Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ To Measure My Capacity ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of that stuff. If they want this story removed and deleted I will do so.

Summary: Itachi wants someone powerful to fight him, so he can properly measure his capacity. How does the future change when he decides Naruto is a possible measure

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Chapter 6

The sun was setting when Naruto and Jiraiya approached the 'hidden' village of Konoha. It seemed peaceful to Naruto as he gazed upon it from a distance. It wasn't something you'd expect from a village full of shinobi. It looked almost serene, bathed in golden sunlight. Long shadows were being cast by the high walls, seemingly stretching out to embrace Naruto, as if to say “welcome home”.

`Yeah right' thought Naruto, `more like “welcome back to where everybody wants you dead”'.

“Aww,” came Kyuubi's voice, impending on Naruto's thoughts, “a bit on the cynical side, aren't we, Naruto-kun?”

`I have reason to be' Naruto snapped back mentally, his eyes cold, his mouth turned downwards in a frown hidden by his high collar. `You're the reason I've been through what I have, incase you had forgotten that small fact.'

`Poor Naruto-kun,' Kyuubi said in a rather mocking voice. `He's been through so much, but still he battles on with unwavering determination. How does he do it?'

`Ahh, shut up. What would a stupid fox like you know?' Naruto ignored Kyuubi's retort, physically shaking his head in an attempt to clear his head of Kyuubi's presence. `This time' Naruto thought privately `I'll prove to them I'm not who they think I am. I'll prove I'm not th-.'

“Ready, Naruto?” Jiraiya's voice sounded, interrupting Naruto's silent vow. Jiraiya could tell Naruto was frowning behind his clothing. Three years with the kid had allowed Jiraiya to read his moods quite well, although there was still a lot Jiraiya didn't know about him. Naruto never seemed to give as much information as he could, and that was always an obstacle Jiraiya had never managed to overcome.

“Don't worry, I doubt they'll recognize you now, Naruto.” Jiraiya encouraged. “Just be careful and nothing's going to happen like it did last time. Besides” Jiraiya turned to grin at Naruto, “you're with me, the great Jiraiya-sama!” Jiraiya threw a couple of `thumps up' in an attempt to break Naruto out of his brooding mood.

Naruto shook his head. “I'm not worried about being attacked again. I can defend myself well enough now. I was just wondering what it would take for them to see me for who I am, and see me as the stupid fox inside me.”

'I'm not stupid!' Naruto ignored her once again.

Jiraiya's face became serious. “It would probably take quite a lot. Anyway,” Jiraiya continued, his expression becoming energetic, “let's concentrate on settling in for now, all that can be dealt with later. I need to find a nice hotel near some hot springs and-“

”Let's get going,” Naruto interrupted, making his way towards the high walls of Konoha, his posture showing nothing but confidence.

“Damn brat,” Jiraiya muttered, slowly following after the mixture of white and yellow that was the back of Naruto.

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Two Konoha chuunin came to attention quickly as two figures approached the gates. The closest was a boy whose body was entirely covered in an oversized white trench coat, while his eyes were mostly hidden by his long hair. The second was an oldish man who had long white hair, strange red tear marks on his face and an insanely large scroll on his back.

`Is that Jiraiya-sama?' Both chuunin thought at the same time. They were so surprised they failed to notice someone walking by them.

The boy had walked past the two without looking at them and was a good 5 meters away before the chuunin remembered their job and what they were supposed to do with unknown travelers.

”Uhh, excuse me young man, but we need to see some identification.”

Naruto stopped and looked back at the two chuunin, who seemed to be brothers judging from their appearance. “I don't have any.” Naruto said simply, staring blankly over his shoulder.

”I'm afraid we can't let you in to the village, then.” The taller of the two said, while both tensed and lowered their hands to their weapons pouches.

”No need for that,” Jiraiya said, coming up behind the two chuunin, “he's with me, and we know the great Jiraiya doesn't need identification, right?” Jiraiya gave the two chuunin a thumbs up and a wink.

“N-no, of course not, Jiraiya-sama!” The shorter chunnin managed, while thinking `Is this really the Jiraiya?' “However, I'm afraid I'll have to escort you to the Hokage to verify your identities.”

Jiraiya nodded. “Of course. I needed to see old Sarutobi anyway.” He turned to Naruto. “You okay with that?”

Naruto shrugged. “I guess.” He said simply. The old man was really the only person Naruto thought was worth seeing in this village. No one but the Hokage had ever shown Naruto anything that resembled respect in the past in this village.

”Alright,” Jiraiya said, turning back to the two chuunin, “lead the way.”

Jiraiya and Naruto fell in behind the shorter brother as he led them through the village to the Hokage's office.

The villagers barely gave the trio a glance as they made their way through the evening crowds, which contrasted greatly to the murderous stares Naruto used to receive. A few seemed to double take when they saw Jiraiya, but other than that they were largely ignored.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder at the indifference the people of Konoha towards him - when they didn't recognize him. `Is this what it would be like if I didn't have Kyuubi sealed in me? Is this what it's like to feel as though your reason for existence isn't to endure the hatred of the villagers?'

The entirety of the trip was made in silence, each member of the group lost in their own thoughts. Jiraiya was thinking about the best hotel to stay at, which was obviously the closest to the hot spring, while the chuunin was debating whether or not this strange man was really was the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, as he hadn't been seen in the village for at least 10 years. It looked like him from the descriptions he'd heard, but he certainly didn't act like someone with such legendary power.

When they arrived at the Hokage building they were told sit and wait for the Hokage's permission to enter. “Bah!” Jiraiya muttered. “Who'd of thought I'd get such treatment in the village I'm famous in? I can't even see my old sensei when I want to! Me, the great Jiraiya!” Naruto just sweat dropped, leaning himself against a wall.

'Sometimes, even though I've been with him for 3 years, I doubt he's who he says he is as well' Naruto thought, thinking back to all the times Jiraiya introduced himself and how stupid it made him look.

The chuunin returned a minute later. “The Hokage would like to see you now. Please follow me.”

”About time,” Jiraiya said as he got up and followed the chuunin. Naruto slowly pushed himself away from the wall and followed Jiraiya's long hair through the corridors to the Hokage's office.

Naruto and Jiraiya were led to two huge wooden double doors which the chuunin opened and beckoned them through, before closing the doors behind them.

When they entered they saw an old man wearing an overly large hat seated behind a desk piled high with paper work. The Hokage looked up as the two entered, a smile briefly gracing his aging face as he saw Jiraiya.

“Jiraiya!” The Hokage exclaimed as he stood, paperwork knocked to the floor in the process. “I could hardly believe my ears when I was told you were in the village.” The Hokage made his way around the desk to clasp Jiraiya's hands in his own. “How long has it been? Are you ready to take my job yet?”

Jiraiya smiled down at his old sensei. “It's probably been too long Sarutobi, and no, I wont take your job. However,” Jiraiya leaned in closer to whisper gleefully in the Hokage's ear, “once I get this kid off my hands, I should have my next novel out in a few weeks.” At that both the Hokage and Jiraiya broke out in to perverted laughter.

“Perverted old men,” Naruto muttered, shaking his head.

”I cannot believe that the leader of this village is as perverted as your sensei.” Naruto mentally agreed with Kyuubi.

The Hokage stopped his chucklinhg when he heard Naruto speak. Turning towards Naruto for the first time he looked him up and down before speaking to Jiraiya.

“And who's this?” He questioned Jiraiya. “I find it hard to believe you would take on another apprentice.”

“Uzumaki Naruto. I've been training him for the past 3 years.”

”What!” The Hokage exclaimed, shocked. He looked Naruto over again before turning back to Jiraiya. “Is he stable? Is it still sealed? How did you find him?”

”I'm standing right here, you know.” Naruto pointed out. “You could just ask me.”

The Hokage coughed and straightened his robes. “Yes, well. How are you Naruto? I haven't seen you in a good 6 years. What have you been doing?”

”I've been training. I trained for 3 years with Sensei, and then trained 3 years with Ero-sennin.”

”Sensei?” The Hokage wondered, turning to Jiraiya. “Who was his sensei?”

”I thought you would know.” Jiraiya said, puzzeled. “Naruto never told me. I thought you sent him away from the village with this sensei of his to save him from the villagers' hate.”

”What! I never sent him anywhere. Naruto was kidnapped from the village by Uchiha Itachi on the same night he massacred the Uchiha clan!”

”More like Itachi-sensei saved me from certain death,” Naruto scoffed.

“He was your sensei?” Jiraiya asked Naruto, his eyes wide. Naruto nodded. “And you never told me.”

Naruto shrugged. “You never asked the right questions.”

”You seem to be quite secretive, Naruto.” The Hokage said. “How can we trust you in this village?”

Naruto shrugged again. “Ero-sennin trusts me, I think. That should be enough.”

”Is this true, Jiraiya? You don't seem to know as much about Naruto as you thought.”

Jiraiya shrugged. “Everyone has their secrets, Sarutobi. Naruto's intentions are pure, and I trust him for those, if nothing else.”

The Hokage raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh, and what are his intentions?”

“I'm going to take your job, old man.” Naruto stated. “I'll prove to everyone I'm not the Kyuubi. I'll make them see me for who I am, and not for who they think I am.”

The Hokage smiled mentally. `An amazing ambition for him to have, considering the life he has lived.' “Very well,” he said aloud. “I'll trust you with this, Jiraiya. You two can stay in the village for now. What were your reasons for coming to the village?”

”We were hoping to get some Genjutsu training from your specialist.” Jiraiya stated. “It's not my strongest point, as you know.”

The Hokage became thoughtful, and began pacing in front of Jiraiya and Naruto before finally returning to his seat behind his desk. He was silent for a moment before leaning forward and speaking. “You may not know this, but the Genin exams were held today. For the first time in several years we have an uneven number of students that have passed. Because of this, we are one graduate short of making complete teams. Would you be willing to fill the spot, Naruto? It would be a way to prove yourself to everyone.”

”I don't know, I've never thought about it.” Naruto said. The idea of coming back to the village that hated him and becoming one of their shinobi had never crossed Naruto's mind. He had always just wanted to become stronger, so he had the strength to prove himself when the time came.

Jiraiya had been rubbing his chin in thought during the Hokage's speech. “I think it's a good idea,” Jiraiya began. “It would be easier to ask for Genjutsu training when you're Konoha shinobi. It's also the first step to becoming Hokage.”

“I guess I could do it,” Naruto said, shrugging. “Genin teams get assigned a Jounin teacher, right?” Both the Hokage and Jiraiya nodded at that. “I should be able to learn something from a Jounin that will make me stronger, then?”

”Yes,” the Hokage nodded, “and you will no doubt learn something from your Jounin sensei, as he is a master of over 1000 jutsu.”

”Who will my team mates be?” Naruto asked.

The Hokage moved papers around on his desk before finding the paper he was after. Looking down he read off the paper. “Rookie of the year, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyuuga Hinata.”

“An Uchiha and a Hyuuga on the same team?” Jiraiya asked. “I thought you were trying to keep the teams as balanced as possible, Sarutobi. If you put Naruto on a team like that they will be much more powerful than their peers.”

The Hokage shook his head and sighed. “The Hyuuga actually has the worst scores out of all the graduates, and the first and last place getters are always placed on the same team. I thought about changing the teams around, but they're all perfectly balanced; only this team has a problem.”

Jiraiya shrugged. “Whatever. It's Naruto's choice, not mine.”

Naruto nodded. “I'm fine with those teams. It should be interesting to see how Itachi's brother is doing.”

“Ahh, about that Naruto.” The Hokage brought his gaze up and looked intently into Naruto's eyes. “Do not mention Itachi around Sasuke. He seems to be intent on killing Itachi, but he's only going to get himself killed. We can't have anything provoking him to do something stupid. Watch what you do and say around him.”

Naruto nodded. He had already promised Itachi that he wouldn't mention him to his brother, and he had no intention of breaking that promise.

The Hokage smiled. “Good. However, you need to pass a test to become a Genin of Konoha. I believe this year's test was to create three perfect bunshin. If you can do that, Naruto, I'll award you a Konoha forehead protector and you will be considered a shinobi of Konoha.”

Naruto shrugged. There was a loud popping noise and the room was filled with smoke. When it cleared, there were four perfect looking copies of Naruto looking at the Hokage.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. “Did you teach him Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Jiraiya?”

”No, he already knew it. I taught him to master it, though.”

”So I see.” The Hokage smiled at Naruto. “You pass. You are now an honorable member of Konoha's shinobi.” The Hokage opened a drawer on his desk and produced a Konoha forehead protector which he handed to Naruto. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Inside Naruto was feeling pretty happy. With this, he could start gaining the respect of the village, without fear of any retaliation.

“Your apartment is still yours, Naruto. The key should be in the same place.” The Hokage said. “Just turn up at the Academy tomorrow morning at 9am and you'll meet your team.”

”Right. I'll see you old men later, then.” Naruto said as he turned and left the room, intent on settling back in to his apartment and getting some sleep.

“How strong is he?” The Hokage asked Jiraiya once Naruto was gone.

”I'm not entirely sure. He's mastered Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Hari Jizo, and he can summon Gamabunta.” The Hokage was visibly shocked at that.

”How is that possible?” He asked.

“He can use the Kyuubi's power to some extent.” Jiraiya stated.

”What! Is he stable when he does it?”

”As far as I know, yes.” Jiraiya shook his head. “But there's so much about him I don't know. I'm sure he can use some Katon jutsu, but I've never actually seen him do it. He's also got a powerful Taijutsu style, but I haven't seen it being used in an actual fight. Apparently he killed someone with it the first time he used it.”

The Hokage frowned. “And with all the unknowns surrounding him you still trust him?”

”Yeah. It's just the way Itachi trained him, I guess. His attitude makes more sense now that I know it was Itachi that trained him. Anyway,” Jiraiya said, turning towards the door, “I've got some things to catch up on now that Naruto's off my hands. You'll get the first copy of my book when it's done. Later.”

The door opened and closed. The Hokage continued to stare at the spot where Jiraiya had stood for a time. Finally he stood and looked out the window to the village he had come to reside over.

“You will certainly make things interesting around here, Naruto.” The Hokage said, lighting his pipe. He took a few long puffs before turning around and groaning.

'I hate you, paperwork.'