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Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Nor some of the concepts I used which Ms. Madeline L'Engle inspired me with.
Saa, on to the fic!
Naruto released a sad sigh as he tore his gaze away from the lonely orange leaf. It reminded him of his own loneliness, the pain of being the only one who didn't pass the Test. He felt stupid and useless, shunned and left behind. All the others had shown sufficient Talents in their chosen fields, and had been taken in as Apprentices. And he…
He was there in the woods, sitting on his swing under the almost-bare tree. He sighed once more and closed his eyes.
Will I never go beyond Learning? How will I ever become Hokage?
Hokage were exceptional individuals. They had charisma, power and infinite kindness. The Hokage were chosen to lead the village, regardless of their specialized Tasks. The First had been a Nurturer of Plants. The Second had been the Guardian of the Waters. The Third had been a Teacher before he became both Seer and Hokage. The Fourth had been a Warrior: an amazing one at that.
He was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of someone calling his name. He looked up, surprised that someone had found him. He was well into the forest, after all.
"M-mizuki-sensei?"
It was one of his Teachers.
The man smiled at him. "Naruto, I know you feel bad about not passing the Test, and I know that your Talent is just sleeping somewhere within you."
At his words, Naruto's heart warmed, comforted with the thought of someone believing in him.
"You're a good lad," the Teacher continued, "so I'm giving you another chance."
He felt hope spring in his chest as his blue eyes widened.
"C-can you really do that, Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked, breathless. His grip tightened around the thick vines that held his swing in place.
Mizuki gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes, there is another way of seeing where your innate Talents will lead you other than simply showing aptitude while Learning… There is an ancient incantation in the records of the village that will show us exactly where you should be placed." He fished a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it out to the boy. "Those are the directions on how to get it. Follow the instructions to the dot. You must not be seen."
"B-but isn't that stealing?"
"Oh Heavens, no," he chuckled, "It's all part of the ritual. Now, go and get it. Meet me here an hour before midnight. Keep in mind that this is your last chance. You must be resilient, Student."
Determination burned in Naruto's eyes. "Yes, Teacher." He stood straight and bowed before going on his way.
A silver-haired man stood before the Seer, his single visible eye alert.
"Please bring a Teacher named Iruka here immediately."
The Seer has just Seen. The Vision was important enough for the old man to take action.
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
The guard bowed and hastened to carry out the order.
Sarutobi sat back and waited for Iruka to arrive. Konoha's destiny was starting to unfold, and it shall be as it was made known to him. Soon, the fate of the world shall rest in the hands of a very special boy…
Should I open it?
Everything was eerily still and quiet, as though waiting for something to happen. The wind was reassuring, though silent. He looked up at the sky. The stars were not singing, but they beamed at him comfortingly, winking from time to time.
Curiosity won over and Naruto carefully opened the scroll. As he scanned the text, his eyes gradually widened. It was a very long list of powerful spells… And all were forbidden. They were not for his eyes to see.
In his haste to roll up the scroll, one of his fingers got cut by the sharp edge of the paper. As soon as his blood came in contact with it, a bright flash of light surprised him, causing him to drop the scroll and shield his eyes. It was gone as soon as it came. Puzzled and slightly disoriented he finished rolling up the scroll.
"Naruto! Thank god I found you…"
Naruto tensed. He wasn't supposed to be seen!
And yet Iruka was before him at that very instant. He clutched the scroll closer to himself.
"Ah, I see that you got it," came the slippery voice of Mizuki. "Come on, hand it over."
"No! Naruto, whatever happens, don't give it to him! He used you to steal the scroll for his own selfish ambitions!"
Mizuki's expression darkened. "Well, I guess it can't be helped now… But Iruka, don't you just hate him?" He gestured towards the blond boy. "Should I remind you how your parents were killed? How vile and dirty this demon's blood is?"
"Stop! We are forbidden to speak of it!" Iruka yelled.
Mizuki continued, ignoring Iruka's outburst; this time addressing the boy. "Didn't you ever wonder why you were so hated? Why every soul in this village curses your mere existence? Of course you wouldn't, demon spawn! The Third forbade us from talking about you, much less gutting your disgusting little self." He snorted. "Our lives in exchange for our silence. He seemed to think it was fair. But we certainly don't…" Mizuki's face twisted manically. "Because you deserve to die! Your kind should not exist! Your mother almost destroyed Konoha, and it won't be long before you try to finish what she started!"
With the smile of a madman, Mizuki launched a fuuma shuriken, one that he had stolen from a Warrior, at Naruto. The boy was unable to move, both from fear and the shock of hearing the words that spilled from the traitor's mouth.
But the impact never came. Naruto stared incredulously at his mentor who shielded him from the huge weapon. Iruka coughed out blood, and the sight of it made everything all the more real. Stunned and confused, the blond could only stare up at his savior with wide eyes.
"…. Why….?"
"After my parents died, I was alone…. Nobody acknowledged me and I grew envious of the other kids who weren't orphans… I acted like an idiot while I was still Learning, just so others could give me the acknowledgement I craved for… It was so painful…" The Teacher's voice held so much emotion, quivering in its intensity. Tears rolled down his kind face. "You must have been in a lot of pain, too…"
"Hmmm? So you're saying you don't hate the demon brat? What a hypocrite!" Mizuki leered.
Iruka slowly got up as he extracted the weapon from his back and threw it to the side, only to fall back down on his knees in his weakened state. "I hate the demon for what it has taken away from me…"
Naruto's heart clenched painfully in his chest.
He hates me…I was a fool for hoping so much…
"… But Naruto is different! I've acknowledged him as one of my excellent students… He may not be the most hardworking, nor the best in his class… He's clumsy so nobody accepts him… He already knows how it is to feel pain in his heart… A son will never be its mother! He is not the demon! He's a member of Konohagakure: he is Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Hn. I see. So that's how it is… Now then… Hurry up and die!" Mizuki charged at the other Teacher. However, he never got a chance to even lay a finger on Iruka, as he had been kicked away by a sandaled foot. Caught off-guard, he was unable to do anything.
"Don't touch Iruka-sensei… Or I'll kill you." It was eerie, how the child's voice carried more than enough courage to speak about death in such a way. There was an ancient feel about those blue eyes focused on his black ones.
Mizuki spat out blood. "I'll kill a punk like you in one shot!"
Naruto raised his hands in a seal, his eyes still burning through the traitor. "Try it, trash. I'll return the pain a thousand times over."
"Then do it, Demon!"
A soft blue glow surrounded the child and slowly but surely gathered enough speed to swirl around him.
"W-what? What's going on?" Mizuki was bewildered.
Suddenly, a sea of orange met his eyes. A thousand Narutos surrounded him, each with that haunting gaze trained on him.
The rest was history. True to his promise, Naruto gave him back the pain he dealt a thousand times over. Mizuki had succumbed to unconsciousness long ago, but the boy did not stop until each of the thousand made a hit.
"I think I overdid it," Naruto said as he looked down on the beaten figure.
"Naruto, come here. There's something I want to give you," Iruka called him over.
"Close your eyes," he commanded.
After a few moments, the boy asked if he could open his eyes. Iruka said yes, and he did so.
"Congratulations, Student. You have crossed the threshold and henceforth shall be known as an Apprentice."
Words failed the normally loud blond. With tears in his eyes, he hugged his precious teacher, unable to express himself in any other way.
Naruto basked in the feeling of being loved, acknowledged for being him. Nothing can ever describe how he felt at the moment, for words are not enough to express such pure things so perfectly. His heart sang in the simple joy of living.
On a branch elsewhere, the lonely orange leaf fell, joining its brethren in pursuing a new chapter of their lives.
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Cassidy: Thank you! Chibi hugs Cassidy.
anonymus: Thank you for reading and reviewing… I really appreciate it.
Ruffled Feathers: I think I've already answered your question through email, but I'm not really sure.. Chibi sweatdrops. In any case, no, it wasn't intended. Actually, I only noticed the similarity when you pointed it out to me. But don't worry, it will not veer in that direction. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
