Common Sense

Ch.1

Hello everyone! I'm writing this fic because the idea has been buzzing around my head for weeks. I have read a lot of Smart!Genius!Naruto that somehow manages to learn enough things to make a village by himself or how many cool jutsus he knows.

I decided that Naruto does not need a super Kekkei Genkai or fancy eyes to become a great ninja, as he already has everything he might want within himself. He doesn't need to be a genius at the level of Itachi and become Jonin at ten. I like the goofy and determined twelve years old of the first part too much to change him radically. No, what he really needs to come out of his shell of foolishness is a good dose of Common Sense. It might cause some trouble in a world such as the Elemental Nations, but that is part of the fun.

I have changed a few things, mostly what I thought was plot holes or irrational events, so it shouldn't be too AU.

All this thingy belongs to The Kishi.

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Five years old

Naru-chan was five and into the first week of Pre-Academy when he realized that the surrounding people were more or less crazy. He didn't even mean 'Snake-Dango-Lady' crazy, the kind that enjoyed licking kunai in public and moan at the terrified expressions, no.

He meant the kind of crazy that made you be scared shitless of a cute five-year old and not bat an eyelash when six years old children had a squabble about efficiency and cleanliness of senbon against more traditional weapons, because he wasn't blind and he could see that the majority of the Leaf's inhabitants, be they civilians or ninja, even if there were more of the first, were completely terrified of him.

Naruto knew this because of his tenant, who by mixing his Youki with the boy's chakra gave him an advanced Sensing Ability, known as Negative Emotion Sensing, which coupled with his natural ability as an Uzumaki and his own affinity for Natural Chakra, gave the boy a deep understanding of those around him, not that he knew the specifics.

They didn't treat him too badly, and a few people even seemed to approve of him for some reason, but many more would have preferred attempting to murder Ibiki with a cue tip instead of being in his presence for too long.

This didn't exactly transfer to the kids, but they still picked up on the adults behavior and avoided him in consequence.

Now, Uzumaki Naruto was no genius, but he wasn't an idiot too, and he could clearly see that there was something different about him. No other kid received the same treatment that he did!

Being a five-year old, Naru-chan wasn't really obsessed for answers, but it didn't mean that he wasn't curious.

"I don't know what you're talking about" was the response he got most of the time, be it from teachers or caretakers.

Still, the young blonde didn't stop in his quest for the truth. It had become a game in the months following his fifth birthday, a quest. He didn't have friends to play with and Hokage-Jiji couldn't always make time for him - he was a busy man, he understood - so even the smallest thing could become a fantastic adventure.

One day, having dodged the hellish caretakers, ducked under the monstrous library oni-guard's gaze, little Naruto slipped 'unnoticed' inside the Village's Library, feeling a little like a real ninja.

He normally wouldn't have bothered doing such extensive research, but something about today's History lesson niggled his senses. While he didn't exactly like studying boring theory, the life of the Kages was an interest of his, and when he heard that the Shodaime Senju Hashirama's wife's name was Uzumaki Mito, his curiosity was piqued. It was only a mention, something that a history-savvy teacher had learned and slipped in the lecture. He wouldn't have noticed it normally, but a lecture on a Hokage may include important notions to become one, and he would!

Was it possible that he wasn't just a clanless orphan? Maybe he was very distantly related to the Shodai's wife? Well, he would find out today!

Armed with fiery determination, Naruto walked confidently towards the 'History' aisles. There he found many tomes, scrolls and pamphlets detailing the history of Konohagakure no Sato and the rest of the Elemental Countries. Well, at least what was accessible to the general public of civilians. The ninja library was much more secure and complete.

Even if a little disheartened by the volume of materials he would need to go through, Naruto steeled himself and jumped to the task.

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A few hours later, Naruto could still be found in the General Library, his tongue poking out of his teeth in concentration. He had leafed through many of the books who had interesting titles such as A comprehensive study of Hi no Kuni's Clans and Konoha's roots: history of the clans.

Unfortunately, he hadn't found an Uzumaki Clan with residence in Hi no Kuni but for a small mention of the brother Clan of the Senju, who resided in Uzu no Kuni, an island which was empty of settlements nowadays.

Apparently, five hundred years ago or so the Senju experienced an internal conflict and the resulting splitting made up the Uzumaki Clan. The reasons for such weren't reported, but Naruto didn't really expect them to.

There wasn't much on his newly found Clan apart from an apparent excellence of Seal Masters.

Now that was something he could look into. A legacy just for him! How cool was that?!

Unfortunately, not much about Fūinjutsu open to civilians, as it was a complex and dangerous art. Naruto searched for hidden scrolls about the art all over the Library, but ended up empty-handed. The only thing he found was a description of the super cool things that could be done with it. Apparently, a few squiggly lines were enough to teleport a person from a place to another! And all the Hokages were Fūinjutsu masters, apart from the first, who had his wife for that. The Yondaime was a Seal Master!

Naruto decided then and there that even if he ended up not being an actual Uzumaki he would study seals until they burst from his ears.

A bit happier but still curious, the young blonde decided to go to the one person who would know the answers of his predicament for sure: Hokage-Jiji!

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Sarutobi Hiruzen was many things, but heartless was not one of them. Sure, he had done his duty to the village many times and taken more lives that he could remember, his mere presence on the battlefield had been enough to put the fear of God in the heart of his enemies, but looking at the small blonde in front of him, he felt his heart constrict a bit.

He looked so hopeful, so bright and open, looking at him with his big blue eyes, the Hokage felt his resolve to keep Naruto's heritage from him - for his safety - break down. Hiruzen knew, with just one glance, that if he told the boy that he wasn't an actual Uzumaki, something would break. He didn't know what, but the fragility and innocence in front of him, which had miraculously survived the ostracism from the villagers, would disappear like snow in a summer day.

He couldn't, wouldn't bring himself to lie to him more than he had already. The Sandaime already regretted having to hide the child's parents' identity from little Naruto, even if it was a necessary security measure. Both he and Jiraya had decided so on that fateful October 10th, so he wouldn't break his word.

But giving the boy something to hold on, something to help him weather the difficult life ahead of him, that he could do.

The Hokage made a gesture to invite Naruto to sit down and with the other hand he tapped the seal carved on the underside of his desk, activating a privacy ward around his office. He was a Seal Master too, after all.

"I'm proud of you, Naruto-kun, your research was complete and accurate" Hiruzen commented, favouring the boy with a smile.

The blonde grinned toothily and scratched the back of his head, basking in the warmth that the old man's words had brought.

"What I'm about to tell you is a secret from everyone else, and you have to promise to me to be careful not to let it slip" the Hokage continued, waiting for the blonde's affirmation before resuming in his speech.

And so he explained the origins of the Uzumaki Clan, the tragic end in the Second Shinobi War and the shame of Konoha, who then decided to honour its lost allies adding a spiral in its symbol. How a few survivors had lived in Konoha and how he was their descendant.

The Professor used all his cunning and oratory skill to hook the child to his Clan's history. He had to make sure that Naruto wouldn't come up with new uncomfortable questions, but he wanted to provide a focus too. He knew that the child didn't have it so easy.

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Fūinjutsu was hard. At first, it seemed pretty easy, write a few words, make squiggly lines and bam, it all worked. Still, Naruto didn't give up, it was his legacy!

The Art, as he had taken to call it after reading An Introduction to Seals and Matrices by Tobirama Senju, wasn't super flashy and cool like Ninjutsu, but the boy found himself strangely drawn by it. It was hard work to learn all the safety procedures and to perfect his handwriting, but it paid in the end.

After only five months of study he was finally ready to write his first ever active seal!

In the backyard of the Orphanage, little Naruto carefully added the finishing touches to the 1st level Enclosing Tag. It wouldn't do much, merely contain a small something and then release it, and Naruto knew that this same Seal, when done by a Master, could block Ninjutsu and carry them around in a tag or block time inside the pocket dimension and make sure provisions didn't go to waste, but if it worked it would mean that his hard work had paid off.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, the boy placed a pebble on the tag and put his hands in the Ram Hand-seal, he prepared a bit of his chakra - and how weird and cool was it that he could do magic - and called out "Fūnyū no Jutsu" (Enclosing Technique) and with a mighty puff of smoke - he still needed to work on his chakra control - the pebble disappeared.

Naruto wanted to scream in joy, but he refrained as he knew that it wouldn't be appreciated by the caretakers. After a beat, he moved his fingers in the Hare hand-sign.

"Kaifū no Jutsu!" (Unsealing Technique).

As the smoke cleared, the sight of the small pebble made the young boy jump in excitement, his eyes shining in pride, he had done it!

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As time passed, Naruto made more progress with his Fūinjutsu and the Hokage gave him more and more material to study, many of the scrolls even came from his parents' library, and the boy found himself falling in love with the Art.

The Pre-Academy continued on and while Naruto made an effort in every subject, he found his competitiveness waning in the face of the many exciting challenges of Sealing. He made sure to understand and complete the curriculum, for he wanted more time to continue his studies.

Fūinjutsu had become Naruto's best friend and family, it gave him a connection with his Clan and let him feel less lonely.

The boy, while understanding intellectually thanks to his Sensing ability that the villagers didn't hate him for who he was, still craved reassurance and love, and for every Seal he completed he felt a bit closer to his family.

He had long since decided that he would become the most awesome ninja ever, and to do so would need for him to have ample knowledge in everything, but Naruto knew that most of the shinobi disciplines were reserved for those older than him, and while he would have loved to learn a few cool jutsu, the blonde had decided - with all the wisdom of a five-year old - that he would advance as far as he could in Fūinjutsu and once he started the actual Academy he would invest time and effort in the rest of the disciplines.

His determination and increasing prowess was noticed with some disbelief by his ANBU watchers, who dutifully reported to the Hokage who merely smiled mysteriously at them. He had to find his amusement somewhere in between all the paperwork, didn't he.

Naruto's works increased in time in complexity but the blonde tackled them all without fear, and if he had singed eyebrows or splotches of ink in his clothes, no one commented.

Paradoxically, his study of Seals was what made a few more people stop seeing him as a monster or a ticking bomb and more as a lonely boy. It was endearing seeing him wander around the village with his head buried in a book or another with his hair tousled and scruffy clothes. He looked so much like a child trying his hardest to reach for his dream that some tension that had reigned in the village ever since the attack of the Kyuubi started easing.

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The instructional system in Konoha was divided in three parts, be the student a civilian or a ninja.

The Pre-Academy consisted of 5-7 years old children who were taught the basics of math, language, history and geography. While it was theoretically mandatory for everyone to attend, a law made by the Nidaime, many of the clan children were given the chance to be homeschooled to start on the foundations of their family's history and techniques.

During these first two years the young students are carefully watched by the instructors and profiles are compiled for every of them.

These files give a description of the pupils' character and attitude, following with observations on their possible talents and if they should be allowed in the Shinobi Academy or the Civilian Academy.

Again, as per Tobirama Senju's decree, every child had to attend one of the two institutes. A test would be given at the end of the second year of Pre-Academy, and according to the results and the observations of the teachers, the kids would be started of one of the two paths.

Once inside either of the two Academies, they would be carefully monitored and in the civilian case they would be offered either an apprenticeship with a manual worker or a position in the Secondary Grade Civilian Academy, something that Sarutobi Hiruzen had instituted after deciding that if Konoha could produce his own technology and scientific advancements, it would have the double effect of boosting the village's reputation and favour the military; in the case of the child starting the shinobi path, they would need to study the basics of the ninja arts and in time they would be given the tools to start their own styles and to stand on their own feet. While the whole course of the Shinobi Academy's curriculum was divided in four years, it was possible to take a test at any time, providing the consent of the child's guardian and the homeroom teacher, to jump ahead a year or more in the curriculum.

Now, Konohagakure no Sato had a respectable population of nearly ten thousand inhabitants, two-thirds of which were civilians. Out of the four hundred children in the Pre-Academy age, about three hundred attended. Out of all these, the assigned Chuunins had to carefully individuate those who would best serve the village in the Ninja ranks.

While such a job was usually pretty simple, this year was special for many of the main clans of Konoha had heirs attending or studying in the privacy of their compounds to prepare for the Shinobi Academy. This was a factor that had to be taken in for a coherent decision.

Normally, about a third of the classes would be taken into consideration, about two-thirds of these would be allowed to take the test for admittance - even if in a few cases a child was allowed to pass even without scoring enough, mostly Kekkei Genkai cases - and those that passed would be monitored for specific talents that would serve better in one of the Eight Units that made up the Shinobi Corpses - ANBU, Torture & Interrogation, Hunter-nin, Medic Corps, Cryptanalysis Teams, Genin Corps, Chunin Corps and Jonin Corps -.

The problem that the Chunin Instructors were facing this year was the difficulty in maintaining a balance in their evaluations. For as much as they would have liked to laud the few Clan kids' superiority and that of the more important Civilian families', this year the number one spot was by right of an unaligned child, more specifically the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, Uzumaki Naruto.

The kid was smart, if not overly so, and definitely dedicated. It wasn't that he was a genius, but everyone and their mother could see that he had something to prove. He most likely had decided to show everyone that he was worth something in response of the silent treatment he received, and not having a family or friends, he had more time than anyone else to study. It helped that he seemed particularly mature - as it is common in lonely children - and so he didn't waste too much time.

As ninja, it wasn't hard to understand the separation between the Kunai and the Scroll which it was sealed into, but the irrational unease they felt around the kid remained. This was why they hesitated at placing the blonde Uzumaki as first in the rankings for the village to see. If the Head of the Haruno textiles' daughter were to come first, no one would bat an eye, nor they would if one of the few Clan kids were to get the top spot, but Naruto was equal to the best of them in theoretical subjects and topped everyone in the practical ones, mostly due to the Fox.

Sighing, the gathered teachers decided not to tamper the results, hoping that it wouldn't bite them in the ass later on, and to stimulate the growth of the other kids. After all, in the Ninja World a five-year old was almost an adult.

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Ichiraku Ramen was a rowdy place usually, today more so as little Naruto Uzumaki was celebrating with the Hokage, ten years old Ayame and Teuchi the chef, for he had scored first in his year at the Pre-Academy end-of-the-year rankings. Truly, considering the usual treatment the boy received, such an accomplishment was to be treasured, as he obtained it all by himself.

Naruto was smiling so wide that his cheeks had started to hurt, but he couldn't find it in himself to care, for he was between his loved ones and nothing else mattered. He felt appreciated and it brought an overflowing happiness to him.

Ayame-chan had hugged him and cheered for his accomplishment, Teuchi-jii-san had given him a free bowl of Miso Ramen and Hokage-Jiji had smiled proudly at him, looking as if nothing more could please him more.

Naruto wondered if this was what completeness felt like.

The boy honestly didn't care much for his high score, as it was merely a validation of what he already knew, but the warm feeling of fulfilment that had settled in his stomach when he found the Sandaime standing in front of his room at the Orphanage, looking at him as if he was a favourite grandson and he couldn't be more proud of him, was the best feeling he ever experienced.

Naruto resolved to give it his best every year and to never dawdle in his studies and training, be it something as amazing as Fūinjutsu - and how cool was it that now he could make basic Stasis Tags, that let him keep the food in his bento warm without ruining all day - or as boring as the Leaf Sticking exercise - because to make seals one needed to be precise, both in the crafting and in the execution, and as he had naturally poor Chakra Control he had to practice every time he could- .

He would become the best he could, to make his Clan and his loved ones proud! Believe it!

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Hello everyone!

I'm alive, yes. I'm sorry that I didn't update MoD anymore, but I started re-reading a few old fics, really long ones, and then an idea for this story started forming in my head, so it his on pause.

I'm not abandoning it, I'll probably post a new chapter in a month or so, but I need to at least start this new fic, for my sanity if nothing else.

So! Explanations. Reading the vast number of Naruto fanfictions, I felt that they mainly depicted either an idiot or a genius without equal, something that irked me vastly.

I feel that Naruto, paradoxically, is one of the most misunderstood and worst depicted characters of the whole series. There are times where he seems to be merely a loudmouth idiot and times where he pulls something out of his ass (read as learning the Kage Bushing in hours and the Rasengan in a month while it took an adult Jiraya much longer).

Therefore, I wanted to write something to give him justice, without giving into the urge of making him the biggest badass ever and the one who always had the longest dick in the room.

Self-pleasing fics have a place and time to be read (preferably at thirteen or something) and this is not it.

So, to summarize, I'll try to write a smartish! Naruto without sacrificing his characterization. Some of the events will have to change necessarily, as his actions will have more and more consequences, but I wouldn't worry about Ohs everywhere.

I thank you all for reading 'Common Sense' and hope you'll like it!

See ya next time,

J.