Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Naruto: Menma Chronicles

Chapter1: The Birth of Menma

Land of Wave: Incomplete Bridge

...Drip...

...Drip...

...Drip...Drip...

"Sheesh...I knew you couldn't save yourself...always weighing me down...teme," Naruto rasped out.

"W-what?" Sasuke stammered in surprise. His newly awakened Sharingan had seen what had happened but his mind took a few seconds to catch up. "Naruto you..." his expression turned to shock when he saw Naruto covered in Senbon needles.

"Now get that lame expression off your stupid face..." the Uzumaki managed weakly.

"W-why?" Sasuke asked not knowing what else to say.

"Hn...I used to hate you, you know," Naruto said as he felt his strength leaving him.

"Then why did you...you should have minded your own business!" Sasuke shouted at him.

"...How should I know? My body just moved...on its own," Naruto gasped out before he fell back and Sasuke caught him.

"You're going to be fine Naruto, just...just don't move," Sasuke said trying to reassure them both.

Naruto just scoffed with a wince, "I swore I wouldn't die...until I became Hokage...I thought my oath would save me...but...don't you dare die here...Sasuke."

'No...no...' Sasuke thought as tears cascaded down his face.

In that moment...

Uchiha Sasuke's eyes changed again...

"Without any sign of hesitation, he sacrificed himself to save you; he was a shinobi worthy of respect who in order to protect someone he cared about, threw himself headlong into what he knew full well was certain death. Is this the first time you've seen a comrade die? Such is the way ninja exist," the masked nin a few feet away stated.

"Shut up," Sasuke's voice was low as the air around them suddenly became heavier. "I won't forgive you," he said with shaking fists at his side. He turned suddenly with his Sharingan spinning and changing, the pupil shifting into a helix-like pattern. "Amaterasu!" he exclaimed in hatred as black flames exploded from his eyes, setting the ice dome ablaze with unquenchable fire.

'W-what? What is this?' the masked nin asked in thought as she watched on. He stepped back slightly as the intense feeling of rage washed over her. 'Such foul and disgusting chakra; he's completely different from the boy I was fighting just a minute ago...what is he?' she mused as she quickly escaped from his ice mirror and threw herself outside the dome before it was completely melted.

"I may not have liked the dobe when we first met but he didn't deserve to die," Sasuke said as his fists shook in anger. "I'll make you pay for this."

'Zabuza-sama...' Yuki Haku thought as Sasuke shot forward again intent on finishing the job. 'I...have failed you,' a kunai was thrust into his chest and he was flung back over the bridge.

And for the first time since the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke cried over the pain of his first and only true friend in this cursed world...

The mist cleared to reveal everyone else on the bridge; Kakashi had his fist driven through Zabuza's chest and Sakura stood with the client at the very back of the bridge. Kakashi pulled his arm out and Zabuza's corpse fell to the ground. "Not bad Kakashi...it looks you win," Zabuza's gasped out before the last of his life drained from his eyes.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked his student over his shoulder.

"I'll be fine sensei...just...give me some time," Sasuke said as he wiped the tears from his face.

"Sasuke-kun! Kakashi-sensei! You're both alive!" they heard the shout from their pink-haired team-mate.

'Sakura...' Sasuke thought sadly.

"What about Naruto? Sasuke-kun where's Naruto?" Sakura asked him.

Sasuke didn't reply...

Sakura stopped herself from continuing when she saw Sasuke turn away from her. 'Naruto...no...' she thought with widen fearful eyes. She may not have liked the dobe of the team but he couldn't be dead, he just couldn't.

"I'll stay with you so that you won't be disobeying your sensei's orders," Tazuna told her and she nodded slightly before pulling towards where Naruto was supposed to be only to find nothing.

"Where is he?" Sakura asked as Tazuna turned away in guilt.

"I think he may have fell in the water," Tazuna answered as he cast a look at the nearby edge of the bridge. "Don't hold back for my sake; there are times when it's right to give in and shed honest tears," Tazuna told her sadly.

"I always got perfect scores on all my tests in school; I memorized each and every one of the one hundred rules conduct for a ninja. I used to write them out of pride; we had a test one week and the question was 'what is the twenty-fifth rule of shinobi conduct? Just like always I wrote it down 'no matter what happens, a true shinobi must never...ever...show their emotions. T-the mission is the only priority; carry that in your heart and never, ever shed any tears," by now she was openly crying.

'So this...this is what a shinobi is...it's unbearable,' Tazuna thought as he closed his eyes.

"So Zabuza failed huh? No matter, I wasn't really going to pay him anyway," a voice spoke from the end of the bridge.

"Gato?" Tazuna asked in surprise as he saw the businessman and the large mercenary force he had at his side.

"Ninja are so expensive these days...that's why I always hire nukenin, they're easier to dispose of after the job is done. Though I had hoped a few more of you would have died...can't be help I suppose," Gato mused before pointing his walking stick towards them.

"...Kakashi," Sasuke spoke up with a dark tremor in his voice and the Mangekyo Sharingan spinning wildly in his eyes. "Look after Sakura and Tazuna for me," he whispered before purple chakra exploded from his body and took the shape of a large spiritual warrior. "Susanoo!"

"Wait Sasuke!" Kakashi called but he was too late as Sasuke materialized a bow and launched a large chakra arrow right at Gato. 'Was that the Sharingan? What happened?' Gato barely registered the attack before the arrow tore through his rather large stomach, tearing in two.

"Run for your lives!" one of the mercs shouted as they all scattered, trying to flee from the large ethereal warrior.

"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled a large red fireball down on the bridge, blanketing the area where the mercenaries were located.

They all screamed as they were all burned alive but some were able to jump into the water below to stuff out the flames. Sasuke dropped to one knee as the chakra construct dissipated.

"What happened, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked him upon seeing his eyes.

Sasuke deactivated the Doujutsu a second later and took a deep breath, "To awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, the next stage of my clan's Doujutsu, I had to kill my best friend."

"What happened?" Kakashi questioned again.

"...I couldn't save him," Sasuke trailed off not knowing what else to say.

"Damn it..." Kakashi gritted out. 'I'm sorry sensei; it looks like I failed again.'

The two walked to where Sakura was still crying and they all took a moment of silence before the villagers arrive led by Inari. Kakashi took a look back at what was left of Gato's corpse and proceeded to seal Zabuza in a scroll.

The Copy-Nin turned to his team and finally spoke.

"Let's get out of here."

Land of Whirlpools: Underground Complex

Pain was the first thing he felt as he started to regain consciousness; though this time he didn't mind the pain. In fact he welcomed it; pain meant he was still alive and wouldn't be meeting the Shinigami just yet. The second was confusion as his eyes forced themselves open despite his fatigue and he groaned when he saw what looked like a white ceiling.

Just great, he was in a hospital...

"W-where am I?" he stammered out as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"I wouldn't try to move if I were you," a new and amused voice spoke from his right. He turned his head saw a rather old man, probably older than even the Sandaime Hokage standing at his bedside, leaning on a large scroll.

"...Are you...a Shinigami?" Naruto asked before pain flared through his body once more.

"No I'm not," the old man said with amusement. "And you feel pain because you're still among the living," he suddenly turned serious. "However, it's a miracle that you and that girl survived. Both of you should have been crushed by the rampaging whirlpool that sucked you in; the Fūinjutsu in place would only allow for someone of Senju or Uzumaki descent to survive the transition along with their companions."

"Uzumaki? My name is Uzumaki Naruto," the blond introduced.

"Yes, I know," the old man nodded. "The Kyuubi's third Jinchuuriki and the son of the Yondaime Hokage."

"S-son of—what the hell are you talking about old man?" Naruto stammered in response.

"It can wait until later," the old man waved off his words before placing his hand over the boy's stomach. "I have healed most of the damage you sustained and a good night's sleep should do the rest, especially with the Kyuubi's regenerative abilities boosting your already impressive healing factor."

"What happened?" Naruto asked as the old man turned away. "Where am I?"

"You are in an underground compound deep in the former Land of Whirlpool, specifically below the ruins of Uzushiogakure no Sato, the former home of the Uzumaki clan," the old man replied before walking towards the door at the far end of the room. "Now if you will excuse me I have another guest to take care of."

"Hey! Wait up old man!" Naruto yelled as he threw away the covers and swung his legs over.

"You shouldn't try to move," the old man suggested over his shoulder.

"I can sleep when I'm dead," Naruto responded.

"You're just like Mito-chan," the old man chuckled before he walked out of the room with Naruto following close behind.

"What happened to Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. "And what did you mean before about the Kyuubi and me being the Yondaime's son?"

"All in good time, young Uzumaki," the old man responded as they approached a door. "Here we are," he said as he opened the door.

"At least tell me who you are?" Naruto asked. "Old man, are you a nukenin?"

"I'm a ghost of the Senju," the old man answered as he turned to face the boy. "Senju Hashirama, the former Shodai Hokage of Konoha."

"T-the Shodai Hokage?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "N-no way! You should be dead!"

"The Uzumaki clan were known for their long lives and vitality which they inherited when they broke away from the Senju clan three hundred years ago. And I personally have always had a stronger life force than others of my clan," Hashirama reasoned. "Last time I checked I was about a hundred and ten years old now."

"But—but—how are you here? If you were still alive why aren't you in Konoha?" Naruto questioned further.

"Back before the First Great Shinobi War I took possession of the nine Biju including the Kyuubi and handed them out the five Great Shinobi Villages in order to establish some measure of balance. When the First War began I realised what a mistake it was and in the end I nominated my brother Senju Tobirama as the Nidaime Hokage in the hopes that he would find some way to regain some semblance of control over this cursed world. I disappeared after that when my wife—Uzumaki Mito—offered to bring me to Uzushio and I've remained here ever since, trying to come up with a way to bring true peace to this world," Hashirama explained.

"Peace?" Naruto asked as the two entered the room. "Haku?" he asked when he took notice of the bed at the far end of the room. A single familiar figure lay down on it though despite her earlier comments to him of the contrary, she was very much a girl.

"She's an interesting one," Hashirama commented. "A member of the Yuki clan known for their Hyoton bloodline and from what Mito-chan's seals have been telling me, one of the only survivors of the Bloodline Purge in Kirigakure no Sato."

"Bloodline Purge?" Naruto inquired having never heard about it. "What are you talking about?"

"Hiruzen-gaki hasn't told you anything, has he?" Hashirama mused in disappointment. "The Yondaime Mizukage, the current Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi no Kyodaime ordered the extermination of everyone with a Kekkei Genkai including the Yuki clan."

"When my father found out that my mother and I had a bloodline he tried to kills us. He killed my mother and I killed him. After that Zabuza-sama found me and took me with him. I've served him ever since," Haku spoke up as he eyes opened. "Where am I?"

"You're in the ruins of Uzushiogakure no Sato," Hashirama answered. "You're lucky to be alive; if the kid here hadn't fallen in the whirlpool with you then you would most certainly be dead right now."

"Zabuza-sama...is he..." Haku trailed off.

"He's dead," Hashirama told her. "My wife placed monitoring seals all over the continent; one of them was in the Land of Waves watching your battle. Zabuza-san was cut down by the copy-cat."

"...Then please kill me," Haku requested. "I have no reason left to live."

"You...you were the Hunter-nin with Zabuza and now because he's dead you, you want to die too? Why?!" Naruto demanded.

"Everyone needs something to live for," Hashirama reasoned. "As for you Yuki girl; you have a new master now."

"...You?" Haku asked confused.

"No, not me," Hashirama shook his head in amusement. "I mean the young Uzumaki here," he said as he gestured to the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.

"Me? Why me?" Naruto asked surprised. "I don't want a servant!"

"Well you've got one now, deal with it," Hashirama waved off his concerns as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "It's the spoils of war kid; get used to it," sage knows that he did when he took control of the Biju after beating Madara at the Valley of the End.

"Naruto-kun..." Haku trailed off. "...My new master."

"Now, I believe you had some questions for me?" Hashirama inquired.

"I want to know what's going on," Naruto said clearly.

"...Are you sure you wish to know?" Hashirama asked. "You may not like the answers."

"Yes," Naruto nodded. "You said something about Jintoki—or something."

"It's pronounced Jinchuuriki, it's a word my wife invented and used to describe those with Biju sealed within them," Hashirama explained. "Eighty years ago shortly after the Clan Wars ended and the Shinobi Villages were founded, my rival—Uchiha Madara left Konoha and used his Sharingan to take control of the Kyuubi no Yoko. He and I fought what basically amounted to a death match at the place now known as the Valley of the End. After I defeated both Madara and the Kyuubi, my wife sealed the fox inside her own body to keep it from falling into the hands of the Uchiha clan."

"Y-you defeated the Kyuubi and someone who was powerful enough to control it? The scale you're talking about is..." Naruto trailed off.

"By the standards of today what Madara, the Kyuubi and I were capable of was almost inhuman. Even today a lot of people recognize that we were in a league of our own," Hashirama continued. "In fact most regard my strength as that of legend and myth like the tales of the Rikudō-Sennin, the founder of the Shinobi World."

"You're Hashirama-sama?" Haku questioned with widened eyes. "The Shodai Hokage."

"If you require proof then..." Hashirama said in amusement as a wooden pedestal rose from the ground at his side.

"Mokuton..." Haku trailed off at the sight.

"When I infuse my Yoton chakra into my Mokuton jutsu I am able to suppress and control the Biju," Hashirama said with a smile. "My wife kept the Kyuubi locked away and my power constantly suppressed its influence until we parted all those years ago."

"...Can you help me control the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked hopefully. Ever since he found out that he had the demon fox inside him; he'd been fearful that one day its power would overwhelm him and the demon would escape, especially considering its inhuman strength.

"I already have," Hashirama replied. "You have the Mokuton bloodline just like me however because of the Kyuubi's presence in your body, your bloodline hasn't awakened so I used my power to restrain the fox's influence and forcefully unlock your bloodline."

"I-I have a bloodline?" Naruto asked shocked.

"I am the only member of the Senju clan to have the Mokuton bloodline because my mother had a particularly strong chakra much like your own mother," Hashirama continued.

"My mother?" Naruto inquired.

"At the end of her life, my wife selected a successor from Uzushio to contain the Kyuubi," Hashirama explained. "The one she chose was a young Uzumaki girl with a powerful chakra that could restrain the Biju much like my own power. She was your mother, Uzumaki Kushina."

"Uzumaki Kushina..." Naruto trailed off.

"She was brought to Konoha shortly before Iwa, Kumo and Kiri launched a full-scale assault on Uzushio. Konoha and Uzushio were allies but Konoha abandoned Uzushio and left them to die, especially now that they someone who could recreate the Uzumaki clan in Konoha," Hashirama finished bitterly. "Hiruzen-gaki was the one who gave the order to leave Uzushio to fend for themselves; Mito and I have never forgiven him since."

"I-I don't believe you! There's no way the old man would do something like that!" Naruto shouted.

"Really? What if I told you he and the Elders—my brother's former students—ordered the extermination of the Uchiha clan only a few years ago?" Hashirama shot back.

"W-what?" Naruto asked.

"The thing about the Senju, Uzumaki and Uchiha clans is; we're all distantly related to each other. Since Konoha was founded, all three clans have been pushed to the brink of extinction," Hashirama replied. "Because of the Kyuubi attack on Konoha twelve years ago, the Uchiha clan came under suspicion and because of their unjust treatment they were planning a rebellion only to be betrayed by Uchiha Itachi, the heir of the Uchiha clan and were systematically wiped out by order of the Konoha Higher-ups."

"Y-you've got to be kidding me," Naruto stammered out. 'Sasuke's clan were killed off by Konoha on the old man's orders? And my clan were left to die? Why?'

"Twelve years ago someone attacked your mother, murdered Hiruzen-gaki's wife, ripped the Kyuubi from your mother's seal and summoned it to attack Konoha. Your father then sealed the Kyuubi in you," Hashirama continued.

"My...father..." Naruto trailed off as his eyes widened.

"You're father was Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage," Hashirama said clearly. "He was a master of Jikūkan Ninjutsu surpassing even my brother in some areas and his mastery of Fūinjutsu was equal to any Uzumaki, he was a true random genius if there ever was one."

"My father sealed the Kyuubi in me," Naruto clenched his fists at his side. "I feel like hitting something," his fist struck the wall and suddenly planks of wood exploded across the room. "D-did I do that?"

"It appears your affinity with Mokuton may be even greater than mine," Hashirama mused.

"Incredible," Haku commented.

"Indeed," Hashirama nodded. "That's not all I have to tell you, young Uzumaki; your sensei was your father's student and he didn't tell you anything. Your godfather, Jiraiya of the Sannin—one of Hiruzen-gaki's students and my granddaughter's former teammate—abandoned you and even now is making large amounts of money writing porn books."

"...Why...why are you telling me all of this? What's the point?" Naruto asked angrily as tears streaked down his face. "Is it to make me feel worthless?! I still have friends that care about me and that's all that matters!"

"Friends? I looked in on those 'friends' of yours," Hashirama spoke in disgust. "Haruno Sakura, a fangirl who constantly hits and abuses you. Uchiha Sasuke, someone who just gained the Mangekyo Sharingan which can only be awakened when you believe that you've killed your best friend and Hatake Kakashi, the man who won't tell you anything and won't train you leaving you the same weak fool."

"S-stop!" Naruto yelled as he dropped to his knees, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

"Enough!" Haku shouted as she tried to get up out of the bed. "I won't allow you to hurt Naruto-sama anymore!"

"I'm just trying to make him understand his current situation," Hashirama waved off her words. "When your parents died, at the very least you should have been given to my granddaughter—Tsunade—since my wife was an Uzumaki then Tsunade would be classed as your next of kin however judging by the fact that you remained in Konoha all these years it's likely that Hiruzen-gaki wanted you abused and forced into a life of servitude, believing him to be your saviour and the only one you could turn too."

"Why? Why did it turn out like this?" Naruto asked, begging to know the answer.

"Because this world is cursed," Hashirama replied honestly. "Love turns to hatred and that hatred turns to revenge and war which creates more hatred. Power and greed have corrupted this world into what it is today, perhaps even worse than the Clan Wars."

"Naruto-sama..." Haku trailed off as she saw her master pull himself together.

"What must I do?" Naruto asked. "I don't want anyone else to grow up like me."

"The only way to establish any kind of true peace would be to unite the Shinobi World and then abolish the ninja system completely. With the entire world under a single banner, there would be no need for ninja anymore," Hashirama answered. "What will you do?"

'What can I do? If I return to Konoha now I'll never be able to look at the old man in the same ever again,' Naruto thought. 'What is a village? What is a clan? What are ninja? Konoha's crimes are disgusting, a perversion upon what the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages created. And my father, he was a hero that was willing to sacrifice his own family to save a village that spat on everything he stood for.'

"Your answer?" Hashirama inquired.

"I..." Naruto started. "I will stand with you; what do I need to do to bring peace to this cursed world?"

Land of Whirlpools: Underground Complex

Six months had passed since Naruto and Haku had arrived in former homeland of the Uzumaki clan and Hashirama had been teaching Naruto various jutsu, namely Mokuton which he had mastered after extensive usage of the Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and his massive chakra reserves granted to him as a member of the Uzumaki clan and boosted by the Kyuubi sealed within him.

Then there was that incident just after he'd arrived...

Flashback Begin

Naruto stood before a massive metal cage door with bars and a dark void beyond. Two massive red eyes opened and glowed in the darkness as his vision grew clearer, allowing him to see the enormous demon fox for the first time. Senju Hashirama stood behind having linked their minds together in a similar manner to what he had done with his late wife.

"So my jailor finally decides to grace me with his presence," spoke the Kyuubi no Yoko with a mocking tone. "And you dare to bring that wrinkled up old fool with you," he added upon seeing the elder Senju.

"You are still filled with so much hatred, Kyuubi," Hashirama said solemnly.

"I can respect your strength as one of his sons, mortal," the Kyuubi sneered at them. "But do not think you can come here and speak to me with such a tone."

"...This is a Shiki Fujin, correct?" Hashirama asked finally.

"Yes," the Kyuubi growled. "A Kinjutsu of the Uzumaki clan that my previous host taught to the one who ended up sealing me here."

"I see," Hashirama nodded and placed his hand on the cage doors.

"What are you doing?" the Kyuubi demanded.

"This," the elder Senju answered as he channelled some chakra and two figures appeared beside the seal.

"You...Yondaime Hokage...Kushina..." the Kyuubi snarled out.

"What happened?" asked Uzumaki Kushina. "Minato-kun?"

"Kushina?" Namikaze Minato blinked in surprise.

"Mom...dad..." Naruto spoke with wide eyes as the two turned to him.

"N-Naruto? Son?" Kushina asked almost in disbelief.

"How is this possible? We were only supposed to appear when either the seal collapses or when you were finally ready to gain control of the Kyuubi's power," Minato asked.

"That would be my fault," Hashirama spoke up.

"Shodai-sama?" Minato asked in surprise.

"I will leave you to catch up with your son," Hashirama said as he turned away. "He is strong and will gain control of the Kyuubi without you. Spend your last moments in this life with the son you never had the chance to know; he will handle the rest just like you believe he will."

"I...thank you," Minato bowed in gratitude for getting the chance to get to know his son without worrying about the Kyuubi breaking free.

Flashback End

After six months of almost nonstop training using the Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to create upwards of two thousand shadow clones a day, he was able to master his father's Hiraishin no Jutsu and Rasengan along with incorporating his wind affinity into the Rasengan to make it even more powerful. That coupled with his Mokuton bloodline and massive chakra reserves would possibly make him one of the strongest shinobi alive.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Naruto asked as Haku stood at his side.

"Yes," a bedridden Hashirama replied softly. "I don't have much time left in this world and there is one last thing I must tell you before I pass on and meet Mito-chan again."

"...What is it?" Naruto asked sadly.

"When I chose Tobirama as the Nidaime Hokage and left Konoha, I found Madara's discarded Mangekyo Sharingan. I had them implanted and it evolved into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. In the beginning nothing happened besides the fact that I gained the Doujutsu's abilities however nine years ago the eyes evolved into the Rinnegan," Hashirama explained.

"Rinnegan?" Naruto asked.

"It was the Doujutsu of the Rikudō-Sennin," Hashirama continued. "From what I understand of what happened; you can't awaken the Rinnegan without both the Senju and Uchiha's combined power. I've taught you my Mokuton jutsu and with your other abilities I honestly believe you can save this cursed world."

"What happened to your eyes?" Naruto inquired.

"I transplanted them on a young Uzumaki girl about a year older than you and implanted my original eyes back into me," Hashirama answered. "Honoka," he spoke as a beautiful woman with long red hair and carrying two swords strapped to her back appeared at his bedside.

"Yes Hashirama-sama?" asked Uzumaki Honoka.

"I want you to guide and aid Naruto in his journey," Hashirama gave the order.

"It shall be done," Honoka bowed her head. She had been his loyal servant and confident for years, keeping him sane after his wife passed away and he'd saved her when Uzushio was destroyed. With his death she would serve his successor, this young boy who had become the elder Senju's apprentice and was someone she could come to call family.

"Honoka knows where to find the Uzumaki girl," Hashirama said to his apprentice. "Her name is Karin; if you are to succeed then you will need allies because there will be those who wish to stand against you if for no other reason than because you exist. In the end, war may be the only answer."

"If I'm going to fight a war then I'll need an army," Naruto mused. "Or a really good team."

"From here on you may choose your own path," Hashirama smiled as his eyes closed.

Land of Whirlpools: Ruins of Uzushio

A single shinobi and two kunoichi stood atop a broken building overlooking a forgotten battlefield as the sun started to rise on the horizon. Yuki Haku was decked out in her Hunter-nin clothes and carried the massive Kubikiribōchō strapped to her back. She'd secretly returned to the Land of Waves and took in from her former master's grave after finding out that the citizens of Wave had named their bridge after her new master, Naruto.

The other kunoichi was the long-haired redheaded beauty dressed in a purple sleeveless kimono with yellow trimmings held close by a traditional obi with a long, streaming bow tied to it, mesh armour underneath it and a short white skirt. Strapped to her back were the Uzu no Tsurugi—the Uzumaki clan's prized sealing blade—and the Raijin no Ken—the sword crafted by the Nidaime Hokage.

Finally, standing just in front of them was a man dressed in a black cloak with a yellow outline and a hood covering his head though his blondhair peeked out slightly from the front. The front of the cloak parted as he placed one foot on the stone step before him and turned to the others. Black and crimson armour could be seen through the small gap in his cloak and a white Kitsune mask.

"From now on until I say otherwise, no one must know who I really am," Naruto spoke clearly. "I need a name that I can use without giving anything away...how about...Menma...yes, that name will do just fine."

Author's Notes:

Maybe this feels a little rushed but I've been meaning to post the start of this new story for awhile now and have just been trying to work out the details for it. I know I probably didn't get Hashirama's personality completely right but as I'm sure you've noticed there will be some noticeable differences in this storyline compared to canon. For one Hashirama dies six months after the Wave Mission from canon which makes the end of this chapter just before the Chunin Exams start.

Orochimaru's experiments concerning Hashirama's cells and of course Tenzo too should be explained later despite Hashirama's exodus to Uzushio early on in this story. Please note that canon Madara (and here too) was able to gain a piece of Hashirama's power allowing him to use Mokuton by splicing a bit of his DNA together. We all know how resourceful Orochimaru is so it's not that far of a stretch to think that he got his hands on some of Hashirama's DNA from somewhere other than his corpse.

Naruto is Menma and I'm sure everyone knows where I got the name from. Maybe I rushed his rejection of Konoha but let's be honest here, Konoha's actions over the years have been disgusting and I've been having trouble trying to rationalise why canon Naruto would still stand with them. I know they're treating him as a hero now but that was only after an insane amount of effort on Naruto's part to convince them that he wasn't a mountain-sized demon fox with red eyes and nine tails. Not only that but he'd been told nothing about his parents or his clan and his own godfather abandoned him for thirteen years until he finally showed up at the bathhouse of all places.

Hyuga Hizashi was sacrificed because Hiruzen refused to face Kumo when it was Kumo that tried to kidnap Hinata and don't even get me started on the Uchiha Massacre. Idon't like the Uchiha but even I don't think that they deserved to be exterminated. I know they were planning a rebellion and everything but that was only after being backed into a corner following the Obito's Kyuubi attack. I never did figure out why Mikoto didn't awaken her Mangkeyo Sharingan when Kushina died that night...

Anyway it's true that the Senju, Uchiha and Uzumaki clans were considered the strongest back during the clan wars but ever since Konoha was founded all three clans have been all but destroyed. Hiruzen has been in charge for most of this time and he's made some questionable choices over the years that have made me ask why he would do such things. Like proclaiming that Naruto was the Kyuuubi's Jinchuuriki and not handing him over to Tsunade despite their relation. I know Tsunade wasn't in the best shape considering Dan and Nawaki but she would have pulled herself together if there was a child involved. The only answer I can come up with for Hiruzen not giving Naruto to her is the fact that he wanted Naruto in Konoha and think of the village as his home thus he would want to become a shinobi.

Some of you will think that Naruto has become too strong, too fast but please remember that Obito went from a dead-last Genin to someone who could face Namikaze Minato on even ground and control the Kyuubi no Yoko. Obito did that in a short time using his Sharingan to learn everything quickly after spending a few years in rehabilitation while Naruto in this story has spent six months using two thousand shadow clones a day to work on fixing everything that was wrong with him under Hashirama's teachings. I'd say that makes things even, don't you?

Translation

Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven
Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Multiple Shadow Clone Technique
Shiki Fujin = Dead Demon Consuming Seal
Kubikiribōchō = Decapitating Carving Knife
Uzu no Tsurugi = Whirlpool Sword
Raijin no Ken = Sword of the Thunder God
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique

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