"Alright, Naruto. For the ninjutsu portion of the exam, you need to perform the Henge, Kawarimi, and Bunshin." Iruka informed the smiling blonde in front of him. "I take it you have a solution for your Bunshin problem now?"
"Of course, I did say I'm going to find an alternative to that weakness." said Naruto with a grin on his face.
Iruka sighed. This day had been tough on his nerves. The blonde blew all of his expectations as he assumed the boy to do all the tests with passing scores as he did with the previous ones, average scores like the previous years. He was flabbergasted when the boy did everything perfectly, easily outclassing the Rookie of the Year candidate, Uchiha Sasuke. Out of all the aspiring students in this batch, it would seem Naruto took the shinobi code of deception to extremes.
"I kind of expected for you to say that. It was quite obvious you were hiding your strength considering how you knocked Mizuki out in two moves. You didn't have to hit him too hard, you know." Iruka said in an amused tone.
"Well, he was the one who went all out at me, sensei. I just returned the favor, so to speak." Naruto pointed out with a smirk with Iruka doing the same.
"Point. Alright, perform the three techniques please."
Naruto nodded as he channeled his chakra. He didn't bother with handseals since he already mastered the basic Academy techniques after meditating how the chakra was formed to activate the jutsu. He shimmered as his form shifted to that of the Sandaime Hokage. "What do you think, Iruka-sensei?" he asked, perfectly mimicking the aged leader's amused drawl.
"Perfect. You even got the voice down." Iruka noted. "Would you mind telling me how you performed the transformation without the handseals and smoke?"
"Well, I focused on how the chakra was molded and practiced with it a few times until I got it down perfectly. I don't know how I got rid of the smoke but maybe that is because I mastered the Tree Climbing and Water Walking exercise so my control is that good. Not good enough for a Bunshin but good enough for other techniques it seems."
"Um, understood." Iruka said with a sigh. He should have expected this already. It was clear that Naruto was definitely more than what people thought he was. "Do the Kawari…nevermind." He growled out as he took notes, ignoring a grinning Naruto in the corner of the room after replacing himself with the broom that was now in front of the now-grouchy instructor without bothering with the handseals. Really! He should have expected this already. "Let's get this over with. Do the Bunshin, Naruto."
Naruto replaced himself with the broom, depositing himself in front of the scar-faced Chuunin. He channeled his chakra and produced a solid clone of himself. Because of his everyday use of Kage Bunshin, he could now control how many clones he wanted to make without bothering with the specialized handsign. Really, it was just that easy to perform.
"Good enough, sensei?" Naruto asked cheekily while Iruka grumbled.
"Cheeky punk. Fine, you pass. How did you…nevermind. Knowing who you are, you definitely asked the Hokage and I don't even want to know how you persuaded him to teach you the technique. Anyway, you pass! Congratulations." said Iruka with a smile as he took a Leaf Forehead Protector from the stash on the table and presented it to the grinning blonde. "You deserve this, Naruto. I know you're going to be one the best shinobi of the Leaf. You make me proud."
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei." said Naruto as he tied the Leaf headband on his forehead as he adjusted his bangs to set it properly.
"Troublesome blonde." grumbled Shikamaru when he sat beside Naruto underneath his favorite tree.
"What got your underwear in a knot, Shika?" asked an amused Naruto, closing the book on seals he was reading.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Why did you hide your true strength? It was quite obvious that you bulldozed your way through the exam and you weren't even trying. You even took down Mizuki in two moves." urged Shikamaru while eyeing the sighing blonde.
"You're too smart for your own good, Shika." grumbled the blonde. "I guess it all boils down to deception. A shinobi should never show his skills unless necessary. I guess I just took it to extremes."
"You could have easily been the Rookie of the Year with your skills." the Nara heir pointed out. As it stands, Uchiha Sasuke got the award thanks to his scores the previous years. If Naruto applied himself then it was obvious that he would be taking that rank.
"I'm not concerned with that useless title." Naruto scoffed. "Being Rookie of the Year doesn't give you an edge in the field. It all boils down to skills and determination. The title doesn't earn you success, it's just a title. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Fine. You made your point. I still think you're better suited for the title."
"That's what you think, Shika. I have no desire to be in the limelight. I only showed my true skills during the exam because I wanted to graduate with a bang." Naruto said, grinning all the while. "Consider it as my last prank."
"Last prank?"
"The villagers, and by extension, some of the shinobi hate my guts. They ignore me because I showed average grades the previous years. Since I would be a Genin anyway and under the Hokage's command, I have no reason to hide anymore. I imagine they're gritting their teeth in frustration right now knowing that I passed the exam while outshining their precious Uchiha Prince."
Shikamaru sighed. He should have expected this answer considering who he was talking to. "Fine. You're troublesome, you know that, right?"
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, boya." Naruto said smugly to Shikamaru's irritation.
Naruto groggily made his way to the front door of his apartment after being woken up by the banging. He opened to the door to see three of the Hokage's personal ANBU.
"Don't you guys have anything better to do than wake me up at…" he looked at the watch hanging by the kitchen wall. "two in the morning?" he grouched.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you are hereby under arrest for the theft of the Forbidden Scroll of Seals."
Now that woke Naruto up. "For what now?" he deadpanned.
"I said.." one of the ANBU repeated but shut up when the cat-masked ANBU slapped him on the back of the head. "What?"
"The Hokage ordered us to take Naruto to him, not to arrest him on sight." Neko bellowed at Bear before turning to an amused blonde. "Naruto-kun, could you please get dressed. The Hokage wants to see your immediately."
"Fine. Give me five minutes." said Naruto and was about to head to his bedroom when he realized something. "Since I am being implicated for something I didn't do, why don't you come in and wait."
With that said, Naruto went to his bedroom and put on his usual gears grumbling about idiot ANBUs for ruining his beauty sleep.
"Alright, old man, what gives? I was having a nice dream before your ANBUs woke me up." Naruto complained upon entering the office but stopped when he saw the serious look on the man's face. "Let me guess, someone stole the Forbidden Scroll of Seal and that someone wore my face."
The Sandaime nodded. "I know you didn't steal the scroll, Naruto-kun, since I know you better than that. However, I needed you here to avoid implicating you further. I just received word that 'you' are currently making your way outside the village with the scroll. Considering you're here in front of me, I can safely say that you're not the culprit."
"Uh, that's good…I think." The blonde said finally smirking at the Hokage. "Can I go after him?"
"I don't think that is a good idea, Naruto-kun. Despite being one of the top graduates of your batch, you're still a Genin. Whoever stole the scroll is either Chuunin or Jounin level."
"That's what you think, old man." Naruto smiled as he used a silent Scan to sniff out the thief's signature. He smirked when he recognized it. "Tell you what, I'll just mosey along and capture the traitor and bring him to your for interrogation?"
"Do you know who took it?" the Hokage all but demanded to the smirking blonde.
"I recognized the signature in the room."
"You recognized…you're not a sensor, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi pointed out.
"Again, that's what you think. Anyway, I'll be back in a jiff, old timer." said Naruto as farewell before using Warp to exit the room and following the trail of the traitor wearing his face.
Sarutobi stood watching the place where Naruto was before he…disappeared before snapping at the three ANBUs. "Go find Naruto and make sure he's safe." he ordered.
"Hai, Hokage-sama." the ANBUs shouted in unison before exiting the room in a blur.
"That boy is going to be the death of me." He grumbled before pulling out his crystal ball and activating the technique to determine where his surrogate grandson went.
Mizuki was grinning like a loon as he jumped from one tree branch to another at top speed while carrying the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. He had to resort to wearing the demon brat's face when he stole the priceless heirloom of Konoha since the boy didn't fail the exam, ruining his plans. Good thing he had a backup plan which was quite successful. A few more kilometers then he was home free to deliver the coveted item to his lord and master. However, that plan went down the drain when a booted kick hit him on the side of the face that threw him down to the ground with a loud crash, letting go of the scroll in the process.
He groaned as he painfully pulled himself off the ground and shook his head to clear the dizziness away. He looked up to see something that made him growl.
"You!" he screamed at the boy he just implicated for the theft. "What are you doing here?"
"Why good morning to you too, Mizuki-teme. You know, out of all the faces you could have worn to steal the Forbidden Scroll, why does it have to be mine?" Naruto asked calmly as he placed the large scroll on his back, held there by a leather sling.
"I have nothing to say to you, demon." Mizuki growled as he took out the large shuriken on his back, preparing himself to bring down the blonde. "Why don't you be a good demon and give me the scroll before I kill you?"
"Let me think about it…" Naruto pretended to think about it before giving the man a smirk. "Nah, I think I'll take this back to the Hokage. But first, since you woke me up from my beauty sleep, I think I need to teach you a lesson about bedtime manners."
"You don't scare me, brat! Die!"Mizuki screamed as he threw his overly-large shuriken at the smirking blonde but was shocked when said boy grabbed the flying weapon by one of its blades when it came into his reach. "What the…?"
"Tsk tsk. You're supposed to be a Chunnin, Mizuki-teme. That is not how you use a windmill shuriken. Here, let me show you how it's done." said Naruto as he drew himself back and flung the weapon towards the traitor who jumped out of the way to avoid being decapitated by the furiously spinning projectile.
Mizuki was shocked when his weapon cleaved two trees before lodging itself deeply on the third. "You finally show your true self, demon." He snarked, hoping to take the boy off balance.
"Demon? I assure you, Mizuki-teme. I am 100% human." Naruto said with a smirk. He knew that the man was talking about Kyuubi sealed in his gut, mistaking him for the demon instead of the container. He also knew of the Sandaime's law concerning him and the sealed bijuu. "Come on, teme, say it. Give me an excuse to take you out."
"Hah! You're not a human. Do you even know what you are?" Mizuki taunted, an evil grin on his face.
Naruto adopted a confused expression. "Huh? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Now this is rich. The demon doesn't know why he is hated by the village." Mizuki exclaimed, grinning manically. "Do you even know why you're hated? Do you know why the villagers treat you like a pariah?"
"Well, I think that has something to do with my pranks. I assure you, I already stopped my pranking sprees." Naruto assured him, playing along and acting oblivious to what the man was implying.
"I'm not talking about your pranks, demon. The reason why you are hated is because you are the demon that attacked the village twelve years ago. You're the Kyuubi!" Mizuki shouted expecting the blonde to be shocked by the revelation. What he expected didn't happen since the blonde was now looking at him coldly.
"You think I don't know why I am hated, Mizuki-teme? You think I didn't know that the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi inside me? I found out months ago and I am not the Kyuubi. I am its container, dumbass!" Naruto snarked though he knew it was a useless effort to prove the man's word wrong.
"Hah! Of course you wouldn't admit it." Mizuki scoffed before taking out a kunai. "Now die, demon!" he threw the kunai at the blonde.
Naruto sliced the projectile in half effortless with Masamune before disappearing from his perch and appearing in front of startled Chuunin. He kneed the man on the face that broke his nose before landing a spin kick to the man's face.
Mizuki managed to right himself to land on his feet, skidding back a bit due to the strength of the kick. He flipped through handseals.
"Katon: Grand Fireball." A large fireball flew out of his opened mouth towards the blonde who merely changing its direction with a flick of his blade.
"That's the best you can do, Mizuki? Let me show you what a real fireball looks like. Fira!" Naruto yelled as he threw out his hand causing three large fireballs to materialize before flying straight at the startled Chuunin who barely had time to flip through the seals for a defensive technique.
"Doton: Earth Style Wall!" shouted Mizuki desperately as he slammed both of his palms on the ground causing a wall of earth to shoot out in front of him. It didn't do any good since the fireballs struck the construct with such force that he was thrown back from the explosion and shockwave.
"Stop!"
Mizuki didn't know what happened when he felt his body freeze. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't move an inch.
"Don't bother struggling, Mizuki. My spell placed you in a time bubble. You won't be moving anytime soon unless I free you from it." Naruto said coldly and was about to make mincemeat out of the man when Neko and the rest of the Hokage's personal ANBU appeared to his left. "Took you long enough."
Neko was amazed at how a fresh graduate from the Academy was able to stop someone of Mizuki's caliber. Sure, the man was merely an Academy instructor but he was a Chuunin, clearly someone stronger than a Genin in both skill and experience.
"What happened here, Naruto?"
"I was able to intercept, Mizuki, before he could reach the village's boundary." Naruto replied before removing the scroll from his back and throwing it to the cat-masked ANBU. "Here's the scroll, Neko-neechan."
Said ANBU caught the scroll and recognized the chakra signature telling her it was genuine. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. What did you do to Mizuki?" she asked before spotting the nodachi in Naruto's hand. "Where did you get that sword?"
"I placed him in a time bubble. He won't be moving anytime soon unless I cancel the spell." He said with a shrug. He raised Masamune to show it to his favorite ANBU guard. "This is Masamune, my trustee partner." He answered before returning the nodachi to his pocket dimension. He moved behind Mizuki and gave his neck a good chop, knocking him out before canceling the spell. Without the time bubble keeping him up, the man slumped to the ground unconscious. He lifted the man in a fireman's carry. "Why don't we go to back to jiji. I'm sure he has question he wanted to ask concerning the traitor and why he stole the scroll."
Neko nodded and gestured for the ANBU to leave for the tower and was about to do the same for Naruto but already found him gone from the area.
Considering that he was carrying someone, Naruto decided to use Haste to speed himself up, appearing as if he teleported out of the forest. It took a few minute for him to appear outside the Hokage's door and entered without even bothering to knock.
"Here you go, jiji! One traitor ready for interrogation." Naruto said cheerfully before unceremoniously dumping Mizuki on the floor and taking a seat in front of a startled Hokage.
"And the scroll?" asked the Sandaime after regaining his bearings while thinking "How in the world did the boy overpower a Chuunin?"
"I gave it to Neko-neechan." Naruto replied with a shrug. "She should be here any minute now…"
As if on cue, Neko and the two ANBU guards appeared in front of the Hokage. She was carrying the scroll of seals causing the Hokage to sigh in relief.
"Hokage-sama, we were successful in retrieving the Forbidden Scroll from the traitor. Naruto…" she paused after finally noticing said blonde on the chair waving at her. "Um, right. Naruto-kun took care of Mizuki but gave me the scroll for delivery."
"Thank you, Neko. Take Mizuki to Ibiki and Anko. Tell the two of them to wring the man dry of any information they can get out of him. Return to your posts afterwards. I don't want to be disturbed as I talk to Naruto." He ordered.
The ANBUs saluted before exiting the room in a trademark Konoha Shunshin of smoke and leaves, taking an unconscious Mizuki with them.
"So, what do you want to talk about, jiji?" Naruto asked though he already knew what his surrogate father was going to ask.
"There a lot of things I want to talk to you about, Naruto-kun. Some along the line of clarifications than interrogation." said Sarutobi while returning the Forbidden Scroll in one of the secure vaults in his office, ensuring that it won't be stolen anytime soon due to the Blood Recognition Seal keeping it locked tight. He returned to his chair and leveled his surrogate grandson a proud smile. "But first, let me congratulate you on the success of your first unofficial B-rank mission – apprehending the culprit and the return of the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. You can drop by tomorrow for your pay."
"Uh, great." said Naruto in shock. A B-rank pay was equivalent to two month's wage for a regular civilian and then some. He was definitely going to be buying a lot of supplies for his experiments. "Thanks a lot, jiji."
"You deserve it, Naruto." the Sandaime, nodding to the boy before his face turned serious. "I don't doubt that you singlehandedly took care of Mizuki since Neko didn't report otherwise. I know that it is almost impossible for a fresh graduate from the Academy to bring down an experienced Chuunin of Mizuki's caliber. I know you trained a lot before and during the Academy but I want to know the extent of your skills."
"Hm, you know that's a tough order, jiji. As a shinobi, it is necessary for me to hide my skills even from you." Naruto said cheekily before his face turned serious. "However, I trust you, old man. There are some things I can't tell you, not yet anyway, but I'll give you a general idea what I can do. Is that alright?"
"I wouldn't have it any less, Naruto-kun. You definitely took the creed of deception to a whole new level if you managed to hide your abilities for this long." Sarutobi said with pride. "I will respect your decision but I need to know the gist of your abilities so I can properly place you in a team. From what you showed me tonight, I daresay you're above Genin with your capture of Mizuki"
"You know, beating Mizuki isn't really that difficult." Naruto pointed out. "He was all bark and no bite. All it took was one kick to the head, smashing his nose in with a knee, another kick, and freezing him in place…that's it actually. Oh, let's not forget the chop to the nape that rendered him unconscious for transport."
"Uh huh, you mentioned something about freezing him in place. Did you mean you used a jutsu to incapacitate him?" the Sandaime asked curiously.
"I'll get to that." Naruto promised. "About my skills, as you said, I trained for relatively 8 years in total – two years before attending school and six years after that with no plans of stopping anytime soon. My physical training involves the use of chakra weights to improve my core strength and speed. My taijutsu is a derivation of the Academy Taijutsu, modified it to include feints, grappling, and high-speed strikes to incapacitate my opponent. I don't have a name for it yet though. I am also proficient in kenjutsu." He summoned Masamune to the shock of the aged leader. "This is Masamune, a 6-foot tall nodachi that has been my partner all this time. She's a beauty, ain't she?"
"That she is." Sarutobi murmured as he eyed the magnificent in his grandson's hand. Even the way he held the blade spoke of familiarity, and dare he say it, mastery as well. "Where did you get that blade, Naruto. As far as I can tell, it's not made here in Konoha since the shops here don't usually sell nodachi-class blades."
Naruto nodded. Thankfully, he already thought of this line of questioning so he decided to toy with it a bit. He didn't want to reveal his past life as Sephiroth but he already came up with an idea on how to divert the old man's suspicions.
"To be honest, old man, I really don't know how I manifested Masamune in the real world. One day I was training, she just appeared in my hands." said Naruto, schooling his face into that of amazement. "The same day I got her, I also noticed that I could do certain…jutsus that are quite powerful. I ransacked the library for what happened but all I can easily say that it might be a bloodline of sorts."
The Sandaime's face grew skeptical. "A bloodline? Naruto-kun, bloodlines don't just appear out of nowhere. I can safely say that your parents didn't have any, well, except for your mother anyway if what she can do can be considered as bloodline. You can say she's an oddity among her clan."
"You know my parents?" Naruto asked immediately, his face expectant.
Sarutobi sighed. He didn't expect to tell the boy so soon but he guessed that Kami forced his hand if nothing else. "Your mother is Uzumaki Kushina from Uzushio. She was brought here during the onset of the Third Great Shinobi War. Your father…is Namikaze Minato."
Naruto immediately recognized the name. How couldn't he since it was the name of his idol. "What? My father is the Yondaime Hokage? You mean to tell me that he sealed Kyuubi inside his own son?"
"How did you know about the Kyuubi?" Sarutobi asked in shock. He didn't expect the boy to know of his burden already. Sure, he planned to tell the boy after he graduated from the Academy but he didn't expect his surrogate grandson to already know about it.
Naruto gave the aged leader a look that spoke volumes. "It's not really that hard to figure out, jiji. After all, I hear the words 'demon brat', 'demon', and 'fox boy' to name a few from the villagers. It also didn't help that they hate my guts and had no problems showing it." he noticed the old man wince but didn't comment about it. "I also looked into the history of Konoha and found it interesting that my birthday was exactly on the day the Kyuubi was defeated. That and the fact that I have a seal on my stomach that appears when I channel chakra. I just connected the dots and found out the truth."
"I see. I was hoping to tell you this when you graduate from the Academy. In fact, that is one of the reasons why I wanted to talk to you." Sarutobi admitted, inwardly sighing in relief since the boy was taking it so well. "So, how did you react when you found out?"
Naruto shrugged before relaxing further into the comfortable chair. "I don't blame my dad for sealing the bijuu inside me, jiji. After all, he was the Hokage and a leader should always be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to protect his followers. Dad just took it to extremes." He said with a grin mimicked by his surrogate grandfather "Anyway, you mentioned something about my mother having a bloodline?"
"Well, it's not really a bloodline but an oddity. In fact, all Uzumaki, you included, have a body-based bloodline of sorts ever since the Uzumaki Clan formed in the Elemental Nations. The Uzumakis are known to have potent life force, resulting to a healing factor, larger than normal chakra reserves, and more potent chakra compared to your average shinobi. Your mother is an oddity since she had this ability to create chains made of chakra that had the power to even subdue the Kyuubi. In fact, she was container of the fox before you." Sarutobi informed the boy. "Oh yes, the Uzumaki Clan was feared for their use and prowess of the Sealing Arts. In fact, that is one of the reason why Kumo, Iwa, and Kiri banded together to wipe them out."
"My mom was the first container?" Naruto asked with wonder. He didn't know that this was a family gig, not that he minded since he felt happy that his father trusted him with the burden of holding the most powerful bijuu in the Elemental Nations. Now he knew that reason why Sealing came so easily to him. It was in his blood and a part of his legacy.
"No, your mother is the second container with you being the third. The first container of the Kyuubi was Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the Shodaime Hokage." He informed the shocked blonde in front of him.
"Alright, this is definitely a family thing so that makes it sweeter." Naruto exclaimed with a childish grin on his face.
"I don't know if I should be worried that you're taking this quite calmly."
"Meh, I don't think it would be productive if I freak out or reap vengeance on the villagers for how they treated me. If I did then I'm just proving them right and I have no intentions of doing that."
"How…mature of you, my boy." the Sandaime said proudly to Naruto who smiled at him. "Anyway, anything else you noticed about your bloodline?"
"Well, aside from Masamune, I can also do something else with my chakra. After meditating with it for a bit, I found out that I have another source of energy inside me." He saw the look the man was giving him. "And no, it's not the Kyuubi."
"How do you know that?"
"Well, I can't really say but the energy came from me and not from the seal since I can also detect a form of energy there that was quite potent and powerful compared to my own. I don't know what this energy is but I accidentally did a…um…I think you can call it a spell for the lack of a better term." Naruto said with a shrug.
"A spell? You mean like magic?" Sarutobi asked in disbelief.
Naruto huffed defensively. "Hey, I was seven years old when it happened so blame my childhood imagination. I called it spells since it is similar to those movies I watched, where heroes can throw fireballs and such without hand seals. In fact, I can do a lot of things with it that you could classify as ninjutsu or genjutsu."
"Is this how you incapacitated, Mizuki?"
"Oh yes, it is a spell I call 'Stop'. It places my target in a time bubble of sorts that freezes them in their place. I can also do elemental spells, like Fire, Ice, and Thunder."
"Are you sure you're not going crazy on me, my boy?"
Naruto shook his head and threw his hand out towards the open window. "Fire!" a fireball the size of a man's head flew out of his outstretched palm and out the window. He also channeled his magic throughout his body to make himself float while in a sitting position, startling the Hokage. "Oh yeah, aside from spells, I can also counter gravity enough for me to slow down my fall and to float a bit. Speaking of which. Float!" he targeted the spell on the Hokage making him yelp as he mimicked Naruto floating on top of his seat.
"Damn, I believe you. Now can you please cancel your…spell?"
Naruto nodded and lowered the two of them back to their seats. "Anyway, I can do a lot more with it after a bit of experimentation but I can show you some of them later if we have the time. Oh yeah, I'm also dabbling in Seals a bit and had a few successful experiments that might interest you. In fact, one of them is being sold by Higurashi Kaito in his shop."
Sarutobi pondered on that for a bit before realizing what Naruto just revealed to him. "Wait, you mean to tell me that you were the one who made the hybrid storage scroll that is being sold to Jounins?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah, that's my first successful experiment actually. I came up with the idea when Tenten, Kaito's daughter, complained about her storage scroll having limited capacity and the telltale smoke during unsealing. I messed with it a bit until I was able to make one with unlimited storage capacity and removed the smoke. It's selling like hotcakes but I don't want it to be a common item so I limited its distribution to Jounins and above. Kaito and I also agreed to limit the stocks since I don't want it to end up in the wrong hands. I also modified the thing a month ago to integrate a blood recognition seal so it won't be used against our shinobi." Naruto informed the shocked Hokage before making a face. "Let me tell you, it was a bitch adding the storage seal since I didn't know we sold that much already. Thankfully, my shadow clones helped so I was able to get it all done in a week."
"Uh huh. Any other experiments I should know about?" asked the Hokage with some trepidation. "I need a drink later. This boy is going to be the death of me."
"One successful experiment and another one in progress. The former is something I call the Spell Tag – a fusion of chakra, magic, and seals – that allows the user to use a spell for each tag. I have one for Fire, Ice, and Thunder. I can give you some to test out of you like." The Hokage nodded resulting in Naruto pulling out a few seals from his pocket dimension and laid it on the table. "The red one is the Fire Spell Tag, the blue is the Ice Spell Tag, and the yellow is the Thunder Spell Tag. I consider those the first-tier spells because anything more powerful destroys the sealing matrix so I'm working on it."
"How do they work?" the Hokage asked curiously, studying the Fire Spell Tag with a speculative eye. The seal was quite complex and he could sense something powerful within it.
"All you need to do is channel a bit of chakra to it to activate and throw it to target. Here let me show you." said Naruto as he grabbed a Fire Spell Tag in between his index and middle finger, channeled a bit of chakra to it, and threw it towards the open window. The tag flew straight like an arrow before transforming into a fireball similar to what he used earlier. "See? Simple."
"Amazing. You are definitely a genius in the Sealing Arts." Sarutobi praised the boy since such tags would be a great boon to some shinobi who weren't proficient in elemental ninjutsu. A literal jutsu-in-your-pocket. "Why didn't you sell it?"
"I haven't came up with a way to control its use, jiji. What if a missing-nin with a grudge against Konoha got his or her hands on these? That would be a disaster. No, I don't think I'll be selling this anytime soon. I gave a dozen of each to Tenten for her use and here's yours. Other than that, all my Spell Tags are in storage for me to use in case I run out of juice."
"Understandable. You mentioned another experiment?"
"Yeah, I'm trying to make a transport device using seals. I have a small model, around a feet in length and half of that in height, as a test model. It can float and all but anything bigger or heavier than that is a no go." A thought occurred to him. "Which reminds me, who owns the apartment I'm using, jiji?"
"Why do you ask?" the Hokage steeled himself. The boy was definitely going to be the death of him if he continued to make the impossible possible.
"Well, since I'm the only one living there, might as well make use of the space. I was thinking of buying the entirety of the building and the grounds if it's for sale, turning it into a laboratory for my experiments since my living room and bedroom is not big enough to accommodate it. I can save some money or maybe you can sell it to me in an installment basis?"
"Well, the land is owned by the village so you can say that I own it. I can sell it to you at discounted price. You don't have to worry about money since your parents left you quite a sum before they passed away."
"You don't say?" Naruto asked with some surprise and curiosity.
"Your parents were powerful shinobi, Naruto-kun, and they amassed quite a bit of a fortune with their missions. In fact, your orphan stipend was one way of me giving it to you since you're not allowed to make withdrawals due to your age. Now that you're a Genin, I can have the bank transfer the authority of the money to you if you want since you're already considered an adult."
"That would be great, jiji. Can you sell me the apartment and just deduct the amount from my inheritance? How much did my parents leave me anyway?" he asked curiously.
"Well, the last statement told me that you have something of an excess of 50,000,000 ryo. The manager of the bank was kind enough to give your parents a nice interest rate to keep it growing. It's a good thing you're planning to buy the building since your parent's house was destroyed during the Kyuubi attack, taking everything your parents own with it." he said sadly causing Naruto to nod in understanding. "All in all, that's the entirety of your inheritance. I also have a few of your father's notes on Seals he kept inside the vault here in my office so I can give it to you if you promise to be careful with it."
"Wow! That's quite a lot of money and I can promise you that I'll be careful with my father's notes." Naruto said with some amazement, mentally thanking his father and mother for funding his current and future experiments. He wasn't sad about the house but he was dismayed that none of his parents' stuff survived the Kyuubi attack. He was, however, excited of his father's notes on Seals. "How much is the apartment building?"
"Since the place is old and in serious need of repair, I can sell it to your for…let's say…5,000,000 ryo?" Sarutobi said with some amusement since the boy's jaw was relatively hanging from the amount. He walked over to the vault where he kept the Forbidden Scroll and took out a thick notebook containing Minato's studies on Seals. He tossed it to Naruto who caught it easily.
"Thanks for this, old man. Are you sure you're going to sell me the building at such a low price? Considering the size of the land and the building, I can easily say that you're more than giving me a discount."
"Yes, it is. Consider it a graduation gift from me to you, my boy."
"Wow! Thanks a bunch, jiji. I don't know what to say."
"Just promise me that you're going to be careful with your experiments, Naruto-kun. Sealing is a complex and dangerous art. One wrong move then BOOM!"
"Don't worry, old man. All my experiments are done by shadow clones so I'm relatively safe in that regard." Naruto promised causing the Hokage to sigh in relief.
"That's good then. Anyway, I think I kept you from your sleep long enough. I'll have to stay up for a few more hours to finalize the team assignments for tomorrow. Why don't you go home and rest."
"Sure thing, old man. I'll keep you updated with my experiments when I have the chance. Good night." said Naruto as farewell before teleporting out of the office leaving a dumbfounded Hokage to shake his head in exasperation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, worked his way until the early hours of the morning finalizing the team assignments for this year's batch of newly-graduated Genins. He did a lot of revisions with the teams thanks to the recent revelation of Naruto's real abilities.
What he learned was quite shocking and the boy practically threw all of his assumptions and theories out the window. He couldn't help but be amazed at the boy he considered a grandson and how he matured right before his eyes.
For the first five years of the boy's life, Naruto was a prankster and a knucklehead. However, it's like a switch was flipped that made the boy change overnight. He blamed it on the event that landed the boy in a very deep pit outside the Forest of Death with a split scalp. Thankfully, it was already healed due to his Uzumaki healing factor coupled with the Kyuubi's chakra flowing through his veins.
The boy definitely changed, asking for a postponement of his enrollment into the Academy for two years since he wanted to be prepared when he attends. If that surprised him, he was definitely shocked when he learned of his surrogate grandson defeating a Chuunin in an all-out-battle, revealing his abilities that placed him a few pegs higher than his peers, a bloodline that allowed him to use elemental and support techniques without hand seals, and not to mention that intimidating sword of his. He couldn't help but look at the boy while envisioning a powerful warrior that would make hardcore shinobi tremble in their sandals.
He was also proud of the boy's maturity when informed about the Kyuubi. Sure, the boy already knew about it but the fact that his father sealed the most powerful entity in the Elemental Nations inside his body was definitely an eye opener and he couldn't help but puff out his chest in pride when he praised the man for the sealing instead of downright hating him for the life he went through.
No, Naruto could never be called a boy. He was a man, a full-fledged shinobi of the Leaf. He was sure that Uzumaki Naruto would make a mark in history that would put his parents' achievements to shame.
He looked down at the team rosters on the table and couldn't help but nod in approval. It was difficult rearranging the teams but he decided that it would be worth it in the end. He created a shadow clone to finish up before using Shunshin to take himself home for a short nap.
He needed all the rest he could get considering who he was going to deal with tomorrow.
Naruto was still sleepy when he was woken up by the blaring of his alarm clock. He immediately teleported home last night since he wanted to get a few hours of sleep before going to the Academy for the team assignment. He, however, created a clone to read his father's notes on Seals before going to bed. He might be tired but he was very much excited on what his father wrote in that notebook of his.
He warped to the bathroom and subjected himself to a cold shower to really wake himself up. He enjoyed the bath before exiting the shower and observed himself in the mirror. He was quite happy of his growth. He was quite tall for a twelve year old, standing at a respectable height of 5'5 with his body sporting muscles that would put an athlete to shame. He was careful with his physical training since he didn't want to bulk up. He was built for both strength and speed without the bulky muscles Barret, the leader of Avalanche, sported. Oh no, he won't be turning into a hulk of a man anytime soon.
Toweling the excess water that clung to his long hair that almost reached the middle of his back, he made his way to his bedroom and changed into an outfit he prepared in advance when he made it to Genin. It was similar to Sephiroth's outfit but totally different.
Instead of an all black ensemble, Naruto decided to change it to white instead. He removed the metal shoulder guards since he didn't want it impeding his movements. The only black in his outfit was the black pants and steel-plated boots.
All-in-all, he looked quite intimidating.
He exited his bedroom and created a clone to start with breakfast. He made his way to a hole in the wall that led to the adjacent apartment where his study and experiment room was located. He found his clone furiously taking down notes on a new notebook he kept in stock just in case.
"Found anything useful? Nevermind, dispel and give me the memories." Naruto instructed before the clone dispelled itself and his mind assaulted by an influx of memories. He couldn't help but drool at what discovered from his dad's notebook. It was amazing. "Damn, I knew dad was good considered he could seal the Kyuubi alone but I didn't know he was this good."
The notebook was Namikaze Minato's life's work on the Sealing Arts. All his experiences, modifications, and creations were recorded there down to the tiniest detail. Naruto was quite amazed that his dad could come up with unique concepts that even he, with his vaunted intellect and imagination, wouldn't have thought of. His father definitely taking the Sealing Arts to the next level with him doing the same – in another way of course. His father's achievement and research would be invaluable to his experiments. One of the seals there would definitely help him in his project in coming up with a flying vehicle for his use. He was drooling at the possibility.
Naruto glanced at the corner to see that he had an hour before the team assignment would begin. He decided to go ahead with his plans and created a dozen clones.
"Alright, guys. I'm going to go to the Academy for team assignment. I want one of you to go to jiji and get the deed for the property. The sooner we get the property signed over to me, the sooner we can start renovating. Three of you will go through my father's notes and concentrate on the ones that would help in our experiments. The rest of you try to come up with a way to modify the seal matrix to accommodate second-tier elemental spells and possible some of the barrier spells." Naruto instructed.
"Hai, taichou!" chorused the clones before going to their respective tasks.
Naruto nodded before going to the kitchen to fix himself something to eat before going to the Academy. With the commotion last night, he definitely worked up an appetite that would put Chouji to shame.
Naruto was making his way to the Hokage's office after Iruka told him to meet with the Sandaime for further orders regarding his placement as a Genin of Konoha.
The blonde reincarnation of Sephiroth couldn't believe it. He wasn't assigned a team!
The team assignment was finished, his friends and classmates already being informed who their teammates would be and their respective Jounin senseis. However, he was shocked when he wasn't mentioned but was informed that he needed to see the Hokage for furthers.
He didn't bother with the secretary who was glaring at him, walked past her and unceremoniously opened the aged leader's office to see him smoking his pipe with a smile on his face
"What gives, old man? Why in Kami didn't I get a team?" he demanded from the man he considered as grandfather in all but blood.
"Why don't you sit down, Naruto-kun. I will explain my reasons why I didn't assign you a team and I have a proposition for you that would make it worth your while."
Naruto raised an eyebrow but complied, tapping the floor with his foot as he waited for the explanation.
"I spent the whole morning deciding what to do with the teams and your…abilities would pose quite a bit of a problem with any team you end up with." He started causing Naruto to bristle but held up his hand to silence whatever the blonde was going to say. "I didn't say it as insult or anything Naruto-kun but answer me this – you think your capabilities would compliment a team? Any team for that matter?"
Naruto paused and really thought about what the Hokage said. Considering how much he revealed to the Sandaime last night, he couldn't help but grudgingly agree that team dynamics would be strained considering what he was capable of. In truth, he would most likely destroy the team and some would even consider it as him showing off. In another note, any team he was assigned to would be overpowered, not by their actions but mostly on Naruto since he would end up doing anything they couldn't, destroying their chance of growth. He sighed in exasperation.
"Fine. What do you suggest, old man? History states that all graduates from the Academy are assigned to a team since Konoha is well known for its teamwork."
"That's true, my boy, but you yourself is a team already. With your shadow clones, you could do anything a team could. You can overpower them to be more durable and you could keep on bringing them out if one of your clones dispel." Sarutobi pointed out. Naruto grudgingly nodded and prompted the aged leader to continue. "Now, I won't be assigning you a team nor will I be assigning you a sensei. What I want is to give you a position."
"A position?" Naruto asked, now very curious as to what the aged leader was up to.
"Yes. Your various experiments got me thinking. It would be a travesty if I let your abilities and discoveries hindered by a team. Such is the case; I am going to start a new department in the Konoha Military with you spearheading it." the Sandaime said with a bit of pride in his voice.
"I'm listening."
"The department will be a research and development division attached to Konoha ANBU. Your job is to work with a few plans I have for the improvement of Konoha while serving as a back-up team for any missions that requires aid. This will be treated as a long term S-rank mission and every successful discovery and experiments will be considered a mission with varying ranks. For example, if you developed your Spell Tags after your assignment then you would have been awarded a B-rank mission pay."
"Wow. That's a grand plan, jiji. Are you sure you want to put me in a position as its head?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"Absolutely, Naruto-kun. Not only did you prove your capabilities as a shinobi, you also showed me that you inherited your father's knack for inventing and your mother's talent in seals. With these two combined, you will go far, my boy."
Naruto nodded. He couldn't help that he was excited in being given a reason to invent. He was limited to what he could come up with but with the Sandaime's backing, he would be doing a lot for his village.
"I definitely accept the position, jiji. However, what about work hours and training?"
"I already took care of that. You will be working for 8 hours at ANBU headquarters. I already have a laboratory prepared for you as we speak. I will be assigning you three ANBU guards to help you with anything you might need, as well as helping you keep up with your training. Except to be pulled out anytime for a mission."
"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "So I take it I won't be hiring any helpers since I will be conducting all my research and experiments using my shadow clones, correct?"
The Hokage nodded with a smile on his face. "Correct. Considering your chakra reserves, you can practically bring out an army of them to help you in your tasks. So no, you are your own department."
"Tasks? Don't tell me you already have a project lined up for me?"
"That I do." the aged leader nodded. He pulled out a folder from his drawer and slid it across the table for Naruto to reach. "I think that is enough for you to start with. I will have more for you if I have need."
Naruto curiously opened the folder and perused the contents. In it were various projects the Hokage wanted done for the betterment of the village. Some of them would be easy, requiring only a few tweaks, while the rest would requires hours of research to pull off. He was itching to get started. He saw the last project in the folder and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"I see that you want me to complete my transport vehicle." Naruto said with a sly smirk on his face.
"That I do. I don't doubt your capabilities, Naruto-kun. I know you can do it. I'm just giving you an order to proceed. If you read down, you will see why I wanted this project to succeed."
"Logistics. Not only that, this would make it easy for our shinobi to bring reinforcements to other teams in a hurry without wasting their energy and time on traveling to and from their destination. Definitely a benefit. You mentioned that you don't want it mass produced. Why is that?"
"The vehicle will only be used if the occasion demands and not for anything else. We might use it for dignitaries but other than that, I don't want my shinobi getting lazy because there is an easier way to get from point A to point B. No, I don't want it mass produced. I think six of them would suffice."
"I agree. I guess all I can say is that I accept your offer, Hokage-sama." Naruto said with a deep bow. "Now…who's going to take me to my office?" he said cheekily making the Hokage laugh.
It has been two months since Naruto was given the position in the new Research and Development Division of ANBU and he couldn't deny the fact that he was quite happy. He knew that this was going to be difficult since he would be starting from scratch but with the Sandaime's backing, he had all the resource he needed to get things done without suffering any setbacks.
The first of the two months was busy prepping up his new laboratory. It was located in a hidden location housing the entire ANBU contingent of Konoha. It was safe to say that he was in the most secure location in the village and he preferred it that way considering what he was going to invent in the future.
His first task was combing through Sephiroth's memories of his apprenticeship under Professor Hojo. Despite the man being a warmonger and a demented scientist, the Shinra employee was a genius and passed most of his knowledge to his successful experiment. Naruto was fortunate that his past life had a photographic memory so everything he learned was accessible to Naruto for his use.
The first thing he created was a computer since he needed something to facilitate his many future projects. Thankfully, he knew how to get it done but it took quite a while to get a working model up and running due to the lack of technology for its creation.
It took thousands of clones, hours of sleepless nights, and a lot of reading and experimenting with seals that he finally managed to put together a working computer. He had to manufacture the parts and had some of his clones work on the programming but it was worth it.
When the computer was done, he assigned a dozen clones creating modules after modules for an artificial intelligence for his lab to function at optimum efficiency. He knew that he was cheating since he was practically copying Shinra's many achievements but he didn't let it deter him. If Kami didn't strike him down for bringing technology back to the Elemental Nations then he was free to do as he pleased.
Naruto also kept up with his training thanks to the training ground located underneath ANBU headquarters. He was brought up to speed in ninjutsu, kenjutsu, chakra control, and seals thanks to the many ANBU who was more than happy to lend a hand in his training. The library also helped and had an army of clones read through everything he could get his hands on. It also helped that he spent quite a lot of time sparring with Konoha's trained elites while his shadow clones worked in his now functional laboratory. His main training partner was Neko and someone named Tenzo who was capable of using the Shodaime's Mokuton. He found out that the man was experimented on by Orochimaru and was the only one to survive the process of being integrated with the Shodaime's DNA. The man was definitely strong and Naruto enjoyed hours of fun with the man in a no-holds-barred sparring match. He was slowly gaining grounds in his goal to reach Sephiroth's strength and ANBU was definitely helping with that goal.
The new inventor of Konoha also took the time to get a breath of fresh air from his dingy laboratory to interact with his friends from the Academy. However, most of his free time was spent with Tenten, engaging in a spar and taking her out for dinner or lunch if time permits. He couldn't tell her anything about his new role in Konoha but she didn't pester him about it since she understood the secrecy involved. He did, however, keep her updated with some of his personal experiments since she provided helpful insights to how things should work or not.
All in all, Naruto loved every second of it.
Naruto pressed a button on his computer console while sipping a cup of coffee. He was currently in the middle of testing his one of his many finished experiments – a long-range communication system powered by ambient chakra. Unlike the communicators ANBUs were using, this model was more advanced. Naruto, using Shinra's many inventions as a template, was able to increase the range and utilized seals to give it a self-recharging power supply. It helped that the Elemental Nations was rich in ambient energy thanks to the many chakra-using individuals running around.
"Testing testing. Do you read me, over?" Naruto started. Static was heard from the speaker system installed in his laboratory before a voice broke in.
"Read you loud and clear, Uzumaki-san."
"How many times do I have to tell you, Tenzo, call me Naruto or Naruto-san." He growled in irritation.
"I'm not sure. I lost count after five hundred." came the amused reply.
"Cheeky bugger." Naruto murmured as he started typing on the keyboard in front of him. "Alright, how is my voice on your end? Any static or interference I should know about?"
"No. Everything is loud and clear on my end. How is the tracking seal you installed?"
"Wait, I'm pulling up a map right now." said Naruto as he pushed a few more buttons. The screen on his left changed to a map of Hi no Kuni. There were two blinking blue dots, one in the capital of Hi no Kuni while the other one was in Tanzaku Gai. "Alright, the map is working perfectly and the tracking seal works. Your current location is the market district behind the Daimyo's compound. Confirm?"
"Confirm. I guess it worked then."
"Definitely. Wait, let me see if one of the features I installed is up and running." said Naruto, flicking a switch on the panel to toggle the conference mode one of his clones installed earlier. "Neko-neechan, do you read?"
"Read you loud and clear, Naruto-kun. I take it you're testing the conference mode now?"
"I am. You and Tenzo are on the line."
"Hello, Neko-san." said Tenzo from his end.
"Tenzo." Neko replied in greeting. "Are you hearing me loud and clear?"
"Clear as if you're beside me, Neko-san."
"Neechan, are you in a building right now in front of the plaza square?" asked Naruto as he triangulated the ANBU's position.
"Yes, I'm at the hotel packing my things. I just finished the mission so I'm going back to Konoha in a few hours. This GPS thing working?"
"Yes. I think I just need to update the map with the buildings to accurately point out the position of those who have a communicator or a tracking seal with a specific chakra signature." Naruto replied. "The communication panel is also working perfectly on my end so I'm going to flag this project as a success."
"You're definitely living up to your name as Konoha's Inventor, Naruto-kun."
"Aw shucks, you're making me blush, neechan." said an amused Naruto. "Anyway, I'm signing off. Do you want me to leave the communication line open between the two of you so you can talk?"
"No need, Naruto-kun. I'll be running at full speed so I have no time to talk. Anyway, Neko signing out. Take care, Tenzo, Naruto-kun."
"Safe travels, Neechan. By for now, Tenzo.
"See you when I get back, Uzumaki-san."
Naruto didn't grace that with a reply before turning off the communicator. He grabbed a scroll before teleporting out of the room to give his report to the Hokage.
"I am happy to say that the long-range communication system is a success, Hokage-jiji." reported Naruto as he stood in front of the aged leader with his two advisors, Homura and Koharu. The two were opposed to his position at first but when they visited his lab, they were convinced and eagerly waiting for what he could come up with. "I tested the GPS and communication range with ANBUs Neko and Tenzo who are in Tanzaku Gai and Hi no Kuni capital respectively."
"Excellent, Naruto-kun. Any problems with the…um…Global Positioning System? Did I get the term right?" Sarutobi asked with a chuckle. He didn't know where Naruto got these terms but they were quite catchy, hard to memorize though.
"You can just call them GPS, jiji, and no, there's no problem with it as far as I can tell. I just need to update the map to include the rest of the Elemental Nations down to the last building for accuracy, but other than that, everything is working perfectly. I already assigned a hundred shadow clones to mass produce the communicators for ANBU and Jounin use and linked them to a central communication system at ANBU headquarters. You might want to tell me if you are planning to assign ANBU outside Fire Country so I can check the range again. My goal is to ensure that the communication relays can catch any incoming and outgoing transmission all over the Elemental Nations. Anyway, all you need to do is to train an ANBU to handle the communication relays and to check on the system from time to time. When you have a person in mind, let me know. I'll train him for a few days and ease him into the job." The blonde reported before putting a scroll on the table. "Here's a duplicate of the communication panel for your use. I already took the liberty of adding a set of instructions so you'll know how to operate them. I also included a dozen communicators to use as you see fit."
"Thank you, Naruto-kun." said Sarutobi with a smile while giving the two advisors a smug look. They were wearing looks of shock and amazement when Naruto described his now completed communication system for Konoha's ANBU and Jounin. It was safe to say they were very much convinced. "I'll add this as an A-rank mission on your record. Your pay will be deposited in your bank account in the morning. Do you have anything else to report?"
"Aside from the fact that I'm itching for a mission outside the village and the hover boards are at 50% completion, I have nothing else to say." Naruto admitted as he slumped down unceremoniously on the chair causing the three to chuckle. "Man, I never knew that staying in my laboratory everyday for two months was going to drive me insane."
"Don't worry. If there is a C-rank mission among your group, I'll be more than happy to let you join them as back-up. Any problems with the hover boards?" he asked the blonde inventor who had a thoughtful frown on his face.
"The chakra absorption seals, converter seals, and hover seals are working perfectly without any glitch. The problem is the steering. I'm still looking for a way to steer it better instead of doing it manually with our feet. That's why it's taking a bit slow but I'm sure I'll have it done in the next month or so." admitted Naruto. "I'm toying with some of tou-san's experiments in mind seals if its possible to use it with the hover boards. I'll let you know what I can come up on that thought."
"What are these…hover boards?" Homura asked curiously.
"Hokage-jiji asked me to create a transportation medium for Konoha to easily send reinforcement to and from the village. The project is taking too long considering its size so I am making a more compact version of it in the form of boards." He pulled out a data pad from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times much to the amazement of the trio. He pulled up a picture of the hover board with one of his clones adding a few seals on the bottom and showed it to them. "This is the hover board. This is an ongoing project of mine that would allow our shinobi to go from one place to another without wasting their energy and cutting down on travel time. If this project is successful, I am thinking of incorporate a small closed vehicle version of it for dignitaries and important personnel."
"This is amazing, Uzumaki. I am looking forward to what you cook up next." said Koharu with a bit of respect.
"Thank you, Koharu-sama. Anyway, if that's it for today, I need to get a few hours of training in before calling it a day. I was working on the communication system for two days straight without any rest. Good bye for now." said Naruto before exiting the room and teleporting back to his room in his now-renovated apartment when the door closed.