Dead Nin Tell Tales
By: windfalcon
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Hell... I barely own the idea. Inspired by Vesvius, and credit to wannabeamonkey, Ike and Lord Geryon for helpin me out in my time of need. Special thanks to everyone from the Slicer thread, for fleshing out this idea enough for me to take interest in it in the first place. On with the show.
Chapter 1: Bloody Inspiration
A Ninja's body is full of secrets.
In his short life, Naruto had seen far more than any other 6 year old should ever see. He had experienced hate and felt both emotional and physical pain at multiple points in his life, prejudice and violence enough to break even a grown man. Despite all this, Naruto held tightly to a dream... to be the strongest ninja ever, specifically.. to become Hokage.
Everything, from the callouses on their hands to the blood in their veins, can tell you much about a ninja... how they trained, what Jutsu they used... hell, there's a Hyuuga Hunter who specializes in that, since they can see which tenketsu points were most used in the body... Hell, you can even figure out bloodlines and blood limits by studying them!
Of course... the paths to greatness and power are many. There is no one way to become a great ninja. After speaking to the Hokage one day, Naruto thought that this path required much training and strength. That by learning different jutsu and by learning how to fight, Naruto would eventually become a super ninja, getting missions to defeat bandits and save princesses...
That is why a Hunter's job is so important. If another village ever finds one of our corpses, they can unlock many of our secrets... but then, that's why we do our damndest to bring back corpses from other villages too.
... but no one would teach Naruto, not even the Academy. If that was the case... he would have to teach himself. He would learn Jutsus... he would discover the secrets of shinobi everywhere!
Bah, enough of this talking crap. The rookie gets it by now. Lets just pack up Shisui's body and get the hell outta here... I swear I feel like someone's watchin me.
Naruto watched as the military police packed away the dead man's body. A man that, half an hour ago, was arguing with a man named Itachi... a man that was killed by the other one's katana. He watched as the killer screamed in pain, hands covering his eyes as he fell to the floor as tears of blood flowed down his cheeks, streaking his pale skin in sharp contrast. The screams lasted for ten minutes... but to Naruto it felt like an eternity, hiding in his spot. No matter how he covered his ears, those screams pierced through. When they finally finished, the killer stood and looked into the water of the nearby stream for a moment, before washing his face clean of blood. After that, he simply threw the body into the river and left, never noticing the boy hiding quietly, frozen in fear and shock.
... what he witnessed was someone willing to do anything for power.
Shisui... you are my best friend.... to further my goals, I need to awaken the cursed blood that flows through my veins. I will awaken the next stage of our Sharingan. Goodbye.
... and he realized... if he ever wanted to be Hokage... he would need to do the same. If he was to learn jutsus and gain enough power to become Hokage, he would need to study Ninjas... none of the living shinobi would allow him to watch them train, and he doubted anyone would teach him from his experiences with the Academy... so... he would have to study dead shinobi... just like those police were talking about earlier.
As he watched them go away, Naruto felt a tinge of regret. Still... he wouldn't know what to do with it even if he had it... and the body would be too big for a simple boy like him to carry. What he needed to do was study... Perhaps the Hokage might have something he needed...
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"Hokage-sama, Naruto is here to see you."
Looking up from his paperwork, the Sandaime Hokage smiled and gave his assistant a nod. "Do let him in Airi-san. I could use a break from the paperwork." Nodding in return, the non-descript woman motioned for Naruto to enter. After she closed the door, Sarutobi smiled softly at the boy. "Remember this Naruto... having an assistant around makes things easier when you deal with alot of work, ESPECIALLY for a Hokage." he said with a chuckle. "Now my boy... to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Looking around, Naruto tried to gather his thoughts. "Umm... well... Jiji, I was wonderin.... y'know how I bugged ya to let me in the Academy early?"
Seeing Naruto bow his head and shuffle his feet had the elderly Hokage worried. "Yes..." he answered hesitantly. "In fact, you earned the right in a game of cards. Just what are you asking, Naruto?"
"Well... I was hoping to stop going for now.... y'know... til I'm around kids my own age?"
Warning bells began ringing in the Hokage's head. "Whatever for Naruto? Is something happening at school?" Never had the Hokage seen Naruto look so downcast... nor has he known the boy to give anything up! Something was wrong, and Sarutobi was going to get to the bottom of this.
"Well... nobody's teaching me at the school.... I.. I was kinda hopin to teach myself before going back, y'know? I figure if I teach myself, then I can learn better... so when I finally go to school, I won't feel stupid all the time when they pick on me..."
He had no idea Naruto's scholastic career was so bad! Still... the boy brought up a few good points.. "But Naruto... don't you want to be around other children? And what will you do if you don't understand what you are trying to study?"
Naruto let out a soft sigh and hung his head lower, completely hiding his face from Sarutobi's view. "... no one'll play with me anyway... Parents keep tellin their kids to stay away from me for some reason... And.. well... if I don't understand...." Slowly, Naruto looked up at the old man, and he knew that the arguement was lost the moment those hopeful blue eyes came into view, glimmering a bit with unshed tears. "I... I can always ask you... right?"
Sighing, Sarutobi did the only thing he could do... he nodded. "of course Naruto.... If you want, you can even access my personal library... but always let me know before hand. I'll go through and mark all the forbidden scrolls so you do not have to worry about seeing what you aren't supposed to... alright?" Seeing the boy's bright smile and feeling a powerful hug that nearly made his ribs groan seemed to make the world a little better for the old man. "There there... now, you cannot ask me questions at any time... but I'll make sure to set aside some time on Sunday to address any questions you might have.If you do well enough, I may even teach you some nice jutsu!"
Smiling brightly, Naruto thanked the Hokage. Later, as he made his way home, followed by an ANBU assigned to carry the books and scroll he chose home with him, Naruto let his smile shift into something slightly darker. With this.... I will be on my way to power...
Looking over his personal library, the Hokage was a bit puzzled as to why Naruto picked out a few medical texts, then merely waved it off. The boy was only 6, after all... perhaps he took it by accident in his mad dash for knowledge. Many of the terms would be far beyond what the boy should be able to understand...
Of course... one of the books Naruto borrowed was his dictionary... perhaps the boy understood more than he thought.
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Only couple days had passed since Naruto made his decision to leave school. Self-learning through reading was difficult... VERY difficult. But, not wanting to give up so early and, unwilling to go to sleep for fear of recalling just WHAT made him decide this in the first place, Naruto endured. Complicated terms were researched in dictionaries, various books were strewn about the floor and bed of his apartment, open to various pages to make research easier. A book on anatomy was open to the chakra circulatory system, an addition made by a Hyuuga Medic-Nin , though it only explained how the chakra flowed in the average ninja body. Another book, somewhat older, was a catalogue of sorts, detailing the different bloodlines in Konoha, giving only enough information to say who held it and a rough idea of what they did. Nothing concrete, just the kind of rumors and hear-say that Konoha would want floating around.
After going over the various entries, Naruto felt frustrated. Even to one as young as him, a majority of what was said about the bloodlines seemed farfetched. "The Sharingan has the power to banish malevolent spirits, as well as hypnotize opponents with but a single glance. The Byakugan can perfectly see 360 degrees and can view opponents through solid objects, even if they are invisible." And that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the nonsense.
... What he really needed was someone to teach him.... and after a quick glance around his apartment... he needed someone who could help him around too... an assistant, like the Hokage had. Sighing, Naruto decided to take a break. Too much information, after all, hurt his head. "I'll never understand this at this rate!" he grumbled. At that moment, a loud growling sound rumbled through the apartment, emanating from Naruto's belly and interrupting any further line of thought. "Well... might as well get something to eat! Can't think on an empty stomach." Nodding at his own brilliance, Naruto decided there was only one thing to do. "To Ichiraku's!" he said excitedly. With course of action plotted out, Naruto got up and left his apartment, making his way towards his favorite ramen stand.
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It was almost night time when Naruto left Ichiraku's. He had told the little family about his decision to leave the academy to try and teach himself, and despite being a bit shocked, the pair accepted his decision with smiles and support. After enjoying his ramen, Naruto decided to go for a walk... despite the meal, Naruto was feeling... edgy. He had a need, an URGE, to do something. It was only a few days since his decision to leave the Academy after all and...
Suddenly, Naruto stopped as he came to a realization. Since it was a few days since his decision, he had not stepped foot into the Academy. No Academy meant no cold stares or teachers who wouldn't teach him. That meant... no pranks. He hadn't pranked anyone in two whole days! Sure he hadn't slept in as long either... but he could endure.
To the young boy, the pranking situation needed to be remedied. That.. and the thrill of the pranking could be just the adrenaline boost he'd need to keep awake for that much longer. All he needed was a victim...
Fate.. Kismet.. Destiny... one could call the chance meeting any of these, but as Naruto turned a corner, he noticed an excited looking Uchiha boy running by. He didn't know the boy at all, but he DID recognize the telltale features that most male Uchihas shared... the dark hair, pale complexion and the pansy effemmate look that made it easy to underestimate them at times. The same features as the policemen who would give him a hard time. The same features that was shared by the killer and his victim that he saw a few days ago.
Had anyone been paying attention to Naruto, they might have noticed a rather manic looking grin on his face as he found his victim of the day. "Perfect."
Locked on target, Naruto trailed after his victim-to-be.
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Naruto followed after the Uchiha boy closely, making sure not to be seen by anyone. It would be difficult to explain what he was doing following after an Uchiha... that, and if caught he might lose sight of his target. From the way he was running, Naruto could only guess that the boy was running home. Perhaps a bit of simple vandalism on the boy's house? Get the police station on his way out for laughs?
.. maybe itching powder on their uniforms.. THAT was always good for grins. Sure it was small time... but then, not many people could get away with pranking the police.
Noticing kid stop at the entrance of the Uchiha sector, Naruto carefully made his way closer to the boy. Oddly enough, the area around the entrance was empty, even for this time of night... No lights shone from nearby buildings, despite the fact that it was around this time most people enjoyed dinner. There weren't even any of the police making patrols along the streets or near the rooftops for some reason. Perhaps someone was dumb enough to steal something? Snickering, Naruto though the place was 'as quiet as a graveyard'. And as the kid ran further into the sector, Naruto made to follow... the light bit of humor failing to keep the hairs on the back of his neck from rising.
After the boy turned a corner, he stopped again, apparantly in shock. From where he hid, Naruto could see a manic look of fear in his eyes that worried Naruto further. What the hell was going on? Seeing the boy take off faster, Naruto moved to follow... only to notice the large amount of damage that was done to the surrounding area. Street signs and lanterns were sliced in half, while shuriken and other throwing weapons embedded themselves into various surfaces. Despite thew lack of bodies, Naruto easily picked up a familliar metallic scent... one that he became all too familiar with a few days ago.
Blood.
There were no signs of any bodies, or any telltale signs that he could see at first... but he could make out the scent easily. Shaking his head, Naruto made his way past the battlezone on his quest to keep the Uchiha boy in sight. This wasn't funny anymore.
Another length of street and another corner brought an even more gruesome scene than the battlefield before. Naruto noticed the boy pause briefly before bolting, but Naruto himself stopped at the scene to take in what the battlefield behind him lacked.
Bodies.
There were only two... most likely the only two in the area who were not in their homes at the time aside from the Police... or at least.. the only two left outside. A dark part of Naruto's mind noticed that both were killed professionally... the areas cut on the dead bodies were cut with precision... no more than necessary and sliced in just the right areas for a quick, if bloody, death, one of the anatomy books he read instantly coming to mind.
Of course.. the scene brought something else to mind... that day he witnessed the man called Shisui die by the river that day he decided to pull out of the Academy. Shaking his head to purge the thought before it came fully, Naruto glanced around.. barely missing the boy run into one of the bigger houses. Suddenly, Naruto's earlier thought came back to him as he made to follow...
The place really was as quiet as a graveyard... as silent as only Death itself could be.
Morbid thoughts aside, Naruto decided the best course of action would be to sneak around the house instead of blindly following inside. If whoever did this was outside, he wanted a chance to escape out in the open, where he could possibly use anything in the surrounding area to get away. If it worked for escaping the police and the occasional ninja, he had high hopes for being able to escape whatever did this. If the killer was inside.. well.. that's why there were windows. Worse comes to worse, he could run off to the Hokage and describe what the killer looked like.
Naruto did his best to keep out of sight... glancing around before peeking through what windows he could find, hoping to keep the boy in sight. It was when he passed by one of the last rooms, what appeared to be a master bedroom, that he spotted the man that he knew killed the couple outside... as well as everyone else in the area. The man, dressed like an ANBU but lacking the usual mask, sliced through another couple, spraying their blood along the floor... just as the door to the room opened. Letting out a light gasp, Naruto noticed the ninja turn his way and pulled away from the window... instantly remembering the face of the man whose screams haunted his thoughts even now.
It was the face of the man who killed Shisui by the riverside a few days ago. The face of the man whose eyes cried blood as he screamed in horrible pain for an eternity. Naruto listened as the man talked with the boy... his own little brother. He spoke about his reasons... to measure his capacity. He listened as the little boy, whom the man called 'Sasuke', scream as well, before running out, wailing for his life. He heard the doors fly open and the boy's screaming reach the outside of the house, then swallowed and hesitantly checked inside the room.
Both Sasuke and his brother.. Itachi... were gone, leaving only the two bodies on the ground.
"... Sa...su...ke..." wheezed a soft, female voice.
Surprised, Naruto leaped into the room, making his way next to the woman on the ground. The man was dead, his lifeless eyes looking up away towards the wall, his face set in a permanent scowl. The woman, however, was stabbed in the chest... a deadly wound, to be sure, but bleeding heavily. Grabbing the woman's hand, Naruto whimpered, shaking her lightly. "H..Hold on! I'll get help lady!" Naruto cried. Maybe after that guy finished off his little brtoher, he'll be long gone, right?
".... can't... die... yet.... " the woman coughed up blood and her grip on Naruto's hand tightened. Her eyes turned to focus on the boy as tears welled up in her eyes, seeking salvation in the blonde haired boy before her. "... please... I... don't want... to die yet...."
"I.. .I'll get help! You won't die lady! I promise! Soon as we get ya to the old man, he'll make you better!" Whimpering, Naruto began to look around frantically before doing his best to lift the woman up by the shoulders. Placing one of her arms around his neck, he leaned her against him as best as he could before dragging her out. "Uzumaki Naruto never breaks his word! Just don't die yet lady!"
"... Uzu... maki... Na... ru... to..." Naruto felt the woman clench his hand firmly once more as she gave him a releived smile... before closing her eyes for the last time, her grip on his hand going slack.
Panic suddenly filled Naruto as he quickly dragged the woman with him outside. "C'mon lady... you're just sleepin right? I told ya, Uzumaki Naruto doesn't lie! Don't die, lady! Just wait, Old Man will fix ya up!" Looking around, naruto started to cry out. If this lady was alive, maybe someone else was, right? ne guy couldn't kill EVERYONE! "HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HEEEELP!"
"What are you doing with my mother's corpse?" asked a familiar cold voice that froze naruto where he stood. Whimpering, the blonde haired boy turned around... and looked right into the eyes that kept him sleepo deprived since the last time he saw them, for they threatened to turn any dreams he might have into bloody nightmares.
"G... gotta save her..." he whimpered, his legs shaking so much it took everything he could to keep standing.
"You cannot save the dead...but if you wish, you can see just how I made her that way... perhaps this will teach you not to meddle in affairs that do not concern you... Uzumaki Naruto-kun." With that spoken, those blood-red eyes changed, and Naruto felt himself falling into darkness. The clouds in the sky seemed to fly in revese as the sky and moon switched colors... becomming a black moon set in a white sky, dark stars twinkling menacingly fora brief moment before he found himself standing in the same room he had just left. The woman he was saving was no longer in his arms, but kneeling on the ground next to the dead man, who still seemed to scowl. Uchiha Itachi could be seen standing behind the two, katana drawn and a sinister smile seen on his face.
"For the next 24 hours... you will watch as I kill my parents... Uchiha Fugaku, my father and Uchiha Mikoto, my mother.... over and over again, while being helpless to do anything about it." Naruto whimpered as he watched Itachi raise his blade... only to stop as Naruto let out a loud cry, his body moving as he rushed towards the killer. Smirking, Itachi brought his blade down, slicing through his father's chest, before stabbing his mother sharply. As the blood sprayed and their bodies fell, Naruto watched helplessly as he found himself standing by the door again, the bodies no long on the ground, but once again kneeling before Itachi. Five more times he watched it happen, each time never making it in time to save the woman or her husband. After the last time, Naruto shuddered in anger when Itachi's voice rang out through the solarized world. "23 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds..."
After two more seconds of this, something in Naruto broke. He couldn't stand to see his promise broken by this murderer! Cold, dark and primal anger filled Naruto as he began to see red...
Naruto soon found himself back in the real world, a look of shock and fear on Itachi's face confusing him, but the weight in his arms soon reminded him of what he was supposed to do. Itachi looked away briefly, before turning back to look at Naruto. "We will finish this some other time... Uzumaki Naruto-kun." And with that, Itachi bound away.
As soon as he was gone, Naruto turned to his charge and tried to shake her awake, not noticing that his clothes were soaked in her blood... far too focused on getting the woman help to see that she was already long gone. "Wake up.... please wake up! You can't sleep just yet! The old man is commin soon, see? You'll be fine in no time! Don... Don't make me a liar.. Mikoto-san..."
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLP!"
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Sandaime Hokage sighed as he watched over the unconscious Naruto. They were currently in the hospital, where the one doctor actually willing to treat the boy was brought in to take care of him. The boy looked peaceful in his sleep, though perhaps that was due to the fact that they had to use a strong sleep genjutsu on him to knock him out. The boy was frantic when they first found him...
By the time they arrived, they were too late. Not really understanding why the boy was in the Uchiha Sector, Sarutobi was shocked to find the boy crying. Upon seeing him, Naruto had begged him to fix 'Mikoto'san', going on about how she wouldn't wake up to get better. Any attempt to tell him she was dead was met with a fervent denial. He had apparantly promised her she wouldn't die, that he would save her in time.
When his word was given, Naruto was always one to see the promise through... having to break his promise so soon like that broke something in him. Any attempt to take him away from the body was met with a feral snarl. The beginnings of a red glow could be seen surrounding naruto, but before anything else could happen, Sarutobi instantly knocked the boy out with a well placed chop to the neck.
A search of the entire sector produced only the quivering mass that was Uchiha Sasuke as the only survivor of the clan, with Naruto as the only other witness. Everyone else, unfortunately, was bagged and carted off to the morgue, where examinations would take place in hopes that any possible clues on how a single ninja could possibly kill off an entire clan over the course of a single night.
The Council was rasing a fuss, saying how Naruto was part of the act, since he was in the Uchiha sector at a dubious time of night. Unable to think of a reason for naruto to be there, he put up a suggestion that he be interrogated for his reasons for being there. The Council readily agreed.. so long as he used one of the more successful interrogators.
Luckily for Sarutobi, his suggestion went over moderately well with the Council...
After all, Morino Ibiki was perfect for evaluating Uchiha Sasuke's mental state, which left the one person Sarutobi beleived he could trust with Naruto's interrogation.
"Hokage-sama, do I have to? Interrogation is boring when I don't have any toys to play with!"
"He's only a child. I just want you to find out what happened and why he was there... and promise me you will not harm the boy, he's been through enough as it is."
"*Sigh* Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Thank you Anko-chan... I knew i could count on you"
Author's Note: *fizzle.... fizzle... pop... collapse* Blue Screen of Death. Insert witty commentary here.
By: windfalcon
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Hell... I barely own the idea. Inspired by Vesvius, and credit to wannabeamonkey, Ike and Lord Geryon for helpin me out in my time of need. Special thanks to everyone from the Slicer thread, for fleshing out this idea enough for me to take interest in it in the first place. On with the show.
Chapter 1: Bloody Inspiration
A Ninja's body is full of secrets.
In his short life, Naruto had seen far more than any other 6 year old should ever see. He had experienced hate and felt both emotional and physical pain at multiple points in his life, prejudice and violence enough to break even a grown man. Despite all this, Naruto held tightly to a dream... to be the strongest ninja ever, specifically.. to become Hokage.
Everything, from the callouses on their hands to the blood in their veins, can tell you much about a ninja... how they trained, what Jutsu they used... hell, there's a Hyuuga Hunter who specializes in that, since they can see which tenketsu points were most used in the body... Hell, you can even figure out bloodlines and blood limits by studying them!
Of course... the paths to greatness and power are many. There is no one way to become a great ninja. After speaking to the Hokage one day, Naruto thought that this path required much training and strength. That by learning different jutsu and by learning how to fight, Naruto would eventually become a super ninja, getting missions to defeat bandits and save princesses...
That is why a Hunter's job is so important. If another village ever finds one of our corpses, they can unlock many of our secrets... but then, that's why we do our damndest to bring back corpses from other villages too.
... but no one would teach Naruto, not even the Academy. If that was the case... he would have to teach himself. He would learn Jutsus... he would discover the secrets of shinobi everywhere!
Bah, enough of this talking crap. The rookie gets it by now. Lets just pack up Shisui's body and get the hell outta here... I swear I feel like someone's watchin me.
Naruto watched as the military police packed away the dead man's body. A man that, half an hour ago, was arguing with a man named Itachi... a man that was killed by the other one's katana. He watched as the killer screamed in pain, hands covering his eyes as he fell to the floor as tears of blood flowed down his cheeks, streaking his pale skin in sharp contrast. The screams lasted for ten minutes... but to Naruto it felt like an eternity, hiding in his spot. No matter how he covered his ears, those screams pierced through. When they finally finished, the killer stood and looked into the water of the nearby stream for a moment, before washing his face clean of blood. After that, he simply threw the body into the river and left, never noticing the boy hiding quietly, frozen in fear and shock.
... what he witnessed was someone willing to do anything for power.
Shisui... you are my best friend.... to further my goals, I need to awaken the cursed blood that flows through my veins. I will awaken the next stage of our Sharingan. Goodbye.
... and he realized... if he ever wanted to be Hokage... he would need to do the same. If he was to learn jutsus and gain enough power to become Hokage, he would need to study Ninjas... none of the living shinobi would allow him to watch them train, and he doubted anyone would teach him from his experiences with the Academy... so... he would have to study dead shinobi... just like those police were talking about earlier.
As he watched them go away, Naruto felt a tinge of regret. Still... he wouldn't know what to do with it even if he had it... and the body would be too big for a simple boy like him to carry. What he needed to do was study... Perhaps the Hokage might have something he needed...
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"Hokage-sama, Naruto is here to see you."
Looking up from his paperwork, the Sandaime Hokage smiled and gave his assistant a nod. "Do let him in Airi-san. I could use a break from the paperwork." Nodding in return, the non-descript woman motioned for Naruto to enter. After she closed the door, Sarutobi smiled softly at the boy. "Remember this Naruto... having an assistant around makes things easier when you deal with alot of work, ESPECIALLY for a Hokage." he said with a chuckle. "Now my boy... to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Looking around, Naruto tried to gather his thoughts. "Umm... well... Jiji, I was wonderin.... y'know how I bugged ya to let me in the Academy early?"
Seeing Naruto bow his head and shuffle his feet had the elderly Hokage worried. "Yes..." he answered hesitantly. "In fact, you earned the right in a game of cards. Just what are you asking, Naruto?"
"Well... I was hoping to stop going for now.... y'know... til I'm around kids my own age?"
Warning bells began ringing in the Hokage's head. "Whatever for Naruto? Is something happening at school?" Never had the Hokage seen Naruto look so downcast... nor has he known the boy to give anything up! Something was wrong, and Sarutobi was going to get to the bottom of this.
"Well... nobody's teaching me at the school.... I.. I was kinda hopin to teach myself before going back, y'know? I figure if I teach myself, then I can learn better... so when I finally go to school, I won't feel stupid all the time when they pick on me..."
He had no idea Naruto's scholastic career was so bad! Still... the boy brought up a few good points.. "But Naruto... don't you want to be around other children? And what will you do if you don't understand what you are trying to study?"
Naruto let out a soft sigh and hung his head lower, completely hiding his face from Sarutobi's view. "... no one'll play with me anyway... Parents keep tellin their kids to stay away from me for some reason... And.. well... if I don't understand...." Slowly, Naruto looked up at the old man, and he knew that the arguement was lost the moment those hopeful blue eyes came into view, glimmering a bit with unshed tears. "I... I can always ask you... right?"
Sighing, Sarutobi did the only thing he could do... he nodded. "of course Naruto.... If you want, you can even access my personal library... but always let me know before hand. I'll go through and mark all the forbidden scrolls so you do not have to worry about seeing what you aren't supposed to... alright?" Seeing the boy's bright smile and feeling a powerful hug that nearly made his ribs groan seemed to make the world a little better for the old man. "There there... now, you cannot ask me questions at any time... but I'll make sure to set aside some time on Sunday to address any questions you might have.If you do well enough, I may even teach you some nice jutsu!"
Smiling brightly, Naruto thanked the Hokage. Later, as he made his way home, followed by an ANBU assigned to carry the books and scroll he chose home with him, Naruto let his smile shift into something slightly darker. With this.... I will be on my way to power...
Looking over his personal library, the Hokage was a bit puzzled as to why Naruto picked out a few medical texts, then merely waved it off. The boy was only 6, after all... perhaps he took it by accident in his mad dash for knowledge. Many of the terms would be far beyond what the boy should be able to understand...
Of course... one of the books Naruto borrowed was his dictionary... perhaps the boy understood more than he thought.
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Only couple days had passed since Naruto made his decision to leave school. Self-learning through reading was difficult... VERY difficult. But, not wanting to give up so early and, unwilling to go to sleep for fear of recalling just WHAT made him decide this in the first place, Naruto endured. Complicated terms were researched in dictionaries, various books were strewn about the floor and bed of his apartment, open to various pages to make research easier. A book on anatomy was open to the chakra circulatory system, an addition made by a Hyuuga Medic-Nin , though it only explained how the chakra flowed in the average ninja body. Another book, somewhat older, was a catalogue of sorts, detailing the different bloodlines in Konoha, giving only enough information to say who held it and a rough idea of what they did. Nothing concrete, just the kind of rumors and hear-say that Konoha would want floating around.
After going over the various entries, Naruto felt frustrated. Even to one as young as him, a majority of what was said about the bloodlines seemed farfetched. "The Sharingan has the power to banish malevolent spirits, as well as hypnotize opponents with but a single glance. The Byakugan can perfectly see 360 degrees and can view opponents through solid objects, even if they are invisible." And that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the nonsense.
... What he really needed was someone to teach him.... and after a quick glance around his apartment... he needed someone who could help him around too... an assistant, like the Hokage had. Sighing, Naruto decided to take a break. Too much information, after all, hurt his head. "I'll never understand this at this rate!" he grumbled. At that moment, a loud growling sound rumbled through the apartment, emanating from Naruto's belly and interrupting any further line of thought. "Well... might as well get something to eat! Can't think on an empty stomach." Nodding at his own brilliance, Naruto decided there was only one thing to do. "To Ichiraku's!" he said excitedly. With course of action plotted out, Naruto got up and left his apartment, making his way towards his favorite ramen stand.
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It was almost night time when Naruto left Ichiraku's. He had told the little family about his decision to leave the academy to try and teach himself, and despite being a bit shocked, the pair accepted his decision with smiles and support. After enjoying his ramen, Naruto decided to go for a walk... despite the meal, Naruto was feeling... edgy. He had a need, an URGE, to do something. It was only a few days since his decision to leave the Academy after all and...
Suddenly, Naruto stopped as he came to a realization. Since it was a few days since his decision, he had not stepped foot into the Academy. No Academy meant no cold stares or teachers who wouldn't teach him. That meant... no pranks. He hadn't pranked anyone in two whole days! Sure he hadn't slept in as long either... but he could endure.
To the young boy, the pranking situation needed to be remedied. That.. and the thrill of the pranking could be just the adrenaline boost he'd need to keep awake for that much longer. All he needed was a victim...
Fate.. Kismet.. Destiny... one could call the chance meeting any of these, but as Naruto turned a corner, he noticed an excited looking Uchiha boy running by. He didn't know the boy at all, but he DID recognize the telltale features that most male Uchihas shared... the dark hair, pale complexion and the pansy effemmate look that made it easy to underestimate them at times. The same features as the policemen who would give him a hard time. The same features that was shared by the killer and his victim that he saw a few days ago.
Had anyone been paying attention to Naruto, they might have noticed a rather manic looking grin on his face as he found his victim of the day. "Perfect."
Locked on target, Naruto trailed after his victim-to-be.
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Naruto followed after the Uchiha boy closely, making sure not to be seen by anyone. It would be difficult to explain what he was doing following after an Uchiha... that, and if caught he might lose sight of his target. From the way he was running, Naruto could only guess that the boy was running home. Perhaps a bit of simple vandalism on the boy's house? Get the police station on his way out for laughs?
.. maybe itching powder on their uniforms.. THAT was always good for grins. Sure it was small time... but then, not many people could get away with pranking the police.
Noticing kid stop at the entrance of the Uchiha sector, Naruto carefully made his way closer to the boy. Oddly enough, the area around the entrance was empty, even for this time of night... No lights shone from nearby buildings, despite the fact that it was around this time most people enjoyed dinner. There weren't even any of the police making patrols along the streets or near the rooftops for some reason. Perhaps someone was dumb enough to steal something? Snickering, Naruto though the place was 'as quiet as a graveyard'. And as the kid ran further into the sector, Naruto made to follow... the light bit of humor failing to keep the hairs on the back of his neck from rising.
After the boy turned a corner, he stopped again, apparantly in shock. From where he hid, Naruto could see a manic look of fear in his eyes that worried Naruto further. What the hell was going on? Seeing the boy take off faster, Naruto moved to follow... only to notice the large amount of damage that was done to the surrounding area. Street signs and lanterns were sliced in half, while shuriken and other throwing weapons embedded themselves into various surfaces. Despite thew lack of bodies, Naruto easily picked up a familliar metallic scent... one that he became all too familiar with a few days ago.
Blood.
There were no signs of any bodies, or any telltale signs that he could see at first... but he could make out the scent easily. Shaking his head, Naruto made his way past the battlezone on his quest to keep the Uchiha boy in sight. This wasn't funny anymore.
Another length of street and another corner brought an even more gruesome scene than the battlefield before. Naruto noticed the boy pause briefly before bolting, but Naruto himself stopped at the scene to take in what the battlefield behind him lacked.
Bodies.
There were only two... most likely the only two in the area who were not in their homes at the time aside from the Police... or at least.. the only two left outside. A dark part of Naruto's mind noticed that both were killed professionally... the areas cut on the dead bodies were cut with precision... no more than necessary and sliced in just the right areas for a quick, if bloody, death, one of the anatomy books he read instantly coming to mind.
Of course.. the scene brought something else to mind... that day he witnessed the man called Shisui die by the river that day he decided to pull out of the Academy. Shaking his head to purge the thought before it came fully, Naruto glanced around.. barely missing the boy run into one of the bigger houses. Suddenly, Naruto's earlier thought came back to him as he made to follow...
The place really was as quiet as a graveyard... as silent as only Death itself could be.
Morbid thoughts aside, Naruto decided the best course of action would be to sneak around the house instead of blindly following inside. If whoever did this was outside, he wanted a chance to escape out in the open, where he could possibly use anything in the surrounding area to get away. If it worked for escaping the police and the occasional ninja, he had high hopes for being able to escape whatever did this. If the killer was inside.. well.. that's why there were windows. Worse comes to worse, he could run off to the Hokage and describe what the killer looked like.
Naruto did his best to keep out of sight... glancing around before peeking through what windows he could find, hoping to keep the boy in sight. It was when he passed by one of the last rooms, what appeared to be a master bedroom, that he spotted the man that he knew killed the couple outside... as well as everyone else in the area. The man, dressed like an ANBU but lacking the usual mask, sliced through another couple, spraying their blood along the floor... just as the door to the room opened. Letting out a light gasp, Naruto noticed the ninja turn his way and pulled away from the window... instantly remembering the face of the man whose screams haunted his thoughts even now.
It was the face of the man who killed Shisui by the riverside a few days ago. The face of the man whose eyes cried blood as he screamed in horrible pain for an eternity. Naruto listened as the man talked with the boy... his own little brother. He spoke about his reasons... to measure his capacity. He listened as the little boy, whom the man called 'Sasuke', scream as well, before running out, wailing for his life. He heard the doors fly open and the boy's screaming reach the outside of the house, then swallowed and hesitantly checked inside the room.
Both Sasuke and his brother.. Itachi... were gone, leaving only the two bodies on the ground.
"... Sa...su...ke..." wheezed a soft, female voice.
Surprised, Naruto leaped into the room, making his way next to the woman on the ground. The man was dead, his lifeless eyes looking up away towards the wall, his face set in a permanent scowl. The woman, however, was stabbed in the chest... a deadly wound, to be sure, but bleeding heavily. Grabbing the woman's hand, Naruto whimpered, shaking her lightly. "H..Hold on! I'll get help lady!" Naruto cried. Maybe after that guy finished off his little brtoher, he'll be long gone, right?
".... can't... die... yet.... " the woman coughed up blood and her grip on Naruto's hand tightened. Her eyes turned to focus on the boy as tears welled up in her eyes, seeking salvation in the blonde haired boy before her. "... please... I... don't want... to die yet...."
"I.. .I'll get help! You won't die lady! I promise! Soon as we get ya to the old man, he'll make you better!" Whimpering, Naruto began to look around frantically before doing his best to lift the woman up by the shoulders. Placing one of her arms around his neck, he leaned her against him as best as he could before dragging her out. "Uzumaki Naruto never breaks his word! Just don't die yet lady!"
"... Uzu... maki... Na... ru... to..." Naruto felt the woman clench his hand firmly once more as she gave him a releived smile... before closing her eyes for the last time, her grip on his hand going slack.
Panic suddenly filled Naruto as he quickly dragged the woman with him outside. "C'mon lady... you're just sleepin right? I told ya, Uzumaki Naruto doesn't lie! Don't die, lady! Just wait, Old Man will fix ya up!" Looking around, naruto started to cry out. If this lady was alive, maybe someone else was, right? ne guy couldn't kill EVERYONE! "HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HEEEELP!"
"What are you doing with my mother's corpse?" asked a familiar cold voice that froze naruto where he stood. Whimpering, the blonde haired boy turned around... and looked right into the eyes that kept him sleepo deprived since the last time he saw them, for they threatened to turn any dreams he might have into bloody nightmares.
"G... gotta save her..." he whimpered, his legs shaking so much it took everything he could to keep standing.
"You cannot save the dead...but if you wish, you can see just how I made her that way... perhaps this will teach you not to meddle in affairs that do not concern you... Uzumaki Naruto-kun." With that spoken, those blood-red eyes changed, and Naruto felt himself falling into darkness. The clouds in the sky seemed to fly in revese as the sky and moon switched colors... becomming a black moon set in a white sky, dark stars twinkling menacingly fora brief moment before he found himself standing in the same room he had just left. The woman he was saving was no longer in his arms, but kneeling on the ground next to the dead man, who still seemed to scowl. Uchiha Itachi could be seen standing behind the two, katana drawn and a sinister smile seen on his face.
"For the next 24 hours... you will watch as I kill my parents... Uchiha Fugaku, my father and Uchiha Mikoto, my mother.... over and over again, while being helpless to do anything about it." Naruto whimpered as he watched Itachi raise his blade... only to stop as Naruto let out a loud cry, his body moving as he rushed towards the killer. Smirking, Itachi brought his blade down, slicing through his father's chest, before stabbing his mother sharply. As the blood sprayed and their bodies fell, Naruto watched helplessly as he found himself standing by the door again, the bodies no long on the ground, but once again kneeling before Itachi. Five more times he watched it happen, each time never making it in time to save the woman or her husband. After the last time, Naruto shuddered in anger when Itachi's voice rang out through the solarized world. "23 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds..."
After two more seconds of this, something in Naruto broke. He couldn't stand to see his promise broken by this murderer! Cold, dark and primal anger filled Naruto as he began to see red...
Naruto soon found himself back in the real world, a look of shock and fear on Itachi's face confusing him, but the weight in his arms soon reminded him of what he was supposed to do. Itachi looked away briefly, before turning back to look at Naruto. "We will finish this some other time... Uzumaki Naruto-kun." And with that, Itachi bound away.
As soon as he was gone, Naruto turned to his charge and tried to shake her awake, not noticing that his clothes were soaked in her blood... far too focused on getting the woman help to see that she was already long gone. "Wake up.... please wake up! You can't sleep just yet! The old man is commin soon, see? You'll be fine in no time! Don... Don't make me a liar.. Mikoto-san..."
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLP!"
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Sandaime Hokage sighed as he watched over the unconscious Naruto. They were currently in the hospital, where the one doctor actually willing to treat the boy was brought in to take care of him. The boy looked peaceful in his sleep, though perhaps that was due to the fact that they had to use a strong sleep genjutsu on him to knock him out. The boy was frantic when they first found him...
By the time they arrived, they were too late. Not really understanding why the boy was in the Uchiha Sector, Sarutobi was shocked to find the boy crying. Upon seeing him, Naruto had begged him to fix 'Mikoto'san', going on about how she wouldn't wake up to get better. Any attempt to tell him she was dead was met with a fervent denial. He had apparantly promised her she wouldn't die, that he would save her in time.
When his word was given, Naruto was always one to see the promise through... having to break his promise so soon like that broke something in him. Any attempt to take him away from the body was met with a feral snarl. The beginnings of a red glow could be seen surrounding naruto, but before anything else could happen, Sarutobi instantly knocked the boy out with a well placed chop to the neck.
A search of the entire sector produced only the quivering mass that was Uchiha Sasuke as the only survivor of the clan, with Naruto as the only other witness. Everyone else, unfortunately, was bagged and carted off to the morgue, where examinations would take place in hopes that any possible clues on how a single ninja could possibly kill off an entire clan over the course of a single night.
The Council was rasing a fuss, saying how Naruto was part of the act, since he was in the Uchiha sector at a dubious time of night. Unable to think of a reason for naruto to be there, he put up a suggestion that he be interrogated for his reasons for being there. The Council readily agreed.. so long as he used one of the more successful interrogators.
Luckily for Sarutobi, his suggestion went over moderately well with the Council...
After all, Morino Ibiki was perfect for evaluating Uchiha Sasuke's mental state, which left the one person Sarutobi beleived he could trust with Naruto's interrogation.
"Hokage-sama, do I have to? Interrogation is boring when I don't have any toys to play with!"
"He's only a child. I just want you to find out what happened and why he was there... and promise me you will not harm the boy, he's been through enough as it is."
"*Sigh* Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Thank you Anko-chan... I knew i could count on you"
Author's Note: *fizzle.... fizzle... pop... collapse* Blue Screen of Death. Insert witty commentary here.
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