Village Hidden in the Leaves (Konoha)

A distraught eight-year old Naruto headed back towards his apartment while trying to beat the approaching night. It had been a bad day for the whiskered blond, though that was close to every day unfortunately. He'd spent most of the day at the park, trying to find someone who'd at least talk to him. But most of the kids either flat out ignored him or hurl out insults to him. The real sad part most of those who yelled at him were the adults. It was a few months until he'd be enrolled into the Ninja Academy, yet with how things were going for him Naruto couldn't help but wonder if he'd be treated any differently than how he was now. If only something could happen that'd change his life for the better…

Little did Naruto know that tiny changes in one's destiny can bring monumental changes. In one world, the one we all know, Naruto went home for the evening with no problems whatsoever. In this one though, things took a different turn. Naruto decided to head down an alleyway to take a shortcut home. Unknown to the blond, this particular alleyway went behind a bar, where a certain nasty drunk had just been thrown out of. Also unknown to the boy was the Anbu guards who watched over him every hour of the day to make sure no one said or do anything to the jinchuriki that they'd regret, were switching shifts at the moment and for approximately five minutes no one was watching over him.

Naruto went down the alleyway, ignoring the rats and occasional stray dog that littered the area as he kept his head down. So caught up in his gloom, Naruto didn't see the large, smelly man in the middle of the path until he lightly brushed up against him. The drunk, who shall remain nameless, was about to yell at whoever it was that ran into him. That was, until he saw that it was the demon holder, the one who held the same fox that destroyed his home and business that day eight years ago. Now if the man was sober, he'd simply yell at the kid and stalk off before his anger made him do something that was sure to get him arrested or worse. But in his inebriated state, the drunk didn't think about nor care for the consequences for his actions and sent a vicious kick at Naruto's unprotected ribs.

The blond child gave a startled yelp in surprise, pain, and fear. He landed in a nearby puddle with a splash and he looked up at his attacker with wide, scared eyes. While most adults had made it clear they didn't want anything to do with him, and some seemed to downright hate him, no one had ever gone as far as to physically attack him before. Naruto found the experience to be especially terrifying.

"Stupid demon brat," the drunk slurred as he stalked towards the blond and raise his leg for another kick, "the Hokage shoulda killed you the second you were born!"

With that, the kick connected with Naruto's chin and he saw stars as a razor sharp pain made itself known. The whiskered child tasted blood as his lip split. Whimpering in pain, not even able to cry out due to the pain in his face and bruised ribs, Naruto curled up into a ball in the dirty puddle water to try and make a smaller target of himself. Instead of backing off, the drunk seemed to get angrier at, in his mind, the demon's attempt at playing innocent and proceeded to ruthlessly kick the child in any place he could reach. Naruto gasped in pain and fear as the assault continued, screwing his eyes shut in a feeble attempt to block out the pain. Unknown to either people, Naruto started to subconsciously pull on his chakra in his panicked state.

Being his first time calling on his chakra, it was still raw and untapped. This, along with the fear-induced adrenaline coursing through his veins, caused him to pull his chakra from deep inside, tapping into genes that had previously been dormant and would have stayed that way if not for this one incident. The chakra started to build up in his hands and Naruto, not knowing what the feeling was, acted on instinct. When the drunk went in for another kick, Naruto reached his hand out and grabbed onto the man's pant leg. The built up chakra was released and the results were explosive.

BOOM!

Scene Break

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, stood outside of a hospital room door with a gloomy expression on his face. Yesterday evening, a large explosion had rocked the back alleyways of the Hidden Leaf. When the Anbu arrived on the scene, there were two figures taken from the area. One was a battered and burnt man who seemed to receive the full brunt of the explosion. Multiple burns and breaks littered the man's body and it was unlikely he'd be able to use the one leg again. It was the other person that concerned the aged Hokage however. Naruto Uzumaki, the jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, was found at the scene unconscious but surprisingly alright besides a few scrapes and bruises. When he asked the boy's Anbu guards, they explained that they were currently switching shifts for the night and that had created a blind spot for a few minutes, so they were unable to see or prevent what happened. That was a serious mistake that Hiruzen planned on correcting, but first he had to deal with more pressing matters such as finding out exactly what happened.

The Third was brought out of his musings as a med-nin came up to him. The medic gave the aged leader their report on the victims. "The man was found with second and third degree burns covering nearly half of his body. It was clear from the extent of his injuries that he was at the focal point of the explosion. Blood test shows that his blood alcohol levels were way pass the recommended levels, as was confirmed by the nearby bar owner who reported to had earlier thrown the man out for drunken disorderly conduct," the medic explained.

Sarutobi nodded his head in both understanding and to urge the medic to move on. The medic cleared his throat as he looked at the other chart he had. "The boy was found to have bruising on his ribs and had a nasty cut on his chin, but both healed within the hour," the two looked at each other, both having an inkling as to what caused Naruto's miraculous recovery. The medic continued, "No other significant injuries were found. However, blood tests on the boy have indicated," at this the medic paused, which worried the Hokage.

"Indicated what?" Hiruzen asked in all seriousness.

The medic took a deep breath and looked the Professor straight in the eye. "The blood test show the unleashing of a previously recessive bloodline awakening, most likely brought on by the stress of whatever happened before the explosion. But that's not all, Lord Hokage," the medic said, catching the Hokage's attention since he was caught off guard from the news. As far as he knew, neither of Naruto's parents had bloodlines, however it wasn't unheard of for them to skip several generations and be unlocked under extreme situations. The med-nin continued in a serious tone, "We've compared the data of the bloodline to all known to us and we've only found one match. One we've obtained through the fighting of the Third Shinobi War. It would appear Naruto unlocked the Explosion Release bloodline."

If Hiruzen was stunned before, he was shocked speechless now. Of all the bloodlines Naruto had to inherit, why did it have to be one of the most famous (or infamous depending on your point of view) bloodlines of the Hidden Stone?! The Explosion Corps, a special group of Stone ninja who all have a version of the Explosion Release bloodline, were well known from their exploits and leaving trails of destruction in their wake both in and out of wars. This would complicate things immensely. While being a jinchuriki was in and of itself difficult to live with, having a bloodline famous from an enemy village was like pouring gasoline on a roaring flame! People would start to assume Naruto was a babe Minato took during his exploits in the Third War to use as a holder for the Nine Tails, or some other ridiculous notion to raise the already uneasy thoughts regarding the blond. Not to mention what the Hidden Stone would do if they ever found out! Naruto's life was already at risk with them due to his parentage, who knew what would happen if the Stone ninjas found one of their bloodlines was carried by the son of their most hated foe?!

The Third quickly grabbed his pipe from his robe and took a deep puff, the smoke help calming his panicking mind. He'd need to gain control of this situation and fast! First, he needed a cover story. Maybe an exposed gas line went off in the alley while the man's body shielded Naruto from the blast? Yes, that'd work. It would explain Naruto's lack of serious injury and the man was in no condition to contradict it, due to the explosion mixed in with his drunken state most likely hindering his memory. And if that didn't work, he could always 'persuade' the man to cooperate, because the Professor had an inkling on how the whole situation occurred and if the man didn't want to spend life in jail he'd say whatever the Hokage told him to!

The next thing to do was to comfort Naruto and let him know what happened. Hopefully, the old man could calm the boy and tell him in a way that would not upset him further, but also show him the severity of the situation. That led to the next problem: how to get Naruto to control his new bloodline? Whenever a bloodline is awakened, it's always necessary for the wielder to learn how to use it to avoid hurting themselves and others. It wouldn't work to have Naruto simply ignore the bloodline, because that could lead to severe physical and mental problems such as activating his abilities against his will.

What Hiruzen needed was a teacher for Naruto, but who? Asking the Hidden Stone was out, since they were still sore about the last war. And finding users of the Explosion Release was rare outside of the Stone Village. The best bet was to find a missing-nin who had the bloodline and convincing them to join the village. But as far as he knew, none of the known missing-nins had the bloodline! So what was he to do? This was a question that pestered Hiruzen through the rest of the day and into the night. When he returned to the office the next day, hoping to hear about improvements on Naruto's condition and hoping the hospital staff kept their vow of silence on the matter, the old Hokage sat at his desk nursing a building headache. There was then the fluttering of feathers, as the messenger hawk arrived to deliver the daily mail.

The Third looked at the pile of foreign mail and noticed right on top was the latest addition of the Bingo Book. Doubting his luck, Hiruzen flipped through the pages of the Elemental Nations most wanted until he reached the Stone Village's section. Page after page went by until, next to the last page, the Hokage struck gold. Praising everything that was holy, Hiruzen couldn't help but stare at the latest entry from the Hidden Stone Village that contained a picture of a blond boy not much older than Naruto:

Name: Deidara

Age: 11

Previous Affiliation: Hidden Stone Village

Rank: S

Description: Recruited into the Explosion Corps at a young age, Deidara possesses a powerful Explosion Release bloodline and was taught by the Third Tsuchikage himself. Has stolen a village kinjutsu and caused severe property damage in his defection. Has been known to make clay into living bombs.

Threat Level: Approach with extreme caution.

While the Third was thrilled by this discovery, a part of him felt uneasy about this. For one, while the boy was now considered a missing-nin, that didn't mean he'd willingly join an enemy village. Criminal or no, he could still be a patriot. Another thing was that the boy was taught by Oonoki himself, at that made it especially dangerous because any native to the Stone Village would be able to recognize Deidara, and another village harboring him could be seen as an act of war. Finally, there was no telling what affect the boy would have on Naruto.

'It must be done,' Hiruzen thought resolutely, 'for Naruto's sake as well as for the sake of the Village. The only question that remains is how to track him…?'

"Yo," a lazy voice sounded behind the old man, making the aged Kage smile as he turned to face the new arrival. "Kakashi Hatake reporting that Team 7 has failed the second Genin Exam once more," the one eyed jonin said as he stared at his leader listlessly.

"Ah Kakashi, I'm glad you're here. I've got a special assignment for you," the Third started as he began the younger man's debriefing.

Scene Skip

"Feh! Lousy art-hating sacks of crap! I'll show them all that true art is an explosion, hm! And then we'll see what's what, hm," a young man with long blond hair and piercing blue eyes mused as he sat on the stairway of an abandoned temple inside the Land of Grass's border.

He idly tossed a lump of clay up and down in his hand before a mouth in his palm suddenly opened up and chomped on it before spitting out a perfect clay spider. Deidara smirked. While implanting the kinjutsu that gave him the additional mouths on his palms and on his chest had hurt, it'd been worth the pain. Now he could complete "Art in a Single Moment" any time he wished by molding his chakra into clay and making more sculptures that would perform his "art." While it'd been a couple weeks since he left the Hidden Stone, Deidara was easily able to avoid his pursuers. After all, traveling by clay bird was much faster than walking!

The mad bomber was about to get up and leave when he heard a cough right behind him. Spinning around, the young man saw a tall man leaning in the door of the temple, idly leaning back. The man had long silver hair and a mask covering the bottom half of his face, but what caught the blond bomber's attention was the forehead protector with a leaf design tilted over his left eye.

Deidara sneered, "So the Leaf's dogs have caught onto me, hm? Okay then, you can be the first to experience my art! Katsu!" with a yell, Deidara held his hand into a symbol and suddenly, the clay insects that were surrounding the unsuspecting Leaf ninja detonated, sending a cloud of smoke into the air! The former Stone ninja laughed until he felt a presence behind him.

"Now that wasn't very nice," the man said in an almost bored tone, "And here I was just wanting to talk."

The bomber seethed, thinking this guy wasn't taking him seriously. Deidara got ready to unleash another bomb on the enemy shinobi when he suddenly felt a sharp jab on the back of his neck, causing everything to go black. When he woke up, Deidara found his arms tied tightly behind his back and his weapons pouches that held his clay, kunai, and shuriken were missing. Looking around, the missing-nin spot the Leaf shinobi sitting on a nearby log in a relaxed pose, reading a book of all things! The masked man looked up with his one eye at the restrained boy and said casually, "Oh good, you're up. Ready to talk now?"

Deidara spat out a string of profanities before slumping over to catch his breath. Once he regained his bearings the bomber looked back up at the silver haired man with an angry, but noticeably calmer expression on his face. "How'd you get the drop on me so easily?" he asked with venom in his voice.

"Simple," the man replied, "While you may be a prodigy and you may have a powerful new jutsu, you let your arrogance blind you. You thought you were unbeatable with your new power, and you completely disregarded the basics of being a ninja, which allowed me to subdue you with a simple Replacement Jutsu followed by a distraction with a Shadow Clone."

Deidara started for a moment before slumping in defeat. He'd allowed himself to be taken by surprise by basics? If the old goat could see him now, Deidara would never hear the end of it! "So what now?" the bomber asked tiredly, his tone defeated, "Are you going to take me back to the Hidden Stone? Or are you just going to kill me for your other Leaf buddies?"

Kakashi didn't immediately reply as he took out a kunai and walked over to the tied up boy. Closing his eyes, Deidara prepared for his end when suddenly he felt his bonds being cut off. Looking up at the silver haired jonin in surprise, Kakashi simply shrugged as he walked back over to his seat. "Like I said, I'm only here to talk," he said as he sat back down.

Deidara rubbed his wrists while looking at the man warily before sighing and saying, "Alright, talk."

The blond boy could have sworn he saw the man smile, even though his mouth was covered. The man began to talk and the more he heard, the greater Deidara's interest grew. Once the man, who Deidara learned was none other than the Kakashi Hatake, finished, the mad bomber was nearly alight with glee.

"So let me get this straight,hm," he began while looking at Kakashi intently for any sign of deceit, "I help you train this snot-nosed kid in mastering his newly awakened Explosion Release bloodline, and in turn you'll give me complete protection from the Hidden Stone, hm?"

"That's about the gist of it, yeah," Kakashi said with another one of his queer eye-smiles. "Plus you get clan benefits as the two of you would be the only ones in the village with your bloodlines such as getting your own compound and having a say on village issues. Of course, if you don't want to you're free to go."

Deidara thought about it for all of half a second. Complete protection from the Hidden Stone and being able to teach another about the beauty of art? Plus, if the old goat ever found out he'd join the Stone Village's most hated enemy, it'd probably push the Tsuchikage into a heart attack! His choice was immediately clear.

"Sign me up, hm!" Deidara said with a smile so wide, it almost looked like his extra mouths were smiling too. Things were definitely looking interesting, hm!