Chapter 1: Simple Review

He looked out the window, noting the gloomy atmosphere of the village where he lived. He watched as the figures outside went about their way, going around and doing their usual routines. He sighed and looked at the room he was currently in, annoyed with all the noise and scuffles that was going on. He really didn't get how they were all able to bear with the noise, but then again, maybe his sense of hearing was just a lot more sensitive than theirs. The room's door swung open and in trudged a man with a scar that cut across the bridge of his nose, ending from cheekbone to cheekbone, his hair tied in a high tail.

"Good thing he didn't tie it any higher than that, otherwise, he'd look more like a Nara."He chuckled as the thought crossed his mind. As if reading his thoughts, the man turned his eyes towards him to give him a warning look. He shrugged his shoulders and feigned ignorance.

"Damn, am I getting that predictable to him?" he thought before he dug his face into his palm when he saw the man suddenly smile as he raised an eyebrow.

"It's like he's reading my mind!"he groaned. The man leaned back as he sucked in a large breath of air. Knowing what was coming, the boy did his best to cover his ears. The man slammed his hands on the desk in front of him, as he let out all the breath he took in with a shout, his head suddenly growing to more than five times the normal.

"WILL YOU BRATS SHUT THE HELL UP AND SIT THE FUCK DOWN, NOW!" Yep, he was swearing in the presence of 12year olds, but that's not something new anymore. After all, none of them were normal kids anyways. The noisy ones immediately shut their mouths and went rigid in their seats, hands on their laps and heads slightly bowed. The rowdy ones stumbled and tripped as they tried to get to their seats as quickly as possible. The quiet ones, well, they continued on with what they were doing.

"Now then, in a matter of days, your final examinations will be coming and you'll soon be graduating from this academy. Soon as you graduate, you're all going to be one step closer into becoming full-fledged ninjas, but don't think all your hard work has ended; on the contrary, the hard part of being a ninja will have only just begun. Now, quick recaps. What is the purpose of ninjas? Sakura?" he asked, looking straight at a pink-haired girl.

"It is to protect the human populace from those that abuses their powers and abilities and would threaten to endanger them, thus disrupting the balance that has already been shifty for eons. It is also to help in maintaining and improving the economy of the country a certain hidden village is sworn to watch over, also stabilizing the village in the process." She finished with an all-too sweet smile. The scar-faced man nodded, and he scanned the room once again.

"Correct. What are the various parts of the body where a precise hit would result in a certain death, Shikamaru?" he looked at the boy with the same hairstyle as him, although the boy's was tied higher and almost atop his head. The boy sighed and gave the man a bored and tired look like he was suffering from old age and wanting nothing more than to retire.

"Troublesome. There are no specific areas for certain kills, because it differs for every ninja depending on their race or species. However, targets which would cause certain death for any one are the heart and the brain. For a select few, the heel is also a weakness. Some of these specific weaknesses are the face, the hair, throats, stomach, and the eyes." He finished, his bored and tired look never leaving his face. The teacher only nodded before moving on.

"Okay, next question. What is the Hokage?" At that, the boy at the back made as much noise as he can as he jumped on his table, waving his arms high up in the air as if fearing the teacher might not see him. This question was something that really has his interest, and he knows the answer by heart. The man raised an eyebrow before raising his hand. He held up his index finger and opened his mouth, looking directly at the noisy boy. The boy's lips broke into a large smile as he now moved more energetically, only to stare in horror and slump in his seat with sadness and disappointment when the man pointed to the seat in front of him, calling out a name.

"Sasuke, answer the question." The said boy huffed as if the question was too easy and didn't even counted to be part of the review, which caused the boy sitting behind him to bury his nails into his table and started scratching as his jaw clenched and he started grinding his teeth. He really hated that boy, and now he had insulted something that he really cared about.

"Looks like I found my new target. You'd better be as good as they say you are teme! I don't like it when my targets are too easy."The boy thought as he took out a blank piece of paper and started plotting his revenge. Meanwhile, the boy delivered his textbook answer after the teacher shot him a glare.

"The Hokage is the most powerful ninja in the village, not just in physical strength and ability, but in political power and mentality as well. The position is the highest rank in the hierarchy of ninjas, as well as the most-respected. There is no one in the village who doesn't know who the Hokage is, be it civilians or nins, normal people or otherwise." The scar-faced man nodded to confirm the answer, but his glare never lessened as he stared down the boy. The boy lost some of his arrogant look as he broke eye contact, opting to looking out the window instead.

"Final question for today's review, what are we called?" he asked, and this time he looked up at the boy who sat behind the Uchiha.

"Naruto." He called out the boy's name, only to be ignored as the boy kept scribbling on his piece of paper, tongue stuck out as his brows furrowed in concentration. His fingers twitched as he tried to keep his irritation in control.

"NARUTO!" he roared up, making the boy sigh and put down his pen and paper. He looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he immediately knew he wasn't going to like what the boy was going to say.

"You mean other than ninjas?" Yep, he didn't like it. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he growled low, his class joining in on his expression of emotion. Most of them groaned out loudly, some actually snickered while others banged their head against their desks. The more quiet and reserved ones merely shook their heads in disappointment.

"Naruto, you can't even be called a ninja yet. And I know you know what I was talking about." He said as he opened his eyes to look at the blonde child. He liked the boy, but sometimes, he was just too much to handle.

"Fine! Geeze Iruka-sensei, you can't take a joke anymore." The blonde pouted as he crossed his arms on his chest, sinking lower in his seat like a spoiled brat.

"We were once humans, normal at least by the standards of Nature and its laws. In order for us to combat those that had paranormal abilities and powers, our ancestors too had to resort to gaining supernatural abilities as well. Dealing with youkai and other forms of spirits and entities, we became youkais ourselves, hannyous by their standards. But as the line of the tainted blood continued to pass on, we became something else entirely. We are youkais, yet still of human descent, thus we were given a different title. We are the taboo of nature, the monsters of human imagination, and the things that go bump in the night and so much more. We are called, Enigmas; mysteries to humans, Nature, and to all beings of the Physical as well as of the Spiritual World." He finished, lifting his chin in an attempt of showing dignity. The man nodded grimly, his own arms crossed on his chest and his eyes moved to look all the children in the eye.

"Naruto is correct. We are neither humans nor youkai, but we aren't monsters. The monsters are those who give in to their inner desires and evils, giving in to the taint of their soul and blood. They are the reason why we ninjas exist. Our youkai blood gives us power and immense knowledge of the world around us, but our human blood gives us the sense of right and wrong as well as concepts of virtues. We are a mystery to the world, a mystery even to ourselves, but that doesn't mean that we are above everything else that resides within the very land we tread." All of the kids nodded their heads, knowing the story already as it was the very first thing that was taught to them. "The distinction between us and all the evils of this world is…" he looked towards a little girl in the back row. He gave her a small nod and waited for her to continue his hanging sentence.

"Uhm, c-c-control...Iruka-sensei." She said in a gentle voice, her face glowing a bright red before she buried it in her palms. The teacher smiled and looked at the class one last time before dismissing them. He leaned on his desk and watched the children as they packed their things and moved to leave. He saw two figures waiting for the rest to leave, the blonde boy with whisker marks on his face who wore an unbuttoned orange jacket over a black shirt with the red spiral of the Uzumaki printed on the chest. He watched the kids file out one after another after giving the teacher a bow, absentmindedly adjusting the glove on his left hand that he wore over bandages that wrapped around his arm up to his elbows. He was too busy engaged in his hobby to notice the little girl staring at him from across the room to his right.

"That blonde chick's a Yamanaka. It's too obvious, the pale blonde hair and pale blue eyes, tell-tale signs of their clan. A scary mix of Ghost-Invokers as well as the Homonculus of Lust, they use the powerful sexual desire their targets feel when they see them, then striking fatally or using their Ghost-Invoke techniques to gain access to the other person's mind."

He snorted as his azure eyes moved on.

"Quiet and walks silently yet precisely, almost like a drone, wearing a high-collared and long sleeved jacket that covers the lower part of his face as well as his hands, dark glasses to cover the eyes. An Aburame, the embodiment of the Plague of Locusts, said to house the insects they use as familiars within their very body. Shino, I think was his name. I wonder what his colony looks like, since the colonies evolve and grow alongside their host's development, each colony is unique."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk as he thought in concentration, shifting focus as he heard the loud munching of a rather round boy.

"Ha! Too easy! An Akimichi! Let's see, Chouza? No, that's one from an earlier generation, maybe the father of this one. Think Naruto, think! Ah, Choji! Yeah, that's it. Definitely from the Akimichi clan, the Homonculus of Gluttony, and one of the two only pure Homonculus of the Deadly Sins so far; their ability grants them the ability to suck out any and all chakra around them and use it to increase their body's mass and size. And his friend is of course the Homonculus of Sloth, the strongest of them all, if not for their laziness. Sharp and ingenious tactical mind as well as prodigious physical ability and monstrous latent talent, they would have been the strongest of all if they would actually exert more effort than what they decide is needed. So lazy they are that their ability is to control their shadows to perform various tasks for them. Such a waste, Nara Shikamaru, truly a waste."

He bit his lip as he thought up of the possibilities that the Nara clan could easily accomplish. His eyes moved to spot the boy with the hooded jacket, a small puppy running around his legs.

"The Houndmaster Invokers the Inuzuka clan, alongside their Shuck familiars, are also the Homonculus of Pride. They use their Shuck to channel the spirits of different Hellhounds for battle, while their Homonculus ability allows their own bodies to take on a more animalistic feature, invoking the embodiment of their clan's Pride, their ninken. Kiba and Akamaru, the name of the puppy must be referring to when he takes on his Shuck form. Must still be a true pup if it doesn't have the traits of a Shuck yet. Then there are their clan friends, the Bone Thugs and Homonculus of Wrath; the Kaguya clan. A comical association of dogs and bones as well as a deadly combination, they're as efficient as the Nara-Hattori collaboration. I wonder how strong Shiro could make his bones now, last time he said they were as hard as iron bars."

He smiled as the Kaguya pulled out a rib from his side and tossed it to the dog. A movement caught his eye as he looked back at the Nara. His shadow shifted and he thought that the Nara was going to use it to open the door, until a boy slowly rose from the shadow.

"The Hattori kid, Makkura, is tagging along the Nara and Akimichi again. It's weird how a lazy boy could make friends with four different clan members, but considering the versatility of their abilities, it does make sense. The Naras have been in teams with the Akimichis and Yamanakas, and they have proved to be quite a legendary combination; and they have been known to take on beyond S Class missions, pairing with the Hattoris with a 100% success rate, so him making friends with them at the same time is pretty logical."

He shrugged as he focused on the black-clad boy.

"The Shadow Walkers with the unique eyes, one of the three famed Doujutsus of Konoha. They are able to melt into shadows, and even walk through a dimension inside them. Their Kagegan is what allows them to see through the darkness of that world, a world where the Naras control everything. They are also the Homonculus of Envy, personified by the pure black eyes that look at everything with a darkness that threatens to swallow everything up that it sees in others it cannot find within its owners."

He snarled as his mind came upon a realization, the Kagegan was the least of the coveted doujutsu that Konoha is home to; the first and most wanted was the accursed Sharingan. His head immediately turned to look at the back of the boy he couldn't stand as he was just about to walk out the door.

"The Uchiha and their accursed Sharingan! Because of their vampire descent, they think that they're better than everybody else! Mix in being the Homonculus of Greed, embodied by those eyes of theirs! They want everything, from powerful and unsurpassed Taijutsu moves, to unrivaled and devastating Ninjutsu, even claiming various impenetrable Genjutsus to be theirs and theirs alone!"

A rumbling within him and he fought to keep his anger in check.

"They wanted everything too much, that that idiot even went and took all the blame for himself!"

His clear azure eyes lost its usual shine as it now started to glow a bloody crimson, its pupils narrowing to form a slit as he started to remember that day where he lost one of his most precious persons.

= Flashback =

He had just gotten out of the Academy and he immediately rushed to his favorite ramen stand, the Ichiraku. He was supposed to meet someone who had become his teacher there, and they were going to talk more about the various techniques he knew and what he could and what he would teach him, with a big emphasis on the difference between the two. He had arrived and flipped over one of the flaps of the stall, and was immediately greeted by the people he truly loved.

The old man Teuchi and his daughter Ayame, they were normal humans but unlike all the others, they weren't afraid of him nor did they hate him. They welcomed him wholeheartedly, even treating him sometimes to their delicious food. Sometimes, the old man would add a few extra slices of toppings, or add more flavor to his already tasty dish, just for him. He loved the both of them so much that he just hopped over the counter and hugged them both. It had become a routine of his ever since he found the wonders of the warmth one would get with a simple hug. They hugged him back and he jumped over the counter again, this time seating himself on the stool. He looked to his left to see his teacher and big brother figure.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." He said as he looked at the blonde with a small and warm smile on his face. He gave the smile back, only his wasn't as reserved as the older man's.

"Hello, Itachi-niisan. Did you wait long?"

"Nope, I was just here long enough to order our food. And here they come now." At that, Ayame served them with large bowls of steaming ramen and Naruto couldn't help his excitement as his body shook with every whiff of the smoke, his arm wiping the already flowing drool from his chin. The man broke his chopsticks and Naruto took that as a signal to attack.

"Ittadakimas." Itachi politely said while Naruto's was a slurred version of it.

The next few minutes had been nothing more but the sound of Teuchi cooking, Naruto slurping and chugging, his bowl hitting the counter before a loud "Next!", and then another new order will be placed in front of him; and the cycle went on even after Itachi finished his bowl. He just watched the child with a smile, his hand moved to ruffle the blonde's hair, but stopped mid-air as a presence came around. He knew that something serious was going to be happening from then on as the Hokage came in and sat next to Naruto. He gave him a small nod and sat up straight, all attention to the powerful and superior elder. Naruto noticed the new person's arrival but he didn't look up until he finished his latest bowl and yelled out for another.

Soon as he saw it was his "Old Man Hokage", he leapt at the man and held his neck in a choke. The old man chuckled and Itachi couldn't help but give a small smile. The Hokage ordered his own bowl, and soon as he finished, Naruto thought it would be best to stop at his current bowl count. The Hokage then invited them to his office and they accepted. Soon as they were in the office, the powerful nin lost all of his gentleness and started to become serious, albeit a little sad that the boy would be there to witness him in such a manner.

"Itachi, I have read your report and it is most disturbing…" the man stiffened while Naruto just went about the room, looking at items that he would think interesting before moving on to the next but still keeping an ear open to listen in on their conversation. He was very interested when the people he cared for were talking to each other.

"Though I question their ideals, I have no doubt that your clan is powerful. I don't know what to do of this Itachi, our laws strictly forbid acting against a clan without any provocation. All we could do is prepare for what they are planning and then act on that, and even then, I don't think that the village will survive."

Naruto didn't like what they were talking about, it sounded so grim and just wrong.

"What do you mean, Hokage-sama? Surely we could prevent the village from being destroyed." Itachi countered, knowing all too well that the blonde could hear, but it no longer mattered as the issue would be something that he would be informed of later on.

"Indeed, we could spare the village, but the resulting civil war would destroy key infrastructures of Konoha, and I'm not just speaking of buildings and foundations…" he said as he rubbed his temple.

"The fighting would cause mistrust within our village, and because of the various Homonculus here, it could spark up even more complications. Not to mention all of the other Hidden Villages would capitalize on Konoha's weakened state." Itachi continued, knowing already that his line of thinking was right. The old man nodded before burying his face in his palms. Naruto went up to him and started rubbing at the part of his back that he could reach, and the Hokage gave him a thankful smile.

"I have a suggestion, Hokage-sama."

"Please, go ahead." Was all he said as he took up the blonde and placed him on his lap, letting him play with the papers on the desk.

"Perhaps I could yet stop what they are planning…by more violent means." He paused halfway but quickly finished what he was saying as he saw the Hokage about to say something. The old man's eyebrows rose and he just gave a nod. He showed worry in his eyes and was about to ask something, but again, the young man beat him to it.

"Do not worry, Hokage-sama. I am able to do it. My loyalty," he started, then he got down on one knee before continuing, "is to the Village first. And rest assured, my ability is more than enough to be able to perform this task alone."

At the last part, he locked his eyes with the old man's and made the tomoes on his activated Sharingan swirl to add emphasis on his words of self-confidence. The old man studied his face before he nodded, but before the man could stand to leave, he stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"I do not doubt your abilities, or your loyalties, Itachi, however, I believe in having a precaution to every move, especially for those that would endanger my ninjas. I reckon you're familiar with Hatake Kakashi?" the young man nodded and the old man opened a drawer and touched the crystal ball that was hidden inside. He pushed some chakra on it, making it glow faintly. Soon as he let go, the ANBU appeared instantly beside Itachi, already down on one knee.

"Today, you are going to be doing an S Class Mission, secrecy demanded. You shall follow and assist Itachi with his mission, and you shall do it without fail or question." The ANBU nodded and stood up, head turning towards the man beside him as if waiting for a sign to move out.

"Hokage-sama, I have only one request. I will let my brother live, as he is still innocent and ignorant of the true corruption within our clan. All knowledge of what we have talked about shall be kept from him. Unfortunately, I don't know much about all the other kids to vouch for how they are, and I'm pretty certain it would be unwise to…" he took in a quick breath, hesitating with his words, "…to let even the youngest child alive. They could be easily taken and used as a weapon against us."

"Yes, that would be quite a problem." Letting out a big tired sigh, the old man slumped in his chair as the burden he is carrying, along with his old age, leaves him feeling drained.

"And what about your brother? How are you planning to deal with him?" The old man looks tiredly at Itachi, raising an eyebrow and probing him to try and find out the answer.

"I wish for him to hate me, to hate the power of which I shall be showing him. I wish for him to despise the power that our clan possesses, and the corruption that the power of these eyes gives. I shall cleanse our world of the darkness which envelops our clan, but I do not wish for my family to die. That is all I want, and I wish you would consider this." The old man smiled as he knew the young man's pure intentions to be true and he nodded his agreement.

"Aren't you supposed to be greedy, Itachi-san?" the old man chided in an attempt of humor, to which he was rewarded with a sly grin from the man.

"That is why I'm taking all of the blame."

"To me, it would seem like you'll be taking the credit." At that, the two let out a hearty chuckle, before their smiles slowly faded. A nod to each other and to the ANBU was all that they needed to settle the agreement. The two nins then promptly gave him a salute before blurring away from the office.

"But what about my training?" complained the blonde. A small push of chakra on the crystal ball again and a new ANBU entered his office. He hefted the boy off of his lap and onto the floor, motioning for him to go towards the nin.

"But Old Man! Itachi-niisan is way stronger than him! I could already sense it!" the boy whined. A look from the Hokage and the ANBU let his chakra and youki pulse and Naruto was surprised to see such power.

"Just because I'm not strong like Itachi-san doesn't mean I can't whip you into shape, Naruto." A familiar voice from behind the mask came. Naruto's eyes widened as the ANBU removed his mask, revealing the trademark scar of one of his most trusted people.

"Iruka-sensei?"

The man simply laughed at the boy's look before picking up his frozen-from-shock form, bowed to his leader and carried away the blonde away to train him. The Hokage smiled as he saw Naruto didn't understand what they were talking about and was glad that he would be in the dark for now, but his smile quickly faded as the time of Naruto knowing the truth would be soon, since the plan was already underway and that the results of the mission would be something that will shock the entire ninja world, for that night would be the birth of a new Legend.

= End Flashback =

"That idiot! And now, all his efforts are being wasted by his arrogant brother! That asshole, that jerk, that…that…that teme!"

He was so caught up in fury that he did not notice the blood trickling from his palm as he clenched his fist as tightly as he could. The sound of clambering wood from the side caused him to immediately point his glare at the frightened face of the girl he usually didn't notice. He eyed her critically, his mind already trying to put together the small clues he could find about her identity.

"Pale white skin, and large pupil less eyes. A Hyuuga? But, that's weird…the way she carries herself, it's not the way a Homonculus of Vanity would act. Neither would a Vampire. Self-consciousness could be considered a small degree of vain, which she clearly is. Let's see…"

His eyes crept all over the girl's form, not noticing the discomfort and embarrassment that showed in her face. He kept looking and looking until he realized he couldn't quite pinpoint what was strange with her. He stood up and moved to walk up to her, but after only one step, the girl eeped and then dashed away and out of the room. To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. He had not yet encountered such a weird reaction from anyone. They would usually call him a monster before running away, or do their best to not even make eye contact. The other kids would either tolerate his presence or just plain ignore it. He heard a stifled laughter and he turned to see who it was, his expression unchanged. The moment he faced his teacher, the man just broke out laughing. Naruto could only stand there and wear the stupefied look on his face, his mind working to try to figure out the weird Hyuuga girl.

"Ah! I think her name is Hinata!hmmm…"