Naruto was currently trying to hide from Mizuki and keep the scroll of forbidden techniques that the blond had been tricked into stealing as he tried to digest the information that he had just been given. The fact that they young ninja student was the Kyuubi, the creature that had nearly destroyed the village that he lived in and killed the Yondaime Hokage who lead it. The fact that the teacher that he so admired had been one of the people to keep the facts away from him was also hurting the blue-eyed boy. Then he heard Iruka answer Mizuki's claim that Naruto was a demon who hungered for power and revenge.
"Your right, Mizuki, the Kyuubi would do that but not Naruto. Naruto is a loyal ninja of the village hidden in the leaves that works hard to learn the skills that he will need to become the Hokage. He never gives up and has made me proud to know him, making him the complete opposite of both you and the Kyuubi. He is Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf Village! " Those words that Iruka spoke causes a feeling of joy and happiness that had been lacking in his life, as well a strange feeling of strength that seemed to fill him.
"You know, I was fully prepared to let you live just a little bit longer..." the rogue ninja said as his annoyance increased, " ...but you just changed my mind. Say goodbye, Iruka!" The white haired ninja prepared to released his giant shuriken in a death attack that was meant to end the life of his opponent.
It was then that the weirdness was released! A circle of white light appeared instantly around Naruto as it rose and he could feel himself change, but that didn't stop himself from launching into the sky with a new found power of flight. With the speed of a deadly gale, Naruto slammed into the enemy villager in a way that caused him to drop his shuriken. Speaking his mind, Naruto said, "If you touch my sensei... I will kill you!"
It was then that Naruto noticed that Mizuki was looking at him like he was confused, but the foe recovered within a minute before returning the threat of Naruto. The white haired man told the young ninja, "I don't know why you have changed your look or how you learnt to fly, but I'm going to take you down!" Mizuki then took out another huge shuriken to launch at Naruto, signalling that the battle had just begun. The fox boy just nodded in a way that he thought was cool and then used the hand sign for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, however he felt a sort of resistance when he was trying to do that technique that he couldn't feel when he had done it before. Instead of the hundreds of clones that he had been hoping for, he had just ten clones appear to fight his now least favourite teacher.
Naruto guessed that he would just have to make do with what he has, as he moved to give a major break down. It was with the first punch that Naruto noticed that something strange was going on, as a fist to the face caused Mizuki to sail back with more motion than Naruto's strength would have normally had done. But he continued to move as Mizuki seemed to have slowed down while they were fighting as Naruto kept on giving punches and kicks to the traitors until the fox boy was sure that he would not be getting up again. The ten clones looked over the unconscious form of his former teacher. Turning back to see how badly hurt his teacher with the scar was he returned to him, not noticing that he was flying. The boy looked at his teacher who had his eyes wide in shock.
"Naruto, what happened to you?" Naruto was about to ask what it was that Iruka-sensei was saying, but then Naruto's reflection was shown. It had the fox boy's face, but the hair was a deep shade of violet that bordered on black while his eyes had turned bright green and glowed with an inner light. He was also still wearing his orange jump suit, but with this new appearance it just didn't seem to fit. It was then that Naruto's eye started to twitch for a second before he let out a scream!
"Naruto, just relax! I'm sure that the Sandaime Hokage will know what has happened!" Iruka called out above the screams of his student, needing to repeat it a few time before Naruto stopped stretching his voice. Naruto was still scared at what it was that had happened to him, after gaining the knowledge of his darkest secret. The dark haired man then told the purple haired boy, "Close your eyes. I want to give you something that might make you feel better." Naruto shut his eyes as he tried to figure out what it was his favourite teach could do to make up for this weirdness. Naruto could feel something being slipped on his head before the scared elder ninja told him to open his eyes.
Naruto noticed that Iruka was not wearing his forehead protector, before feeling his own forehead to sense cloth and engraved metal. Iruka smiled as he said, "Congratulation, you pass! I saw you make at ten clones and not only clones but shadow clone. That takes a lot of hard work and you deserve to be recognized for it. No we just have to turn Mizuki to the interrogation squad and return the scroll to the Hokage as well as get some answers for this weird change that has happened to you."
Later inside the Hokage Tower...
The Sandaime Hokage had dismissed most of the searchers for Naruto and the hidden scroll after he explained what had happened and what it was that people could expect when the fox boy and his teacher returned with the traitor that they had caught, making sure that Ibiki was ready to uses his special skills to find out who had corrupted the former ninja of the leaf. Before him stood both Iruka and Naruto, the latter had returned to his blond hair appearance rather than the purple hair that he had seen in his crystal ball. Both were asking questions about what it was that had happened to Naruto.
The Sandaime started his tale, "Months before Naruto was born and before the attack of the Kyuubi, a traitorous ninja who was working for one of the greatest foes of the leaf injected his mother with a serum that they believed would alter his DNA. This serum would create a possible kekkei genkai that they called Reichi for the fact that is was made from a substance known as ectoplasm that is basically the blood and flesh of spirits..."
He was interrupted by a nervous blond who was asking, "Those that mean I'm dead, that I'm a ghost!?! I don't want to be dead, old man!" The look of terror on his face was something that neither of the older men wanted to see on the boy that both loved like a son or brother.
"Not exactly, Naruto. You are not a full ghost, but more of a combination of a living being and a spirit. A combination that gives you greater powers than that of a normal human, such as your heightened physical abilities and the ability to fly like in your battle with Mizuki." The fear on Naruto's face grew less extreme as a hint of interest came on that face in reaction to the Sandaime's words. The Hokage continued, "It is also likely that you will develop other powers based on ghost like invisibility and intangibility, both of which could come in handy since you are a ninja. Ever since you were given the bloodline, we have been maintaining a limited study of spirits so that you can improve your powers and at the same time counter the power of the demon that give you these abilities." Naruto's foxy grin appeared spreading from ear to ear and the young man nodded, likely covering the confusion he was feeling under that superhuman smile.
"I will make sure that you know more about your abilities, Naruto. Remember this though, you are always a ninja and citizen of the leaf and so a precious person to me. I will do all in my power to protect you from anything that could try to harm you." Honesty came from the Hokage's voice as made sure that Naruto understood that. Looking at the ghost boy, he saw true happiness cross the young ninja's face which was duplicated on the face of his teacher.
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(Posted Fri, 23 Mar 2007 13:08)
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