Soul of the Seal: The Ninja Chronicles

SOTS-1-01-01

Soul of the Seal: The Ninja Adventures by MrDust

 Anime » Naruto Rated: T, English, Adventure & Friendship, Naruto U., Kyuubi/Kurama, Words: 221k+, Favs: 1k+, Follows: 1k+, Published: Feb 23, 2008Updated: Dec 27, 2009 Reveiws: 932 Chapter:

SOTS-1-01-01

Soul of the Seal - Story 1 - Arc 1 - Chapter 1

Story 1 - "The Ninja Adventures (Of Team Seven)"

Arc 1 - "The Beginnings of a Legend"

Chapter 1 - "The Actions of One, the Decisions of Two, the Troubles of Three"

It was a bright and sunny day in Konoha on the morning of October fifteenth. The birds were singing in their nests. The clouds were drifting in the sky. The paint was drying on the mountain faces.

It was an unpleasant shock to most of the village when they awoke that morning and stepped outside, or looked out their windows, to see what had happened to the great Hokage mountain. The face of the Shodaime was painted to look like a wooden puppet head. The face of the Nidaime was painted to look like he was crying a pair of giant waterfalls from his eyes, with various fish trying to swim up them. The face of the Sandaime was painted to look like a human scroll, with dozens of kanji like 'study', 'work', and 'train' written over it. And the face of the Yondaime was painted to make him look like... a geisha. Ouch.

While any decent artist would be able to see the skill and difficulty in getting such proportional detail accurate on such a large scale to be viewed from a distance, the only thing a certain pair of chunin could see was the backside of the blonde boy that they were chasing through the village for having done such a 'monumental' thing. There were things these two chunin couldn't understand. Why the boy had painted the mountain. HOW the boy had painted the mountain. And why they couldn't seem to catch said boy.

Even at the very moment that Sarutobi was being informed of Naruto's latest pinnacle of prankdom, Naruto was laughing as he bounded across rooftops, awnings and building ledges with memorized ease. The chunin were barely keeping up. Naruto dashed down towards the street as he cut around the corner of a tall wood fence wall. The chunin followed, speeding past the wall and heading down the street. A few moments later, part of the wall shifted as a camouflage sheet dropped, revealing Naruto, who stepped away from the wall to look down the way that his pursuers had gone.

"Hahaha! Jeez, what a couple of wusses! Hahaha!" The blonde boy enjoyed having fun from time to time.

"Holy! Talk about pathetic! And those are supposed to be chunin? Gah! I've told you you're better than you think, Naru-kun!" Kyaena exasperated.

"NARUTO!" A voice boomed in Naruto's ear, causing the boy to jump six feet straight up before coming down on his butt in front of the person.

"Ah! Iruka-sensei! How many times have I told you not to do that!? What the heck are you doing here!?" Naruto yelled up at his teacher.

"No, the question is what the heck are you doing here when you should be in class by now!?" Iruka shouted back.

Only about ten minutes later, Naruto sat on the floor of the academy classroom, his arms simplistically tied up with plain rope. The rest of the class looked on as Iruka scolded the super prankster.

"Naruto, what am I supposed to do with you?" Iruka shook his head. "Tomorrow is the graduation exam, and the majority of the class has signed up to take it. You've already failed it the last two times it came around!"

"Pft. And who's fault is that...?" Naruto mumbled under his breath. Iruka's eye twitched.

"Do you want to be left behind again!? Picking now of all times for another of your ridiculous, inappropriate pranks!?" Iruka stamped his foot. Naruto just turned his nose up, making a vein throb on Iruka's face. "FINE THEN! I guess we'll just have to have a review exam on the Transformation Jutsu, and EVERYONE will have to take it!"

The whole class groaned and complained as Iruka released the ropes on Naruto, and all the students formed a line. One by one they stepped forward, having to make an image of Iruka. Naruto watched in a bored mood as they proceeded.

'I think Iruka-sensei just gets a kick out of ruining peoples' day.' He grumphed as Sakura stepped up and did her transformation. 'And he's taken to punishing everyone else whenever he's angry with me! That's not how a sensei is supposed to act!'

"He's certainly become more unfair to the others, that's true. Maybe he needs a little humility lesson. After all, it's been awhile since you pranked him." Kyaena snickered as Sasuke stepped up and did his transformation, then moved to the side with the rest that had finished.

"Next, Naruto Uzumaki!" Iruka called.

"Jeez, what a drag. Iruka-sensei's temper has been getting worse lately, picking on us like this." Shikamaru droned to Naruto's left.

"Don't blame Iruka-sensei, blame Naruto! It's his constant goofing off that gets us in trouble!" Ino snapped to Naruto's right.

"Like it makes any difference to me." Naruto mumbled as he stepped forward. He didn't notice a pair of pale lavender eyes several positions down the line, silently gazing at him.

"Alright Naruto, get on with it." Iruka stated, holding his note clipboard. Naruto just smirked.

"Transform!" He called as a puff of smoke enveloped him. Barely a second later, most of the smoke dispersed, leaving only a few wisps that covered the intimate parts of a now pig-tailed, female, and naked, Naruto.

There were a chorus of gasps from all the other students, with most of the boys trying to keep their eyes in their sockets, while the girls looked on with anger, and perhaps a little envy at the incredibly fit and unbelievably curvy blonde. Iruka gave a shriek as he was propelled backwards from the jets of blood from his nose, an action that distracted most of the class, so no one saw Sasuke turn away slightly, holding his own nose. Naruto poofed back to his own form as he looked on with gratification.

"Hahaha! Gotcha! That'll teach you to try to teach me about inappropriate behavior, you pervert!" Naruto laughed.

"NARUTO! HOW BIG A FOOL ARE YOU!? WASTING ALL YOUR TIME AND TALENT INVENTING THESE STUPID TRICKS!?" Iruka had jumped back up to scream in a overwhelmingly threatening manner, but the effect was ruined by the little twists of tissue that were stuck up his nose.

"TALENT!? When the hell have you ever thought that I had talent!?" Naruto shouted back, more than ready to knock his block off. The rest of the class could only gape, none of them having anywhere near the nerve necessary to get involved when these two were going at it.

__________________________

"Remember, the opportunities for training come in many forms." Kyaena instructed seriously.

'Oh yeah, sure, standing on a mountainside with a mop and bucket is GREAT training.' Naruto grumbled.

He had been dragged up to the mountain after class by Iruka. Although Naruto was standing at a ninety degree angle from the rock face on his own, a scaffold rig platform had been lowered down, and held a number of buckets of water. Naruto was rapidly mopping away at the paint on the stone beneath his feet as Iruka sat on a ledge a number of feet above him.

"You're not leaving here until you've cleaned off every last drop of paint!" Iruka called down. Naruto glared back up at him.

"Well that'll take forever just using a mop! There's a reason I used chalk-based stage paint! One good rain, or a couple of water jutsu, and the whole mountain will be right back to it's old, boring self!" Naruto snapped. "And as far as threatening me with not being able to leave, you've seem to have forgotten that I've got nowhere to go! After all, is not like there's anyone waiting for me back in that empty apartment!" Naruto turned his back towards Iruka as he continued his mopping.

Iruka sat staring down at the frustrated boy. Sitting on the stone face of the Sandaime, he looked to his left and right at the other three giant stone faces that still needed to be cleaned. It was obvious that it would take a week or more to get them all done if it was only Naruto cleaning them. Which was severely confusing to Iruka, since the boy had somehow painted them all in an absurdly short time to begin with.

"Naruto, how DID you paint all this in one night?" Iruka asked.

"Pah! You're the high and mighty chunin-sensei! You figure it out!" Naruto grumphed. Iruka just sighed, shaking his head. A few awkward minutes passed, before Iruka spoke again.

"Um, hey, Naruto?" The chunin said carefully.

"What now!?" Naruto snapped in irritation.

"He's probably going to try to butter you up in some way as an 'apology' for dragging you through class today! But don't let him off the hook easy!" Kyaena snorted.

"Well, I was just thinking, you're right, it would take forever to mop all this up. But if you work the rest of the afternoon, then maybe afterwards, I could buy you some ramen for dinner. You know, the good stuff. Whatdaya say?" Iruka scratched at his head a bit, but blinked when Naruto whirled on him.

"RAMEN!? ALRIGHT! NOW THAT'S SOME REAL MOTIVATION! I'LL HAVE THE OLD MANS FACE CLEAN BY SUNSET FOR SURE!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air, before returning to mopping at a freaky pace. Kyaena just buried her nose under her tails in embarrassment as Iruka sweat-dropped.

Several hours later, as the sun was setting, Iruka took Naruto off the mountain, leaving a team of a few jonin and a cluster of chunin to finish cleaning with hoses and water jutsu, just as Naruto said they could. Iruka and Naruto made their way to the only place in Konoha that served 'the good stuff'. Ichiraku's.

Although they were the only customers by that time of evening, it didn't stop the pair from enjoying their food with all the usual gusto as Teuchi and Ayame looked on in amusement. After they had each had one bowl to start, as their seconds were handed to them, Iruka finally turned to his student.

"Naruto, please tell me! Why would you do such a thing to the stone faces? Don't you have any respect for them? I mean, you do know who the Hokage are, don't you?" Iruka asked intently.

"Of course I do!" Naruto huffed, taking a moment to finish off his third bowl. "They're the great leaders of the Leaf Village. The most powerful ninja who swear their lives to protect the village and all those who live in it. But they also have to help the village grow and prosper, which can only be done if the people trust them enough to let them help." Naruto paused a moment to smirk a bit. "And the Old-Man is the greatest of them! He's been Hokage for so long, he knows the village inside and out! He knows exactly how to keep everything running smoothly! He's kept the village virtually untouched even after the two great wars! And the best part of all, is that EVERYONE respects him!" Naruto started on his fifth bowl. Iruka gave a slight cough.

"Yes, it's true that Sandaime-sama is truly a great leader. But the Yondaime was considered the greatest of all the Hokage, and yet you painted his face in the most insulting way possible! Why?" Iruka asked in a irritated voice. Naruto shrugged.

"Because he's not all that great as far as I'm concerned. In case you didn't notice, I painted the mountain to match the greatest personal accomplishments of the Hokage." Naruto took a swig of his fruit juice. "The Shodaime. The founder of Konoha. The only known person in the world to have ever possessed the power of the wood element of living nature. He literally single-handedly created the great forest of the Fire Nation, where there was once only few woods on the great plains that existed before. So I painted him like a wooden man." Naruto took a swig of his milk. "The Nidaime. Younger brother of the Shodaime. Considered the greatest master of the water element of his time. He stood by his brother to build the village, and brought the great rivers inland to keep the great forest alive for ages to come. Wielder of the legendary Sword of Raijin. So I made him creating the endless waters, and better his eyes than his nose or mouth." Naruto started on his ninth bowl of ramen. "Sandaime. Student of the Shodai and Nidaime. One of the rarest of ninja to have at least some ability in five jutsu elements, more than most ninja. Sensei to the so called 'legendary three'. Master of nearly every one of the thousand-plus Konoha jutsu, and that's not even considering jutsu learned from outside the village. Again as I said before, he was tributed for the success of Konoha in the two ninja wars of his time. His great mind and knowledge caused him to earn the nickname, 'The Professor of Shinobi'. So I made him into a living lesson of a study scroll." Naruto paused to take a drink.

'What the heck? Is this the real Naruto?' Iruka sat gaping drop-jawed at what he had thought was his worst student, and yet the boy was rambling off what had become a summarized minor history lesson. Teuchi and Ayame were just smiling to themselves as they were cleaning up in preparation of closing.

"And then there's the Yondaime. Frankly, there's not much to him. He was a student of one of the ThreeNin, um, the Toad-Sage I think, although I don't quite recall the name." Naruto frowned as he scratched his head for a moment. "Well, then there's the supposed stories of his battle success against Iwa. But beyond that, there's very little known about him for anything more specific. It's kinda strange, I think." Naruto shrugged. Iruka stared at Naruto in disbelief at his critical omission.

"Naruto, how could you possibly forget his greatest achievement! It was the Yondaime that saved the village by destroying the Kyuubi no Kitsune!" Iruka scolded.

"Actually, no, I don't count that as one of the Yondaime's own achievements." Naruto shook his head lightly as he took a big drink of juice.

"Careful, Naru-kun..." Kyaena warned.

"What!? Why would you say such a thing!?" Iruka shouted in outrage. Teuchi and Ayame paused in their work to give worried glances at the two. Naruto looked at Iruka with a forced calm face.

"Tell me, do you think the Yondaime would be considered as great as he is if the Kyuubi had never appeared?" Naruto asked.

"Wh-what?" Iruka blinked in surprise. Of anything he might have expected, that certainly hadn't been one of them.

"Think about it. The Yondaime is considered the greatest Hokage ONLY because he managed to prevent the destruction of the village at the hands, err, paws, of the Kyuubi. If the Kyuubi had appeared at a different time, like during the time of the Nidaime, or had never even appeared at all, the Yondaime might still be Hokage now, and might even be considered a good military leader because of his actions in the war with Iwa and some what with Kumo. But he wouldn't be considered anywhere near as great as he is now." Naruto shrugged as he explained. "In a way, even the thought of an event like that, a great demon appearing out of nowhere, seems almost completely impossible. It was just a complete random chance. I mean, it's not like the Yondaime deliberately lured the Kyuubi to the village just to prove his own strength or something. No one who truly cared for the village would ever do such a thing. When you really sit down and think about it, the whole event was just a big accident. A disastrous, tragic accident, but an accident nonetheless." Naruto said.

"Well, ok, I guess that wasn't too badly worded. But still, be careful. Don't go overboard." Kyaena cut in.

'Hey, he wanted an explanation. It's not my fault if he can't handle the truth.' Naruto thought back. He sighed. "So, considering that he's only known for one or two such big and publicized events that are little more than big show-offs of 'the power of Konoha', it seems to me the Yondaime's image is an act. A publicity performance. Yes it's true he gave his life to protect the village as a true Hokage would, but it seems to me that no-one is able to see past that. They only see the title, and not the person behind it, at least when compared his much more understood predecessors. So I painted his face to reflect that of one of the most respected and talented actor professions. It wasn't really an insult. It was just the only thing I could think of that seems to fit." Naruto shrugged as he finished his explanation.

Iruka was nonplussed, but he was also struggling to not loose his temper. He was severely disappointed in Naruto for doubting and speaking poorly of the Yondaime, and was also angry because of the circumstances that Naruto was making light of. And worst of all, that Naruto's reasoning did make a kind of depressing sense. But deciding it wasn't the proper time or place to get into a huge argument over the matter, he sucked up the rant he had been tempted to shout out at Naruto, and tried to get back to his original questioning.

"But, if you respect the Hokage so much, then why-" Iruka tried to say before Naruto cut in.

"Because I'm going to be greater than all of them! You'll see! When I become Hokage, then everyone will know the name, Naruto Uzumaki! Then they'll stop looking down on me and start treating me with respect!" Naruto clicked his chopsticks harshly with his declaration. 'Better than telling him the real reason, eh, Kya-chan?' He sighed inwardly.

"Payback because those couple of jounin used you as their personal pin-cushion before you could hide away for the festival? I still say you shouldn't have made the Hokage faces so presentable. After all, that set of cloths were ruined." Kyaena growled lightly. But Iruka was just amused by Naruto's outward reasoning.

'Naruto really has a one-track mind. I think I must've heard that exact little speech from him a hundred times this past year alone.' Iruka shook his head with a slight chuckle.

"Um, hey, Iruka-sensei... Can I ask one little favor?" Naruto suddenly asked with his hands pleading in front of him. Iruka looked up, startled.

"Uh, what? You want another bowl?" Iruka asked, thinking it was what he meant, though he sweat-dropped when he saw the twelve empty bowls already in front of the boy.

"No, it's just... Can I try on your Hitai-ate once? Pleeeeaaasseee?" Naruto whined. Iruka blinked.

"My...?" Iruka reached up to touch the metal on his forehead. Understanding, he gave a smirk and a shake of his head. "No, sorry Naruto. These Hitai-ate are like badges of adulthood. They can only be worn by full-active ninja. You'll have to graduate tomorrow if you want one." He looked at the disappointment on Naruto's face, and felt a slight twinge, not noticing Naruto's harshly tense jaw, or that the boy's hand was trembling slightly as it held his milk glass. "Is that why you took off your goggles?" Iruka gave a slight laugh, poking at said item that was sitting on the counter. But Naruto didn't say anything. Not out loud anyway.

'What does he thinks he's doing? Trying to imply that he would actually pass me tomorrow? Is he just mocking me now!?' Naruto thought bitterly.

"I can't tell. But don't let yourself get too angry. Hiding you emotions is one thing, but if you're chakra gets out of control, it'll mean big trouble." Kyaena said. Iruka was still staring at Naruto.

"Naruto?" Iruka leaned forward a bit, then sighed. "Look Naruto, about tomorrow, I think we should talk-what?" Iruka stopped when Naruto suddenly slapped some money down.

"Sorry Ayame-chan, but I don't feel like finishing my milk. I'll see you later." Naruto said as he grabbed his goggles and rushed out of the ramen bar. Ayame frowned and Teuchi turned his back as he put away the last of the pots.

"Naruto..." Iruka sighed, and stopped Ayame from taking the half-full glass of milk as he reached for it himself. "No, hang on, I'll finish that. I wouldn't mind a bit-YEOWCH!" Iruka shouted as he dropped the glass to the ground, of course, causing it to shatter. "Holy! That is searing hot!" Iruka blew on his hand for a moment before looking at the two surprised cooks. "Does Naruto always have his milk that hot?"

"N-no! It shouldn't have been hot at all!" Ayame shook her head in surprise as she moved to clean up the broken glass. Iruka helped her clean up before walking out of the bar. He walked down the street, heading for his own apartment, staring at the hand he had almost burned.

'I'm just not sure what to do with you, Naruto. I can never tell when you're being serious, and when your goofing off. You fail every test in your classes, yet are somehow able to pull of unbelievable things in those pranks of yours. Like your chakra control obviously being greater than the rest of the class, considering you were standing on the cliffside unaided.' Iruka sighed. His feelings over Naruto had gotten quite confusing this past year. 'I can't tell if you have help, or you're just pretending, or what. I just don't know what to do with you.' He sighed again as he walked on.

Elsewhere in the village, in Naruto's apartment, said knucklehead was getting into bed, with all his thoughts on the graduation exam.

'He was mocking me. He had to be. He knows damn well that I still can't do the Clone Jutsu. He'll probably get a big kick out of failing me again tomorrow.' Naruto thought.

"I'm not sure about that. His behavior towards you has changed quite a bit this past year. He seems to always have something on his mind. And he's been trying to lecture you as much as yell at you. I think he's close to getting over whatever hatred he has for you." Kyaena purred hopefully. "And if not, you can always leave the village." She stated the last part bluntly, not even bothering with an argument.

'I'd really prefer to avoid that option if I can...' Naruto mumbled as he rolled over to sleep, leaving Kyaena stunned. Naruto had always been fanatical about never leaving the village, but now he was calling it an 'option'?

'Maybe I need to be a little more careful myself. I don't want Naru-kun changing too much.' She pondered as she curled up.
_____________________

The next morning, Naruto rushed to the academy. He didn't know why, but he was feeling a bit more on edge than usual. He sat quietly in class for once, as Iruka and Mizuki were setting things up and taking roll. Having taken the exam twice before, Naruto already knew how it worked.

"Alright! We'll call each of you, one at a time. When your name is called, come through this door to the next room for your exam!" Iruka said.

Due to his name being second to the last on the alphabetical list, Naruto had to wait longer than the previous two times, since most of the class was taking the exam. Only Ino Yamanaka was after him on the list. It wound up taking more than half the day, with Naruto's name being called right after lunch.

Naruto walked into the room, seeing Iruka and Mizuki seated behind a table with the leftover Hitai-ate on it. Naruto just stood, staring at them.

"Well, considering your track record, we might as well skip to the end. Have you finally perfected the Clone Jutsu?" Iruka asked in a serious tone.

'Well, here we go again.' Thought Naruto as he took his stance. Made the exact handsign. Adjusted his chakra just right. "Clone Jutsu!" He cried as a big poof of smoke burst up around him. But even before it cleared, Naruto knew. It was in his mind. That part of his mind that had still blocked out. When the smoke cleared a second later, there was his result. The same pale, pathetic, half-dead, knocked-out, barely-there phantom that he was only ever able to produce. He grimaced as he looked back over at the two chunin who were looking on in disbelief.

"YOU FAIL!" Iruka shouted harshly, nearly jumping out of his seat, but dropped back into it with a heavy sigh and down cast face.

'Wait a sec, he looks upset... disappointed. Hmm.' Kyaena noted as she could feel Naruto's anger beginning to build.

"Iruka..." Mizuki said slowly, "You know, this is his third time taking the exam. His form, handsign and chakra were all perfect, and he did create an image, even if a bit flawed." Mizuki said, making Iruka and Naruto look at him in surprise. Especially Naruto. "I'm not that great with the Clone Jutsu myself you know, and since he has already demonstrated in the past that he has grasped the rest of the basics, maybe we could cut him a break this time and let him pass." Mizuki shrugged at his own suggestion.

"What the-? Why would he...?" Kyaena sputtered in shock.

'I don't believe it! Mizuki-sensei wants me to pass!? This is incredible!' Naruto's face lit up with hope. He saw Iruka was staring at him hard, and you could practically hear the gears turning in his mind. But after a moment, Iruka dropped his head again.

"No Mizuki. All the other students were able to make at least three clone images, and yet Naruto can't even get one to work properly. And..." Iruka swallowed a lump, and Naruto's eyes narrowed in anger again, "No student can graduate unless they can perform the Transformation, Substitution, and Clone jutsu successfully. I can't pass Naruto with such a pitiful clone." He said, not looking up.

CRASH

Iruka and Mizuki jumped back out of their chairs, staring at the now smashed table in front of them, the Hitai-ate scattered on the floor. They watched as Naruto stormed out of the room. Mizuki just looked on impassively, but Iruka frowned. He had a very bad feeling in his gut, and just stared down at the mess in front of him, hoping his lie didn't cause a disaster.

It was the afternoon, and as the graduates exited the academy, they were greeted by their family and friends. Outside the main entrance, the crowd was mingling with joyful laughs and sounds of congratulations all over. However, Naruto was sitting on a tree swing over a hundred feet away, just looking on with a dull face. Unlike the first two times he had failed, for some reason, Naruto didn't feel like going out to abuse the training fields like he did before. He just sat watching the people, the families, going on and on, and listening to the parents or older siblings congratulating their sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. With his slightly heightened hearing, he even caught the whispers of a few who were bad mouthing him, calling him a failure. That he deserved it. That he was... well, they usually stopped short, but it was obvious what they thought. Naruto even saw Sarutobi standing next to Iruka over by the academy doors, but they didn't make any move to approach him.

'Another year... I'll have to stay another year... But what will it matter. They'll never let me pass. They won't ever look beyond my one weakness.' Naruto was feeling especially depressed. Kyaena knew it was because he was watching the families.

"If you really believe that, then leave the village. As long as your not a ninja, they can't stop you. You have no parents or legal guardian that could object, or get in trouble. You have no ties here. Even the Old-Man can't stop you if you decide to go. And if anyone tries to force you to stay, you'll show them just how strong you really are!" Kyaena urged seriously.

'And go where? I may have read about the other villages and nations and countries, but going out there for real is different than it is in books. I don't know where to go, I don't know what I'd do. And what ninja village would want a kid who failed the academy exam three times? No one wants a loser. Why else do you think I want to succeed so badly?' Naruto was trying not to tense up, but his grip on the swing rope still tightened. 'If I can succeed, I'll have no need to leave. If I fail, I'll have no reason to leave. So I'm stuck either way. I'll probably wind up the oldest academy student in history.' Naruto sighed, pulling his goggles from his belt and putting them in place on his forehead. Kyaena gave an annoyed hiss.

"Well, you don't tell them you've failed, idiot! You just demonstrate the skills you do have, and let them decide! You're definitely stronger than the average genin, so you'd have no trouble being enlisted, and they'd respect your skill and..." She paused briefly as Naruto felt a presence behind him. He looked up to find Mizuki standing over him, with a slight smile on his face, of all things.

"Hey, Naruto. How's about you join me for a walk? I'd like to talk to you." Mizuki said. In Naruto's mind, Kyaena let out a low growl, but Naruto decided he didn't have anything to loose, and could pick up his training tomorrow. The two left, not seeing Sarutobi and Iruka head into the academy a few moments later.

A little while later, as the sun was beginning to set, Mizuki and Naruto were to be found sitting up on the roof of a building, just kicking their feet.

"So. What was it you wanted to say?" Naruto asked.

"Well, look Naruto, I know Iruka might seem a little mean about all this. But he really is trying to help you, in his own way." Mizuki said. "You have to realize that he's a very serious guy. His parents died when he was barely older than you are now, so he's had to accomplish everything else in his life on his own. He's had to work harder and be more dedicated to become who he is. So that's why he's a bit hard on you. You remind him of himself." Mizuki shrugged, as Naruto's eyes widened a bit.

"I remind him... of himself?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"That's right. And that's why he wants you to be strong with all his heart, but that won't happen if he goes easy on you. I would think you'd understand that. Understand how he feels... one orphan to another?" Mizuki said, looking over at an uneasy Naruto.

"If he was only being tough on me, that would be true. But it's not just that. He just refuses to see how strong I am. He doesn't look at my strengths, only my weaknesses." Naruto fidgeted a bit. "The Clone Jutsu is the ONLY thing I've ever had trouble with, an yet it's like everyone sees that as some kind of terrible flaw that makes me unreliable. It's not justifiable to label me because of it." Naruto flicked a pebble off the edge where he was sitting. "And I've gotten to the point that I don't know if there's anything else I'll be able to learn from the academy. Having to keep repeating the classes won't help my skill grow much more. I don't know if I'll be able to get any stronger if I keep getting held back. And that's why... This time... This time, I really wanted to graduate." Naruto slumped a bit.

Mizuki stared at Naruto for a minute, before sighing.

"Then, I guess I don't have much choice." He said, making Naruto look at him curiously. "I'll just have to tell you the secret that Iruka's been making me keep all this time."

"Secret? What secret?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"You see Naruto," Mizuki shifted around to face the boy, "There's another way you could graduate."

Naruto's eyes turned hard with anger.
______________________

It was late in the night after the conversation with Mizuki that Naruto was silently rushing across roofs. Arriving at his destination, he opened the window and slipped inside the Hokage mansion. Making his way through a couple hallways, he paused as he took out a folded piece of paper, opened it, re-read it, then slipped it back into his pocket. He carefully found his way to the door he was looking for, and let himself in. It was a room with scroll racks from floor to ceiling on all four walls, with hundreds and hundreds of scrolls and books and records of all kinds stuffed everywhere.

"Naru-kun, PLEASE reconsider this! I don't trust that ass Mizuki at all!" Kyaena begged. She had been trying to reason with Naruto ever since his conversation with Mizuki. But Naruto was still extremely angry, and was focused on the possibility of finally getting out of the academy.

'If he's so untrustworthy, why would he tell me about this?' Naruto demanded as he looked around at the mess. 'He's giving me the chance to finally graduate, and you're questioning it!?' He snapped.

"If it's really legitimate, then why did he tell you to sneak in here? Why not just go to Iruka tomorrow and tell him you found out about the other graduation method, and want to take it?" She argued.

'If he's been keeping this a secret from me for so long, do you really think he's going to admit it? He'd just deny everything and never let me try! If I can complete it first, then I can catch him by surprise and he won't be able to hold me back anymore!' Naruto took a step forward to start looking for what he was seeking in the room, but then the lights flicked on, startling him and making him whip around in place to see Sarutobi standing in the doorway.

"Naruto?" The old man blinked in clear surprise. "What are you doing in my house in the middle of the night?" Naruto winced.

"Sorry Old-Man, I didn't mean to wake you up. I thought I was being quiet enough." Naruto gestured in apology. "I just need to borrow a scroll."

"Oh? And it was so important that you couldn't wait till morning to ask me?" Sarutobi asked warily. Naruto nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, I need it for the academy! I still have a chance to graduate, but I have to have my work done before morning so that I can join the rest of my classmates the day when they have their genin orientation!" Naruto explained rapidly.

"Graduation?" Sarutobi asked, now VERY wary. "Iruka is giving you another chance to graduate with this years' class?" He raised an eyebrow when Naruto frowned.

"No. Not Iruka. If it were up to him, I'd probably not even be allowed into the academy anymore." Naruto grumped, but then brightened. "Mizuki-sensei is helping me with this! So please, I just need to borrow a scroll for a few hours!" Naruto pleaded. "I promise to bring it right back as soon as I'm done with it!"

Sarutobi stood looking at the eager boy. He couldn't feel any sense of deception, but the whole situation felt seriously off. It was highly unusual for a student to be given a second exam, but it wasn't completelyunheard off. It just seemed strange to him that Iruka hadn't mentioned anything about it earlier at the academy. But Sarutobi knew just how badly Naruto wanted to graduate to prove himself, and if this was his chance, Sarutobi knew he'd feel horrible if he wound up ruining it for the boy. Naruto worked harder than any other kid his age, and Sarutobi knew becoming a ninja was the only life the boy had for himself. As long as Naruto never gave up on his efforts, Sarutobi wasn't about to try to hinder him, considering the promises the old shinobi had made.

"Very well Naruto. If it really is that important to you, you can go ahead, as long as you return what you borrow right after." Sarutobi said as he turned to leave, but not before giving a last over-the-shoulder look at Naruto. "I take it that since you were able to let yourself in, you'll be able to let yourself out?" He smirked, as Naruto smiled back, if a bit embarrassed.

"Right! Thanks Old-Man!" Naruto chuckled as the Hokage walked out. 'Okay, now, where is that scroll?' Naruto turned to start digging under a large pile of paper, until he pulled out an exceptionally huge scroll from under and behind a hefty ton of others. 'Jackpot! Now all I have to do is learn one of the jutsu on this scroll, and it's graduation time!' He snickered.

'Well, even if this turns out badly, as least Naru-kun has the chance to learn something new. Besides, it's not like Mizuki could possibly pose a threat to him.' Kyaena thought. 'Hmm. Heck, maybe I should hopeMizuki tries something. That way Naru-kun could finally beat the stuffing out of him.' She couldn't help but smirk at the entertaining thought.

Strapping the huge scroll onto his back, Naruto quickly left (turning out the light on the way), and exited out the same window he entered. He then rushed off, heading through the village till he reached a heavy forested area at the villages' edge where Mizuki had told him to practice at. Another few minutes of running and Naruto had found the exact spot. There was a simple shed/tool house and a small clearing where Naruto finally sat down, shifted the scroll from his back to his lap and pulled it open.

'Alright, lets see here. The first jutsu on the scroll is... the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!? ARGH! I can't believe this! A clone jutsu!? My only problem area, and it's shoving itself in my face AGAIN!' Naruto groaned as he smacked his head in frustration.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Look at the description there." Kyaena instructed. Naruto sighed as he looked at the scroll again.

'... Ninjutsu that creates physical body duplicates... wait, physical? As in, solid? It's not an illusion?' Naruto straightened up as he took new interest in the material in front of him, despite some of the writing having been black-censored out.

"Well, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all!" Kyaena grinned and waved her tails happily at the thought of helping to eliminate Naruto's handicap.

But Naruto didn't really hear her as he was already reading intently.
______________________

Iruka was wide awake as he lay in bed in his apartment. He was just staring vacantly up a the ceiling, thinking over... things.

His mind kept shifting between the image of Naruto, sitting alone on a rope swing far away from everyone at the doors of the academy, to thoughts of what Sarutobi had spoken to him about mere minutes later...

... To memories of a vicious battle taking place between the ninja of Konoha, and the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The battle where his parents had died.

Sarutobi had told him to be patient and understanding with Naruto. How he didn't have a family, and only a single friend who had never done anything more than train the boy to become a ninja. Iruka had been considerably surprised at that. To learn of this other teacher, this Kyaena Unaikaji who had been training Naruto. Iruka couldn't remember Naruto ever mentioning her before, nor had he ever seen any adults around him other than Teuchi at Ichiraku's or the Hokage himself.

'If I've really been so careless as to miss something like that, I wonder what else about Naruto I've been missing.' Iruka wondered to himself. A sudden hard knocking at his door jarred him out of his thoughts.

"Iruka! Iruka, wake up!" Came the familiar voice from outside. Iruka quickly got up and opened the door.

"Mizuki? What? What is it?" Iruka asked his fellow chunin, who seemed quite distraught.

"You must come to the Hokage's mansion immediately! It's Naruto!" Mizuki gasped, making Iruka go stiff. "Somehow... Somehow Naruto found out about and stole the sacred forbidden scroll!"

"WHAT!? You mean the scroll of sealing!? How!? When!?" Iruka demanded even as he furiously rushed to get his chunin vest on.

"I don't know! It seems it happened several hours ago!" Mizuki shrugged helplessly.

"Come on! We've got to hurry!" Iruka raced out of his apartment. 'Oh no! What have you done Naruto? And... why?' Iruka thought to himself with that same terrible feeling in his gut that had only been getting worse all day.

So deep was he in his own thoughts, that it took nearly two minutes to realize that Mizuki wasn't with him. Iruka stopped abruptly, looking around. He had a moment of conflicted decision. He had one thought to rush to see the Hokage to find out what happened, but on the other hand, that terrible feeling he had told him to find Naruto as quickly as possible, or... something bad would happen.

Gritting his teeth, Iruka turned and rushed off in another direction to find Naruto himself. After all, he was the best at it anyway.
_____________________

Sarutobi was standing outside the front gate of the Hokage mansion, wondering how in the world he had found himself in such a situation. Nearly two dozen angry jonin and chunin were gathered in front of him, and they were in an uproar.

"Hokage-sama, we cannot forgive him this time! This is no prank, this is a serious crime!" Said one.

"The scroll contains dangerous secrets that were sealed by the Shodai! Secrets known only to our village!" Shouted another.

"If the scroll is taken from the village, and is intercepted by our enemies, they could destroy our entire way of life!" Argued a third.

Sarutobi was looking over all of his subordinates in front of him, concerned, but also confused over the situation.

'I don't understand. Naruto only said he wanted to borrow a scroll for use in his academy lessons. I know he was upset about failing his exam earlier, but there was absolutely no indication that he would do something like this. And what's more, I don't believe he would've known what that scroll was. He would have had to have been told to look for it specifically. He said that it was Mizuki, not Iruka, that was giving him another chance at graduation.' Sarutobi scanned the faces of the ninja. 'But neither of them are here now. This is definitely not right.' He took a puff on his pipe. 'Especially considering the first of these ninja showed up saying that Mizuki had told them of Naruto's theft. He will have to be questioned. But finding Naruto and recovering the scroll is the first priority.'

"Hokage-sama! What are your orders? Should we hunt down and kill the filthy brat?" A jonin to one side asked hopefully. Sarutobi gave him a furious glare.

"Now! Listen to me! These are my orders!" Sarutobi shouted above everyone, causing them to go instantly silent. "Of course it is critical to recover the scroll. However, I want Naruto brought directly to me, UNHARMED. Is that absolutely clear?" He demanded. After a moment, the ninja gave nods of understanding. "Very well! GO!" Sarutobi waved, and the whole mass of ninjawhooshed away on their search.

Sarutobi stood standing in the gateway of his home for a minute before turning and heading inside, to conduct a search in his own fashion...
____________________

Iruka bounded across rooftops, stopping to catch his breath as he thought as hard as he could about where Naruto might be. He thought of places the blonde had wandered around in the past, as well thinking of places he himself had used in his younger days. Trying to think of places a frustrated boy would go.

'I'll try the forest at the edge of the village. He might have simply followed one of the streams from the training grounds into the woods.' Iruka thought before taking off again.

Mizuki raced along the empty village streets, all the while grinning to himself. He was circling the long way around the village to meet where he had told Naruto to be. He had to make sure that no one followed him.

'This is perfect! Now that I've told everyone what Naruto has done, I'm free to exterminate him! The people will be glad he's gone, and I'll be seen as a hero! And of course, the perfect prize, as I'll be keeping the scroll for myself!' He thought with satisfaction.

Naruto was resting on the ground, breathing just slightly heavier than normal from his hours of exertion. He had really gone all out, and was slightly sore for his efforts, not from a lack of chakra, which he still had buckets to spare, but just because of the slight strain on his chakra system as a whole. But it had definitely been worth it.

'I did it! I did it! This jutsu is incredible! There's no way I'll be able to fail now!' Naruto thought gleefully, and, not so surprisingly, Kyaena was every bit as enthusiastic.

"YES! You're fantastic Naru-kun! It was listed as an A-rank ninjutsu, and you mastered it in only a few hours! One night! That's got to be some kind of record!" Kyaena squealed. "And just the shear number of possible uses for this jutsu will surely help you become stronger than ever!" She was purring so hard, it was almost enough to actually send vibrations down Naruto's spine.

The two were interrupted from their private celebrations when a shadow appeared over them. Naruto looked up to find his teacher standing over him, half out of breath himself.

"Ha! Now I've got you!" Naruto sprang to his feet, pointing triumphantly at Iruka.

"IDIOT! I'm the one who has you!" Iruka shouted back, but blinked as he looked the boy over, how scuffed up and dirty he was. He looked like he had been doing exercises, and even the area around them looked as though it had been seriously trampled. 'What in the world? Has he been out here, training?' He thought in confusion.

"You're too late Iruka-sensei! I may have only had time to learn one jutsu, but one is all I needed!" Naruto laughed.

"What? Naruto, what are you doing with that scroll!?" Iruka demanded, but Naruto just smiled even bigger.

"Yeah yeah! Surprised to see it aren't you!? Well to bad! I found out all about the secret you've been keeping from me! Trying to hold me back, to keep me failing! But I found out all I had to do was learn a jutsu from this scroll, and once I prove to you I've mastered it, you'll have to let me graduate!" Naruto thumped his chest smugly.

"What? Jutsu? Graduate? Who told you that?" Iruka asked, dumbfounded at the bizarre twist that the serious events had taken.

"Yeah, that's right! Mizuki-sensei told me all about it! He told me where to find the scroll, then told me about this place so I could come out and practice..." Naruto trailed off and paused when he saw the almost horrified look on Iruka's face, one that wasnot directed at him, but just off into space.

'Mizuki? He told Naruto to get the...' Iruka thought, shocked at the implication.

'Hey, what's going on? Why does he look-' Naruto wondered in confusion, only to be snapped out of it harshly as a sense of danger washed over him.

"LOOK OUT!" Iruka and Kyaena both shouted at the same time, with Iruka's hand shooting out at Naruto's chest. But Naruto, no stranger to surprise attacks, had already began a backwards lunge to escape the hit, causing Iruka to whiff through empty air, throwing him off balance. In the half-second it took him to shift his weight to catch himself, a barrage of kunai and shuriken assaulted him, slamming him against the tool shed.

Naruto slid to a stop a dozen feet away, and looked on in shock as Iruka had one kunai buried in his right thigh, two in his left leg, one that was stuck in his upper abdomen, and one in each of his shoulders, though they were mostly stopped by the protective padding of his chunin vest. The majority of the other three dozen or so weapons were imbedded in the wood around him, most only an inch or two from having hit him. Naruto's first thought was...

'Damn. Whoever threw those, their aim sucks.' He blinked.

"I must say, I'm surprised you found our little hideaway so very quickly." Came a voice, making Naruto and Iruka look up into a tree to see Mizuki standing on a large branch. His Hitai-ate was wrapped over the top of his head bandanna style so the black cloth covered most of his white hair, a simple act to minimize his visibility in the darkness. He also had two giant shuriken strapped to his back.

"I see, so that's how it is. Now I understand!" Iruka gasped out a growl.

"Naruto! Quickly, give me the scroll! Now!" Mizuki ordered.

"Whoa, hey! Mizuki-sensei, what the heck are you doing!? There was no need for that!" Naruto was looking back and forth between the two chunin rapidly. "It's already over! I learned the Jutsu, so now Iruka-sensei has to let me graduate! You don't have to be so rough on him!" He shouted quickly.

"Naruto! Don't let him have it! You must guard that scroll with your life!" Iruka shouted, making Naruto gape at him. "It contains forbidden jutsu that are more dangerous than you can imagine! They would put the village in great danger!" Iruka kept his eyes on the enemy in the tree. "Mizuki used you to get the scroll so he could have it for himself, for his own power!"

"W-what? No!" Naruto looked back at Mizuki who was looking down at the pair with a suspiciously calm and amused expression.

"Don't worry, I won't say I told you so." Kyaena commented dryly.

"Naruto, Iruka is just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you to have the scroll!" Mizuki said with a tone of arrogant confidence.

"What do you mean, me having the scroll? I just borrowed it to learn the jutsu to graduate! I don't want to keep it!" Naruto said.

"Stop lying Mizuki! Naruto, don't let him fool you!" Iruka grunted as he yanked out one kunai from his shoulder.

"Lying? Oh no no, I'll tell you who's reallybeen lying! I'll tell you the truth!" Mizuki finally let a sinister smile appear on his face, making Iruka pale in horrified realization.

"NO MIZUKI! YOU CAN'T!" Iruka nearly screamed in panic, making Naruto even more confused.

"They've all been lying to you your whole life, Naruto! Ever since the decree twelve years ago!" Mizuki sneered. Naruto blinked.

"Twelve years ago?" Naruto said out loud, though mostly to himself. 'If it was at the time I was born, it must be decree Old-Man-Hokage made to keep people shut up about you!' He thought inwardly, being well aware of it, and how it had failed miserably. Kyaena just growled in agreement.

"Yes, a decree was made, a decree that everyone knows about... Except you!" Mizuki grinned at his former teaching partner. "Iruka is still trying to keep it hidden from you, even now! He'd do anything to shut me up!"

"DON'T DO IT MIZUKI, IT'S FORBIDDEN!" Iruka shouted at the top of his lungs.

"The decree states that no one was allowed to speak the truth to you... the truth, THAT YOU ARE THE KYUUBI NO KITSUNE!" Mizuki blared in victorious satisfaction, not really registering that Naruto was just standing and looking up at him blankly.

'You know, under different circumstances, I would wish I could take that as a compliment.' Naruto thought off-handedly, making Kyaena snort a laugh. But Mizuki wasn't finished.

"You are the demon that tried to destroy our village, and murdered hundreds of our people, including Iruka's parents! It was the Yondaime Hokage that stopped your rampage and trapped you in this mortal form!" Mizuki was grinning like the maniac he was.

"STOP IT!" Iruka shouted, absolutely desperate.

"You see? They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life! Didn't you find it strange, how they treated you? Like dirt! Like they hated you for just being alive! For even existing at all!" Mizuki shouted out.

'Naruto...' Iruka looked over at Naruto who was still standing completely motionless. He was so certain that the shock of it all was crushing the poor boy's spirit.

"You are a demon! That's why you'll never be accepted in the village! Even your own sensei hates your guts for murdering his parents!" Mizuki raved.

Iruka was being torn apart. He could here Sarutobi's words in his head as clearly as they had been spoken yesterday. How Naruto had struggled so hard in his life, having no mother, no father. How Naruto had been shunned and shut out of everything. How no one even wanted to acknowledge the boy's presence, not even looking at him as a person. Naruto was alone except for a single woman, a woman who was not from Konoha, who hadn't even raised him as a son, but instead had only trained him for the life of a ninja. The only life that Naruto had ever strived for. A life that Iruka now realized he had all but sabotaged because of his ignorance and bitterness.

'And now... It's too late. The pain of this truth will devastate Naruto. His innocence is lost, and he'll never be the same again...' Iruka thought with crushing guilt. But he had no idea what was going on in Naruto's mind at that moment.

'Um, I think this is a problem.' Naruto remarked as he was still blankly looking up at Mizuki. 'Since obviously no one knows I know, and have tried to make sure I don't know, I know that Mizuki expects that me now knowing should cause me to react somehow. Suggestions?' He asked.

"Well, admitting it is obviously not acceptable, and you're far too familiar and comfortable with me to fake angry shock effectively, so..." Kyaena pondered for a second. "I say, go for complete disbelief."

'Roger that.' Naruto adjusted himself as he addressed Mizuki. "PFT! Oh puh-leeeaaasee!" He drawled out, causing a confused look from both Mizuki and Iruka. "I may be only twelve, but if you actually think that I would be so gullible as to believe such an outrageously fantastic story as that, then you've been sucking up too many fumes when you bleach your hair!" Naruto shouted, giving Kyaena a laugh.

Mizuki blinked in shock at Naruto's less-than-expected reaction. He had expected the boy to go crazy with rage and pain, not this. But Iruka was ecstatic.

'I... I don't believe it! I mean, Naruto doesn't believe it! I mean, I can't believe that Naruto doesn't believe it!' He gaped at the defiant blond. 'I still have a chance! I have to end this before Mizuki convinces him! I can still make things right!' Iruka felt hope and determination fill his entire being. 'I can still protect Naruto!'

"You... You filthy demon!" Mizuki sputtered in rage, both at his failure to break Naruto's spirit, and the rather witty insult the boy had snapped back at him. He yanked one of the giant shuriken from his back and began spinning it with one hand. "It's all over for you! Now you die!" He hurled the weapon. But as it whooshed through the air, Naruto just sneered.

"Oh yeah!? Bring it!" He shouted, taking a stance as he held out the huge scroll as a make-shift club, ready to swat the projectile away. But it was too much for Iruka. To see Naruto standing strong, even after being doubted, yelled at, lied to and threatened. Iruka knew if he didn't act now, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"NO NARUTO, GET DOWN!" Iruka shouted.

CRUNK

Naruto groaned from the impact when Iruka tackled him to the ground. He blinked as he raised his head a little, but stopped when he felt a drop of something hit his cheek. Even with the scroll still looped around his shoulder, Naruto was laying almost flat on the ground with Iruka braced/hunched over him. Naruto could tell that the giant shuriken was sticking out of Iruka's back, but all he could see, all he could stare at, was the trickle of blood seeping out from Iruka's mouth as he coughed. Even Mizuki seemed dumbfounded at the action that had just occurred.

"Wh... Why...?" Naruto gasped in shock.

"Be-Because, we're the same, you and I, Naruto..." Iruka struggled to speak. "After my parents died, no one seemed to care about me anymore. They ignored me, never showing me any support or praise. They didn't have time for me. It's like they forgot I was even there. I was so alone then..."

'No... This... This isn't possible... No one has ever... taken the pain... pain meant for me... Not even Itachi ever... This can't be Iruka...' Naruto could barely hear what Iruka was saying as he was suffering from another pain. A pain that started as an ache in his chest that also caused a mild pain in his head.

"Naru-kun, calm down! Don't let yourself be overwhelmed now!" Kyaena tried to reach out to her friend, even as Iruka continued.

"I was a terrible student. My grades suffered, and I became the class clown, because even being a fool was better than not being anything. I just wanted them to see me. To know my name. But it was so hard, and I hurt so much." Iruka couldn't stop the tears that flowed, dripping down onto Naruto's face alongside the drops of blood.

'It's not supposed to be like this... No one is ever supposed to get hurt... It's supposed to be me... only me...' Naruto was as still as a rock, and although terrible unknown feelings were swelling up inside him, his own eyes remained dry.

"Please Naru-kun, just listen to him!" Kyaena begged.

"That's right, isn't it? You're lonely, and it hurts inside, right? I was so hard on you, yelling, scolding, and it must have seemed like I didn't care at all. But I could have been, should have been there for you more." Iruka let our a sob. "I let you down. Please forgive me, Naruto. If I had been a better teacher... a better person... if only I had been more responsible, maybe we wouldn't have come to this. I'm so sorry Naruto! No one should ever have to suffer so much, to be alone like that!" Iruka sobbed again.

Mizuki, who had been listening with perverse amusement, broke out laughing.

"How utterly absurd! Iruka has always hated you! He was orphaned because of you! Because YOU killed his parents! He'd do anything to keep you weak! He'd say anything to get the scroll away from you!" Mizuki taunted.

Naruto and Iruka were still and silent for a moment, until Naruto stirred.

"We're nothing alike." He muttered before bolting out from Iruka and took off running at an insane speed that shocked the two chunin, the scroll still strapped to his back. 'How did this happen? Why? What in the world could make Iruka act like that? Why would he allow himself to be hurt...?'

"No! Naruto! NARUTOOOOOO!" Iruka wailed in a vain attempt to stop the boy. Mizuki just smirked as he leapt out of the tree to land a dozen or so feet from Iruka.

"Pity. Well, you know how he is, once his mind's made up, nothing short of a miracle can change it." Mizuki stretched a bit. "Now that it's finally sunk into his head, he'll use the scroll to seek revenge on the village! You saw his eyes, didn't you? Those were the eyes of a demon!"

"No..." Iruka groaned as he forced himself to stand. He reached behind to pull the shuriken from his back, being very fortunate that the protective plating of his vest had prevented his spine from being hit. He turned with rage at Mizuki as he gripped the shuriken. "Naruto... isn't like that at all!" He spat as he flung the weapon at his opponent, but in his injured state, the throw was wide, allowing Mizuki to simply side step out of it's path.

"All I want is to kill the Kyuubi-brat and get the scroll. Once I'm done with him, I'll be back for you." Mizuki snorted as he leapt off in the direction that Naruto had gone.

Iruka forced himself to stagger to stay upright.

'No, I will never let you hurt Naruto! NEVER!' He seethed.
_____________________

A group of jounin and chunin that had been searching for Naruto had re-gathered to see if anyone had found anything yet. But with no success, and the danger of the sacred scroll being lost, they were quickly becoming enraged.

"We should have killed him when we had the chance!" One with an eye patch was yelling. "But we can still make it right if we act now, while he's still a child, before the demon spirit can break free!"

"Yeah! Don't make the mistake of thinking that he's one of us! When we find him, he has to die!" Agreed one with a scarred face. But one of the group was not as eager for a child's death to be on his hands.

"Wait a damn minute! Hokage-sama's orders were to retrieve Naruto unharmed!" A giant of a man with a mass of red hair and heavy plate armor spoke up. He was Chouza Akimichi, father of Chouji Akimichi, and head of the Akimichi clan.

"We can't risk it! This is for the security of the village!" The eye-patch said. "We will have to arrange an 'accident' while retrieving the brat! Everyone knows he never goes quietly when trying to be caught! But if you don't have the stomach to do your duty to the village Chouza, feel free to go off and search on your own!" The man turned away to lead some of the others off again.

Chouza scowled at the departing man as he thought of the few times his son had spoken of Naruto, the boy who loved ramen.
_____________________

Sarutobi sat in a special room of the Hokage tower/mansion. In this room was a large desk. On this desk, sitting on a soft cushion, was one of the most important artifacts of the village. A crystal ball. It was an item that was passed down from the Shodaime Hokage, and was only to be used by the Hokage that followed after. With it, the Hokage was granted the power to literally look over the village. It could be used to see and hear anyone or anything that was within the boundaries of Konoha. And Sarutobi had used it to locate Naruto, just before Iruka had first found him. Sarutobi had watched the events as Mizuki had appeared and had argued with and attacked Iruka and Naruto. Now Sarutobi watched as Naruto fled from the two.

'This is not good. Mizuki has a big mouth.' Sarutobi thought to himself. 'For daring to speak of the secret, let alone plotting to steal the scroll of sealing, he'll spend the rest of his life in prison. But the bigger concern is Naruto.' He wanted to light his pipe, but didn't want to risk obscuring his vision in the crystal. 'At first, it seemed as if Naruto didn't believe what Mizuki said, and for that I thank you Kami. But now, strangely, it seems that it was Iruka's actions, not Mizuki's, that have upset and confused Naruto. He has never known anyone to put themselves in harms way on his behalf, and the shock of it seems to have impacted Naruto's views of the people he couldn't trust before.' Sarutobi shifted his hands over the crystal to get a different view. 'If Mizuki continues to harass Naruto much longer in this fashion, there's no telling how Naruto will be affected. His confusion and mistrust of the village might grow stronger. And what's more, as long as Naruto has the scroll, if he decides to keep investigating it, he might accidentally affect the seal that keeps the Kyuubi locked away. There's even a chance it could be broken completely, allowing the beast to be released. And if that happens... fear for us all.' The Hokage's brow furrowed with worry.
_________________________

Naruto raced through the branches of the treetops. He had been running almost blindly, simply rushing onward. Suddenly he glanced to his right as Iruka came bounding alongside.

"Naruto! Everything Mizuki told you was a lie! He was just trying to confuse you! He only wants the scroll! Quickly, give it to me and I'll take it someplace safe!" Iruka shouted.

Naruto leapt to a branch between them before lunging forward, ramming his shoulder into Iruka's gut. The impact sent the both of them tumbling to the forest floor, where Iruka landed in a heap, but Naruto managed to catch himself, and staggered back against a tree before sliding to the ground. Iruka slowly picked himself up with difficulty.

"How? How did you know Naruto?" Iruka said before POOF, and Mizuki revealed himself. "How did you know I wasn't Iruka!?" He demanded.

Naruto smirked before POOF, there sat Iruka, with instead of a scroll, a log lay beside him.

"Because I'm Iruka." The battered teacher announced smugly.

"I see." Mizuki stood to face his opponent. "Why? Why would you want to save that freak? What could you gain by protecting the monster that murdered your parents?" He demanded.

"Simple. It means an idiot bastard like you won't get the scroll. Naruto's probably already gotten back to Hokage-sama by now." Iruka smirked confidently, unfortunately, neither he nor Mizuki were aware that Naruto was actually less than fifty feet away, hiding under some heavy bushes around the edge of a tree as he watched and listened.

"Hahaha! You're the idiot! You say that you and the Kyuubi-brat are the same, but in truth it is he and I that are most alike!" Mizuki smirked wickedly.

"Oh? And what road of twisted reasoning lead you to that ridiculous dead-end conclusion?" Iruka spat.

"It's so simple. He wants the scroll for his own power! That's how beasts are! He will pour all of his rage and bitterness into the scroll, and destroy everything in his path to get his vengeance!" Mizuki cackled. Iruka glared at him for a moment before responding.

"Your right..." He said.

In the bushes, Naruto cringed horribly as pain stabbed into his spirit. He had always suspected it, hell, he had always expected it... but to actually hear the words spoken out loud was worse. Worse than being silentlyhated, worse than being silently shunned.

'It's true then! He only sees me as a monster! All he can see is his parent's murderer! Just like everyone else!' Naruto nearly curled up on himself in despair.

"I'm so sorry Naru-kun." Kyaena lamented. "I'm sorry I was right about Mizuki... And I'm sorry you were right about Iruka." She whined at her friends pain.

'If even my own sensei... There's nothing left then... I can't do any more here... I'll never be allowed to go on... I... I'll have to... leave the village...' Naruto struggled to hold back tears that he knew would never come. But then his lips pulled back in a silent growl, revealing teeth that seemed a bit sharper than usual. 'But even if I have to leave, as long as I'm going, I'll do the village one more service... and KILL that filthy traitor!' His eyes narrowed at Mizuki, but then snapped wide at the next words he heard.

"Your right, that is how beasts are, but that's not how Naruto is! It's not who Naruto is!" Iruka declared with absolute confidence. "Naruto is one of a kind! He works hard, puts his whole heart into whatever he does! Sure he messes up sometimes, and everyone jumps on him about it. People have doubted him, mocked him, even hated him, and yet he never quits! He has a unique empathy because of how he has suffered, and it has made him stronger! That's what separates him from a beast! Because he has the courage and spirit to let that hatred slip away into nothingness and strive to prove himself a better person!" Iruka smiled at Mizuki. "You say he's a demon? Well I say he is Naruto Uzumaki, an excellent student, and future ninja of Konoha!"

Naruto could only gape, drop-jawed at his teacher. He had NEVER heard anyone of the village praise him so much before. He wasn't even sure what to think. Kyaena immediately admonished herself for jumping to conclusions before everything had finished, although she was glad she had been right about Iruka after all. Mizuki however, after a moment of stunned silence, began laughing to the degree of hysteria.

"HAHAHAHA! An excellent student!? HAHAHAHA!" He held his sides to force himself to breath. "How utterly blind can you BE!? You've never believed in that brat! If you ever really thought anything of him, you would've realized a long time ago that he isn't the dead-last loser that everyone THINKS he is!" Mizuki laughed.

"Wh-What? What are you talking about?" Iruka asked, suddenly nervous. Naruto had resumed watching intently.

"You see!? Even now you can't realize it! You say the brat works so hard at everything, so tell me, why it is you never bothered to see it? Think back! His first year, how he worked his ass off every single day, and yet somehow he failed every single test?" Mizuki smiled, as Iruka paled. "You remember how he complained? How he claimed that he wasn't being given the same tests as the others? How he claimed that someone was sabotaging his tests, making him fail?"

"No... It can't be..." Iruka gasped, and in the bushes, Naruto's eyes were as ice with rage as his nails dug into the dirt. Kyaena growled viciously.

"Oh what fun I had! Switching his test papers, interfering with his practical exercises, giving him blunted weapons during the accuracy exams! I made sure he failed every-single-time!" Mizuki howled in delight.

"No, no that's impossible! I would have noticed! I..." Iruka stuttered.

"You did NOTHING! Because you wanted him to fail! You delighted in seeing him struggle!" Mizuki pointed accusingly. "You ignored his complaints! You even refused to even let himtake certain tests! You agreed with me when I degraded him for any make-believe faults I accused him of! You let it all happen right under your nose, because deep down, YOU HATED HIM!"

"NO! That's impossible! When Naruto was complaining, even Hokage-sama took notice! That day that he came to the academy to observe one of Naruto's tests-" Iruka tried to argue, but Mizuki only laughed harder.

"AHHAHAHAH! My best effort of all! Switching the test paper right in front of the Hokage, and even he didn't care to say anything! Proof that even the Hokage hates the demon filth, and wanted him to fail!" Mizuki slapped his knee in his mirth as Iruka stared on in horror at the mistakes he had made.

In his scrying room, Sarutobi had grabbed his crystal ball and was shaking it in rage, as if somehow it would allow him to strangle Mizuki.

"You lying, traitorous bastard! When I get my hands on you, you'll never see the light of day again!" The aged ninja yelled in fury at having been deceived, and the shame of having unjustly doubted Naruto. He slammed the crystal back into the cushion. 'I had no reason to doubt Naruto's teachers. I just took their word, even though there was evidence that something was off. I remember, how surprised I was when I saw that test. I couldn't believe Naruto could do so poorly, when he had seemed so dedicated before then. I can't believe I was so careless.' Sarutobi glared into the crystal at the traitor. 'I will fix my mistake.'

Having gotten over his laughing fit, Mizuki wiped his eyes as he regarded the still stunned Iruka.

"And you know what the absolute damnably funniest part is? If I hadn't interfered that first year, from what I saw of his tests, and his efforts... That damn demon trash would have actually graduated as rookie of the year! IN HIS FIRST YEAR!" Mizuki raged. "Even the very thought was abominable! So that's why I decided I would make sure he would NEVER graduate!"

"But why? If you were just making him fail all this time, why do this with the scroll? Why now?" Iruka asked.

"Because I saw how your attitude towards the gaki was changing this past year." Mizuki snarled. "How you began paying more attention to him, getting involved when he pulled his stupid pranks. You even started going to that disgusting ramen stand with him!" Mizuki shuddered in nausea at the thought.

"Hey! Don't insult Ichiraku's! Even Hokage-sama eats there!" Iruka bristled slightly.

"The point is I knew I wouldn't be able to keep him failing any longer! Not for another whole year! I knew that you'd begin watching him too closely, and might discover what I was doing. So I decided to take action, and use him to not only get what I wanted, but to frame him for the crime so I would FINALLY be able to kill the wretched demon!" Mizuki growled with bared teeth, all trace of humor gone.

"Well your out of luck. We've been sitting here, chatting for so long, Naruto will have reported everything to Hokage-sama by now. You'll never get out of the village, traitor." Iruka spat.

"Haven't you been listening!? The Hokage won't believe him! The brat will be arrested, tortured and killed for the crime of stealing the scroll! NO ONE BELIEVES IN HIM!" Mizuki screamed in rage.

"I do." Iruka said simply. Mizuki grabbed his remaining giant shuriken from his back and began spinning it.

"And for that, you'll die here and now! And when I return, maybe that old dusty monkey butt of a Hokage will give me the pleasure of executing the wretched demon!" Mizuki charged at Iruka, who simply remained still, resigned to his fate for his misdeeds.

'So this is how it ends... I'm sorry... Naruto...' Iruka thought as his enemy raced towards him with the deadly weapon.

But a sudden blur appeared between them, delivering a knee to Mizuki's face, sending the white haired ninja flying backwards, even as the released shuriken flew off into the woods. After sliding to a stop, Mizuki picked himself up, coughing from the dirt in his face.

"What the hell!? Whoever you are, you're going to regret interfer-... Oh... Oh no... Nonononono-" Mizuki had looked up, and paled. Iruka was also stunned, but was relieved as well.

Standing between the two chunin, dressed in his black battle outfit, was one very seriously pissed-looking Sarutobi.

"Mizuki! Did you really believe you could get away with your actions!?" Sarutobi shouted in fury. "Disrupting the functions of the academy, deceiving you're fellow shinobi, falsifying official documents, attacking a fellow leaf-nin, plotting the theft of classified information, threatening and attacking an innocent child, AND..." Sarutobi paused for a breath as his eyes narrowed, "Just who do you think you were calling an 'old dusty monkey butt'?"

"No... no, it... it was the Kyuubi-brat... it was the demon who stole..." Mizuki tried to appeal to the angered old man, but was overwhelmed with fear. He had been completely confident in dealing with his ex-teaching partner and one hot-tempered runt, but to be faced with an angry Kage-level ninja was beyond his capacity to deal with, physically or mentally.

"Oh yes, thank you for reminding me!" Sarutobi scowled. "On top of it all, you have broken the decree!" At that little revelation, Mizuki knew he was completely and absolutely screwed. So he respectfully pissed himself when he saw Sarutobi make a cross-handsign. "So now, you will face your punishment! Ninja-Art, Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

With a colossal burst of smoke, suddenly the whole area was filled with a thousand Sarutobi's. Mizuki screamed like a little girl, even as Iruka's jaw hung open in speechless overload.

'Incredible... Hokage-sama is truly the most skilled ninja in all of Konoha!' Iruka thought in awe. 'And this, one of his most renowned jutsu, used to such a magnitude the likes of which only he could perform!' Iruka could only watch in a daze.

"Now Mizuki, any last words?" The mass of Sarutobi's asked as they began cracking their knuckles.

"WWHHAAAAAAAAA!" Mizuki wailed. Well, it didn't really count as a word...

POW-BAM-SOK-CLOBBER-WHAP-THOK-BASH-KICK-WHAM

After several minutes of beating, Mizuki lay in a heap, looking like something that even a vulture would turn it's beak up at. The mass of extra Sarutobi's vanished in smoke, as the remaining one walked over to stand in front of Iruka. But he still had a frown on his face, making Iruka swallow a nervous lump.

"Hokage-sama, is Naruto alright? It wasn't his fault! Mizuki tricked him-" Iruka was cut off when Sarutobi held up a halting hand. The old ninja slowly squatted down in front of the nervous chunin.

"Iruka. I'm very disappointed in you." The Hokage shook his head slowly. Iruka lowered his head shamefully. "To think, after three whole years, you can't even tell the difference between your Hokage-" A poof of smoke revealed a super-smiling Naruto, "-And your own student!" He laughed.

As if he hadn't been shocked and surprised enough that night, Iruka's eyes nearly popped out of his head seeing his student in front of him.

"N-N-Naruto? But... that... you... it..." Iruka sputtered, looking back and forth between Naruto and Mizuki. 'But if this is Naruto, then that means that he created those shadow clones, while using Transformation! It's unbelievable! The Shadow Clone Jutsu is extremely advanced! And yet he mastered it in only a few hours! To think, he says he wants to surpass the Hokages, and now... I'm starting to believe he will actually succeed!' Iruka smirked.

"Um, Iruka-sensei? Are you alright?" Naruto asked, tilting his head slightly. Glancing up at the slowly brightening sky of the morning, Iruka only chuckled as he slowly pulled himself up to stand.

"Naruto, close your eyes for a minute. I have a special present to give to you." Iruka smiled. Naruto was about to object, but was cut off.

"It's ok Naru-kun. It's over. I think things will be alright now." Kyaena purred happily.

Naruto shrugged and closed his eyes...
_______________________

A number of the ninja that had been searching all over the village had re-gathered in front of the Hokage tower to report their findings, or lack thereof.

"Did you find him?"

"There's no sign of him anywhere!"

"He could be miles away by now!"

"That lousy trouble making brat!"

"This is awful!"

They were so involved, they didn't notice Sarutobi walk out of the gate until he spoke.

"Everything is alright now!" Sarutobi called above the ruckus, causing everyone to whip around to pay attention. "There's no need to worry. The scroll is safe, and Naruto will be back shortly." The old Hokage puffed on his pipe happily as he turned around and walked back inside.

The various ninja blinked in surprise as they glanced at each other, not daring to contradict their leader, but still wary of the likelihood of the statement.
________________________

"Sensei, how much longer?" Naruto asked, waiting.

"Ok, you can open your eyes now!" Iruka said.

Naruto slowly did so, blinking slightly in the light as the sun rose over the horizon, illuminating the two ninja. Naruto's eyes focused, and he noticed that Iruka was holding his goggles.

'What the...? But I still feel them on my...' Naruto wondered as his hand reached up to find the cool touch of metal. It was then that Naruto noticed that Iruka was missing his Hitai-ate. His eyes widened in shock.

"Congratulations... You graduate!" Iruka smiled.

"Wow. He's pretty smooth to have pulled that switch." Kyaena snickered.

"And in celebration, I'm going to treat you to ramen tonight!" Iruka stated, like it was a big surprise. But he blinked in confusion when Naruto didn't say anything. After a moment, Naruto slowly sank to his knees, his head dipped. "Naruto? Naruto, are you alright?" Iruka immediately asked in concern. 'Damn! I should have guessed! Creating that many shadow clones must've completely drained his chakra!' Iruka thought, but was confused as Naruto didn't seem unconscious, and in fact, had started to tremble.

"I... ... I did it... ... I did it..." Naruto whispered. Before Iruka could ask, Naruto nearly drove his face into the ground as he began bowing franticly to the still-injured chunin. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..." Naruto choked out. Wincing in pain from his injuries, and thoroughly confused, Iruka didn't know what to think.

"Uh, Naruto, I know you love ramen, but-" Iruka started to say.

"Thank you... ...for... believing in me..." Naruto sobbed into the dirt. Iruka immediately relaxed, putting his hands on Naruto's shoulders.

'Great Kami... How could I ever have thought... What he must have gone through...' Iruka gently pulled Naruto up a bit, expecting to see tears on his face, but was shocked the worst yet of the night. Although Naruto's eyes held a new respect and overwhelming gratitude, they were completely dry. Even Iruka knew that was not normal. 'I was going to lecture him about life as a ninja, how things will only get harder, but I don't think this is the time. I'll talk to him later, over ramen, after I get him, and myself, checked out at the hospital. Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin the moment.' Iruka smiled.

Inside Naruto, Kyaena sighed to herself.

'Oh well. So much for my hope of getting Naru-kun out of this cursed village.' She thought regretfully.
___________________________
    END OF CHAPTER    

Authors Notes:

Ok, here it is. The first 'chapter'. I realize that even this is a bit long, but it's actually as short as I could manage and still have it flow smoothly. There is more to what's happening at the end, but I decided it could be it's own chapter. So that will be next.

It's an interesting challenge to try to follow canon while at the same time altering it to fit my own ideas. I know that there will be times (probably lots of times) where it seems I'm not following my own path of reasoning. That what I'm writing will make no sense. But since I'm basing this story off the foundation of canon, and canon often makes no sense itself, I think I'm actually doing an OK job, because at least what I write that doesn't make sense, doesn't make sense intentionally.

I know it may seem like all I'm doing is copying canon, but I assure you, there will be differences. It's just that the parts that I will change significantly will be here and there. I have planned out a significant majority of the whole series, but admittedly, some parts more than others. This chapter is only a small example of how I will be writing. I hope you can see the subtle differences as well as the major ones. Plus I included a few more foreshadowing hints in this chapter, like the prologue. I will be doing that a lot. Because I hope that doing so will get you thinking, and interested in continuing to read this story.

I must say, I'm a little disappointed. A 37k+ prologue, but only 300 or so hits, about 2 or 3 dozen alerts, and less than a dozen reviews? I thought I made it more interesting than that. Maybe it's because I only rated the story T at the moment, or maybe because the genre is adventure/friendship. But I hope word will spread as I post more chapters.

As to the reviews I've received so far:

King of Darkness: I can understand that long chapters can get tedious. But to me, chapters that are too short can be every bit as annoying. Because you want to know what happens next. Long chapters may take longer to post, but at least you should feel satisfied with getting a sufficient amount to hold you over until the next chapter.

Lloyd Neruameshi: Far too soon for pairings. The story is under the Naru/Kyuubi category because of how their friendship will affect Naruto's life.

Darksnider05: Naruto's loyalty to the village and the villagers didn't make sense in canon, so I realize it won't make much sense in my story... yet. You've only read the prologue, please give it a chance. And as to the Sakura and Sasuke parts, well, in a small way I agree, but there are still matters to address, and keep in mind that I skipped Naruto's whole third year at the academy, the year he spent with the two, for a good reason. I'll be referring back to that year in later parts. But since Naruto is still going to wind up stuck with them, I hope to make it more interesting. Over all, it will be a very complicated matter. I just hope you'll wait it out.

Thank you all for your time.

This chapter edited:

5-17-2013