Enter: Naruto Uzumaki... the pony?!
Once upon a time, in the peaceful land of Hi no Kuni, there were two powerful ninjas who worked together, and created a village. To do this, one used his bloodline limit to create a grand forest of trees, the other gathered jutsus that would be used to protect the village. Thus, the two ninjas created Konoha, and swore to find a path for peace for all their ninja. But as time went on, the Madara became resentful. The ninja loved Hashirama and made him leader of their village, but shunned Madara and distrusted his bloodline. One fateful day, Madara rebelled against Konoha and Hashirama. Hashirama tried to reason with him, but the bitterness in Madara's heart had caused him to summon and control one of the most powerful demons: The Kyuubi.
He vowed that he would shroud the world in eternal illusion, granting peace to the land. Reluctantly, Hashirama fought against his oldest friend, using all the power he had, he defeated Madara, and sealed the Kyuubi away. Hashirama took on complete responsibility for leading Konoha, and was named Hokage...
In the classroom, a young blonde haired boy could hear the word ringing around in his head. Hokage? Of course! He would become Hokage!
*=*EKS*=*
The village of Konoha had seen many things since its creation. Ninjas who could move the Earth, frogs the size of buildings, and even the greatest of demons. In a village full of ninja who could perform miraculous feats, there was very little left that could be considered surprising.
That is why it was so odd to see so many people, ninja and civilian alike, standing stock still and staring towards the mountainside. This particular mountainside was special, for in the rock face was carved the likenesses of the four Hokages who had led and protected the village. It was a symbol of pride and hope for the entire village. And it currently had the entire village's attention.
The faces of the four Hokage's had been painted. Not just little graffiti marks, but fully painted to make a mockery of each Hokage. The First Hokage had a hand drawn on his face, looking as though he was picking his nose. The Second Hokage had his eyes crossed, and a tongue poking out of the side of his mouth. The Third Hokage had eyes peering down at the village, a blush on his cheeks, and what seemed to be blood running down his nose. And finally, the Fourth Hokage had a perverted grin painted on his face, with a copy of what looked to be the latest Icha Icha book painted on his cheek.
Yes, the entirety of Konoha was stunned as they awoke this morning, and while the deed itself was surprising, the culprit was anything but, as throughout the village one name was screamed.
“NARUTO UZUMAKI!”
Hiding in an alleyway near Konoha's marketplace, Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned nervously.
“Heheh... maybe I overdid it this time?” He said to himself as more screams of outrage rang throughout the town. After a moments thought, he shook his head and smiled mischievously. He could already hear ninja approaching his hiding spot... it was time for the chase. The smile never leaving his face, he grabbed his supplies and jumped out of the alleyway, just as two ninja landed where he had been standing.
“Hey Naruto! What have you done?!” One of the ninja said as they gave chase.
“You're not going to get away with this you brat!” The other one shouted. Not that Naruto cared, they always said that.
“Shut up! None of you can do that can you?” Naruto called over his shoulder, taunting his pursuers. “But I can, I'm great!”
This was one of his favorite parts about playing his pranks. The chase. Not only was it fun, but it guaranteed he was the center of attention. Everyone would be (and was) staring at him as he led the two Chunin ninja around Konoha. To most it was always surprising that Naruto could outrun and outmaneuver any of Konoha's ninja. After all, he was just a child, and he was thought to be the dead last in terms of ability at the ninja academy. Yet here he was, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, ducking into alleyways and leaping over walls, and unstoppable orange blur.
Finally, Naruto spotted his chance. The Chunin tailing him had slipped on some of the paint he spilled, and lost a few precious seconds, giving Naruto the time to unleash his (to his mind) foolproof hiding technique. He reached into his pocket as he ran, pulling out a long piece of cloth. With ease and finesse, he turned in mid run, setting his back against a wooden fence as he held the piece of cloth over himself, completely covering his body. To anyone who would have been looking on the outside, it would have looked like he had simply vanished. The Chunin following him ran right by, eyes wide as they searched for their missing quarry. After a few moments Naruto lowered the cloth, grinning in the direction the two ninjas had just gone.
“Too easy.” he laughed, mentally congratulating himself for a job well done. It was this momentary lack of awareness that would prove to be his undoing.
“HEY NARUTO!” An angry and familiar voice came from behind him, making Naruto jump in surprise. He fell to the ground, glaring up at the person who had snuck up on him.
“What are you doing all of a sudden, Iruka?!”
“What are YOU doing during class?” Iruka retorted. Naruto's eyes widened, and he smiled sheepishly at his teacher.
“Ummm... about that...” Naruto said. He was about to make a run for it, but before he could even get to his feet he felt rope coiling around him. He grunted as it was pulled tight, and started shouting as he felt Iruka heft him up over his shoulder.
“HEY! Put me down Iruka!” Naruto struggled against, but it was no good. He could never escape from Iruka... especially since he had ditched the class where Iruka had explained the technique for escaping when bound.
A few minutes later Naruto found himself sitting on the floor in front of the whole class, as Iruka lectured him on how he needed to spend his time more wisely, if he wanted to pass the final exam, which he had failed twice before.
It wasn't his fault he had failed the previous exams! The lessons were just sooooo boring. Who really needs to know what year Konoha was founded? Or that the First and Second Hokages were brothers? Why couldn't they ever teach cool jutsu, or how to use swords or something fun? Naruto just grunted as Iruka's words washed over him.
Naruto didn't even realize the mistake he had just made, even as Iruka's face contorted in irritation. He rounded on the class, who stared on in rapt attention.
“We're going to have a review test on the Transformation jutsu! Those who already passed will take it as well!” He said, causing the entire class to groan. As one, the class turned to Naruto, shooting him glares. Still bound on the floor, Naruto could only gulp in fear.
*=*EKS*=*
Later that evening, Naruto arrived at his simple apartment. He collapsed onto his bed, and stared at the ceiling. After class was over (and after the awesome prank he'd pulled on Iruka), he was forced to wash the entire Hokage Monument all by himself! It wasn't all that bad though, after he had finished Iruka had taken him out for ramen. If there was one thing that made Naruto happy, it was the noodle-y goodness that was ramen.
He sighed as he thought about what Iruka and discussed with him over dinner. He'd have to pass the Genin exam tomorrow if he had any hope of ever becoming a ninja, let alone Hokage! But he always failed the final exam.
Well, not tomorrow! Tomorrow Naruto was going to begin his first steps on the path of the ninja! He's pass that exam with flying colors, and then he'd be one step closer to his dream of being Hokage.
“Heheheh, just wait old man... that hat is a good as mine...” Naruto muttered, as he drifted off to sleep.
*=*EKS*=*
“I'm sorry Naruto, you failed.” Iruka said, and surprisingly he did look sorry, not that Naruto noticed. The words had pierced his very being, he could only look on in shock. Next to him lay a pale, sickly looking copy of himself. The clone jutsu. A jutsu that he could never perform, no matter how hard he tried, and it had just cost him the exam... again.
The silver-haired man next to Iruka looked on sympathetically. Despite the color of his hair, he was no older than Iruka, and another teacher at the academy, named Mizuki.
“Come on Iruka, can't we just let him pass? I mean, his movements and stamina are great, and he was able to make a clone after all.” Mizuki said. At his words, Naruto felt hope spring into his chest. Surely Iruka would..
“Mizuki, all of Naruto's classmates can make at least three clones. Naruto was only able to make one, and honestly it would just get in the way. I cannot pass him.”
Naruto hung his head as he left the exam room, slowly trudging to the front of the academy. He ignored all the happy parents and children who were celebrating their success, as he sat down on a wooden swing hanging from a tree branch. The people he passed by however, did not ignore him. Some glared at him, while some smiled maliciously at noticing he didn't have a headband. He could hear them muttering to each other, each glad that he failed. He never understood why the people of Konoha had such hatred for him. It wasn't fair! He hadn't even done anything wrong, aside from the occasional prank!
He looked up as he heard someone approach, seeing Mizuki smiling kindly down at him.
“Naruto, come with me.” Mizuki said. Naruto simply nodded, and followed behind Mizuki, missing the Third Hokage as the elderly ninja approached Iruka.
Mizuki led Naruto through the academy up to one of the balconies. Naruto sat down on the edge, waiting to hear what Mizuki wanted.
“You know Naruto, you shouldn't be mad at Iruka. He really cares about you.” It was obvious Mizuki was trying to be comforting, but it wasn't helping Naruto's mood.
“If he cares so much, then why didn't he let me pass?” He wasn't going to cry. If he cried, he wouldn't be able to stop.
Mizuki didn't respond right away. The silence stretched between the two of them, as the sun began it's descent, bathing the village in orange and purple glows.
“Well... you know Naruto, there is another way you could pass the exam.” Mizuki said.
Deep in his chest, Naruto felt hope spring up again.
*=*EKS*=*
Naruto finally skidded to a stop deep within the forest that surrounded Konoha. This was the place Mizuki told him they would meet at, and then Naruto would become a Genin! Well, he still had to learn a jutsu from the scroll he was carrying, but how hard could that be? After all, he stole it from the old man's office without any trouble, he'd even bested the Hokage himself thanks to his Sexy jutsu.... though that sounded just wrong, even in his head.
Naruto shook his head to dispel the random thoughts, and set the large scroll down on the ground. He sat in front of it, and began unrolling it, excited at the prospect of the jutsus inside. After all, anything called the Scroll of Seals had to have some awesome techniques right?
“The Shadow Clone Jutsu?! Awww man, not a clone jutsu, I'm horrible at those!” Naruto sighed in annoyance, but quickly read through the jutsu. He'd have to practice a ton to be ready to demonstrate the jutsu when Mizuki and Iruka arrived. For now he'd have to skip past the jutsu information and get straight to the procedure itself.
Surprisingly it took him only eight or nine tries before he was able to do the jutsu. It felt a lot easier than using the regular Clone Jutsu, and he was able to make ten healthy clones with this one. Since that jutsu had been so easy, Naruto figured he'd try and learn the next one on scroll. Maybe Iruka would give him extra credit if he could show he mastered two? Heck, the Hokage might even promote him to Chunin right now if he could master multiple of these jutsus.
Unrolling the scroll, he read the title of the next jutsu. The Summoning Jutsu. Naruto vaguely remembered something about that from the academy. It was a jutsu that allowed a ninja to summon a special animal to help him fight. The Fourth Hokage had used the same jutsu to summon a giant toad to fight the Kyuubi. This was perfect! If he could learn a jutsu one of the Hokages used, he'd be that much closer to his dream! He skipped the information on the jutsu, going straight to the list of hand signs and chakra usage. This was going to be awesome!
An hour or so later, Naruto grinned in excitement. He had finally gotten the hang of running through the hand signs without messing them up, and he was ready to go back and read through the scroll to figure out what he had missed on the two jutsus he'd just learned. Before he could however, he heard someone approaching through the trees. Quickly rolling the scroll back up, he turned around just in time to see Iruka approaching him. Naruto was so excited, he didn't notice the worried look on Iruka's face, which quickly morphed into a look of irritation when he noticed he had Naruto's attention.
“Hey Naruto!” Iruka said, annoyance clear in his voice.
“Oh man, you got me already! I only had time to learn two jutsus.” Naruto said, grinning sheepishly at his teacher. He didn't notice the look of confusion cross Iruka's face, as chunin looked over him, seeing how worn out he was.
“I learned a great jutsu so you'll let me graduate. That's all I have to do right? Show you a jutsu I learned from this scroll and I pass the hidden exam?”
“Naruto... who told you that?” Still excited about the prospect of graduating and showing Iruka the awesome jutsus he learned, Naruto still did not notice the tone of concern in Iruka's voice.
“Mizuki did! He told me about this scroll and this place, and the hidden exam!”
There was silence in the clearing, and Naruto finally calmed down to look at his teacher. Iruka looked like he was shocked, and maybe even slightly betrayed. Before Naruto could ask him what was wrong however, Iruka suddenly shoved him to the side. Naruto sat up on the ground, and was about to ask his teacher what the big idea was, when he heard the impact of multiple blades sinking into wood and flesh. He stared wide eyed at the sight of Iruka, surrounded by kunai, with a few sticking out of the chunin's body.
“I'm surprised you knew about this place.” A voice called from the upper branches of one of the trees.
Iruka grit his teeth in pain, as he stared up at his assailant. “I see, so that's how it is.” He said, as the figure leaned forward, revealing the face of Mizuki.
Mizuki straightened up, the giant shuriken strapped to his back gleaming in the moonlight. He held a hand out towards Naruto. “Naruto, hand over that scroll.”
“Hey.. what's going on here?” This was beyond bizarre. Why was Mizuki attacking Iruka? Wasn't this just a make-up exam?
“Naruto! Don't let him get that scroll no matter what! That's a dangerous scroll of forbidden jutsus. Mizuki tricked you to get it for himself.” Iruka said. Naruto felt his stomach drop at hearing that. Forbidden jutsus? Mizuki tricked him... but why?
Up in the trees, Mizuki gave a mirthless laugh. “No Naruto, Iruka is afraid of you possessing that scroll.” He said.
“What are you saying Mizuki? Don't listen to him Naruto!” Iruka began pulling the kunai out of his body, getting ready to react to whatever Mizuki was planning. He could not expect the next words Mizuki spoke.
“I'll tell you the truth Naruto...” The statement was said with a dreadful finality, like a medic-nin announcing a terminal wound.
“DON'T!” Iruka shouted. But Mizuki was undeterred.
“A rule was created after the incident that occurred twelve years ago.” He said, that same grin still on his face.
“A..a rule?” Naruto asked.
“Oh yes, It's a rule that only you, Naruto, cannot find out about.”
“Only me? What's the rule?” This wasn't making any sense, why would there be a rule Naruto couldn't know about.
Iruka was desperate now, as he removed the last of the kunai from his leg. “STOP MIZUKI!” He shouted.
“It's a rule not to say that Naruto is the Kyuubi. In other words, you are the nine-tailed demon fox who killed Iruka's parents and tried to destroy our village!” Time seemed to stop around Naruto as Mizuki finished that sentence, he didn't even hear Iruka shout at the silver-haired chunin to stop, or hear Mizuki go on about how the whole village tricked him. All he could see was the memories of the glares of the villagers, how everyone seemed to hate him long before he even started pulling pranks. He could feel the despair, and a little bit of hatred, bubbling up from inside him. He did not even notice as his chakra started leaking outside, whirling about him as he began cursing out loud.
“Dammit... Dammit dammit dammit dammit!”
Mizuki seemed to take even more glee at Naruto's distress. “No one's ever going to recognize you! Even Iruka hates you!”
Naruto couldn’t react, he was too stunned by everything Mizuki had revealed to him. He was so stunned he did not notice Mizuki pull one of the giant shuriken off his back, nor when he began spinning it. It wasn't until he heard his name shouted by the traitorous teacher, that he snapped back to reality.
“DIE NARUTO!” With that, Mizuki let the shuriken fly. Naruto collapsed to the ground, and flipped around, trying to gain traction to run away from the projectile.
“Naruto duck!” He heard Iruka shout out from behind him, and instinctively curled into a ball on the ground. He waited for a moment, sure the shuriken was about to cleave him in half, but nothing came, other than a dull thud and a groan of pain, but not from him.
He opened his eyes and turned around, to see Iruka crouched over him. He peered around his teacher to see the giant shuriken, sticking out of the red circle on his back like some kind of morbid dart board. “W-why...?” Naruto asked, seeing the blood streaming from Iruka's mouth.
“Because... you're the same as me. After my parents died, no one ever complimented or recognized me. I screwed up a lot during class, because I wanted to get everyone's attention. I couldn't as a good student, so I acted like an idiot.” Tears were streaming down Iruka's face as he dredged up these old memories. Naruto couldn't believe it, it sounded just like his life... “It was tough. Right Naruto? You were lonely right? It was tough right? I'm sorry Naruto. You didn't have to feel that way if I was more aware.”
Mizuki laughed from his tree branch. “Don't make me laugh! Iruka has hated you since you killed his parents. All he cares about is getting the scroll back.”
It was too much. Too much information, too many secrets revealed, he couldn't take it anymore. Naruto ran from Iruka, ran from Mizuki, and more importantly, tried to run from the information that had just changed his life.
Naruto bounded into the forest, taking to the tree branches as all ninja of Konoha are taught. He didn't know or care where he was going, just that he needed to get away. Iruka... he never knew he had so much in common with his teacher. But was that even true? What if Iruka was just lying to get the scroll? Mizuki had said that Naruto was the Kyuubi, and the Kyuubi had killed Iruka's parents. Why wouldn't Iruka hate him if that was the case? Everyone else in the village hated him.
It wasn't fair! He hadn't ever hurt anyone. He didn't even remember being the Kyuubi, so why should everyone hate him? All he wanted was to be recognized. To have friends, maybe even family.
His train of thought was interrupted when he heard voices coming from another clearing to the side. It was Mizuki and Iruka! Naruto quickly dropped to the forest floor, hiding amongst the roots of one of the trees, as he listened to the two chunin.
“I just don't understand you Iruka. What good is there in protecting the one who killed your parents?” Mizuki asked.
Iruka scoffed. “I'm not going to let an idiot like you get the scroll.”
“You're the idiot! Naruto is the same as me.”
“The same as you?” Iruka sounded confused.
“Anything is possible with that scroll. There's no way that Naruto, the Kyuubi, won't use it's powers.” Naruto shuddered at Mizuki's statement. He had been excited at what he could learn from the scroll.. was he really the same as...
“Yeah, you're right.” Iruka said, and Naruto felt as if the world crumbled around him. It was true then. Iruka really didn't care about Naruto, he didn't see him as a person, just the Kyuubi.
“If Naruto was the Kyuubi.” Naruto stifled a gasp at that. Did Iruka really...? “But Naruto is different. He's... he's an excellent student that I recognize. He's hardworking, earnest, clumsy, and no one will give him the time of day. He understands the pain of others. He's not the Kyuubi. He is Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha!”
Iruka... Iruka believed in him. He recognized him! Naruto could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but this time they were from the pure joy that came from the realization that there was someone who cared about him.
“You're an idiot,” Naruto heard Mizuki say. He then heard the sound of metal being drawn, and looked around the tree to see Mizuki spinning his last giant shuriken around, ready to attack. “I said I was going to kill you later Iruka, but I take that back. You can die now!”
Naruto didn't think, didn't give himself time to plan, before he even knew it he was flying through the air, his knee connecting with Mizuki's chin, causing the traitor to drop his shuriken as he went flying back. Naruto set the Scroll of Seals on the ground, and glared at Mizuki as the chunin struggled to his feet. “If you even lay a finger on Iruka, I'll kill you!”
Mizuki laughed contemptuously at his declaration. “Talk while you can brat, I'll finish a kid like you off in a flash!”
“Try it jerk, I'll do a thousand times more damage right back at you!” Naruto made a cross seal with the fingers of both hands, and began summoning the chakra needed for his newest jutsu.
“Why don't you try it, you demon fox?” Mizuki said, as he began making his way over to his shuriken.
“Alright. Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Naruto released the surge of chakra, channeling it into his technique, and was rewarded with a giant cloud of smoke filling the clearing. When the smoke cleared, Naruto was surrounded by copies of himself, each grinning or smirking evilly at Mizuki, who stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the clones. There had to be a hundred or so, some up in the trees, all grouped together and cracking their knuckles as they got read.
“Wh-What is this?!” Mizuki stared aghast at the sea of orange before him.
“What's the matter?” One of the Naruto's taunted. “Come and get me!”
“Yeah, come on!” Another Naruto joined in, as more of the clones started laughing at the gobsmacked chunin.
“Well, if you're not coming, then we'll come to you!” Naruto said, and with that a tide of orange descended on Mizuki, as multiple Narutos began striking him.
It was over quicker than even Naruto anticipated, most of the clones never even getting a chance to hit the traitor. Mizuki lay at Naruto's feet, bruised and bloodied, but still alive, as the clones around the clearing dispelled. Naruto looked over at Iruka, who was staring at the scene with a strange combination of shock, and what Naruto hoped was pride. “Oops.. heheh, I guess I overdid it.” Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. “Are you alright Iruka?”
“Yeah...” Iruka shook his head, clearing it of whatever he was thinking of, before smiling at Naruto. “Naruto, come here for a second, I want to give you something.”
Naruto bounded over to Iruka, who told him to close his eyes. Naruto pouted a little, but did as his teacher asked. He waited for a few moments, listening intently to see if he could guess what Iruka was going to give him, but he couldn't hear anything. “Iruka, are you done yet?” He asked.
“Yep, go ahead and open your eyes.” Naruto opened his eyes, and had to blink as the light of the rising sun blinded him momentarily. When his vision cleared he saw Iruka standing in front of him smiling, but something was off. He was holding the goggles Naruto typically wore, and his headband was...
He raised a shaky hand to his forehead and felt the cool touch of metal. Iruka's grin widened as Naruto realized what Iruka had given him. “Congratulations Naruto,” Iruka said, “You graduate!”
Naruto was at a loss. This... this was beyond anything he could have hoped for! Not only had he gained someone who cared about him, but that same person had just given him his own headband, his sign of being a ninja, as a present to signify his graduation.
“Alright, lets celebrate. I'll treat you to some ramen okay?” Iruka asked, but Naruto didn't really hear him. He could feel tears pouring down his face again, as he leapt at Iruka, clinging to him in a hug. He loosened his grip a little when he heard Iruka complain about the pain, but still kept hugging him. He couldn't help but think of how nice it was, to have someone who really cared about you. He swore right then that no matter what, he'd do whatever he could to make Iruka proud of him. Which gave him an idea.
“Iruka! Watch this, I actually learned another technique from the Scroll of Seals!” Naruto said, his excited claim making Iruka smile. Naruto jumped back, and bit his thumb, smearing blood across his hand as he flew through the hand seals. Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and then finally Ram. He couldn't see the look of shock on Iruka's face, nor the violet glow that surrounded him, as he slammed his hand on the ground and said the jutsu's name. “Summoning jutsu!”
There was a explosion of smoke, as Iruka was forced back against one of the trees. He blinked his eyes as the smoked cleared, and gasped at what he saw. Where Naruto had been standing, there was... nothing. No sign of the orange clad ninja. “Naruto?” Iruka asked tentatively, wondering if this was some prank. “Naruto!”
*=*EKS*=*
When the smoke cleared, Naruto started screaming. He was falling. Tumbling head over head through a world of colors.
After a few minutes though, the novelty of the situation had worn off, and Naruto stopped screaming. He had his arms and legs crossed, as though he was sitting down, despite the fact that he was still tumbling through this weird space. His eyes were scrunched shut in concentration (and to block out the passing walls of color, which was starting to give him a headache). What had happened? Why didn't the jutsu work? Or was it working? Something was definitely going on. He could feel a force pulling him towards... something, and he was surrounded in a light purple glow. The Scroll of Seals had simply said this was a summoning jutsu, maybe it meant that it would summon him somewhere?
Naruto was worried. Was Iruka okay? Would he be able to make it to the hospital on his own? And what in the name of all the Hokages was that noise?!
His eyes shot open in surprise at that last thought. There was something nearby, making a rhythmic, humming sort of noise. He whipped his head around, trying to find what was making the noise. There was nothing he could see however, other than the colors continuing to fly by.
As the sound got louder he felt the pull on his body start to get stronger and the colors around him began sliding by faster.
Then without warning, Naruto felt his head slam against something solid, a loud cracking sound resounding from the impact. Naruto only had a moment to see some kind of blue rectangular object, obviously what he had crashed into, before his vision went dark.
*=*EKS*=*
Water... or at least Naruto hoped it was water, because whatever it was Naruto woke up face down in it.
He stood up, futilely wiping the liquid off his face with the soaked sleeve of his jacket. Looking around, he found himself in a darkened hallway, filled up to his ankles with... yep, he was going with water.
Where was he now? He remembered slamming into that blue box and then... then he was here. Wherever “here” was. Not one to think too long on such a subject, Naruto shrugged and started walking forward. Maybe this is the place the summoning jutsu was taking him?
After wandering through the hallways for a few minutes, Naruto's search was finally rewarded. He found himself standing before what looked to be a giant cage. The bars were wider than Naruto himself, and stretched from the floor to the massive ceiling. In the center of the cage, where two bars aligned, was a strip of paper with some kind of writing.
Naruto approached the bars to the cage, wondering what could be kept behind them. He placed a hand against one of the bars, and leaned forward, trying to peer past the blanket of darkness.
There was a large shape hidden in the darkness, and while Naruto couldn't see what it was, he could definitely feel it. Whatever was back in the darkness was positively radiating a feeling that made Naruto's hair stand on end. It was the same feeling he'd gotten from Mizuki when he had revealed the truth about the Kyuubi. Except this was worse, a feeling of pure hatred.
He was so focused on the feeling, he completely missed the sudden movement from the cage. It was the sudden rush of air that brought him back to reality, and the results of his meager bit of ninja training that had him jump backwards with just enough time to avoid the giant object that was crashing towards him.
Where he had just been standing, there was a giant orange-fur covered paw, with claws bigger than his entire body. The paw receded back into the cage, as a dark chuckle emanated from inside.
“Come closer child, let me get a better look at my prison.”
Naruto straightened up, not wanting to show how nervous he was, but did not make any move towards the cage.
“Hey what was that for?! You almost squashed me you bastard!” He was actually kind of surprised that his voice didn't break during that.
A feral grin appeared in the darkness. Two blood red eyes opened, staring straight at Naruto. “Now now, no need for theatrics. I would never harm you, after all if you die, I die.” The thing in the cage said.
Naruto looked confused. “What are you talking about? And where am I?”
“You really don't know? Did that traitorous teacher of yours not tell you about me?” While it's eyes remained staring at him, the tone in the thing's voice made it seem like they were rolling at Naruto's question.
Naruto was quiet for a few moments as he tried to process what the cage-thing had said. First, he had to remember what the word traitor meant.... Iruka had used the word a few times during his lectures in the academy. Wasn't there a snake involved with it somehow? Did he have a snake teacher?
As the silence went on, the thing in the cage began to twitch in annoyance. Surely the boy could not be this stupid? That thought was unfortunately dashed when the boy sat down (not seeming to notice the fact that he was sitting in a pool of... water again) and began muttering something about snakes. While Naruto could not see it, the thing in the cage slapped a paw over it's face.
Knowing Naruto was not making any headway, he decided to give him another hint. “The white haired human you just defeated, the one that tried to kill you and your teacher.”
Naruto cocked his head in confusion. Mizuki? What did Mizuki have to do with snakes? No, Mizuki was the one who had told him about...
Realization washed over Naruto like an arctic wind, causing his eyes to shoot open wide as he whispered the sudden knowledge of what he was facing.
“The Kyuubi...”
As if the area had been waiting for the realization, torches ensconced in the wall flared to life, lighting the room and the cage. With the darkness gone, Naruto could finally see the creature. It was taller than the Hokage Tower, and covered in orange fur. It looked just like a regular fox (size aside) other than its ears which were longer than those found on a normal fox, and instead of a single tail it had nine waving behind it.
Seeing it in the flesh stuck Naruto like a physical blow, far harder than any he had taken during his training in the academy. Here it was, the Kyuubi. The greatest threat to ever attack his village, the being that the Fourth Hokage had given his life to defeat. Here was the undeniable proof that Mizuki, and the village in general, was right about him.
“So... it's true then. I am the Kyuubi.” Naruto said. It wasn't a question, more a statement of a dreadful fact.
The Kyuubi narrowed its eyes and growled at the boy. “Know your place brat, you are a thousand years too young to even begin claiming to be the Great and Powerful Kyuubi!”
Naruto glared and jumped to his feet. He felt angry again, like he had when Mizuki had first told him this horrible truth.
“Then what am I? Why can I talk to you if I'm not you huh?” Naruto blinked as even he realized that statement didn't make much sense, but he continued to glare at the Kyuubi.
The Kyuubi was silent for a moment, regarding the frustrated boy with a calculating eye. With a sigh, the Kyuubi lowered it's head to the ground, laying it atop his folded paws.
“You kit,” He said, his voice suddenly gentle, “...are my son.”
Naruto blinked. The Kyuubi watched on as Naruto's mind tried to process what he'd just been told. It was a solid two minutes of silence, during which the Kyuubi thought he may have broken the boy, before there was any reaction.
“WHAAAAAATT?!” Naruto's scream finally pierced the silence. The Kyuubi's ears folded against his head to protect themselves from the shrill screech.
“What the hell do you mean I'm your son you stupid fox?!” Naruto crossed his arms over his chest.
“I meant what I said bra... Naruto. You are my son, the heir to my legacy.”
Naruto still did not look convinced. “But you're a giant fox demon! I'm just a regular human.”
The Kyuubi raised an amused brow at that. “Really? A regular old human who at your young age already possesses chakra levels most jounin would envy? A human who has a healing process so accelerated, he can heal broken bones in days rather than weeks or months? Not to mention your love of pranks, your proficiency with transformation jutsus, or even the whisker marks on your cheeks.” The Kyuubi grinned, almost patronizingly, “All those are not signs of a human, but rather of a half-fox demon.”
“H-half?” Naruto asked. He didn't want to acknowledge it, but the fox was making sense. He'd always had a lot of chakra, and he did heal way faster than anyone else. And was he not the self-styled Prank King of Konoha?
“Yes Naruto, half. Your mother was a human.” The Kyuubi said.
Naruto's face scrunched up in disgust upon hearing that. “What?! Ewwwww, but how? You're like... huge! How would that even work?” Naruto asked, and then immediately regretted it as the images assaulted his mind and he struggled to keep his stomach under control.
The Kyuubi flicked an ear back in annoyance. “Get your mind out of the gutter brat. I am the lord of Kitsune, and like all kitsune I am a master shape shifter. I have spent many years throughout my existence living amongst humans, and have on rare occasions, found some who are worth mating with.”
Naruto made another face at the “mating with” comment, but then his face took on a pensive look. “So...” He sounded almost hesitant to ask this next part, “if you're my father... then who was my mom?”
“Her name was Kushina Uzumaki. She was a beautiful woman, and a powerful ninja.” The Kyuubi spoke quickly, and his tone made it clear he did not wish to speak more on the subject.
“So then... what happened?” Naruto asked, pushing questions about his mom to the back of his mind for the moment, “Why did you attack Konoha if you were living there with my mom?”
The Kyuubi growled, his tails thrashing angrily behind him. “That damned Fourth Hokage happened. He had always been jealous of me. I was talented, powerful, but more importantly your mother chose me over him. He became obsessed with trying to best me in anything, and was always searching for something he could hold over me. One day he discovered what I truly was, and with your birth fast approaching, had the perfect opportunity to defeat me.”
The Kyuubi took a deep breath, seeming to try and calm itself as it continued. “As a demon lord, I can never truly be killed. But there are ancient jutsus that can imprison my kind or harness our power. Most of these jutsus require two things, a human sacrifice, and the blood of the demon lord in question. On the day of your birth, the Fourth Hokage had both. Your mother, and you.”
Naruto felt his blood run cold. This... this couldn't be true! The Fourth Hokage was like a hero to Naruto. “You... you don't mean he....” Naruto found he couldn't finish that sentence.
The Kyuubi nodded grimly. “Yes, by the time I had arrived, the Fourth had already begun the ritual, anointing you with seals drawn in your mother's blood. I flew into a rage. I lost control, and resumed my true form. I had no idea that the Fourth had been waiting for that moment. He didn't just want to defeat me, but he wanted to be seen as a hero for doing so. He had his ANBU and other ninja waiting, and as they began to battle me more and more of Konoha's ninja were alerted. I fought as hard as I could to get to you, but it was too late. The Fourth finished the ritual, and I was pulled into the seal he had created on you. I'm not sure if he was planning on killing you or trying to control you, but with the last of my strength, even as I was disappearing into the seal, I stuck him down, hoping to spare you from whatever fate he had planned.”
The Kyuubi slumped forward, as though suddenly sapped of all his energy. A tear the size of a boulder rolled down his cheek, as he looked at Naruto with sorrowful eyes.
“Since then I've been stuck in this prison, watching helplessly as the village ignored and mistreated you, while only being able to help you by improving your chakra reserves and healing abilities.”
The Kyuubi stared into his eyes, and Naruto could see a lifetime of sorrow in them. “I failed you Naruto, just like I failed your mother.”
Silence descended upon the room once again. Naruto was trying to wrap his head around it everything he'd just been told. Thinking back on his short life, it all began making sense. How he had been hated before he'd been old enough to do anything to deserve such feelings. How he'd been encouraged by the Old Man... the Third Hokage, to become a ninja, raised on stories of the heroics of the Hokages, especially the Fourth. How he was always watched, as though the entire village was waiting for him to one day turn into the giant fox demon he was sired from.
“You didn't fail me... dad.” Naruto said, giving the fox demon a teary smile.
The Kyuubi returned the smile, tears shining in his giant eyes. “Thank you Naruto. Now, how about we fix this mess?”
“What do you mean?” Naruto asked.
The Kyuubi pointed his snout towards the seal paper in the center of the cage. “That paper is the representation of the seal the Fourth used to imprison me within you. If you remove it, I'll be released from your body. I'll regain my physical form, and then I can work on returning us... home.”
Naruto nodded, and approached the cage again. He reached up, intent on tearing the seal from the cage. It was a simple decision for him really. After all, why would he want to keep his father trapped inside him?
The Kyuubi watched Naruto's approach with barely hidden glee. When he'd sensed the foolish human entering the seal, his first thought had been to get some enjoyment from taunting and belittling the worthless brat. But as he waited for the boy to make his way here, he'd begun formulating a plan. He'd seen visions and memories of the boy's life, and knew that the boy was not only even dumber than most of his worthless species, but also starved for attention and acknowledgment. All it would take is a small bit of acting, gain the boy's trust and tell him some sob story, and then convince the boy to free him. The part about being the boy's father had come as sudden inspiration when talking to the boy. How ironic would it be to convince the boy that he was freeing his father, rather than the creature that had murdered both his parents?
Just before Naruto touched the seal however, a blindingly bright light flooded the room. A sound echoed all around, something like a high pitched whinny.
Naruto pulled his hand away from the seal and covered his eyes. What was going on now?
The Kyuubi growled angrily at the disturbance, pulling deeper into the cage to try and get out of the light. “Quickly boy! Remove the seal!”
The high pitched whinny sound echoed again, though this time it sounded... confused? Suddenly the light grew brighter, and surrounded Naruto, before it died back down to it's original blinding intensity. As it did, a voice echoed throughout the room.
“You shall not consume this colt foul creature!” The voice boomed.
Naruto still had a hand covering his eyes, the light filling the room was like being next to the sun. “What's going on?” He asked.
“Quickly you fool, remove the seal!” The Kyuubi snapped.
“Stay your hand little one,” The voice said, a tone of worry present, “The creature inside you is one of basest malice, and if you free it, it will consume your soul and mind, taking your body for itself.”
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. “What? But he's my father, he”
“I do not know what lies he has told you, but there is no relation between the two of you, that I can sense for certain.”
“Why should I believe you?” Naruto asked.
“Because I lost my sister to a creature much like this one. A being of hate and power, that manipulated her with half-truths and fake camaraderie,” The voice took on a sorrowful tone, and Naruto could just imagine tear filled eyes, “It consumed her and took control of her body, turning her into a terrible monster. I will not see that happen again.”
“Ignore her you little monkey! Remove the seal and release me!” The Kyuubi demanded.
“The choice is yours little one,” The voice said, this time sounding comforting, “but you do not need to make it hastily. If you decide that this is the right action for you to take, you can always remove the seal later can you not?”
“NO! FREE ME YOUR WORTHLESS BRAT!” The Kyuubi bellowed, seeing it's chances at freedom starting to slip by.
As the Kyuubi continued to rant and curse behind his cage, Naruto's doubts grew. This was hardly the same creature who had claimed to be his father. What if... what if he had been lying? Could Naruto take that risk? And the voice was right, he could always remove the seal later.
“Alright, I guess I'll wait and think about it then” Naruto said, moving away from the cage.
“A wise choice young one. Now, let us leave this place, so we can meet face to face.” The voice said, as the light began to surround Naruto. It felt warm, like sitting on a hilltop and soaking in the sun on a spring day. As Naruto began to fade with the light, the Kyuubi thrashed angrily against the cage behind him, growling and snapping at the bars.
*=*EKS*=*
Naruto shot awake, and immediately fell back with a groan of pain, clutching the side of his head. He could feel a cloth bandage beneath his hand, wrapped around his head.
“Are you alright little one?” Naruto cracked an eye open at that. It was the same voice that he had heard inside the seal, the one that had warned him about the Kyuubi. Only this time the voice wasn't echoing, rather was coming from a singular point nearby.
“I'm alright.” Naruto muttered, sitting back up. His head was throbbing, but otherwise he felt fine. He looked around the room trying to see who the voice belonged to. He found himself lying in a rather plush bed covered in soft sheets. The walls around him were made of stone, with rich tapestries and paintings hanging from them. There was finely carved wooden furniture spread throughout the room, looking nicer than anything he'd seen even in the Hokage's office.
The only thing that seemed out of place was the white horse standing next to the bed looking down at him. The horse was wearing some kind of jeweled necklace, and had a crown sitting just above its... horn?
“I'm glad. You had arrived with a rather nasty head wound, so I was worried that you might be unconscious for a few days.” The horse said.
“Yeah, I've always healed really...” Naruto trailed off, staring at the creature standing at the side of his bed. He was struck silent for a few moments, before he let out a scream and jumped back, clinging to the top of one of the bed posts as he pointed at the white equine. “T-T-TALKING HORSE!”
The “Talking Horse” looked offended for a moment, before giving a small smile. “I assure you little one, I am no horse. I am a pony, an alicorn pony to be exact. And of course I can talk. I warned you about the beast's manipulations did I not?”
Naruto blinked at that, slowly sliding down the bedpost until he fell onto the bed again. “The Beast? You mean the Kyuubi? That was you?”
“Indeed. I was a little worried that you did not seem to understand me when I first tried to warn you. I realized that you must not speak our language, so I used my magic to impart our language to you. I hope you do not mind.”
“Nah, that's alri-wait! You mean you can use magic to teach me anything instantly?! Can you teach me jutsu? Like a bunch of them?” Naruto asked, suddenly excited.
Celestia smiled and shook her head. “Unfortunately young one, I do not even know what a jutsu is. Even if I did, I could not simply teach you them instantly. The spell I used to teach you our language does only that. It is a very complex spell, made by one of our most powerful magicians.”
“Awww man.... wait, what do you mean you don't know what jutsu are?” Naruto asked incredulously.
“Before we discuss that further, don't you think we should introduce ourselves? After all, I'm sure you're tired of me calling you young one.” Celestia said.
“Oh yeah!” Naruto stood up on the bed, striking a pose that he thought made him look cool and heroic, “My name is Naruto Uzumaki, ninja of Konoha and future Hokage!” He sagged only a little when he heard the pony before him giggle at his introduction.
“It is very nice to meet you Naruto. I am Princess Celestia, rule of Equestria.”
Naruto thought about that for a moment, before his eyes went wide. “You're a princess?! Awesome!”
“Why thank you. I'm sure you have many more questions, but if you don't mind I'd like it if you would tell me a little bit about yourself, and how you got here.”
So Naruto gave a summary of his life till that point, interrupted occasionally by Celestia as she clarified something he said, or asked questions. Naruto told her about his village, and the ninja that lived there. He told her about the old man, who was one of the few people who treated him decently, and about his days at the academy. He told her all about Iruka, and how he finally came to become someone who cared for him.
He also told her about the villager's intolerance, and how he only found out the reason for it the previous night when one of his teachers tried to trick him, but how that lead to his acceptance from Iruka.
“I just really wanted to make him proud of me, so I figured I'd show him the other jutsu I learned. But after I used the jutsu, I found myself falling down this weird place covered in a purple light. I hit my head on something, and that's when I woke up in the Kyuubi's cage.” Naruto finished, figuring Celestia probably knew what happened after that.
It was Celestia's turn, and she gave him a brief history of Equestria, of how the three different pony tribes joined together to survive, and thrived in this new land. She described the different types of ponies, and what they generally do. Naruto was astounded to hear that these pegasus ponies were responsible for changing the weather, and that they could even walk on clouds. A demonstration of levitation magic had him drooling at the possibilities for pranks or ninja techniques, and he really wanted to see the strength the earth ponies possessed. Celestia told him it was her job to raise the sun and moon every day and night, and even a bit about some of her adventures, like her first battle against Discord.
While Naruto was enthralled by the stories, there was always a question hanging in the air. Finally, he just had to know.
“Do you know of a way to send me back home?”
Celestia sighed, knowing that this was coming. “I do know of such a spell, however I do not have the power to cast it on my own. Someday it might be possible, but for now...”
Naruto's eyes teared up, but he refused to cry. He was stranded for now, but Celestia had said it was possible. Someday, someday he'd return home.
Celestia offered a comforting smile to him. “I promise I will do what I can to get you back home Naruto. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay here in Canterlot.”
Naruto smiled weakly in return, and nodded his head. “Thanks...” He trailed off, a sudden loud growling ringing through the room. Naruto's smile turned sheepish.
Celestia grinned as Naruto rubbed the back of his head. “It seems some breakfast is in order.” She turned to lead him to the kitchens, but then she paused. While her subjects were mostly kind and accepting, there were always those who did not like things that were different. After hearing about Naruto's life in his village, Celestia could not stand to have him hated in her land simply because of who he was.
“Before we go Naruto, I have a request. Would it be alright with you, if I temporarily turned you into a pony? I think that will make your time here a bit easier.”
Naruto cocked his head to the side. “Nah, that's alright. I can do it myself.”
Before Celestia could object Naruto clasped his hands together and was suddenly covered in smoke. After a moment the smoke cleared, and an orange colt stood in his place. His mane was blonde and spikey, and he still had Naruto's blue eyes.
Celestia stared at him, her own eyes wide at what she had seen. She circled around him to see his new form from different angles. She poked his side with a hoof, getting a yelp and a glare from Naruto, but still feeling the fur and muscle that would be there on any pony. This was no simple illusion.
“Amazing! You've actually taken on the form of an earth pony. But how did you get such detail? I don't believe you've seen a colt before have you?” She asked, still amazed at his ability.
Naruto shrugged. “I just think of what I want to become and use the jutsu, then bam! Transformation.”
Celestia shook her head in amazement. “You are a very interesting pony Naruto. No that that's taken care of, lets go get you some food.
The trek to the kitchen was an interesting experience for Naruto. He quickly discovered that walking like a pony required coordination he did not normally possess. Each step he took was slow and careful, as he tried to get used to his current form. Tripping head over hooves once was more than enough for him.
He noticed he was getting a lot of odd looks from ponies they passed, but he wasn't sure if it was because of his strange walking or because he was walking with the princess. Still though, it was refreshing to have people, or ponies in this case, looking at him, rather than glaring at him or ignoring him.
He slowly got the hang of walking, though a set of stairs presented a whole new obstacle for him to overcome. By the time they'd made it to the kitchens, Naruto was able to go at a decent trot. It was starting to feel more and more natural as he went. He'd never really tried to transform into something non-human before. In all honesty most of his experience with the technique was using the Sexy jutsu to prank people. Of course, the discovery that that transformation was real still embarrassed Naruto.
Before he'd even realized it, they had arrived at the kitchens. Celestia led him inside where he saw a few stallions and mares bustling around, cooking various things. One of them, a cream colored mare with a powder blue mane, noticed them and quickly approached, bowing before Celestia.
“Your highness! How wonderful to see you. Is there anything I can do for you?” She asked as she straightened from her bow.
Celestia smiled at the mare, and used a wing to gesture towards Naruto. “This colt will be staying in the palace for a while. He hasn't eaten yet, so I was hoping you might be able to throw something together for him.”
The mare looked down at Naruto, offering a kind smile. “Well hello there little guy, what's your name?”
“I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meetcha!” Naruto said, giving the mare a grin.
“So you're hungry huh? Is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?” The mare asked.
Instantly Naruto's eyes lit up. “Do you guys have any ramen?” He asked.
“Ramen... what's that?” The mare asked.
This couldn't be... Naruto felt like he'd just been told the sun would never rise again. He grinned weakly at the mare, hoping beyond all hope... “Heheh.. that's a good one. But seriously, you can make some ramen right?”
The mare looked at Celestia, who shrugged back. She looked back at Naruto, who was beginning to look distinctly uneasy.
“I'm sorry little guy, but I really don't know what ramen is.” She said.
*=*EKS*=*
Far outside of Canterlot, a cyan pegasus was flying around, trying to locate her missing friend. She was still kicking herself for not even noticing that Fluttershy had fallen during the race. Then, pulling off the legendary Sonic Rainboom and getting her cutie mark had totally kept her from thinking about the mare. Now though, she was determined to find her, no matter how long it took. So what if the stupid flight school instructor told her that if she left she couldn't come back? Like she needed help flying! Besides, she'd never leave Fluttershy hanging.
Suddenly, she was thrown through the sky as a burst of air assaulted her. As she tumbled through the sky, attempting to right herself, she thought she could hear a scream of despair going “NoooOOooOOO!”
*=*EKS*=*
Naruto was grumbling as he followed Celestia through the halls. The pancakes the chefs had made were undeniably tasty, but how could these ponies have never made ramen?! It was... Naruto didn't know a word to accurately describe it, but it was just bad!
Celestia tried to hide her amusement at Naruto's seeming distress. She had been impressed so far by how well he was accepting his situation, but the way he was pouting over this “ramen” showed that through it all, he truly was still a child.
Naruto continued his grumbling all the way to the other side of the castle, as Celestia led him across through the halls to a suite of rooms. He didn't notice when she knocked on the door, or when the door opened only for whoever had opened it to make a squeak like sound. He did notice however, when the sounds of crashing began to come from the room. Celestia turned back and gave Naruto a nervous grin, before pushing the door open.
Naruto and Celestia both looked on in shock. It looked like a tornado had torn through the room. The bed had been turned on its side, books and papers were scattered everywhere, the curtains were barely hanging onto the windows, and in the middle of it all, was a purple unicorn filly, desperately trying to get a small purple lizard like thing down from the ceiling.
“I-I'm so so so sorry Princess! Spike just won't listen to a word I say and when he woke up from his nap he started crawling all around knocking things over and when I tried to catch him he started climbing up the walls and then he hid under the bed and I tried to move it with my magic but I used too much power and-” The unicorn kept going, as she futilely jumped up and down to reach the lizard. Naruto was still trying to process what he had heard. Had the filly even taken a breath during all that? Whatever the case, she seemed to be distressed, so Naruto did what he's always done best. Act without thinking!
He trotted into the room, and before anyone could act he jumped up, easily doubling the unicorn's height with his jump. He reached up, and grabbed the lizard with his fore-hooves. Forgetting he didn't have fingers, he had to wrap both hooves around the creature and squeeze it to his chest. He then fell back to the ground, and it was then Naruto realized he had made a mistake. He had just gotten used to walking on all fours in this strange body, and now he was trying to land on only his back two legs. Realizing this wasn't going to end well, Naruto flipped around in mid air, landing on his back so he didn't squash the little lizard.
He heard a gasp as he landed, but he felt fine. That is, until the lizard in his hooves started gnawing on one of his legs. It didn't hurt, but the gross slobbery sensation he could have done without.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” The unicorn filly asked, looking over the prone form of Naruto. Naruto just grinned and nodded his head, before holding the lizard up in his hooves. The unicorn smiled back as her horn shone with a purple light, the same kind of light wrapping around the lizard and holding it in mid air.
Celestia entered the room as Naruto got back on his hooves, smiling at the two. “Well Twilight, I see Spike has certainly kept you busy. But I must ask, why didn't you use your magic to pull him from the ceiling?”
Twilight's eyes widened in shock and realization at her teacher's words. Then she blushed as she tried to hide her head behind the floating Spike. “I'm sorry princess, I didn't even think about it, I was worried he might fall and then you showed up and-”
Once again it seemed like Twilight would go off on a tangent, but Celestia cut it off this time. “That is quite alright my faithful student, everything has been resolved now. Now then, I wanted to introduce you to this colt here.” With that, Celestia nodded to Naruto, who smiled at Twilight.
“Hi, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage!” He said.
Twilight gave him a confused look. “Hokage? What's Hokage?” She asked.
Before Naruto could respond, Celestia cut in. “It means the leader of his village. Naruto comes from a far away land, and will be staying here in Canterlot until I can arrange to return him home. I was hoping that maybe you'd consider being his friend while he's here.”
“F-friend?!” Both Naruto and Twilight said at the same time. They then looked at each other, before quickly looking away, a light blush on both their cheeks. Finally, Twilight spoke up. “Umm... Princess Celestia, I've never had a friend before. Is there a book I need to read or a class I should take?”
“Oh no Twilight, friendship isn't something you study... although... well, never mind. For now, you should just try having fun together.” Celestia said.
Naruto looked conflicted. “I..I've never really had a friend before either. But you seem nice, so why not? Let's be friends!” He said, smiling widely at Twilight.
Twilight looked into the earnest eyes of Naruto, and could almost feel her worries melting away. She smiled back at him, a blush once again gracing her cheeks. “I think I'd like that Naruto. Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm Princess Celestia's personal protege. And this,” She said, indicating the lizard, who had fallen asleep sucking on it's own tail, “is Spike. He's a dragon I hatched from an egg.”
Naruto's eyes grew wide at that. “You.. hatched a dragon from an egg? How cool is that?!” He said. “You must be really good at that magic stuff Celestia was telling me about!”
As the two began talking, Celestia turned to leave the room. It seemed like Naruto was in good hands for now. She just hoped that their new found friendship wasn't damaged, when Naruto found out Twilight was partly responsible for bringing him here. Or if Twilight ever found out Naruto was a human. But for now, she'd simply let them play... and see if she could find some maids to clean up Spike's mess.
Author's Note
So yeah... this is a thing now.
For those of you waiting on a update to Twilight's Journey, it is well on its way. This however, entered my brain and refused to quiet down until I wrote it.
For the most part this came about due to all the horrible Naruto/MLP fics I've read on fanfictiondotnet. I've read some great ones, like Your Summon Is Pink by Lord Dragon Claw, or My Little Shinobi: Friendship is Eternal by GespenstKAF, but most of the others are just trash. They involve Naruto arriving in Equestria, and somehow along the way give him a brain transplant with some calm, collected, smooth casanova.
So I decided, rather than just gripe about it, I'd try my hand at writing a Naruto/MLP story, and this is what came about. I'm trying to keep Naruto more in line with how he acts in the show and manga. Brash, sometimes idiotic, clumsy, but kind, caring, and loyal all the same. If you're looking for super-Naruto or Naruto Does Equestria, you'll want to move on, because you'll find neither here ^_^
Also, I apologize for the beginning of the story. I know most of you who read this will have already seen the first episode, but the story felt incomplete without it (before hand it literally started with Naruto showing Iruka the second jutsu just after the Mizuki fight).
I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to update this, though the next chapter is 1/4 of the way done. Maybe I'll try alternating releases with Twilight's Journey, but honestly both will depend on what my drive to write is telling me at any given moment.
Thanks for reading, and please share your thoughts in the comments section. Like it? Hate it? Am I doing something wrong? Let me know, I can't improve otherwise!
