Element Zero

By: EleosLeonhart

Chapter 1: One Event Changes All

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own my original content. This disclaimer stands for the entire story.

Prologue

In the land of ninja, only the strong survive. Only the competent, the quick, and those with sufficient chakra control or chakra reserves can rise to the top.

There is a hierarchy of levels in the ninja and martial arts world. The first level, of course, is that of the average citizen, those that perform the ordinary or not so ordinary daily tasks that are necessary to be performed to insure the maximum operations of a village, city, or country. This is level six.

The next level would be those who study at an academy, dojo, or other such institution of apprenticeship. This is level five.

The third position from the bottom would be those entering the world of martial arts, taking on missions, solving mysteries, and becoming serious about honing their skills. This would be a level synonymous to the Genin level of a ninja. This is level four.

The next position is those who earned the right to become military captains. This is equivalent to Chuunin. This is level three.

The elite. Those who have mastered their art and stand out among their town, city, or country. In the ninja world, this is likened to a Jounin. This is level two.

Then there are the cream of the crop; the ones who stand out among the entire world. These are those called geniuses and rise to the top, commanding ninja of all types. This group makes up the leaders of the ninja world, as well as the legends. The Kages, Sages, and others unique as them sit on this pedestal of power. This is what could be considered the ultimate level, level one.

But there is another place missing, a place not commonly known. The position that is missing is for those of legendary proportion. This place has become but a shadow, lost in forgetfulness. It is rare for one of these legends to exist in more than once every 300 years. But one generation, will be blessed with two…

Or cursed…

… … …

More than Seventy Years Ago…

"Outrageous!" exclaimed a man with straight, long black hair, "Don't do this! Can't you see that there is another path?" Another man chuckled darkly. "Hey! Are you listening to me!?"

"I can hear you quite clearly, Hokage-sama," replied the man across from him. This man also sported long black hair, however, it had a spiky attribute to it, "If this keeps up, there will be no place for the Uchiha clan. And although the idiots can't see it now, they are being overpowered by your clan. Isn't that right, Hashirama?" There was a dead sarcasm behind his voice. He would not change his mind.

"Madara…" said Hashirama, feeling betrayed, "Then…you leave me know choice." Madara narrowed his eyes slightly, watching what the man would do next. This would not be a simple task. "I will defeat you here and now! Prepare yourself!" The Uchiha smirked.

"I am most pleased that you have come to your senses, Rama-kun," replied Madara with bitter humor. Hashirama grunted as he pushed off of Madara's statue. Madara, who was previously standing on Hashirama's statue, did the same. The two met in the middle of the space between the giant statues, their fists, chakra, hearts, and pride colliding. They grabbed each others hands as they started to fall, descending toward the water below quickly. However, when they landed onto the water's surface, their feet used chakra to create a trampoline effect on the water, causing the water in a five meter radius to bend downward, and follow through with bouncing them back into the air, in which they resumed their fighting, sending punches, knife hands, palm thrusts, knee strikes, elbow strikes, and kicks at one another with supreme flexibility. They smirked at one another and broke apart, landing on opposite sides of the lake on ground level. "You're as keen as ever, Mister Senju," complimented Madara, "But do you really think you can last?"

"I guess we'll have to see. But one thing is for sure," replied the Hokage.

"And what is that, old friend?" asked the traitorous Uchiha.

"I will not die here," said Hashirama resolutely. Madara laughed.

"You always were good for a laugh." Madara's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, Senju, but this shall be your grave." Madara made a series of hand seals, causing a circle of dark energy to come up from the lake. The circle expanded until it was thirty meters across. "It is time for your death!" The circle turned a furious blood red as a creature's head popped out from the center. It was the head of a fox.

"Kyuubi no kitsune, eh?" mumbled Hashirama, "I should have known that you would have ties with a demon." Madara gave a devilish smile. The kyuubi roared as it came out of the circle of energy. "It must be a portal…" thought the Hokage to himself.

"Madara…you dare control me!?" roared the Kyuubi. "I am going to murder you and feast upon your flesh you Uchiha scum!" Madara narrowed his eyes.

"If you want to be free, this is your task. Kill that man," said Madara, pointing over to Hasirama. The Kyuubi looked over at the target. "Your freedom lies in his ultimate death."

"Keep your word, Uchiha, or you shall regret it…" threatened Kyuubi as it flew at Senju, creating a massive ball of evil chakra in its mouth. The Hokage stood still.

"I shall not move. I will defeat both of you," he muttered as he went into his Sage mode. Closing his eyes, he summoned a seemingly earth-shattering amount of natural energy from around him. "It is time…"

Kyuubi launched the energy at Hashirama. The Hokage opened his eyes and formed three hand seals. Just before being stricken by the mega-chakra ball, wood came up from the earth and imprisoned the kyuubi as well as barely blocking the energy. Madara was about to move in and make his kill, but he sensed something behind him. Looking back, he saw Senju, "Kage Bunshin!?" he exclaimed trying to back off quickly. But as he went backward, he lodged himself onto a wooden spear that came from the wood prison. "No!!! I will not die here! I refuse!" Hashirama inched closer.

"Mangek-," started Madara, but was cut off by a severe punch to the face. The sudden movement from the impact caused a sharp pain and tear in left shoulder, which still had the wooden spear in it. Meanwhile, Kyuubi was cursing both men for being imprisoned. He was a mighty demon, yet these were the only two humans ever able to conquer him…well, other than him. But he was an unearthly exception.

"Come with me quietly, or be destroyed by your own pride," Senju told the Uchiha. Madara chuckled darkly.

"My pride? MY PRIDE!?" He broke out in a complete laugh. "You've got to be kidding me. The only wicked one here is you….you and your Senju clan. The diminishing Uchiha clan will forever be lost of its glory because of your wickedness. This is an unforgiveable crime." Hashirama sighed.

"Madara…I only want peace for this land. I do not hate you. But I will not forgive you of your hatred for the village." Madara sneered, tearing the wooden spear off.

"Die Senju!" the man exclaimed in his fury, slashing a hidden blade across the Hokage's chest. Hashirama leaped back, but did not escape a chest wound. Squinting his eyes from the pain, he decided he needed to end it then. There would be no change for Madara.

"Mokuton: Honoo no Jutsu," muttered the First Hokage as fifty sharp, seemingly alive pieces of his wood, tore at Uchiha Madara, slashing his clothes, his body, and his pride. Madara took four steps back before falling backward into the lake. There, he sunk down into the depths of the dark blue.

"Madara…" he muttered solemnly. "I am…sorry…" he finished as his knees buckled under his own weight. He had lost a significant amount of blood from his chest.

As Madara sank, Kyuubi transferred a thought to him, "Free me from my prison before you die. The wood of that man does not break unless willed by him to do so."

"S-s….save m-me….and I…will free you…" thought back. Before he passed out, he usedAmaterasu to eat at the wood, causing the wooden structure to be weakened on the bottom.

… … …

Present Time…

The room was full of young students, some aspiring to be ninja, and some wanting to lead a normal life. There were 42 students in all according to the headcount. Nineteen year-old Umino Iruka was the new instructor at the academy, and this was his class. "Good morning class!" he said to them cheerfully. "You can call me Iruka-sensei. I am your teacher for this year." The children all looked at him with beaming faces. "I could get used to this. They seem so nice."

Four Hours Later…

"Ah! Get off of me scoundrel!" yelled Iruka at the mut-like child biting his leg. He tried shaking the kid off, but his teeth must have the strength of a kage, or at least that's what it felt like at the time.

It was recess time, and everyone knows what that means. It means kids playing and running around, girls talking about boys, and the outcasts being excluded from either group. One of those outcasts was a short, blond-haired boy at the age of nine. He was trying to get in with a game of tag that some boys were playing, but no one wanted to pick him. After all, there were many rumors about this boy. Many of the kids had heard him be called ugly names like "monster" or "demon."

"Hey stupid!" said one of the boys playing outside. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" The blond boy turned around.

"Me?" he asked, trying to confirm that it was he who was being spoken to.

"Yeah, you! What's your name?" The boy smiled brightly.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Tch, that's a stupid name. Whatever. Hey, I will let you play a game of tag…"

"R-really!?" asked Naruto excitedly. The boy nodded.

"However, I have a condition."

"Okay! What are they?" he asked, wanting to know how he could fulfill the obligation so that he could socialize with the other students.

"I want you to go tell that boy over there," he said, pointing to a lonely boy sitting in a corner, "that it's a good thing his brother died, because now I can track him down and beat him up! Haha!" His friends that were with him laughed with him, enjoying their curel behavior.

"U-um…" Naruto started. The boy raised an angry eyebrow.

"What is it, squirt?" he asked threateningly.

"That doesn't seem nice, so I don't want to do that to him." The other kid's eyes seemed to bulge out in anger.

"What did you say to me!? How dare you talk back!" the boy said as he pushed Naruto down to the ground. He was then joined by his other friends as they kicked Naruto while he was on the ground. "This is….what you….get!" The boy finished with one last kick that cracked one of Naruto's ribs. Naruto screamed in pain, drawing Iruka to the scene.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing!?" he said in rage, pushing the other boys away from a crying Naruto. His eyes widened when he got to the center of attention. "Th-this is..." He paused. "Uzumaki Naruto…" He looked at the other boys sternly. "You cannot just kick other students at this academy! What's wrong with all of you?" he asked, half-believing his own words. There had been times in the past where he had thought of doing the same thing, but he was kept from doing so because of his kind heart. Naruto looked so…human.

"Recess is over! It's time to move on back to the class room." He announced to everyone outside, taking one more look at Naruto before helping the boy up. "Are you okay?" Naruto looked up, his head down. Suddenly, he lifted his head up, smiling wide for the teacher. Iruka was slightly taken back by the sudden change. After all, he could tell there were dried tears. "Hiding the pain…?" he wondered.

… … …

Three years later…

"Welcome class!" said a more mature Umino Iruka. "I am your instructor for this year. I ask that you all work hard during your time here. I can tell we have some talented and spirited individuals in the classroom this year. I look forward to teaching each of you. Let us begin!" Iruka began to write on the chalk board and lecture the class, explaining the basics for every ninja.

"This is my fourth year here…" thought a certain blond boy named Naruto. "I can't afford to be here another year! I need to become a mighty ninja…how else can I become Hokage!?"

*Flashback…a year ago…

"Naruto," said an old man to the young boy, "I know the villagers are cruel to you, but do not hate you. They do not understand that you are a very good boy." Naruto was bruised and beaten up from a couple of drunk ninja.

"I don't understand! Why would they hate me!? I haven't done anything wrong to them! Not even once!" exclaimed the boy in a confused mixture of anger and sorrow. The Third Hokage sighed.

"I know, Naruto, I know," he said, patting him on the head. "But I know who you are, Uzumaki Naruto…you are a citizen of Konoha, and you carry the Will of Fire. Instead of hating them, earn their respect. Find a way to show them who you truly are."

"How…How can I do that?" asked the boy, still crying bitter tears.

"Become strong, Naruto. Not just as a ninja, but here," he said, pointing to Naruto's chest, illustrating that he meant that Naruto needed to have a strong heart. It was at that point in time that something clicked in Naruto's mind.

"I know! I know what I can do!!" the boy exclaimed happily. Sarutobi smiled.

"What are you going to do?" asked the Hokage.

"I will…I will become Hokage! Then everyone will respect me! I will protect them even if they don't deserve it! Then…one day…they will learn to acknowledge me! I will even become the greatest Hokage ever!" he said all in one breath. He took a large intake of air after getting that sentence out. The Hokage, in return, smiled with great warmth.

"If that is what you want to do, you must work very hard. This is not an easy road Naruto, but I believe in you," he told the boy with genuine belief in the little blond. Naruto laughed with joy at the fact that he at least had the Hokage who acknowledged him.

*End of Flashback…

"I will definitely do it. I will become the strongest Hokage ever. Everyone in the whole village will acknowledge me," he said to himself with a wide grin smacked across his face.

"Naruto! Be quiet!" yelled Iruka, throwing a chalkboard eraser at the blond's head, causing the entire class to laugh and make fun of him.

"Who is that idiot?"

"I don't know, but I've heard he's been here three years already!"

"He failed?"

"Hahahah! He must be weak!"

Naruto began to growl at all the remarks. "Listen here! My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I am going to be the greatest Hokage that has ever been! Just you wait!" The class laughed even louder, but not Iruka. Iruka smiled at the boy's words.

"Despite the cards that he has been dealt, Naruto…I used to think like some of the other villagers, but being with you all these years, I have seen your character. You are no demon. There need to be more people just like you. In this village…" though Iruka to himself. He snapped himself out of his thoughts, "AHEM! Class! This is not the time for an outbreak. This is your first day, so be good, or else…no recess for a whole week!" All the children gasped at the prospect of not having their precious recess, thus, the clamor stopped as quickly as it had come.

… … …

Three month later…

"Okay, we are about a third through the academy year! It's time for your first field exam!" announced Iruka to the class. "Everyone, get up, and follow me!" he continued as he opened the door to the outside playground, opposite of the door that led to the hallway. Some of the students rejoiced in utter glee, while others moaned about it being too much work.

Since the school year had begun, the class had already started to choose their favorites. The most popular kid in the class was named Uchiha Sasuke, the heir to the Uchiha clan. The majority of the girls in the class were obsessed with him, even having their own Sasuke fan club. Naruto, of course, thought that that was pathetic and that he, instead, should have his own fanclub. In fact, he didn't like Sasuke much at all. He always seemed so pompous.

Haruno Sakura was, in Naruto's opinion, the prettiest girl in the class. She was always with her rival Ino. Although she always acted mean toward him, he ignored it due to infatuation. As far as the others, well, there were the lazy duo Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. Then there was the loud Inuzuka Kiba, the only one remotely close to being as loud as Naruto. The quiet students Naruto knew by name were Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata. Shino knew how to creep someone out, and Hinata was plain weird. Whenever she was nearby to Naruto, she would get all red and puffy. He figured that she was easily prone to sickness or some type of allergy.

The class reached the outdoors. The first test was on chakra control. "Crap," murmured Naruto. "When it comes to chakra…"

"What's wrong, dobe? Scared that you might get held back again?" said a snickering Sasuke.

"Shutup! You'll see when I pass this stupid test!" yelled Naruto in rebuttal. Sasuke left Naruto with a "hmph." Naruto looked at the ground. "I can't control chakra…at all. How am I going to be a ninja?" Iruka looked over at Naruto.

"Naruto…" he muttered quietly to himself. There was something strange about Naruto. He couldn't use chakra…at all. If he couldn't use chakra, then being a ninja seemed impossible…even more so with his grandeur dream of Hokage. Recently, Iruka went to the Hokage about the matter and asked that Naruto's body be tested by the Hokage's special medical team. After the diagnostic test was done, Iruka and the Hokage met again. The Third was surprised at the information that was learned, and even deeply saddened, letting on to Iruka that the test was not good news.

*Flash back…three weeks ago

"Hokage-sama, what is the problem?" asked Iruka.

"Naruto," began Sarutobi, "cannot use chakra."

"Is it because of-"

"No," the Hokage interjected, "This is something else. The problem lies within his body. His chakra wiring disables him from using even the most basic chakra. I believe it has something to do with the Kyuubi's sealing inside of him. The Fourth must have made a mistake of some type during the process. After all, he had already been injured."

"So…you're saying that his chakra coils…" Iruka asked for confirmation about what he thought the Hokage was telling him.

"Yes," replied the Hokage, "His chakra coils are wound in such a way that, although his coils are very large, they will not function like they should. In other words, Naruto will never be able to use his chakra to use ninjutsu." "I just hope this doesn't create a dependcy on the Kyuubi…" he thought to himself.

Iruka looked down, saddened by the thought of Naruto not being able to fulfill his dream. "Poor Naruto…" he spoke quietly. The Hokage cleared his throat, catching a glance from Iruka.

"Well," interjected the Third, "there is still a minute possibility of him becoming a ninja. However, that road is perilous, fraught with many dangers." Iruka raised his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" he asked, curious being an understatement, "If his chakra coils have been rendered useless, isn't it impossible to succeed as a ninja?"

"Well, no…it's not impossible," replied Sarutobi, "it has been done before. Remember that boy from the class next door to yours from this last year's graduating class?" Iruka thought to himself for a few seconds before remembering the boy.

"Him?" he asked, his eyes widening at the realization of what the Hokage was suggesting, "But is that possible for Naruto?"

"Of course it is!" responded the older man enthusiastically. "It's part…of his legacy."

"His legacy?" asked the younger Iruka.

"Another time, Iruka-sensei…another time," said Sarutobi with a sigh attached to the end of his senstence.

*End of Flash back…

Iruka moved over to Naruto. The boy gulped, knowing that the class would see how bad he really was when it came to chakra controlling techniques. "Naruto," said the teacher.

"Y-yes?" replied the young blond in nothing more than a murmur.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to…" Naruto thought it over, looking at the other students, their eyes judging him. Did they think he was just going to quit? Naruto, instead, stuck out his pelvis and summoned a large belly laugh.

"Let's do this! What's the test!? I can't wait!" exclaimed Uzumaki.

"It's the Henge," replied Iruka, "You need to turn into me." Naruto sweatdropped.

"U-uh….y-yes! Of course! Alright….here we go!" he said with utmost enthusiasm. "Henge!"

Sasuke sweatdropped, while the rest of the class laughed their heads off. Sasuke looked at the "dobe" and said one thing, "What is that? A retarded squirrel?"

… … …

It was after class. Naruto was sitting in the back of class as the rest of the students were leaving, some giving him a humorous or condescending glance as they left. He sighed. All he did was fail at the academy. If this kept up, he would never be able to leave.

"Naruto," said a voice from behind him. It was Iruka. "Are you alright?" Naruto nodded, not saying a word, his face cast downward to the desk, trying to hide himself from his judgmental classmates. Iruka sighed, empathizing with the boy, knowing what it was like to be considered the outcast…to be the class clown, just to get a bit of attention. "I wanted to talk to you about someth-"

Naruto interjected. "I'm not going to be able to be a ninja…am I?" asked the young boy, lifting his head up from the desk and looking over to his sensei to reveal tears coming down from his face. Although neither Iruka nor Naruto knew it, there was one student left watching the scene from hallway door window. Hyuuga Hinata.

"Don't give up, Naruto. I was talking with the Sandaime, and….there may still be a way," replied Iruka. Naruto's eyes, in that moment, brightened.

"R-really…?" he asked, drying the tears from his face, "How…?" Iruka smiled.

"Naruto, you won't be able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu…" He paused. "Do you still want to become a ninja, even while knowing this?" he asked. Naruto looked at his sensei intently, as if trying to measure the gravity of the situation. Did he really want to become a ninja, even without the tools of ninjutsu or genjutsu? What did that leave for him?

"Then, you mean….that I should focus on…" started Naruto.

"Taijutsu," Iruka finished for him, "Naruto, become a master at Taijutsu. Become the best Taijutsu specialist the world has ever known." Naruto widened his eyes.

"Then…I can still fulfill my dream?" asked boy eagerly.

"Well…I am not an expert on the future…" said his teacher in reply. Naruto looked down, discouraged. "However, I'm not going to say it's impossible. And although I don't know the future, I do know this…" Iruka gazed steadily into Naruto's eyes, showing that whatever decision Naruto would make after this would decide his future. "If you do nothing, you will never become Hokage, no matter what…but if you do your best and work hard, maybe you will find a way," he finished with a smile. Naruto studied his sensei before grinning widely.

"Hai sensei," he replied, resolution emboldening his eyes.

… … …

… … …

Author's Notes

Alright! This is the end of Chapter one of Element Zero!

I have set the framework for the story. Let me know what you guys think! I think I may finally update my other story. It's a little overdue, I admit.

Send plenty of reviews to let me know if this story if worth continuing, although I already know it is worth continuing. After all, I have the plot in this here noggin of mine!

Techniques Guide:

Henge – Technique which can disguise a person (original-meaning from the Naruto series)

Bunshin no Jutsu - Clone Technique –the ability to create clones that do not have actual physical bodies (original) (Although this was not covered in this chapter, this is a common academy jutsu that his taught. I am assuming that 99.9% of you readers already know what this is anyway.)