Chapter 4: The Future Hokage
Naruto lifelessly stared at Jiraiya’s memorial. Hiruzen stood next to the boy, a hand on his shoulder, silently mourning the loss of his one remaining student. It was ironic really, when the Sannin were children Jiraiya was the worst of the three; now however, Hiruzen could see that he had been the strongest. He was the only one with the Will of Fire.
Naruto openly wept, not bothering to wipe the tears from his face. Naruto had built the memorial himself, insisting that Jiraiya didn’t want a ‘stupid fucking rock over my head’ while he was buried. His body had been cremated by the toads on Mount Myoboku itself, an honor very few have ever received. His ashes had been buried in the woods around the Leaf Village, in a special place Naruto designated. That’s where he built the memorial, a small, smooth, round stone, with a burning candle, and a copy of Jiraiya’s book The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja.
He was going to put one of Jiraiya’s porn books, but he figured that wasn’t really appropriate.
The funeral itself was small, in fact only three people were there. Once again Naruto insisted that it was what Jiraiya’s would have wanted, and so only the people closest to him were there. There were Hiruzen and Naruto, and then there was Jiraiya’s wayward teammate Tsunade Senju, who had promised she was only here to pay respects to her former teammate and then get the hell out of the village. So the three stood over the memorial, for hours on end, reminiscing on their times with Jiraiya, throughout the entire day. Halfway through the day it had started to rain, but it had fazed none of the mourners. Late at night, when the rain finally stopped, Naruto looked up at Hiruzen, his voice barely audible.
“Can I go home now?” Hiruzen nodded. He then turned to Tsunade.
“I’m sure there’s nothing I can say to get you to stay is there?” Tsunade glared at Hiruzen.
“Are you crazy? This damn village is cursed. And because of it, Jiraiya is dead.” Hiruzen flinched. “All because he loved this stupid village.”
“Shut up.” Naruto mumbled, still staring at the ground.
“What was that?” Tsunade asked, glaring at the boy.
“I said shut up!” Naruto suddenly shouted, his head snapping up, his eyes flashing red for a moment. Tsunade’s eyebrow shot up in surprise, instantly recognizing who exactly this boy was. She had never met him before, but now she could easily tell he was Minato’s child just by looking at him. “The village meant more to Uncle Jiraiya than his life did! That’s why he sacrificed himself!” Naruto’s eyes were burning with anger. “Aren’t you supposed to be a part of this village too? You’re a disgrace!” Tsunade’s anger spiked, and Naruto’s eyes widened at her crushing Killing Intent. He was a little scared, but he stood firm.
“You watch your mouth brat. You have no idea who you’re speaking to.”
“I know all about you. I know about Nawaki and Dan.” Tsunade’s eyes widened. “After Dan died you gave up. You let your self-pity overwhelm you, so you tried to gamble and drink your sorrow away.”
“Don’t talk about something you know nothing about!” Tsunade furiously shouted.
“I know everything about it!” Naruto screamed back. “What do you think I’m going through right now? But I’m not just going to give up! I’m going to be strong like Uncle Jiraiya, and I’ll never give up until I become Hokage!” Tsunade turned pale, as if she had seen blood. “And I’ll be the best Hokage the Leaf Village has ever had!” Hiruzen stared down at the boy, who was breathing rather heavily after his tirade. His words had a clear effect on Tsunade, and he was the only person alive who would ever get away with saying that to Tsunade and not ending up splattered across a rock somewhere. Still, Hiruzen was proud of the boy’s spirit. Jiraiya was right when he said Naruto was special.
After Tsunade collected herself, she glared at the boy for a few seconds before turning around with a huff, and walking away with her usual swagger. Naruto looked up at Hiruzen, who shook his head, before taking the boy’s hand to walk him home.
XxX
“Naruto! Open up!” Kakashi sighed as he banged on the door to Jiraiya’s estate. Naruto had pretty much cut off contact with the whole world for a week, besides the Hokage, and Kakashi was worried. Of course, he knew about Jiraiya’s death, and he knew Naruto was affected by it the most. But he wanted Naruto to go back to attending The Academy. He had only been there for a day before Jiraiya was killed, and he hadn’t been back since. The Hokage personally excused all of his absences of course, but Kakashi still wanted the boy to go back. He had real potential, and he would only get stronger over time by learning and training. Honestly, it was as if his potential was limitless.
Kakashi was surprised when the bolt clicked, and the door opened, revealing a tired looking Naruto. He was wearing his pajamas, with his funny sleeping cap with the eyes, and there were bags under his eyes.
“Hi Kakashi.” He mumbled.
“Hello Naruto. Can I come in?” Naruto nodded and turned around, leading Kakashi into the kitchen. On the table was a big steaming bowl of ramen, and Kakashi sighed at the boy’s eating habits.
“How have you been Naruto?” Kakashi felt like an idiot for asking, but he really had no idea what to say. Comforting people was not on his extensive list of skills.
“It hurts.” Kakashi knew the pain of losing a loved one all too well, and it was heartbreaking to see Naruto go through it.
“I know it does Naruto.” Kakashi said with a sigh.
“I miss him.”
“A lot of people miss him. I miss him. But he wouldn’t have wanted you to feel this way, would he?” Kakashi asked, hoping he could help the boy.
“I know. But I can’t help it. What am I supposed to do?”
“You are supposed to never give up.” Naruto turned to Kakashi and his eyes widened. “Continues Jiraiya’s legacy, and become the powerful ninja he believed you could be. He had more faith in you than anyone else. Prove to him that his faith was rightfully placed.” Naruto stared at Kakashi, a smile slowly forming on his face.
“Okay. I’ll be the strongest shinobi who ever lived. That’s a promise.” Kakashi chuckled at the boy’s insane promise, and ruffled his hair.
“Well, if you wanna be the strongest, you should probably go back to The Academy.” Naruto jumped out of his seat.
“Oh man! I forgot all about The Academy!” Kakashi laughed.
“That’s okay. The Hokage personally excused your absences, so you won’t be in any trouble. So, you ready to go?”
“Wait one minute!” Naruto dashed upstairs and got changed in a record amount of time, surprising Kakashi when he returned a minute later. “Okay, let’s go.”
XxX
Kakashi and Naruto approached The Academy, a smile back on Naruto’s face. He was excited to get back into The Academy, and maybe he would finally get to show off some of his skills. When they got to the entrance, Kakashi left Naruto with a pat on his head, wished him good luck, and left to fulfill his duties. Naruto was about to walk into The Academy when his collar was grabbed and he was yanked backwards. “Wah!” He flailed his arms in an attempt to regain his balance, but it was in vain, and he fell on his ass. He was a little confused at what had just happened, and when he looked up he saw two big, blue eyes glaring at him.
“Hello Naruto.” Kairi stood over him, eyes narrowed. “Where have you been for a week?” Naruto got up and turned around, facing Kairi.
“My Uncle died.” Kairi’s eyes widened, and her guilt was immediately apparent.
“Oh! I had no idea!” Naruto shook his head.
“It’s okay. I’m feeling better.” Kairi smiled.
“Good. Now let’s go to class.” Naruto nodded, and they both made their way through The Academy to their classrooms, taking their seats in the back. There were a few whispers about Naruto’s return, but nothing too serious occurred. Iruka walked in a few minutes later, and was very surprised to hear his call of ‘Naruto!’ was met with a ‘here!’. He smiled when he saw his newest student back in the classroom.
“Good to see you’re back Naruto.” Naruto chuckled and scratched his head in response. When Iruka finally finished role, Naruto was please to find out that the first half of the day today was dedicated to Taijutsu Sparring. He hadn’t trained in about a week, but he was confident he could take the kids in this class. He wasn’t cocky, but he wasn’t a prodigy for nothing. Iruka led the class outside, and around the back, to a small training area with kunai targets, punching posts, and sparring areas. “Okay class, I know you all know how this works, but I must explain this for Naruto’s sake.” Iruka smiled at the blonde and he smiled back. “The way we spar here is simple. One person stands in the ring, and then I choose someone to spar with them. The winner stays in the ring, and can stay as long as they win every fight. Do you get it?” Naruto nodded. “Good. Would you like to go first then? I would like to see your skills, so I can rank you.” Naruto stepped into the middle of the ring, and waited for Iruka to choose his opponent. “Ok let’s see…Yoku you go first.” A boy with milky blue eyes stepped forward, and Naruto identified him as a Hyuuga. He didn’t think it really mattered; this kid probably couldn’t use his Bloodline Limit yet anyway. They both stepped forward, and Iruka showed them the proper way to conduct a spar, before ordering them to begin. Faster than any academy student could track, Naruto was behind Yoku, delivering a spinning kick to his head. Yoku went down hard, having no time to react or defend himself. Naruto stood over Yoku calmly, waiting for Iruka to call the spar. Iruka was shocked at Naruto’s speed, having no doubt none of the students could have tracked it. He was well above academy level, and he was certain that he wouldn’t lose to any of the kids here.
“Naruto, can you come here a minute?” Naruto walked over to him.
“Yes Sensei?”
“I don’t really know how to say this, but I can’t let you spar against these children.” Naruto looked at him in confusion.
“Why not?”
“Well, quite frankly I don’t want any of them to get injured.” Naruto smiled a little bit, before looking annoyed.
“But then who am I going to spar with?” Iruka sighed.
“I think that will be me.” Naruto’s eyes widened.
“Really? Alright! That’ll actually be a challenge!” Iruka smiled, and walked into the circle.
“Okay class, because Naruto is...well to be blunt possibly the strongest one here, I will have a spar with Naruto.” His class looked annoyed at his comment, but they really couldn’t protest it, so he shrugged. “Naruto, are you ready?” The blonde nodded, and then they begun. Naruto jumped in at Iruka, his fist cocked back, aiming for his face. Iruka ducked under the swing, and aimed a punch at Naruto’s exposed stomach. But Naruto had grabbed Iruka’s shoulder and spun out of the way, deflecting the punch with his other hand. Naruto’s leg came spinning around, and Iruka was only barely able to catch it. Naruto dropped to the ground, and ducked under a haymaker from Iruka, but could not dodge the knee to his gut. He rolled backwards, rolling out of the circle thus declaring Iruka the winner. Naruto sighed as he pushed himself up. The rest of the students looked at Naruto in awe, baffled by Naruto’s skill. How an academy student could take on a Chuunin was beyond them, but they knew he was strong. Iruka approached Naruto with admiration in his eyes. “That was impressive Naruto. I don’t think it’s a question of where you’ll be ranked, but I have to assess your other skills first anyway.”
XxX
Since Iruka could do nothing to curb his interest in Naruto, he decided to dedicate the rest of the day to figuring out exactly where the boy would be ranked. In all honesty, he already guessed the boy would take the number one spot, but Iruka’s fascination with the possible prodigy was too great to pass up a chance to measure the boy. The class was now gathered on the sports field of the Academy.
“Alright class, next is Ninjutsu practice. Kairi, will you come to the front to demonstrate the three Academy Techniques please?” Kairi gave Naruto a smug look before she stood next to Iruka and performed the Transformation Technique, Clone Technique and Substitution Technique flawlessly. Iruka commended her on her success and sent her back with the other students before calling out the next student. “Naruto Namikaze!” Naruto stepped forward.
“Is that all I have to do?” He asked skeptically. Iruka eyed him exasperatedly.
“Those three are the required techniques. If you know any other, you may perform them as well.” Naruto grinned at that, and easily blew through the Academy Techniques, surprising the class when he transformed into the Fourth Hokage. Then, Naruto started another string of hand seals with a grin.
“Earth Style: Mud Wall!” A thick wall of dirt and rock rose up between Naruto and the rest of the class, causing the kids to gasp in awe. Naruto collapsed to one knee as the wall stopped growing. “Woah…never got it that big before…” Iruka ran over to the kneeling Naruto and put a hand on his shoulder.
“That was…amazing. How did you learn that?” Naruto looked down.
“My Uncle Jiraiya taught me…but he’s gone now.” Of course, Iruka had heard of Jiraiya’s death. So he was not surprised to hear this. “Hold on, there’s one more thing I wanna try.” Naruto pushed himself up and Iruka backed away in surprise. Naruto held his hand out and focused as chakra started to build up in his hand. The blue chakra started to swirl around when it exploded, sending Naruto flying a few feet away. Iruka ran over to him, stunned that he would try something so stupid.
“Naruto! Are you okay?” The blonde boy groaned and opened his eyes, giving Iruka a slow nod. Iruka stared at him a second before sighing. “Was that…what I think it was?” Naruto just nodded again.
“Still can’t do it…” He muttered in frustration. He pushed himself up and retreated back to the group of students, all whom were staring at him with awe and a little fear. Kairi tugged on his sleeve.
“What was that?” She asked softly. “Are you okay?” Naruto nodded.
“’Yea, I’m fine.” He didn’t answer her first question, and she didn’t ask again. The look on his face had stopped her from trying to speak to him.
“Alright class! Time to go back inside!” The children started to file in reluctantly at Iruka’s command, Naruto and Kairi being the last to go in.
XxX
The rest of the day had been less exciting, mostly because of Naruto’s solemn mood, but Iruka had been correct when he had predicted that Naruto would take the number one spot. His tactical skills had been superb for a boy his age, and while his academic skills weren’t perfect, they were certainly enough to establish his place at the top. The other students were envious of the boy, but there was nothing they could do about it. He was a prodigy; he was just better. So at the end of the day, Naruto had left The Academy with Kakashi, who was extremely proud of the boy for getting the top spot. Naruto told him all about the various skills they assessed, and how he fared in each one. Kakashi agreed to help Naruto with a few of his skills, and Naruto was ecstatic to receive any kind of training from Kakashi. When they got to Jiraiya’s estate, Kakashi left Naruto with a wave, departing to do whatever Kakashi does. Naruto walked upstairs, and into Jiraiya’s room. Everything was just as he left it. The bed wasn’t made at all, clothes littered the floor, as well as books and scrolls. Sadness overtook Naruto as memories of Jiraiya bubbled up in his mind, but he forced them down and told himself he wouldn’t cry. He walked through the room, investigating everything in the room. Jiraiya was bound to have something important in here; something that Minato had left to give to his son. Naruto was sure of it. But now that Jiraiya was dead, he had to find it on his own. So he searched through every drawer, crack and door until finally he was at the last room: the closest. Naruto walked in, surprised at how small it was. It was no more than four feet deep, and it was square, and it was virtually empty, except for a box on the ground. Naruto knelt down and opened the box, smiling at what he saw. He pulled out a book labeled, Sealing Jutsu Notes of Minato Namikaze, an oddly shaped kunai with a yellow seal tag on it, four or five scrolls, an odd ninja village headband with a swirl in the middle, and a note.
Naruto,
I don’t know how long it took you to find this, but if you found it that means that I’m dead. But don’t be sad kid, you’ll be alright. I guess I wrote this to tell you all the things I would never have the chance to tell you, because
there’s so much you should know. I guess I’ll talk about all the stuff in the box first.
The book was written by your dad, as you might have guessed. That book holds the most extensive, specific and powerful Fuinjutsu techniques you will find in the elemental nations. If you study that book, you’ll become a seal master in no time. Don’t blow yourself up though, sometimes that’ll happen if you screw up.
The kunai is the weapon that made your father what he was; the key to the Flying Thunder God Technique. One day you’ll master that too, and maybe you’ll even improve it. I know your dad wanted to, and he would want you to surpass him.
The headband was your mother’s. It was of the Hidden Whirlpool Village, a village that no longer exists. It was destroyed many years ago during the Second Shinobi World War right after your mother came to the Leaf Village.
The history of the attack is almost nonexistent, and no one really knows who did it. People have suspected the Hidden Mist for years, but there’s never been proof. Your mother was part of Whirlpool’s greatest clan, the Uzumaki Clan. They were known for their mastery of Fuinjutsu and their longevity. Kushina once told me that the
leader of her village had been over 200 years old! Pretty crazy right?
The scrolls are for various techniques. One of them is the Rasengan, in case the only living person who knows it dies. That would be Kakashi. Only try to teach it to yourself if he’s gone though kid. You’ll hurt yourself if you try alone. Another one is the scroll with all the details of the Flying Thunder God Technique, but you shouldn’t touch that until you’ve read your father’s book a few hundred times. The rest are things your father and mother left behind, things that you will need one day. I’ve never opened them, I could really never bring myself to. They’re not for my eyes anyway.
Now we’ll get to what I’m leaving you. All of my money and my house obviously go to you, not that you care about that. I leave the Icha Icha series to you, but you better not screw it up kid. That was my masterpiece. And lastly I guess the Toad Contract. The old man should have the scroll, so just show him this note and he’ll give it to you. Whatever you do, just don’t summon Gamabunta on your first try. He might get angry.
Now that I’ve told you a bunch of good things, it’s time I told you something that only the Hokage and myself know. The attack of the Nine-Tails was not a natural disaster, as the textbooks say. It was orchestrated by a single man who attacked your mother and killed her on the night of your birth. He also used a single Sharingan eye to control it and use it as a weapon against the Leaf. Your father fought him that night, but he escaped unharmed. I was never able to figure out who this man was in my life, but maybe you can one day. I just hope you’re strong enough the day you do, because even I would be hesitant to go up against someone who could fight on equal grounds with your father.
I guess the last thing I want to say is just don’t give up. Your father’s last request to me was to protect you and give you the life you should have had. I tried, but I guess if you’re reading this I failed at that huh? Just know that your father, your mother and I all believe in you, and we know you’re stronger than anyone else.
Jiraiya
Naruto stared at the note for a long time, taking in the message. So there was a man with a Sharingan eye behind the Nine-Tails attack. And his dad couldn’t defeat him, which meant he was powerful. But that didn’t matter, because he would surpass Jiraiya and his father and become the strongest Hokage ever.
“Mom…Dad…Uncle Jiraiya…just watch. I’ll make you all proud.”
XxX
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Kakashi, it’s just he was the only guy with a single Sharingan Naruto had ever seen. Which is why he was following him around the Leaf Village as he blindly walked through the crowds and read Jiraiya’s book. Finally, because Kakashi had known Naruto was following him the whole time, the Jonin suddenly appeared behind Naruto and grabbed him by his collar.
“What’s with the security detail pipsqueak?” Naruto frowned at him.
“How did you find me?” Kakashi laughed.
“It’s gonna be a long time before you can get by me. I hope at least.” Kakashi chuckled and scratched his head.
“So, why are you following me?” Naruto fidgeted and avoided Kakashi’s gaze and sighed.
“Were you…were you responsible for the Nine-Tails attack on the Leaf Village?” Kakashi blinked.
“Naruto, are you insane? The attack was a natural disaster.” Naruto shook his head.
“Nuh-uh. Uncle Jiraiya left me a note saying that a man with a single Sharingan eye killed my mother and unleashed the Fox on the village.” Kakashi’s eyes bulged before he looked around quickly, hoping no one heard that, and flickered away to his apartment with Naruto.
“Are you serious?” Naruto nodded. Kakashi rubbed his face and ran his hand through his hair.
“That is…does the Hokage know?” Naruto nodded. “Does anyone else?” Naruto shook his head. “I don’t really know what to say. This is incredible. Someone actually controlled the Nine-Tails. Did he get away?” Naruto nodded and stared at Kakashi hopefully.
“So…it wasn’t you?” Kakashi laughed and patted Naruto’s head.
“No, it wasn’t. If it had been, I wouldn’t have gotten away. Sensei was always one step ahead of me.” Naruto smiled.
“Good. I’m sorry I thought it was you Kakashi.” The silver-haired Jonin just shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it. I honestly thought I was the only one with a single Sharingan too.” Kakashi started to think about the other man with the Sharingan, and he got so wrapped up in his thoughts that Naruto had to shout to get his attention.
“Kakashi!” Kakashi looked down at Naruto.
“Were you saying something?” Naruto frowned.
“Don’t pull that Guy crap on me.” Kakashi laughed mirthfully at that, and Naruto groaned. “Will you pay attention?” Kakashi quelled his laughter and bent down to Naruto’s level.
“Sorry. What’s up kid?” Naruto stared at him intensly.
“Will you help me find this man? For my dad?” Kakashi’s eye widened, but he smiled and put his hand on Naruto’s shoulder.
“Of course. We’ll find him and make him pay for what he did to Sensei.” Naruto nodded with determination, and Kakashi briefly saw Minato’s face in the boy. It was gone after a second, but he had no doubt what it meant.