A Trick of the Light

By Lutris Argutiae

Beta: Tenhauser

AN: Chapter Two finally upped. Sorry for the delay (though there was really no deadline); you know, I had the infamous Writer's Block for half the chapter. I'm still not sure if the fluency is right, but the Beta is good and well, and I can find no fault in it.

And yes! Official Beta! A big round of applause goes to Tenhauser for accepting the post of Beta, and doing a fabulous job of editing (read: reworking) this chapter. Thanks, man!

Bon Appetite

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Chapter 2: Dreams

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Sarutobi decided that he did not like mornings.

It wasn't that he disliked the brisk cool breeze of the morning wind or the soft feel of dew as it gathered in the healthy grass of the Hokage's residential complex, not in the least. He did not dislike the morning coffee that he always enjoyed, or the sinful joy of pouring an extra spoonful of sugar into the bitter drink while avoiding the harrying and watchful eyes of his secretary.

No, the main reason that he now did not like mornings was that he always seemed to receive bad news the first thing in the day, usually with an unfavorable way of being woken up.

For instance, there was the time when he was woken up at the crack of dawn to a harshly panting chunin banging on his door, calling for his help on resolving a frightful mob fight at the annual Yondaime's Honorary Festival. It was five in the morning and drunken sleep-deprived villagers had taken to the streets in a massive brawl.

Then there was that time when one of the newly ninja-qualified Inuzukas had snuck out of her complex at night to perform an advanced human-to-beast transformation along with her canine companion. The foolish child botched the technique; it was way out of her league. Sarutobi was woken up at four in the morning (an ungodly hour, to be sure) to subdue the rabid two-headed creature; a number of fearful villagers were convinced that the jutsu-gone-wrong was the second coming of the Kyuubi.

Then there was the Mizuki Incident, which had occurred just last night.

At first he thought he'd misheard when it was said that Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Forbidden Seals out of his very own office while he was off to the bathroom, he hadn't even noticed it going missing. Was he becoming inept? Was his security so lax? He had paled at the thought.

It was not the question of how Naruto got past the guarded seals on the Scroll's storage that ran through his mind but the possibility of Naruto unlocking the Kyuubi's prison, whether by accident or through means of a quote un quote not-so-accident.

If the Kyuubi was influencing Naruto in any way then it was a grave situation indeed. The bloodthirsty Bijuu, if able to manifest its own chakra through Naruto's body, could raze the entire city of Konoha to the ground in less than three hours if it was allowed to do so, much less if it got loose from its prison within the boy.

The Scroll of Forbidden Seals held the figurative and literal key to unlock said prison within its long, long, paper length. The jutsu that was used to seal away the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, the Shiki Fuujin, was the last jutsu that had been written in into the scroll. If the Kyuubi could take control of Naruto's body then it was only a matter of time before it found the sealing jutsu and freed itself from its living prison.

Sarutobi shivered at the thought.

So Sarutobi immediately gave the order for a full mobilization of the ANBU patrol squadrons, and by full mobilization he meant full mobilization of all twenty five-man cells. A large contingent of off-duty Chunin and Jounin from all over the village had also gathered at the Hokage Tower by then and he strode outside to send them on their way with orders not to kill the boy or use lethal force unless in a dire emergency.

And they all knew what that meant.

It was a nerve-wracking time waiting for the ANBU teams to reply, waiting for the radio to crackle alive with news of Naruto's condition. Of course he wasn't one to be impatient, given his long years at being alive as both a shinobi of the Leaf and as Hokage of Konoha, but it was Naruto that was at stake at the moment; with Naruto's safety, the village, and even the entire nation's security lay at risk until he was able to defend himself.

The annual and unofficial small-scale 'hunts' that a small number of radical villagers took place in every year on Naruto's birthday were one thing, a few chunins and the matter was settled and Naruto would escape with few to no injuries. The only time he had received a severe injury, in fact, iit had been instantly healed by the Kyuubi's chakra a scant minute later.

While this in itself was a cause for worry, he had called in Jiraiya, who was luckily visiting the village (and simultaneously researching for that wonderful novel of his), to inspect Naruto's seal if there were any malfunctions or cracks in it.

Jiraya's inspection revealed no problems with the Kyuubi's prison.

That was three years ago.

But paranoia was a good thing to be had in rather large amounts when talking of demons; they could not be predicted. He couldn't ignore the possibility that Naruto could be taken over now that he was older and more prone to anger and rage, traits that the Kyuubi was famous for in its attacks on human cities and towns twelve years ago.

The radio crackled. It was one o'clock and, technically, morning, much to Sarutobi's chagrin.

"Hokage-sama, this is Team 2. We have found the Uzumaki boy in the outskirts of the outlying forest. There is a substantial amount of demonic presence permeating the atmosphere. We have also identified the presence of two Ninja Academy instructors. One is dead; the other is badly wounded. Paramedics and forensics have already been notified."

"Good job, Taichou. Keep guard until I get there." Sarutobi gruffly answered into the transceiver. He turned off the radio communicator and stood up from his comfortable seat in the Hokage's Office. He walked, no, hobbled like the old man he was to the coat rack by the door, donned his robes of office, and placed the angular hat emblazoned with the symbol of fire on his head.

He opened the window, put a foot on the windowsill, and activated his Shunshin.

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It was white, Naruto thought, white and comfortable.

It was as if he was floating in a sea of clouds, or was lying on the very beds of the deities above. It was soft, warm, and welcoming. Like a mother's touch, not that he had ever known what that felt like. If he'd ever felt one he could only assume it would feel like this.

Then it was black.

A shuriken flew at him at top speed, cutting through the air with a whistling shriek.

Crazed and maddened eyes turned to stare at him, a growling voice chanting his name.

Blood, blood, and so much blood…

He shot awake, disrupted from his peaceful slumber by the disturbing images that ran through his head.

Naruto blinked; it was white.

Where am I? Naruto thought, puzzled. Why am I sleeping in a bed? Why are the walls white?

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." An old tired voice said to him, observing that that he was now awake.

Naruto swiveled his head to the left side of the comfortable downy bed and saw the Third Hokage, Sarutobi, sitting in a hospital chair looking very tired.

"Morning Jicchan," he said sleepily, still puzzled and slightly disoriented, "What time is it?"

Sarutobi sighed tiredly. Did the boy not remember the events of the last night, or was he just so sleepy that he simply did not remember? Or was it the shock of the event?

"It is around eight-thirty in the morning, Naruto. Are you feeling all right?" Sarutobi asked, making sure to sound caring and sincere. Naruto went through a traumatizing ordeal, not even taking into account the demonic killing intent left at the forest clearing and what that might entail.

"Thanks, Jicchan. I think I feel okay. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt better." Naruto paused, and seeing the glass of water on the small cabinet by his bed, suddenly realized where he was. Why am I in a hospital bed? "Why am I in the hospital? Did something happen to me?"

"You mean you don't remember, Naruto?" Sarutobi questioned.

"Remember wha…" Naruto answered partially, before freezing as memories of the night before flooded back into his mind: him stealing the Scroll of Forbidden Seals, Mizuki Sensei and Iruka Sensei fighting, him almost being killed by Mizuki Sensei…

His nightmare… was real?

The flashing Genjutsu he had cast, and then the dangerous, rabid look in Mizuki Sensei's eyes, and whiteness; it all flooded into his mind's eye.

"I… I remember, I think." Naruto said, trembling at the sight of his own hands.

Mizuki Sensei tried to kill me.

"Naruto… do you remember?" Sarutobi asked again.

Mizuki Sensei…no, Mizuki betrayed me.

He said he hated me.

Why?

"I remember," Naruto said shakily, "I remember." Mizuki betrayed me.

I trusted him and he betrayed me.

He betrayed me; he hated me.

Sarutobi saw Naruto lapse into silence, noticing a dark, lost look in the youth's normally bright blue eyes. Ice settled into the once pristine sunny sapphire and Naruto's eyes darkened into the likes of a deep frozen abyss. Sarutobi shivered; he could not help but do so. Where was the bright and cheerful boy that had gone to take his Genin Exams a scant twenty-four hours ago? Where was the prankster that resided within Naruto, itching to set off a practical joke?

Where was Uzumaki Naruto?

"What happened to… to Mizuki Sen… Mizuki?" Naruto queried, unexpectedly startling Sarutobi out of his reverie.

His mind froze; what was he supposed to say to the boy?

Tell him the truth. Just tell him the truth, and let him think on that. I cannot stay and try to explain things; I cannot. He should have been used to this, the retelling of a loved one's death to a ninja's friends and family. But for Naruto, Mizuki had meant the world. He was the sole person that had supported him through all of the years of being ostracized within the village, and was very much a parental figure. Sarutobi sighed sadly.

"Mizuki…" He began, "Mizuki is dead. He was killed last night. I'm sorry, Naruto. Iruka, on the other hand, is still alive, but barely so. His health rests on the edge of a knife, I'm told."

"Was it my fault?" He betrayed me. But I trusted him. I loved him. I owed him so much…and Iruka Sensei as well; he might have been a mean bastard, but he still fought to protect me.

Though the sudden question was unexpected in it's immediacy, it was understandable. Sarutobi knew that the boy would blame himself for Mizuki's death and Iruka's injuries. He couldn't put the answer to Naruto's question to words though, he had done this countless other times for other ninja. Was it because of the semi-parental perspective he had for Naruto? Was it because Naruto was the Kyuubi's jailor, ergo the sole thing keeping it from devastating the village and even the whole of the Country of Fire? He carefully readied his words.

"You had a hand in killing him, Naruto. More than that, I will not say unless you wish for me to continue." The words that came out of his mouth took a century to climb out of his vocal cords and into the air. Regret filled his thoughts in an instant, but Sarutobi steeled his resolve and killed a small bit of his heart to keep himself composed. He would support Naruto however he decided to act, that was all he could do for the boy.

"Was it because of what I did?" Naruto quietly said, his gaze drifting from between Sarutobi's eyes and his hands. "Was it because I stole the Scroll of Forbidden Seals?"

"Do you really want to know, Naruto?" Sarutobi questioned; his eyes were almost empty of his usual compassion and were filled with pure regret and sorrow for what he was about to do.

It took Naruto a while to come up with an answer. Mizuki Sensei was a loved one to him. Perhaps he was the only loved one Naruto had in the village that had stood up for him no matter what had happened. Mizuki had been the only reason Naruto hadn't tried to run away, that he had believed in the village and the fact that the village could change, and come to eventually recognize and acknowledge him as Hokage.

But Mizuki had stabbed him in the back, figuratively speaking, and had nearly done the same literally. He had, for all intents and purposes, killed Iruka who, even with his attitude towards him, had tried to help him. He had lied to him, fooled him, and was, in the end, just like all of the other villagers that hated him so much. Why did he do it? Naruto didn't understand; why did Mizuki betray me and almost Iruka Sensei?

But now he was dead, and the Hokage said that he had killed him. He couldn't get his answers from Mizuki but he wanted to know why. No, he needed to know why. Why did he turn his back on him? Why did he try to kill him? Why did he hurt Iruka? Sarutobi was offering this information to him, and Naruto would readily welcome it.

"Yes, Jicchan. I want to know; I need to know." Naruto solemly declared.

'"Very well."

I'm sorry, Naruto, for the truth.

"No, Naruto; he forced you to steal that scroll. That was not a direct factor in his death, even if it did contribute in its own way. In a way, he killed himself with his own actions; he was declared a traitor soon after your retrieval. He attempted to sell the most powerful and secret forbidden techniques out to someone outside of the village. That alone is reason enough for execution to a shinobi."

Naruto blinked hesitantly, and spoke. "Then why did you say I had a hand in killing him? I… Mizuki Sensei…Mizuki… is, was… a precious person. I wouldn't do that!" He isn't precious anymore, Naruto realized. Mizuki had utterly, completely, and devastatingly turned his back on Naruto, leaving nothing to his name and then dying on him, deserting him to deal with the mercy of the village on his own. A thought ran across his mind.

Would I kill him now, if I had the chance?

Yes I would, a voice, the voice, within him said from somewhere in his heart. I would kill him. He betrayed me. He told me that he hated me. He rejected me. He didn't care for me at all.

And I trusted him and loved him.

But he betrayed me, and even tried to kill me. He tried to kill me, and he tricked you into stealing that scroll. Why wouldn't you kill him? Why wouldn't you want to hurt him and rip his flesh off his bones and eat his innards alive? Why? Why? Why?

"Mizuki was killed by you; that much we can tell. Or rather if you will, by something that used your body to kill him in a particularly gruesome manner. We found him buried in a tree, Naruto." Sarutobi told the boy darkly. I'm sorry, Naruto. But you must know. "We know your body killed him, because you were found holding what remained of his heart in your hands and covered in his blood when we found him."

Good riddance, the voice said again. Naruto, though initially shocked that he would be thinking of the dead ninja in such a harsh way, was inclined to agree. Mizuki had been treacherous; he had gotten close to him feigning concern for him, and in the end, what did it result in? Being used as a scapegoat for a crime that would result in death at the minimum, and then almost being killed and being saved in the nick of time through an unlikely circumstance. Had Mizuki Sensei really cared for him anyway? He had been there for him when he had needed it, he supposed, but he had been doing fine on his own before he had met the Academy teacher, aside from the occasional chase and attack within the village.

But he had the skills to run away, didn't he? Why did Mizuki Sensei befriend him in the first place?

"No one gives a shit about Uzumaki-fucking-Naruto, that's who!" Mizuki had said last night.

If that was true, then it was only because Naruto was useful to Mizuki Sensei that he was kept alive. He had tried to kill him when he had gotten the Scroll to him; there was no more use in having him alive left to Mizuki, and so the shuriken had come flying towards him.

It was only because Iruka Sensei had interfered that he had been able to run away, and after that, only because of the power of the Genjutsu that he had used, and…

A pause of silence followed, and something nagged at Naruto's mind.

"Something…? What do you mean, something, Jicchan?" Naruto asked, puzzled and troubled at the same time. Sarutobi merely glanced up at Naruto's face and held his hands across his temples and rubbing them in circles in deep thought. A rush of insight sounded in Naruto's mind; the rushing sound of wind blowing in his ears echoed in his head and surrounded him as a sense of foreboding came over him, and Naruto realized.

"Kyuubi…"

Alarmed at the revelation that Naruto already knew about the demon, Sarutobi sighed in resignation, already regretting his decision to tell Naruto the whole truth. It was inevitable that he would learn, he knew, but at this early age…

"You already know, Naruto?"

"Mizuki Sen…" He doesn't deserve to be called Sensei anymore. "Mizuki told me."

"Very well." Sarutobi sighed resignedly. Mizuki's actions had had very, very serious consequences indeed. He had expected to have to reveal the truth about the Kyuubi to Naruto eventually, instead it appeared that the wayward Chunin had gone out of his way to make Naruto's life progressively harder for him until he ultimately killed the child that night. He breathed deeply, and then continued.

"The Kyuubi gained control of your body for a very short instance. It was given one very short time period and it killed Mizuki, a proficient Chunin, in the blink of an eye. You understand the gravity of the situation, don't you, Naruto? The fact that the Kyuubi was even able to take over your body in the first place suggests a weakening in the seal the Yondaime placed on you."

Naruto paled, feeling the blood rush from his face, and nodded. That was a dangerous thing indeed, he agreed silently. He wasn't one for long vocabulary but he got the gist of it even in his depressed state. The Kyuubi took over him, and that meant that something was wrong with the seal; the same seal that kept the demon from razing the village and wreak havoc over the town.

Do I care?

Mizuki, in the end, it seemed, was only the last in a long line of villagers who had hated and despised him. While his faith in humanity and the village was not so low that he would believe the whole of the village was against him, he knew that mostly all of them had a distasteful opinion of him bordering on complete apathy. Mizuki was one of those who would hate him instead of merely ignoring him.

In other words, no one in the village would acknowledge him. His dream of becoming Hokage sounded ridiculous now, Naruto thought. If no one even noticed or cared about him, then what was the point in trying to be acknowledged? People would always hate him and distrust him, he could see now, no matter how much he was loved in another place. He had been utterly betrayed and stabbed in the back by Mizuki, whom he had thought he had known well, considering the lengths of time they had been together.. He had come to trust, and even love Mizuki as a brother or father, and he had thought Mizuki had cared for him as well.

But, evidently, doing so was the wrong thing to do.

He had trusted Mizuki and all that had resulted in was the total betrayal and a knife in the back, just like all of the other times before that when villagers had turned away from him.

With a start, Naruto realized that no one would stop to care for him any more, ever. Ever. Aside from the Sandaime, who was too busy to actively care for him, only Mizuki had ever helped him, leaving him totally helpless without Mizuki's presence.

But Mizuki was a traitor to both the village and to Naruto. He now knew that he wouldn't be able to trust any body except the Hokage. Anyone, and absolutely anyone who wanted to get close to him, had the potential to be another Mizuki. He couldn't afford to let himself be that vulnerable ever again.

Forget his dream about becoming Hokage, Naruto thought solemnly. None of the villagers would accept him, he now knew after his revelation. People were two sided and treacherous, no matter what they said and did otherwise. The villagers wouldn't come to acknowledge his presence as a person or as a ninja. Half of them despised him as a demon (or more specifically, the demon's container) and the other merely chose not to recognize or even notice that he was there.

No, Hokage didn't matter much at all anymore to him, Naruto thought. Power; power to protect himself and his thoughts and ideals was what he wanted now. If the villagers wouldn't come to like him, or even acknowledge him, then he would become strong enough that it wouldn't matter what the damn villagers thought. He would trounce anything that came across his path and continue to stand strong no matter what came to him, he decided.

Power was what the Demon gave him last night, he realized with a trembling start. Although malicious and evil, the Kyuubi had killed one that had betrayed and crushed his trust and dreams in his place. If he could use that power to defend himself and exact revenge for himself then he didn't much mind having that power. That the Sandaime had declared that his seal was unstable was one thing, but if that instability was the thing that had unleashed the Kyuubi on Mizuki last night then he didn't want to get rid of it. He never knew when he would need the strength after all.

He would become powerful, that much was decided for Naruto, inhibitions against the Demon be damned.

Naruto turned to face the Sandaime, who had noticed his long internal monologue and had thoughtfully stayed quiet, and spoke.

"I don't think the seal's loose, Jicchan."

Sarutobi was at first astonished that those were the first words out of the small boy's mouth, but calmed him self. Perhaps the boy was right, he thought. The seal was designed by the Yondaime Hokage; a man that he respected in the arts of sealing as being considerably more advanced than any still alive, even including Jiraiya and Orochimaru. The last time the Kyuubi had exerted its influence through the seal, it had been fine. Though caution was always a good thing to use in considerable amounts whenever a Tailed Demon was concerned, it wouldn't hurt to trust Naruto on this one. The boy would become a shinobi, he had decided that the moment he had received the report that the boy had killed Mizuki. Not only for coming out alive of a boiling situation with two Chunin and protecting a rather large Scroll from harm through it all, but for being able to use a jutsu from its lengthy pages.

An autopsy had revealed that a Genjutsu had been used on Mizuki, one that's results indicated that it was rather high-end and advanced. Mizuki couldn't have used it and Iruka didn't have the aptitude for the illusion jutsus. There was no report of any other shinobi that had been there; there were only four chakra presences noted at the scene, including the overwhelming latent killing intent left by the Kyuubi. Sarutobi himself had verified this information.

Which meant that there was only one person who could have used the advanced Genjutsu, one that was unknown to the medic team. That Naruto had used an unknown Genjutsu meant that he had learnt it from the Scroll of Forbidden Seals, given the complete lack of training the observatory ANBU team had observed from the boy.

Such talent for illusions could not go to waste, as there were not many who had the aptitude for it, if he had in fact cast the Genjutsu.

He would verify this immediately, Sarutobi told himself.

In any case, if the boy were to be a shinobi then he would need a stable mind as well as a good sense of direction if he were to avoid becoming a rogue like Mizuki. This meant that he needed to condition Naruto mentally as well as not messing with the Kyuubi's seal too often, as the two were intertwined given the nature of both the seal and the demon. If the seal was loose, he couldn't perform any sort of inspection himself for fear of agitating it with his insufficient talent and experience with the seal.

This meant that he had to track down Jiraiya solely for the purpose of inspecting Naruto's seal, and he currently didn't have the resources to do so. So he decided to trust Naruto to keep the lid on the beast for just a little while longer.

A strong mind was needed to keep the demon reigned in, Sarutobi knew, and if Naruto had indeed been the one to cast the advanced Genjutsu on Mizuki, then it was logical that he be trained in the illusionary arts. They were infamous for requiring formidable mental ability, and with Naruto's possible potential before him Sarutobi was sure that Naruto could both keep the seal in check and master Genjutsu before he could locate Jiraiya, provided that he possessed the talent.

"Very well," Sarutobi said finally, "I have a question for you, Naruto."

"What is it?" Naruto asked, still contemplating on his thoughts of getting stronger. He needed power, but he didn't know what to do to gain it. It didn't matter that he was still stuck in the hospital; he yearned to train, and be stronger. To never be hurt again.

"Did you use a jutsu against Mizuki? And if you did, do you remember what it was?"

Naruto paused to think for a minute as he remembered the technique that he had used; it was a Genjutsu, an illusion, if he remembered correctly. He voiced his thoughts to the old man sitting before him.

As I thought. Sarutobi mentally breathed a sigh of relief. He could now trust Naruto with holding the Kyuubi's seal in check, as well as set his path as a shinobi straight. With his dismal jutsu performance at the Ninja Academy, it was worrying what kind of ninja Naruto might have grown into if he had passed the exam the first time around. But Naruto had displayed his talent for the illusionary arts in his battle with Mizuki,

Then Naruto, for your future, and the safety of the village, I will make you a ninja.

A gentle morning breeze blew in through the half-open window, and Naruto was momentarily struck by the intent in Sarutobi's eyes, determined, and powerful. The aging Hokage dug into one of his inner pockets and grasped the item he was looking for.

"Naruto," He started seriously; the moment seemed to freeze for Naruto, as silence seemed to fill his mind and being. Finally, after what seemed like hours of tense silence, Sarutobi's voice rang out clearly into the hospital room.

"Are you ready to be a ninja?"

Naruto then realized. He wanted power to protect himself, to not rely on others and to be able to stand for himself against all odds. He wanted to be able to ignore any attempts at betrayal thrown at him from any and all sides. He wanted power; power for himself, to use for himself, and only for himself. To do that, he needed to be a shinobi. A ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves and damn everything else.

He needed to be a ninja.

Sarutobi pulled his arm out of his Hokage robes, and held out a metal band attached to a navy blue length of cloth.

A hitai-ate.

The rising sunlight glinted with an orange glare off of the polished metal band, and the Leaf insignia etched onto the forehead protector shone proudly upon burnished steel. Naruto gazed upon the metal piece with an unidentifiable look upon his face, before his expression solidified in a determined, focused gaze. He reached out with his hand and grasped the hitai-ate with a solid grip.

"I'm ready."

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Yuuhi Kurenai was a newly appointed Jounin of Konoha, only having passed the Konoha Jounin Exams only six months ago. She was rather acclaimed in certain ninja circles as a master, or was it mistress, of genjutsu, the art of illusions and perceptions; even the Hokage himself had claimed that she had the 'best genjutsu talent' in the Hidden Village of the Leaf in a long while.

She could be arrogant and declare herself beautiful as well; she knew she had a certain appeal to most members of the opposite sex, and she knew how to use it to achieve her goals most effectively on top of that. She wasn't too arrogant (or so she liked to think, given that most shinobi tended to be arrogant whether they thought so or not; she didn't like to deal with absolutes), so she didn't think of herself as a particularly beautiful member of the female race. She knew there were many more that were much more appealing.

She was, however, one of the younger and better looking of the Leaf's female Jounin, that much she acknowledged.

Her rather unnatural red eyes often frightened ignorant villagers; they were, however, useful for intimidating her opponents as well as using them as a medium for her rather spectacular illusionary genjutsu and phantasms. Her genjutsu skills were virtually unmatched within the currently active rosters of Konoha shinobi; this encompassed all fields of Genjutsu and not merely illusions and fantastic images. Even her hand-to-hand combat style revolved solely around the art.

She was a master of Genjutsu after all.

Or course such talent was rare, only popping up in Konoha once every ten to twenty years. While talented Genjutsu users emerged frequently, not many went much ahead of phantasms and standard illusions, not having the aptitude or will to pursue what lay beyond the standard conceptions of Genjutsu.

If only she found another with as much potential as she did, Kurenai mused to herself while she lifted her leg and crossed it over the other.

Kurenai was currently sitting in the Hokage's office along with a number of other Jounin; it was lucky for her, she supposed, that the Third Hokage had selected her as a Jounin teacher for the newest batch of Academy graduates. As a relatively green Jounin, she said to herself as she walked down the bustling streets, this was a very good opportunity for her career, as well as a chance to have a hand in possibly passing on her Genjutsu skills to the next generation of shinobi.

Oh, she was getting old.

The Hokage coughed loudly amongst the small chatter between the shinobi that had been assembled, gathering their attention towards him. Immediately, the whispers in the room ceased and the Jounin all shuffled to attention.

"You know why you have been summoned here today." The Hokage stood up from behind his desk, his small stature filling the room with surprising power. The Hokage had his arms clasped behind his back and looked at the gathered Jounins from under the brim of his hat.

"You are here today to receive your Genin team assignments. This year has shown exceptionally high-level students, and we have twenty hopefuls graduating from the Academy this year, as you might have gleaned from the number of shinobi present here today." He paused.

The Hokage continued on, seeing the questioning eyes in some of the Jounin.

"While this in itself is not so unusual, there is another issue we must address before we progress to the team assignments. With the current graduating class, one team will have only two Genin; this is a problem. While it is possible to supplement their numbers with an additional Genin off of the roster, there is… another, rather exceptional, student that I believe can fill the spot. He failed the Genin Exams, but I believe him ready to enter the ranks of our shinobi. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

Immediately, a great majority of the shinobi present protested in an uproar. Uzumaki Naruto, the host of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf? Never! What if he betrayed the village? What if the Kyuubi-brat decided to continue his attack on the village? What if he went on a rampage and rose up in a coup? Irrational paranoia and panic ran through the minds of a number of shinobi present.

"Silence!" The Sandaime ordered strongly. "I know how all of you must be thinking why this old fool would seriously recommend the Kyuubi's jailor for Genin rank. I'm sure you have heard of yesterday's debacle, during which Naruto was tricked into stealing and learning a rather advanced jutsu from the Scroll of Forbidden Seals." Immediately scoffing whispers could be heard from a few of the ninja.

"Given the time of theft to the time of contact with the traitor, he had only a scant two hours and a half to learn the technique. Even so, he was able to cast one of the advanced Genjutsu contained within the Scroll effectively enough that it resulted in the death of the traitor in question. I'm sure you have no objections to accepting such a promising young shinobi with gifted Genjutsu talent into our ranks, yes? After all, it would be foolish to ignore a mere child who has managed to learn a forbidden Genjutsu technique and acquire it for his own jutsu arsenal in under three hours." He glanced at Kurenai as he said so.

A tremor ran through the Jounin. Would she train the infamous 'Kyuubi-brat'? He was reportedly a very rambunctious child who was barely passing his classes in the Ninja Academy, with almost zero potential; his terrible attitude to teacher-figures and his love for setting up pranks and traps were a teaching shinobi's nightmare, according to the rumor-mill.

If the Hokage was telling the truth, then the boy had a tremendous talent for Genjutsu. An illusion that resulted in death? Those kinds of jutsus were very high-end material, Kurenai knew. While she was sure that the Hokage had embellished the deeds of the young student a small amount considering his progress at the Academy, this was not the kind of situation where she expected the old man to downright lie or deceive them.

No, the Hokage was telling the truth.

That the boy had cast whatever illusion (that was way out of his league, or any in the Academy's graduating roster, for that matter) was testament to his potential. Kurenai was now a Jounin, and nearly twenty-eight years old. She was currently right in the prime of her career and she knew that those with Genjutsu talent were not common; this was an opportunity that could not be missed. If she did not train Naruto, she would have to wait perhaps five, maybe ten, more years until one with a similar amount of potential would appear. By then, she would be well out of her prime and beginning to spiral down into the inactive roster, unfit to train a young and aspiring shinobi in her fighting style and Genjutsu.

While teaching and training a regular team until they reached Chunin proficiency was a very good and appealing goal for her, Kurenai was desperate to find an apprentice that she could teach all of her art to.

Kurenai nodded minutely at the old Hokage in acceptance, and saw him nod his own head at her in response. It was decided, it seemed. The Hokage had all but declared that she, Yuuhi Kurenai, Jounin of Konoha and a master of Genjutsu, would train Uzumaki Naruto to follow in her footsteps as a proficient user of the illusionary arts.

The Sandaime proceeded to assign the teams to the new instructors-to-be as Kurenai fell into thought. She now had her prodigy; it was up to her now to train him to the best of her ability.

Uzumaki Naruto… what kind of student will you be?

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A.N.-

Here's Chapter Two. No new jutsus this time, as I didn't have any need for them this chapter. However, there were a few issues with how I conveniently forgot to actually translate the jutsus last chapter, so I shall do so now.

Chiba Senshou: Blood Blade of a Thousand Burns

Chiba Senshou: Hatsu: Same as above: Erupt

Ryuusa Bakurai: The Flowing Chains of Explosive Lightning

Heisha Shoufuu: Close and Disconnect; Seal Bringer

Those would be roughly what the techniques themselves mean. Keep in mind that I start with the Japanese instead of translating from English, if this seems unsatisfactory.

Another comment I received detailed that how my description of the Heisha Shoufuu didn't make sense, since, being a Genjutsu and all, it HAD to an illusion. I said wasn't, and technically, it isn't. I'll explain more later, just bear with me.

At any rate, I hope the chapter was enjoyable; honestly, the words did NOT flow this time around. Last chapter was a walk in the park (who came up with that anyway? Parks are full of bicycles trying to run you over. Who said that was easy, huh!?), with the words just rolling, but you know.

The excuse every writer uses. Yeah. THAT one.

In different news, the new Naruto chapter looks promising; finally, a hot Akatsuki chick appears! Now if Ino would just…

Anyway. Next chapter will encompass Genin Team Assignments, and the true Genin Exam, in which Kurenai will reveal a part of her battle style and Naruto shall be whipped. Maybe some more if I can fit it in.

Until next time, and sorry for the somewhat long AN. I KNOW the total AN length is more than 1/20th the chapter, but what can I say?

Lutris