Naruto: The Chosen Undead

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Chapter no.19 Shunshin no Shisui

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The silence settled in the room as Konohamaru and Ebisu finally left. Hiruzen turned his attention back to Naruto, who, as patient as he could be, stood waiting while Iruka focused on reading some sort of paper.

"Chunin Iruka, what are you doing here?" Hiruzen asked, already feeling the pull to return his focus to Naruto. There was so much to address.

"Oh, yes, Hokage-sama," Iruka began, his voice carrying a hint of formality that spoke to his hangover. "This is my letter of recommendation for Naruto Uzumaki to be graduated into a genin." He reread the letter one more time, as if trying to perfect every word, before placing it on Hiruzen's desk.

Hiruzen glanced at the paper but quickly looked back at Naruto. The boy looked surprised, and Hiruzen couldn't help but smile.

"Well, another reason to graduate Naruto."

"Another?" Naruto and Iruka both asked in unison.

Hiruzen nodded. "Well, normally graduation is just a formality to show that someone is ready to be in the field. And last night, Naruto demonstrated everything we look for: espionage, by breaking into the building and taking the Forbidden Scroll and..."

Hiruzen coughed, as did Naruto, while Iruka looked a bit perplexed. The old man quickly continued, not wanting to dwell on that particular detail.

"...Successfully making it to a rendezvous point, and even being able to eliminate a chunin-level ninja. If that doesn't qualify you for being a genin, I don't know what will."

Hiruzen watched Naruto blush at the praise. The sight warmed his old heart.

Reaching for the headband he had prepared for the boy, Hiruzen paused. He had been waiting for this moment—for the day Naruto would finally become a genin.

"Hokage-sama, may I?" Iruka asked, his voice softer now, more personal.

Hiruzen chuckled. "You're going to file for a replacement?"

Iruka looked at the headband Hiruzen held and said, "Well, you do have one in your hand."

"That I do," Hiruzen replied, stepping back and motioning for Iruka to continue. It felt right—Iruka had been there for Naruto, had been more than just a teacher to him. This moment belonged to them.

Iruka knelt on one knee, smiling at Naruto, and removed his own headband. Without saying much, he stretched it out toward Naruto. Actions spoke louder than words, after all. Naruto's reaction—his wide, genuine smile—was all Hiruzen needed to see. Naruto eagerly leaned forward, allowing Iruka to tie the headband around his forehead.

"Naruto," Iruka said, his voice filled with pride, "you are a genin now."

Naruto nodded, grinning ear to ear. "So now, don't sneak into my house at night and scribble lines on my face," Iruka said with a deadpan look.

"What? I thought you loved that orange book," Naruto teased, grinning wider.

For a moment, Hiruzen thought Iruka was going to hit Naruto over the head, and he couldn't help but smile again.

Hiruzen cleared his throat as Iruka straightened up, his posture becoming more formal.

"Well, congratulations on your graduation, genin Naruto. I just need you to submit your graduation form."

"Hokage-sama," Iruka responded, handing over Naruto's documents with a sense of pride.

Hiruzen glanced at the papers, making sure everything was in order. Iruka stepped back and gave Naruto a thumbs up.

"Looks like everything's in order," Hiruzen nodded. "You're free to leave, Naruto."

"Ahem, Hokage-sama," Naruto's voice suddenly became respectful.

"Is there, like, a prize for last night's mission?"

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What did you have in mind?"

"Some kind of jutsu that won't get me killed, like the substitution jutsu," Naruto said with directness. Hiruzen couldn't help but admire the boy's clear thought process. He'd clearly put some consideration into it.

"Naruto, the substitution jutsu was designed to be one of the three essential jutsu a genin needs," Iruka interjected, but Naruto shot him a look that clearly asked, Really? Are you serious?

Hiruzen couldn't blame the boy.

"Iruka, you're wrong," Hiruzen said firmly. The shock on Iruka's face was unmistakable.

The truth wasn't easy, even for Hiruzen to acknowledge. "The three basic jutsu were designed during the First Great Ninja War, meant to graduate genin quickly and send them to the frontlines."

Iruka's jaw practically dropped, while Naruto's face became serious in a way Hiruzen hadn't seen before.

"But... why are we still keeping that standard?" Iruka asked, disbelief evident in his tone.

"Tradition," Hiruzen muttered, feeling a wave of discomfort wash over him. The explanation sounded hollow, even to him, when spoken out loud.

"Seems like a stupid tradition," Naruto said bluntly. Even though the boy had struggled with the current standard, he had a valid point. They weren't at war anymore, so why hadn't the bar been raised?

Hiruzen couldn't deny the truth in Naruto's words. The standard did need to be reevaluated, but that was a discussion for another time. Right now, Naruto had asked for a jutsu, and Hiruzen owed him that much.

"Iruka, do you know the Shunshin no Jutsu?"

"Of course," Iruka responded, though his voice trailed off as he seemed to realize what Hiruzen was implying. "You want me to teach that to Naruto?"

Hiruzen nodded, watching as Naruto's face lit up with excitement. The boy practically jumped from his seat, the weight of his armor clinking with every movement.

"Come on, Iruka-sensei!"

"Guess he's still Naruto," Iruka remarked with a soft smile.

"And that's for the best," Hiruzen replied quietly.

"Hokage-sama, what about tallying the scores, the graduation list, and..." Iruka's voice trailed off as he turned back to Hiruzen.

"Don't worry about that," the old man dismissed his concerns with a wave of his hand. "I'll have it handled. Just go and teach."

Then came the unmistakable thud—Naruto had clearly tripped or collided with something. No words were necessary; it was just... Naruto.

"Go and teach," Iruka muttered, bowing to Hiruzen before running after his student.

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as he took a deep, slow puff from his smoking pipe. The familiar taste of the tobacco filled his lungs, calming him for just a moment. A fleeting moment. The warmth spread through his chest, offering a brief escape from the mounting pressure that he knew was on its way.

It was always like this. The pipe had become more than just a habit; it was his brief respite before the inevitable headache. As Hokage, peace never lasted long.

He exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl and drift lazily through the air. Anbu guards always watched over him—his invisible protectors, his arms, his eyes. He handpicked them all, every one of them, with trust that ran deeper than blood. He even made sure they watched over Naruto when the boy was in the orphanage. That's the level of trust he had in them. They listened to every word in his office, they knew what had to be done before he even asked.

The faint click of the office door closing pulled him out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see Cat standing there, silent as always, a couple of files in her hands. She didn't need to say anything—never was one for words. Her actions spoke volumes.

She placed the files neatly on his desk, each one a small piece of a puzzle he was only beginning to understand. He nodded, taking the files from her. One was a list of all the teachers who had taught Naruto, another his attendance records, and lastly, the teacher class assignment record.

"Good job, Cat," Hiruzen said, though his voice lacked the usual warmth. His mind was already somewhere else, turning over the implications of what lay before him.

Was all this his fault? Was it because he had been too soft, too lenient in his leadership? Had he let the boy slip through the cracks of the system he had built? Or was this part of something larger, a scheme woven by someone else? Danzo? No... He had shut down that line of thinking. But still, the possibilities gnawed at him.

Maybe this was revenge. Revenge from someone who saw Naruto as a threat or as a symbol of the pain the village had suffered. Whatever the reason, Hiruzen knew one thing: he had failed Naruto, failed to see the cracks forming in his education, in his life.

But no more. He wouldn't let this go unchecked. He planned to get to the bottom of it, no matter how deep the rot went. He owed Naruto that much.

He tapped his pipe against the edge of the desk, the soft clink of the ash falling into the tray signaling the end of his brief moment of peace.

The real work was just beginning.

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So, this is an official training ground, huh?

Naruto glanced around, taking in the open field surrounded by trees that stretched as far as the eye could see. The grass was still a little wet beneath his feet, and the wind rustled through the leaves, bringing with it the fresh, earthy scent of the forest. The sun was shining, casting long shadows across the ground, and there, not far from him, stood a line of training dummies.

He breathed in deeply, feeling a sense of freedom that he hadn't felt in... well, forever.

Back at the academy, it was always different. There were always restrictions, always someone watching, telling him he couldn't use the training grounds because he'd pull some prank or mess around too much. "He won't take it seriously," they'd say. It was frustrating, beyond frustrating. He hated it. Hated feeling like he had to prove himself over and over again, just for the chance to be taken seriously.

But now? Now, standing here, in this actual field, there was no one to stop him. No one to say he didn't belong or that he didn't deserve to use this place. He wasn't here to play or prove anything. He was here to train. To get stronger.

And damn, it felt good.

Iruka-sensei stood a few feet away from him, focused and serious, which brought Naruto back to the task at hand.

They were there to train.

Iruka was explaining the Shunshin no Jutsu, comparing it to the Substitution Jutsu. Apparently, both of them worked by releasing chakra from the ankles, causing a burst of movement.

Naruto scratched his head, trying to follow along. "Sensei, what's the difference between the Substitution and Shunshin?"

"Well, Naruto," Iruka started, "the differences are in the hand signs and the execution."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, thinking that over. Didn't sound too complicated.

Iruka performed the hand signs—half tiger, then ram—and just like that, his body flickered and he disappeared, reappearing 30 feet away. Naruto's eyes widened. That was awesome.

"Oh, I get it!" Naruto said, surprising himself and apparently Iruka too. "So the difference is that the Substitution Jutsu leaves behind a log and has a shorter range... and it's faster?" He hesitated on that last part, not sure if he was right.

Iruka blinked at him, clearly surprised. "Wow, when did you get so smart?"

Naruto grinned. "I've always been the smartest, Iruka-sensei!" Yeah, right. But hey, it felt good to say it.

"Sure, Naruto," Iruka said with a chuckle. "And to answer your question, yes, Substitution is faster in the short term."

"Huh?" Naruto said, not fully understanding.

"Have you ever dropped a rock into a lake?" Iruka asked. "You've seen how it creates ripples, right? What happens when those ripples combine?"

"They get bigger?" Naruto said, though he wasn't entirely sure.

"Exactly," Iruka said. "Shunshin works on that principle. The chakra built up in the ankles releases in waves, and after each wave, the speed gets faster and faster. That's why it's mostly used for long-distance travel."

Naruto frowned; that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "What about combat?" That's what he really needed to know.

"Well," Iruka said, "the Shunshin is mostly used for dodges and evasion, in the same way as the Substitution Jutsu, by high-ranking chunin and jonin."

Naruto bit his lip. "Why not direct combat?"

"The thing is, Shunshin suffers from the same problem as Substitution—it gives you tunnel vision at high speeds. That's why it's used for quick evasions or travel rather than direct combat," Iruka explained.

"So, it's impossible to fight using Shunshin?" Naruto asked, feeling a little disappointed.

"Normally, yes," Iruka said. "But years ago, there was a very powerful ninja who used the high speeds of Shunshin to create afterimages that looked like clones. He was so fast that people compared him to the Fourth Hokage."

Naruto blinked, his heart racing a bit. "Whoa, who was this cool guy?"

"Shunshin no Shisui," Iruka said, his voice carrying a hint of respect. "I met him a few times. Really nice guy, but unfortunately, he died a few years back."

Naruto paused, feeling a pang in his chest. He didn't know Shisui, but still, he felt like he should pay his respects. He bowed his head for a second in silent prayer. Then, an idea sparked in his mind. What if I could combine Shunshin with the Way of Focality? Maybe, just maybe, he could become the next Shunshin no Shisui... No, even better. Shunshin no Naruto!

A grin spread across Naruto's face.

"Let's do this, sensei!"

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 10, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!