Chapter 1: The Bell Test and the Inverted World
The memory flashes became more vivid as the years went on, coalescing from disjointed sensations into sharper, albeit still fragmented, recollections. He'd see flashes of a stern man with a white haori, a giggling girl with pigtails, a terrifyingly calm man with glasses, and always, that peculiar, unsettling feeling of the world flipping on its head.
His inner world, when he first truly focused and found his way there during a particularly boring lecture on Konoha's founding, was a strange fusion. Towering, crimson torii gates, like those from the shrine on the outskirts of the village, stood half-submerged in a shallow, endless expanse of water, reflecting a perpetually twilight sky. But sprouting from the water, and dotting the distant, hazy landscape, were countless cherry blossom trees, their petals constantly drifting, creating a soft pink carpet on the water's surface. It was here he'd met them.
Kurama, the colossal nine-tailed fox, was initially as hostile and dismissive as Naruto expected from the whispers and glares he'd endured his whole life. But there was another presence, sleeker, calmer, a figure wreathed in a faint pink mist that smelled faintly sweet. This was Sakanade, his Zanpakutō spirit. The fox grumbled about the "uppity sword spirit" sharing his space, but Sakanade just offered a lazy, knowing smirk that mirrored Naruto's own.
Naruto often wondered how he'd obtain a proper asauchi in this world. Soul Reapers weren't exactly common around Konoha. He figured he'd have to find a decent, ordinary blade and somehow imprint his soul onto it, coax Sakanade into making it her home. For now, a sturdy wooden sword, "liberated" from the Academy's dusty storeroom during a particularly inspired prank (it involved switching Iruka-sensei's chalk with sticks of dried white paint), served as his practice tool.
He practiced zanjutsu with a surprising dedication, the movements feeling almost second nature, as if his limbs remembered actions his mind didn't. He focused on shunpo, the Shinigami art of high-speed movement. And then there was Kidō. He poured over dusty fuinjutsu scrolls from the library, recognizing the underlying principles. He even managed to craft a rudimentary Kidō spell to create tangible, if temporary, clones, far more stable and versatile than the Academy's basic illusionary ones.
Naruto, however, hid this burgeoning strength from everyone, carrying on with his usual air of nonchalant mischief. He passed the Academy graduation with his Kidō clones, a feat that left Iruka-sensei spluttering in bewildered pride and the other students gaping.
The less said about Mizuki's little "secret test," the better. Naruto had sensed the man's duplicity for ages, Shinji's ingrained suspicion of overly smooth individuals had served him well. The battle was laughably short. Mizuki, expecting a panicked, gullible brat, found himself facing a calm, collected Naruto who disarmed and subdued him with embarrassing ease. Naruto then casually dragged the bound chunin to the Hokage, explaining the "suspicious" nature of the test. Mizuki was promptly taken away for a very long, very uncomfortable chat with Ibiki.
Team placements were what they were. Sasuke Uchiha, broody and arrogant. Sakura Haruno, loud and Sasuke-obsessed. And him. It was a recipe for... something.
Training Ground 7
Kakashi Hatake, their jounin instructor, was 2 hours late. When he finally arrived, looking thoroughly unrepentant, he explained the bell test with a lazy drawl that grated on Naruto's nerves in a familiar way. Survival, bells. Standard.
After Kakashi's explanation, he gave the signal. "Alright. You have until noon. Begin!"
Sasuke and Sakura, true to form, vanished into the undergrowth with commendable speed.
Naruto, however, stayed put. He stood there, hands in his pockets, regarding Kakashi with that unnervingly perceptive gaze, a slight, almost unreadable smile playing on his lips.
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled, a hint of amusement - or perhaps annoyance - in his voice. "Well now, aren't you an eager one? Or just not very good at following instructions? The idea is to hide and then attack.
Naruto tilted his head, the smile widening just a fraction, revealing those prominent upper teeth. "Instructions are more like... guidelines, wouldn't ya say, sensei? Besides, hidin' feels a bit... impersonal for our second meeting. Thought we could get better acquainted." His voice had that peculiar, flippant cadence.
Kakashi's eyebrow rose. This was... unexpected. "Acquainted? You think you can 'get acquainted' with me and take a bell? Bold. Or foolish."
Naruto chuckled, a low, airy sound. He slowly drew one hand from his pocket, then reached into the loose sleeve of his orange jacket. With a smooth motion, he pulled out a blade. It wasn't a standard kunai or shuriken. It was a simple, unadorned wakizashi, about the length of his forearm, its steel clean and well-maintained. He'd "acquired" it from a dusty corner of a pawn shop a few weeks prior, the old proprietor too busy napping to notice the quiet exchange of a few pilfered ryo for the unassuming sword.
Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly. A blade, and not a standard issue one. He hadn't pegged the dead-last as a kenjutsu enthusiast. His stance, almost imperceptibly, shifted from casual observation to alert readiness. "A sword, huh? You're full of surprises, Naruto."
Naruto held the blade loosely in his right hand, its tip pointed towards the ground. He then uttered two words, his voice soft but clear, carrying a strange resonance that seemed to vibrate in the air itself:
"Collapse. Sakanade."
Kakashi blinked. Collapse? What kind of-
The plain wakizashi in Naruto's hand shimmered. The simple, practical pommel elongated, twisting and reforming into a large, ornate ring. The cross-guard extended bizarrely, covering the first few inches of the blade like a strange, metallic hood. The blade itself seemed to slim, and five distinct, perfectly circular holes appeared along its length, almost as if they'd been punched through the steel. It was no longer a simple wakizashi; it was an alien, almost whimsical weapon.
Kakashi's visible eye widened, genuine surprise flickering across his usually impassive face. What in the... transformation? A summoning? A unique weapon technique? He'd seen thousands of jutsu, copied thousands, but this... this was new. This was impossible for a fresh genin.
Naruto let out a small, satisfied sigh, a hint of pinkish, sweet-smelling mist faintly wafting from the holes in the transformed blade. He then began to spin the sword lazily by the newly formed ring pommel, the weapon rotating with a smooth, almost hypnotic grace around his hand. He wasn't even gripping the hilt.
"Well now, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, his voice still light, but with an underlying current of challenge. "Ready to get properly acquainted? Or are ya gonna keep standin' there lookin' like ya saw a ghost?" He took a step forward, the sword continuing its lazy, mesmerizing spin. "Though, considerin' your reputation, maybe ya have."