Disclaimer

I, Syraxes, do not own the Naruto manga, Naruto anime, Naruto shippuden anime, the Boruto manga or anime, video games or Naruto novels. They are property of Masashi Kishimoto and Studio Pierrot. I am a fan making this for the enjoyment of other fans. Please support the official release

Chapter One: Final Exam

The second to last question. He was almost done, just two more questions. He looked up at the clock. Only twelve more minutes until the written exam finished. Just two more questions...

Who set the precedent on Five Village system and why did they do it?

That should be easy! Hadn't they JUST reviewed it in class that very week? Who was it...

He pursed his lips, trying to recall the lecture. It was Mizuki-sensei who had given it. He had been going over details of the First Shinobi World War. Naruto had been bored that day and he hadn't been paying that much attention to Mizuki-sensei. Sensei was none the wiser until he had flicked his pencil and nailed sensei right in the chest. That hadn't gone over well, with him being dragged up to the front of the class and made to answer questions. Only for him to get it wrong and get laughed at by the whole class. Then for sensei to pick someone else to answer the question.

The memory came back to him vividly. He pushed his pencil to the paper and began to write:

The Shodai Raikage was the person who set the precedent on the Five Village system. During the Founding of the Villages, at the height there were fourteen Shinobi Villages. Peace was maintained and outside of missions, the villages were at peace. When the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama-sama died, his death-

Naruto stopped writing. It didn't sound right. What was it that Iruka-sensei always said about sentence structure? Grammar?

He erased the last sentence and began writing again, hoping that it would be better framed this way:

The death of the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama-sama, was the event that sparked the First Shinobi World War. The Shodai was the one that captured the Bijuu and gave them to the other villages and his power was respected and feared enough to keep the peace. When he was no longer alive to be a deterrent, war broke out.

It was during the war, after the failed assassination of the Raikage, that he turned his eye to Kusagakure. Konoha, Kiri, Iwa and Suna had all proven to be the strongest competitors but from Kusa was not able to put up such a resistance. Shodai Raikage personally lead his force against Kusa proper and laid siege to the village. A week later and Kusa had broke, the Kumo shinobi forcing their way into the village. They captured some shinobi, killed the rest (though they allowed the civilian population to flee) took all of Kusa's secret's and finally they burned the village to the ground.

This set a frenzy upon the Five Great Villages and they stopped fighting each other and began an aggressive campaign against the weaker villages. After the end of the war, Uzushiogakure no Sato was the only village other than the Five Great Villages to survive and only through Konoha intervention and protection was it able to. Though it would also meet its end, it would not be at the hands of the other villages.

Naruto's stomach began to churn. They had learned in school what force had really lead to the end of Uzushiogakure and he didn't want to think about that. Not after that that shop keeper had told him.

His eyes found the clock again and he paled. Only three minutes left!

He turned back to his test paper, to the final question:

At the Founding of Konohagakure no Sato, the village housed a single Shinobi Academy. Currently there are five Shinobi Academy's in Konoha. Explain the reason for the creation of four more schools.

Finally he thought, breathing a sigh of relief. One I know.

He put his Pencil to paper.

Why Konoha is still called a hidden village, this is more out of tradition than truly describing it. Konohagakure no Sato has since become a thriving city, matching size and population of Ho no Kuni's First Tier Cities. We are the most populous of the Shinobi villages and have over three million people that live in the village.

"Okay everyone. Drop your pencil," Mizuki-sensei said. Naruto wrote faster.

Why each Academy is bigger than any other school in the village, outside of Konoha University, the population increase had necessitated the expansion of four other campuses across the village. Central Academy is the only Shinobi academy that is a boarding school and only accepts orphans into its student body.

Naruto put his paper down and handed it forward to the girl grabbing for it, to pass it to the front.

The last question made his stomach turn again, only this time for different reasons. He wished he didn't attend Central Academy.

"Okay that will be all. Your papers will be graded and those who pass will be called back into the room individually, from the highest score to the lowest. Please wait outside. That will be all."

Naruto grabbed his book bag from the chair and stood up. Sliding it over his chest he yawned and left the class , into a sea of students. Some of those who did notice him quickly got out of the way to avoid him but inside the school wasn't as bad as the village itself. At least not everyone here avoided him.

Like the rest of the hopeful's, Naruto waited. Leaning up against the wall, he considered taking out his music player but thought better of it.

The minutes ticked by, and the halls emptied. Naruto could swear they were taking so long on purpose, when, finally, names were called.

"Orihara, Sai." The creepy smiling guy stepped forwards. In Naruto's class, Sai was the only one who went out of his way to talk to him, though Naruto wouldn't call them friends. Sure he was pretty creepy, but it was more than that. Sai had some kind of wall around him. He was friendly enough towards people but he never went out of his way to talk to them. Other than Naruto.

"Ohgi, Sora." The next person was called in and on and on it went, other students entering the room until none came out. Until, finally, Naruto was the last and a fear that he was the only only one that had failed the test.

"Uzumaki, Naruto." He was able to breathe a sigh of relief when his name was called. No other students were in the room and only Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei were present. Iruka smiled at him.

"Okay Naruto. You've failed the test twice before, so you should know how this will go."

He did. He knew what was expected of him in the practical and knew there were three parts. Each one focused on one of the Shinobi arts. You had to pass at least two.

He also knew that each person would only be able to take the test three times. Fail all three and you were ejected from the Academy. He gulped.

"So Naruto. Have you improved on your genjutsu at all?" Mizuki-sensei asked, pulling out a clipboard. "It says here you failed the test both times before on genjutsu. Think you can pass it"

"Nope," Naruto answered, popping the P. He only needed to pass two tests, so why bother with the one he was the weakest with? He had been practicing the other two.

"Okay then, let's start with ninjutsu. Demonstrate the Henge. Try for Hokage-sama."

Naruto took a deep breath, molded the chakra and made the hand sign. Shouting the jutsu name, a puff of and he took the form of Jiji.

Or tried to by the looks between Iruka and Mizuki. Mizuki-sensei marked on his clipboard.

"Okay Naruto. Try Kawarimi."

More than a little nervous now, he took another breath and molded the chakra, creating the sign. Nothing happened. He tried again, the feeling of wetness at the edge of his eyes.

Mizuki-sensei marked again.

On and on it went, Naruto able to do some of the jutsu and others he wasn't. It was Iruka who called it.

"I'm sorry Naruto. You failed." Naruto could hear the sorry in his voice and the apologetic look on his face but he didn't care. He didn't want Iruka's pity or Mizuki's relieved expression.

Better to not let the nine-tails learn how to be a real Shinobi. Monsters should be kept under lock and key Naruto thought bitterly.

Iruka saw it on his face, "Naruto wait-"

It was too late. Naruto turned around and bolted. He ran to the door and threw it open, planning to run out. Only he wasn't able to, his body connecting to something before being thrown back. He landed on his ass and the sharp pain caused a yelp. His vision was flushed with tears and he quickly whipped them away, to look at what he ran into.

Not a what but who. The porcelain mask painted to look like the face of an animal, stared down at him. His heart nearly stopped as he took in the person's appearance. Only the curves on their body gave away the feminine appearance. He knew immediately who this was. Everyone in the village knew who the Anbu where.

"Uzumaki Naruto? Come with me," her voice brokered no disagreement.

Sakura watched as the car doors opened at the same time as the glass door that separated the station from the metro line itself. She quickly exited the train car, Ino and Ayame following right behind her. The station was crowded, which was to be expected in mid day, lunch hour here.

"Up that way!" Ayame said, pointing to the staircase at the edge of the station. Sakura was thankful as she ran. Sakura had never been to the North District and would have been lost without Ayame.

Up the stairway and unto the crowded street above.

"Which way!" Ino screeched at Ayame.

"Left! Down the next two blocks!"

The three girls began to run. She cursed at Ayame's alarm. Ayame's house was the closest to South Academy and since they had a few hours to kill before the final exam, having just exhausted themselves passing the Graduation Exam, why not take a nap at her house. She was the only one among the three girls who was familiar with the northern district and she had a metro station very close to her house. At the time he had seemed like a good idea.

But when they all slept through her alarms, only woken up when her mom came home, well it didn't seem like that any more.

Please don't be late! Please don't be late! Please don't be late! Sakura thought, turning when Ayame said to.

A young woman was standing out in front of the door, a clipboard in hand. She looked up when they came running. "Ayame, Ino and Sakura?"

"Y-yeah," Ino said, taking a deep breath.

"Good. You were almost late," she said, checking off three marks. "Head on inside. They're waiting for you."

"That was a close call," Ayame muttered, walking past the girl.

"Yeah and it's your alarms fault! Why was it set so low!"

"If it's too loud, it wakes mom up in the morning," Ayame explained sheepishly. Sakura intervene when she saw Ino open her mouth.

"Quiet." In front of them, a crowd of people around here age stood. None of them were speaking, and Sakura didn't want to draw attention to herself.

She took a spot next to a boy, Ino and Ayame flanking her.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes later, a blonde boy, wearing all orange came in and stood behind her.

"Okay and that is everyone," a voice spoke out from the front. Sakura turned and saw an older man standing where he hadn't a moment ago. He had Konoha's flak jacket and the Hitai-ate on his head.

"Soon, you will under take your final exam, and I will begin explanations shortly. First, you will realize that you can no longer speak in this room. It was especially build for this purpose. No doubt some of you have already noticed."

He paused, looking at the crowd expectantly, as if waiting for them to try. Looking around, Sakura saw a few others try and speak and when their lips moved, no sound was made.

"This is not a time for questions or yelling. You should know that this exam is not mandatory. If you want, you can walk out of this room and never look back. You don't have to become a Shinobi, as there are many other paths for you to choose. If you do want to quite, you will not be allowed to every speak about the events of this test to anyone you know has not already heard about it. This means only people in this room and other Shinobi. The door is right behind you and you can leave whenever you want."

Sakura turned to Ino and saw her eyes crossed, the familiar look of confusion covering her face. Sakura didn't doubt her own face mirrored the look.

"If you want to become a Shinobi, then this test is mandatory. The five Academy's use very effective propaganda for it's recruitment and though it's not a lie, it only shows one half of the story. The posters like to show attractive twenty-somethings wear the jacket and hitai-ate. In front of a sunset, overlooking Konoha. They call Shinobi's protectors of the village and that is true. We are protectors. Some even become heroes.

"Ask yourself, what is a protector? What is a hero? They defend the village against foreign threats and they do so with violence. A Shinobi trades in blood. We are killers. Hired killers to the highest bidder. Murderers of other less talented murderers. There are a lot of reasons we kill but past these reasons is a single reality; we take other peoples life. We end there existence.

"That will now be your job as well if you choose to become a Shinobi. Behind this wall, a group of prisoners from Ho no Kuni have been delivered. Konoha outsourced executions for our host country and today you will make your first kills. You will enter one at a time and kill the prisoner."

The man stopped speaking and looked at her. At those around her. His words were only just sinking in and Sakura could feel her face pale.

"Remember, you don't have to become a Shinobi. There are other paths out there for you," he said the last part softly, a look of remorse clear on his face.

Around her, people stood frozen. A few left the room but most of them remained. Sakura saw that Ayame and Ino, both who looked to pale, did not move.

"All right. Make a line and we'll begin."

No one moved at first and when the line began to come together, it was slow.

It was bad luck that Sakura ended up at the front of the line and was the first through the door.

A young women in the Shinobi gear waited and when Sakura came in, she held a Kunai out, standing in the hallway, in front of her two doors. "The door on the right has the prisoner. He has been restrained."

That was all she said before giving Sakura a little push. True to her word, a man was tied to a post and looked up when the door opened. He spotted the kunai in her hand.

Their eyes locked.

The clanking sound of metal echoed as Jiji tossed the hitai-ate on the table. "That is proof of your rank. Wear it with pride."

Naruto reached out and grabbed it from the table. his pale face turning to look at the Sandaime. "I failed the graduation exam. Why-"

The Hokage cut him off: "You are a Jinchuriki Naruto. In you houses the Nine-Tailed Fox. You are a military asset to this village and were always going to become a Shinobi, regardless of whatever tests you passed or failed."

So his life had already been decided for him. He looked into Jiji's eyes and despite the old man's harsh words, he saw that warm look of caring. Jiji and Iruka-sensei were the only ones who ever looked at him like that. Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to hate the old man for the path he put him on.

"Tomorrow you'll remove your belongings from your dorm. They'll be moved to the genin barracks, where you'll stay until you have enough money to afford other dwellings. That hitai-ate is proof of your status as a Konoha Shinobi and that marks you as an adult within the village Naruto."

The age of maturity within Konoha was twenty but if you became a genin, that automatically made you an adult. That was one of the first lessons the Academy taught you when you joined. No orphanage for him.

"Right." He muttered.

Jiji stopped in the door frame and looked over his shoulder. In his eyes were the same warm look he always had but now there was something else. The look he saw only a few times, when Naruto told him about passing a test or some other feat. A look of pride.

"Congratulations on passing the final exam. I'm proud of you."

With that he was gone and the Anbu from before was back. "Let's get you home kid."

He dragged his feet, the gravel crunching beneath them. He unlocked the door to his apartment, throwing it closed behind him. He went straight to the bathroom and deposited the contents of his stomach into the toilet. The bile burned through his throat and he threw up again.

Heaving over the toilet wasn't dignified and if the Sasuke from before the test could see him, he might have sneered.

Standing up on wobbly legs, he moved over towards the mirror and sink. The blood had been washed off his hand after the test but the image of them covered in blood. The body on the floor bleeding out.

He puked again.

Breathing heavily, he looked at his pale face in the mirror. His Hitai-ate was tied firmly on his forehead. After he passed, he had been given one week to decide if this career path was really for him but he had signed the contract that moment. If it was only him then maybe Sasuke could take the time to think it over. If it was him, then he might be able to not become a Shinobi.

But it wasn't only him. The blood of his clan was behind him, crying out for vengeance. He had to avenge them and he would. This was just more blood in a long line of it in his life.

Still the image refused to leave his mind. It would forever be burned into his brain, the moment Uchiha Sasuke took a life.

It had been so easy to kill the man. His kunai cut through his skin like knife through butter. So easy to take a life. Was it as easy for Itachi that night, when he murdered the Uchiha clan?

Was Sasuke just as bad as Itachi now? They were both murderers.

Sasuke pulled himself up from the sink and managed to get to his bed before he collapsed.

That night his resolve was tested. Truly tested and by the time the sun came up, he still didn't have an answer if he was as bad as Itachi. But that didn't matter. Even if he was a monster like his brother, a murderer in the purest sense, it didn't change his goals. He still had to avenge his clan. He would still kill Itachi.

The only question was how much blood he would have to spill before he did and if he would be able to live with himself afterwards.

Author's Note:

As you can see from the chapter, this is not the canon Naruto world as you know it. This is a much darker world inspired by Eilyfe's fantastic "Team Seven Ascension" series. (If by some miracle Eilyfe is reading this, PLEASE put out a third installment! I need it) It's a Alternative universe that is following the Butterfly effective. I don't want to say much more than that, as the changes will become apparent as the story progresses but I can can say one a person in the past made a different choice and Naruto's world has been changed.

The technology level comparable to Boruto's time. Actually I based this version of Naruto's world off our modern day China. Konoha actually looks more like it's portrayed in Naruto Shippuden Movie 2: Bonds, where it resembles a city, than it's anime and manga appearances. Cities are the centers of innovation.

I don't very much care for OC's. From the Naruto movies, filler arcs and games, we have a treasure trove of characters. I will be making every attempt to use no OC's and put in these movie, filler or game characters instead.

Ayame is not a OC. She's the daughter of the owner of the Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen shop. In this story, she attended the South Academy with Sakura and Ino

Sora is the pseudo-jinchūriki from a filler arc. The Nine Tails chakra was put into him. In canon, he was a monk. In this fic, he is a student at Central Shinobi Academy.

The final exam was not my original idea. I read a Naruto Fic awhile back where when you graduated, you were taken out of the village to make your first kill. You had to kill to become a genin. I really liked this idea and I think it really sets the tone for a darker Naruto fanfiction. I wish I could give the author credit but for the life of me I can't remember who wrote it or what it was called. If any of you know, please leave a comment and I can give them proper credit for the idea.

One more thing. When going over my beta's edits, I came across some notes about what Naruto wrote. In Naruto's writing (his answers on the exam) you can see it contains grammar and spelling mistakes. This is intentional, as Naruto is not the best student.

And speaking of my beta, I must give a special thanks to my beta bluepencils12!

My current update schedule is once every week. I can hopefully get four chapters out a month.