Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Ties to Humanity ❯ Truths ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.- Anonymous

 

Chapter 2

To be acknowledged or to acknowledge others is the greatest gift to ever receive or give.

 

Naruto failed the Genin exam again. Iruka was at a loss of what happened. He was sure Naruto would pass this time. He even took time off to help train Naruto in taijutsu and weapons. For some reason, Naruto cannot do a simple Bunshin no Jutsu. Iruka sighed and went back to doing paperwork.

He stood on the underside of the roof top of one of the nearby buildings near the Academy, idly handing upside down ledge with little regard for safety. He was more concerned with the recent turn of events than anything else actually.

He had failed the Genin Exam. Again. The disappointed look on Iruka's face had made even worse.

He did everything that was required; except not to their satisfaction.

They were out to get him, he decided. Hell everyone in the village didn't like him, except Iruka-Sensei and the Hokage.

It puzzled him, the simple genin level jutsu he could not do but no one else in his class has the charka control he has.

He had spent the better part of the last seven years doing what was required of him at the Academy and all of it would become wasted effort if this kept up.

He was only here for Iruka-sensei. Maybe he should tell Iruka he wanted to quit.

Naruto scowled slightly, one day he would be acknowledged by everyone else in the village.

With a slight chakra enhanced flip, he landed on the roof and laid down on it, and watched the clouds.

He relaxed there for several minutes, enjoying the quiet atmosphere.

“Oi, Naruto-kun!” A voice called out to him. Mizuki-sensei, Naruto recognized at once. He turned to see the Chunnin grinning at him. Naruto grinned back smiling as he always did. Inwardly Naruto frowned; there was something about Mizuki-sensei that he did not like. Then again, he felt that way about practically everyone else in the village. It did not help that the man was constantly smiling a grin or two every time. Naruto had learnt the hard way that smiles were often only skin-deep.

“Naruto-kun?”

“Yes, Mizuki-sensei?” He asked in a loud happy voice.

Mizuki smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about not passing you. Don't pay Iruka-sensei any mind, Naruto-kun, he was just being stiff,” He said, ruffling the boy's already messy blonde hair.

Naruto frowned; people didn't usually touch him. Only when he was being beaten does anyone voluntarily touch him. The only person who voluntarily touched him was Iruka and the Hokage.

Naruto twisted out of Mizuki's grip and scowled.

“Mizuki-sensi don't mess up my hair, it took me hours to get it right.” He said whining slightly.

God, he hated that mask he wore, that cherry happy person who smiled at everything.

“Of course, Naruto-kun,” Mizuki said, settling his hands into the pockets of his pants, “Say, would you like another try at passing the Genin Exam?”

Naruto snapped his head up instantly, and nodded. If he passed, then Iruka would be happy.

Iruka heard knocking on his door and opened it to find Mizuki standing there looking rather messy, “What's wrong Mizuki?” He answered slightly out of breath, “Its Naruto, he has found and stolen the Scroll of Seals. Hokage-sama wants us to help look for him.” Iruka just ran out of his house with out even answer Mizuki to look for Naruto before he winds up in more trouble.

“The only place he could train at this hour be would be that one spot in the forest.” Thought Iruka as her ran towards the forest. That spot was where he and Naruto practiced when Iruka had time.

Mean while Iruka finds the normal spot for Naruto's practice empty and grows very worried. “Damn.” Iruka jumped towards the Hokage tower to report in.

Mizuki followed silently Iruka hoping he will lead him to Naruto so he could claim the scroll.

Iruka entered the Hokage tower to find the Hokage surrounded by chunins and jonins.

“You must find Naruto and the scroll, and bring them to me immediately!”

“YES, HOKAGE-SAMA!” the hastily gathered ninja shouted in unison, before sprinting in every direction.

While he was searching, he remembered a place where Naruto liked to go when he felt lonely and when Iruka is not available. When Iruka asked him why he liked that place, Naruto replied it feels like him. Iruka quickly traveled to the spot, hoping that Naruto is there.

 

Naruto opened the large scroll, his eager eyes scanning its contents.

Let's see, the first jutsu is Kage Bunshin…

It was a variation of the Bunshin no jutsu and all it needed was just a bit more charka than normal.

A moment later, he was staring at a perfect replica of himself and smirked when the clone didn't disappear or looked disfugred. He dismissed the clone, before turning his attention back to the scroll.

Let's see, the next skill is…

 

Looking into his crystal ball, Sarutobi, 3rd Hokage of Konoha, could not help but feel…worried.

While the active ninjas who have responded to his call were adequately skilled for the task, he was more concerned about Naruto. How the boy managed to learn of the Scroll of Seals was a complete mystery to him.

Most would believe the boy to be a complete failure, though the truth was he was a genius, on par with Shikamaru or even smarter. He was more perspective than those at his age. He also had a keen understanding of jutsu and had a photographic memory.

Naruto had the ability to memorize virtually anything, and in this case, hand seals. The only plausibly reason why he failed the Genin Exam repeatedly was that he had memorized the incorrectly seals belonging to the Bunshin no Jutsu, hence, Naruto's failure to make anything that could look like a Bunshin. The boy had amazing charka control, despite the large imbalance of charka he has. If, there was a handbook on basic jutsu Naruto would have graduated early as a prodigy.

Shinobi did have mamuals for jutsu, although those jutsu tend to be dangerous and had to be guarded from other villages. However, the change of those jutsu being stolen had resulted in a miniscule amount of scrolls for jutsu.

Naruto had not been able to get the right set of seals and nobody noticed that the seals itself were incorrect. On top of that is the reluctance for the teachers themselves to even bring themselves near the boy, except Iruka. Sarutobi shuddered to think how Naruto would have been if Iruka didn't befriend the boy.

The Scroll of Seals was as potent as you can get in the area of kinjutsu. Many of the techniques sealed within it were either offensive in nature or demanded some sort of sacrifice to be used.

Among those sealed within that scroll was the Shiki Fuunin technique the Forth had used to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto. It was also one of the last techniques to be listed in that scroll, hopefully Iruka can get to Naruto before he reads the entire scroll.

Watching Naruto practically breeze past the application of the Shadow Clone technique at a frightening pace, he prayed that they found him before anything horrible happened.

He was dirty.

He was tired.

He was almost charka exhausted.

However, he was almost at the end of the scroll.

The Kage Bunshin had been the easiest to perform.

Most of the others techniques within the scroll had been quite challenging to perform, most either requiring more time for him to grasp its concept or had a particularly heavy drain on chakra to use. Moreover, sometimes, they were both, forcing him to exercise more patience than he possesed. In the end, however, he managed to master them all with confidence that he could us them in the future should it be called for.

One last jutsu was left, one more to be learnt before he could become a Genin, one more before he could become a ninja and protect his precious people. As his fingers were just about to unravel the next section, which contained the last jutsu, a voice called out to him.

Iruka-sensei found him.

Gingerly, he rolled up the scroll, before fastening it to his back as he waited patiently for his teacher to approach him.

“Naruto!” The Chuunin shouted again as he spotted the blonde hunched over the Scroll of Seals. “What in the gods possessed you to steal the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage-sama? You do know how much trouble you are in now!”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS!” Iruka yelled into the clearing after lookin Naruto over.

“Iruka-sensei, I've almost completes all the techniques, do I pass now?” Naruto asked his best friend and he just looked at Naruto with a confused face. “What do you me do you pass Naruto?” Iruka asked and Naruto answered puzzled.

Naruto looked confused. “Mizuki-sensei said that if I performed all of these jutsu in there,” At this, he pointed to the large scroll on his back. “I would be able to become a Genin.”

“Mizuki did!” Iruka stuttered, putting the two together. His stomach churned. Mizuki was after the Scroll himself. This was bad, he had to hide Naruto, along with the Scroll quickly…

If he knew that Naruto was here-

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Several Kunai whizzed past him, managing to pin him onto a nearby tree.

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

As if on cue, a deep voice echoed throughout the surrounding woodland.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't Iruka?”

Iruka froze.

“Oi, brat,” Mizuki called out to Naruto, “Pass me the Scroll.”

“Why should I?” Iruka heard the boy ask in response.

Mizuki curled up his mouth in disgust. “Because there's no point in you having it, I guess I will have to tell you the truth…”

He unfroze from his shock. “No!” Iruka yelled. “He's not supposed to know!”

If it was possible, Mizuki's face turned even more gleeful than it already was.

“Don't you know, Naruto-kun?” Mizuki asked mockingly. “You're the demon which killed Iruka's parents, Kyuubi no Youkai!”

Demon? He frowned at Mizuki's words.

He did not know of any demon that existed within him. And if it did, he would be the first to know...right?

But before, he could ask another question, a shout of pain reminded him of the real world.

He looked up and saw Iruka hovering over him, his Chuunin jacket stained with dark motley spots of blood. Tears were streaking down his face as Iruka struggled to speak. “Naruto…you..are one of my precious people..go..before.”

The scene was disturbingly familiar, with blood, pain and someone screaming. Usually he was the one screaming with people laughing, jeering, yelling. He shuddered as suppressed memories came back.

“Before what?” Mizuki gloated. “Before I kill you? You just gave up any chance you had of beating me! Ssacrificing yourself for the demon! Now that scroll is as good as mine!” Mizuki hurled his second giant shuriken at them. Naruto could only stare shell shocked as it hurtled toward Iruka and him. However, Iruka spun around and pushed Naruto out of the way.

Only to have the shuriken bury itself into his gut with a sickening sound.

Naruto watched in slow motion as the only person who acknowledged him fell on to the forest floor in an unmoving heap.

 

To be acknowledged or to acknowledge others is the greatest gift to ever receive or give.

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