Chapter Text
“Kit, you realise once you do this, there is no going back? Everything and everyone you know will cease to exist. Not to mention, this is dangerous. Stupidly and foolishly dangerous. We have no way to know exactly will happen once you do it. I can’t protect you.” The great nine tailed fox who could topple mountains and form tsunamis with a single swish of a single tail was currently in a miniature form, no larger than a common house cat, as he laid out across a pile of Naruto’s clothing and licking his paws clean from excess dirt.
Naruto gave his lifelong tenant and now best friend a dazzling grin. “Kurama, you’re showing your soft side. Careful.” He laughed loudly as he continued to diligently work on the massive and complex seal matrix. “I know, but we’re out of options. We’re gonna lose the war. So many of my friends have died. Even if….even if I manage to win, what would be the point? I can’t bring back all the people that have died. This isn’t like the time we fought Pain. No one is here to bring back the souls that have been lost.”
Kurama huffed loudly, however he remained silent as he watched his jinchūriki carefully create what will most likely be the most powerful seal to ever grace the hands of mortals.
To go backwards in space and time. He scoffed. Only someone as crazy and unpredictable as Naruto Uzumaki could even attempt such a thing.
“Almost done. Just needs a couple more strokes and we will be all set.” Naruto proclaimed as his stuck his tongue out in concentration.
The nine tail fox could not be more proud of Naruto in this moment They have grown tremendously in the last few years. War and tragedy was bound to do that to a person. Even to someone as stubborn and foolishly optimistic as Naruto.
Outside, to the world and to everyone fighting tooth and nail for survival, the cheerful blond never wavered with his emotions. He kept a shining smile plastered across his face despite the looming darkness and blood that stained the battlefield. Even when his friends fell, one by one, killed in terrible and horrific ways, the blond never allowed his sorrow to crack his persona.
Naruto was a leader, even if only made one by default. He had this impossible duty and
responsibility to keep morale. To become a pillar of strength for everyone still fighting.
Kurama knew Naruto better than anyone. Perhaps better than they knew themselves. They buried every insecurity, every ounce of fear so deep inside their psyche, it was a miracle that they haven’t snapped under the weight. Perhaps if it was anyone besides Naruto, they would have. To handle such pressures, to see the most vile aspects of humanity and yet remain this pure? It was a feat that the gods themselves would envy.
Naruto without a doubt was the strongest human Kurama had ever encountered. Maybe the strongest being. As cold and detached as he was himself, he doubt he could remain passive while his own family was brutally slaughtered. At least his siblings couldn’t technically be murdered. Naruto cannot say the same for his self made family.
At times the giant fox worried that the blond had grown too numb. Dissociated so greatly that nothing seemed to touch their shattered soul. When the last of Naruto’s comrades fell, something had shifted in his host. Kurama, who has spent every single moment with Naruto since birth, could no longer sense the blue eyed teen’s emotions. They vanished into a void so dark, so vast, that no fraction of light could be felt. It had terrified the ancient being. Sensing emotions was one of his abilities and to be cut off from a person that you shared a body and mind with was truly frightening.
Kurama prayed. To his Father. To the gods. To the universe. This seal has to work. He needs his old Naruto back. Not this empty husk of a being pretending to be the old Naruto.
“Not to sew seeds of doubt Kit, but are you sure this will work? There is a reason why no one before has ever succeeded.”
The blond paused and glanced up at the massive fox and simply shrugged. “Nope. But either way, I die right? Stay in this timeline and fight and probably get my head chopped off or win and spend all my life burying the bodies of my friends. So I rather do this. Then at least I can say to everyone when I met them in the afterlife that I tried everything.”
Kurama made a sound between a grunt and a sigh. Damn him for having the most pure soul in the universe for a host. His Father must be cracking up in their grave for how things turned out.
“Okay Kurama. It’s time. You ready?”
The nine tailed fox silently got up from its resting spot and leaped into the air and disappeared in cloud of chakra as it connected with Naruto’s chest.
His deep voice instead echoed in the blond’s head with a reply. “This better work or else I will find a way to haunt you from the afterlife. I refuse to be left alone with these shitty humans.”
“There there, stop being so grumpy and help me.”
The unlikely duo began to concentrate in earnest, pooling their chakra together. Naruto began to glow as he transformed using nine tail’s chakra cloak. The air around them thickened, getting heavier with each passing second as more and more of their combined powers saturated the nearby surroundings.
It wouldn’t be long before the enemy would take notice of so much chakra being flared in one spot. It wasn’t like there were many people left in the world that could utilize this much chakra.
The seal matrix began to emit powerful light as chakra began to fuel it. The sight of it working only spurred Naruto and he released every ounce of his chakra in a massive burst.
“Naruto- wait! Stop! No!”
But it was too late. His vision went spotty for a brief moment, then completely dark, his eyes seeing nothing but endless abyss. Naruto cried out in agony. His blood was freezing and scorching simultaneously while head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. His body ached in a way that it never had before. As if he had been compressed and forced through the eye of a needle. He wanted to vomit, but he wasn’t sure which way was up or down anymore and he wasn’t about die from choking on his own bile.
One by one, the blond’s remaining senses failed him. Each loss made his heart race faster in his chest, beating to a rhythm that was surely fatal. Perhaps his heart was skipping though all it’s remaining years in the span of minutes.
Then, without warning, began truly the worst excruciating pain imaginable. His very chakra pathways were burning. Being seared into dust by his own chakra. It was as if someone had injected liquid magma into his veins. He screamed soundlessly. Oh how he screamed. He knew he was despite his deafness for his vocal cords vibrated like a beaten drum.
It could have been hours, days, maybe years for all he knows. Without a single sense to guide him, Naruto was lost in a sea of endless torture.
Chapter 2: Time Travel Sucks Balls
Summary:
Naruto successfully made it to the past. Question is, when and where is he? And why is his chakra weird? And most importantly, who stole his clothes?
Notes:
Hi Everyone. I’ve returned. With more chaos. Also, I don’t know why it says this is a completed story. It won’t let me change it.
Chapter Text
“Naruto. Na-ru-to! Wake up you dumbass. You’re dying.”
The blond woke up gasping loudly. He sat up and scanned his surroundings. He relaxed slightly as he took in the familiar sewer landscape that was his mind. Although it was significantly darker and much more run down than usual.
Naruto stumbled through the murky water until he spotted Kurama. The massive fox looked like they had seen better days. Their body was all skin and bones and their tails were resting flat in the dirty sewer instead of swishing through the air like usual.
“Kurama, what happened?”
“Finally. You’re so thick headed that I can’t even get a hold of you inside your own mind. Listen, we don’t have a lot of time. The seal drained every morsel of both of our chakras. While it won’t kill me, I’ll probably be forced to sleep for some time to recover. However you should be dead Kit. You have no chakra in your body. Not mine or yours. Yet you’re still clinging to life.” Kurama chuckled tiredly. Even now, his host was determined to break all the rules. He had no idea how or why, but Naruto was alive and he could happily go to sleep knowing that his only friend had not died.
Naruto had tears pooling at the edges of his eyes as he watched his oldest companion let out a deep shuddering breath. The fox was struggling to stay awake. The blond knew it wasn’t like they were dying, but why did it feel so horrible? It ached fiercely in his chest.
“Naruto, be careful. The future is not set in stone. Your presence here alone has already changed what you experienced. Old dangers exist but now so do new ones. Trust no one.”
The blue eyed teen nodded emotionally as he reached up to laced his fingers through the fox’s extremely soft and fluffy fur. He stayed there for the longest time, brushing his fingers against the gains biju’s snout until the watery sewer was filled with the sounds of slumbering snores.
“I promise Kurama. Things will be different. You and I will change the world. Just rest up buddy. I can take care of both of us for now.”
Naruto gave the fox one last gentle pat before he walked away. Time to wake up.
—————————————————————
Oh fuck. Waking up hurts! His body was protesting every movement. He felt like his limbs were made of lead. Just opening his eyelids was a massive and painful task.
Note to self; time travel sucks balls.
But he did it. He actually did it! The bubble of excitement gave him a tiny burst of energy. Enough to force himself to work through the pain and sit up to glance around him. He was in the middle of a thick forest. The type of trees were familiar. Definitely back in the Land of Fire. That’s good. He didn’t want to have to travel half way across the world.
He winced as he wobbled to get to his feet. Why did everything hurt so much? Kurama said he was dying, but besides feeling like shit, he didn’t feel dead. He patted himself down to check for injuries. No blood.
But why did everything feel wrong? Like the size of the world didn’t make sense. The trees and plants around him appeared so much more imposing than he recalled. Had it really been so long since he’s been in a forest?
Also, why the hell was he naked? There was nothing on him. Not even the First Hokage’s necklace that he gotten from Granny. His heart twinged at the loss. He was going to miss it. It was one of the few gifts he had ever gotten and it was the only possession he had to remember Granny with after her death.
He lamented for another few moments before locking down those emotions. He didn’t have the time to wallow around. He had to figure out what the hell happened to him and when and where he was exactly.
As he walked through the dense brush barefoot and stark naked, he began to realize that he could still sense everything around him. Just like when he was in sage mode. It had taken him awhile to figure it out, but he could definitely feel the chakra of every living thing directly around him. He didn’t have the range of a few miles like before, but even being able to naturally sense chakra in radius of a few dozen feet was amazing. But why? And how?
He paused his wondering as he neared the edge of a slow moving creek. He kneeled down at the water’s edge to take a sip of the refreshing liquid. He spotted his own reflection staring back at him as he reached down to cup a bit of water.
Wait.
He leaned over the water again and stared at his face again. His very very young face. He yelled loudly as he jumped up in shock.
“Holy shit. Why am I so young!?” He glanced down his body again, this time refocusing on the fact that his entire body was that of a kid. Everything was small and squishy again. He didn’t have his abs or firm pecs or hardly any muscles at all. Not to mention his junk was tiny.
Worse, he was short. Again. He was NOT going to relive being teased for his height. He will shove a kunai through anyone that calls him a pipsqueak.
Fuck. He had to go through puberty again? This really was a form of hell. What happened to all his good luck? Kurama would probably say he was just lucky to be alive.
But…no scars. Not that he had many with his healing factor, but the few that lingered had always weighed him down. This was a true clean slate. Everything that had happened in the past was washed away. He could actually start over again.
He plopped back down on the soft grass and stared at his reflection. His face was round with baby fat and innocent with huge bright eyes shining back at him. He smiled a little. When was the last time he could remember looking so happy and pure? Years for sure.
He touched his face gently with too tiny fingers. He still had his trademark whiskers. He grinned to himself. At least some things never change.
But no strange markings like when was in sage mode. He appeared perfectly normal despite channeling nature chakra.
After drinking his fill of creek water. He decided he needed to figure out what had changed. He could feel it. Some indescribable shift deep down, all the way to his bones.
The world felt different to him. Louder, more vibrant than before. Even when he had used sage mode in the past, he never felt quite this level of connection to nature.
He held his hand in front of him, palm facing up as he concentrated on calling chakra for the first time since arriving here. It burned at first. An unnerving tingling sensation from the pit of stomach all the way down his arm to the ends of his fingers.
Right as he was going to give up, a tiny trickle of chakra flowed out of his fingertips. He stared at it in awe. His chakra wasn’t blue, nor was it the crimson red of Kurama’s. It was silverly grey. It felt wild and pure. Like a gentle cool breeze on a hot summer day or like this creek, refreshing and calming. It was addicting to feel as it washed over his senses. It warmed his aching broken soul in all the right places.
He held onto the chakra for as long as he could before it vanished. He felt suddenly empty. His reserves were depleted. It was odd. He rarely had ever ran out of chakra before. He could still feel the space inside though. The ‘well’ that was used to describe how large someone’s chakra’s reserves are. It was still as massive as before the time travel. Maybe it’ll just take a few hours or a day even to restore a well the size of an ocean.
Which means he needs to be careful. Without access to chakra, he’s extremely vulnerable. Not to mention this new tiny body was sadly too weak to use physical combat against anyone.
He cursed silently to himself. There were still too many questions that required answers. When and where is he? What happened to his chakra? Why was he suddenly stuck in a permanent sage-like mode? How long was Kurama going to sleep for? And where the hell was he going to find clothes?
Luckily, he was able to solve one his ever growing list of problems. He had to wait a few hours to gain enough chakra to do it, but once he found that if he mediated like he used to, he was able to speed up the rate of his chakra pool filling back up.
Transformation jutsus were always extremely easy to him and required little chakra. He took a couple twigs and leaves and transformed them into simple clothing.
Thankfully he and Kurama had spent hours deciding and creating a backstory for Naruto, depending on ‘when’ he landed. He was still going to be an Uzumaki. It would be too hard to hide the fact that he didn’t come from a clan. One glance at his chakra pools and it would be clear that he couldn’t have came from a civilian household.
And trying to be from any other clan would be nearly impossible. Most clans have secret techniques, kekkei genkai, or some other abilities that cannot be replicated by him. Not to mention, he actually wants to bring back his clan’s fame and honor. So much of his family’s history was erased and trampled over and like hell he was going to let that happen again.
So he decided to stick with something simple. A pair of black standard shinobi pants, matching black boots, and a ocean blue shirt with the uzumaki clan symbol proudly displayed in gold ink.
He opted to not wear a headband. He might have the skills to easily pass a genin, but he wasn’t actually old enough. Educated best guess from his facial features and obvious lack of puberty, he was around eight years old. Four years years younger than the normal age for genin in his timeline. Although Kakashi had been a genin at six, so he supposed anything was possible.
For now though, he needed to keep his abilities and knowledge in the dark for as long as possible. He would slowly reveal his skills when it was appropriate. Looking like a genius or a prodigy might not be the best way to go about in this timeline. Not until he knows WHEN he is.
Naruto wondered around the forest for hours, silently exploring and looking for any clues. He noticed plenty of areas where battles had clearly taken place. If he was in fact in the land of fire and there was fighting happening within its boarders, it didn’t bode well.
He had spotted headbands from Iwa and Konoha. His stomach twisted in knots. Was the Third Great War happening? He cursed aloud. Trying to enter the hidden leaf as an unknown ninja in the middle of wartime was going to be nearly impossible.
He sat down and leaned against a tree. Okay. He has to think this through carefully. He can’t afford any mistakes. He closed his eyes as he focused on bringing forward as much chakra as he could to his right index finger. Thanks the gods that he has learned how to create seals via chakra instead of always having to use ink.
He meticulously created a small seal on his left forearm. Now even if he falls unconscious and a member of the yamanaka tries to breach his mind, they would only see that the intricate backstory that he created. Memories of an eight year old orphan on the run after his homeland was destroyed and his family massacred.
It should be concerning how simple it was to create such detailed and graphic false memories. Maybe he took too much inspiration from his own battle torn memories. Oh well.
He shut off the flow of grey chakra and watched as the seal began to fade from view. Perfect. No one will be any wiser of the truth.
Just as he was beginning to prepare to move on. He could sense dozens of rapidly approaching chakra signatures. All completely unknown to him. He swore under his breath. He had zero weapons and besides some low level fūinjutsu, he was helpless.
He was quickly despising being weak again. Being useless was one of the worst feelings he had growing up and now he was forced to relive it. He closed his eyes as he gathered his wits. This wasn’t the time for a self loathing montage.
He climbed up the tree he had been using as his resting spot and made it to the top with ease. Thank whatever gods decided to let him keep his chakra control. Speaking of, he began to hide his presence by compressing who little chakra he had.
His stealth had always been one of his best skills even if no one else had thought so. He rolled his eyes. If he could sneak past ANBU while wearing bright orange and was literally a walking chakra battery, he was either super skilled or ANBU sucked. Somehow he doubted the top ninja in the village were bad at their jobs.
His bright eyes twinkled in the tree tops as he watched an intense battle begin below. Nothing like the brutal gore of the fourth war, but somehow he found this fight nostalgic for simpler times. How fucked up was that?
Was that the sharingan? What are the chances that his first people he meets in the past are Uchihas? He really does have rotten luck.
The leaf ninja were outnumbered. Five to forty. Not great odds even for an Uchiha. And those Iwa shinobi are not pulling any punches. His tree was shaking as the earth was being torn asunder. Walls of dirt and mud kept erecting like daisies in spring. Fire justus kept deflecting off the shields and without a clear eye of sight, the Uchiha’s sharingan might as well been decoration.
They weren’t like the Uchihas Naruto was used to battling. The power difference was like comparing an academy student and a kage.
Naruto sighed inwardly. This battle was not going anywhere at this rate. Both sides were more than likely to fall to chakra exhaustion before anything else. At least by now the Iwa numbers have been dwindled down less than fifteen. The leaf team was down two.
Naruto gritted his teeth. He wanted to help the ninja from his village even if he wasn’t an actual citizen at the moment. But could he actually manage to help? Right now, he was more than likely to get in the way. He bite his bottom lip nervously as he continued to watch the battle unfold.
The uchiha was clearly the squad leader. They barked out orders and commanded the field perfectly. Naruto was impressed.
Until the Iwanin managed to capture two of the leaf squad, leaving the leader flanked on either side and forced to watch his comrades be held hostage.
“Give it up leaf scum. Surrender or we will chop off the heads of your friends.”
How did this even happen? Naruto wanted to growl in frustration. He came back in time to change things. He can’t just sit here and let people die. He won’t.
He gathered every ounce of chakra that he had recovered to his hands as he jumped out of the tree. “Shut up and let them go!” Naruto slammed both of his hands onto the ground once he landed and weaved out a massive seal matrix. “Uzumaki Sealing Art: Paralysis Prison!” Black symbols stretched out across the ground and instantly trapping every Iwa in place.
“Who the hell is this kid?”
“What? I can’t move!”
“Shit, we fell for a trap.”
Naruto grinned as he struggled to stand up, ignoring the rage screaming from his trapped victims. He turned to face the leaf shinobi and gave them a thumbs up as he flashed them a radiant smile.
“You’re welcome! Also, I would kill them quickly cause I can’t hold them long.” Which was true. The seal required constantly chakra flow from him and he was currently holding ten jonin level shinobi in place with barely any fuel in the tank so to speak.
Luckily they got the message and rapidly executed each of the rock ninja without wasting a breath. Naruto sagged and fell to his knees as he release the jutsu. Damn. He can’t believe something like that was draining him so much. Being eight years old was really starting to become annoying.
The uchiha stopped in front of the blond with a critical gaze. “Name yourself and why you’re here.” They held a kunai under his neck. The cold metal tickled his skin.
Naruto glanced up at those familiar red eyes without flinching. “I’m Naruto Uzumaki and I’m looking to be a ninja at the Hidden Leaf Village.”
Chapter 3: Never ask an Uzumaki to prove themselves to be an Uzumaki
Summary:
Fugaku Uchiha reluctantly brings Naruto back to the village and now the blond boy must prove not be a spy and prove that he is in fact, an uzumaki.
Notes:
Helllooo. Didn’t expect me back so soon did ya? Well, me either tbh.
Chapter Text
Fugaku Uchiha - 3rd POV
Fugaku was taken aback by how nonchalant this blond child was. They barely stopped chittering away the entire way to the village. Being in the presence of complete strangers, even more so, jonin level ninja did not seem to phase the tiny runt.
The level of cheerfulness and animation radiating from them was purely unnerving. No uchiha child would be this lively. He was instantly reminded of another Uzumaki. She was just like this. Carefree and boisterous.
But something poked at the elite shinobi. If this kid really was an uzumaki, which despite them lacking the infamous blood red hair, he had a good feeling they were telling the truth, how come they were so happy? Their entire homeland was laid to waste only a handful of years ago. His entire culture, clan, and family either murdered or scattered across the elemental nations. They should be dark and quite with misery. Depressed. Anything but this.
Perhaps it was coping mechanism. A façade to the outside world despite harboring deep pain and sorrow within. That was something the uchiha could relate and understand. It made him view the blond with a smidge more respect.
He had been stunned by their sudden appearance on the battlefield. No one had sensed their presence. Ally or foe. To be in a tree directly above dozens of highly skilled killers and concealed themselves completely? That took a level of skill that he wasn’t sure he could replicate himself.
In fact, even as they traveled through the tree tops, Fugaku could not sense any chakra coming from the blond. Even a total civilian would have some chakra to pinpoint.
Obviously since they were clearly alive, he assumed it had to be a seal of some sort. He knew the uzumaki clan were prodigies of fūinjutsu, but to have a seal that can completely mask every trace of chakra was equal parts impressive and terrifying. Not to mention the seal that was used earlier. Without using ink or any other medium, they were able to create such a massive sealing matrix out of pure chakra. He may not know much about the sealing art, but he knew enough to know only a master could pull off something so powerful and skilled.
There were a dozen question he wanted to ask, but he bite his tongue. It would be better to wait until they arrive back at the village and have the proper people interrogate the child.
Most people when first catching a glimpse of the grandness of the hidden leaf village would be stunned in silence with awe. It was truly a marvel to witness after all. Except this uzumaki didn’t seem impressed or starstuck. They actually smiled. As if coming home. It was actually creepy to watch as the tiny blue eyed boy walked to the huge gate with a skip in their step.
Fugaku dismissed the remaining members of the squad. He told them that he would handle the debrief and share the burden of bringing back an unknown child to the village. He only prayed that the Lord Third was in a good mood today.
He signed both of himself and Naruto into the ledger. The chunin guards kept sneaking glances at the blond boy who was completely ignoring everyone else in favor of taking in the sight of the village.
“Come along Uzumaki. We are heading straight for the Hokage tower. It’s not often we take in strays and Lord Third will personally wish to speak to you.”
Blue eyes suddenly sharpened into focus and gave the jonin a soul piercing stare. A cold sweat formed on the back of his neck as he was caught in their intense gaze.
“You mean they will want to interrogate or possibly torture me to make sure I’m not a spy.” Whatever cheer and brightness the blond had before had vanished. Their voice was distant and cold now. The tone of someone that has seen the darker aspects of humanity.
Fugaku had been correct with his assessment. They hid their true self under a fake persona. He forced himself to break eye contact. Seeing that look on such a young and innocent face made him uncomfortable. He may be a serious and stoic man, but he his own had limits. Children did not deserve to witness such tragedies. War truly left no person untouched.
“Let us hope it does not come to that.” The blond didn’t respond as they followed beside him.
The uchiha composed himself as he knocked on the hokage’s door after signing with the assistant outside.
He walked in with Naruto in tow. “Lord Third, I come back with my mission report and a potential new member of the hidden leaf.” He kneeled once he was in the middle of the room. He shot the blond a scathing look when they didn’t do the same.
Naruto shrugged and whispered back, “He’s not my kage…yet.”
Fugaku silently cursed. Of course this uzumaki would be just as hot headed and stubborn as Kushina. If they weren’t related, he would quit the police force.
“I see.” Hiruzen Sarutobi paused his paperwork and folded his hands together and he leaned back in his chair as he glanced between the elite jonin and the short blond child. “There is clearly a story here. I am fascinated to hear it.”
“Yes Hokage-sama. The mission had been going as planned. My squad encountered the Iwanin where our intelligence suspected they would be. We were outnumbered and soon enough the remaining squad members were captured and I was caught between fleeing or staying to fight to potentially save the now made hostages. However before I had the chance to make a choice, this boy who claims to be Naruto Uzumaki, had been hiding in a tree above the battlefield. He came down, surprising all with a powerful use of fūinjutsu. He was able to create a paralysis seal with only his chakra to capture ten iwanin at once. That gave us the chance to dispose of them. Afterwards he requested to be brought back to the village. Seeing as he saved our lives, we felt compelled to at least bring him to you.”
Both Naruto and The Third had remained silent during the entire report. Both staring at each other as they were communicating telepathically.
Finally the kage spoke. “That is quite an impressive feat for someone so young. Tell me Naruto Uzumaki, how is it that you know such a difficult art and wield it with such proficiency? In fact, you did not set off any alarms in our security defense when you entered the village. Very curious, is it not? I can see that you are hiding your chakra presence as well, another impressive feat I must say.”
The blue eyed boy did not flinch or waver at the accusations. Instead he flashed a pearly smile. “What the rest of the world considers mastery of fūinjutsu, is simply a beginner level to an uzumaki. It’s in our blood. We can do things with seals that no one outside our clan can scarcely imagine. You must know that, seeing as the world was so afraid of our power that they killed every uzumaki they could get their hands on.”
The blond tilted his head as if he was a cute puppy. “As for your defense bubble…it was made by an uzumaki wasn’t it? An uzumaki would never create a seal that could purposely harm another member of the clan. I’m guessing since you’ve never had an outsider from my clan enter the village before, it’s never happened before.”
The blond showed off his forearm to the hokage. Within a few seconds, a small yet intricate seal began to show on the otherwise unblemished skin. “This hides my presence. With it, no one can ever pick up on my chakra. Not even the world’s best sensor. Does that answer all your questions sir?”
The room fell into silence as Fugaku and Hiruzen shared a glance. Both of them could not believe there was such a massive gap in their village’s first level of defense. Could anyone with uzumaki blood enter the village at will without setting off alarms? The potential national security breach was alarming.
“Well, that is quite interesting. But I must ask, why do you wish to join the hidden leaf? How do we know you are not a spy from an enemy nation?”
The blond sighed softly as they ran their fingers through their hair. “I thought that would be obvious sir. This village was mine’s sister. Our lands and people have always been allied, politically and by blood. I would never join the other hidden villages. Three of them plotted and committed genocide against my clan. I would sooner die before ever joining.” Naruto’s eyes change to shade of blue so dark, they appeared black. They gleamed like they were reflecting the ocean’s own uncontrollable wrath.
“The only other hidden village left is far and to be honest, I have no connection to them. I rather be here. My clan chose to ally themselves to this village and if I am the last uzumaki left, then I will at least try to honor my clan’s alliances.”
Fugaku stood in complete amazement of this child. He had never heard someone so wonderfully compelling and articulate in their defense and certainly not by a child of this age. He had difficultly believing this was blond was truly a boy.
He glanced at the hokage whom had begun to inhale deeply from his pipe midway through the blond’s explanation. They had a distant pensive expression on their face.
“My my. I have never expected such an elegant rebuttal before. You are indeed bright. As much as I wish I could take your word for it, you must understand that I must take the village’s safety as the number one priority. Which is why I have asked two others to join us.”
At that moment, the door to the office opened and walked in a tall pale blond man that was clearly a member of the yamanaka clan and behind him, was none other than Kushina Uzumaki herself. Fugaku supposed if any people in the village could tell if the blond was telling the truth, it would be these two.
Naruto had blinked in surprise when he spotted the young women entering. Their blue eyes became instantly bright, almost glowing with joy. Whatever cheerful energy that had disappeared returned in full throttle.
“You’re an uzumaki! Holy crap, I’m not alone!” The young boy was clearly doing his best not to tackle Kushina as he bounced excitedly on his heels.
“Huh? How did you know that?” The redhead question as she inspected the kid.
“Well, your chakra for one and of course your hair! It’s the famous and beautiful red hair of the uzumaki clan! I’m still really annoyed that I didn’t inherit it, but I like being a little different.”
Kushina blinked as she struggled to mentally compute everything. She glanced at Sarutobi and Fugaku to provide some explanations.
The uchiha sighed as he gave a shortened version of the story. “I was out on a mission, this kid saved my squad using high level fuinjustu and claimed to be an Uzumaki and wanted to be taken back to the village.”
Kushina’s eyes widened in shock as she twisted around to stare at the blond. She kneeled in front of him and inspected him with a critical eye. “Are you really from my clan?”
The blond nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! Even better, we’re both from the main branch. You’re my cousin. Distantly? Maybe? Not sure exactly, but definitely a cousin!”
The young kunoichi reached up to touch the blond’s cheek. “How do I know you’re telling the truth? You could be a really good spy. A young one too.”
Naruto pouted but he tapped his chin as he clearly was trying to think of something that only a true born uzumaki would know. “Oh! Duh. I know.” He leaned forward and began to whisper something in Kushina’s ear.
She instantly gasped loudly and tears welled up in her eyes. “Oh my gods. I can’t believe…but yeah, that would prove it.” She gave the blond a tight hug that he returned.
A loud cough from the hokage seemed to break the spell. Kushina stood up and flashed Naruto a warm smile. “Sorry Hokage-sama. But if you brought me here to decide whether this boy was telling the truth, I can firmly say he is from the Uzumaki clan.”
“And how exactly did he prove that to you?”
Kushina simply grinned in the same exact fashion that Naruto had done earlier. “I cannot say. Clan secrets are protected by law after all. But I can say with certainty that he is from the clan and from the main branch as well.”
“I see. Then all that is left to determine is if he is a threat to the village. He may be from your clan, but that does not mean he has not allied himself to an enemy. Naruto, I must ask that you allow one of our shinobi to enter your mind and scan your memories. If they deem you safe and what you have said is true, then I will be honored to welcome you. However if you have lied…”
Kushina frowned heavily, but she must have confidence in the boy since she remained silent. Fugaku shivered. It must be a cold day in hell if her infamous temper was actually being reined in.
Naruto nodded and stepped forward. He gave the yamanaka a brilliant smile that seemed to faze the poor man. “Please be gentle sir. It’s my first time.”
Everyone present wheezed and sputtered as they struggled to comprehend how someone so sweet and pure looking could say something so lewd. The poor Third looked pale as he discreetly tried to wipe his nose.
Naruto appeared mighty proud of himself as he let the yamanaka hold his hands. Both blonds closed their eyes and the room become quiet. The silence stretched for a few painfully long minutes before the two separated.
“Hokage-sama, there is nothing strange about his memories. He does in fact hail from Uzushiogakure. He has clear memories of the village even as a baby. He spent years wondering the wilds and hiding in small fishing villages until today. I do not believe he is a threat to Konoha.” The yamanaka bowed and was dismissed.
Kushina’s smile retuned as she placed a hand on top of Naruto’s head and fluffed up his blond spikes. “See? I told you he’s the real deal.”
The Third simply smiled in his old way as he nodded. “It gladdens my weary heart to know that we have another uzumaki in the village. Now that we have settled that. We can begin the formal paperwork. To begin, Kushina Uzumaki, as current clan head, do you accept the responsibility of accepting, providing, and caring for Naruto Uzumaki until he becomes of legal adult age?”
The redhead smiled at Naruto with a look that could only be read as adoration. He gave the same expression in return and reached over to lace his tiny fingers with hers. “Of course!”
“Good. As of today, Naruto Uzumaki is a officially a civilian of Konohagakure. If you wish to become a shinobi of the village, you will be required to attend the academy. However knowing your skill set, I will allow you enter the current fourth year class. You will have one year to learn the history of this village and sharpened any other skills required of a genin. I wish you the best of luck Naruto Uzumaki.”
Looks like Fugaku wouldn’t be quitting the police force after all.
Chapter 4: Two Uzumakis are better than one
Summary:
Naruto has a doctor visit, a shopping trip, gets a new weapon, and commits the best prank in his life.
Notes:
I can’t stop laughing from writing this chapter.
Chapter Text
Kushina - 3rd POV
As the pair of Uzumakis made their way to the hospital, the elder Uzumaki could not stop smiling at her young charge. She had not been this happy since her wedding day. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would have the chance to talk to another member of her clan that wasn’t directly her own children after the fall of her homeland.
Despite lacking the clan’s signature crimson red hair, Naruto embodied every other aspect of the clan. He was just as loud and excitable as she was. He barely stopped talking long enough to breathe. He went on and on about his adventures as if they weren’t stories about the loss of his family and home.
His large doe eyes shined with mirth every time he smiled. And holy hell, whenever he flashed even the slightest smile, her heart would instantly melt.
Less than a handful of hours and this boy has already managed to worm his way into her heart.
She insisted that their first stop, once they had finished all the paperwork with the Hokage’s secretary, was getting Naruto checked out properly. He might appear completely healthy but living on his own for who knows how long could have had some negative consequences. She was not about to have him get sick on her watch.
He had protested lightly, insisting he was perfectly fine, however with one stern look, he deflated like a balloon and pouted. That pout was just too cute and made her feel instantly guilty.
Naruto had refused to change into a hospital gown when they were escorted to a room. He clearly was not a fan of the hospital; he snarled at a nurse when they touched him without permission. The room became heavy and stuffy with an oppressing aura as the blond glared darkly at the nurse.
For a brief second, Kushina worried he would jump up and attack the medical worker. That would not bode very well for his first day in the village. She sat beside Naruto on the bed and patted his knee in reassurance. He slowly calmed down, although his eyes never left the nurse.
At least the medical-nin apologized profusely. They glanced at Kushina for aid, and she could only force herself not to laugh at their terrified expression.
Soon enough, a doctor who was also part of the medical ninja corp came in to do a series of tests and draw blood. Naruto stiffened when they requested to take his blood. The blond warned the doctor that if his blood were ever used for anything but medical testing, they would know, and they would haunt them for the rest of their life.
Kushina had to hide her mouth behind her hand to keep herself from laughing at how pale the medical-nin’s face had become.
“Well, Naruto-kun, it seems that you are in perfect health! No malnourishment or vitamin deficiencies. You are on the lower end of height-“
“Finish that sentence, and you’ll need your own doctor.” Naruto-kun snapped with surprising venom.
“Oh, um, let’s see, what was I saying? Oh yes, you seem to be in good health. Strangely you have no antibodies for any known viruses. It’s rare to encounter someone that has never gotten sick before. You would be the first on record for the leaf village. Now, the only thing we have left to check is your chakra pathways. They are still rapidly developing at your age and can easily be damaged by overuse.”
The medical-nin began to use an iryō ninjutsu on Naruto after asking for permission and explaining how the technique worked. Their hands glowed in that familiar pale glow that Kushina had
seen a hundred times before. There was a brief pause, and then the glow flickered off. The medical-nin frowned. They began the technique again. A few seconds passed before the healing jutsu was canceled.
“I don’t understand. That’s… it’s just not possible.”
Kushina stood in concern. The confused and worried expression made her stomach twist. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure how to explain. But, Naruto-kun here has no chakra. At all. He has pathways, but I cannot sense a single drop of chakra in his body.”
Naruto blinked passively with a thoughtful expression. They didn’t seem very concerned with the news.
Kushina frowned. “That’s not possible. He is obviously alive, and he can do ninjutsu. You must have made a mistake.”
The blond boy spoke up. “It’s probably the seal I have on. It’s designed to hide my chakra from any detection. I didn’t think it would hide it from medical ninjutsu though. That’s kinda cool.”
The two adults glanced at each other sharing their surprise. “But it wasn’t just that I couldn’t sense it. It was as if you had none. With no chakra to manipulate or access to your pathways, no iryō ninjutsu can work on you. I suppose that is the risk of your seal.”
The redhead jonin was torn between being impressed by her new ward’s ability and the feeling of fear of the fact that he cannot be healed with chakra.
The blue-eyed blond hopped off the bed, not seeming to be concerned. “That’s fine. I can handle it. I don’t need anyone healing me anyways.”
“Naruto-kun,” Kushina spoke with a soft tone. “Maybe it’ll be better to undo the seal for now? What if you get hurt? Either in training or in battle?”
Naruto shook his head. “I won’t. The seal is the last thing my parents gave me to protect myself before they were killed. I can’t… won’t get rid of the one thing they left me.” Naruto gave Kushina a sad smile. His blue eyes became watery with unshed tears.
The redhead instantly rushed forward to wrap her arms around the small child. “Oh, Naruto-kun. I understand. Your parents must have loved you so much.”
Naruto tried to return the hug as best as he could, but his short arms couldn’t go very far around the older Uzumaki. “Thanks for understanding.” He mumbled into her torso.
“Of course. Now that’s settled, we need to get you some clothes! And books! Do you still like toys? I know the best toy store in the village. Oh, and weapons! Can’t forget about that. You’ll be the number one academy student! Dattebane!”
The first stop was a clothing shop. Kushina insisted that no proud Uzumaki clan member should wear anything less than the best. She promised and reassured him that money wasn’t an issue. After the fall of the land of whirlpools and the formal clan, all the holdings, investments, stocks, and ownerships of the clan were directly passed to Kushina as the last remaining member of the clan in the village. It gave her more money than she could ever spend in a lifetime.
“Naruto-kun, don’t feel shy, okay? Pick out plenty of outfits. Ah, look at this! Isn’t it so cute?” Kushina held up a bright floral kimono from the closest shelf. Naruto let out a tiny smile and added it to the growing pile of clothes in his arms.
The female Uzumaki was surprised by how easygoing the blond was. She was always told that boys hated going shopping and, worse, being dressed up. However, Naruto seemed completely fine, letting her endlessly pick outfit after outfit for him.
He would respond with soft, cute smiles and gentle thank yous no matter what. Kushina couldn’t hold back the squeals of happiness as she gushed about how adorable and sweet the blond was.
After she paid for the mountain of garments, they went down the street to a weapons shop.
“The Higurashi family are the best blacksmiths and weapon sellers in the village. Nothing in here will be of bad quality. Let’s get you all the basic tools you’ll need for the academy. I think there are sets premade for students somewhere… and I have plenty of ink and scrolls at home, so we’re set on that. Let’s see… do you have a preferred weapon or style yet, Naruto-kun?”
The blond shook his head as he wandered the shop with wide eyes. “I never had the chance to learn a formal fighting style. I sorta just brawl and hope for the best.”
He stopped in front of a wall decorated with dozens of katanas and swords of different sizes. He ran his fingers across one of the sheathed blades and made a soft humming noise.
“You have good eyes, kiddo. That’s the best katana in the shop. It was forged in the Land of Iron by the Samurai.”
Kushina grinned as one of her best friends appeared from the back of the shop and stood beside Naruto. Akira Higurashi. They were the third member of her genin squad. In her opinion, Minato, Akira, and herself made one of the best squads to grace the village.
Unfortunately, two years ago, Akira-kun had shattered his left leg during a mission leaving him with no choice but to quit the shinobi force. Now he continued his family’s business and became a well-sought-after weaponsmith.
Akira pulled the blade from the wall. “It is made from a special metal that conducts chakra. However, supposedly this one is even more special. It’s a trade secret on how they manage it, but once a person channels their chakra into the blade, it will never allow another person’s chakra to be infused to its metal. It’s a one owner kind of blade. Loyal to a fault.”
Higurashi grinned at Kushina. “Hey there. So what, you’ve finally wanted a kid so badly that you’ve kidnapped one? That’s evil, even for you, Kush.”
She rolled her eyes and flicked them across his forehead. “Shut up. This is actually my little cousin—the only other known Uzumaki. I’m gonna be taking care of him from now on. We just got him a new wardrobe, and now we’re getting supplies for his start at the academy.”
Higurashi whistled in surprise. “So there’s another one of you? I hope the village can handle it. Two of you might reduce this place to rubble.”
The retired shinobi gave Naruto a closer inspection. “Huh. Now I can kinda see it. He has the same nose and face shape. Guess being pretty is another Uzumaki trait. So kiddo, you want to be a swordsman? Doesn’t shock me. Your clan was something to be feared on the battlefield with their swords. Gods, what wouldn’t I do to be able to get my hands on an Uzumaki-forged sword. I’ll have to settle with just getting to see yours, Kush-chan.”
“You’ve seen it plenty of times. Stop being so dramatic.” The redhead kneeled in front of her charge. “Do you want a sword Naruto-kun? I would love to teach you kenjutsu if that’s what you want. It’s only right that I pass down our clan’s styles to you.”
The blond blinked away tears as he nodded.
“I want to make our clan proud.”
“Oh, Naruto-kun, you already have. Just being alive and being proud of your name is enough. Family is everything to us. I will do everything in my power to protect you now.” She ruffled his hair and wiped the stray tears from their cheeks.
“We’ll take the sword Akira.” The young man nodded and smiled as he handed the hilt to Naruto. It was funny to see a boy holding a weapon as long as they were tall. To both the adults’ surprise, the blond didn’t struggle at all to hold the katana’s weight.
The blue eye Uzumaki took a deep breath as they pulled the katana from its sheath. The blade glinted in the light as Naruto held it up.
When Naruto presented the katana, its metal began to transform in their hands. Its sliver color began to shift into a deep navy hue from the base to the tip.
A strong aura of chakra suddenly burst out of the blade, making the air thick with the scent of ozone. Kushina felt the familiar sensation of pure elemental chakras. In fact, she recognized three of them—fire, wind, and water.
A sharp gale swept through the shop, knocking down anything not carefully secured as a twister of wind formed around Naruto.
Kushina and Higurashi braced themselves with chakra to their feet to avoid being pushed back. “Naruto-kun! Are you okay!?”
The blond turned around with a massively blinding grin. He slowly swung the shining katana a few times with glee. Each swing of the blade created a physical impression of condensed air that left slices in the wall.
“Oh crap. I’m sorry! I didn’t think that would happen. I’m not even channeling chakra. It’s absorbing my chakra automatically.” Naruto stared at the blade with mystic wonder. He quickly sheathed it, and the mighty presence and the violent wind instantly vanished.
“Well. Shit. Looks like you and the katana bonded. I’ve never seen a connection that strong before. If you didn’t know before, you’re a wind user with the rarest elemental affinity to boot. I don’t know a single wind user that’s a swordsman. That ought to be a fun combo. You certainly have your hands full with him, Kushina.”
The redhead didn’t bother to reply to her friend as she checked Naruto for any injuries. “Ahh, Naruto-kun, you’re already so impressive! You were born to be a sword user, no doubt about it! Once you get settled in, I’ll start training you.”
The blond flashed another smile as he hugged her waist. “I can’t wait. I’ll be awesome like you.”
Kushina had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold back the overwhelming level of pure cuteness that threatened to overload her heart.
After helping Higurashi clean up the shop from the damage Naruto had accidentally caused, Kushina declared that they needed to stop and eat before heading home. And only one place could be worthy enough to feed an Uzumaki.
Ichiraku’s.
Naruto looked positively radiating with joy as they sat down at the counter. They sniffed the air like a bloodhound, and a bit of drool dripped from the corner of their mouth.
Kushina chuckled at the sight. “Do you like ramen Naruto-kun?”
“ITS THE FOOD OF THE GODS!”
“YES, IT IS! YOU’VE PASSED THE FINAL TEST. NOW LET US EAT TO OUR HEART’S CONTENT!”
Thirty bowels each later, and the two Uzumakis were leaning back in their seats, rubbing their stuffed bellies in post-food bliss.
“I’m impressed, Naruto-kun. I’ve never had someone match me before. Minato-kun always wimps out after three bowls.”
“Weakling.” Naruto teased as he let out a loud burp. “Ramen is the best food in the world. I could eat it for every meal.”
“Well, as much as I agree, you gotta eat other things. Ramen isn’t very healthy after all, and you need to grow up strong.”
The blond whined loudly. “But it has meat and veggies, so it’s totally healthy.”
Kushina sighed to herself. Clearly, it would be more challenging than she thought to raise a kid. Especially one that was too good at being persuasive. She’ll have to keep an eye on Naruto when he’s around Minato. Something tells her that Naruto-kun will have the older blond wrapped around their fingers.
“Come on, Naruto-kun. Let’s head home for the day. Minato-kun should be home by now.” Kushina suddenly grinned wickedly as she sat up. “Oh, Naruto-kun,” she called out in a sweet sing-song voice, “Do you wanna play a prank?”
Kushina had Naruto hide behind her as she walked into the house. Between her height and all the shopping bags, it was impossible to see Naruto when he walked on her heels, and with his seal, Minato will be unable to tell another person was there.
She spotted a flash of yellow in the kitchen and forced herself not to grin and give herself away.
“Hi Honey, I’m home!”
Minato turned around and paused doing the dishes. He took off his rubber gloves and apron quickly as he crossed the room to give his wife a warm kiss.
“Welcome home. I see you went shopping. Oh, is that a new sword? I thought you said you would never use another sword besides Shinku no Ame?”
“Oh, none of this is for me. It’s for our son.”
Minato nodded in understanding. “Oh, that’s cool.” Then the words sank into the older blond’s head. “WAIT, WHAT? Our son? What are you talking about?”
Kushina blinked and cocked her head as if she was confused. “What are you talking about? Have you forgotten our child?” She laced her voice with an accusatory tone.
Minato paled and held up his hands in front of him nervously. “Yes? No? Honey, I’m confused.”
Kushina stepped to the side and allowed Naruto to come into full view. The tiny blue-eyed child stared up at the other stunned blond and shyly smiled as he waved.
“Hi, Daddy.”
Minato made a violent wheezing noise as he fell back on his ass and crawled backward a few feet until his back was against a wall. He frantically looked between Kushina and Naruto with pure terror in his eyes. He kept rapidly switching his focus, sputtering nonsense, until his overwhelmed brain finally fizzled and forced Minato to faint on the spot.
Kushina began to manically cackle at her husband’s predicament and gave Naruto a high five. “Best prank ever.”
Chapter 5: Emotional revelations and first day of school
Summary:
Naruto has a heart to heart with Minato and has a weird first day of school.
Notes:
This made me cry tbh
Chapter Text
Naruto 3rd POV
Naruto had snuck upstairs to search for his room after Minato had unexpectedly passed out from the prank. He could admit that it was definitely one of the best practical jokes he has ever done. The fact that it was planned by his mother made it all the better in his opinion.
Although despite the laughter and joy the last few hours have brought him, he couldn’t get rid of the pit feeling growing somewhere in his stomach. More than once throughout his shopping adventure with his mother, his mind wondered off. Was this what it would have been like if his parents hadn’t died the day he was born?
The casual light hearted comments about the best materials and colours for clothes for his complexion, what were the coolest weapons, making training plans together, and even what they wanted to eat for dinner, they were all part of a life that Naruto had craved and wished for so many years. Finally having it, even in false pretences, made his heart ache in his chest.
He had to excuse himself as Kushina worked on reviving her husband. She gave him a brief look of concern, but she must have understood that he had a long day and was likely overwhelmed. The red haired women gave him short instructions on how to find his room as they dragged his unconscious father to the couch.
The guest room was simple and plain. The sparse furniture were made from some type of dark wood while the bedsheets and walls were a neutral light grey. It’s simplicity was actually a comfort.
Although it wouldn’t be long before his mother would offer, well, more like demand that they turn the room into his own. The thought of that conversation made a small smile tug at his lips.
He placed his new katana on top of the dresser. He gave the blade a small pet. He had seen and experienced many amazing and unique weapons in his life, but nothing like what had happened at the weapons shop. He had been honest earlier. He never channelled his chakra when he had unsheathed the katana. Somehow it had the ability to draw from him like a siphon.
Perhaps it was because he was always releasing nature chakra in spades. Naruto had enough time to begin piecing together what had happened to his chakra. Chakra theory was never his forté, but after becoming a sage and a seal master, he could proudly say that there were not many people in the world that understood how chakra worked better than himself.
Technically all chakra currently used by all shinobi anywhere in the world stem from the ancient god fruit tree. Kaguya had eaten the chakra fruit from the tree after it had absorbed and converted natural chakra from the land for a thousand years. Once consumed, it granted her unspeakable power and abilities.
She later had two sons, Hagoromo and Hamura whom were born with the same powerful tainted chakra that came from the god tree. All known shinobi clans in some shape or form are either direct descendants of the two brothers or were disciples of Hagoromo’s teachings once he had become the Sage of Six Paths.
Either way, it meant that it put an end to using the original source of the earth’s energy after Kaguya came here and ruined everything with her greed for power. The closest people to do so were those that trained to become sages. They utilised nature chakra, the very life energy that came from the elements, like the sea, sky, and forests, instead of the corrupted chakra that everyone else abused.
Naruto laid on the bed as he stared at the ceiling fan spin. So where exactly does that leave him? His old chakra was gone. Even after an entire day, no hint of his original chakra was returning. He knew he was using pure nature chakra from the world around him instead. Somehow after the time travel incident his body began to filter natural energies to replace the fact that he no longer has chakra.
Well, now he has an entirely new type of chakra. Or was it that he had a really old type of chakra? He sighed and lightly smacked his cheeks to clear his head. This was all so confusing. He wished he could talk to Kurama about it. They would understand this all so much better.
“Naru-chan? You alright?” Naruto sat up quickly as he watched his father leaning against the doorframe. The older blond was giving him the same expression of concern that his mother did not too long ago. He raised an eyebrow at the future Hokage. When did they get the idea to be giving him such a girly nickname?
“Can I come in?”
“It’s your house sir.”
Minato cringed at his formal tone as they sat down beside him on the bed. “First off, don’t call me sir. You make me feel way too old. And secondly, this is your house now too. Kushina-chan filled me after I woke up. I’ll say, you two got me good. I really thought for a second that she hid you away for years in a secret basement or something.”
Naruto giggled and shook his head. “I wish. That might have been easier.”
Minato sighed deeply and nodded. “I know that your life has been less than stellar so far. But trust me when I say, both Kushina-chan and I want to change that. She’s never been so happy. Hearing that she isn’t the last of her clan and well, getting to spoil you with affection has been something she’s always wanted. And somehow after a single day, you’ve managed to make her love you already. I know I have no right to be thanking you, but I will anyways. We’ve just met and I already know you’re going to make our lives better. I know we can’t replace your parents and we don’t want you to think that we are, but, just know that we are both here for you. Whatever and whenever you need us.”
Naruto swallowed thickly as he listened to his father. He tensed his jaw as he tried his best not to let his emotions get the better of him. He struggled to think of a proper response to such a sentimental speech.
He found himself nodding robotically and silently. He did not trust himself to open his mouth right now in fear of bursting into tears.
“It’s okay Naru-chan. I know how overwhelmed you must be so you don’t need to say anything. I was actually an orphan myself. Ironically from a great war as well. We’re two peas in a pod in that way so we gotta stick together, am I right?” Minato leaned over and ruffled the young blond’s hair.
“Well, try to get some rest. We have a week before the school year starts and there’s a lot to prep for. I bet Kushina-chan is downstairs making an hour by hour itinerary already.”
Obito 3rd POV
Obito sprinted towards Rin after spotting her down the hall. He was panting heavily as he skidded to a stop beside her and barely avoided smacking himself into a wall.
“Obito! Almost late on the first day? Again? When are you going to start taking this seriously? It’s our last year before we graduate.”
Obito pouted and crossed his arms in playful defiance. “It’s not my fault! I had to help another granny this morning! She lost her cat and I felt bad. She looked so sad.”
Rin gave him a flat unimpressed look. “Then leave your house earlier. You can’t be late to future missions. Your sensei and teammates will be really upset with you.”
Obito rolled his eyes. “It’s fineeee. You worry too much. I’m going to be Hokage one day and it won’t matter!”
The two of them took their usual seats behind Ibiki, Asuma, and Kurenai. The top three students of their class if you don’t count Kakashi that had graduated after their first year at the academy.
Their sensei walked shortly in afterwards and asked them to settle down as they took their spot at the podium. “Welcome back everyone. It’s nice to see all your faces again. I hope you had a good break. Before we begin, we have a transfer student entering our class. Please treat him nicely as he also new to the village.”
The first thing that Obito noticed about the boy was their shade of hair. It matched the same hue of the brightest yellow sunflower. Like if sunshine could be captured, it would be the same as their level of blond.
They gracefully sauntered across the room to stand beside the homeroom sensei. They held their shoulders back and had the type of confidence they held in their posture could have put any noble clan heir to shame.
Obito shook his head in shock as he noticed just how blue their eyes were. He has never seen someone with such bright eyes before. They looked like the pictures of the ocean he had seen in his geography textbooks.
“Hello everyone. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Please take care of me.” They bowed at the waist before flashing the entire class a dazzling white smile.
Before they could move to take a seat, a pretty woman with crimson red hair outfitted in jonin gear poked her head in the doorway.
“Oh there you are Naruto-kun! You forgot your lunch! Have a good first day! Don’t kill anyone.” She practically smothered the tiny blond in a hug as she handed him a tin box. Naruto gave her a warm smile and returned the hug before she used the shunshin jutsu to vanish from sight.
Instantly everyone began to whisper in not so hushed tones as speculations ran wild.
“He’s so pretty.”
“Did you see his eyes? So blue.”
“What about his hair? It’s a really rare colour? I wonder what village he was from before.”
Obito huffed loudly and mumbled to Rin. “Just what we need, another pretty boy. Does he think he’s gonna charm everyone because he looks like that?”
Rin poked his shoulder as she hid her face with her other hand.
“What? What’s wrong?”
She rolled her eyes and pointed to his other side. Obito slowly twisted around in his seat and panicked screamed when said pretty boy was sitting quietly beside him.
Naruto tiled their head as they smiled way to sweetly at him. “You think I’m pretty Obito-kun? That’s so nice. Thank you.”
Everyone within hearing range began coughing awkwardly as Obito himself wheezed in horror. “NO! Well, yeah, you kinda are, but not the same as like someone else, I mean, you’re not ugly though! But you’re also not my type! I don’t like pretty boys!” He was totally panic rambling as he tried to explain himself.
Naruto didn’t seem phased at all. In fact the more Obito dug his hole deeper, the wider the blond’s smile grew. “Relax Uchiha-kun. It’s fine. I’m not offended that I’m not your type. Shame though. I’m a catch. Lemme know if that changes.” Naruto winked then turned around to face the front and began to write notes as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile Obito’s face too flushed with embarrassment to bother asking how the blond knew his name. He physically felt hot all over and his stomach twisted in knots. He smacked his head on the desk as he tried to hide himself from the shame.
Since it was the first day back from break, sensei had them lined up to do drills outside in the practice yard to make sure that no one had fallen behind in their skills.
First up was a kunai and throwing stars accuracy test. They got ten of each weapon and had to make as many bullseyes as possible. Some of the targets were moving and others were at greater distance away than at previous years.
Obito gulped nervously and prayed he would good enough not to make a fool of himself.
Asuma Sarutobi went first, as always. Even though they were relatively chill and laid back, the special treatment from being the Hokage’s son followed him everywhere.
A 18/20 score. Of course it was. No one did better than the top student of their year.
When it got to Rin’s turn, she got a 15/20. The highest of any of the females in class. Obito shot her a thumbs up as she came back to stand next to him.
He nibbled on the inside of his cheek as he stepped forward for his turn. He took a deep breath and readied his arm.
“Wait.” A soft voice whispered beside him. Naruto was suddenly so close with their shoulders brushing. Naruto reached up and readjusted Obito’s arm and fingers into a slightly different position with gentle touches. “There. Try now.”
Obito gave the blond a confused glance but he decided to trust them for now. He launched the projectiles the best he could in rapid succession.
Holy crap. Holy crap.
15/20! That was the best score he ever had while doing the hardest level test! He turned around to see a smiling Naruto. “Thanks dude. I can’t believe you helped me like that.”
Naruto cocked his head. “Why wouldn’t I help? You’re my classmate now. We should want to make each other better. Besides, you might be the only thing that stands between my life or death one day.”
Obito gulped loudly when the blue eyed blond phrased it like that. “Um, well, still. Thanks.”
Naruto finally stepped up, going last via alphabetically. Everyone stopped their idle conversations to see what the newbie could do.
Naruto hardly seemed worried as he pulled out all twenty projectiles and shockingly threw all of them at once. The weapons whistled though the air, almost invisible, with their impressive speed. With loud clacks, every kunai and throwing star made it in their respective bullseyes.
A perfect 20/20 score.
Silence rung out between the class as they stared at Naruto with slacked jaws and awed eyes. Obito stared at the blond like he was dreaming. They beat Sarutobi! That had never happened before.
Everyone gossiped as they shuffled to the fighting ring. Taijutsu was up next. There always had been a lot of tension with hand to hand fights. So many of this class’s students were from the big name clans, some were even clan heirs so reputations were on the line.
Sensei, probably thinking that Naruto was going to be an easy opponent and win paired them up Asuma so they could ‘redeem’ their honour despite the fact that Sarutobi hardly appeared interested.
The two of them stood on opposing sides of the ring. Equally relaxed and laid back. Asuma didn’t even bother to take their hands out of their pockets.
Obito suddenly realised how small Uzumaki was compared to Sarutobi now that they close to each other. The blond was an entire head shorter. He hoped that Naruto would be okay. Asuma, while chill most of the time, was not known for pulling their punches and their clan’s taijutsu was one of most powerful in all of Konoha.
Sensei counted down from three and the battle commenced with a lack of fanfare. Both of them remained in their spots, staring at each other.
Finally after thirty long seconds, Naruto spoke up. “I don’t make the first move Sarutobi-san so you’re free-“
Asuma didn’t let Naruto finish as they ran at full speed across the small distance. Naruto barely seemed dodged a flurry of punches and kicks. The blond would wait till the last second to bend or shift out of the way.
This lasted for a full two minutes. Nothing Asuma tried landed on the blond. They clearly were faster and used that to their advantage. Sarutobi was getting desperate and tired so he began to use more extreme moves and techniques.
Naruto backflipped away and landed silently on his heels while frowning slightly at the brunette. “Are we done now?”
Asuma growled. “Take me seriously. Are you trying to mock me?”
“I’m not. But I’m afraid to hurt you.” That seemed to be the wrong to say because Sarutobi yelled and began to fight back with a ferocious vigor.
Naruto was limited by space and no matter how fast they were, the tiny fighting area was making it more and more difficult for the blond to dodge properly.
Apparently the blue eyed boy finally got tired of leaping around like a juiced up rabbit and grabbed Sarutobi fist and judo flipped them over his shoulder and winning the fight without ever throwing a punch.
Obito and Rin shared a knowing glance between them as everyone else erupted in chatter. Whoever Naruto Uzumaki was, he was about to change everything.
Chapter 6: Special Filler
Summary:
Naruto gets a surprise birthday party and lots of gifts.
Notes:
In honor of today, October Tenth, I’ve written a special filled chapter. It’s still canon to the story, but it does skip the timeline. Next chapter will return us back a couple months. Please enjoy this future cute and fluffy episode.
Chapter Text
Naruto 3rd POV
It’s been three months since he officially moved into his parent’s place, and Naruto could honestly say it’s been the best time of his life despite all the secrets.
He glanced at the time on his nightstand and swore lightly. He was behind schedule. Damn fūinjutsu practice keeps managing to make him late these last few weeks.
He changed quickly into something appropriate for a day at the academy and left his project as is. No one was going to disturb his stuff. Not without tempting death, at least.
“Morning Naruto-kun!”
“Did you sleep well, Naru-chan?”
Naruto sighed inwardly. His parents insisted on always greeting him every morning. If one or both were away on a mission, they would leave a shadow clone instead. He had to admit, their commitment was touching.
“I made your favorite! No, not ramen for breakfast. I keep telling you that’s not a thing. It’s chocolate chip pancakes!” If Naruto could say he was surprised by anything since traveling back in time, it was by how domestic his father was. He demanded to be the one to cook every day even though Kushina and himself were perfectly able to craft a dish on their own.
( It was actually because Minato secretly declared their cooking inedible and a menace to society.)
He sat at the table and thanked them for the food as he did every day before piling on half a dozen flapjacks.
He eyed his father, humming an odd tune as they helped clean the dishes with his mother. She seemed strangely nervous about something. It was the way she kept giving him tiny glances when she thought he wasn’t looking.
He paused and placed down his silverware. “Okay, you two, what’s up? You’re acting weird.”
His mother sighed dramatically and plopped down across from him. “You’re too observant, Naruto-kun. It’s not fair to us! Why must we be blessed with a smart boy?!”
Naruto smiled a little at their dramatic tendencies. He raised an eyebrow at the redhead and waited for her to continue with whatever was on her mind.
“Okay, okay, you caught us. So…we wanted to know, um, when is your birthday?”
Naruto blinked in surprise. “What?”
Minato chuckled at Naruto’s rare moment of being caught off guard. “We want to know what day you were born.”
“Oh. Um, it’s October tenth.”
Both his parents stared at him owlishly.
“What?”
Kushina stood up violently and slammed her hands on the table. “THAT’S TODAY!”
“Is it? Huh. I kinda forgot.” Naruto said nonchalantly as he tapped his chin in pensive thought before shrugging and continuing to stuff himself silly with the sweet pastry.
Minato clutched his chest in a mock heart attack and stumbled backward in a dramatic flair.
“Well, thanks for the food! I gotta head out. See you guys when I get home.” Naruto slung his backpack across his shoulder and took off after placing his dirty dishes in the sink, completely missing the devious smirks his parents were sharing.
Naruto was caught off guard when he approached his house after school. He could sense almost a dozen chakra signatures inside. At first, he figured his parents were doing an emergency mission meeting. It’s happened a few times.
However, that thought was quickly dismissed when he picked up Obito’s and Rin’s familiar chakra. He also recognized two other signatures despite it being years since he had felt them.
He breathed in deeply as he steeled himself for the emotional rollercoaster he was about to deal with. He has done well for the last few months about not giving himself away or having a single mental breakdown. Today would not be the day he failed.
He plastered a forceful smile across his face as he bottled his feelings tightly. He opened the front door only to be basked in total darkness.
His fight-or-flight instinct took over immediately, and he brandished his sword without a second thought while leaping back into the yard.
“See?! I told you that a surprise party was a bad idea! You scared him!” Rin’s voice cut through the darkness before the lights were turned on.
Naruto sheepishly sheathed his sword and waved at the group of people collected in the living room as he walked inside.
He spotted his parents first. They were wearing pointy paper birthday hats with those thin elastic bands under their chin while holding a massive orange frosted cake between them.
“HAPPY NINTH BIRTHDAY, NARU-CHAN!”
Naruto froze like one of the Nara deer as his brain registered what was happening. He spotted Rin and Obito standing by the couch, both wearing party hats. Actually, Obito was wearing two on his head like bunny ears instead.
Standing in the kitchen were two people he hadn’t expected to see for a few years. Jiraiya-sensei and Granny Tsunade.
He made a mental note to change what he called her in his head just in case he accidentally said it aloud. It wasn’t like she was old now. In many ways, Jiraiya and Tsunade looked the same as they did to him in the future. They were clearly younger, but that was basically it.
By his parents were another pair of people he hadn’t expected either. Fugaku Uchiha and his wife, Mikoto Uchiha. He had a few dinners with them before because his parents were surprisingly close to the Uchiha clan heads.
Mikoto was holding a bundle in her arms as she rocked back and forth on her heels, trying to soothe her baby back to sleep. Itachi Uchiha had just turned four months yesterday if he recalled correctly. He had met them a couple times already, and they were truly adorable. Hard to believe that such a cute baby would grow to be a powerful and lethal killer.
The last person in the room was Akira Higurashi. They had made themselves comfortable at the table, munching on a platter of snacks.
Seeing so many people gather together to celebrate his birthday made his eyes shine with tears. He never had the chance to celebrate a birthday with his actual parents.
Birthdays had always been a sore spot for him growing up. Being an orphan with no friends because of the village’s misplaced hatred of him made him remain alone for years. It wasn’t even until he graduated from the academy and was on a genin team that he had his first real party with his classmates.
“I…um…wow.” He bowed deeply to everyone in the room. “Thank you so much.” He was grateful that his long bangs covered his eyes so that no one could see the tears he discreetly wiped away.
“Aww. Naruto-kun, you don’t need to be so formal! Everyone here is either family or friends! Let me introduce you to Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sensei.” Naruto was dragged around the house by his mother, saying hello to everyone and thanking them for coming after making idle small talk.
It was strange and flat-out difficult to look at his mentors in the eyes after having dealt with their tragic deaths, yet somehow he pulled through and managed to speak to them without fumbling his words or bursting into tears.
Eventually, after making his rounds with everyone and having plenty of food and cake, Kushina declared it was time to open presents.
He tried to protest, but one look from the redhead woman made him clam up. He sat on the living room floor surrounded by everyone and an actual mountain of wrapped gifts. He glanced at all of them, feeling horribly overwhelmed. Just one present felt like too much, and now he had over a dozen.
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Where do I start?”
“Here! Open mine first.” Rin handed Naruto a medium-sized box. He unraveled it to reveal a dozen packs of spicy eel ramen. An exotic flavor that had to be shipped all the way from Kumo. “This is amazing! Thank you so much, Rin-chan.”
He leaned over and gave her a small and light hug. He felt her stiffen underneath him from shock. It was the first time he had initiated contact with someone that weren’t his parents. Rin’s face was pink as she claimed it was nothing at all.
Naruto moved on to the next box. This one was smaller and wrapped in deep blue paper. Obito leaped up and stated this one was his. It was a set of beautiful new throwing stars. The blond fell silent for a moment as he lifted one up and twirled it through his fingers. He was fondly reminded back to their first day of school together.
Naruto stood up this time and walked over to embrace the young Uchiha. “Thank you. These mean a lot to me.”
He left Obito stuttering a ‘you’re welcome’ as they blushed up a storm.
Minato and Kushina demanded their gifts to be next. His dad had gotten him a pair of their specially commissioned three-pronged kunai. “So I can be at your side in a flash. Just channel a bit of chakra into it, and I’ll be able to sense it.”
Naruto’s pearly smile was blinding as he launched himself like a missile across the room to tackle the older blond. Minato stumbled back in surprise at how strong Naruto was as he squeezed his middle.
Kushina was all but in tears as she watched the interaction between her precious adopted son and her husband. She couldn’t hold her excitement for Naruto to open her gift, so she pushed the heavy box into his hands.
“This is passed down through the heirs of the main branch of our clan. I admit I’ve never stuck to the tradition myself, but I figured you might want the choice to choose for yourself if you want to uphold the tradition seeing as you’re officially the heir now.”
Naruto gave the elder Uzumaki a puzzled expression as he carefully opened a tiny box no wider than a typical book. Laying inside the velvet-lined container were two tama kanzashi. The rod portion was a bright golden hue, while the ends held two tiny crimson bells. The hairpins were simplistic yet beautiful, and they took his breath away.
“I changed the bells out. Red is the color of October flowers, and I remember you once said that you loved the unique shade of our clan’s hair. Now the bells have a double meaning for you.”
Naruto numbly closed the lid to the box and set it aside with great care. He gave his mom an equally bone-crushing hug as he mumbled a profound thank you.
The rest of the party went by with Naruto in a floaty happy haze. He had gotten a medical ninjutsu book from Tsunade (he had already read it before, but he loved having a personal copy), a huge stuffed toad plush from Jiraiya, a weapon cleaning and polishing kit from Higurashi-san, and finally, a scroll on fire ninjutsu from the older Uchiha couple.
Two hours later, Naruto was officially alone with his parents as he helped them clean up the house.
“So, how did you like your first birthday in Konoha?” His mother asked as they walked around picking up trash.
Naruto paused and glanced over at her with a warm yet sad smile. “It was my first official birthday party, actually. At least that I can remember. My parents died when I was three, so I’ve never had the chance to celebrate like this.”
“Oh, Naruto-kun, I’m so sorry-“
Naruto winced from the sorrowful expression she was giving him. “No, it’s okay! I promise. I’ve accepted my past. Life is…rough sometimes.”
“You know, sometimes it’s scary how mature you are, Naruto-kun.”
He grinned in response. He knew why it seemed like that. After all, this technically would be his 20th birthday, making him mentally older than his own parents.
“Thanks again, both of you,” he added as his father walked back into the house from throwing the trash outside, “for giving me the best birthday I’ve ever had.” He gave them a short embrace before running up the stairs, hiding the happy tears streaking down his cheeks.
Today really had been the best birthday he’s ever had. Way more than his parents would ever truly know.
Chapter 7: A year in the academy
Summary:
Rin experiences Naruto in his own special way.
Notes:
Another chaotic view of what’s going on. Soon the real plot will begin.
Chapter Text
Rin Nohara 3rd POV
Ron liked to considered herself the type of person that planned for everything. Nothing could be too cautious. If the ninja lifestyle taught her anything so far, it’s that you have to expect the unexpected. It was one of the reasons she wanted to pursue a medical career in the medical corp.
Rin knew where her strengths laid. She wasn’t built to be some frontline ninjutsu powerhouse nor a taijutsu master. No, she would be the person to stitch together those reckless knuckleheads.
She had her entire career track all perfectly set in her mind. Graduate the academy with the best score she could, become a genin, polish off her skills as medical ninja during her tenure with her team, then either enter the chunin exams with her squad or take the medical corp examination and become a special chunin that way. After that, she will find a way to apprentice under Tsunade Senju, the best medical ninjutsu expert in the world.
That was her entire ten year plan. But nothing could have prepared her for Naruto Uzumaki. He came in like a wrecking ball. Simultaneously destroying and creating brand new pathways without a single scrap of knowledge that he was doing so in the first place.
Initially when she first met him she thought he was quirky and bubbly just like someone else that she fondly cared for. In a lot of ways Naruto was a lot like Obito. They both floated through life at their own pace, not caring about the harsh opinions of others.
Rin found herself watching her best friend finally find someone else to hang out with. And every time, it brought a smile to her face. For years, Obito had always been alone with just her as his only friend. And now it seemed he found another kindred spirit in Naruto. The two of them seemed to have created a deep bond rather rapidly after that first day.
Naruto was different than everyone else. It would take a blind, deaf, and comatosed person to not notice it.
It was as if he was this endlessly calm sea surrounded by warring chaotic lands. He held this infinite patience and understanding that gave anyone comfort just by being around him.
No matter how many times Obito failed at learning something or was just being a clumsy excitable person, Naruto would be there, all soft smiles and honeyed voice as he spent the time to gently explain what went wrong.
It left poor Obito an even bigger mess than they were to begin with as they struggled to hide their blushes whenever Naruto appeared looking like some angelic cherub sent to torture the Uchiha with affection.
Eventually after two months, their other classmates finally seemed to warm up to the blond once they realized that he had no interest in being a threat to anyone. Rin could understand everyone’s apprehension. Naruto came in, brand new to the village, and on his first day made a show that he was far more skilled than anyone else in their class. Even the Third Hokage’s son. The carefully constructed social hierarchy had been violently disturbed and it left many with a bitter taste in their mouth.
Despite the weeks of many attempts from everyone to rile up Naruto, to force him to break the cool exterior he had, nothing worked. He refused to take the bait. The blond was always respectful and polite and funny. It made it hard to harbor a grudge against someone like that.
There was only time that someone said something that made the usual cheerful blond lose their smile. A civilian student had made the mistake of pointing out how short Naruto was in comparison to the other males in the class.
Rin and everyone else had felt the air in the room suddenly plummet to freezing temperatures while the thick scent of ozone began to radiate out of Naruto. The lights overhead had began to flicker in and out before finally plunging the room into darkness. A few students had screamed in fear. Not that Rin could blame them. She herself had been shocked senseless by the complete change in her friend and his ability to flare his chakra in such a freighting way.
Naruto had still spoke in an eerily sweet voice, although anyone that heard it, had goosebumps on their skin. They knew it was the type of false sweetness that promised nothing, but pain and misery.
“Natsu-kun, why would you say something like that? Are you sure you meant it?” Naruto’s blue eyes glowed like fiery sapphires in the pitch of darkness.
Natsu shook his head frantically before they had fainted a second later from sheer terror. No one had ever dared to call Naruto short since. Not even when alone. Everyone lacked the courage to utter those words in fear that somehow the blond would find out.
Of course Obito had thought the whole thing was amazing and excitedly demanded for Naruto to teach him how to do it. Rin only hoped that that day isn’t anytime soon.
At some point, Naruto showed up at the academy with a massive katana strapped to his back. It was easily twice as long as his entire body. The sight of the long blade had created a stir among the class. Everyone knew it was rare for someone to have a weapon specialty before becoming a genin and much less be good enough to confidently wear it on their body.
When asked about why he suddenly began to bring it to school, he would say that his sword was getting mad being left at home and demanded to stay with him or else it would cause chaos.
No one truly wanted him to elaborate on what exactly that meant. The sentence alone was scary enough.
Obito still came to Rin’s house everyday to walk to the academy together, even if they were late every time thanks to the Uchiha’s penchant for finding old ladies in need. It was nice that some things hasn’t changed. They had wanted to invite Naruto to join them, but it was sort of a mystery where Naruto lived. No one ever actually sees him enter the academy or leave. He seemly appears and disappears right on time.
One day, Naruto seemed to be extra animated as they spoke about a garden he started. He spent the entire morning during group work trying to decide what species of tomatoes would be best to grow. It was interesting listening to the blond speak about the red fruits with such passion. Who knew the blond was so knowledgeable about plants?
Obito eventually mentioned that he loved tomatoes as well and that it was nice to have someone else around who liked them too. That seemed to have a strange effect on the blue eyed blond. They blinked at Obito in surprise before stating truthfully that they didn’t like tomatoes very much at all.
That was the first day that Naruto shared a piece of his past to them. Apparently his once best friend had loved tomatoes and that’s why he wanted to grow them. In their honour.
It made Rin and Obito remember with remorse that Naruto had lost his entire home, all his friends and family had been killed. Obito offered to help, wanting to cheer up his new friend. Rin let out a sigh of relief when Naruto continued and thanked the Uchiha for the aid without seeming to be upset.
That was also the same day that Obito and Rin had officially been cornered by Naruto’s foster mother. The beautiful red haired Uzumaki had shown up at lunch time and pulled the two of them into an empty classroom after introducing herself.
She quickly informed them that it was Naruto’s birthday that day and she thought it would really make the blond happy if they came to the last minute surprise party she was throwing. She sadly explained that he probably hadn’t celebrated his birthday in years, most likely not since his birth parents had died.
Rin and Obito had looked at each other in shock as they processed the information together. Rin wanted to find Naruto immediately and give the blond a huge hug.
They both decided to lie and say they fell ill from sharing a bad lunch to leave school early. If they had any hopes in finding the blond gifts and beating them to their house, Rin and Obito would need a couple hours headstart. They agreed to spilt and met up at the Uzumaki household once they found their presents.
Rin had been impressed when she made it to Naruto’s modest sized house. Despite not being a clan compound, the two story building was isolated by a decent wall that encompassed a surprising amount of green land.
Most non-clan shinobi that were still active on the force rarely kept homes. They preferred small apartments instead. Tending to a large space when you spend most of your time outside of the village’s walls was rather troublesome for most ninja. Rin wondered if Naruto’s foster parents had to move here to have enough space for him.
Before she was ushered inside, she did manage to spot a training ground on the left side of the building as well as got a small peak to a budding garden on the right. Maybe Naruto would show her and Obito his famous tomato plants later.
She had never expected his foster dad to be Minato Namikaze. One of the most prominent Jonin in the entire village and supposedly one of the few candidates to become the next Hokage according to her father. Not only that, but every other adult present were all equally, or even more, famous.
For example, two of the three Sannin were inside Naruto’s house! Jiraiya-sama, the great toad sage, and Tsunade-sama, the slug princess, were casually sitting in her friend’s living room making small talk.
Poor Obito was trying to hide behind the sofa when he realized the head of his clan was also here. Fugaku-sama and his wife were talking to Naruto’s parents in the kitchen. Obito had no idea his clan head was so close to the blond’s parents. It wasn’t often that Uchiha clan spent time with outsiders and their presence only meant a great friendship. Of course Fugaku barely paid much attention to Obito other than a small head nod in his direction. Rin was genuinely worried her best friend was going to faint from nervousness.
“He should be almost here! Ooo, let us hide with the lights off and come out yelling surprise when it walks in!” Kushina had suggested.
Rin made a small objection that simply got ignored. Somehow she got the distinct impression that Naruto was not going to be fond of being surprised in the dark.
Strangely, it was Minato that reassured her with a soft pat on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Naru-chan is a sensor. He probably already knows that everyone is here.”
Rin , had in fact, not known that about Naruto. Although now that she did know, it made sense. No one had ever snuck up on the blond before and he has never been caught off guard, even when he’s deep in thought. She was a little disappointed in herself that she hadn’t figured that out herself.
The lights flickered off and everyone was in place. The front opened slowly and then suddenly the sound a sword being unsheathed in the distance broke the silence.
“See?! I told you that a surprise party was a bad idea! You scared him.” Rin did wonder why Naruto behaved in such a manner. If he could sense them, why would he have been scared? The thought of the blond not paying attention seemed far fetched. No one their age was as cautious as Naruto. So was he pretending to be caught off guard? That could make sense if he didn’t want certain people to know that he was a sensor type. But that begged the question, who was he hiding that knowledge from?
The rest of the party went off without a hitch. She and Obito were even given their first hugs from Naruto. He was surprisingly reserved about physical affection despite his bright persona.
Learning that he was also the Uzumaki heir had been interesting. After Naruto joined their class, Rin had taken it upon herself to learn about the Uzumaki. What she had found shocked her. To think he came from such deep and powerful roots. His clan was right up there with the Senju and Uchiha. Well, it had been. Now it was just reduced to two people.
As Rin and Obito said their goodbyes, Fugaku stopped Obito outside. The Uchiha head gave her a flat stare. She got the message and walked a few paces in front. It wasn’t like Obito wouldn’t tell her what happened.
Obito joined her not a minute later, looking strangely happy for someone that just got confronted by one of the village’s most powerful men.
“He said…good job. On befriending Naruto. Apparently Naruto saved his life and the Uchiha clan owes him a debt of gratitude. He also said to keep them close. If I was to trust anyone outside the clan, it should be him.”
Rin raised an eyebrow at her best friend.
“I know I know! Crazy right? I can’t believe that old man Fugaku of all people praised someone. And not even a clansmen! Naruto must have cast a magical spell.”
Rin nodded in agreement. Their blond friend truly was an enigma.
The following months were relatively uneventful. Naruto kept his spot as the top student. It stung some people the wrong way because it was clear that the blond paid little attention to what was happening in the lessons. Every sensei tried their best to catch them off their game by asking tricky difficult questions when they thought Naruto would least expect it, but every attempt was a failure. Naruto always knew the answer no matter how obscure the material was.
Obito’s bromance with the Uzumaki had gotten stronger, much to Rin’s amusement. To be honest, she was extremely glad that her best friend had someone else in their life. Besides his grandmother, Obito had no one else.
Nowadays Obito spent more time over at Naruto’s place than he did his own home. They even had their first sleep over a month ago and now it was an every friday tradition for the two of them.
As the end of the academic year was closing in and the genin exam coming up, the entire class was beginning to show signs of nerves. Training was ramped up to prep for the test.
At least Rin and Obito had Naruto to keep them calm. As per usual, he didn’t show any worry about the test. And he insist that they would do fine. He spent the last few months teaching them not only the rest of the genin curriculum, but advanced chakra control. He was greatly disappointed that it wasn’t already part of their lessons. He claimed that ninja can’t call themselves a ninja if they can’t walk on any surface needed.
He forced Rin and Obito to do hours of chakra control exercises every day after class until he deemed their level decent. He started with a leaf sticking to their forehead. Once they were able to do that, he had them walk and then run around without dropping the leaf. If they dropped it, Naruto would hit them with a stick and made them start over.
He was brutal and shockingly strict about training. He took his own training dead serious and didn’t let them join him because he didn’t want to be distracted.
He still made jokes and didn’t push too hard when they did train together though. He gave them pointers and would laugh at their struggle as he relaxed under a tree and worked on his secret project.
Rin had an easier time with her chakra control training than Obito. It only took her a handful of hours to get it compared to the Uchiha. Not that Naruto let her self-esteem get too high. He gave her the next step and told her now she had to walk up and down a tree only using her chakra on her feet while keeping the leaf stuck to her head. That proved to be ten times harder and left her exhausted everyday until she mastered it.
When water walking training started, she truly thought that Naruto was some kind of sadistic demon that basked in her pain. He held no mercy he as watched Rin fall into the cold river dozens of times.
At least it was better than Obito’s sessions with the blond. Naruto was much more hard on his best friend. He would keep telling the Uchiha that he knew that they could do it meanwhile, the blue eyed boy would stand at the shore and cackle like a gremlin at Obito’s soaking form.
Lately Naruto was strangely being much more absent minded than usual. He was always surrounded by stacks of books that were impossible to read either by it’s difficulty or by seals that made the ink invisible to everyone else.
He claimed he was working on a big project but refused to budge on giving them any information. Obito even tried to bribe the blond with ramen and that didn’t work either. Naruto told them that they would find out soon and dropped the topic.
Whatever was taking up Naruto’s entire focus had both Rin and Obito worried about their friend. More than once, they had to remind the blond to eat. Even his parents had asked them to watch out for him.
Rin just hoped that whatever it was that it would be over soon.
Chapter 8: Barriers are an Uzumaki art
Summary:
Minato comes into an intelligence coup, meanwhile Naruto secret months long project finally reveals itself and more than stuns people with its power.
Notes:
My longest and most fun chapter to have written so far. It’s also the beginning of the chaotic plot that’s unfolding. Please enjoy!
Chapter Text
Minato 3rd POV
Looking back at the last year Minato could not have been happier. Having Naruto enter his and Kushina’s life was truly a miracle. The two of them had always wanted children, however with the village recovering from a recent major war and tensions still running high between nations, those dreams had been placed on the back burner.
Minato rarely stayed within the village walls for more than a handful of days every few weeks. As one of the top jōnin, it fell to him to take the heaviest burdens and missions. Especially with Kushina, another highly skilled shinobi, reducing her workload.
She refused to do any mission ranked higher than B and that required her to be gone for more than five days at a time. She used the power of clan laws to enforce her demand. As the clan head and one out of only two members remaining of the Uzumaki, her duty to teach and pass on the clan’s legacy overruled any other responsibility.
Minato knew her true reason though for choosing to lessen her responsibilities. She was enjoying being a mother. She had instantly grown attached to Naruto. Even by day one, she was hooked. Not that he could blame her. Naruto held this intense charm that made anyone around him want to smother him in hugs. Which ironically, the younger blond was not much a fan of doing.
Kushina had voiced her fears to Minato several months after Naruto had moved in. She didn’t want history to repeat itself. In many ways, Minato understand exactly where she was coming from. As an orphan himself, he would be apprehensive about allowing himself to truly open to new parents. Especially ones that lived with dangerous careers. It was possible that any mission could be their last and the thought of leaving Naruto orphaned for a second time weighed heavily on both of their minds.
Kushina had been tempted more than once to retire. She didn’t need the income after all. Unfortunately her status as the host for the nine tails made it impossible for her to truly quit the force. When the Third Hokage reminded her of this in a very untactful manner, it had taken a full day of Minato trying to clam down his wife to keep her from marching back to the Hokage tower and strangling Hiruzen with her bare hands.
Luckily Naru-chan had come home from school and offered her a rare hug to comfort her and she had instantly melted in the embrace. Minato truly thought Naruto deserved a medal of peace for preventing regicide.
It had been roughly six months after Naruto moving in that Minato and Kushina officially offered to adopt Naruto as their son. It was by far the most emotional conversation the blond jōnin was a part of. Both he and his wife feared that Naruto was outright refuse them. He was certainly unpredictable that way. It had been the longest minute of their lives before Naruto had finally nodded his head and wiped his tears away.
Naruto officially became Naruto-Namikaze Uzumaki, the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki from that day forward.
The small family had decided to throw a small celebration and invited all the same people that came to Naruto’s birthday a few months earlier. Jiraya-sensei had wept like a child at the news and picked up Naruto as if they were a doll and swung them around gleefully. That forced his new son to punch his sensei over the head and knocked out the white hair sannin. Tsunade proudly patted Naruto on the back and told him that he had the strength of a senju.
Tsunade had brought a box of belongings she found that had been gathering dust back at the Senju compound. The items were all possessions that once belonged to Mito Uzumaki. Both Naruto and Kushina wasted no time in rummaging through the objects.
“Oh. This is cool. It’s a really old seal.” Naruto held up a scroll of some sort. He inspected the outside with curious eyes. It had been a proud yet humbling moment when Minato and Kushina learned of Naruto’s natural affinity with fūinjutsu. Naruto might not be on their level yet, but he was ten times more adapt in the art than either one of them had been at his age. Kushina swore that Naruto would be a master before making chūnin.
The scroll in Naruto’s hands glowed with a pulse of light and began to unravel. Minato sighed inwardly as he caught sight of a tiny cut on Naruto’s thumb.
“It asked for blood!”
“Naruto you can’t just offer your blood because a seal asked for it. What if it was dangerous?” Kushina chastised.
“Why would a clan scroll be dangerous to me?”
His wife didn’t have a good comeback prepared so she resorted to give Naruto a dark look as she read the scroll over his shoulder. Minato watched Kushina’s face begin to pale and her eyebrows swish together as her eyes flickered across the page. Her gaze suddenly caught his own and a sinking feeling began to pool in his stomach. Minato could tell she was struggling to contain her emotions.
“Hey Naru-chan, I almost forgot, we have a present for you upstairs in the study. Let’s go get it!” Minato winced at the flat look he was given by his son. Naruto was clearly not fooled, but it wasn’t meant to. They just needed to move away from prying eyes and ears.
Once the three of them had quickly made it to the study, Minato activated the privacy seals. No one would be able to spy on their conversation now.
Naruto leaned against the desk while glancing between the two adults with a puzzled expression.
Kushina held up the scroll and handed it to Minato to read while she explained. “There is more to this scroll opening that it lets on. See, not every Uzumaki could open it. This particular seal requires someone with the royal Uzumaki bloodline to activate it.”
Naruto tilted his head as he pushed off the desk and crossed his arms. “I don’t understand. Do you mean members of the main branch?”
“Not really. Many people think the Uzumaki were only an ancient clan, and while that part is true, there is something that many either miss or forget. The Land of Whirlpools was also a country. A country that was ruled by the Uzumaki Clan. Unlike the leaf village and a few other hidden villages, Uzu’s leaders were actually set up more like monarchy. The title of kage was passed down along side with the title of Daimyō. Which meant the Uzukage was usually also the country’s daimyō unless they shared that responsibility with a sibling or child. So even within the main branch of our clan, there was another special and smaller group, the members of the royal line.”
Naruto nodded along, putting everything together. That’s when his eyes widened with realization. “Wait wait. Are you trying to say…?”
Kushina nodded and closed her eyes to steel herself. “Yes. If your blood opened the scroll, it means that you’re of royal blood within our clan. As of this moment, you’re officially the Prince of Whirlpool Country. Well, technically you always were. But now, we know.”
Naruto frowned deeply as he paced around the study. “What about you? Couldn’t you also have royal blood?”
Kushina shrugged. “I never knew my father. I only knew he was an Uzumaki. However we don’t have another sealed scroll like the one you opened to test it. Besides, if I’m honest, it matters little either way. We know you are and male heirs always inherit first.”
Naruto rolled his eyes. “That’s sexist.”
“That’s just how it is for most of these ancient clans.”
Minato could see the gears working in his son’s mind as the younger blond kept wearing down a pathway in the floorboards and he was worried that Naruto was going to self combust at this rate. “Let’s take this one moment at a time. Naruto, no one outside of the three of us are in possession of this knowledge. You are more than welcome to pretend it never happened. You at not responsible for taking up that mantle if you don’t want it. I know that you want to one day resurrect your clan and I respect your dream, but remember that you’re only nine right now. You will have plenty of years to decide how you want to live your life.”
His son sighed deeply. “I know you’re right. I just can’t wrap my head around it. I go from being a former orphan of a decimated clan to somehow the prince of a dying country in less than a year.”
Kushina sat down beside Naruto on the sofa and wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close to her side. “I can imagine how overwhelming this is. But Minato-kun is right. Take your time adjusting and if you never want anyone to ever know, that’s completely understandable. We can take it to the grave. Our clan will survive no matter what.”
“Thanks Mom, thanks Dad.” Naruto flashed a tiny smile at them before getting up and heading downstairs to mingle with the guests.
Kushina needed a moment to collect herself after Naruto left and if Minato was being honest, he did too. That was the first time Naruto had ever called them mom and dad and wow, Minato never understood how amazing it felt to be called that. It made him giddy and proud at the same time. His wife was busy wiping her happy tears away as she tried unsuccessfully to reign in her emotions.
“It’s okay dear. I was caught off guard too. Naruto likes to throw emotional punches at times when no one expects it.”
Kushina laughed, nodding in agreement. “That he does. Nothing more accurate of an Uzumaki.”
~ Minor Time Jump~
Minato had working nonstop for the last month in order to make sure he would be home for Naruto’s genin exams. Despite his son’s insistence that it wasn’t a big deal, he knew Kushina would murder him if he wasn’t there to support their child.
Minato slumped at his desk as the exhaustion of back to back missions was catching up with him. It took him an embarrassing amount of time to realize there was a massive folder laying in the center of his desk. One that he hadn’t placed there himself.
It was plain looking for the most part although there was ‘Top Secret’ stamped across the middle in red ink. He reached for the folder and squinted his eyes in surprise as a tiny seal activated by touch. It clearly was placed there to ensure only he has access to the information inside. Although it did beg the question on who exactly could left this here. The property had extensive seals to ward off intruders and no alarms had gone off.
Minato decided to put that question for later as he opened the file. There must have been hundreds of documents neatly compiled. Many had photos attached to serve as proof. At first, Minato wasn’t sure what he was reading. It seemed like purely conspiracy theories that another nation would spew to cause chaos in the ranks. However, as he continued to flip through endless pages, dread began to pool at the bottom of his stomach.
Mountain sized piles of evidence pointed to possible treason to the Daimyō, political power abuse, misuse of village funds, approval to the creation of a shadow government agency, unlawful spying of the village’s own noble clans, kidnapping, torture, unethical training methods, and unsanctioned and illegal human experiments.
Minato felt his chest tighten as he reached the end of the file. There in living proof were pictures of him and his own family in various private moments. Eating dinner together, studying, even training out in the yard.
Someone was collecting information on them all and keeping tabs. He spotted a few scribbled notes in the margins. ‘Nine Tail Demon. Weakness? Son?’
Minato snapped the folder shut and closed his eyes as he worked in controlling his rapid breathing. How could this be true? Why? Everything he knew could be a lie. His entire career, every mission he has ever committed, all of it could have been used for nefarious purposes that worked against the leaf village.
He needed to make sure this information was true. Follow the sources. Because he could not pursue this half baked. Once this got out, the repercussions could very well shake the foundations of not only Konoha, but the entirety of the elemental nations. The future of the village was now at stake and Minato could not afford any mistakes.
He spent a few more moments gathering his thoughts before he stood up. There was no time to waste. First thing he needed to do was contact the only other people he could trust with this information.
Summoning two messenger toads, he relayed them orders, “Go to Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama. Tell them it’s an emergency, but they cannot be seen entering the village. Do not leave their side until they make it here.”
The two small toads glanced at each other with mirrored concerned expressions. It was not often their summoner was this serious and stoic, not to mention the waves of subtle wrath was pouring off Minato in pulses as he paced his study.
They disappeared in simultaneous poofs of smoke as they raced to their destinations to avoid upsetting the blond man any more than he already was.
Minato was not the type of man to let himself be ruled by emotions. He was far too experienced and disciplined as a shinobi to allow emotions to cloud his judgement on a mission. However this was not a mission. This was his life and his family’s lives. Not to mention the possibility that he has committed crimes under the direction of someone that was utterly and completely corrupt in all manners of speaking.
It was no surprise that it was Jiraiya that returned first. Despite the fact that Tsunade was in the village, she isn’t known for her promptness.
The white haired sanin leaped through the window as he always did. “What’s going on? You never emergency summon. You had the poor toad as shaking.” Jiraiya took one glance at Minato’s face and immediately sent into serious mode. “What happened? Is it Kushina? Not the kid, right?”
Minato sat down at his desk and motioned for the toad sage to take a seat as well. The blond slid the fat dossier across. “I received this today, anonymously. No trace of where or how this person managed to pass the security seals, however that is a matter for another time. I need to know, is what I’m seeing possible? Could there be an ounce of truth in these documents?”
Minato gave his sensei adequate time to flip through the hefty file. He watched the sage’s expression darken, turning more and more grave by the second. Finally, Jiraya placed the documents down before he ran his hand down his face in silent horror.
“I….don’t know what to say. I had some suspicions, especially concerning Danzo and Orochimaru, but this…this is beyond what I could have imagined. There have been things that never matched up, but Hirzen always defended them. I swear Minato, I had no idea.”
“So are you telling me that what we’re seeing here, it’s likely to be true?” Minato’s tone was clipped as he begged inwardly for his sensei to say it was impossible.
The moment the white haired man hung his head, Minato had his answer. He slammed his fist on his desk, smashing it splinters with a deafening boom. “Damn it.”
“Woah. What did I miss? Minato losing his cool? That’s a day I never thought to see. Someone should have told me, I would have placed a bet and won big.” Tsunade walked into the study with critical eyes. It didn’t take her long to read the dark looming aura lingering in the room.
Jiraiya silently passed her the binder of secret documents before he turned back ti face his former pupil. “Minato, I promise we will get to the bottom of this. Allow me some time to check the validity of these statements before we make any moves.”
The blond jōnin sighed tiredly. “Let’s be realistic Sensei. If this has been happening under our noses all this time, what are the chances we will uncover ourselves?”
“Hey now, don’t underestimate your old sensei. I admit, I never thought to implement a spy system in my own village and now that this has come to light, I see it was oversight. But with my full focus here, I can at least find out if some of these claims are true.”
The Slug Princess growled under breath as she caught up with everyone. “I can’t believe this bullshit. I swear to the gods themselves, I will end Hiruzen myself. How dare he trample on my family’s legacy? How dare he spout about the ‘Will of Fire’ when he’s committing crimes left and right?! Abducting children? Turning them into mindless emotionless soldiers? This is beyond barbaric!”
Minato raised his hands up in a peace action. “ Now now, as much as I relate to those feelings, we don’t actually know if they are true yet. And there is the possibility that Danzo and Orochimaru were conducting their affairs without Lord Third knowing.”
Tsunade scoffed as she plopped down on the sofa. “Minato, don’t be naive. It’s not a flattering look on a man such as yourself. Nothing happens in this town without that man knowing. Much less from two people so close to himself. We all know that when it comes to Danzo and that slimy snake, Hiruzen always had a soft spot for them. Gods, how could we have been so blind?”
The three of them sat in silence for a time as they mulled over the facts. It was incredibly hard to accept that someone that they’ve all trusted for decades could be capable of such atrocities. Minato broke the growing tension with a solemn tone. “For now, none of this leaves the room. We need to pull our resources together and review the facts. Once we know whether or not these files are accurate we can decide on what to do from there.”
With reluctant agreement, the two sanin left Minato alone to his thoughts. “Nothing is going to be the same from here on out.” He whispered to himself.
~ Minor Time Jump~
“Are you sure that’s all you want to eat for breakfast Honey? It’s a big day! You’re going to be a genin soon! Ah you’ve grown up too fast! It’s not too late to change careers! Maybe a weaponsmith like Akira-chan.”
Naruto rolled his eyes at his mother and grabbed a second piece of toast on his way out. “I think that ship as sailed. I already told you, I’m going to be the best Uzumaki ninja the world has ever seen! Believe it!”
Kushina wailed dramatically about losing her son too soon until Naruto was well out of ear shot.
Minato wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “He’s going to be fine.”
She sighed softly. “I know. It’s strange, it’s not him I’m worried about. It’s the world. He’s so determined and sure of himself. Sometimes hearing him speak makes me truly believe that he can achieve his wildest dreams and beyond.”
Minato grinned and kissed Kushina’s cheek. “I know exactly what you mean. He’s a force of nature and nothing will stop him once he makes up his mind.”
His wife hummed in agreement. “Oh! What do you think Naruto-Kim’s surprise is? He gave me a hint and told me it’s a seal he’s been creating, but nothing else.”
Minato shrugged lightly as he began to change into his shinobi garb for the day. “I honestly can never guess with him. The last seal he showed us was the one to give his tomato plants the perfect amount of sunlight and water each day. He doesn’t exactly leave much room for predictability.”
Most of the day went by slowly as Minato prepared for the anticipated jōnin meeting at the Hokage tower. It was that time again. Assigning newly minted genin to a squad and a jōnin commander. He had been surprised that he had been selected to become a jōnin sensei this year. With the tensions between the countries still high, losing him from being able to take high ranked missions for awhile was unprecedented.
Not to mention his hidden feelings about Hiruzen at the moment. It had been a week since the intelligence drop and so far nothing has come up on their search for intel. However it was only a matter of time.
Minato admitted he paid little attention to most of what was being discussed. He was busy reading the file that Hiruzen had given him at the beginning of the meeting.
Hatake Kakashi.
Mother died when he was young, raised by his father, the infamous White Fang of Konoha until their unfortunate passing. Top grades at the academy. Graduated at the tender age of five with highest marks. Not a year later, was promoted to chūnin. A legendary prodigy among prodigies. However despite his practical skill, Kakashi seems to lack the necessary social skills and bonds to prompt healthy growth.
Minato sighed inwardly. His first student and it had to be a one with severe trauma. Just his luck. Apparently the higher ups wanted Kakashi to acclimate to people his age for once. Minato wasn’t so sure forcing someone that has been a chūnin for three years to work with brand new genin was a great idea. It seemed likely only to make Kakashi more annoyed and most likely develop a superiority complex.
Well if this was how the hokage wanted to do things, he could play the game. He would demand to have Naruto on his team. Usually having one’s own child as a member of the same squad was not allowed, however if he was going to curb Kakashi’s behavior, he was going to need someone on the team that could keep the chūnin on their toes. And there was no one suited better to that than Naruto.
Speaking of, he was running late to meet with his wild child. Naruto had told Kushina and Minato to meet him at the sealing corp headquarters. Why there only prompted more questions than answers.
“Thanks for making it!” Naruto was standing outside the building with a few members of the sealing corp lingering behind him when Minato showed up.
Kushina appeared a few moments later and instantly gave the younger Uzumaki a bone crushing hug. “CONGRATS! You’re officially a genin! I’m so proud of you!” Poor Naruto was being tossed around like a stuffed teddy bear in his mother’s arms.
Minato quickly came to the rescue and ruffled his son’s hair as he congratulated the new genin. Minato spied the bells Kushina had given Naruto for his birthday. Since the younger blond lacked long enough hair to actually need the pins, Naruto had carefully slid the golden rods into the knot of his new forehead protector. From the front, it appeared as if the hair pins were actually placed in the fluffy blond locks.
“So do we finally get to know what has had you so worked for the passed few months?” Kushina asked.
“Not yet. We are still missing two people. Oh never mind, they’re here.” Naruto’s eyes flickered over to where the Third Hokage and Jiraiya-sensei were approaching.
“I must say I was caught off guard by your sudden demand for my presence. Not many people are bold enough to do that.” Hiruzen truthful seemed delighted by Naruto’s antics.
“Well now that we are all here, let’s go inside.” Naruto was practically vibrating with boundless energy as he lead them into the sealing tower. They kept heading lower and lower until they made it to the base of the staircase. It must have been several floors underground.
“I wasn’t aware this floor existed…” Sarutobi stated.
“That’s because it didn’t. Not until a few weeks ago at least.” Naruto’s voice was more chipper and animated than Minato had ever heard and that alone made him smile. “So before we go in, some background on this project is needed. I thought of this on my first day in the village to be honest. I mentioned during my interrogation that the barrier around the village didn’t even register me walking in, so that had me thinking, when was the last time anyone actually updated the security barrier? So I came here and asked around and to my surprise, the barrier has been untouched since it’s creation. I was…disgusted. No offense. So I decided to update it myself.”
Everyone stared the young blond as if he had crazy. Minato felt his brain come to a stop as it tried to process what his son was saying and by the looks of it, so was everyone else.
“Naruto, what do you mean?” It was Kushina that managed to find her voice first.
“I mean, I fixed the barrier. There were multiple problems with it. Starting off, it needed constant chakra from members of the sealing corp to continue to function. Which lets be honest, is extremely wasteful and not to mention reckless. All someone needed to do to take the barrier system down was kill off all the sealing corp members or at least enough of them to render the network without sufficient chakra to maintain itself. So that was my first major solution.”
Naruto placed his hand on the wall in front of them and suddenly thousands of intertwined seals came to life, appearing on the stone as it rumbled open. The chamber on the other side of the wall was massive. It was easily twice the size of regular training field. In every direction there were chains and spirals of a hundred thousand seals covering every square each of space.
“Oh my gods….”
“What is this?”
“Naruto, what did you do?”
Naruto bounced in front of them with a blinding smile. “This is the ultimate defense barrier network. My pride and joy. So going back to how I fixed the first major problem with the old barrier, this new one runs totally on ambient chakra within its boarders. I placed seals all over the village in protected spots that connect back here. They slowly gather chakra that gets dispersed by the thousands of ninja that live here. Not only that, but because the First Hokage actually created so many of the forests and buildings in Konoha with chakra, these seals wouldn’t really work for other hidden villages because they don’t have enough ambient chakra. Not that I would let them steal my baby either way.”
Naruto walked deeper into the chamber and stopped in front a massive scroll that took up entire wall. Naruto touched a few seals on a nearby podium and suddenly the blank paper began to display ink. “This is Konoha. Sort of. It’s a copy of it. Every known building has been uploaded to the data based and now we can see the entire village from here. Every ninja and civilian with a blood sample on record has been recorded already. So now if someone not on record passes the barrier, even a civilian, that person will show up on the map as a red dot. No matter where they go, the map gets updated in real time and we can find them. Now let’s say we need to find someone that has been recorded. The easiest thing to do is remove them. Once they are no longer considered in the network, they will automatically be marked by a red spot.”
Naruto paused as he glanced at the array of stunned faces. Minato was leaning against a wall for support as he stared at this masterpiece in sheer wonder. The level of fūinjutsu mastery to pull off something like this…he couldn’t fathom. It required intimate knowledge of space and time ninjutsu as well as a ridiculous level of mathematics and not to mention the obvious amount of time it would take just to hand write each of these seals.
“H-how did you…..?” Jiraiya croaked in stunned awe.
“Oh, you mean like writing all the seals? That alone took me four weeks. But I used shadow clones. Lots and lots of shadow clones to be precise.”
Kushina had to sit down on the floor as she tried to grasp everything that was happening. Sarutobi wasn’t faring much better as his face was ghostly pale.
“So,” Naruto continued in his overly excited tone, “that solved two problems and I could have stopped there, but I thought, no, if I’m going to do this, I should do it right. I thought about my homeland and how it was destroyed. I don’t ever want to experience that again. The next part was by far the hardest and took me months of work. But after studying existing barrier technique methods, I created my own. The same giant invisible barrier that compasses the entire village is now able to become solid and deflect any intruder, that of course, doesn’t posses their own space-time ninjutsu.”
Jiraiya-sensei collapsed comically on the floor as he screeched like a wild animal in confusion. Minato couldn’t blame him, he was barely managing to keep up. Every time he gets blown away, Naruto continues to reveal another impossible feat.
“Naruto-kun, when you say deflect, what exactly do you mean?” Sarutobi questioned as he began to gather his wits.
Minato watched as his son tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Are you all familiar with the Five Seal Barrier?” Minato’s eyes widened with recognition and Naruto took that as a sign to continue. “I said earlier that I created seals to absorb ambient chakra, but I forgot to mention I also created chakra batteries. The seals take in more chakra than is actually needed to run the barrier. Hence the batteries. Because while the passive barrier is relatively low in chakra usage, the defense barrier, which is what I call it when you switch on the deflecting aspect, requires way more chakra to maintain. Instead of their being five seals to maintain the barrier, there are five dozen. All of which are hidden across the Land of Fire. Thus, making it impossible to destroy the barrier. At full storage capacity, the defense barrier can last five full days.”
“Dear gods, Naruto, do you have any idea what you’ve created?! This is a creation of epic, no, almost divine power. A shield that can protect an entire hidden village on that scale will tip the balance of power.” Jiraiya stated as he stood up.
Naruto crossed his arms and gave the sanin an exasperated look. “That was sort of the point. I wanted to create the best protection possible for the village. Now Konoha has a secret power that can save hundreds of lives.”
“Surely Naruto-kun what will happen if you aren’t here? I can’t imagine that this system can be controlled by anyone that isn’t a master in fūinjutsu.” Kushina pointed out.
Minato doubted even a normal master in the art could do it. This was something only an Uzumaki could understand.
“Actually, that’s not true. I took that into account. Sure, no one can replicate it, but actually, the controls aren’t hard at all. I already taught a few members of the sealing corp. As amazing as my baby is, it’s not completely self-sufficient. It still has to be monitored full time and someone has to edit the registry of names each day. Not to mention that if the barrier needs to be switched from passive mode to defensive mode, that has to be done from here.”
“Well…I believe I can say with the truest certainty, no one can ever doubt you being an Uzumaki. As well as doubting your obvious mastery of the art of sealing. I may believe you have surpassed your parents in that regard.” Sarutobi praised.
Minato silently agreed. He may have the Flying Thunder Technique, but even that was not on par to his son’s creation. Immense pride filled his chest. He knew Naruto was a prodigy but now he wasn’t sure that term was adequate enough to describe the younger blond’s ability. To become a master in what is regarded as the most difficult shinobi art at the age of nine was a feat no other could boast.
“Mom? Dad? Would you like to do the honors?” Naruto asked gently as he stared at them with hopeful eyes.
“Honors?” Minato and Kushina asked simultaneously.
“Yeah. The old system is technically still in place. Wouldn’t want the surprise to be ruined. Don’t worry, no one will even notice the different besides the people here in the tower and they’re already prepared for tue switch.”
“I’m shocked they were able to keep this a secret for such a long time.” Jiraiya mentioned offhandedly.
Naruto grinned. “All I had to do was promise to teach them a few things. And I was already planning to anyways so it was a win-win for me.”
Jiraiya laughed boisterously at that. “Such a clever gremlin child you are. You’re definitely my new favorite. Sorry Minato.”
Minato shrugged nonchalantly. “None taken. Naruto is my favorite too.”
Naruto guided his parents to a bright red seal. “Just pulse a bit of chakra and the barriers will switch over seamlessly.”
Minato caught the gaze of the Third Hokage who simply nodded his approval. Kushina and Minato sent a jolt of chakra out from their fingertips and watched in wonder as hundreds of thousands of seals began to come to life with soft pulsing light. Everyone in the room could sense the immense amount of chakra beginning to pour inside the room and activate the new barrier system. It was a true moment of amazement to experience.
“Ta-da! It’s official! Ah so many months of work went into this. I really wanted to share it with you both so many times, but I figured a major surprise was better. Now I can move on to my next project.”
Both Minato and Kushina rushed to their son and begged for him to take a break. They couldn’t handle another aloof and moody version of Naruto so soon.
Naruto beamed up at them and promised to take it easy for a little while. The trio decided that was enough excitement for the day and decided to head on home.
Somehow that seemed to remind Naruto of something and he stopped walking in the middle of the street. “Oh. That’s right! I missed out on the genin team assignments. Do you happen to know who my team and jōnin sensei will be?”
Minato couldn’t help laughing aloud. Most academy students couldn’t wait until they got their teams after graduation and here, his son only thought of it as a fleeting thought. He actually was beginning to feel bad for Kakashi and Obito. Naruto was going to eat them alive.
Chapter 9: The rise and fall of power
Summary:
The clan heads finally meet, secrets and crimes are exposed, and a power of three decades is dethroned.
Notes:
Hi Everyone!
I’m back with a chapter! It’s not super exciting, but it’s necessary for plot stuff. So I hope you still enjoy it!
Chapter Text
NARUTO 3RD POV
Naruto was not surprised by the efficiency and determination of his father after he had secretly exposed the dark underground crimes that had been festering in the shadows of Konoha.
It took months of painstaking surveillance and reconnaissance to recover the proper evidence. Despite his new passive and undetectable chakra ability, Danzo and Orochimaru did not take half measures when it came to their security.
The last thing Naruto needed was being caught or worse, getting into an all out fight with either of those bastards. The only way he would be able to battle toe to toe with them would be using and displaying techniques he shouldn’t know yet. That would lead to a unfortunate series of events and many questions he would rather not have to answer.
Two weeks had gone by since the strategic placement of the dossier and for Minato that’s all it took for him to assemble an unofficial clan head meeting. Keeping the Third Hokage unaware of the conjugation had proven to be challenging. Naruto had been sly and worked in conjunction with the Fire Daimyō to create a diversion meeting at the capitol for Hiruzen to attend to aid in his father’s hidden agenda.
Fire Lord Kazuya had been downright wrathful when presented with Naruto’s findings at the capitol and demanded swift action. It took quite a bit of convincing on the small blond’s part to allow Konoha to be able resolve their internal affairs without interference.
It was only Naruto’s reveal of his true heritage that seemed to calm down the young daiymō. The potential major political alliance offered was too sweet of a deal to pass up. Whirlpool country may not have a hidden village anymore, but the land itself was rich in untapped resources. Not to mention, all the wealth from the country was now only divided by two people. Naruto didn’t need a powerful military power to bargain and broker treaties. Money alone did held enough power.
Naruto had hoped to keep this particular card hidden for longer, but he hadn’t expected such a vengeful reaction. Seems like the Daimyō he knew was much more aggressive and ill-tempered at a younger age. Either way, he got what wanted. His only request was for Kazuya not to give away anything.
Which lead to this moment. All the current heads and heirs of each of Konoha’s clans were present in a large conference room at the ANBU tower. It had been chosen at the location for the assembly because it was one of few places that was protected by complex anti-surveillance and silencing seals. No ROOT members could sneak in without setting off alarms.
Naruto had been invited as the heir of the Uzumaki and took a place beside his mother. Kushina herself appeared confused by her husband’s sudden shadowy actions, but like any supportive wife and ninja, she did not show an ounce of disharmony in the company of others.
Naruto had been mildly surprised by the amount of people in attendance. It took him a moment to realise that this what the village looked like before the third shinobi war and the attack on the village when Kurama was forcefully unleashed from his mother’s seal. Before thousands of lives had been extinguished in the line of duty. He had forgotten that many clans were killed off and lost to history before he had been born.
Naruto glanced around the room trying to spot familiar faces. He recognised Tsunade as the head of the Senju Clan sitting between the middle aged Sarutobi Clan Head and Fugaku Uchiha. The sannin was leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed across her ample chest while she tried to keep a passive expression. Also with her hands away from the table there was a less chance for destruction. Which everyone in attendance was thankful for.
Naruto knew Tsunade was annoyed that she had to sit through these long winded council meetings, but as the only Senju member that was in the active shinobi force and not married off to another clan, she was the remaining choice to fill the responsibility.
Naruto had been worried about the Sarutobi Head’s reaction to the news about Hiruzen. Technically speaking, Hiruzen should be the clan head and in many ways, he still was. However according to the village’s bylaws, the current hokage cannot claim a clan seat during their tenure. Too much potential of an imbalance of power. The irony of that didn’t get passed Naruto. Minato must believe that the clan will be unbiased. Or perhaps this is his way of trying to give the rest of the clan a way out of a sticky situation.
Naruto wondered though if Asuma would actually cut ties with his father. He didn’t know them as well as he knew the other sensei’s from his other lifetime. Nor did he know much about Asuma’s relationship with his father. He had suspicions though. Considering that Asuma left the village for years to work at the capital as one of the twelve Guardian ninja for the Daimyō.
The young sarutobi kept glancing over at him with narrowed eyed. It took Naruto a moment to realize why. Outside of Obito and Rin, none of his old classmates knew of his clan heir status. It made sense, no one would have assumed an outsider of the village would have ties to this degree.
The blond was grateful for his father finally speaking up and breaking the growing tension between the gathered members. Minato’s face was grim and stoney as he stood at the head of the grand table. Naruto winced internally. He hated that look on his father.
“Good evening. Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I know it must have been an inconvenience for many of you with your busy schedules. However what I am bringing forth today is of the upmost importance. I am now handing out a copy of a file to each of you. Two weeks ago, I was given this data anonymously. When I read it, I truly thought it was a false report.” Minato passed out a stack of blank folders to each of the clan heads. “Something that an opposing nation created to cause chaos and mistrust in our ranks. I confided in Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade immediately and with their aid, we have managed to double and tripled checked this intelligence. And…we have found that everything laid out before you is true.”
There was deafening silence as everyone present read the reports and collected evidence. Minato sat down and that was the cue for Jiraiya to stand and continue the discussion.
“As you can see, we had good reason to make this meeting a secret from the Hokage. I am shocked and appalled by what we uncovered. Hirizen is complicit in an endless list of crimes. Allowing the village funds to be misused, brokering fake treaties with opposing nations, falsifying mission reports, creation of an unapproved shadow organization to spy and kill civilians and shinobi alike, and of course the illegal and highly unethical actions of abducting and experimenting on innocent children. While he is not performing many of these crimes himself, he had full knowledge of what his ex teammate and current advisor Danzo was doing. With Orochimaru…he has fallen far in his search for power and knowledge. As his own teammates, Tsunade and I have allowed ourselves to be blinded by love and loyalty. We never saw what was happening right in front of us.”
The Nara head was the first to speak. “I don’t claim to doubt the three of you nor your investigation skills, but what you’re suggesting, well, you’re claiming that a sitting hokage has violated their duty to the village and it’s people. Something like this has never happened before. What exactly do you purpose for us to do?”
The Hyūga continued, “And not to mention that Hiruzen is a war hero, a powerful kage level shinobi, and highly respected among Konoha’s population and abroad. Having this exposed could severely weaken us at a time of great tension across the elemental nations.”
A growl cut the Hyūga off. A furious looking Inuzuka slammed their hands on the table with claws leaving deep gashes in the wood. “Excuse me?! Are you suggesting that we allow these transgressions just to save face? What if this gets leaked? And let’s be honest, it will at some point. When the rest of the world finds out that we knew what he had done and did nothing, what level of shame will you bring to your noble clan Hyūga?! I say we toss the fucker out. It could have been any of our kids that got taken away. We get told that they did in action on a mission, but in reality they’re being used as mindless soldiers. Or what if their dead bodies are being dissected and experimented on by that creepy snake bastard?!”
The room erupted in a cacophony of yelling and insults as the harsh revelations began to sink into everyone’s minds. The betrayal by someone everyone here trusted was not a truth that could be swallowed easily.
Naruto sighed tiredly as he propped his chin up with his palm. His mother hadn’t said anything since everything began. In fact, she was still reading the heavy folder with sharp eyes. Naruto felt his stomach twist into knots. It shouldn’t be long before she gets to one of the worst crimes ever committed by a member of the hidden leaf.
A sudden chilling burst of dense chakra blanketed the chamber and successfully halted the screaming matches between the clan heads. Naruto leaned away from his mother as she slowly stood from her chair with her crimson hair floating around her in an oddly reminiscent figure of Kurama’s tails.
Minato wasted no time to come to his wife’s side when he noticed how distraught she had become. Tears were streaming down the oldest Uzumaki’s cheeks as she struggled to form words.
“You knew?” Kushina gave Minato a hard look as she opened the file to the page she had read. “That Danzo murdered the Uzushiogakure messenger that was sent out to Konoha to ask for support as they fought of Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri? How could you not say anything? Why would that vile man decided to keep Konoha from supporting my home village? Hiruzen knew about it all and kept it all under wraps all these years. Thousands of lives were lost! An entire nation snuffed out because of what? Some bastard’s greed? Was it power that Danzo and Hiruzen were afraid to lose?”
His mother didn’t voice it aloud, but for those that knew about her status as the host of the nine tails, the connections clicked. Without any other outside Uzumakis, it forced Konoha to be the only village with the people strong enough to be the hosts for such immense power. After all, no one but an Uzumaki has ever successfully held the power of the nine tails. They wanted his mother to have children and pass her burden on to her children and then their children and so on and so forth. An entire legacy of demon hosts. Endless containers to be weapons in war.
Minato gave his wife a sad expression. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say anything until I could prove it to be true.”
Naruto decided to step in and stop his parents from fighting any more. He tugged on her hand and laced his small fingers through his mother’s. “Mom, it’s okay. We will get justice, but fighting between ourselves won’t help.”
That seemed to work like a charm as the red haired women deflated and sat back down. “I’m sorry Naruto-chan. You’re right. Let’s focus on one thing at a time.”
“I agree.” Everyone turned to face a regal looking man that had been silent the entire time in the corner of the room. “I apologize for not greeting you all sooner. I am an emissary from his Highness, the Fire Daiymō. I was sent here to aid in the process of removing Hiruzen Sarutobi from power.”
“Wait so, the Daiymō was aware of everything?” The Nara head scratched his head with a perplexed expression.
“As of two weeks ago, yes. It seems whoever decided to give Minato that dossier took extra measures to ensure that the information got out. We, of course, did our own investigations and uncovered an array of transgressions that have spanned decades. His Highness had been tempted to abolish the village entirely after discovering the betrayal. It was his advisors that suggested to see how the village leaders would handle the situation and from there, make a formal decision.”
The news that everyone’s home and families had been compromised by the Third was a weighted stone in everyone’s stomachs.
Minato had kept his face as neutral as possible, but Naruto knew that his father was hiding the fear and fury he was truly feeling. “As you could tell, we have no protocols for this and we are at impasse on how to handle the situation. We now look to the Fire Lord on how to proceed.”
The clan heads nodded stiffly, no one wanting to argue with the facts. Hiruzen Sarutobi had affectively screwed everyone over in a multitude of ways.
The emissary stood from their spot and walked to the head of the table. “Our first act is the dismissal of Hiruzen as the acting hokage. There are no redemptions for his actions. However as some of you pointed out, airing his crimes could very well be the downfall of our country. Our standing among the elemental nations would fall and in turn our political power would mean nothing. Treaties and trade agreements would fail and the economy itself could collapse. As much as I and the Fire Lord wish to condemn Sarutobi for his actions, we have no choice, but to keep the truth contained. Luckily we will use his age as a reason to force retirement. Stating that we wish for a younger kage to take the reins.
That now leaves us to our second decision. We need a new hokage to take the helm. Despite the insistence, neither Lord Jiraiya or Lady Tsunade wish to take the title. The only other kage level shinobi remaining are Minato Namikaze and Fuguka Uchiha. The Capitol has decided that either of these men are acceptable options. We will leave the choice for the clan heads to vote upon.”
A murmur of whispers broke out among the joined assembly. Already everyone was trying to weigh the pros and cons. Suddenly the Uchiha Head raised his hand to silence the mutterings.
“I wish to withdrawal my name from election, however, I have a few conditions I would like to state.” Every single person stared at the Uchiha as if he gone crazy. It was no secret that the Uchiha Clan has been trying to have a member of their clan become hokage for years now. “Due to personal reasons, I cannot in good conscious take the mantle at this time. Yet I will use this time to make it known that Hiruzen and Danzo have clearly been unfairly treating my people because of their influence of Lord Second’s distrust of my clan. We have been pushed out of Konoha in every way possible. We cannot live outside our district, we cannot take roles and jobs that are not pre-approved, and the few ninja we produce are rarely allowed to join the shinobi ranks outside of the police force. My demand is that we are given the same unbiased rights and privileges as every other clan here.”
Naruto had to admit that he hadn’t seen this coming. He wondered what had caused the stoic and power hungry man that he had heard about to transform into someone that actually put other’s needs ahead of his own.
Thankfully it was universally agreed by every clan present that Fugaku’s demands were fair and just. And that meant, Minato Namikaze was officially the acting hokage of the hidden leaf village.
The following week had been hell. The Daimyō had taken immense pleasure in stripping Hiruzen of his title and power. Even though most people in the village only saw it as Sarutobi finally taking a well deserved retirement, almost every clan ninja knew the truth.
When the former third hokage returned to Konoha, he appeared to have aged nearly a decade. The stress of having all their dirty laundry exposed must have done a number on them. Not that Naruto cared. He was just happy that he was able to put a stop to Sarutobi before they had more time to commit more hideous crimes. And hopefully now, the Uchiha Massacre will be only something that exists in his memories.
As for the punishment, Hiruzen was to be monitored at all times by rotating ANBU teams while placed under powerful chakra suppressing seals. Naruto actually created his own version of them so there was no way that Hiruzen had the ability to disable to the seals. To many people’s dislike, the elderly Sarutobi was still free to roam around the village and do whatever he liked. Although he had been blacklisted from many, if not all, ninja owned businesses.
Danzo, as expected, faded into the shadows once he learned that he had been exposed. He and his entire ROOT group had disappeared seemingly overnight. It was now an ongoing intel mission to figure out where that bastard had disappeared to.
And Orochimaru, that snake really had an escape plan for everything. Even years before he had gotten originally caught in Naruto’s timeline that slippery creature had contingencies upon contingencies. Jiraiya and Tsunade had decided it was their responsibility to handle their ex teammate. Yet even the two of them together were not enough to out maneuver the snake summoner.
At least this time around, Orochimaru didn’t have nearly as much time to cover up his experiments when fleeing the village. With Tsunade’s medical knowledge, she had been able to work backwards with the limited information found to figure out what was happening in those creepy underground basements.
In another week and the grand ceremony of Minato getting publicly sworn into office was to take place. The entire upheaval of government put a pause on any new missions and of course the genin squads secret second exams. Obito and Rin were more excited about Naruto being the son of a hokage than he was himself.
Of course, he had years to get used to that fact while it was all new to them. To be honest, not much changed since his father got the promotion. Minato refused to allow his work to impact his home responsibilities. Well, more like his mother threatened to beat the shit out of him if he dared to come home late.
Minato had assigned ANBU squads to watch over Naruto and Kushina. The newly minted Fourth Hokage had a fear that enemies would try to test the power and limits of a new and young hokage. Which was a fair reasoning. Hiruzen had been in charge for nearly three decades. Everyone knew what the third was capable of. But Minato was still fairly young and hasn’t gotten his most famous moniker yet.
Naruto thought it was hilarious to troll his so called protectors. He was a master of stealth, disguise, and the shadow clone jutsu. The most dangerous combination for a prankster. His poor ANBU assignments never could keep up with him. He would constantly vanish and reappear in different locations all over the village and usually in multiple places at once. What could he say, he was a busy guy after all.
Chapter 10: Naruto VS. Kakashi
Summary:
Erm, the title speaks for itself. For once.
Notes:
Happy Holidays!!!
Here is the long awaited update for this story. Hope you enjoy XD
Chapter Text
Naruto 3rd POV
“Naru-chan, they’re here for your protection, not a means to test yourself. Can you please stop hiding from them? Their sulking is starting to ruin the stoic strong image I want from my ANBU. Plus I think a few of them are starting to get inferiority complexes.”Minato was giving his son a pout as he made the small family of three breakfast.
For three days straight, none of the ANBU members he assigned to protect his son after his ascension to Lord Hokage managed to actually stay by his child’s side.
Naruto decided having guards was counterproductive to his secretive plans or something along those lines. Minato was never clear on what the younger blond was plotting these days.
Minato never realised how frustrating the multi-shadow clone jutsu could be paired with a sensor type ninja armed with seals. The hokage was tempted to ban that particular combination although he could admit that in missions, it would be an invaluable skill.
“Get better guards Dad. I agreed to having them on the condition that they don’t get in my way. It’s not my fault they can’t keep up.” Naruto didn’t even bother to glance up from his morning eggs. He felt the current hidden ANBU members wince and wilt from his flat tone.
Minato sighed softly. His poor blond cherub had been a foul mood since he found out about Kakashi and that the fact that he would be the third member of the squad. The elder blond had no idea why his usually sweet and soft spoken son had it out for the young chunin. As far as Minato knew, the two of them have never spoken.
Luckily Kushina filled him in. Apparently Obito and Kakashi were the ones with the rough history. The chunin liked to push buttons and say rather harsh things to the young Uchiha. It had gone from typical rival spats to outright belittling and bullying.
Minato pinched the bridge of his nose. Naruto absolutely despised bullying in any context. He fondly remembered having to go to the academy after a teacher called frantically that Naruto was actively trying to gut a poor civilian kid in the class with a rusty spork after they called out Rin for picking medical ninjutsu as a career, stating that it was for the weak and untalented.
That had been a rough day. The kid had to be moved to a different class because Naruto’s pranks made the kid’s life hell. Naruto calmly declared that he would haunt the kid’s nightmares until they quit the ninja academy and by the following week, the civilian student pulled out of the program.
Minato changed the subject as he placed a plate heaping with eggs and bacon in front of his ravenous child. “Are you excited for your genin exam today? I’m sorry it was postponed a few days. With my sudden inauguration, it’s been chaotic to get a grasp on my new schedule.”
Naruto gave his Dad a small reassuring smile as he began to devour his food like a starving beast. “It’s fine. Gave me a few extra days to help Obito train more. But…are you sure it’s still wise to be a sensei to a genin team now that you’re hokage?”
“Don’t be silly Naru-Chan. I promised didn’t I? Besides, I have a strong feeling you and Obito won’t be genin for long.”
Naruto grinned around a mouthful of eggs. That was likely true. He had little plans to remain a genin for long. His skills were way beyond that even with him holding himself back. Plus Kakashi was already a chunin and Obito was rapidly getting to that level. Naruto estimated six months before possible promotions.
“Okay, I have to go deal with some paperwork, but I will see you at training ground seven soon.” Minato pressed a light kiss on the top of the younger blond before disappearing in a silent yet skillful body flicker.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“How are you not nervous? We are going up against the freaking hokage for our genin test! That’s so not fair!” Obito huffed loudly as he kicked the ground.
“It’s just my dad.” Naruto calmly replied as he flipped through his book on ritualistic sealing formulas.
“Do you think he’ll go easy on us then? I doubt he’ll want to hurt his precious baby boy.” Obito grinned as he watched Naruto’s eyebrow twitch.
“Hmm actually, he will likely to go much harder on us. Now that I’m a Hokage’s kid, people are going to have high expectations of me.”
“Whaatttt? Nooo. That blows. Why can’t anything be easy for once?”
Naruto sighed tiredly as he felt Kakashi’s presence suddenly appear in the tree above him. Now the chaos and bickering will commence.
“Hey Kakashi. What’s up?”
Said silver haired teen leaped down from their spot looking annoyed that their cover was blown that fast. “So it’s true. You’re a sensor type nin.”
Obito excitedly boasted for Naruto. “He’s the best in the entire village. His range is almost 15 kilometers in every direction.”
Kakashi raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was quite a massive distance. The most he heard of before was around 5km. The chakra required had to easily be kage level to accurately sense at that distance.
“Hm. It’s not all that impressive since it’s a passive ability.” Naruto piped up as he eyed the chunin. He might have loved his own version of Kakashi, but this one was completely different than the man he knew. This version made Naruto’s hot temper spike with those dismissive and condescending glares. It’s like seeing another Sasuke. Although Kakashi was worse.
“At least it’s useful. What exactly are you going to provide to the team Uchiha runt?”
Obito puffed out his cheeks and began to spew angry remarks. “Who’re you calling a runt? It’s not like you’re any taller! I’m just as good as my clansmen.”
Kakashi rolled his eyes. “Stop kidding yourself. Everyone knows you’re the weakest link in your clan. You haven’t even unlock your eyes yet.”
Naruto snapped his book shut with a loud thump as he stood up from his shadowy spot. “That’s enough. That was a low blow and completely unneeded. I don’t know your other teams worked, but I believe in teamwork and general respect in each other.”
The chunin scoffed under his breath. “I should get the right to complain. I’m the one being stuck with a team of baby ninjas with naive thinking. The only saving grace is that the Lord Hokage himself will be the head of the team.”
Naruto forced himself not to lash out. He can’t be losing his shit right now. At least Obito had the chance to verbally respond for him.
This continued on for a few minutes until Minato’s chakra appeared and silence fell over the fighting teammates.
Minato rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he noticed the obvious tension brewing. The storm cloud hanging over his son’s head was practically thundering with annoyance.
“I see you’re all getting to know each other. That’s good. This is by far the most strange genin team probably ever formed. A seasoned gifted chunin, a talented sealmaster, and an unorthodox Uchiha headed by a sitting hokage.” Minato flashed a bright smile as he looked over his new students. “I was going to test you by forcing you work together as a team, but I know realistically it takes time to create bonds of trust and while Naruto and Obito may have those with each other, it’s understandable that Kakashi as a newcomer won’t have that right off the bat.
So instead, I will be testing your abilities and see where you are in skill level. Reading reports is not the same as facing a person in battle. With that being said, Naruto and Obito have been training together for nearly a year so they know a lot about each other already.
Kakashi. You will be going up against the both of them. Since it’s a bit unfair, if you wish, I will step in with a shadow clone to act as a partner for you to even it out.”
Kakashi glanced over at the blond and raven haired genin with a blank stoic glare. “I don’t need help handling green genin Sensei. It won’t even take long.”
“You’re such a cocky dick. As if you could take down me, much less Naruto-kun. He’s way better than you could ever hope to be.”
The silver haired teen shrugged. “And yet I graduated early and I’ve been an active ninja for years and he’s just starting.”
Obito’s faced turned red in rage. “And he’s also a sealmaster! Better than his parents too! Which makes him the best in the entire village.”
That tidbit seemed to make Kakashi pause. He knew the young blond was being hailed as a fūinjutsu prodigy, but to be declared better than the Fourth Hokage and the Toad Sage? That couldn’t be true. Yet the Lord Fourth only seemed to be smiling wider.
Naruto finally spoke up in his own defense. “Technically Kakashi, we’ve both only spent a single year at the academy before graduating.”
“Oh yeah! That’s true! I totally forgot that Naruto was a transfer.” Obito grinned to himself.
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. You can’t replace experience. “Let’s just get this over with.” Kakashi went over to the other side of the training grounds without another word.
Naruto turned to his best friend. “Hey. I know you can handle him yourself, but I want to ask, can I take him on myself this time? He’s really pissing me off.”
Obito fumbled slightly. He really wanted to show off some of his new moves that he been working on, but he honestly never saw his best friend this motivated to actually fight. Usually Naruto only wanted to read his books, practice deals, or garden. Getting to watch him take Kakashi down a peg or two would be fun.
Plus it was a bonus to get to see Naruto get all worked up and stripped down to their training gear. Obito could barely focus when he got a chance to catch a glimpse of how muscular the bond truly was.
“Um, yeah. That’s totally okay. You’re probably right, the two of us would be overkill anyways. Go kick his ass for me.”
Naruto flashed his trademark smirk. “You know it.”
“Naru-chan, please keep the maiming to a minimal. This is really just a spar to help-“
“I know Dad. You want to topple Kakashi from his overgrown ego. Bring him back to reality. I get it. I promise not to go overboard.”
“I hate it when you do that. It’s like you read minds.”
“Nah, everyone is just that predictable.”
“Well I admit that stings a little.”
“Sorry. Anyways, I’ll try to keep this short. Bye.” Naruto disappeared in his own body flicker.
Minato shrugged. He did try to offer aid to Kakashi. Oh well. He gave a signal and despite the distance, he knew both combatants saw it. The battle began.
Minato went over to stand by side Obito. “That was big of you to let Naruto take over the spar. I know how much you wanted to prove to him that you grew.”
The young Uchiha blushed pink. “W-what? I don’t know what you mean Sensei. I just did the best choice. Naruto can easily handle Kakashi. Besides, he never wants to fight so I figured it was really important to him.”
Minato hummed sagely. “I suppose. Naruto is odd for sure. For as much talent as he has, he doesn’t have the desire to fight like most younger ninja. But are you sure you don’t know why he was so adamant about this particular fight?”
For some reason, Obito felt his cheeks burning from the look Naruto’s father was giving him currently.
“No? I know he doesn’t like Kakashi either, but that’s about it.”
“Ah. That’s true. I know I should stay out of it, but I can’t help myself sometimes. Naru-chan cares a great deal about you, do you know that? When he isn’t rambling about seals, you’re the only other thing he talks about constantly. I know he doesn’t show it, but he does pay attention to you.”
Minato didn’t mentioned that Naruto always has a clone watching over Obito at all times or that there was a secret seal on his body to alert Naruto if he was injured. For some reason, his son truly cared about the Uchiha, more than he wanted to reveal.
Poor Obito’s face was glowing crimson by now. “Oh. Um. I didn’t know he talked about me at home. That’s nice?” Obito had no idea what to do in this situation. His crush’s dad, who was the freaking hokage, was telling him that his secret crush had feelings for him? Like what does someone do with that information. Obito desperately needed to talk to Rin ASAP. She would know what to do.
“Naruto set his traps.” Obito broke out of his inner turmoil as he listened to his Sensei dictate the unseeable parts. “He is forcing Kakashi out into the open. The forest is now too dangerous to engage in combat.”
Naruto was a master at trap making and deployment. Obito almost felt sorry for Kakashi. Almost.
Suddenly there was a blur of movement out in the clearing. Kakashi appeared first, looking rather battered and some of his uniform was torn or burnt at the edges. Definitely had a few brush encounters with the blond’s traps.
Naruto appeared briefly afterwards looking calm and collected as always. His piercing blue eyes burned holes into Kakashi before round two commenced.
The chunin went full kitchen sink, launching calculated projectiles synced with impressive elemental jutsus to create an overwhelming force. The fire and earth combo was a deadly combination as it destroyed everything in its path.
Obito winced with worry. Even from a great distance away, he could feel the immense heat of the fireball and the ground rumbling as the terrain was rearranged.
Naruto was…dodging? No, he was moving way too fast. Obito could barely see his best friend moving. Only streaks of golden yellow appearing for a second before vanishing again. That can’t be…no way.
“It’s not. Naruto isn’t using what you’re thinking. Although what he is doing is nearly as impressive. The body flicker is not used widely in combat because it requires almost perfect memory of everything in an area, has a large chakra dependency and has a nasty draw back of making the user slightly unstable for a few seconds as their senses catch up. However it seems Naruto found a way around those setbacks.”
Naruto continued to body flicker around the battlefield, dodging every attack with effortless grace. Then he made a mad dash straight towards Kakashi with a sweeping axe kick.
Luckily the chunin used a substitution technique with a nearby rock because the moment Naruto’s foot made contact with the ground, the earth spilt open with a thunderous crack. A massive ten foot radius crater now existed where Kakashi had been standing a second ago.
“Holy fuck. What the heck was that?! Was he always that strong?!”
Minato chuckled awkwardly. “Well Naru-chan picked up a few things from Lady Tsunade. She insisted he knew one of her secret techniques. And of course with his perfect chakra control, he had it mastered in no time.”
Obito’s jaw hung open. Naruto never used that level of power in their spars before. Even though it stung his ego a bit, he knew he wasn’t ready to handle that kind of brute strength yet.
The next part of the spar was clearly a weird game of one sided tag. Kakashi was doing his best to dodge Naruto’s literal rock smashing fists. The speed the both of them were moving was faster than chunin for sure. They were definitely giving some jonin a run for their money at this rate. However it was obvious that Naruto wasn’t pushing himself while the silver haired teen was struggling to avoid being pummeled into a paste.
At some point the blond menace must have gotten bored chasing the chunin around because suddenly Naruto grinned wickedly and before anyone knew it, the entire training ground was littered in huge branching sealing arrays.
“Give up Kakashi. You can’t escape. If you try to leave the seal matrix, you’ll find yourself incinerated into a pile of ash.”
Kakashi froze, suddenly too terrified to even breathe.
“Okay okay. I think you’ve proved your point Naru-chan. You both did really well! I didn’t expect to see such a clever use of the body flicker technique. You really kept that hidden in your training. Out of curiosity, when did you set up the seals? I didn’t catch you creating nor placing them.”
Naruto began to deactivate his seals as he replied, “Yesterday. Figured prepping a known area is half the battle. But I just felt lazy and I didn’t want to do the seals in the middle of combat.”
“So you cheated. Typical.” Kakashi hissed out.
“Cheat? I didn’t. I was smart and planned ahead. I would have thought someone with real mission experience would have done the same. Besides, I could have just activated these from the beginning, but I wanted you to have a chance. So if anything, I was being nice and generous.”
Obito couldn’t help laughing. Between the nonchalantness of Naruto and the rage growing on Kakashi, this was the best day ever.
Minato sighed inwardly. There was a lot of work to do if these three were ever going to be a team. But the first step was done. Breaking Kakashi’s mentality that he was the best. Naruto’s skill and clever mind was going to force the rest of the team to grow rapidly or potentially break his teammates. Minato was betting on the former outcome.
Chapter 11: Shameless advertisement
Chapter Text
Hi Everyone-
I missed you guys! I promise I still read your comments and I really love the moral support!
I had a few rough past couple months and I’ve barely had the opportunity to eat, much less write. However I’ve finally have the time and motivation to get back on the plotting wagon.
If you wanna see me writing live on Tik Tok, talking about story ideas and character development and other random whimsical nerdy things, go and give me a follow: @benlee89
See ya soon with an official update!
Pages Navigation
aGnamZer0 on Chapter 1 Thu 06 Oct 2022 07:00PM UTC
Comment Actions
Leafa (Guest) on Chapter 1 Thu 06 Oct 2022 08:26PM UTC
Comment Actions
Tfwk22 on Chapter 1 Fri 07 Oct 2022 02:55AM UTC
Comment Actions
AceCardRules on Chapter 1 Tue 06 Dec 2022 08:31AM UTC
Comment Actions
The_Creator_of_Chaos on Chapter 1 Tue 20 Dec 2022 04:08PM UTC
Comment Actions
DarklightAudio on Chapter 1 Mon 30 Jun 2025 05:16PM UTC
Comment Actions
aGnamZer0 on Chapter 2 Fri 07 Oct 2022 10:06AM UTC
Last Edited Fri 07 Oct 2022 10:12AM UTC
Comment Actions
sparrow_hawk13 on Chapter 2 Fri 07 Oct 2022 11:52AM UTC
Comment Actions
sparrow_hawk13 on Chapter 3 Sat 08 Oct 2022 02:29AM UTC
Comment Actions
The_Creator_of_Chaos on Chapter 3 Sat 08 Oct 2022 10:27PM UTC
Comment Actions
jura_mirahe0791 on Chapter 4 Sun 09 Oct 2022 04:00AM UTC
Comment Actions
sparrow_hawk13 on Chapter 4 Sun 09 Oct 2022 11:08AM UTC
Comment Actions
The_Creator_of_Chaos on Chapter 4 Sun 09 Oct 2022 06:06PM UTC
Comment Actions
benjibunny07 on Chapter 4 Sun 09 Oct 2022 06:12PM UTC
Comment Actions
Shuuniside on Chapter 4 Mon 12 Dec 2022 03:11PM UTC
Comment Actions
goulish (WITHOUT the H) (Guest) on Chapter 4 Wed 12 Jul 2023 08:27AM UTC
Comment Actions
Currentlybreathingblog on Chapter 4 Fri 11 Aug 2023 10:45PM UTC
Comment Actions
sparrow_hawk13 on Chapter 5 Mon 10 Oct 2022 01:53AM UTC
Comment Actions
Shuuniside on Chapter 5 Mon 12 Dec 2022 03:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
ASharksReadingGlasses on Chapter 5 Wed 21 Dec 2022 01:43PM UTC
Comment Actions
sparrow_hawk13 on Chapter 6 Mon 10 Oct 2022 11:22PM UTC
Comment Actions
benjibunny07 on Chapter 6 Mon 10 Oct 2022 11:23PM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation