The training begins

"What of your brother? Would you condemn him to serve your precious balance?" -Crowfather

Miho Uchiha: My reasoning for considering putting Rokkuu with a one on one mentor is to give him time to just train out the ass. I don't want this to be like in canon where Team Seven barely skates through by the skin of their teeth. They get little to no training time before the Chuunin exams, and my plan is for Rokkuu to train Naruto and Sasuke a little before Team Seven is formed. Sakura...will be taking on a minor role. But I don't want to give away too much.

Kurotora: I kind of want to keep that a secret for now, but he will NOT be receiving Hashirama cells, and he will NOT receive Wood Release. He will, however, have three nature transformation affinities.

Guest: I'm going to be taking the power scale and cranking it WAY past 11 in this fic. Naruto and Sasuke will both be getting Wood Release at some point, to help with balancing later on.

Blaze2121: Rokkuu doesn't have his Sharingan in any form yet. That will be changing soon, though!

I noticed that I never pointed this out before, so I wanted to do so here:

Italics within a single quotation 'like this' is thinking

Italics outside of quotations, or in double quotations "like this" means I'm just putting an inflection on the word for emphasis, etc

Bold Italics inside single quotations will be for Bijuu thinking, 'like this'

Bold Italics outside of quotations, or in double quotations "like this" is Bijuu speak with an inflection.

Also, what do you guys think about the idea of me having a dictionary for techniques mentioned in the chapter at the end of each one? For example, Rasengan (Great Spiraling Sphere): A violently rotating mass of heavily condensed chakra that grinds and shreds anything it touches, before exploding and sending the target flying. Lemme know in reviews, PMs, etc!

If you were to ask someone to describe the interior of the headquarters for the ROOT division of Konoha's ANBU Black Ops force, one of three things would happen: They would look at you like you were crazy and say they had no idea what you were talking about, they'd stick a knife in your throat, or you'd be abducted sometime thereafter. As secretive as ANBU is, ROOT is 10 times more secretive than that. Most civilians thought ANBU was an urban legend, others that it was just another name for the Hokage's elite guard. Shinobi know very well that it's real and have a vague idea of what they do. But ROOT? If a civilian's heard of it, you can be assured that their death has already been planned. Same for a shinobi who hasn't been specifically filled in by the head operator.

It was in a room within ROOT's headquarters that we find that man. His skin had long since started to wrinkle and wear, crow's feet forming around his eyes that looked like they weren't open. You'd even find the occasional liver spot, if you could get close enough without dying. Such a task was certainly easier said than done, however, given that he was a student of the Nidaime Hokage himself, Tobirama Senju. He donned a standard white robe-like kimono, and wore heavy wooden sandals on his feet. Old age and experience in war had lead him to using a cane for assistance in walking, which he kept beside him at all times. Of course, being that he's a seasoned shinobi, the cane is also a sword, just a pull of the outer layer away from becoming a deadly weapon. A short trimmed head of black hair that showed mysteriously few signs of greying moved back and forth slightly as he continued to write on the scroll in front of him.

Danzo Shimura was many things. Most people would consider him a traitor of the village, in most regards, nd deep down, he knew that he was lucky his colleague, Hiruzen Sarutobi, allowed him to continue operating for so long uninhibited. Yet, he also held firm in his motto: The tree grows tall when the ROOTs run deep. Everything he did, he did for Konoha. He was loyal to the citizens of the village, be they born or unborn, not the Hokage. Not the Feudal Lord of Hi no Kuni. But rather, the village as an entity. Inciting war, some of which grew into the infamous Great Shinobi Wars, carrying out assassinations of entire clans, slowly wiping out and replacing sections of foreign governments. The list was as long as Konoha was wide. Maybe even longer. Yet in recent years, he'd been forced to make his operations even more secretive. The Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had given him a very clear warning: Cease all ROOT operations, or be killed by him personally. Danzo did not take the threat lightly, and Minato fired every single ANBU agent already employed under Hiruzen just to make sure Danzo didn't have control over any of them. Then, he turned every new agent on Danzo's trail. The purge was thorough...or so Minato thought.

For a time, Danzo did consider heeding Minato's words. After all, he was getting up there in age, and he could hardly trust anyone else to handle the things ROOT did. Nobody loved the village as much as he did, not even his sensei, Tobirama Senju, or his sensei's brother, Hashirama Senju. They had helped establish the village, they built it to what it was when Tobirama passed it off to Hiruzen. But Danzo was confident that his love for Konoha ran deeper than even theirs did. Since Danzo was convinced that there would never be a worthy successor, he had considered burning it all to the ground and living out his last 10 or 15 years of life in relative peace. Then, that illusions was shattered by a certain snake summoning Sannin. Orochimaru was insane, that much could be affirmed, but his knowledge was ever so useful to Danzo. And his expanding intelligence network. Orochimaru, before he had even left, had been working with Danzo. The elder believed that he could check and temper Orochimaru's insanity and bloodlust, at least enough for him to pass under Hiruzen's radar and not appear as a threat. He was wrong, and Orochimaru defected. Danzo knew that Orochimaru had a contingency plan, and upon a thorough ROOT-style investigation, he found he was more right than he originally believed. The Sannin had bases of some sort in almost all of the smaller countries separating the elemental nations, and had spies making frequent trips between them, and into the elemental nations themselves. It actually made Danzo a little proud.

When Orochimaru re-initiated contact, Danzo was willing to hear what he had to say, and they arranged a meeting. The snake proposed a partnership; Danzo would have his ROOT operative cover for Orochimaru, and continue to help him find new clans to do experiments on, and Orochimaru would lend him his spy network. Danzo found this arrangement agreeable, so long as it wasn't any of Konoha's citizens being used for the experiments, and the deal was finalized. This is how Danzo first discovered Akatsuki, by tracking Orochimaru to one of their hideouts. When Minato purged ROOT from Konoha, Orochimaru was less than pleased. Yet, instead of immediately withdrawing his agreement with Danzo, a new deal was formed instead. Orochimaru would help Danzo hide ROOT outside of the village, but still within the borders of Hi no Kuni. Which brings us back to the present, where Danzo was currently filling out a mission scroll to be sent to one of the barracks for ROOT. He sighed as he felt a familiar presence enter the room, undetectable by most people. "What is it, Orochimaru? I'm busy."

"I've come to negotiate some alterations to our little...deal."

The Sannin's voice almost sent a chill down Danzo's spine. Almost. He was certain that even a number of his operatives were cautious about interacting with Orochimaru, which was telling as to just how oppressive the snake's aura really was. He radiated danger and death, and made every alarm go off in your head screaming, "RUN! GET THE FUCK AWAY! DO NOT ENGAGE!" at top volume. Danzo didn't stop writing, instead giving a dismissive grunt. "I'm giving all I can offer at the moment. There's nothing more to be had on your end."

"Oh...but I think there is, Shimura-sama. I'm sure your spies have been keeping track of my experiments...and that they've told you I've developed a jutsu that allows me to transfer my soul to a new body."

Danzo's brow furrowed. That kind of power wasn't right for any mortal to have, even he wouldn't have accepted it if offered. Everyone has their time, and power must be checked with finite life and age. "So the rumors are true then."

"Quite. Now, the thing is, I developed this jutsu some time ago, with the intention of being able to live long enough to learn every jutsu in existence. Only problem is, at the rate I'm going, I'll be at this for a few centuries, easily."

"Your insecurity about lacking power is a glaring weakness, Orochimaru. I pity you sometimes, if I'm honest. But I'm not sure how I can help you learn jutsu faster. In my old age, you're far more intelligent than I."

"Well, Konoha just so conveniently happens to have a clan with a Kekkei Genkai that would allow me to do this. If I could get a body to swap into, that is. Or, you know...a few dozen."

Danzo's brush stopped mid-stroke. For the first time since their conversation began, he lifted his head to look at Orochimaru standing to his right, heavily encased in shadows. Danzo glared at him with his left eye, the right being covered in bandages. Hiding a precious secret. "Absolutely out of the question."

"My, my...quite a hypocrite, aren't we, Shimura-san? Tell me, why is your right eye bandaged so?"

Danzo flew out of his seat faster than anyone his age had any right doing. Orochimaru instinctively took a step back, as Danzo was now mere inches from his face. "Kagami gave me this eye on the battlefield. I destroyed the other. It's been used in the conditioning of my agents, and if I had the chakra reserves to be able to use his Mangekyou, the village would never have to worry about losing another war again! For you to even insinuate..."

Orochimaru took on a submissive demeanor to appease the elderly man. "Forgive me, Shimura-san. I meant no ill will. Yet, even you must admit that to guard the Sharingan so closely while wielding one yourself is a bit...well, it's a bit unbecoming, wouldn't you say?"

"This has nothing to do with the Sharingan itself. It has to do with it potentially falling into enemy hands. Of the random people you enslave learning its secrets, and spilling them to other villages."

Orochimaru continued to plead his case, but Danzo was having none of it. After a few moments, a small group of ROOT agents appeared in the room, and the Sannin took that as his cue to make an exit. Danzo let out an aggravated sigh, before returning to his paperwork and dismissing the agents.

Well, it was official. I was totally bored out of my mind.

Classes had let out early so the school staff could attend a meeting, so I was left to my own devices far earlier than usual. Itachi was doing ANBU stuff, or out with Shisui. Maybe both? Mother was out running errands, and Fugaku was holed up in his study. It was in this kind of situation where one might suggest hanging out with friends. Small problem with that...I didn't really have any. Turns out spending most of your time training with your older brother and cousin, and the rest of it studying and babysitting your younger brother, resulted in a not so developed social life. Maybe I should work on that. I internally snorted at the thought. I wasn't the social type before, either, and that was when I had literally nothing better to do other than socialize with others. I did have friends, I was just definitely more of a "meet up every few weeks or months" type of guy. Now that the literal fate of the planet rested on my shoulders, not to humble brag or anything, I didn't exactly feel any more compelled to spend time connecting with others.

Still. Sitting in a tree in my backyard, juggling kunai wasn't exactly the most entertaining alternative. Just as I thought that, I heard the back door open, and Itachi walked out into the yard. I caught my kunai by the handle and hurled it at him, only to lose a tuft of hair as he seamlessly caught it, spun into the momentum of my throw, and hurled it back at me. "You know, sometimes I wonder if that humility of yours is just for show, and deep down you're a smug, pompous show-off."

I hopped down from the tree, holstering the kunai, and punctuated my remark with a faux glare. He laughed and waved me inside. "I guess you'll never truly know. Now come on, we're going to the lake."

I tilted my head to the side, before remembering that I still hadn't started my training for Hosenka. I hurried after him with a newfound spring in my step, earning an eye roll from the prodigy of prodigies. Even at just shy of 14 years of age, Itachi was still more than skilled enough to be a tutor to a genin squad if he wanted to. He soaked up information like a sponge, and had the chakra reserves and speed to back it all up. Although, being a Ninja wasn't just about learning oodles of techniques and having enough chakra to use the really huge ones multiple times. That was an acceptable approach, and it was the basis behind canon Naruto's fighting style, but even better was strategy and intelligence combined with S rank jutsu spam. Itachi, even now, could likely toss around at least two S ranks, and a C rank or three after that, before he would get to low on chakra to use Ninjutsu, but what made that even more deadly was his strategy, part of which was that he was able to predict outcomes. Give him a few minutes in battle with someone, and he'll have an accurate enough mapping of how they react to specific stimuli to know what they'll do in response to any of his or other people's attacks. And then he can manipulate them accordingly.

This was most prevalent in this world's version of chess/checkers: Shogi. Itachi would, hands down, beat me every time unless I looked up a specific strategy and followed it to the letter. Even then, it wouldn't guarantee me a win, it would just get me out of guaranteed loss territory. I had a chance at first, but after a few matches with me, he easily picked apart my preferred pieces, preferred arrangements of those pieces, pushed me into using strategies I wasn't comfortable or familiar with, then once I got more used to trying out completely new strategies, further dissected how I implemented them. If I just free ball the match without any "predetermined" strategy in mind, I will lose. It's the most infuriating thing ever. This is what made Itachi, and for that matter, Shisui, so deadly. Both were crazy intelligent and good at learning their enemies, and then once they had them figured out and knew how they'd react to whatever offensive maneuvers, it was as simple as manipulating their opponents into doing specific things that created openings for specific, very powerful attacks. Something that normally requires a full squad, they could each do on their own.

It was for that reason that I was so excited to learn from him. I'd been smart in my previous life, or at least ahead of those around me in a few subjects, and I felt like at least some of that carried over into this life. However, I was nowhere near Itachi's level, and while psychological analysis to the extent he can do it is mostly dependent on natural affinity, I was certain I could get at least some sort of grasp on it through training. Before I could start that, however, I had to get better at chakra control and learn some basic Ninjutsu techniques. Which brought us to where we were now, at the lake near the Uchiha compound, standing on the same dock we were a few days prior. Itachi set down the canteens and medical supplies he brought with him, then gestured for me to pay attention. "The trick to Hosenka is basically just rapidly creating multiple smaller, weaker, more condensed Goukakyuu. And instead of a continuous stream of flames that eventually expands into an orb-like shape, you're spitting multiple bursts of flame."

"Ah, like my mix tape."

"Your what?"

"Nothing, carry on."

Itachi gave a slight shake of his head, before weaving the hand seals for the jutsu. Rat, tiger, dog, ox, rabbit, tiger... What came next was basically a semi-automatic pistol barrage of fireballs so volatile, they exploded when they made contact with the water. Little steam pockets rose from where they made contact, and Itachi motioned for me to try. "Knead and mould several chakra 'lumps' in your lungs in small, roughly spherical shapes. From there, as I said, it's basically like Goukakyuu in that you're making the chakra ignite your breath as soon as it leaves your mouth. But instead of a continuous stream, cut it off the second you see fire."

I nodded, and began weaving the hand seals. I inhaled, channeled and shaped the chakra in my lungs, and let out the first burst of air. I saw a burst of orange and felt intense heat, so I cut the chakra flow. Instead of a small fireball coming out of my mouth, I just ended up letting out a small puff of fire. I tried again with the second burst, and this time it actually formed a fireball, but instead of an actual fireball, it was more like a comet, complete with a tail. Three more tries, and I was out of breath. They had varying levels of success; the third one ended up looking more like a flaming loogie, and didn't carry very far. The fourth was pretty much the right shape, but too small, and the fifth one was the same way, just slightly bigger. For reference, the clan standard for fireball size is roughly the size of a soccer ball. Apparently that was the size where you were getting the most damage compared to chakra input. Mine were coming out smaller than my fist.

I kept practicing for a little under an hour, when my chakra reserves made it clear that there would be no more jutsu cast for the rest of the day. I flopped down onto the dock, graciously accepting the canteen offered to me, and drank with gusto. It was weird, even though once you got the hang of using one or two of them fire jutsu don't usually hurt you, it seemed like my throat was dryer than it ever was during something like normal taijutsu training. I asked Itachi about his missions, to which he responded with half answers and evasions. 'Not a high enough clearance to hear about them', he says. Like I'm gonna jump ship and start helping Obito and the Akatsuki, or run to one of the other villages with a bunch of classified information. I rolled my eyes and leaned back against one of the wooden posts supporting the dock, closing my eyes and enjoying the heat from the sun. After about half an hour, we started heading back to the house, and as we were walking, I saw a familiar pipsqueak sneaking his way across the rooftops.

Itachi turned to see that I had stopped and was staring up at seemingly nothing. "What is it?"

"You go on ahead without me, I'm pretty sure I just saw Sasuke running towards the lake. I'm gonna go see what he's up to."

I gave a two finger salute over my shoulder and started back towards the lake, pushing my chakra signature down as I did. Sasuke likely wouldn't be able to sense me coming, seeing as he wasn't a sensory ninja, and the chakra sensing abilities of a non-sensory are far weaker than someone who is, much less when they're only 8 going on 9. That being said, it was still a good way to practice my stealth, so I decided to go all in with it. As I weaved through the trees surrounding the lake, my suspicions were confirmed. Sasuke was standing on the dock, pulling supplies out of a bag. Bandages, what looked like burn cream...

"Well I'll be damned..." He was getting ready to practice fire jutsu, probably Goukakyuu. I wondered if Fugaku showed him the hand seals, and just as I was mulling over who else might have shown him, an ear piercing roar split through the air. My face was hit by a wall of intense heat, hot enough that it actually stung a little, and as I shielded my eyes to see what was going on, my jaw slowly dropped. In front of me was, by far, one of the largest, hottest fireballs I'd ever seen someone create. It was as big as the ones Itachi showed me during my training! Granted, I don't think Itachi was putting full effort into those fireballs, but still. If Sasuke was already matching Itachi's half effort jutsu at just 9 years old...

What the hell was it gonna look like when he got older?!

Heeeeeyyyyy guys...long time no read. Sorry this took so long, I hit a major case of writer's block for this chapter. Turns out writing good filler/bridge chapters to connect gaps in the story is harder than it sounds. Dunno when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully it won't be as long! Until next time.

Ciao,

-GN