A Trick of the Light

By Lutris Argutiae

Chapter Beta'ed by Thundereaper

A/N: I've been bouncing this idea around my head for a while now, though it originally started back in April with a medic!Naruto idea I had. Many thanks to the people at ADD (forums. Demonsdesire. Net), and especially to Omni, who goes by Thundereaper on this site.

Enjoy!

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"What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story, and the greatest good is little enough: for all life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams."

-Pedro Calderon de la Barca, 1600-1681

Chapter One: Naruto

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A crackling voice peppered with radio interference sounded into a red-haired ninja's ears. "Kouzuki, have you located the target?"

"Negative, taichou. It appears that he's taken to hiding among the trees. Anything over at Gettou's end?" Kouzuki, as he was called, replied.

Another crackling voice joined the conversation. "Affirmative, taichou. Target located in the southern sector of the Forest. Awaiting your orders sir."

"Good. Kouzuki, meet up with Gettou. I'll scout ahead and see if I can't cut that little brat's escape route off. Move!"

Cursing at his partner's good fortune at finding the target, Ren forced himself to leap into the lush treetops of Konoha's woodland terrain training grounds, following directions from Gettou.

Kouzuki Ren would say he was an average Chunin. He had no special skills, except maybe his exceptional Katon jutsus, and likewise had no special features that separated him from the other Chunin and above level shinobi in Konoha's ninja squads.

Although he had no distinct traits or abilities that set him apart from his fellow colleagues, aside from an undeserved, but nearly perfect mission record born from the countless D-Rank missions his taichou put him and his partner through, he had nothing to complain about.

Well, almost nothing.

Uzumaki Naruto was, indeed, something Ren had found ample time and circumstance to complain about. The loud-mouthed, foul, mischievous, thieving, annoying, time-consuming brat had very nearly ruined his day (and his undeserved nearly perfect mission record) countless times.

While the D-Rank missions themselves were degrading, Ren usually had no qualms doing them day after day since they only improved his mission record. Besides, out of the few B or A rank missions he had participated in, he had only come back with a failed mission twice; both times because of the arrival of a squad of enemy Jounin way out of his team's league.

But, when a mission concerning Uzumaki Naruto came up, it always, definitively, and inevitably ended with the cold blue ink of a failed mission stamp, even if it was a D-rank mission.

It wasn't that Uzumaki Naruto was capable, or even an enemy shinobi. He was an Academy student, and a grotesquely failing one at that. No, Uzumaki Naruto was hated for his devious tricks and his ungodly and freakish stamina. When these two were combined, the long hours of tracking him down degraded and humiliated those who were caught in them; namely, those who chased him, or, in this and countless other cases, Kouzuki Ren.

This time however, he would not fail. No, he could not fail.

As Ren leapt through the trees to rendezvous with Gettou, he silently and solemnly vowed to himself.

He would not fail; never again would he fail his mission.

Especially Mission: Subdue Prankster Uzumaki Naruto.

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He was a ninja: a shinobi hidden in the leaves. He was a ninja who would not hesitate to accomplish his mission, no matter what the cost. He had a massive and powerful arsenal of hundreds of unbeatable jutsu at his disposal; he was an unstoppable force. He was Uzumaki Naruto, soon-to-be Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

His valor and justice was known throughout the land, and if one was asked it they knew Uzumaki Naruto, they would reply, no, but I wish I did. His deeds were now known throughout the village, and he was even more famous than before. It was only a matter of time before he was made Hokage, the village leader, and strongest shinobi in the village.

But, some things came before other things. Currently, he was escaping from traitorous chunins who would dare to attack the successor of the Hokage! After he had decorated and shown his superiority over the previous village leaders' monument, he had leapt away and ran to escape the clutches of the treacherous enemy Konoha nin.

He was now leaping from tree branch to tree branch, running from his pursuers. He scanned behind his back to check for the enemy; they were nowhere to be found.

Relaxing slightly, Naruto eagerly dug into his pack, retrieving his precious kunai. It had saved him on many an occasion, and would likely do so again. This time, he would use it to cut some ropes that held a multitude of traps containing a veritable plethora of scented paint and many, many smoke bombs. This would hopefully deter his pursuers; he really didn't want to resort to his massive and powerful arsenal of hundreds of unbeatable jutsu to defeat them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he detected a slight, minute movement not one hundred meters from where he was now perched. It was the enemy. They had come in hopes of taking his head- or perhaps they planned to take him alive to publicly execute him, shattering the hopes and dreams of the people of Konoha!

This would not stand with Uzumaki Naruto!

He would not back down from a fight he could win! He would never give up! He would win.

Peering over his shoulder once more, he saw a pair of the hostile chunin jump off of their trees and rapidly enclose on his location. Sensing imminent danger, he forced energy into his legs, and leapt into the air, making his way towards the first of the ropes supporting the dangerous traps.

"NARUTO!" one of the chunin yelled from behind him, "We're going to get you this time! It's no use trying to avoid the inevitable!"

"Oh yeah? Well come on and catch me!" Naruto tauntingly retorted. Surprisingly, the clichéd and childish jeer only served to anger the chunin even further; definitely not the mark of a veteran ninja, Naruto mused.

"Ren, we're to capture him alive. At this rate, you'll beat him to the ground and kill him before he even thinks of trying anything." The second chunin calmly lectured the first: Ren.

"I know that, Gettou. I know. But he's just so…" Ren continued anxiously.

"Taichou is cutting ahead of us, remember? We'll get him." Gettou said admonishingly.

Deciding that he had stalled his opponents for a long enough time, Naruto turned to face 'Ren', looked him in the eye, and taunted him once more. "Time's up, guys! Bye-bye!"

With that, Naruto sliced the first of many ropes that held his homemade exploding paint balls. While they were cheap and not that great quality for weapons use, they were certainly enough for his use, and as clichéd as it was, brightly colored and foul smelling paint always served well to ruin someone's day.

With a raucous bout of irritating laughter, Naruto leapt away from his current tree branch, cutting more lengths of rope as he went.

Looking back, he saw the first chunin being drenched in bright neon green paint and smelling up a nauseous storm as he blindly cursed at the orange-clad Hokage-wannabe. Grinning, Naruto skipped off of another branch, and laughed at the shinobi who was called Ren, and pointed at him jeeringly for good measure.

Suddenly, however, his movements were halted as the back of his turned head collided with the firm chest of another shinobi; with a gasp, Naruto desperately tried to leap away, but the unknown and hostile ninja swiftly grasped his ankles, stopping his futile efforts at movement.

"Taichou! You made it in time!" Gettou exclaimed happily as he saw the face of his team leader.

"Yes. It appears so." The unknown shinobi replied tersely, before reaching into his hip holster and pulling out a length of bright yellow and obviously vinyl wire.

"Don't move, Uzumaki. This wire is professional shinobi weapons grade; it's sharp enough to slice you into ribbons should I feel like it." And with that, the ninja began tying the suddenly compliant Naruto up, Ren watching from behind with a satisfied glimmer in his eyes.

"Kouzuki, Gettou, we will now deliver Prankster Uzumaki Naruto to the Ninja Academy to conclude our mission. Follow me." The team leader ordered the two chunin, before turning around and preparing to jump.

"Oh, and Kouzuki."

"Yes, taichou?" Ren replied eagerly.

"Clean yourself up."

The leader-class ninja leapt away, carrying an uncharacteristically silent mass of blond haired flesh.

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It was with a rough manner that Naruto was dropped off at the Academy, if one could call being unceremoniously dropped onto the ground in front of the school building from the roof merely rough.

"Thank you gentlemen; mission accomplished. You can go now." A kindly voice sounded from inside dark entryway of the Academy building.

The three shinobi nodded at the voice's owner, before leaping away in the general direction of the Hokage's Tower to report the success of their mission.

"Now, Naruto. What, may I ask, moved you to oh-so-beautifully decorate the Hokages' Monument, hmm?" The voice called out.

Naruto, still bound in the vinyl bindings, craned his neck upwards to face the speaker, before loudly and excitedly exclaiming, "Mizuki Sensei!"

'Mizuki' smiled, and bent down on his knees to reach over to the knot tied behind Naruto's back.

"Why do you do these kinds of horrible things, Naruto? You know they'll just make you clean up after yourself again."

"Because I'm going to be Hokage some day, Mizuki Sensei!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, and grinned happily.

"Oh? You always say that, but I don't see any villagers lining up to vote for you now, do I?" Mizuki said amusedly while slowly untying the vinyl cord.

"Besides, how does defacing the Monument relate in any way at all in your becoming a Hokage? You're just disrespecting the job, you know." Mizuki continued.

"Because some day, I'm going to be Hokage, Mizuki sensei." Naruto said with a bright grin. "And when I do that, I'm going to be the best ninja, with the best damn jutsu and be the strongest Hokage of them all! That's why I decorated the Hokage Monument. I wanted to show them that I was better."

As Naruto proudly exclaimed his future, Mizuki finished untying the rowdy blond, and smiled once more.

"Well," started Mizuki, "Now that you're untied, you can take your first step towards becoming the Hokage."

His eyes filled with excitement, Naruto bounced up from his place on the ground, and eagerly asked, "What? What? Whaddya mean by first step? What?"

Mizuki grinned maliciously. "Public service, Naruto. You defaced the Monument, you clean it."

"WHAT!?" Naruto shouted with unholy volume.

Mizuki grinned, and pointed towards the shed at the side of the school building. "There's a mop and bucket in the shed. Happy cleaning Naruto, I'll be watching!"

Grumbling, the small boy dejectedly walked towards the shed with his shoulders slumped over to retrieve said items. Hell, he'd do anything but clean if it were anyone but Mizuki sensei that asked; but, as it was, it was Mizuki sensei that had asked him to clean up after his own mess. The silver haired teacher had helped him time and time again, and Naruto couldn't afford to lose his faith now.

He came out a minute later, still grumbling.

"I'll meet you at the Monument later, Naruto." Mizuki started, "If you get done by six, I'll treat you to Ichiraku's, how about that?"

The look on Naruto's face said it all. Chuckling, Mizuki activated his Shunshin and disappeared in a swirl of wind and leaves.

"All right! Ramen, and on a weekday too!"

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It was the orange-red light of the setting sun that announced the arrival of an exhausted and grimy Uzumaki Naruto and a somewhat amused, but still tired Mizuki at the Ichiraku Ramen ramen stand, along with Naruto's loudly growling stomach.

Naruto tiredly made his way to the corner seat at the stand's counter, and plopped down on the red, vinyl covered cushion. Mizuki followed after him, and after checking over Naruto, sat down next to him, drawing out a menu list from the menu slot in front of him.

"Heya Naruto! What're you going to be eating today, kiddo?" The kindly faced owner of the ramen stand, Teuchi, asked energetically.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up blinking, then regained his senses. "Oh… I guess I'll have a miso ramen to start with then. I want a boiled egg and some pork on top too, old man!" He finished with gusto.

"Coming right up!" Teuchi grinned happily, matching Naruto's volume and enthusiasm. "And Mizuki-sensei, what'll you be having tonight?"

"I'll have a shouyu ramen then. Make the noodles a bit soft. Oh, and can I have a boiled egg on top as well, by any chance?" The silver haired instructor-shinobi said as he looked up from his menu.

"Sure thing!"

Soon enough, two steaming and hot bowls of ramen were placed in front of both teacher and student, and with a loud 'itadakimasu', the two dug in to the soup and noodles at a feverish pace.

As they ate, Mizuki spoke up from his meal, "Say, Naruto."

"What?" Naruto replied after slurping up the last of his noodles.

"What do you think of Iruka? You know, the ninja tactics teacher? He's your homeroom teacher, right?" Mizuki inquired.

"He's just a right old bastard, Mizuki-sensei. I wouldn't call him a sensei, because he's so strict. And he's extra mean to me, too!" Naruto exclaimed, not noticing a small shine in Mizuki's eye.

"He's mean to you? Why haven't I heard this before, Naruto? We eat ramen here practically every weekend, you know? Don't you trust me?" Mizuki pressed.

Naruto replied after finishing drinking the salty soup of his ramen, before taking a paper napkin from the dispenser sitting on the counter top.

"He just is, Mizuki sensei. He's nice to all the girls and especially Sasuke; he's even nice to Shikamaru who's so damn lazy that he doesn't even DO any assignments even though he can. But whenever I even try to answer a question…" Naruto muttered.

"I'm going to have to talk to him then. I'll see if I can do anything to get him to tone his lessons down a little, and I'll do something about his questionable teaching methods and favoring." Mizuki frowned.

"That's okay, Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto turned and exclaimed, "Because I'll be the next Hokage, and when I do become Hokage, I'll change all of that. I'll make sure everybody receives fairness, and nobody's shunted like I am."

"Naruto…" Mizuki started, and then turned to look away, a small, mysterious smile forming on his lips.

Several seconds passed, before Naruto's loud voice erupted once again.

"Hey old man! One more miso with a boiled egg!"

Mizuki blinked, remembering that he had told Naruto he was paying for the meal, before finishing up the last of his own ramen. "I've got to get back to school to finish grading some jutsu reports, Naruto. Here's some cash; I said I'd buy today's ramen."

Mizuki fished out several slips of money and handed them to Naruto, who was already happily slurping up a new bowl of ramen.

"Hey Naruto," the teacher said, waiting for Naruto to turn around and stop chewing. When he saw that he had the blond child's attention, he continued,

"Good luck on tomorrow's Genin Exams!"

A pause followed, before Naruto cursed rather loudly, startling a pair of children who had just sat down for a bite of ramen.

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"Late for class yet again, eh, Naruto?" The disapproving voice of Umino Iruka intoned imperiously down at the blond haired and tardy ninja student.

"It doesn't matter; now that you're late, I'll have to review what we covered in the last ten minutes. You're holding up all of your fellow classmates Naruto; this is getting way out of hand. Just get to your seat." Iruka said tersely.

"But Iruka-sensei…" Naruto started.

"Get to your seat now, Uzumaki." Iruka ordered sharply.

Dejectedly, Naruto climbed the stair-like levels of the classroom, and plopped down on his seat next to the silent Aburame Shino and taking out his writing utensils from his bag, not that he intended to use them at all. Class time was meant for naps, and since he already was a capable ninja, he didn't have to pay attention to Iruka's crummy classes.

Iruka insisted on giving him the cold treatment yet again even after Mizuki-sensei had given him a talk and reprimand. Since this was so, why did he, Uzumaki Naruto, have to give a rat's ass about Iruka's long and boring lectures?

Besides, it was exam day. Exams were supposed to take place, not lectures. He'd studied like mad last night. He didn't have time for this stupid lecture. Naruto decidedly ignored whatever spiel Iruka was spouting at that particular moment. Honestly. Who needed supportive comments when the only thing there was to do was perform a few flashy ninjutsu techniques (he had that one definitely covered now, what with the perfection of his somewhat special henge), and walk away from the classroom with a forehead protector in hand?

Certainly not Uzumaki Naruto.

That is, certainly not Uzumaki Naruto as long as they weren't required to perform the Bunshin no jutsu for their jutsu examination. Then he was utterly, completely, and devastatingly screwed. Henge, he could manage without a hitch; his Oiroke no jutsu was testament to that fact. His Kawarimi wasn't that bad either, considering things.

But it was the Bunshin that really got him in a corner when it came down to it. Illusions like the henge he could pull off perfectly, as it seemed to come naturally to him. If he had a visible aid in front of him, he could replicate something so that his illusion would look darn close to whatever he was copying. That was what he had accomplished when he had practiced the Oiroke no jutsu: he had smattered the body proportions of various attractive women he found in certain magazines in bookshops all over Konoha. This led to his experimenting on the entirety of the adult male populace of the village to find the perfect balance in incapacitating enemies.

The Bunshin. The art of creating a non-corporeal copy of one's self, it was a basic ninja technique in the village of Konohagakure utilized in distraction and to aid in escape when encountering dire situations. Naruto couldn't manage it no matter how hard he tried; it didn't matter how much freakin' chakra he pooled into the technique, or how focused and determined enough he was to make the technique just work.

When even Kiba got it in the fifth try, and Naruto couldn't, it pissed him off to no end. He wanted to show everyone up, especially Sasuke, but no matter how hard he tried, the Bunshin was an impossible task for him.

"Naruto, would you care to repeat what I just said to the rest of the class?" Iruka's voice made itself known to Naruto's irritated thought.

"Um… can you repeat… whatever you said please?" Naruto replied sheepishly.

"Listen carefully, and don't miss a single word then. You're all here to take the Genin Entry Exams: all twenty-four of you. To pass, you must correctly perform one of Konoha's three basic ninjutsu, which I assume you remember from class at least, Naruto?"

"Sure! Any time, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shot back, decidedly annoyed at how weak Iruka thought he was.

"Good. Then you'll have no problems performing the Bunshin no jutsu along with everyone else today, I think? If you cant, well, that's your last shot at becoming a ninja." Iruka furrowed his eyebrows.

Oh, shit.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't voice your thoughts out loud, Naruto. It's disrespectful to curse in a teacher's presence." Iruka intoned, much to Naruto's annoyance and the class' amusement.

Mentally growling, Naruto nodded, and answered affirmatively through gritted teeth, fearing for the possibility of him passing now that the test was determined to be the Bunshin.

"Now, as I was saying before, before I was interrupted," Iruka began, "You'll be called up to perform the Bunshin no jutsu in front of myself and Mizuki sensei, who will be coming shortly. Your success at performing the jutsu will gain you a forehead protector of the Hidden Leaf, and earn you the title of Genin. Any more questions?"

Seeing there were no additional queries from the student body, Iruka nodded, and deftly walked out of the classroom, his sandal-clad feet patting against the wooden floor of the Academy classroom.

Several minutes later, amidst the hushed and excited chatter of the ninja-hopefuls of the class, Iruka entered the room, followed by the smiling, well-kept Mizuki. They made their way to the rather large desk that was placed at the head of the classroom, and after setting their clipboards and papers down on the wooden surface of the desk, sat down roughly at their seats.

"Now," Iruka started, "I will call each of you up one by one, and you will be asked to perform the Bunshin and produce three perfect copies of yourself. Should you pass, you will be recorded as such, and will be presented with a hitai-ate. Should you fail, you will be recorded as such and will have to wait another year for another chance at passing the test."

Inwardly, Naruto was shaking in anxiety and worry. The Bunshin? Him? No, he couldn't possibly manage a single Bunshin, let alone three perfect copies. How would he get through… how would he pass this exam, his last exam?

This was his third attempt at the Genin Exam, and by the rules of the village, shinobi hopefuls could only take the entrance exam a total of three times. Otherwise, they were determined to be detrimental to the squad even if they passed on the fourth try, since the lack of innate talent for jutsu and ninja techniques would be damaging to the force, and would just result in the hopeful being killed in action.

In any case, he had no more attempts left to his name should he fail; he had to pass. He had to; it was his dream to become Hokage, the greatest ninja in the village. If he couldn't become a shinobi, then how was his dream even remotely attainable?

No, he had to pass.

"Aburame, Shino."

But he couldn't manage to perform the Bunshin.

"Akimichi, Chouji."

If he couldn't manage to do that, how else could he make a copy of himself?

Time was running short.

"Haruno, Sakura."

What skills did he have? What could he use effectively?

"Hyuuga, Hinata."

The Henge.

"Inuzuka, Kiba."

Could he try faking the Bunshin with a henge? Was it really possible?

"Nara, Shikamaru."

Yes: as long as he used the Henge on some other inanimate object to transform it into an image of himself, he could do it. He could do it.

"Uchiha, Sasuke."

Yes; all he needed was something to transform; what could he use a Henge on? Pebbles? No, maybe… ah, his pencils.

One, two…

"Uzumaki, Naruto."

Damn.

Naruto picked up his two pencils and an eraser, and walked up to the front of the classroom, aware of the eyes staring at him from the back of the chamber.

"All right, Naruto. Perform the Bunshin, please, if you can." Iruka calmly commented.

"It's okay, Naruto, you can do it. Take your time." Mizuki interrupted.

Taking a deep breath to relax and to relieve him self of the tension that was building up in his chest, Naruto, still holding the pencils and eraser in his hands, formed the hand seal that would shape his future, and his destiny.

"BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

In that split second before he let his chakra run wild in his body, Naruto released the writing utensils that he held in his hands, forcing his body to channel chakra into a Henge instead of the voiced Bunshin.

Almost too slowly, three loud pops, accompanied by plumes of smoke, erupted at his side; he focused.

He envisioned a perfect image of him, shaping it perfectly, as close to the real thing as possible.

His blond hair; his ocean blue eyes and whisker-like birthmarks on his cheek. The orange clothes he was clad in; the blue highlights on his jump suit, the white ridges around his neck, and his navy blue ninja-issue sandals.

He imagined it, and envisioned it; he willed his chakra to change the shapes and forms of the pencils, and to make them bloom and blossom into perfect copies of him self, into doppelgangers of Uzumaki Naruto.

And then, as quickly as it had come, that split second passed, and the chakra he had expelled through his hand seals formed and coagulated over the writing utensils, changing and molding.

Then, when the jutsu smoke cleared, his fate was laid bare before him.

"Impressive Naruto, considering your past attitude in my class. I count… one, two… complete Bunshin. And… the last seems to be a mite imperfect, Naruto." Iruka commented, at first genuinely surprised.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes; there they were: his precious Bunshin substitutes. Two perfect copies of himself, and…

Two?

The last Henge'd pencil (or was it the eraser?) was clearly incomplete; it lacked any semblance of a shared image with Naruto, and was white, and pale as snow. It lay on the wooden, planked floor, apparently out of energy and clearly not up for any sort of physical action at all.

It didn't even have any color to shade its intended bright orange clothes.

Mizuki looked on at Naruto, his eyes in a calculated gaze, and his hands knitted together under his chin in rapt thought. He had a sort of sad look upon his face, and though Naruto did not notice it in his shock at the failure of his jutsu, his eyes were smiling.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Iruka said, perhaps showing him compassion for the first time ever, "But I must mark you down for failure. The requirements state that you must create three perfect copies of yourself, and while your two complete Bunshin are of a quality I have yet to see even in the chunin ranks, your last doppelganger is unsatisfactory. Therefore, I must mark you as failure. I'm truly sorry, Naruto."

Failure.

What? I failed? Again? But… my dream, the Hokage… failure… failure?

"Now, you don't have to be so harsh on him, Iruka-sensei. He created copies that are of an unrivaled quality so high that even we'd have trouble telling him and them apart. I say cut him some slack; it's true he didn't make three copies, but I say the quality of the bunshins makes up for it. What do you say, Iruka-sensei? I say let him pass." Mizuki said proudly.

Naruto looked up from his shell-shocked state.

A long pause followed, in which Iruka pondered over Mizuki's words carefully. It was a while before he spoke.

"I can not, in good conscience, give Naruto this forehead protector. I cannot. It is my responsibility to train those genin-hopefuls into able ninja who can at least protect themselves, and can complete their assigned missions. A single Bunshin can mean life or death for a Genin under attack. I can't allow an unprepared genin out into the real world with real combat situations. I'm sorry, Naruto, but this is final."

And Naruto's world shattered.

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The sun had almost set in the village of Konoha. It was nearly dark, and the last natural daylight in the ninja village was fast disappearing in the failing light. Street lamps were flickering on, snapping and hissing as electricity began to course through them, causing the tungsten filament in them to glow brightly and blindingly.

For Naruto, the sun had already set. It was only despair and a sense of lost direction that he currently felt. It was dark, and all of his natural sparkle and shine had disappeared and faded away into the depths of his dark, dead eyes.

He'd failed the Genin Exam. Three times.

Those three times were the only chances he had at becoming a shinobi, and he had blown them all off, horribly and terribly. He had goofed off for too long while he was in class, and didn't even to the theory work behind most of the jutsus; maybe his Bunshin would have been loads better had he actually paid attention in class, and he wouldn't have had to come up with an on-the-fly Henge substitute for the damn technique

Maybe he would have just passed like any other normal ninja-hopeful…

Maybe, maybe, just maybe…

No. There had to be a way. That Lee kid in the year above him was failing almost as badly as he was, last he had heard, but he'd still gotten Genin rank. So why couldn't Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage and strongest ninja in the village, do the same?

Why?

No. Final was final; he'd heard what the Sandaime had said. Three chances, and no more. That was what the old man had told him when he had pulled a few strings and got him an entry slot in the Ninja Academy. Even Lee had passed on his second try with the rest of his classmates, so it was only Naruto who was absolutely hopeless at being a ninja, and not other really-close-to-failing students.

Maybe he just wasn't cut out to be a ninja. Everybody, and that was everybody, knew how to do a simple Bunshin. All of the Jounins, all of the Chunins, all of Genins, and of course, the old man Hokage knew as well.

But he couldn't, and that was that.

Failure.

He hated failing. Failing made him feel weak and powerless.

And he hated being weak.

Maybe it was the sheer number of times he almost got beaten up by drunk old men on the night of the annual Yondaime's festival, or maybe it was all of the unfair and harsh treatment he received from the villagers of Konoha.

He just hated being weak. And he had failed the Genin Exam. That made him worse than weak. It made him a loser. It made him into an ability-less incompetent.

He was weak.

So wrapped up was Naruto in his gloomy misery that he didn't notice someone slowly approaching form behind him in the dark. It was only the soft pattering of ninja sandals right behind his back that alerted him to Mizuki's arrival.

"Hi, Mizuki Sensei." He started, unsure of what Mizuki wanted with him at this hour, considering the current situation. It sure as hell wasn't for a bowl of ramen, he could tell by the look in Mizuki's eyes.

"Naruto… how are you holding up?" Mizuki sounded worried and careful at the same time.

"How well do you think, Mizuki Sensei? How well would you hold up if you'd just failed your last Genin test?" Naruto darkly commented.

Mizuki took a step forward, and plopped down on the ground next to Naruto, turning to face the almost completely setting sun. He breathed deeply, and then turned his head to look at Naruto.

"You failed, true." You should have seen it coming was left unsaid, but Naruto heard the unuttered words.

"I guess I deserved it for slacking off all the time. I couldn't even perform a single Bunshin on today's exam because of that. And because of that, my dream…" Naruto said sounding for the entire world like a man who'd lost his way.

"But you did perform the Bunshin, Naruto. What are you saying?" Mizuki said, seemingly puzzled.

"I just henge'd some pencils and an eraser to make it look like I performed the Bunshin. I cheated on the exam." Naruto answered darkly, his eyes cast down towards the seemingly gloomy streets.

A short pause followed after Naruto's confession; Mizuki nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Naruto straight in the eyes.

"You didn't cheat, Naruto."

"What?" Naruto, slightly shocked, exclaimed.

"You didn't cheat. You almost passed that Exam fair and square. It's just that your lack of actual training bit you in the butt when you tried to execute that technique." Mizuki replied matter-of-factly.

"How in hell did I not cheat, Mizuki Sensei?" Naruto exclaimed. "Iruka Sensei told us that it was a test for Bunshin, not a Henge-that-passes-for-a-Bunshin."

"In the shinobi world, that doesn't matter, Naruto." Mizuki voiced, a little seriously. Naruto blinked curiously, still uncharacteristically quiet.

"In the shinobi world, it doesn't matter if you perform a Bunshin or a Henge that looks like a Bunshin. What matters is that you get out of a situation alive with the mission accomplished. If you can't do something normal way, you do it with another, better way. That's how the world we live in operates.You just get the job done, and no one asks any questions." Mizuki continued, still in a serious manner.

"Do you understand, Naruto?" Mizuki questioned.

Naruto was quiet for several seconds, lost in his thoughts and Mizuki's words. It was true, he supposed, what Mizuki Sensei was saying. It really didn't matter whether you cast a Bunshin to make a copy of yourself or you formed an illusion making it seem like you did. The important thing was was making the guy you were fighting confused or whatever by showing him two or more of you so you could run away.

'Yeah Mizuki Sensei, I do. It's too bad I really can't use that anymore, what with me flunking the Exam for the third time in a row." Naruto answered, finishing in a gloomy tone.

"About that, Naruto."

What?

"I talked to Iruka Sensei, and I kinda got it into his head that you really deserve a second, well, fourth chance. He saw how well you produced those, well, what he thought were Bunshins regardless of the quantity, and we agreed that it would just be a waste of talent if you couldn't make it as a shinobi." Mizuki revealed.

WHAT?

"So I've decided to give you a trial mission. If you accomplish this mission successfully, you'll be granted Genin rank and will be able to join Konoha's elite military force. How's that sound?"

Naruto was dumbstruck. Another chance? For me? No, it couldn't be, could it?

Mizuki Sensei hasn't ever lied to me. Not once. I can trust him. So this has to be true too!

"Mizuki Sensei! Mizuki Sensei! What's the mission, what's the mission?" Unable to contain his excitement, Naruto pressed with a suddenly happy grin.

"Listen carefully, Naruto. Your mission is a retrieval mission; you are to retrieve a certain scroll for me. It's in the Hokage's office, in a special cabinet that's sealed with an advanced seal. Your mission is to use this," Here Mizuki dug into his weapons pouch to retrieve a small slip of paper, "and to retrieve a scroll from it."

"That's it? That's easy! Mizuki Sensei, thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I get to complete my dream of becoming a Hokage! Thank you Mizuki Sensei! " Naruto, exuberated, exclaimed.

"That's not all, Naruto," Mizuki continued, pointedly ignoring Naruto's joyous prancing, "You'll have to evade capture until we can meet at a rendezvous point that I will set up. If you can keep the scroll from getting captured and held in enemy hands, and learn a technique from it, I'll be able to guarantee you a Genin rank and a forehead protector by tomorrow."

"All right!" Naruto exclaimed, and turned to face the Hokage Monument looming in the distance.

"You old geezers better watch out, because here I come!"

And he'd be the strongest of them all.

He didn't notice the sinister grin Mizuki sported before using his Shunshin to disappear in a swirl of leaves and wind.

'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"Yes! I did it!" Naruto's overjoyed cry rang out in the darkness of Konoha's forests as he leapt from tree branch to tree branch.

I can be a Genin now! I passed! All I have to do is… oh yeah, learn a technique. Shouldn't be too hard if I have to learn it in only a few hours; Mizuki Sensei wouldn't make it insanely hard, right?

As he neared the rendezvous point, a clearing that Mizuki had shown to him a couple of weeks before close to the edge of Konoha's forest, Naruto could only barely contain his excitement. One technique, and he could pass.

One technique was all he had to master before he would become a Genin and enter the ranks of Konoha's shinobi squad. Given that this was an extension of the Genin Exam, Naruto supposed that all of the techniques that were contained in the humongous scroll on his back were moderately easy to learn and master; Mizuki Sensei was looking out for him, and so he wouldn't be forced to learn an A-rank jutsu in a futile attempt at passing.

If it was Iruka that was administering the test, he could have been made to do that, but Mizuki Sensei had said that Iruka had agreed with him in giving him a second chance. If Mizuki Sensei had said it, then it was trustable and a reliable piece of information.

So it didn't matter either way. He just had to pick one flashy-looking jutsu from the huge scroll, memorize the hand seals, and practice using the technique until he got a good grasp on how to use it.

Soon, he came to the clearing where he was supposed to meet Mizuki Sensei. He had said he would come around at nine thirty sharp, so that left about two hours and a half to find a good technique and learn it.

Naruto undid the straps that tied the over-sized scroll to his back, then, while carrying the scroll in both arms, sat down on the damp ground against a particularly large tree.

Slowly, he undid the knot that held the scroll, and unfurled the paper material. As he unraveled the scroll, he began to consider a technique he would like to learn.

A kickass attack jutsu? Maybe a fire jutsu, or even a lightning one! What to choose, what to choose…

Naruto continued to read and gloss over the jutsu names that he came across, discarding those he felt weren't worth his time and effort to learn, and keeping in mind the jutsus that met his standards.

Kage Bunshin no jutsu? Nah, I suck at the Bunshin anyway. And I proved that I can make a Henge that fooled even Iruka, so it's pointless. Next.

Raiton: Ryuusa Bakurai no jutsu? Sounds cool enough… but it's a class S jutsu. I thought that Mizuki Sensei'd cut it easy for me. Next.

Suiton? Gimme a break, water jutsus are lame. Next.

Kuchiyose? What the heck is that? Summoning? I don't have a fucking contract, whatever that is, you stupid scroll! Next!

And so Naruto continued to browse the many jutsus that were listed in the Scroll of Forbidden Seals, coming closer and closer to the final jutsus listed in the ancient relic. Naruto unrolled the next portion of the scroll, and glossed over the jutsu on it, before finding them unsatisfactory and moving on to the next section.

It was some time before Naruto looked up from his perusing of the scroll to check the amount of time he had left before Mizuki Sensei would arrive at the rendezvous point; in fact, it was a whole two hours and twenty minutes before he did.

Naruto, upon glancing upon the alarm clock he had brought with him from his apartment, felt a sort of cold feeling wash behind his ears and back, filling up with dread.

I only have ten fucking minutes!

Frantically, Naruto dove back into the scroll, and unraveled it further, revealing a further five or six techniques. He hurriedly glanced over them and found a jutsu to his liking (as much as he could care about personal preference, now that he only had ten minutes or less to learn the stupid jutsu).

Genjutsu, hmm… illusions, right? Well… I'm good at the Henge, so I guess it won't be too hard to master this one jutsu. Lemme see, hand seals, and…

Several minutes later, the sound of a ninja's padded sandals landing behind him alerted Naruto to Mizuki's arrival.

"Mizuki Sen…" Naruto turned, before his eyes widened at the person in front of him.

"Naruto! What the hell were you thinking when you stole the Hokage's Scroll of Forbidden Seals? Answer me!" Iruka's furious voice rang out into the silent night, transfixing Naruto to his current spot on the forest floor.

"Uh… hi, Iruka Sensei?" Naruto stammered out, unsure of how to react. Wasn't Iruka in favor of his retest opportunity? And he hadn't stolen that scroll anyway. Mizuki Sensei had said it was a retrieval mission.

"I said, Naruto, what the HELL were you thinking when you stole the Hokage's Scroll of Forbidden Seals? You crept into the Hokage's office at night, no less, and you steal one of the village's most dangerous artifacts for a stupid little prank? I know you're jealous of the students that passed the test, but this, this crosses the line, Naruto." Iruka's enraged visage made Naruto cringe in fear.

"But… but… Mizuki Sensei said you agreed! That you agreed that I could have a second chance!" Naruto pleaded desperately.

"What on earth are you blabbering on about, Naruto? I haven't seen hide or hair of Mizuki since the Exams! Stop trying to lie your way out of this one!" Iruka rebutted.

"This is my life we're talking about here," Naruto cried, "Mizuki Sensei… Mizuki Sensei said that I would get an extra chance to pass the Genin Exam! He said you'd agreed! He said that if I retrieved the scroll, and I learned a technique from it, you'd let me pass!"

A dead silence followed, Iruka's face becoming furrowed and grim as he processed the information.

"Mizuki really said that to you?"

Naruto paused, then paled in realization.

"You mean that I don't get a second chance? Mizuki Sensei lied? No, you're lying! You're lying!" Naruto cried out at Iruka's scarred visage.

"Naruto, calm down. The situation is a lot stickier than you know. Just calm down." Iruka said, trying to calm and placate the now panicking Naruto.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Mizuki Sensei wouldn't lie to me! He never has, and never will!" Naruto childishly insisted, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Calm down Naruto. For god's sakes, just shut the hell up!"

Naruto was shocked into silence hearing Iruka raise his voice.

"Now, Naruto, we've gotta get moving. I'll take you to the Hokage, and you can explain yourself. I'm with you, Naruto. Just tell him what you told me, and I'm sure he can alleviate any punishment that you might receive. Just calm down, and come with me." Iruka stated.

"But, but Mizuki Sensei said I was supposed to wait here…" Naruto, clearly torn, said.

"That's right, Iruka. He's supposed to be waiting for me here." A gravelly voice rang out from the treetops above the clearing, interrupting whatever Iruka was about to say.

Startled, Iruka turned to face the newcomer to the clearing: the silver-haired Mizuki.

I didn't even notice his presence.

"So you're the one behind this mess, Mizuki." Iruka said clearly, hiding his shock from the other nin.

"Come on, Naruto. Give me the scroll, and you'll be a Genin! See, I even have your forehead protector all ready back at the Academy! Come on, all you have to do is give me the scroll, Naruto! Come on!" Mizuki said, ignoring Iruka.

Making a sound of annoyance, Iruka turned to face Naruto and exclaimed, "No, Naruto! Don't give it to him. Let's just go back to the Hokage. He'll be able to explain everything to you. So come on; ignore Mizuki. Come with me, and everything'll be all right."

Naruto was confused and very clearly unable to decide between the two possibilities he had laid before him. On the one hand, he had Mizuki, a friend and mentor-figure that had always been there for him, and had never lied to him. However, Iruka had said that he, Naruto had stolen the scroll; and not just any scroll, but the Scroll of Forbidden Seals, one of the most dangerous artifacts in the entire village, when he was under the impression that the scroll was merely a testing scroll.

Iruka, while stuck up, strict, and a general bastard all around (at least around him), was not one to lie about such things. But he couldn't discount Mizuki, whom he had always trusted, and counted as a precious person.

Slowly, Naruto started to walk in Mizuki's direction, taking small, but steady steps. Mizuki's eyes were crazed; they were full of anticipation and greed. Naruto winced a little in fear as he walked ever closer to the silver haired Academy instructor.

Why am I scared of Mizuki Sensei? Why is he so… intimidating?

One step, then another, and then another followed as Naruto walked forward, unsure of the direction in which he should be walking.

Maybe Iruka is right. Maybe I should go back to the Hokage. I'm not going to be a ninja anyway now that Iruka has said that that retest was a hoax.

Only a few more meters were left between the tree Mizuki was perched on and where Naruto now stood, the orange-clad ninja student slowly, but surely closing the distance.

But… I can trust Mizuki Sensei, right? He's always been there for me, all the time. I can trust him. I can…

"NARUTO!" Iruka's voice suddenly pierced the night, and the confused Naruto swiveled his head towards the forceful sound. Mizuki grinned, seeing Naruto turn his head away, and revealed a large Fuuma shuriken to throw at a moment's notice.

Naruto froze at Iruka's voice, and Mizuki saw his chance.

The silver haired and now crazed chunin let the enormous weapon fly, and it cut the air with a whistling shriek as it spun rapidly towards the small child. A metallic clash rang out into the woodland air as Iruka sped forwards with a Shunshin to intercept the weapon with a kunai of his own.

"NARUTO! RUN! I'll hold him off! Just get back to the Hokage! I'll be right behind you when you get there!" The brown-haired Academy teacher yelled.

Dumbfounded, Naruto could only nod as he stumbled to his feet, and dashed into the dark night of Konoha's forest with the large Scroll of Forbidden Seals, scrambling away in the general direction of the Hokage's Tower.

"Are you sure that was such a smart move, Iruka?" Mizuki smirked at the other chunin, before drawing a pair of kunai from his weapons pouch with a savage grin.

"Now that I see that you're not going to give him back up to the village, I'm pretty damn sure that that was the best course of action I could have taken, traitor." Iruka said with barely bridled fury and killing intent.

"Ooh, I'm so scared! The little dolphin is out to play!" Mizuki gestured wildly with his kunai knives, and with a maddened haze in his eyes, continued, "I'll just have to kill you first, and then get rid of that damned Kyuubi brat before he gets to the village."

"I won't let you."

"Such brave words, Iruka. I know you haven't seen actual combat since your early chunin years. I've only just been taken off the active roster three years ago. You're all rusty while I'm still fresh and sharp. Just give up now, and I'll at least spare your life." Mizuki offered.

Iruka hurled a handful of shuriken in response; the keen projectiles lodging into the tree Mizuki was on, as Mizuki flipped onto his hands to avoid the attack. Snarling, Mizuki leapt towards the other shinobi, launching one kunai towards him while raising the other to prepare for a strike at Iruka's neck.

Iruka ducked under the kunai speeding towards him, flicking several more shuriken at his charging opponent. The pony-tailed ninja scarcely had time to recover before Mizuki had caught several of his shuriken and thrown them straight back at him, and charged straight at Iruka's open back while he was dodging the bladed weapons..

Sensing danger, Iruka leapt onto the tree trunk directly in front of him, and vaulted off over Mizuki's head to land a heel kick to the rear end of his cranium; Mizuki, with a bored expression, contorted and twisted his body to dodge the blow, before deftly forming several handseals to activate a jutsu.

"Doton: Retsudo Tenshou!" Mizuki cried, slamming his palm to the ground. With a large rumble and groaning, the earth in front of him split in two, causing chunks of rock and dirt to erupt into the clearing.

Cursing, Iruka formed the Ram seal to perform the Kawarimi with a large piece of earth that had landed some distance away from the fissure, avoiding falling into the large crack that had opened up in the ground.

"Did you like that jutsu, Iruka? I learned it when I was in a mission to the Earth country; my last mission, to be exact." Mizuki taunted, now seemingly calm and placid, though his fingers itched towards his weapons.

The scarred chunin shook his head mockingly in a negative reply. He needed to think of a way to immobilize or incapacitate the traitor-nin, and he needed to think of it fast. He had to catch up to Naruto; the child didn't know that the other shinobi of the village were under orders to retrieve the Scroll of Forbidden Seals at any cost. This meant that many of the vengeful ninja who had had it in for Naruto would not hesitate to permanently incapacitate Naruto in order to do so.

No, he had to stop that. No matter how loud or how rude and disrupting Naruto was as a student, he was still his student. Added to the fact that the small boy was also an orphan of the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago, it only reinforced his resolve to swiftly and decisively dispatch the traitor Mizuki in order to do so.

"You're not thinking of running away, are you, little Iruka?" Mizuki called out from the far end of the clearing.

"The thought hadn't even crossed my mind." He replied coolly. He needed to buy some time to think of a way to stop Mizuki. Think. What was Mizuki's objective? It was obviously the Scroll of Forbidden Seals, and not Naruto. So why did he involve the blond boy in the first place?

"What do you hope to accomplish with the Scroll, Mizuki? Is it power, money? Were you a spy all along? Why, tell me dammit, why? Why did you betray your own village, you traitor?" Iruka shouted vehemently, hoping to stall for more time.

Mizuki's posture straightened until his back was uncurled and he stood at full height. He slowly breathed out a breath he had been holding in, and then opened his still crazed eyes.

"Answer me!" Iruka yelled.

"Why, you ask, Iruka? Because I'm sick of this goddamn stupid village, that's what!" Mizuki screamed in anger.

"I'm fucking sick of it! Believe in your comrades, don't leave anybody behind, don't kill whenever possible… those rules, this idiotic, soft mentality is the why, Iruka! Be kind to others? Bah! My last mission in Earth country, we were assaulted by Rock nin; I was left to fucking die after a rock nailed me in the head." Mizuki said, taking off his bandanna to show a large scar rippling across from his forehead into his scalp.

"This is what was left on me to remind me that your teammates will value their own lives over yours; that's what the shinobi break down to anyway, isn't it, Iruka Sensei?" Mizuki mocked.

"Comrades in arms? Don't make me laugh! I was there, dying on a rocky field, and nobody was coming to help me! I was scorned, and abandoned. But that was when a powerful; the most powerful shinobi approached me! He gave me the power to avenge myself, and to take vengeance upon those false comrades. He healed me and gave me power; and he will accept my service when I deliver the Scroll to him!" He yelled, spittle flying from his mouth as he spoke.

Iruka stood in silence, still crouched in a battle stance with a kunai at the ready. Mizuki wanted the Scroll of Forbidden Seals in order to appease this new 'powerful shinobi'. From what the instructor-chunin had said so far, it was vengeance and a fanatical will to be with this third party that pushed him forward.

How to disable him, though? I'm no match for him physically

"And Naruto? How does he play into all of this?" Iruka carefully questioned the maddened shinobi.

"Naruto? Oh, the brat. He… was only a means to an end. I befriended him in hopes that he would trust me enough to put in a few good words to the Hokage, but it seems that the Hokage doesn't nearly have enough time for all of the village's problems, if you know what I mean. So, I used him. He's the perfect scapegoat, Iruka! Think of it! He stole the Scroll of Forbidden Seals, and you know what jutsu lies concealed in that particular scroll, don't you? Everybody hates him. So I used that. Naivety is such an enemy to a shinobi, isn't it, Iruka?" Mizuki told matter-of-factly, with a hint of a barely concealed, malicious undertone.

"So you were only using him all along?

"Of course! Who'd actually give a shit about Uzumaki-fucking-Naruto, eh? Only a fucking retard, that's who!"

'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'

Naruto ran.

He didn't really know why he was running. He knew he was afraid, true, but he didn't really get why he was afraid in the first place.

Why was he running? Was he afraid? Of what? Mizuki Sensei? Why would he be afraid of Mizuki Sensei, who'd always been friendly to him, and had bought him ramen all of those times?

Naruto ran.

Did Mizuki Sensei lie to me?

Iruka said so. But maybe Iruka lied to stop me from getting a forehead protector. Maybe he's just being his regular old bastard self.

But Mizuki tried to kill you, Naruto, a voice within him countered. You know that how Iruka's treated you over the years can't begin to hold a candle to that.

Naruto saw the logic in his thought processes; and he pondered over the possibility that Iruka had lied to him once more. But that can't be, because Mizuki Sensei told me that Iruka agreed on the retest. Iruka didn't even know about it.

He hated not knowing who to trust. He hated being helpless and being thrown around like some child.

He hated being weak.

Naruto stopped running. He couldn't tell who to believe and who to not trust. It was all a jumble inside his head, and he needed to make sure, if only to make a decision on his part.

So Naruto stopped, and turned to the opposite direction from that which he was running in. I've got to make sure. Mizuki Sensei wouldn't lie to me, but he threw that huge shuriken at me. Iruka Sensei hates me, but he tried to save me.

Who do I believe?

So Naruto ran again, the scroll bundled on his back, this time back towards the clearing where, to the best of his knowledge, the two teachers were now fighting; Iruka claimed that he would 'hold Mizuki off' so Naruto could run. But Mizuki was Naruto's friend; he was a precious person.

He wouldn't let either of them be hurt: not on his account.

Iruka wasn't a friend, but he sure as hell had saved him from that huge shuriken. He couldn't let him be hurt, no more than Mizuki, because he needed answers.

Naruto ran.

'-'-''-'-''-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'

Naruto arrived, panting, close to the clearing where he had left Mizuki and Iruka, who he could see in the distance. The pair of Academy instructors, he observed, were standing at opposing sides of the cleared woodland space facing each other across a massive fissure in the ground, each with his weapons drawn.

He could hear them arguing over something; he inched closer to the clearing to see if he could discern what they were arguing about. It could be about my promotion to genin, his naïve, hopeful side supplied.

"…Naivety is such an enemy to a shinobi, isn't it, Iruka?" Mizuki Sensei was saying maliciously and evilly to Iruka.

"So you were only using him all along?" Iruka interjected.

"Of course! Who'd actually give a shit about Uzumaki-fucking-Naruto, eh? Only a fucking retard, that's who!" Mizuki spat.

What?

A sudden wave of nausea washed over Naruto; he felt sick with dread. Mizuki Sensei had only been using him for all of these years? How? Why didn't he notice?

He… he doesn't care for me… at all?

Naruto felt dizzy from the shocking influx of information; shock settled in into his childish mind, paralyzing his thoughts and higher mental processes.

He doesn't care for me. He doesn't give a shit about me.

So shocked was Naruto that he didn't notice a kunai coming straight at him from the far end of the clearing; it was only the resonating clang of another kunai intercepting it that alerted him to its presence.

"Naruto! What are you doing back here! I thought I told you to head back to the village!" Iruka shouted.

Naruto winced at Iruka's explosive voice, but was prevented from answering by Mizuki.

"So… the little blondie returns. Are you okay, Naruto? Are you hurt? Do you want to go get some ramen? HAH!" Mizuki tossed in a condescending way, jeering at the young boy.

Trembling, Naruto raised his voice to Mizuki, "What you said…"

"What? That nobody gives a rat's ass about you?" Mizuki cackled.

"Did you really mean that?" Naruto pressed on, fearful for the answer he would receive.

"Oh no, I really do care about you," Mizuki said, sounding sincere, then continuing, "Who gives a damn about you in this entire village, Naruto? Not a single, damn person. The Hokage does, though he doesn't do jack shit about it, but who else? No one, that's who; so no, I don't really care about you either way."

A long silence followed, Naruto's eyes turning from fear to rejection.

"You're… you're not Mizuki Sensei." Naruto fearfully ground out, uncertainty pooling into the back of his mind.

And revelation struck.

Maybe he isn't Mizuki Sensei. Something's taken over him.

Then maybe I can help him. I can make him wake up!

"Oh? I'm Mizuki, all right. The Mizuki who always wanted to kill you for that night twelve years ago. The Mizuki who always burned for vengeance against Konoha. The Mizuki who's going to kill you after using you as a weapon against the damn village!" Crazed eyes burned, then laughed.

"YOU'RE NOT MIZUKI SENSEI! YOU'RE A DEMON IN HIS CLOTHES!" Naruto yelled out, anger at the 'imposter' setting into his blue, cobalt eyes.

A tense silence followed, Naruto glared with a smoldering gaze, now entirely sure in his conviction.

That can't be Mizuki Sensei. I know it!

"A demon, you say. Oh, I know all about demons, Naruto. Don't you know why all the villagers hate you? Why you have no parents? Why every year, the villagers try to hunt you down on your birthday?"

Iruka paled at what Mizuki was implying.

"MIZUKI! You know that's a forbidden secret! You can't tell him that!" He shouted urgently.

"I know all about forbidden secrets, little dolphin. But seeing as you've already called me a traitor, then I don't think the village's damn rules bind me anymore! Freedom is sweet, don't you agree, Naruto?" Mizuki told Iruka, making him fall into silence.

Naruto stayed silent, forcing himself to forget that the monster in front of him was Mizuki Sensei. It was not his Mizuki Sensei, but rather something that had taken over him.

"Ignoring me, Naruto? No matter. You know, I've always hated you. From those wretched scars on your cheeks to your careless attitude, I've hated every single ounce of your being! And you know why, Naruto?" Mizuki started slowly moving towards the boy like a predator stalking its prey, waving back and forth in doing so.

That's not Mizuki Sensei. That's not Mizuki Sensei. That's not…

"The reason, is…"

"NO! Don't tell him, Mizuki!"

"Oh? So I can't tell him the reason that you've always hated him, the reason you've always been unnecessarily harsh with him, and the reason that you, above all others, pushed for his failure?" Mizuki looked at Iruka with a superior, malicious smirk.

He must be stopped.

Thinking fast, Iruka flung a kunai at the other nin, desperate to stop him from spilling the S-Class secret he was about to reveal, and charged with a Shunshin; Mizuki reacted instantly, driving a fist into Iruka's gut as he came as a bullet towards him, causing him to gag and cough as he spewed his bodily fluids over the forest floor.

In the next instant, Mizuki caught the kunai coming at his forehead by the handle, and, spinning it around on his forefinger before holding it in a reverse-hold. Grinning viciously, he plunged the bladed weapon deep into Iruka's gut.

"IRUKA SENSEI!" Naruto cried, seeing the blood spurt from Iruka's wound.

Mizuki grunted, and kicked the shinobi in the chest, making him crash into a tree, blood now gushing from the open gash on Iruka's stomach. He licked the kunai clean of blood, and then spat the red liquid out into the fissure in the ground.

Naruto forced himself to calm; he would ascertain the validity of Mizuki's statement, whatever it was, later. Right now, he had to get help to Iruka Sensei, and then beat the hell out of Mizuki Sensei to wake him up.

"You know the stories of the Yondaime, Naruto? Of course you do. You know, the one about the Kyuubi!" Mizuki laughed.

Naruto didn't reply as he readied his knuckles for a charge and a slugging to the head.

I need to do this quickly, for Iruka Sensei.

"All of the stories say that the mighty Hokage killed the Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox in mortal combat, sacrificing his life for the village." Mizuki spat, sickened.

"You should know that the Kyuubi isn't dead. In fact, Yondaime sealed it into something."

One, two, three… charge!

Naruto leapt forward, running straight for Mizuki with his fists raised high and ready to pummel the older shinobi to the ground.

Unfazed, Mizuki continued, "You, Naruto. He sealed the Kyuubi into you. Which means, by extension, you are the Kyuubi."

Naruto froze.

What?

"You're the reason I had to be dispatched to the Earth on border patrol. You're the reason Iruka's parents were killed. You're the reason the whole village was ruined twelve years ago!" Mizuki pressed on.

Taking advantage of Naruto's yet-again shocked stature, Mizuki menacingly walked forward towards him, now baring the kunai he just used to mortally wound Iruka in a predatory pose.

"And now that you've brought me the Scroll, I don't need you anymore! Bye-bye, Naruto, and goodbye, Demon!"

Mizuki swung the kunai down; Naruto didn't even notice.

Time stopped.

"Suiton Hijutsu: Chiba Senshou!"

A red blade curved instantly towards Mizuki, his kunai in mid-swing. Before the silver-haired nin could react, a razor sharp tail of blood sliced across his face, cutting his skin open across from his left ear to past his nose. His own blood spurted out of the slash on his face.

A blade made of blood wound out of the gash in Iruka's stomach, glistening dark, dark red in the pitch black of the forest. Iruka grinned, though the blood loss had had grave effects on his body, and his face had a ghastly look upon it.

Yelling in pain, Mizuki staggered backwards, clutching his hands to his bleeding face. The blade of blood curved backwards, and impaled Mizuki through the shoulder, weaving in and out his body with ease.

"IRUKAAAAAAAAA!" Mizuki growled viciously, his eyes turning bloodshot and bearing his teeth, ignoring the blazing pains that ran through him.

With a scream of rage, Mizuki turned to the bleeding chunin, and in his madness, did not even activate a Shunshin in his mad charge towards the other nin, pulling the blood blade along with him and impaling himself further in his madness to reach Iruka.

He was almost upon the fallen ninja, when Iruka smiled eerily, and formed a single, one-handed handseal.

"Umino-ryu Hijutsu: Chiba Senshou: Hatsu!" Iruka growled out with his exhausted and fatigued, but still vicious voice.

Mizuki was still howling in rage as the blood piercing him suddenly erupted into flames and exploded in a rush of dark, burning fire. He flew backwards through the air, clawing at the image of Iruka sitting against a tree, fiercely growling and baring his teeth like a beast.

With a huge crash, Mizuki impacted on the hard, cracked ground of the very fissure he had created earlier through his own jutsu. He coughed blood, covered in burns and bleeding from numerous wounds all over his upper body.

Mizuki roared like some wild animal, and pushed off against the rock wall behind him as if he didn't even notice the pain, and flew through the air at Iruka, who had closed his eyes, with his head lolling over to the side.

It was like a slow motion film; Naruto saw Mizuki leap into the air, and ran. Naruto ran as fast as he could, desperate to save Iruka and stop the clearly broken Mizuki.

Yelling like his life depended on it, Naruto sprinted across the clearing towards Iruka; with a cry he leapt, and, feeling a huge rush of power as he did so that filled his veins, instinctively, or perhaps subconsciously, started forming handseals.

Whatever the reason, Naruto's hands blurred in a blaze of red chakra as he saw a red film go over them, and fiery red chakra coursed down into his hands, burning and scorching his skin.

"Genjutsu: Heisha Shoufuu!"

The jutsu caused a flash to erupt from his hands, and the bright, white light burst into the darkness of the night. Mizuki yelped at the sudden light burning away at his eyes, and reactively curled his back away from it, unconsciously dropping his kunai blade on the earthen floor of the forest.

Naruto, still carried forward by his momentum, crashed into Mizuki, causing them both to tumble and fall to the ground, rolling away until they crashed into a tree at the edge of the clearing.

Naruto saw stars as he impacted against the wooden trunk of the giant tree; dazed, he saw Mizuki slowly standing up, pushing himself off of the forest floor, blood dripping from his many wounds.

"What…Naruuutoooo… what did you do to me…" Mizuki uttered madly, clawing at his eyes..

The boy desperately reached for the kunai carefully tucked away in his weapons pouch... if only he could reach it! The jutsu had apparently failed. He couldn't save Iruka Sensei or Mizuki Sensei at this rate!

"Naaruuutoooo… what did you dooo…" Mizuki growled like some unstable creature, turning his head towards the ninja student. His eyes were wide, his pupils contracted, and his eyes were filled with bloodlust and madness. In a burst of movement, he moved towards Naruto, fists and teeth bore in a desperate, furious assault at the boy, orange-red chakra still swirling about him.

Red chakra glowed sinisterly in the night.

It was instinct that moved Naruto, not reason. If he could have described the sensation, he might have said it was whiteness in his mind, where he didn't see, didn't hear; a whiteness where he did not feel anything, yet he could feel his body moving against his will.

Naruto didn't see, didn't feel, didn't hear or smell or taste a single thing. All that surrounded him was whiteness, and he felt something within him creak open, and a voice spoke within his mind.

"I thank you, Brat, for this opportunity."

Instinct moved Naruto, but it was not his own.

Red chakra blew about Naruto in a gale, blasting Mizuki away across the devastated clearing. Naruto growled loudly, baring his now hooked, fanged teeth in an expression of fury and bloodlust.

"Finally! I am free!"Naruto cackled in a voice not his own. Grinning like a savage, he continued to reach for the kunai in the pouch at his back, and pulled it out. Red chakra whirled around him in tendrils, eager to strike.

"A poor excuse for a weapon." Naruto said, clearly gazing upon the blade disdainfully. "But you shall do, little metal tooth."

Laughing madly, Naruto flung the kunai at the still airborne Mizuki. The ninja didn't even have time to react as it whistled right through him, and impaled itself in the trees far behind him.

Naruto leapt into the air covered by bubbling red chakra, following Mizuki, and though he wasn't using the Shunshin, easily caught up with the other shinobi in midair.

Still crazily laughing, Naruto drove his now clawed hand right through the wound that had been opened in Mizuki's torso, and grabbed the severed spinal column jutting out of the cavity. Naruto yanked the bone, and Mizuki screamed in utter pain and fear as he felt his life starting to bleed away.

"Yes, yes, YES! Give me more terror!" Naruto chanted wildly, and seeing the rapidly approaching tree in front, kicked off of Mizuki's wrecked body, propelling it several inches into the wood of the tree.

Seeing his handiwork, Naruto smiled, then screamed, arching his back in pain, before righting his posture almost instantly, bones cracking and skin starting to burn off as he did.

"W…wh…who…ar…are…you?" Mizuki said feebly, terrified out of his wits and in intense pain, the feel of his last moments suddenly leeching the bloodlust and madness he had just experienced, and replacing it with sheer, absolute fear.

"A weak body my host has." 'Naruto' noted, ignoring Mizuki and glancing at his arms and legs after landing. 'Naruto' started to gather the bubbling, burning, red chakra into his right arm nonetheless, grinning a savage grin as he did so.

"And now, dear human, I must say goodbye, ere my host dies." 'Naruto' called out to the trembling Mizuki, before speeding forward towards the quivering ninja, and driving his fist straight through his heart and into the tree behind.

"D…demon…" Mizuki breathed in his last breath, before succumbing to his wounds and his lost heart.

'Naruto' laughed, crushing the still beating organ in his hand, and the red chakra swirled about him before dissipating completely and without sound.

Naruto collapsed.

'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'

It was only a scarce few minutes later that ANBU patrol forces found the decimated clearing, with jutsu trails and blood covering the site with splattered gore..

Three bodies were in the clearing; one against a tree, a fatal stomach wound bleeding out on the ground, a second buried into a tree trunk, a hole through his chest and torso, and a third boy covered in blood lay next to a large crevice in the ground.

They leapt into the clearing, carefully observing the bodies, one already radioing in a medic ninja group and an investigative ANBU team.

A green rookie gagged, before regaining his composure.

"What the hell happened here?" A cat-masked veteran questioned rhetorically, before sighing a long, heaving sigh, observing the presence of an oversized scroll left on the forest floor.

"Who's going to go tell the Hokage?"

'-'-'-'-''-'-''-'-'-'-'-'-'-'

Draft 1 Completed 6/27/07

Draft 2 Completed 6/28/07

A/N:

I'm starting to write up chapter two now; keep in mind that this WILL be a Genjutsu using Naruto, with many abilities on the side. Thanks for reading! Special thanks to Omni (Thundereaper) for letting me bounce ideas off of him, and also beta-reading this chapter.

Jutsu Inventory:

Doton: Retsudo Tenshou (土遁：烈土転掌)- A Doton jutsu introduced in canon during the Kakashi Gaiden. This jutsu was used to kill Uchiha Obito, and is considered a basic jutsu amongst Rock chunin.

Raiton: Ryuusa Bakurai (雷遁：流鎖爆雷)- An original jutsu. Causes a chain of high-voltage lightning to move through all living things within range; will continue to move through chakra-sources in a chain reaction. The only way to contain it is by closing the area off of chakra. S-Rank Konoha Kinjutsu.

Suition Hijutsu: Chiba Senshou (水遁秘術：血刃千焼)- Original ninjutsu. The Uminos' secret technique. Utilizes their affinity to water to control their blood's shape and temperature; can only be used outside of the body, and thus only when the user has bled a substantial amount. Last-resort jutsu.

Umino-ryu Hijutsu: Chiba Senshou: Hatsu(海野流秘術：血刃千焼：発)- An advanced technique utilizing the above secret technique. Umino-style secret technique; it flash-boils the blood used in the Chiba Senshou, causing high-temperature flames, and in some cases, explosion as it activates. Last-resort jutsu.

Genjutsu: Heisha Shoufuu (幻術：閉遮招封)- Original Genjutsu. A forbidden technique, this Genjutsu is not an illusion. It uses light as a transmitter, and tricks the mind into believing the body is dead, and vice-versa, thus causing at the least a physical disabilities, and at worst, total death. Is a Kinjutsu for the extreme ease in which it can be performed, as seen in Naruto's activation of the jutsu. Naruto, while activating the jutsu, could not perform it correctly, thus only resulting in a flash of light and disorientation on Mizuki's part.

Thanks for reading!