10Chapter 1: Enter: Naruto Uzumaki!
•••
On a warm, breezy day in the Village Hidden in Leaves, a young boy walks towards the Konoha Shinobi Academy to partake in his graduation exam. The exam is held every year to welcome in the new crop of Konoha shinobi. Although, however glamorous the life of a shinobi may seem, the road to glory is always paved in blood and loss.
Such a reality is not unknown to said child. Young Naruto Uzumaki is well aware of the burden of being a shinobi. The blonde boy is his class' top prospect and was often offered the chance to graduate early, which he denied every time. He was very beloved by his class and had made many friends. He wished to graduate with them and support them on their paths to become shinobi.
Entering into the classroom, he is welcomed by his friends, Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba. "Hey Naruto!" Kiba shouts, while receiving waves and a nod of acknowledgment by Choji and Shikamaru respectively.
"Hey guys," he responds.
"Ready to become a shinobi?" Kiba asks with his trademark feral grin.
Naruto chuckles. "You bet, Kiba. Plan on surpassing Shikamaru this time and not graduating dead last?"
Kiba fold his arms and pouts childishly. "I hope, man. Hell, my mom and sister won't let me here the end of it." Naruto laughs at his friend's troubles.
Shikamaru chuckles a bit as well before responding, "Sorry, Kiba. But if my mom finds out I'm the dead last, she'll make me train twice as hard. It's a drag, but I'll have to actually put some effort into this exam. Troublesome."
Naruto shakes his head and chuckles as he sits next to his close friend who also has an obvious crush on him, Hinata. "Hey, Hinata-chan."
Hinata looks up and smiles warmly at the young blonde. "G-Good morning, Naruto-kun." Earlier in life, she often struggled with confidence issues. She's been getting better but still maintains a slight stutter. Naruto is well aware of her feelings but is hesitant to reciprocate them since he is so young. He wants to grow and meet other women in the world, as well as get to know the other girls in his village.
Suddenly, the sound of quick, loud footsteps can be heard barreling down the hall. Everyone in the class sighs in exasperation. Two figures burst into the classroom loudly, in manners unbecoming of kunoichi. "Hah! I made it here first, Forehead!" A platinum blonde beauty proclaims.
"LIAR! EVERYONE SAW ME WIN! RIGHT, SASUKE-KUN?!" A pink haired girl shouts at the top of her lungs. Whimpering can be heard from Kiba and Akamaru due to their enhanced senses. Naruto also flinches at her tone since he also possesses enhanced hearing.
"Haruno, could you please mind your tone? Kiba and I have sharper hearing than the rest of the class, and I'm sure you're also disturbing the others, too." Naruto says.
Sakura looks around the room and sees that the entire class is glaring at her for her obnoxious behavior. Blushing from the embarrassment, she quietly makes her way to her seat after meekly apologizing. "Sorry..."
Not bearing any mind to Sakura, Ino rushes up the stairs to Naruto. "Good morning, Naruto-kun!" she exclaims before latching onto her fellow blonde in a loving hug.
Naruto blushes slightly before returning the hug, wrapping a single arm around the blonde beauty's waist. "Good morning, Ino-chan. I see you're wearing another different perfume today."
Ino giggles and pulls back before saying, "Yup! You like it?"
Naruto smiles and nods. "I do. It smells really nice, Ino-chan."
Ino doesn't hide her feelings for Naruto. She's very open about her crush on the blonde, as is her close friend and rival, Sakura, and her feelings for Sasuke. The difference between the two popular boys is that Naruto is very kind and caring while Sasuke is cold and distant.
The two boys share a sense of familiarity. Naruto's burden of being the jinchuuriki for the nine-tailed fox is public knowledge. His lineage as the only son of the Yondaime and his wife, the princess of Uzushiogakure, Kushina Uzumaki is also publicly known. While he is loved by much of the village for both his sacrifice and the legacy of his parents, others also fear him and avoid him.
Sasuke Uchiha is the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre. For reasons unknown, his older brother and prodigy of the Uchiha clan, Itachi Uchiha, murdered the whole of his clan before trapping Sasuke in a powerful genjutsu and tormenting his mind. He is loved by the village for being the last of a once powerful clan. Both children are. Both are hailed as prodigies, although Naruto is far more powerful due to his training with the Sandaime since a young age.
While both boys share the same sense of loss, they aren't friends by any stretch of the word. The two are polar opposites, even as far as their goals are concerned. Naruto desires strength to protect those close to him and to serve his village. Sasuke desires the strength to exact his revenge on his brother. The two will never see eye to eye and prefer to avoid each other.
As Naruto was thinking about these things, Iruka enters the room. "Okay class, you know what day it is. Let's get started."
•••
Naruto exits the academy with his black hitaiate adorning his head proudly. He passed with the highest marks since Kakashi Hatake and easily made rookie of the year. As he was leaving, a voice calls out to him. "Naruto!"
Naruto turns to see a man with white hair approaching him. It was his former instructor, Mizuki. Naruto narrows his eyes, matching Mizuki's gaze. Naruto can tell he was trying to gather his thoughts. "Is there something I can help you with, Mizuki-sensei?"
Naruto doesn't like this man. When he first started the academy, he quickly discovered that Mizuki was a kyuubi hater. He made several attempts to sabotage him and teach him wrong before being reprimanded by the Sandaime, who reassumed office after the Yondaime's death. Afterwards, things had been tense between the two and they would avoid each other. Naruto now wonders what the man could want with him.
"I'm sorry for everything!"
...
Naruto blinks in surprise as he sees the man who adamantly hated him bowing in apology.
"I shouldn't have been so blinded by my grief and hatred of the fox! I failed to see that the two of you are different so I beg you to forgive me!" Mizuki's apology catches the attention of onlookers who watch the scene with shock and whispers.
Naruto gathers himself. "It's... It's fine, Mizuki-sensei. Let bygones be bygones, ok?"
Mizuki looks at Naruto and nods with a small smile. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. Would you like to join Iruka and I for some ramen to celebrate graduation? He tells me it's your favorite." Naruto smiles and nods.
After closing up the academy, the two chunin academy teachers head to Ichiraku Ramen with Naruto. They talk amongst themselves along the way. They place their orders with the cute waitress who is also Naruto's childhood friend. The two teachers decide to talk to Naruto about his future.
"So, now that you've graduated, do you have a goal in mind, Naruto-kun?" Mizuki starts off the conversation.
Naruto thinks for a moment before answering. "Honestly, I don't think so. My end goal is probably Hokage but I might go ANBU first. I'm not sure."
Iruka asks next. "Do you have an area you wish to specialize in?"
Naruto shakes his head. "If anything, I want to be like Jiji. I want don't want any weaknesses. Plus, ero-sennin has been drilling me in fuinjutsu so I pretty much have all my bases covered." The two teachers nod.
"That's good, Naruto-kun." Mizuki says. "A shinobi should never be too over-specialized. Take for instance jounin Kurenai Yuhi. She's known as the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha. But if she were to fight someone with high resistance to genjutsu, she'd be at a massive disadvantage."
Naruto and Iruka nod in agreement. Iruka then says, "True, but then look at Might Guy. He's famous throughout the Elemental Nations for being one of the foremost experts in Taijutsu and is bordering on becoming an S-rank shinobi. He obtained such status while being a one trick pony with an extremely powerful trick."
Mizuki in turn nods in agreement as well. "Indeed." The food arrives and the trio eat in relative silence while exchanging small talk and light jokes. Mizuki then turns to Naruto and asks, "So, besides Lord Sandaime, do you have any other shinobi you look up to, Naruto-kun?"
Taking a pause from his meal, Naruto thinks for a moment before answering. "Aside from my parents for obvious reasons, I'd have to say the Sandaime Raikage. He was one of the most powerful shinobi in history and died protecting his village. He didn't have some godly kekkei genkai or a dojutsu, he simply worked extremely hard and earned every bit of his power."
The other two shinobi nod at Naruto's answer. Despite being a fresh out of the academy graduate, Naruto never spoke or answered without reason. He thought about his answers and took his time to form them. More and more, he earned the respect of not only his teachers, but also everyone who visited that stall while they were there.
•••
The next day, this year's graduating class gathered once more to be assigned to their genin teams. It was standard protocol to operate in squads of four consisting of three genin and a jounin leader. They would work together and learn under the command of the higher ranked shinobi. Teamwork was something that Konoha had a reputation for, and the selflessness of their shinobi was something that the Sandaime emphasized as the Will of Fire.
As Naruto sat in the classroom talking with his friends, he notices Sasuke walk in. The two lock eyes briefly in silent acknowledgment of one another. As the Uchiha heir takes his seat at the back of the class, Naruto notices that Kiba is particularly hostile towards Sasuke today.
Over the years, Kiba had become defensive of his standing as a shinobi, or rather a prospective one. At first, he disliked Naruto greatly since he was hailed as a hero for being the Kyuubi vessel as well as the son of it's greatest hero. Kiba also disliked him for his overwhelming skill. But Naruto never took offense to it or held it personally, instead he occasionally offered him small bits of advice on where he should improve.
Kiba took offense to that at first. Being from the Inuzuka clan, he had an instinctive desire to prove he was the so called 'alpha' and carried a great deal of pride. But that got him nowhere in the class. While Kiba did very well in Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu, he still trailed behind the other clan heirs in terms of academics and his shurikenjutsu was only superior to Ino, Sakura, and Choji. In Taijutsu, he was one of the best but could never defeat Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
Hinata was a taijutsu specialist by default, coming from the Hyuga clan. But Naruto and Sasuke always seemed like insurmountable walls. In Ninjutsu, they were unmatched, Sasuke because of his clan library, and Naruto because of his endless chakra reserves and extensive access to both his own clan's library as well as the Sandaime's.
Kiba felt helpless in comparison to those two. While eventually overcoming his grudge against Naruto and becoming close friends, Sasuke had no intention to do the same. Sasuke treats Kiba like a nuisance and makes it obvious he feels such a way. He looks down on Kiba after every victory over the boy and that spits all over his Inuzuka pride.
But today, feeling particularly annoyed and confident as they had both become shinobi, Kiba gets up from his seat and leaps onto the desk in front of Sasuke. The two engage in a stare down mere inches from each other's faces. This grabs the attention of most of the other clan heirs as the talking quiets down around them. Naruto simply smirks at his friend's antics.
Suddenly, the boys sitting ahead of Sasuke's seat start horsing around and accidentally bump into Kiba. Much to the horror of Sasuke's fangirls, and even more so to Sakura, Kiba and Sasuke lock lips in a passionate man kiss. Naruto couldn't help himself and falls out of his seat in a hysterical fit of laughter.
After holding the kiss much linger than necessary, the two boys separate and try to erase any memory of the kiss. Sasuke gags and appears to be on the verge of throwing up. "Damned mutt! Why were you trying to shove your tongue down my throat!"
Kiba looked incredulous. "Wha-?! Why you-!"
Before he could finish, Sakura pounces on Kiba and proceeds to give Kiba a beating that would make Tsunade proud and make Jiraiya cry.
Naruto recovers from his laughing fit in time to see his fellow clan heirs laughing, even Shino, while Hinata was politely giggling at the hilarious event. Naruto looks over to see his friend receiving the beating of a lifetime and sighs in exasperation, moving to save him from any permanent damage.
But before he could make his way over to Sakura and Kiba, Iruka and Mizuki walk in. Seeing the chaos taking place, Mizuki sighs in exasperation while Iruka grows angry at the mayhem. "EVERYONE, SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET!" And immediately, everyone did as ordered. Although, Kiba limped his way over to his seat. Iruka shakes his head. He clears his throat and begins his speech.
"Yesterday, you all walked into this room as children. You left as soldiers. Warriors. Shinobi. I will be honest. I am proud of you all... but I am also afraid. The life of a shinobi is not a beautiful one. The legends that you hear of, the stories of reverence and greatness... they were all earned through pain, suffering, and loss. Nobody wishes such things on others, especially a teacher to his students. But I implore each and every one of you, trust in the Will of Fire and it will guide your way. Do you understand what I am asking of you?
"See, the Will of Fire has been given many different meanings over the years. And I am sure that many of you will create your own definitions of it. But allow me to share with you my own. To me... the Will of Fire is the strength of the bonds the people of Konoha have with one another. And it is displayed in the trust and ability we have to work with our brothers and sisters in arms. The Will of Fire is a medic saving a life, a shinobi backing up his comrade, a teacher passing on his lessons, and a leader giving hope to his people.
"This may be the last lecture I ever give to you all. And unfortunately, it may be the last time I ever see some of you. But know this: the Will of Fire is in every one of you, burning through the bonds with your friends, your teams, your family, and every person of Konoha. The Will of Fire is what this great village was built upon and it exists so long as you all believe in one another and support your comrades. Be there for each other. Trust in each other. Represent Konoha proudly. And may the Will of Fire be with you all."
Iruka finishes his speech and gives the class a few moments to let his words sink in. To his satisfaction, every person was listening to his speech. Mizuki smiled proudly at his fellow teacher for leaving such an impactful message on the graduating class. No one dared to break the silence in the room until Iruka raised the clipboard to announce the teams.
"Team 1... Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno (cue happy outburst)... and Kiba Inuzuka."
"WHAT?! WHY THE HELL AM I PAIRED UP WITH THE EMO PRINCESS?!"
"KIBA SIT DOWN! OR ARE YOU, A FRESH GENIN, CHALLENGING THE ORDER OF LORD HOKAGE?!"
Kiba stops himself from saying anything further and sits down, gritting his teeth and no less furious of who his team is.
Iruka continues, "... Jounin sensei, Kakashi Hatake." This catches Naruto's attention. Kakashi was one of his father's students. He honestly expected that Kakashi would request to teach him but shrugs his shoulders. He honestly had a pretty good idea who his teacher would be.
"Team 8: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, and Naruto Uzumaki. Jounin sensei:"
Naruto smiled, knowing who's name would be called.
"... Obito Uchiha."
•••TBC•••
A/N: WYW here, and I'm back with a good idea. Usually, I let everyone have an idea of where I'm going with a story but I want to surprise you all. Hopefully, I stay motivated and can finish this story. I have a really good idea here.
I will say this: there's a reason why Obito is alive but the Yondaime died.