Chapter 1: The Four Senseis

Title: Successor of the 4

Summary: Unconscious and thrown out of Konoha, Naruto meets Itachi, Deidara, Kisame and Sasori. Not being in the Akatsuki, they took Naruto in and made him their successor.

A/N: Just a couple of edits! Read and enjoy! Also, I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 1- The Four Senseis

The sun rays tinted the sky with the color orange. Stores were closing down, people were going home, and errands were being finished. However for a blond haired child, the day was far from over. Naruto Uzumaki, hungry and beaten, at a tender age of five was being dragged into the woods by a group of adult men. His consciousness was already dwindling. The five men quickly took this opportunity to ultimately get rid of him. All the pent up anger, hurt, misery, and fear. The villagers have always treated him with contempt. The men took out their negative feelings on a child. Bloody, broken and hated, Naruto gave himself up to the physical beatings of the men. All the while silently hoping that their thirst for violence would stop soon. But sadly, it didn't. These men were fuelled with negativity; A negativity that Naruto dreamt to overcome. And Naruto fell unconscious. They quickly picked him up and hastily threw Naruto outside of the village. One of the men spat on Naruto, he grinned and looked at the unmoving body "Kyuubi brat deserves this." Cheers were given to each other, it was as if they actually thought they have finally disposed Naruto. But more importantly, they thought they finally got rid of the Kyuubi.

But they were wrong.

Where shall this take you Naruto

Four figures walked down the road. Their faces covered by the shadow of their straw hats. Their bodies hidden beneath their black cloaks. It was said, when you encounter such shady figures on the road it would be better to avoid confrontation or might as well, detour from their path. They weren't members of any particular group. But that did not mean that they should not be feared of. There were no symbols on their cloak but merely a difference in the color of the cloak's lining. Sasori's color was brown, Itachi's color was red, Deidara's color was white and Kisame's color was blue. They were classified as S-class missing ninjas by the bounty book. Gentle wind passed and the bell attached to Itachi's straw hat chimed. These four weren't to be taken lightly.

"Kisame." Itachi said while pointing at a distance, a figure was lying on the ground. Kisame nodded and quickly flickered to the distance.

"Itachi-san, the kid's alive." The three others flickered into view, towering over the small seemingly lifeless body lying on the ground.

"Oh, it's the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki." Sasori whispered under his breath. His eyes trailed over the boy's body as if he could see how the Kyuubi was being held in by a seal.

"Yes. It's Naruto Uzumaki the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki." Itachi stepped up and flipped over Naruto. He held Naruto's wrist and then checked for a pulse. "He's still alive."

"Well, what should we do?" Deidara asked as his interest piqued. "He is a jinchuuriki. That means he's special."

"We can bring the brat with us. He's worth something." Kisame looked at Naruto's body like a predator ready to devour his prey.

"The boy will be of no worth but what he contains is valuable." Sasori pointed out, seemingly uninterested by the situation. Kisame grunted at Sasori's remark. Sasori has always been so passive towards things that does not hold his interest. Or at the very least, he would be interested if only it were advantageous.

"What are you suggesting Sasori-dana?" Deidara looked at Sasori but wasn't given a reply.

"No matter where they belong, jinchuuriki are treated badly by their lands." Itachi said. "Naruto here is an example of how they are treated. I think it would be better if we let Naruto come with us." Itachi stood up and looked at the other three for a response. "The child might be in even greater danger if he is with us." Sasori pointed out. Itachi looked at Sasori with shock. Deidara and Kisame's jaw dropped. What did they just hear? Was that a hint of concern coming from Sasori? Did Sasori really have feelings? Does Sasori care?

"Naruto will be in constant danger if he will stay with us. Not only that but he might actually lure in more danger. I do not want attention drawn upon us." Sasori had quickly added to his last statement as if to cover up his 'concern' towards Naruto's well being.

"I understand that you don't want to be burdened by Naruto nor would you want him to be a target when he is with us. But if we let him stay here, someone else might get their hands on him. If not, next time the villagers might actually kill him. We don't really know for sure of what might happen. If we do bring Naruto with us, at least we'll know how to handle things better than to leave him to the contempt of the villagers." Itachi stated. Wind blew and his bell chimed again. All of them stood there like statues, they knew what they would do.

"Yea, I agree with Itachi. Besides we can teach the brat a few techniques." Siding with Itachi's case. Kisame went over to Itachi's side. "Tch. This is going to be a drag but if the kid really is the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, then he should be able to keep up with us."

"Teach him techniques?! Well well, then I guess I would want Naruto-kun to be with us." Deidara was definitely interested on this plan. His smile was sly and his eyes were wide. "Let's do this." Deidara rubbed his palms together and laughed with a matching evil glint in his eyes.

"Oh no don't say it-"

"The true art of Explosions!"

"The 'Art of Explosions' my ass. Tch, Naruto will stick with me and learn kenjutsu!" Kisame bluffed so hard that it made Sasori chuckle. Deidara angrily glared at Kisame and threw a rock at his direction.

"And what is he going to get with learning how to wave a sword? Puppetry is a form more useful to learn than what both of you have to offer." Sasori mocked the other two, which of course earned heated glares from both Deidara and Kisame.

"What did you say? 'Wave a sword'?!" Kisame angrily mocked Sasori. "Sasori-dana?!" Deidara shouted, feeling quite belittled by Sasori.

"If Sasori wants to teach Naruto, then I want to teach Naruto-kun as well." Itachi won't be the one to step down. He also wanted to teach Naruto a thing or two. And he also knew that the other three won't bother teaching the child the basics. Naruto has to learn the basics. Itachi was pretty confident with teaching, as he did help train his younger brother a thing or two in the recent past.

"I say we all teach him something. That'll make everything fair." Kisame grunted out proudly, still not wanting to back off.

"Okay fine." Deidara, Sasori and Kisame nodded in agreement. Itachi let out a small smile, they have reached a decision.

"But first, we should let him rest. Kyuubi will help Naruto heal from all these." Itachi bent over and picked Naruto up. "Kyuubi will?" Deidara asked with disbelief. "Heh, the Kyuubi won't just let his holder die from getting beaten up. Right, Itachi?" Itachi nodded in agreement to Kisame's statement.

"Let's head to Suna." Sasori flickered out of sight as well as the other three did.

The four then began their travel towards Suna. Naruto was still fast asleep recovering from his injuries. He was still being carried by Itachi. Sasori had offered to carry Naruto earlier using one of his puppets, but Itachi found it important to keep the boy near his person because of imminent danger. The four had to make sure that they wouldn't give away their location and their chakra signatures. Itachi knew that the Hokage would've dispatched ANBU teams to search for Naruto by now. Sandaime wouldn't just let Naruto out of the village and into stranger's hands. The Kyuubi is a valuable asset to Konoha. Even with how Naruto is treated, he should be kept under the protection of the Sandaime and Konoha's ninjas.

They could catch up with us soon. Sandaime won't just let Naruto get away like this.

"Itachi, I sense no chakra signatures around us." Kisame looked at Itachi with a hint of concern.

"I do not sense chakra signatures as well." Sasori stated and Itachi's eyes widened. This is not usual. There must be something to this.

"Maybe they just really didn't notice that Naruto's gone?" Deidara injected to the conversation.

But that would be odd for Sandaime to do that. Unless he has plans. . .

"Let's keep moving. Stay hidden." Itachi said before the four of them flickered and vanished out of sight.

"Hmmmm. . ." Naruto tossed in Itachi's arms. He looked better now. His bruises were gone and his face looked peaceful. Kyuubi must be nearly complete on trying to help Naruto's body recuperate. Itachi adjusted how he held Naruto and held onto the boy a little bit tighter.

"Naruto is going to wake soon." Kisame and Deidara gave out sly smiles when they heard that.

"Well isn't that good news. Brat's had enough sleep, tch."

"We might still be trailed by Konoha teams. It is dangerous to stop here." Sasori pointed out.

"Not if we make ourselves disappear." Itachi remarked.

I feel light. . . Like I'm floating on air. . . Am I dead?

In the safety of Itachi's genjutsu, the four stopped in their tracks. It's time to wake Naruto up. The child will be shocked with what's in store for him. I mean, you don't just end up in the hands of 4 S-rank missing nin on a normal day.

"Naruto, wake up. Naruto." Itachi gently shook the boy to wake him up. Naruto tossed in Itachi's arms and gently fell on the ground. His bright blue eyes opened. Naruto looked at his hands and hastily stood up. His eyes widened.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" Naruto pointed a shaking finger at Itachi. His voice was shaking with fear. He had realized that he wasn't in Konoha anymore and worse, these men took him.

"Oi oi calm down brat." Kisame somehow tried to comfort the fearful child. Itachi looked at Kisame as if to tell him to be more nice with his words. Deidara crouched down to seem less intimidating.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. We've been waiting for you to wake up. Do you feel okay?" Deidara asked in a tender voice. Kisame looked at Deidara in disbelief. What is this, Deidara is sounding like a mother?!

"Heh, I'm alright! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nothing is going to stop me!" Naruto puffed out in defense. Deidara smiled at the active response that he got while Kisame chuckled at the brat.

"Naruto-kun, we found you outside the village. We couldn't just leave you there so we decided to take you." Itachi stated, staring right into Naruto's blue orbs. Naruto got chills when he stared right back into Itachi's eyes.

"You're safe with us, ne Itachi-san?" Deidara smiled as he got a nod from Itachi. Deidara stood back up and gave Naruto a grin. Naruto seemed to be in disbelief. This was confusing. Well, this is a sharp turn of events anyways.

"Do you want to come with us, Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked. Naruto looked at Itachi with a sharp glare and tight lips. His bright blue eyes seemed to be raging with fire. Kisame gave out a sly grin and Deidara couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's facial expression.

"Child, come with us. And we will help you reach your goals." For the first time, Sasori spoke up. "Or would you rather go back to a village that doesn't like your existence?" He added. The heavy words that Sasori just said hit all of them in the conversation. This was to be expected of Sasori, he wasn't the type to beat around the bush. Naruto covered his ears and shut his eyes tight.

"Sasori-dana…"

"I am Uzumaki Naruto! And you think I care what they have to say?! When I become hokage, those villagers will definitely notice me!" Naruto shouted at the four. His mouth was in a growl and his tiny hands in fists. Naruto's body was visibly shaking but his stance was strong and proud. Itachi smiled.

"Naruto, I'm Uchiha Itachi." Itachi looked at Naruto with tender eyes and gave the child a smile. Deidara and Kisame seemed shocked at Itachi's change of tone.

"I'm Sasori." Sasori looked at Naruto and quickly looked away.

"You better not call me other names. I'm Kisame." Kisame gave Naruto a sly grin. Naruto seemed to lighten up as Kisame introduced himself. Deidara gave Naruto a light pat on the head.

"Naruto-kun, I'm Deidara. Nice to meet you." Deidara ruffled up Naruto's hair and gave him a toothy grin. Naruto looked at the four with wide eyes. "So I guess you'll be tagging along now?" Kisame asked Naruto, who gave an encouraging nod of the head.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I want to become Hokage!" Naruto stated, with a big grin on his face and a fist pumped in the air. The four seemed happy by the response that they got. Naruto was going to go with them, voluntarily. And most importantly, they'll be able to keep Naruto for the mean time.

"Let's get going." Sasori told them to prepare for the travel again.

"Naruto-kun, I can carry you on my back." Deidara motioned Naruto to hop on his back. Naruto gasped in unfamiliarity. A piggyback ride? That's new. He shook his head and turned down the offer.

"No! I don't like being carried around." Naruto exclaimed. "I can walk fine on my own." He bragged and puffed his chest out. All the while walking to the wrong direction.

"Oi, brat! We're leaving you!" Kisame said with a hearty laugh. Naruto panicked and quickly adjusted.

"We got a good kid, Itachi-san." Deidara said to Itachi, who nodded in response. Itachi removed the genjutsu that was placed on the surrounding area. This was going to be the start of a new journey for all of them.

After the first hours of travel, Naruto seemed to slow down. At the very least, he did keep up with the S-rank missing nins. That itself is a feat for a five year old child. Deidara ended up carrying him. They were almost approaching the borders of Suna, where they would restock and stay for a while. They also needed to somehow provide Naruto with his necessities and also, start with his training. Right now, Naruto was exposed. His person is exposed to any possible threat. Kisame and Sasori has to stay alert with any possible chakra signatures in the area. Deidara on the other hand was busy preparing bombs, just in case something happens. Meanwhile, Itachi had to maintain a genjutsu around Naruto. He had to find a way to keep the boy undercover. All of them was starting to get tired. Naruto looked hungry already.

"Itachi, let's set up camp." Sasori suggested as Kisame and Deidara sighed in relief. It was either Itachi vs Sasori who had the control over when to camp or not. Of course, Kisame and Deidara has partial power but they always bicker while travelling that's why it's only Itachi or Sasori who has the right to decide. Itachi saw that Naruto needed rest, so he agreed.

"Are you tired, brat?" Kisame teased. Naruto hmpf-ed and just didn't look at Kisame.

"I'm hungry not tired. There is a difference." Naruto reasoned out. His stomach growled and his face quite sad.

"Hah! Kisame got told off!" Deidara pointed out, teasing Kisame of what Naruto had just said.

"Deidara, your voice." Sasori reprimanded in a strict tone. Kisame then, proceeded to tease Deidara back by making faces. Naruto was confused as what was happening.

"Naruto-kun, remember to keep low and don't talk in a loud voice. We have to remain hidden, okay?" Itachi explained as he saw the boy's confusion. Naruto nodded, he was with strangers after all. He has to somewhat follow their rules.

"Sasori-dana is strict. But it is what keeps us safe. Also, Itachi-san always looks out for the group. Ne, Naruto-kun?" Deidara pointed out to Naruto who just nodded in agreement.

"You're still a weak brat. That's why you should always follow what we say. We do not want any more fuss because of you." Kisame grunted.

"Kisame." Sasori said, catching the attention of the swordsman. Kisame bit down his tongue and looked away. "Naruto, you should understand that we are not your ordinary travellers. We have committed crimes to these lands. We abandoned our villages. There are people who want to arrest us or kill us. Any unwanted attention directed to our group will create unnecessary situations for all of us." Sasori added. Naruto tilted his head to the side, confused by what Sasori meant.

"Simply put Naruto-kun, we are bad ninjas who are hiding. People are chasing us to put us away. Do you understand?"

"What?" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. He was going with the bad guys? But, how can that be? They did help him out, they must be good somehow.

"I am from Iwagakure, Sasori-dana is from Sunagakure, Kisame is from Kirigakure and Itachi-san is from Konohagakure. We left our villages in hopes to find a better life

"Itachi-niisan is from Konoha?! Awesome!" Naruto looked at Itachi with sparkles in his eyes.

"Not only is he from Konoha. He was an ANBU. You know those ninjas who are so cool that they get secret missions. Eh eh, awesome Naruto, huh?" Kisame teased Itachi's reputation more to Naruto. Naruto just stared at amazement to Itachi more. Itachi sweat dropped at the sight, gaining a hearty laugh from Kisame.

"Secret missions? I want to be that awesome too! Like go undercover. Save people. And most importantly, I want to be known! That's gonna be so cool!" Naruto giggled to himself and his imagination; earning the sweat drop of all four.

"Oi oi I don't think he gets the point." Kisame pointed out. Deidara laughed.

"That because of a secret mission, Itachi became a missing nin." Sasori stated. Luckily, Naruto was still stuck in his own bubble of excitement.

"Well, at least Naruto is excited. Look at him, he's dreaming." Deidara pointed out to Naruto who was jumping up and down talking to himself and his imaginary ninja dreams. The older ones couldn't help but feel warm by looking at the sight.

"I know you will become great someday, Naruto-kun." Itachi smiled.

"Tch. Oi, brat. Let's go set up camp." Kisame motioned Naruto to come to his side and help move things around. Naruto's bubble burst and he snapped out of his imaginary secret missions. He gave a big toothy smile to Kisame and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He quickly went to Kisame's side and helped set up camp.

The five of them made their camp for the night. They gathered wood and put up a camp fire. Food was being prepared by Itachi with Kisame's help. The sun had set and the orange tint was gone from the skies. Sasori and Deidara were setting up the standard operating procedure area traps for the camp to be secured. A bit of itsy bitsy spider bombs here and there. With matching traps made and laid out by Sasori. Naruto was just lying down, looking up at the night sky and the stars. Things are happening and well, Naruto just went with what has happened. But he couldn't help but think about the third hokage. Sandaime will not be pleased about his disappearance. Naruto was wondering why no search team was sent out. Was he really that despicable?

"Maybe they didn't notice." Naruto mumbled out in frustration. Naruto sat up and looked away.

"What was that brat?" Kisame asked. Naruto shook his head and didn't say anything.

"Who did not notice what?" Sasori asked, as if doubting that Naruto had something against them.

"Hokage-jiji. . ." Naruto irritatingly mumbled out in embarrassment. He stood up and looked at his feet. It was weird because Naruto always craved for the attention of others. Now that he was out of the village, he had no one to bother and no one to prank. Maybe the village will even sleep better tonight with him gone.

"Aha! The hokage didn't notice that you're gone!" Kisame pointed at Naruto as if to say 'I got what you were trying to say!' Naruto sweat dropped.

"Well, we did hide our chakra signals and cover our trails." Deidara pointed out.

"Not to mention that Itachi had to cover you up with a genjutsu so you would appear 'invisible'." Kisame added to Deidara's statement.

"As we said Naruto-kun. There is danger around us. I had to cover you so you wouldn't attract unnecessary attention." Itachi reasoned out seeing that Naruto was already starting to doubt them again.

"Are you sure that's your reason why?" Naruto offensively asked Itachi. He was starting to doubt them. Naruto has always been low on trust especially since people always tried to find their way with him.

"Oi, brat." Kisame seemed pissed at Naruto's tone of voice. "You don't just go around accusing somebody like that."

"It's alright, Kisame. Naruto's allowed to be doubtful. We should have explained it to him earlier." Itachi calmly stated to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, believe in us. Okay?" Deidara said. This caught Naruto's attention. Here's a bunch of powerful missing nins who were being kind to a kid like him. They were the first ones to actually be concerned about than being cared by the Sandaime, Naruto had not experienced this much social activity since he knew how to talk.

"I'm sorry." Naruto said with his head hung low and tears dripping from his eyes. His body shook as he tried not to let out his emotions. The four was stunned at Naruto's emotional display but he is still just a child. A tender age of five. The fact that Naruto let his walls down and that he is crying in front of them, touched their hearts a little bit more.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound mean. It's just hard to trust people, okay?" Naruto wiped away his tears and his head still hung low. "Everybody just keeps on being mean to me. People say bad things, people lie and people hurt me. I just wished jiji-san noticed I was gone. Maybe, somehow, they felt that I'm gone." Naruto said. His hands were in tight fists and his body all tensed up. "It is hard being alone. Harder because I know they hate me. But I want to show them that I am not a monster. That I can be more than what they call me."

"Sorry, Itachi-niisan." Naruto said again his head bowing down to the direction of Itachi.

"It hurts when people call you names, huh? I've been there as well Naruto-kun." Deidara said. Naruto's face whipped to Deidara's direction. His eyes wide in shock. "When I started with my bombs and they saw these mouths on the palms of my hands, it disgusted them. I was considered different and being different in a village, you get nothing. You feel like nothing." Deidara stared at one of his palms. Naruto understood. That was what he felt like in Konoha. The constant glares and constant bullying from the children. Sometimes Naruto liked the bullying, since it got him attention. But the worst moments were those times where he walked around the village, and nobody really noticed him. It was as if his existence was invisible. There was no genjutsu. He was simply non-existent.

"Brat, you don't let those villagers get to you." Kisame said, sitting right next to Naruto. "If you let them get to you, then you won't be able to be better than them. And since you want to be Hokage, you really have to show them how wrong they are about you." Naruto felt supported, and this was his first time getting encouragement from another person.

"Naruto-kun, we have something really important to tell you." Itachi opened up. Deidara and Kisame looked at Itachi in shock. Was this going to be about the Kyuubi? Most likely.

"Naruto-kun, this will be a lot to take in. Have you ever wondered why you have a seal on your tummy?" Itachi asked and this piqued Naruto's curiosity. The blond haired child, nodded his head.

"You see Naruto-kun; In the history of Konoha, there was a very devastating attack on our village 5 years ago. It was on the year that you were born. It was also known as the 'Kyuubi Attack'." Itachi said. The area was quiet and the wind howled that made chills run down your spine. Naruto looked at Itachi with his full attention. He needed to know about this.

"Now, every ninja that was available that night had to do their best to hold back the Kyuubi. If not, they were helping the villagers to safety. The fourth Hokage that time was late and nobody knew where he was. But it was said that, on that same night the wife of the Hokage had given birth to their son. With the Kyuubi attacking the village, Yondaime had his child named 'Naruto'." Naruto's blue eyes widened in shock, disbelief and surprise. Sasori looked at Naruto and saw how great of a deal this would be to him. "The Yondaime kissed his wife one last time and took the newborn child. Onto the battlefield he went, carrying his beloved son with him. The Yondaime summoned Gamabunta-sama and went to his final battle. Finishing his own life, the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into his own son. He believed that his son would be regarded as a hero of Konoha. This is what the Sandaime enforced on the ninjas but they refused to believe it. Instead, rumor had spread that the child is the Kyuubi instead. Worried about the danger the truth had, the Sandaime passed on a policy that prohibited the adults from talking about the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. I know this because I was there." Itachi explained. Naruto had tears streaming down his eyes and his hand gripped onto his belly so tight.

"Y-you're making this up!" Naruto stood up and angrily shouted at Itachi. He turned around to run away but was stopped by two hands that held his shoulders. It was Sasori.

"It is the truth Naruto. We do not want to lie to you. Not like what they did, we want you to know who you really are. Naruto, you are not the Kyuubi but you are his holder." Sasori sternly stated to Naruto. His eyes looked straight to the hurt blue orbs. Naruto had angry tears running down his cheeks.

"We want you to be able to face the truth and we will help you with facing the truth." Sasori emphasized, squeezing the boy's shoulder for security. Mixed with emotions, Naruto cried out loud and hugged Sasori hard. Sasori was taken back. He is, after all, not used to being touchy feely. But this he understood, this type of pain he had understood. And so, he hugged the crying boy. The other three just looked at them up until Naruto stopped crying and fell asleep.

"Now that the kid knows, we better start planning on how we are going to get through this." Kisame remarked as he looked to Itachi and the other two. With a serious face, Deidara nodded his head in agreement. Itachi let out a sigh, this was going to be yet another complicated journey.

"But first we rest, just as Naruto is."

Dawn broke and the sun scattered its rays up to the sky. The group had continued on with their journey, this time around Naruto was silent on their whole trip. Deidara looked worried at the child and kept on glancing at the other three. Itachi seemed to have noticed but from what had happened last night, Deidara saw Itachi distance himself from Naruto for the mean time. Sasori was walking straight behind Naruto as if strictly guarding the child's life to any probable threat. Kisame was getting irritated by the worried glances that Deidara was making. He told Deidara to back off and give Naruto some space to think. After all, last night was a really huge deal for Naruto.

After a couple of hours, they finally made it to Suna. Tired and hungry, they first found a suitable place to lodge. All five of them washed up and rested for a while. Deidara and Naruto went downstairs and had to eat because Naruto was famished. Naruto ate meal after meal and that was when Deidara realized, they better get more tasks to complete. Naruto will be the reason why the group will go broke. He had the appetite of Kyuubi!

"Naruto-kun, let's go buy you some new clothes before you eat up our budget." Deidara sweat dropped as Naruto continued on chomping down his meals. Bloated with food, Naruto sighed in satisfaction. Yep, they definitely needed to get more jobs done and earn more.

"Now, don't pick something too flashy. We want to keep it nice and simple, okay?" Deidara said with a smile. Naruto wandered in the store, looking at the different clothes available.

"I want this!" Naruto exclaimed as he waved a neon orange shirt to Deidara. Deidara sweat dropped.

"Naruto-kun, that's too bright of a color. We're going to get attention with that." Deidara explained as Naruto tried on the shirt. Naruto smiled as he wore his plain orange shirt.

"WHY ARE HIS SHIRTS NEON ORANGE?!" Kisame erupted at Deidara. He was looking into a shopping bag full of orange clothes. Not a single clothing was spared. Sasori swiftly slapped the back of Deidara's head. Naruto, on the other hand, grinned as he was clothed in a plain orange shirt and a pair of orange shorts. He did wear black ninja sandals though.

"Well at least his sandals aren't freaking orange. Kami, my eyes hurt." Kisame hissed out as he looked away the shopping bag and threw it to Deidara's direction. "I better be the one to buy the kid's equipment. I wouldn't want his kunai and shuriken holder to be orange as well."

"Deidara." Itachi said.

"Yes, Itachi-san?" Deidara's voice quivered in fear for the anger of Itachi. Itachi turned to his direction and evilly smiled at the older blond.

"You had one thing to do. Now, you will make sure that Naruto doesn't get into unnecessary danger because of his clothes' attention seeking color." Venom dripped out of Itachi's words and Deidara hastily nodded his head in fear of getting punished by Itachi. "Good." Itachi said as he shot a look at Naruto and another look to Deidara.

"Why couldn't he have gotten black clothes and smiled so adorably." Deidara fell to the floor and cried his eyes out while Naruto just grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry, Deidara-niisan." Naruto sheepishly said.

"It's alright. Don't worry, Na-ru-to-kun. Your training shall start soon. I'll make sure to train you hard." Deidara looked at Naruto with an evil glint of revenge in his eyes. Deep down inside, Deidara was laughing evilly as he planned how to drive Naruto insane with his training regimen.

It was the day after they had settled in Suna, the four had devised a systematic way of training Naruto over the course of years. The plan is to train him until he reaches the age of 13. That's just about the age of a fresh genin. First of all, taijutsu and kenjutsu were to be taught mostly by Itachi and Kisame. With Itachi more on the taijutsu and Kisame on the kenjutsu. During the first two years, Deidara and Sasori would focus more on getting jobs done in order to sustain the group's cost of living. After that, the next two years would then be focusing on ninjutsu and genjutsu. The two years will be cut into six months, so there would be a period of six months given to each of them; one of them would be the main mentor for a fixed six months while the three others would just be on the sides or would get jobs. Since there were four of them, it was pretty much fixed that each one of them would be given a six month period of training with Naruto. Going to the next two years, these would be given to Deidara and Sasori who were to teach Naruto the art of explosions and the art of puppetry as the two demanded. That left the group with two extra years to be able to teach Naruto more of whatever they decided to focus on.

1st and 2nd year Taijutsu and Kenjutsu

"Taijutsu is a very important form to a ninja's life. This requires no usage of chakra. However, it can be infused with chakra according to your liking. I shall teach you the basics Naruto and to what I can pass onto you in your taijutsu training. Kisame, shall also help you learn how to combat in taijutsu. It is important to practice. Nothing is earned through shortcuts." Itachi explained. Naruto was looking at him, blinking fast in confusion.

"What he wants to say brat is that taijutsu involves punching and kicking. Got that?" Kisame mocked Itachi's serious lecture tone. Naruto nodded and gave out air punches. Itachi sweat dropped, maybe he should explain things in Naruto's level of vocabulary.

"First things first, warm-ups are important! Now get moving and run till you get tired!" Kisame shouted at Naruto who was shocked by the sudden command that he hastily ran without asking where to go.

"Kisame, don't you think that this is going to take long? He is the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki after all. Naruto has high endurance." Itachi said in a dead flat tone while Kisame sweat dropped at what he did.

"You're right." Kisame said. "Ah well, let's make Kyuubi endure as well. Naruto wants to become Hokage after all." Kisame ended with a booming hearty laughter. "We're just getting started."

"Kisame-sensei! I'm done warming up." Naruto said as he punched the log one last time. Kisame looked at Naruto's direction and couldn't help but feel sorry for the log. Well, it has been a year since they started with Naruto's taijutsu training. Kisame couldn't help but notice that Naruto looked a bit taller.

"Okay, come here. Itachi won't be joining us today. He's out with the other two. He also told me that you should keep up with your morning training routine while we start learning kenjutsu." Kisame smirked as Naruto jumped up and down with a fist pumping in the air. "I'll be teaching you kenjutsu. You better be ready. Catch!" Kisame exclaimed as he threw a wooden sword to Naruto. Naruto, who was busy celebrating, clumsily caught the sword.

"A wooden sword?" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Why not a real one?" Naruto's eyes squinted in irritation.

"Because a real one can kill." Naruto shrieked as he felt cold chills run down his spine. Kisame had crept behind him in such a swift manner.

"You aren't worthy of seeing Samehada, yet." Kisame teased Naruto's level of skill. "Of course, I haven't taught you anything. But remember this brat, I dare you to be as skilled as I am in wielding the sword. Only then, might I show you the true form of Samehada." Kisame dared Naruto on as he pointed the wrapped up Samehada at Naruto. Naruto angrily puffed out his chest and clutched the handles of his wooden sword.

"Teach me, Kisame-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed. And so he started to learn swordsmanship.

3rd and 4th year Ninjutsu and Genjutsu

"Now, I know you are excited for this Naruto." Itachi smiled at Naruto's excitement. "This time we are going to teach you ninjutsu and genjutsu." Naruto howled in celebration. He jumped up and down, danced around goofy and threw air punches. This was the year Naruto waited for. The year he always kept on describing as "the real ninja stuff!" which of course got him slaps at the back of the head from Kisame.

"Oi oi, calm down will you." Kisame remarked. Naruto stopped celebrating and quickly behaved himself. He embarrassingly stared at his feet.

"I can't help it. This is the cool stuff that I've been looking forward to." Naruto grinned. Deidara laughed at how Naruto can be such a typical kid sometimes.

Well, it has been two years. Naruto has grown a bit taller and leaner compared to when he was as a chubby five year old. He's still hyperactive, that's one thing that hasn't changed. But now, he's more disciplined and focused. The first two years was such a challenge for the four of them. Naruto has high endurance. That's why during taijutsu training Naruto took quite some time to burn out. Well, compared to a normal five year old, Naruto can pretty much swing a punch quite well. Kenjutsu training definitely got Naruto on the rocks. Kisame drove the child like a slave. He was serious when it came to teaching Naruto the worth of a sword and the art of swordsmanship. There was no place for mercy during that year, and that drilled in the discipline into Naruto.

"You must learn to meditate." Sasori commented, looking at the other three who nodded in agreement.

"Meditate?!" Naruto scornfully cried out. "But why?" Naruto pouted as he looked at Sasori.

"Because you are the holder of the Kyuubi. You have immense chakra reserves Naruto. A reserve that you have to access. Not only that, but you are noisy." Sasori explained in a flat dead tone manner. Leave it to Sasori to frankly point out things. Naruto sighed and prepared himself for meditation.

"Once you get over your meditation. The first thing that we will do will be tree climbing exercises." Naruto couldn't be any more disappointed by the sudden turn of events. From his dreams of learning nature transformations down to having to meditate. Well, it is just the beginning.

5th and 6th year Art of Explosions and Puppetry

"The art of puppetry has been passed down generation after generation in Suna. I was taught the same techniques and art that has been passed down several generations. However, I wanted more than just the traditional puppetry. That is why I had to explore and experiment. Ultimately, I became my own puppet." Sasori said as he looked at his arms. "This art is not of your land but I want you to learn this beauty. This beauty that is everlasting."

"Now, you will realize how important it is to master the control of your chakra." Sasori remarked as Naruto nodded in agreement.

He's grown now and become more serious in his training. Naruto made so much progress in a year of training. He learned ninjutsu under all of them. But Itachi had a particular standard in training. Well, let's just say Naruto is inclined to ninjutsu after all; pointing out the fact that he does contain a great deal of chakra compared to a normal ninja's chakra capacity. That and Naruto seemed to be more in the training compared with his taijutsu and kenjutsu days. But that also didn't mean that Naruto did very well in genjutsu. For how brilliant he is in ninjutsu, it was equalized by how much he sucked at handling and practicing genjutsu.

"First and foremost, we will focus on your chakra threads. I highly doubt you will manage making and controlling your chakra to make threads. Your immense chakra reserves will make it difficult for you." Sasori challenged Naruto. Naruto has always loved challenges given to him, it made him strive harder.

"Difficult? I'll show you Sasori-sensei." Naruto said with a sly smile on his face. Sasori chuckled, now that's Naruto for you.

"Wait, what am I supposed to do again?" Naruto sheepishly asked as he rubbed the back of his head. Sasori sweat dropped, yep that's Naruto for you alright.

"Art is a blast! A fleeting beauty gone within seconds." Deidara preached to Naruto who seemed to be creeped out from Deidara's passionate desire for bombs. "Thus, I create art. And now, I'm going to teach you how to create these beauties Naruto."

"I have a question!" Naruto firmly raised his hand up. Deidara was surprised. "What is it Naruto-kun?"

"Is there a way for me to make art without having to have those mouths?" Naruto frankly asked Deidara the question in a flat tone which made Deidara sweat drop.

"Oi oi at least make it sound like it's a little bit awesome to have these mouths on your palms." Deidara remarked to Naruto's question.

"Well. Naruto-kun, we have a problem here. I do not think there is a better way for you to infuse your chakra into the clay without the use of these mouths." Deidara replied. "They infuse the chakra into the clay better and mold the clay to how you want your bomb to be." Deidara explained as he looked at the mouths that he has, the tongues twirling around.

"Hmmm you said better right? Can we learn how to make explosive in the traditional manner first before I decide to grace my hands with those mouths?" Surprisingly, Naruto seemed to have caught Itachi's manner of speaking. This not only ticked of Deidara but at the same time creeped out Kisame and Itachi themselves.

"Oi brat. Quit that gibberish and say it like a brat would!" Kisame exclaimed, earning him a good punch at the back of his head. "What gibberish are you speaking of?" Itachi angrily questioned. Naruto sweat dropped in the distance.

"Naruto-kun, here's explosive clay!" Deidara happily exclaimed, grabbing Naruto's hand and putting a lump of clay on it. "Let's begin shall we?"

7th and 8th year

If it had not been because of an important message, Itachi would have never bothered meeting one of the Sannin. He had to be cautious, this was no ordinary meeting and this was no ordinary man. Itachi zipped up his cloak and put on his straw hat. Before going out, he had to make sure Naruto was well guarded and uninformed of such an event was happening. Unlike when Naruto was still a five year old, Naruto was now even harder to contain let alone fool.

"Here's a letter from the third." Jiraiya said as he sipped his sake, a folded piece of paper on the counter top. Itachi reached out and touched the letter.

"He expects a reply." Jiraiya said, eyeing the hand of Itachi that was resting on the letter. "And I expect to see the kid tomorrow." He added. Itachi withdrew his hand on the letter.

"Why?" Itachi asked. His bell chimed by the cold night wind.

"He is my godson, after all." Jiraiya plainly replied as he refilled his sake cup. The sannin looked down on his cup and there he saw the face of the Yondaime. With a swift sip, Jiraiya banged the empty sake cup on the counter top.

"The boy shall decide on his own. After all, he is our leader." Itachi stated. Jiraiya's eyes grew wide. Were the rumors true? Jiraiya shook his head. He will not believe it till he sees it. The child is still too young for all that anyways.

The next day came. There he was, long spiky white hair tied up in a ponytail. He smelled like sake and liked to peep on girls. This definitely got on Naruto's nerves. Why was a legendary ninja like him so unrespectable and undignified? It just grossed him out every time he saw the old man giggle while peeping. Why did it have to be him, as a godfather? Why couldn't it have been someone less of a pervert.

"Why does it have to be him." Naruto mumbled in frustration. He grabbed a stone and swiftly threw it at Jiraiya's direction.

"You know, it's not nice to throw stones at people." Jiraiya said as he, in slow motion, caught the stone as he spun around. He was now facing Naruto, or well he expected it to be Naruto. It was a clone.

"What? C'mon. A clone? Where you hiding kid?" A stone was cast and it shot fast towards Jiraiya. And bullseye. Jiraiya was knocked out cold, his face planted to the ground.

"I know it's not nice to throw stones but it is also not nice to peep on girls." Naruto grunted out as he walked to Jiraiya and picked up the stone. "I've had my fair share of stones when I was in Konoha. I know it isn't nice to throw them at other people." Naruto explained as he gripped onto the stone hard. Jiraiya puffed out of the area. Naruto immediately took out a kunai and readied himself.

"Harboring ill feelings towards Konoha, I hear." Jiraiya said, standing behind Naruto and catching him by surprise. Naruto dropped his fighting stance and just angrily faced in another direction. He didn't feel like fighting.

"No, not really. Well, not as much as other people expect me to." Naruto stated. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at his statement.

"Other people? Who else has approached you? Hmmm?" Jiraiya asked.

"Your two old teammates, who else." Naruto irritatingly replied. His hands were crossed on his chest and his chin was up in the air. "You weren't the only person who was curious about me. But they didn't really approach me. More like, we crossed paths just recently." Naruto bragged. Jiraiya was taken back. That snake and that old woman? They've crossed paths with Naruto already? Under what circumstances did they meet, Jiraiya was getting worried.

"Oi, who would be curious about a stupid brat like you. You've got a lot of air in your head." Jiraiya said as a comeback, which totally got Naruto.

"Look, who are you to me anyways? And what do you want? Itachi-niisan was the one who informed me of this. Now state your reason." Naruto said in a serious tone. Jiraiya was taken aback by Naruto's tone of voice. Was this really Naruto? Was Itachi saying the truth?

"Ohoho, Naruto. It wasn't only me who was curious about your state. It's the old man hokage. He wants to see you again." Naruto held in his breath. His hands tightened into fists and his lips formed a tight line.

"I am Jiraiya one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha. Awesome, aren't I?" Jiraiya said with his funky introductory dance. Naruto sighed deeply. He turned around and walked away. "I find no use of going back to the village. Not now." Naruto stated, with his back facing Jiraiya. Jiraiya's funky introduction didn't work as he had expected. Naruto raised his hand, as a goodbye gesture and vanished into thin air.

"Oi oi, now that didn't work out." Jiraiya said to himself. He regained his composure and cross his hands over his chest. This was going to be difficult. Not only for the fact that Naruto didn't seem to want to talk but at the same time his suspicions about the brat was growing immensely. Jiraiya had to find a way around this circumstance. He is his godfather after all.

Aha, that might get his attention!

Jiraiya went ahead and chuckled to himself. "I've got you in my hands, Naruto."

"What do you want now, ero-sennin?!" Naruto irritatingly asked. His brows were furrowed and his arms were crossed over his chest. Jiraiya chuckled at the look Naruto gave. His eyes were wide with excitement and curiosity Oh, he is going to get Naruto good.

"I want to make a proposal, Naruto-kun." Jiraiya said in a particular teasing tone. His eyes were widening as if to try amaze Naruto with what he was about to say next. Jiraiya got a scroll from his back and laid it out on the ground. There were writings on the scroll, names. There were various of names, one followed by another. And the last name written was-

"What's the deal, ero-sennin?" Naruto stomped his foot on the ground and his brows furrowed some more. This older guy was getting on his nerves, reminding him of things that Naruto wanted to avoid.

"The deal is, I let you sign for a contract with the toads. You let me train you for a while." Jiraiya offered. He sat on the ground right next to the scroll and grinned at the kid. Naruto eyes widened and a sly smile crept on his face. This was some kind of deal, there must be something in it that makes Jiraiya think that Naruto's going to outright accept the offer. Jiraiya smiled at Naruto, it was not every day that he would just randomly offer the right to summon to somebody else. But that was the thing, Naruto isn't just somebody else.

"Why would I be interested for a contract with the toads?" Naruto inquired, wanting to expose Jiraiya's ulterior motives a little bit more. Naruto's eyebrow was raised and his cheeks puffed, seemingly half-interested in the offer at hand. Jiraiya laughed.

"Why would you want a contract with the toads? Why not? Have you gotten a contract with another animal?" Jiraiya asked and Naruto answered with a shake of the head.

"You see, Naruto, toads are awesome." Jiraiya said as he jumped backwards and bit his thumb. Jiraiya performed a sequence of seals before slamming his hand down onto the ground. A big puff of smoke covered the area, and when it cleared a toad came out. A small orange toad the size of a hand. Jiraiya gawked at his circumstance, why did it have to be the small fry at this time?

"Oi, are you kidding me?" Naruto dead panned Jiraiya's attempt to gain his interest. This was totally getting absolutely nowhere.

"Where is your father?!" Jiraiya screeched at the small orange toad. The toad just looked at Jiraiya and sheepishly smiled. Jiraiya had no time for Gamakichi.

"Father? He's busy so he decided to have me go instead." Gamakichi replied. Jiraiya just gawked at the toad's reply. What can keep a toad busy?!

"Your father is busy?! What if by kami's sake I was in a deadly situation that I needed his help? What would've happened to me?" Jiraiya angrily exclaimed to the small toad, who just shrugged off Jiraiya's remark.

"Well, you aren't in any danger right now anyways." Gamakichi pointed out. Naruto laughed his head off by how the toad spoke so casually to the 'Toad Sage'.

"I'm going." Naruto stated, regaining his composure. He took a step around and began walking away from Jiraiya. "I have more important business to handle. See you around, ero-sennin."

"Naruto, I know you want to get the contract with the toads. I would want you to sign as well, just as your father did." Jiraiya straight out said to Naruto. Naruto smirked, he finally got the perverted sage to tell his true motive.

"Tsk, I'll sign it when I need to sign it." Naruto argued. But Jiraiya was right, if he were given the choice to sign the contract right there he would have. But there were still a lot of other factors he should consider; not only that but the fact that he needed to consult his brothers about this whole situation. Ah, things were getting complicated.

"Oho, trust me kid. You're going to need their help sooner or later. Depends on what path you choose." Jiraiya stated, Naruto paused for a while before continuing walking away. "See ya around, Naruto."

And so they parted at that point. Not after a few days did Naruto meet Jiraiya again. This time, Naruto was determined to get the contract with the toads. His brothers had allowed him and Naruto fixed his other problems as well. Maybe this was one of the ways Naruto could know about his father a little bit more. Maybe training under the pervy sage would let Naruto know about his father more. Naruto didn't want to have anything that was related to Minato but then he remembered what Sasori had told him years ago. That no matter what, they will help him with facing with the truth. But before they can help Naruto, Naruto needed to help himself first. And Jiraiya is his godfather after all.

Naruto threw a rock at Jiraiya and when the rock hit, the cloned dispersed. A rock hit Naruto from behind. Flinching in pain, Naruto turned around to see that it was the pervy sage who threw the rock. He was sitting on top a medium sized toad that was smoking from a pipe.

"I am the Legendary Toad Sage Jiraiya!" He exclaimed as he did a weird pose while standing on top of the toad, "I see you have come to a decision." He said, throwing a scroll onto the ground. It was the same scroll that he had presented to Naruto days ago. Writing using his blood, Naruto had signed the contract with the toads. His name was right next to his father's and that made Jiraiya smile.

"Now, let's move onto training."

Naruto thought things couldn't get complicated than it was now. But he was so wrong. Things did get a lot more complicated from then on. Especially when he unconsciously tapped into Kyuubi's chakra more than usual. The room was dark and the floor was flooded up to his ankles. Chills ran down his spine, Naruto looked up to see gold gates that went up so high he couldn't see where the other end was. In the middle of the gate was a piece of paper with the writing "Seal" on it. Naruto took a step back, looking past the bars there was something moving. Eyes widened in fright and his body shook in fear. Snarls and growls were echoing around the place and the water vibrated in such tense atmosphere. This was the Kyuubi's cage

"Those fools who try to train you and dare to tap into my chakra." Kyuubi's voice echoed in the area.

"You aren't strong enough, brat. You're still afraid. Oh, look how you tremble." Kyuubi's malicious voice made Naruto have chills. Kyuubi's face was getting close to the gates and Naruto couldn't even move because of intense fear.

"Is this the end of Uzumaki Naruto?" Kyuubi gave out a sly smile. But then Naruto chuckled and the water seemed to have calmed down.

"Oi, you stupid fox. Listen up and listen well, you are locked inside of me. Do you want to die? Cause I'm not dying until I become Hokage." Naruto angrily told the Kyuubi off. He was pointing at the Kyuubi and he wasn't trembling anymore. The Kyuubi chuckled. Oh, what a container the Yondaime has given.

That was one of Naruto's memorable meetings with the Kyuubi. Of course, it didn't just stop there. There were meetings one after the other and meetings where more surprising things were revealed.

A bell chimed. There were five men walking down the path. There they were covered in their cloaks and faces hidden beneath their straw hats. Many years have gone and passed, it was time to return.

"Finally going back, huh?" Kisame uttered beneath his breath. They've all been waiting for this day to come. Well, not just waiting but also preparing. Deidara was getting emotional again. The blond was getting too attached to Naruto after all.

"For the love of God, can we walk any slower?" Kisame complained. Sasori looked at Kisame with a confused face. Kisame just sweat dropped.

"That was a sarcastic remark. Tch, what are you all getting emotional about anyways? It's not like the kid's going to die." Kisame exclaimed. Deidara gasped and Sasori scornfully looked at Kisame. With a sigh, Itachi glanced at Naruto's expression. There was a big grin plastered on the Naruto's face.

"Ah ah ah, I've been preparing myself for this. We've been preparing for this." The blond haired kid replied. All four of the others looked at Naruto. They can't believe how many years has passed since then. And now, here they were dropping Naruto off to Konoha. After all these years, they've all made it. Deidara was definitely getting emotional.

"I feel so emotional about this." Patting the sides of his eyes, Deidara grunted as if to check on his tear ducts.

"Have you got everything you need with you?" Sasori asked. Naruto unzipped his blue cloak and checked on his things. He looked at Sasori and nodded. Naruto was prepared.

"Naruto, don't show off too much now." Itachi warned. Kisame and Deidara nodded in unison as they knew Naruto well. Naruto just sweat dropped at the reminder but couldn't help but smile. Itachi hasn't changed at all.

"Here we are. We won't go any further. See you, brat." Kisame said as the four of them stopped. Naruto turned around to face his brothers. A big grin was plastered onto his face.

"Thanks, nii-sans!" Naruto exclaimed, with his right first pumped forward. "I'll be seeing you again soon, okay? Till then, take care!" Naruto added. The four couldn't help but smile at the sight. The first time they saw him was when he was half-dead lying on the ground outside of Konoha.

Naruto has changed. He grew in height and, thankfully because of his trainings, grew up with a lean figure. His clothes had also changed. Naruto now wore an orange shirt with a black sleeveless flak jacket over it. The flak had a red Uzumaki swirl at the back. He wore a pair of black plain pants and a pair of black ninja sandals. His pouch and clay pouch were strapped to his hips while his holster was strapped to his left thigh. On his back, he carried a bandaged up sword with the hilt just showing.

"You take good care, Naruto-sama." Sasori tilted his straw hat at Naruto. Naruto nodded and waved his goodbye.

Then, he flickered out of thin air.

Konoha hadn't changed much. And from the looks of it, it was still the Sandaime who ran as Konoha's kage. Naruto stood up tall and proud on one of Konoha's city walls. There was a mixture of excitement and anxiety swirling within him. He removed his cloak, straw hat and his sword. He definitely had to hide them. It's still too early for any surprises. If he were to make an entrance, he could at least blend in a little bit more. With a smirk on his face, Naruto flickered down into the city center. Konoha really hadn't changed much. Hell, there were people glancing at him. Eyes wandered here and there, as if they were familiar with his face. He even heard someone gasp. Naruto inwardly flinched. It has been a long time since he got those kind of looks shot at him.

I guess some things haven't changed with all the discomfort, Naruto decided to cut to the chase. With another flick, he was gone.

"I sensed you have come back."

"Sensed? I bet you just used your magic ball to check up on me." Naruto teased, as he stepped out of the curtains. He was inside the Hokage's office.

"How are you, Naruto?" Hiruzen asked. Looking at Naruto's direction. The boy has grown quite well, it has been 8 years since he last saw Naruto.

"Alive and kicking." Naruto said. With a snap of his fingers, four ANBUs came into sight and collapsed on the ground. Hiruzen sternfully looked at Naruto. Those were the ANBUs that was assigned to keep check on the hokage at all times, more like his personal guards for security purposes.

"Now, now. You are right on schedule, just as agreed with Itachi. How was your trip?" Hiruzen asked, his sight set on the unconscious ANBUs.

"It was okay. I see the village hasn't changed much. Also, I just knocked them out for a while. I need to ensure the privacy of our conversation. You have a lot of eyes and ears on you." Naruto stated. Sarutobi slumped back to his chair and sighed. Naruto has improved quite amazingly, as to be expected of being trained by Itachi.

"I guess Itachi-niisan has explained to you some details." Naruto said.

"Some details. Like being trained and taken under his wing. You've been to quite a lot of places, I suppose. And I take it you have also met of Jiraiya."

"Yea, that ero-sennin! Itachi-niisan will be kept updated. Just so you know, Hokage-jiji." And, so he doesn't know of my other brothers.

"Well, then. What can I help you with?" The Hokage seemed to be tensed about Naruto's return. This was, of course, going to cause ruckus within the system and the village. The Kyuubi's jinchuuriki has finally returned. And this time, he was not the same child that they could just beat up. Naruto was stronger than them now.

"I want to be a registered ninja! And not just any ninja, I want to be Hokage!" Naruto grinned at the old man. Sarutobi's eyes widened in surprise and a smile graced his lips. Naruto hasn't changed. "I will become strong and the people will notice me differently."

"Would you want to be placed in the ANBU department? or as a jounin maybe?" Hiruzen offered Naruto. Logically, there would be no use to Naruto if he were to undergo being in the lower ranks anyways.

"I want to start from the bottom. Genin!" Hiruzen almost gasped at the thought. Trained by Itachi Uchiha all these years and he's going to be a genin? "Then, I could really say that I made my way all the way to the top. I really really really want to be Hokage the right way! No shortcuts." Naruto's blue eyes set dead straight to Hiruzen's. The Hokage couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. This reminded a lot about the past, of the 4th Hokage.

"Are you sure? Itachi told me he trained you hard. Isn't genin too low to start?" Hiruzen asked, while stroking his chin. "No, I wouldn't get to meet my batch of genins if I skip. Also, Itachi-nii said he wouldn't mind for reasons." Naruto replied giving Hiruzen a look. "Ah, right. Sasuke." Naruto nodded.

"Well then, I shall place you in the graduating class then. Your teacher will be Umino Iruka. Do you have a place to stay yet?"

"If I can, can I stay at my parent's house?" his eyebrow lifted at Naruto's request. The boy has knowledge of his parents. Itachi beat him right to it. Not only does Naruto know of the truth about Kyuubi but now, Naruto also knows about the truth of his inheritance. Most importantly, his bloodline.

Well then, that makes my job easier. But-

"Of course, you can. It is part of your inheritance. However, I do not hold the keys. Your father entrusted them to Jiraiya. The last time I heard, Jiraiya had hidden the keys of the Namikaze estate to the toads." Hiruzen stated. Naruto nodded, so this was the reason Jiraiya had offered him the contract to the toads. Well, other than getting the same contract as his father.

"I can handle that. Thanks, Hokage-jiji." Naruto said before flickering out of the room.

Oh, has he made a contract with the toads already? That Jiraiya…

Hiruzen was left there with four unconscious ANBUs on the ground.

You could've at least cleaned up your mess, Naruto.

Things are going to change from here on. I wonder where this will bring us.

Away from the bustle of Konoha's city, the Namikaze estate looked like a palace from outside. With two large metal gates and high walls surrounding it, anyone couldn't just peek to see what was inside. Following what the Sandaime said, Naruto summoned one of the toads and asked for the keys to the estate. It has been quite some time since they had to retrieve the keys, even the toads took some time to get it. After a while, Naruto had in his possession the keys to the Yondaime's house; His parents; house and supposedly, his house.

I'm home.

He laid down the scroll on the ground and used his blood to unlock the seal written on the scroll. After unlocking the seal, Naruto followed the scroll's instruction to unlock the metal gates. A large front yard greeted Naruto. Sakura trees were planted around the yard, with stone slabs leading a path to the front door. The house was circular in its shape, with the exterior painted white and the roof made up of orange tiles.

Naruto opened the front wooden doors and stepped into his family's house. The first thing he saw was a life sized portrait of his parents. His father was standing behind his mother, his arms wrapped around her waist and their fingers intertwined. Minato had a small timid smile on his face while Kushina had a big radiant smile. Naruto observed the portrait a bit more, he had gotten his father's spiky blond hair and blue eyes. And he clearly got his big smile from his mother. And they both have given him life.

"I'm home, dad and mom." Naruto uttered under his breath. He removed his sandals and stepped in his house.

"Hmmm, time to do some cleaning." Naruto said, as he noticed the amount of dust that had accumulated in the house.

"And to get acquainted with this place." He scratched his cheek at the thought, he blushed. Back when he was a five year old child, Naruto wouldn't even imagine having information of his parents or having his own house. This was a warm feeling that he welcomed.

"I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed to himself, both arms pumped in the air. Feeling the surge of happiness and excitement by the series of good fortune that was happening to him. Naruto felt the prize of his hard work after all those trainings. With a hand seal, Naruto made a dozen of clones to help him with cleaning up the house and the yard. Unsealing his things from the scroll, Naruto laid down on the couch hoping that tomorrow's class wouldn't be as boring as hell.

A/N: If you are a past reader of this fanfic of mine, you'd notice a couple of details were removed and some were also added. I've finally inserted a glimpse of how Naruto's training years began. But I limited them as well, for future chapters. If you are a new reader of this fanfic, then I'd suggest you to not read the following chapters just yet. I am in the middle of editing the second chapter right now. It would be good if you read the newly edited chapters (rather than reading these old chapters that I made, I know they are embarrassing to read. I swear.) BUT if you really want to, then go help yourself some spoilers (Take note: I'm also going to remove and add details to the following chapters)

I have a concern though, is there any possible way to have another person proofread my work? If you have any idea on how to be able to address my concern, feel free to send me a private message.

Hope this COVID19 crisis comes to an end soonest!

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