-Konoha Academy-
"Begin," the chunin instructor Iruka Umino said, signalling the start of the taijutsu spar.
The training field was suddenly filled with the excited chatter and whispers of the academy students as they watched a pair of boys standing in a ring engaged each other in a taijutsu spar. As the spar began to play out in favor of a nine year old Inuzuka Kiba, a certain blonde kid who was standing slightly away from a group of boys gave a sigh together with an annoyed look at the increase in the volume of the noise before turning his attention back to a book. He had been reading for a while now and seemed to show not the slightest interest in the ongoing spar or any of the earlier ones.
But if one were to observe him carefully, one would have noticed that the boy's eyes had never been focused on the book but rather on the two combatants of every spar that had been fought or that he had only flipped a page or two after several minutes which was unusual to anyone who had seen the boy read before.
But with so many interesting spars to watch, who would have the time to notice such details?
Naruto was quiet as he observed the current spar intently, studying every detail of the fight. He watched the two students fought, taking note of their body movements, the way they reacted to the attacks thrown at them, whether they had been planning their moves ahead and the confidence displayed by the both of them. He knew that every student here was of the same age as him, the ones that he was supposed to continue studying with for a few more years and the ones he would be working with should he officially become a shinobi of Konoha.
That in a matter of weeks, would no longer be his future teammates but possible enemies instead.
It was best that he made use of the opportunity to study as much as he could about each and every one of them to understand their behaviors, strengths and weaknesses for there was no telling how useful the information would be in the future.
Granted, such information was going to quickly become oudated and unreliable but it was better to have something to refer to than nothing.
The spar went on for a couple of minutes before it was drawn to a conclusion with the Inuzuka unsurprisingly being the victor. As the instructor of his class approached the two boys to talk to them about their performances, Naruto turned his eyes back to the book while going through everything that he had just learned from the fight in his head. Satisfied with what he had just learned, he waited for the next pair of names to be called out. As he did so, a part of his mind unconciously wondered to the day when he had first met Takito and how much his life had changed since then.
It has been nearly five years since that day when he'd first begun his training in the ninja arts under the mysterious shinobi.
As he had progressed further in his training, the hardships and challenges that he faced only got harder but in the end, they had done little to deter him from his promise to become the greatest ninja ever known. By the end of the third year, his training had undergone a massive change and Naruto had suddenly found himself practicing all sorts of jutsus and skills with his sensei in both the training area and the village itself.
Having mastered the basic academy taijutsu moves, Takito had decided to teach Naruto his very own personal taijutsu style. Unlike the previous years where he'd practiced his taijutsu on some imaginary targets, he now sparred constantly with his sensei. The man was now stricter than ever, punishing him for even the slightest mistakes that he made during the spar with painful jabs, all while the ninja would notify him of the mistakes he had made. Based on what Naruto had learned from the many spars he had with the shinobi, his sensei's style was one that relied heavily on agility and could be used for both defensive and offensive purposes. It mainly focused on dodging the enemy's attacks, all while baiting the opponent into making a mistake. And once there was an opening, the user was to immediately take full advantage of it by going on the full offensive, striking the crucial parts of the human body with the sole purpose of killing the target or if failing to do so, severely injuring the target and rendering him or her crippled and useless in combat.
It was during these lessons that Takito had taught him a few interesting facts about the human body, about the functions of each vital organ and how damaging them would affect the target. It made Naruto realized just how fragile a human was and it slightly unnerved him that he was going to be using this knowledge to take the lives of others in the future.
When it came to his genjutsu lessons, the shinobi had chosen to implement a rather strange way of teaching him.
Whenever it was time for his genjutsu training, he and his sensei would head out to the village where they would then try to find a quiet and isolated spot in the village. From there, he was to practice his genjutsu on the unsuspecting populace of the village that happened to pass by the spot.
It was easier said than done as Naruto had came to learn that it was never a simple thing to just cast a genjutsu on anyone especially in a village full of ninjas that would come investigating if they happened to detect his genjutsu. Fortunately for him, Takito was always there to get him out of trouble when they did occur. Currently, Naruto was able to use his genjutsu on multiple shinobis that were at the rank of chunin or below undetected and could maintain them for a long period of time should he pour his fullest concentration into it. They were only minor ones however, simple tricks that did not change anything major or inflict any harm on the targets and it would be a while before he was able to learn the more advanced ones.
In ninjutsu, Naruto's training consisted of nothing more than hours and hours of continuously praciticing certain jutsus. Unlike his sister who was taught a jutsus from time to time, Naruto was never allowed to learn a new one until he had mastered those that were taught to him. While this had resulted in him having a smaller arsenal of jutsus to use compared to Natsuki, he had the better control over his jutsus and could use them without consuming much of his chakra. To his sensei, this was more important than being able to use a large variety of jutsus. There was little point in having so many jutsus to use if one could not use them to their greatest capabilities or know how to adapt their jutsus to the situation.
Several new subjects had also been introduced into his training during the third year of his training, some of which he had never seen or heard of before.
In the poor districts of Konoha, Naruto's lessons in subterfuge and espionage took place. It was here that Takito had taught him how to blend in with the masses, how to mask his emotions and actions from the shinobis that patrolled the village and how to stalk someone unnoticed. The ninja showed him the ways of pickpocketing the pockets of the people around him, how to use the right disguise in different environments, to read encrypted messages, to eavesdrop on conversations and gossips and how to discern the truth from the many layers of lies and stories.
Sometimes, he was told to observe certain people, to study their actions and understand them. Whenever this happened, Takito would always make him ask himself an important question.
Why?
Why did the head of the Hyuuga clan beat up his own daughter?
Why did that member of the council supported that particular policy?
Each question had forced the Yondaime's son to think outside the box, to see things from different perspectives and never in black and white.
And then there was his weapon training. While his sensei did not use a sword like his mother, the shinobi instead specialized in a rather unique weapon, one that Naruto had seen several times in the weapon shops that he had visited with his sensei. It was the kusarigama; a weapon that consisted of a kama that was connected to a metal chain that had an iron weight attached to it at the other end.
As far as Naruto knew, the kusarigama had never been a popular weapon in the village. It did not look as interesting as the sword or most weapons and the kusarigama was difficult to use let alone master. But looking part all of those, it could not be denied that its deadliness in combat was something to be reckoned with. Unlike the sword which utilized the slash and stab, the kusarigama relied on slashing with the kama up close or swinging the heavy weight and using its deadly momentum to literally smash the enemy to bits from afar. With its chain, its wielder could disarm the opponent or entangle him or her in a way that would leave the target vulnerable. But for all its features, the weapon had a major flaw to it. In order for the kusarigama to be wielded effectively, the user needed a wide and open space. In any areas that were confined or had little space, the kusarigama was near useless. Due to this, Takito had advised him several times to always keep an eye on his environment before thinking of engaging his enemies with the kusarigama when he became a ninja in the future.
Despite having so much of his time being filled with so many lessons and practices, Naruto did not neglect his favorite subject fuinjutsu. While Takito still forbade him from creating or designing any seals on his own, the range of seals that he was allowed to work on had been expanded. Naruto would often work on his seals on Saturdays where he would head out to his sensei's shop and quietly spend the entire day improving his sealing skills.
However, being able to create more complicated seals wasn't enough in his sensei's view and the shinobi had recently started training him to be able to create and use his seals under immense pressure and within short periods of time. The entire ordeal was very tough and Naruto had lost count of the amount of the paper he had thrown aside as rubbish during the training but he knew that it would be beneficial for him and was worth the trouble and effort.
Naruto was broken from his thoughts as he heard someone called his name and the boy looked up to see what it was.
It was his chunin instructer and Naruto then understood that he had just been picked for the next round of the taijutsu spar.
Nodding at Iruka, the Yondaime's son put his book aside and walked over to the ring, seeing that his opponent was Sasuke Uchiha. As the two of them performed the Seal of Confrontation [1], Naruto went through the plans for his spar against the Uchiha in his head. He had observed his sister's rival's performance on several occassions before and deduced that it would pose some challenge for him to defeat the black-haired boy.
Of course, winning the spar against the Uchiha was the last thing that he had in mind.
Had his sparring partner been anyone else save his sister, Naruto would not have hesitated to defeat him or her, so long as it did not involve revealing any of his true skills. But Sasuke wasn't just anyone. From the day he had entered the academy, Sasuke had been very popular in the academy, being regarded by many of the students and teachers to be gifted as his brother Itachi and second only to his sister Natsuki. For a student who was seen by everyone to be only above average, beating the son of the head of the Uchiha clan would draw a lot of attention on him and was likely to compromise the mask that he had been wearing in front of everyone in the village all this time. Not to mention that the extra attention would only be a burden on his already tight schedule. No, it would serve his purpose if he were to lose to the Uchiha though it would be best if he tried to make it looked as though he had put up some sort of a decent fight.
With that, the blonde got himself into the standard academy taijutsu stance and waited for the signal that would begin the spar.
-Meanwhile-
"It's been a really long time since I've last seen you Ao. I must admit that I am a bit surprised to see you here," Takito said as he rummaged through the cupboard in front of him. "Tea?"
The ninja was in the smaller room of his shop that he had just closed for the day and was still in his disguise. The man he was speaking to was standing at the counter who was in his late twenties and wore a serious expression on his face. There was an eye patch covering the man's right eye and a headband with the symbol of Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village on his forehead. Ao did not reply at he took his seat at the counter, studying the room he was in.
"Tea it is then," Takito mumbled to himself before producing a pot filled with hot tea together with two cups.
He took his seat on the other side of the counter, putting the two cups on the counter desk before pouring the tea into them and handing one over to his guest. The hunter-nin eyed the cup of tea warily and waited for Takito to drink his tea before cautiously sipping from his own cup. For a while, neither one said a word as the two men finished their tea in silence. Several minutes had passed before Takito finally spoke.
"Tell me Ao, why are you here? I doubt that you came here for a friendly chat. Mei sent you here didn't she?"
After all, she was the only person in Kirigakure who knew where he was for the past ten years. One of the few that he had still kept in contact with.
"Yes, I was sent by her. I am sure that you have heard of the civil war that is currently happening back in Kirigakure by now."
Takito nodded his head. With the help of certain reliable sources, he had been able to keep a close track of the events that were occurring throughout the Elemental Countries. He knew that just three months ago, a large part of Kirigakure had chosen to rebel against their Mizukage and were being led by Mei Terumi who was one of the few remaining friends that he had. Seeing the shinobi nod his head, Ao chose to continue.
"Then I'm sure you know the reason I'm here Takito. For the last three months, we have been gathering as much support as we can for the war against Yagura. Even now, several missing-nins that were once part of the village including Zabuza himself has agreed to return and join the war. While we may not be able to reverse the damage that had already been done, we can at the very least put and end to Yagura's reign and the madness that he has started."
"I understand that you're no longer interested in working for any of the hidden villages years ago Takito but we could use your help. Your skills can help us end this war faster than it needs to be and avoid having more blood spilt than it already has."
Takito said nothing and poured himself another cup of tea. It was a while before he spoke once more.
"I'm in. That is, if your side is willing to agree to a few terms of mine." [2]
"And what would those terms be?" Ao asked as he narrowed his eyes at the shinobi.
Takito turned to look at Ao and saw the suspicion in the hunter-nin's eyes.
"It's nothing much," Takito said, pausing to take another sip before continuing. "Just the same ones that your village had agreed to back then."
Ao frowned as he realized what the ninja was asking for. He wanted to say no but decided against it; the shinobi would never agree to anything less than that and Mei had been adamant on securing Takito's support in the war.
"Fair enough," he replied. "Now, when will you be able to get to Kirigakure?"
"Hmm, three weeks. There are some unfinished business that I need to clear up elsewhere and it is going to take some time."
Ao nodded his head although he did not feel satisfied with the shinobi's answer. He had known the man long enough to know that the ninja had never really cared for any of the hidden villages he had served. So what were the reasons for him agreeing to this? [3] Nevertheless, his mission was complete and there were other shinobis that he needed to contact. He will just have to keep a close watch on Takito's activities when the shinobi arrived at Kirigakure. Takito watched the Kirigakure ninja leave before giving a tired sigh. It was a good thing that the hunter-nin did not pursue the reaons behind his decision to join the war for Takito doubted that Ao would have allowed him to if he had known about his plans.
Truth be told, he had already made up his mind to join the rebels in the civil war a long time ago.
He could have departed with his student when the boy had agreed to follow him but he had chose to wait to see if anyone would come requesting his aid. It helped to have some sort of excuse for him to be there, something to smoothen his operations there and cause fewer questions to be asked.
The foremost reason for all of this was for his student Naruto. For nearly five years, he had trained Minato's son in the art of the shinobi and while he had yet to teach the kid everything, the boy possessed more knowledge and skill than any other kid in Konoha. Though his student did not know it, he was as strong as a low ranking chunin which was impressive for one his age.
Takito had to admit that he had somehow grown attached to the Yondaime's son somewhere along those years.
Besides, he did feel responsible for his student's future was he was uncertain about if the kid was to remain here in Konoha.
When Minato and Kushina had finally decided to include their son into the training, he had felt a mixture of satisfaction and regret, with the latter feeling gone when Naruto had told him that he did not want to stop his training with him though he did not say why, not that Takito actually minded. Things had became really tight for Naruto's timetable because of that but at least it had seemed at that time that the boy's problem with his family was going to be fixed. The boy's parents had begun to include Naruto back with their activities and Takito was sure that the bonds between them would be back to normal.
That was, until he had noticed that the two had slowly went back to paying more attention to Natsuki than their son.
Perhaps it was partly his fault that Naruto had became more reserved than his family than he normally would have. In return, his parents could had had mistook their son's lack of communication that the boy did not need as much time as his energetic sister who could not be left alone for more than a minute. Maybe there was a problem with Natsuki's control over the Kyuubi than he wasn't aware of, one which could have forced the two to suddenly need to divert the attention meant for their son back to her. Or did they just so happened to have gotten used to ignoring their son and caring more for their daughter? Whatever it was, it had hurt his student and the two people he had once respected had still played a role in it.
And if they thought that Naruto would be fine on his own, they could be nowhere near the truth.
What about Konoha which was the boy's home?
It was to be expected that the people in the village would generally show more attention to the jinchuriki over the fact that she was the saviour of Konoha. At least they had not completely forgotten or ignore the Yondaime's son though Takito wished they could have done more.
But they had yet to see the real Naruto.
How would they react once his student revealed his true colors?
To this day, the people of Konoha still had a narrow-minded perception of the things around them, one that had been reinforced by every event that should have been taken as an important lesson to the point where anyone that did not share their view was often looked down upon. Would they accept Naruto's personality and mindset that was different from theirs? Or would they shun him as they would with anyone else they deemed different?
What if they were to learn the boy had been learning under him?
Takito was not going to take any chances to find out.
He recalled several times where he had noticed Naruto feeling upset over the lack of acknowledgement by his family despite the boy's attempts to hide those feelings from him. He also knew that the boy did not have any friends or anyone else for there was barely a time where Minato's son did not spend his time with him. He had done the best he could to care for his student and fill the void that his family was supposed to be doing but there was only so much that he could do without risking his cover.
It was already surprising that no one had yet to become suspicious of the boy's now tight and busy schedule and Takito wasn't keen on pushing his luck.
Because of this, when Takito had heard about the civil war, a part of him had considered the idea of getting his student to leave Konoha, to start a new life and follow him to Kirigakure. And as he spent more time thinking about it, the more he agreed with the idea. There was no doubt that Naruto's future as a shinobi in Konoha did not look promising and the boy would have better chance if he left.
It also allowed him to look after his student and have an easier time of training his student. Things were becoming very difficult for the both of them ever since Naruto's entry into the academy and it wasn't long before the boy's progress under him would be brought to a snail's pace.
The civil war will help Naruto adapt quickly to the harsh reality of the world, help him establish his career as a shinobi and give him the experience needed to survive the dangers that will be thrown at him.
Besides, Sarutobi had never specified which village the kid should be serving, only that he was to ensure that the boy would grow up to become a fine shinobi. At the very worst, his student could become an independant ninja, a thought which Takito had entertained but would leave it up to his student to decide at a later time. The ninja somehow felt that his deceased friend would have probably agreed with this too if he knew how Naruto was doing in Konoha.
And yet, was bringing his student to Kirigakure to take part in the civil war the right thing to do? Takito was well aware that to do so would meant dragging the boy into a war that wasn't his to be involved with in the first place. What if his student wasn't ready for the horrors that all wars have? What if the boy got injured or worse crippled? Takito knew deep down that he could never forgive himself if anything of that sort was to happen to his student.
'No, there is no room for doubt.' the ninja thought as he went back to his second room.
He had better things to do than to be having such thoughts.
He had to make sure that Mei's side held all the cards in the civil war. He had to plan for the journey to Kirigakure for both him and Naruto. Find those that could influence the outcome of the war - merchants, smugglers, the news printers, even the nobility and bring them to Mei's side. Plot the routes that would offer a safe and fast travel to the Land of Water, study the security of the Hidden Leaf Village, prepare the false rumours and diversions that will be planted when they leave the village. There was a lot of contacting to be done, favors to call in, threats to make and preparations to complete.
It was a lot of work but it mattered little to him.
Those whom he cared for were relying on him, and he was going to make sure that their trust was not misplaced.
It was around 6.30 pm when Naruto had returned home, having visited the Konoha library after school had ended.
After having his dinner and a warm shower, he headed to his bedroom which was filled with all sorts of books and reading materials that were arranged neatly in several stacks. Making himself comfortable on his bed, he began his chakra spinning exercise. He knew several advanced methods for practicing his chakra control but it had become a habit for him to practice chakra spinning every night before he slept.
When an hour had passed, he decided that it was enough and retired to his bed. As he laid down on his bed, he thought about his decision to follow his sensei to leave his home and join the civil war in Kirigakure two months ago. He could hardly believe it at first when Takito had told him about it but knew that his sensei had never been the type for making jokes. Most kids of his age would not have agreed for doing so would meant that they would have to leave everything they had known in their life; their family, home, the way of life as they had known. But when his sensei had finished explaining everything about the plan, Naruto had agreed without the slightest hesitation or thought.
He knew that the decision that he had made would change his life forever and that once he left Konoha, there would be no turning back but he did not care.
There was nothing here in Konoha that was important or precious to him, nothing that would make him feel any sense of loss, not even his own family.
Had Takito told him about this a year or two ago, he would have hesitated or gave some thought about it but that was when he still regarded his family as something precious to him.
Despite having the chance to train as a shinobi under Takito, Naruto had initially hoped that his parents would still notice him, that they would at least spend some time with him or that he was not in any way forgotten by them. He could clearly remember the disappointment that he had felt every day but never had he once given up on them. Each time he had felt upset, he would tell himself that he needed to be patient, that he had only need to wait a little longer, that it would all pay in the end. Each time he had stored the feelings he had deep inside himself and convinced himself that it was for the better of everyone.
Then came the year when he and Natsuki was to enter the academy. He remembered never having felt so happy when his parents told him that he could finally join his sister with the training. It seemed at that time that all the waiting had come to fruit, that his family wasn't going to be excluding him anymore.
Of course, he knew at that time that he was going to have to go through the same basics and theories that he knew already and put on a false image here and there which was going to be difficult but that was nothing to what he was getting back.
Things looked like they were finally returning to the way they were meant to be.
Even better was during that time when Takito had told him that he had a choice to stop his training or continue to the end, and it didn't take much for him to choose the latter although it meant making his schedule much busier. The blonde had felt guilty to just leave the shinobi after everything that the man had done for him and figured that the least he could do was to finish his training, a decision which he did not come to regret.
Because as the months went by, Naruto began to feel that something wasn't right again. That despite the times he now get to spent with his family, he once more had felt that things weren't the same as he had before. He started sensing that something crucial was missing during all those activities that he did together with his family. Like before, he had ignored it, choosing to believe instead that the he was again imagining things. But the doubt only remained in his head and grew stronger with each passing day.
And then it hit him.
Nothing had changed.
Oh, he could now join his family in some activities or get a bit of his parents' attention if he tried hard enough but in the end, everything was the same as they had been when his parents had chose to exclude him from the training. That in spite of the changes that had taken place, the fact was that his parents still favoured his sister over him.
His parents would asked Natsuki about how her day had went and did not do the same for him sometimes. When he had 'achieved' something during the training with them, they would only give a brief acknowledgement while praising Natsuki for even the simplest of achievements. During the visits he went on with his family, his parents were always mentioning about Natsuki but the only time his parents did mention him was when someone asked or talked about him or when it was his birthday where they would just wish him so before completely forgetting about him.
And this time, there was no reason for them to be doing so.
On what grounds did they had left that allowed them to treat him as though he did not matter that much in their eyes?
Something had snapped inside him on that day when he had realized that all his hopes and waiting had been for nothing, that he had been wasting his time. Naruto wasn't sure what it was but he had suddenly found himself feeling more and more distant from them with each passing day. Where he should have been happy to get to do something with them, it now felt more like a task that he had to complete just to get their attention off him. He couldn't exactly say that he hated his parents but neither could he say that he trusted them or feel in any way connected to them.
But what about his sister Natsuki?
Well, he did not have the same feelings as he had with his parents when it came to her despite everything she had; it wasn't her fault that the Kyuubi was sealed inside her or that their parents and the rest of Konoha had chose to pay more attention to her. On one hand, the two of them did not talk with one another as they used to and Natsuki seemed to be more content to be mixing with the many friends she now had than him. But the same could have happened to him had it been him that the Kyuubi was sealed into. Not to mention that it was a great burden that she was carrying although Natsuki had yet to realize it.
Still, Naruto was unsure whether he could regard her as someone important to him.
Perhaps things were better off as they now were. Everyone in the family seemed to be content with their own lives and Naruto felt that sooner or later, he would be completely forgotten.
And what about the village? Naruto knew that he could not blame the people of Konoha for noticing his sister more than him. It was up to them to decide who they wanted to talk to and it was not like they bore him any ill will.
Not that it mattered to him anymore. He had stopped caring for the company of his family or any of the villagers ever since that realization.
Not surprisingly, he preferred spending his time with Takito, the only person in this village who he really cared about. While he may not be related to his sensei by blood, the man could understand him and his pain and was the only one who had offered him comfort and words of advice whenever he had felt down. It was Takito who had noticed him and actually cared for him in the end.
It was the shinobi who had brought him around the village, showing and teaching many things that his parents never did. And he did it all in spite of risk of being discovered by village and getting into harm's way. The only person who knew and understood his personality and goals.
Naruto knew that there was nothing that he knew about the war he would be joining in but it gave him the opportunity to start a new life, to leave the mess that has inhabited his entire life behind. Free to pursue the life that he wants and not the ones forced upon him by others. To have the chance to follow the person important to him and protect him.
Not to mention there was also a chance that he may learn more about his sensei's past in Kirigakure.
Even after nearly five years training as a shinobi under Takito, Naruto still knew very little about his sensei's past.
What was it that happened at Amegakure that Takito did not want to remember?
Why were the books that his sensei had passed to him regarded as forbidden texts there?
And why did his sensei seemed to have a certain dislike for Konoha?
Despite the attempts he made to learn more about his sensei, they served only to create more questions for him and the books he'd read in both his father's library and the Konoha library did little to help him in his search for answers. The only thing he knew was that Amegakure was once a major hidden village in the Elemental Countries that fought against Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War.
Somehow, Naruto felt that he would be able to find some of the pieces behind his sensei's past in Kirigakure.
Yes … there was nothing for him here in Konoha and it would be in everyone's interest if he were to leave Konoha and follow his sensei to Kirigakure to find a better future and even perhaps … another reason for him to become a shinobi.
With that single thought in his head, Naruto knew that he was making the right decision in his life and allowed sleep to finally claim him for the night.