
“What?” That could not be true. Could it? Iruka’s pained silence was not reassuring.
“The fox that destroyed the village twelve years ago, that the Yondaime died to stop. He sealed it inside of you and that’s why the village won’t let you fight. You’re their secret weapon. One day they’ll send you out to fight and they’ll expect you to die so that you will release the demon in the enemy’s midst.”
Naruto looked for support at Iruka, but he only looked resigned. “You weren’t supposed to know. It would have been easier for you if you didn’t know.”
Mizuki smirked. “You thought training would solve your issues, but you’ll never learn control. The demon chakra mixes with your own and it poisons you. You think it’s a coincidence you have no talent? The demon destroyed it.”
“Why are you lying to me?!” Naruto asked in desperation. His eyes were wet with tears.
“You’re right. Why am I wasting my breath on a demon?” He flung out his arm and sent a large shuriken Naruto’s way.
Naruto was frozen. He could not move. He knew he needed to get away, but his muscles would not obey him. He just could not escape the mental image of his death causing the destruction of Konoha. Was that what all those ANBU had been thinking when they protected him? That he was a bomb that would go off if someone shook him hard enough?
He saw the shuriken getting closer and his mind halted. At least if he died, he was far away enough from the village that he would not kill all of Konoha’s citizens.
Iruka was suddenly over him, letting the shuriken sink into his back to protect Naruto. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you more.” He said. “At first I was afraid of you. But then I got to know you. And I was afraid if I got any closer, it would hurt too much when you’d be gone. I should have tried harder.”
Naruto scrambled away, running as fast as his legs could take him.
“He’s trying to flee with the scroll himself.” Mizuki said. “I’d be impressed if I wasn’t so pissed.”
“That’s not who Naruto is...”
The voices quieted as Naruto ran away. He dashed between the trees and tried to think clearly. It was clear that he had been tricked. But that hardly registered compared to being told he had the Nine-Tailed fox inside of him.
And all that paled to the fact that his favourite teacher was attacking him. He had almost died and if that was not an indication that Mizuki was lying for some reason…
Except, Iruka had confirmed it. And while he could think of few reasons where Mizuki would lie about this, he could think of even fewer where they both would. And it did explain so much. All the villagers that wished him harm, but never enough to kill him. Or that treated him with rubber gloves, like he was terminally ill.
And Naruto realised that none of Mizuki’s attacks would have been immediately lethal. Even the giant shuriken would have only let him bleed out over the course of hours. If Mizuki was as evil as he now appeared, he would find no issue with letting the demon attack the village while he got away.
His mind was going in circles and it took him effort to focus on his most immediate need. He knew Mizuki was faster than Naruto was. If Naruto just kept running, Mizuki would catch up. And he knew that if his teacher caught up with him, his chances to survive were close to zero. He needed to be smart about this.
Mizuki had seen the direction he had fled in. He had dashed towards Konoha, of course. If he got there, he could alert the guards and he would win. But it was too far away. He could not just head for the East gate. That was the most predictable course to take. The South gate was even further away. He had to weigh the advantage of taking a different direction with the extra time it would take to reach Konoha. Would Mizuki be able to track him? Then the shortest route was still his safest bet.
He was being stupid. He did not need to reach a gate at all. The Konoha walls were manned, especially after the alarm had sounded. He just needed to get to a wall. As much as his desire for safety compelled him, he ignored his instincts and diverted south by a few degrees.
As soon as he was out of line of sight for a ninja taking the direct path, he hid behind a tree and took a few moments to still his breath. He needed to transform. His orange jumpsuit stood out too much. He was breathing so hard even another genin could catch him. It took precious seconds, but slowly he got his breathing back under control. His heart drummed inside of him and it made it hard to focus.
He heard ninja rushing behind him and he suddenly became very aware that even if he had an escape plan, Iruku-sensei did not.
He made up his mind and set off to the fight, already gathering his chakra.
“Why are you fighting for him? He’s the one who killed your parents. He’s the one who destroyed the village!”
“He’s my student.” Iruka said. Naruto had to muffle a painful yell as he saw the state the man was in. He was collapsed against a tree, looking like he should have died three kunai ago. A small trail of blood was coming from the corner of his mouth.
Mizuki laughed. “Don’t you get it? He has the scroll now. He doesn’t need a teacher. The demon got the power he has been selfishly demanding for years. Did you know they almost passed him last year? The demon would have gotten into the top 9 and they were just going to let him.”
Iruka gasped. “You’re the one who leaked his weaknesses.”
“I just gave them some pointers on what questions to ask. Now that he has power in his grasp, don’t you think the demon will use it? He told you he had learned a technique already, didn’t he? What do you think he picked? The demon would pick something truly destructive, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, he would.”
Naruto’s eyes teared up further. Was that what Iruka really thought of him?
“The demon would, but Naruto’s not the demon. You spent so much time with him and you still don’t know him very well, do you? You think he wanted to be in Top 9 because he wanted to be powerful? Naruto just wanted to be acknowledged for his hard work. That’s all he’s ever wanted.”
“What would the demon care about that?”
“Naruto’s not the demon.” Iruka repeated. “Naruto’s my most determined student. And I am honoured to call him a member of the Hidden Leaf village.”
Mizuki stepped forward, but Naruto jumped in front of him. “You touch one hair on this man’s head and there will be hell to pay.”
“You’re not stronger than I am.” Mizuki snarked, jumping forward with his kunai held up. They met in the middle and Mizuki’s blade disappeared into Naruto’s body, passing through harmlessly.
Naruto’s bunshin shimmered and expelled, as Naruto attacked from a different direction, pushing a kunai into Mizuki’s torso.
Mizuki turned around and punched Naruto’s head just as the blade penetrated his skin. The chuunin cried out and grasped at the blade in pain. But the knife was too deep in his abdomen to remove. His other hand pointed a kunai aggressively at Naruto and seemed ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Naruto jumped back. He was seeing double. The chuunin’s hit had really connected.
“Y-you can’t make clones.”
“I can now.” Naruto said. He tried to stand firm, but he was dizzy and it was hard to keep his balance.
Mizuki noticed the genin would not be able to dodge. He threw his kunai and it lodged into naruto’s shoulder.
Naruto’s body disappeared and in its stead was a wooden log. The real Naruto jumped from on top of a tree onto Mizuki, delivering as many punches as he could before Mizuki grabbed a hold of him and threw him against one of the nearby trees.
Naruto’s spine protested as Naruto got back up. He coughed up blood, which he tried to wipe away with his sleeve.
“You need to run, Naruto.” Iruka said. He was hurt and bleeding, but still thinking of his student first. “I can hold him off.”
“I already lost one of my favourite teachers today.” Naruto said, looking Mizuki in the eye. “I’m not losing another.”
“P-persistent brat.” Mizuki was breathing deeper.
The blood loss was affecting him. Naruto just needed to keep it up. This had just become about stalling him.
Mizuki drew another big shuriken and launched it at Naruto. It cleaved the genin in two, before Naruto’s body was just a cut log.
“Not attacking me again with a counter?”
Naruto’s body ached from his injuries and the escape. He clutched his belly and swallowed to keep down the sick. The Kawarami was uncomfortable and his body protested the second teleport. He needed time before he could attempt a third. This was taking too much out of him.
Naruto waited for his chakra like he had learned. It did not take too long. He had started earlier and held on to it even through the replacement technique.
And then he stepped back out with four copies next to him.
Mizuki looked incensed. “Those bunshin are useless.”
“It’s a situational tactical advantage.” Naruto said. “I saw you wince when you threw that Shuriken. I don’t know how many you have on you, but I know you can’t throw many more.”
“But if I do find you, you can’t do another Kawarami.”
“No. Two’s my limit.” Naruto admitted. “I’m willing to put my life on the line here. Are you?”
Mizuki just smirked. Instead of one of the big shuriken, he grabbed a couple of kunai from his pouch. He made to throw them all at once, but he winced at the pain in his side. He switched to only one blade in his hand.
Naruto held up his own kunai defensively. His clones did the same.
Mizuki made to throw his blade, when orange appeared from his blind side. He turned around immediately to address the demon’s sneak attack, ignoring the pain to throw all kunai at once at the new threat. The blades pierced through the orange fabric of a jumpsuit, with nobody inside.
Naruto and his clones used the distraction to get into Mizuki’s personal space. They pushed another kunai into the man’s torso and then punched and kicked and bit whatever they could get their hands on. Of the five, only one could do damage, but in the chaos there was enough confusion that Mizuki had trouble getting a hold of Naruto.
They struggled on the ground for minutes. Naruto knew he would not get another chance at this and tried to ignore all the damage Mizuki was causing him. Simply wrestling together was making Mizuki bleed.
Naruto’s bunshin shimmered and disappeared. The henge he had formed so that Mizuki would not notice his missing jacket had broken, the excess kunai that he had made the replica from scattered around the ground. Naruto had trouble hearing or seeing anything. There was so much pain that he could hardly think. He just had to push through it. Whatever he did, he could not stop.
“Naruto… you can stop now.”
Iruka’s hand was on his shoulder. The teacher had a limp in his step, but he was holding himself.
Naruto looked down at the unconscious form of Mizuki. Oh. He had won.
He stood up and tried to steady himself. He had a black eye and his hands were sore and mostly covered with blood. His own and Mizuki’s.
The adrenaline left him and he pushed his face into Iruka’s side, blubbering. “I was so worried for you.”
“That’s supposed to be my line, Naruto-kun.”
He sniffed a bit more, before letting go and rubbing at his eyes. “What’s going to happen to me now? I broke so many laws.”
“It’s okay. We know you were tricked. But I am going to need you to hand in that black headband.”
His graduation was being undone. “I… I understand.” He reached behind his head and undid the knot holding it in place. It fell into his hand and he stared at it. The Konoha symbol on metal. He had only worn it for one night, but he was going to miss it.
Iruka took the headband from Naruto’s hand and replaced it with his own. It took a while to sink in. Seeing the same symbol on the same metal, but this time attached to a long band of blue cloth.
“I’m overruling the decision.”
“I-I’m… top nine?”
“Well, I suppose it’s top 10 now. But yeah. They failed you on the bunshin and it’s…”
Naruto tackled Iruka in a hug. The night was far from over. They would have to do a lot of explaining. He knew his wounds would hurt more once the excitement fully wore off. And he would have to think about what it meant to be a demon container.
But for now, he was a graduate who had gotten all he had ever wanted. Life was good for a change. Naruto took the time to enjoy it.