Naruto: Age of Jashin

Chapter 4: Embracing the Hatred

Midoriko Raigeki, the green haired girl from Yamigakure had quickly dispatched Misumi from Kabuto's team with her lightning based jutsu. Once the stretchy Genin wrapped himself around the smaller girl, Midoriko simply used that jutsu to electrify herself and electrocute Misumi, making it 1-0 for the Village Hidden in the Darkness.

Naruto looked down at the arena, but he wasn't really paying any attention to the fight. The normally hyperactive blonde was taking the downtime to try and make sense of what was happening to him. Normally, Naruto was a very happy person who wanted to do good things and earn the respect of the villagers and shinobi of Konoha. But now, he wasn't very sure what to believe anymore.

The orange clad young man looked over at the platform across the arena and spotted the raven haired girl who had become the forefront of his thoughts lately, Kin Tsuchi. Over the past few days, Kin had hit Naruto with some cold hard facts that were really starting to change his outlook on life. And the more Naruto thought about how the villagers and the people he thought were his friends treated him throughout his life, the more of what Kin was telling him made sense. Plus, Kin was able to do what many in the Leaf couldn't do. She not only accepted the fact that he had the Kyuubi sealed inside him, but she also made him feel loved.

At first, Naruto was thinking that she was trying to con him somehow and set him up for something, much like some of the villagers had done to him when he was younger, but there was just something in the way she talked with him that made him think otherwise.

Naruto noticed that Kin looked up from the fights and looked at him. Blue eyes met jet black eyes and the girl from Yamigakure gave the blonde boy a caring smile.

Sadly, the moment was brought to a close as fate decided to intervene…in the form of Sakura.

"NARUTO YOU IDIOT! PAY ATTENTION!" The pink haired girl screeched as she punched the blonde in the head, bringing Naruto back to reality and damaging the eardrums of almost everyone in the arena.

Normally, this would result in a goofy look on Naruto's face and an apology from the blonde as he scratched the back of his head.

This time was different.

Now maybe it was the stress of the exams, maybe it was the revelations about the village he was experiencing or maybe he was just in a particularly bad mood, but what happened next shocked everyone who knew Naruto. In one fluid motion, Naruto did a 180 degree spin. As he did so, he grabbed Sakura's neck and slammed her against the stone wall behind them. Sakura was about to fight him, but the murderous look in Naruto's eyes made her think twice.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said in a stern voice, gaining the blonde's attention. When Naruto looked at his teacher, the silver haired man wondered if this was some imposter using a very potent henge, but at the same time, he knew it was his late sensei's son. "Please let go of Sakura." Kakashi said, trying to calm Naruto down.

After a long tense moment, Naruto let go of Sakura's neck. The pink haired girl gasped for breath as she tenderly rubbed her throat and looked at her blonde teammate with more than a little fear.

"You wanted my attention, so what is it?" Naruto growled.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "The Hokage is about to make an announcement."

Naruto then turned his attention down towards the giant arms on the stage where the Hokage was standing and was being joined by two other people: Koharu and Homura from the village council. Naruto growled at the two old crones. Having spent time around the Hokage growing up, Naruto has had several dealing with the two elders. He knew they didn't like him, but that was okay, because he hated their guts right back.