Night had fallen over Konoha, bringing with it stillness.
The forest on the village's outskirts was bathed in moonlight, casting long shadows between the ancient trees.
In a small clearing, Indra moved through a series of taijutsu forms, his movements precise despite hours of continuous training.
He had been here since dusk, preparing both his body and mind for what he knew would happen.
According to his memories from another life, tonight was when Naruto would steal the Scroll of Sealing because of Mizuki's deception. The forest around him was where that confrontation would take place.
'One more hour, perhaps two,' Indra murmured internally to himself, wiping sweat from his brow. Never think out loud, especially in a world where there are people who you can never know whether they are listening or not.
Only your mind is safe.
He carefully regulated his chakra expenditure, ensuring he maintained enough reserves for what lay ahead.
His plan was calculated: intercept Naruto as he practiced with the scroll, memorize key techniques with his Sharingan in secret, then assist when Mizuki arrived.
The confrontation would provide the perfect cover to "awaken" his Sharingan publicly.
Three birds with one stone: forbidden techniques, public acknowledgment of his Uchiha heritage, and a bond with Naruto at an important moment in the boy's life.
Indra moved to a nearby stream, splashing cold water on his face. The moon's reflection rippled and distorted.
He had spent the day considering the ramifications of his interference. Small changes now could lead to massive divergences later, but knowledge without action was worthless.
'Better to shape events than be shaped by them,' he decided, drying his face on his sleeve.
A distant sound caught his attention - the rustle of foliage and heavy breathing. Indra melted into the shadows of a large oak, suppressing his chakra signature to near-undetectable levels. Through the trees, he glimpsed a flash of orange and yellow.
Naruto had arrived, the massive Scroll of Sealing strapped to his back.
The blond boy stumbled into a small clearing about fifty meters from Indra's position, dropped to the ground with an exhausted sigh, and unrolled the scroll.
His face, illuminated by moonlight, showed quite the excitement.
"Let's see," Naruto muttered, scanning the contents. "The first technique is... Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu? Not this again! It's my worst technique!"
Indra watched silently as Naruto began practicing, failing repeatedly but refusing to give up. The boy's tenacity was impressive, especially considering he had no idea of his true heritage or the burden he carried.
After giving Naruto sufficient time to become absorbed in his training, Indra emerged from his hiding place, approaching with deliberate noise to avoid startling the boy.
"Naruto?" he called softly.
The blond whirled around, panic flashing across his face before recognition set in. "Indra? What are you doing here?"
"I was training late and heard someone in the forest," Indra replied, his expression neutral but not unkind. "I didn't expect to find you with... What's that scroll??"
Naruto's face brightened. "It's a special scroll I got after working my butt off getting! Mizuki-sensei told me about this special graduation test. If I can learn a technique from this scroll, Iruka-sensei will have to let me pass!"
Indra's expression remained carefully neutral,. "A special test? That's... unusual."
"I know, right? But it's my chance to become a ninja!"
"What technique are you learning?" Indra asked, moving closer to the scroll.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," Naruto replied with a grimace. "But it's really hard. I've been at it for hours."
"Mind if I take a look?" Indra gestured to the scroll. "Maybe I can help."
Naruto hesitated only briefly before nodding. "Sure! You're good at this stuff, right?"
"I do alright," Indra said modestly, kneeling beside the scroll.
As Naruto resumed his practice, Indra activated his Sharingan for a brief moment when the blond wasn't looking.
The tomoe spun rapidly as he scanned the scroll, memorizing not only the Shadow Clone Jutsu but also locating and committing to memory the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
The shadow clone technique was relatively straightforward - a better version of the basic clone jutsu that created solid duplicates by evenly dividing the user's chakra, though the important aspect of it, was the receiving of the clones' experience after dispersing it.
The Flying Thunder God was considerably more complex, involving space-time manipulation and intricate sealing formulas - something to study later.
He knows next to nothing about fuuinjutsu, nor whether he has talent for it, but having it for the future is better than nothing.
The Impure World Reincarnation was perhaps the most disturbing, detailing how to bind souls of the dead to sacrificial bodies.
He wondered if with the Human path that could touch the souls of others, whether he could bypass the DNA aspect needed, so long as he got his hand on the soul.
"Having trouble with the hand seals?" Indra asked, deactivating his Sharingan before Naruto looked his way.
"Yeah," Naruto admitted. "And it says here that it takes a lot of chakra!"
"You have plenty of chakra," Indra assured him, recalling what he knew of Naruto's Uzumaki lineage and jinchūriki status. "Your problem might be control. Try focusing on distributing your chakra evenly when you form the cross seal."
Naruto's brow furrowed in concentration as he attempted the technique again. This time, a single imperfect clone appeared beside him.
"Hey! That's better than before!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Keep practicing," Indra encouraged. "I think you're getting it."
For the next half hour, Indra provided subtle guidance while periodically scanning the scroll when Naruto wasn't looking. His Sharingan allowed him to absorb the complex techniques with perfect recall, storing them away for future study and implementation.
The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps interrupted their session. Indra, having expected this, feigned surprise as Iruka burst into the clearing, his face full of anger and concern.
"Naruto!" the chunin shouted. "What do you think you're doing?" Though was for a moment taken by surprise that Indra was there too, but decided on first dealing with Naruto, as he's the one who stole the Forbidden Scroll.
Naruto jumped to his feet, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I found it, Iruka-sensei! I only had time to learn one technique, but now you have to let me graduate, right?"
Iruka's expression shifted from anger to confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Mizuki-sensei told me about it," Naruto explained excitedly. "He said if I learned a technique from this scroll, you'd let me pass!"
Understanding dawned on Iruka's face just as Indra sensed a presence in the trees above. Without warning, a barrage of kunai flew toward them.
"Look out!" Indra shouted, shoving Naruto aside as Iruka pushed both boys away from the attack. Several kunai embedded themselves in Iruka's vest and limbs as he shielded the students with his body.
Mizuki appeared on a branch overhead, two massive shuriken strapped to his back and a cruel smile on his face. "Well done finding him, Iruka. And look, the orphan prodigy is here too. How convenient."
"Mizuki," Iruka gasped, pulling a kunai from his thigh. "What are you doing?"
"Getting what I deserve," Mizuki replied coldly. "Naruto, give me the scroll."
Naruto looked between his teachers in confusion. "What's going on? Wasn't this a test?"
"There was never any test," Indra said quietly in a tone of realisation, positioning himself protectively near Naruto. "He tricked you into stealing the scroll for him."
"Smart boy," Mizuki sneered. "Too smart for your own good, perhaps. Naruto, don't listen to them. Iruka is afraid of you having that scroll."
"That's not true!" Iruka protested. "Naruto, Mizuki used you. He wants the scroll for himself."
Mizuki's laugh echoed through the forest. "You want to know why everyone in the village hates you, Naruto? Why they whisper behind your back and warn their children to stay away from you?"
"No, Mizuki! It's forbidden!" Iruka shouted.
Indra tensed, knowing what was coming. This moment would change Naruto forever.
"Twelve years ago, the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked our village," Mizuki continued, his voice dripping with malice.
"The Fourth Hokage didn't kill it as everyone was told. He sealed it inside a newborn baby. That baby was you, Naruto! You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
Naruto staggered backward, shock and horror etched across his face. "What? No... that can't be..."
"It's why everyone hates you," Mizuki pressed. "Even Iruka hates you because the fox killed his parents. You're a monster, Naruto, and monsters don't deserve to live!"
Mizuki grabbed one of the massive shuriken from his back and hurled it toward Naruto, who stood frozen in shock.
Indra reacted instantly, forming hand seals fast. "Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!"
The genjutsu subtly altered Mizuki's perception, causing the shuriken to appear slightly off-target. His throw missed Naruto by inches, embedding itself in a tree behind the boy.
"You little-" Mizuki snarled, turning his attention to Indra.
"He's wrong, Naruto," Indra said firmly, maintaining his focus on Mizuki. "From what I understand, you're not the fox. You're its jailer.
He said it himself, it's sealed inside you. Meaning you are not it. Think of it like a kunai in a scroll situation. Mizuki is probably too ignorant, a moron that can't distinguish between the two."
Naruto's eyes widened, first in surprise at Indra's defense, then in understanding of the analogy.
"You really like to run your mouth, don't you brat," Mizuki growled, grabbing his second shuriken and leaping toward Indra.
In that moment, Indra allowed his eyes to widen in apparent fear and shock.
As Mizuki closed in, Indra's black eyes bled to crimson, a single tomoe appearing in each iris.
The transformation was genuine - to anyone watching, it would appear that stress had awakened his Sharingan for the first time as he dodged.
"Those eyes!" Mizuki exclaimed, momentarily faltering. "You're an Uchiha?"
Indra didn't respond verbally. Instead, he locked eyes with Mizuki and whispered, "Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."
The genjutsu took hold immediately. Mizuki screamed, dropping his weapon as he battled nightmarish visions only he could see. It wouldn't hold a trained chunin for long, but it bought precious seconds.
"Naruto, run!" Iruka shouted, struggling to his feet despite his injuries.
But Naruto wasn't running. His initial shock had given way to anger - anger at Mizuki's betrayal, anger at the village's treatment of him, and anger at the revelation of his burden.
"Don't touch my friends," Naruto growled, his hands forming the cross seal Indra had helped him perfect. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The clearing erupted in smoke. When it cleared, hundreds of Naruto clones surrounded them, each wearing the same determined expression.
Mizuki, breaking free of Indra's genjutsu, looked around in horror. "What? How did you- Is this another genjutsu?!"
"Here I come!" the Naruto army shouted in unison before descending upon him.
The beating was swift and thorough. Indra stepped back, allowing Naruto his moment of triumph while maintaining the appearance of his newly "awakened" Sharingan.
The single tomoe spun slowly as he watched, giving the impression of a dōjutsu still adjusting to its first activation.
When Mizuki lay unconscious and battered on the forest floor, the clones dispelled, leaving only the original Naruto standing victoriously, if somewhat winded.
"I might have gone a little overboard," he admitted with a sheepish grin.
Iruka chuckled despite his injuries. "Naruto, come here. I have something for you."
As Naruto approached his teacher, Indra discreetly deactivated his Sharingan, allowing his eyes to return to their natural black.
"Close your eyes," Iruka instructed Naruto.
Indra watched as Iruka removed his own forehead protector and tied it around Naruto's head.
"Congratulations, graduate," Iruka said warmly when Naruto opened his eyes. "Let's celebrate with ramen after we report to the Hokage."
Naruto's face lit up with joy before suddenly falling. "But... what about what Mizuki said? About the fox?"
"Mizuki was right about one thing," Iruka said gently. "The Nine-Tails is sealed inside you. But he was wrong about everything else. You're not the fox, Naruto. You're Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf, and I'm proud of you."
"Indra was right," Naruto said after a moment of silence as tears slightly filled his eyes that he quickly wiped away, glancing at his classmate. "I'm like the scroll, not the kunai."
Iruka nodded, then turned to Indra with a curious expression. "Speaking of which... Indra, your eyes..."
Indra feigned confusion, then understanding. "My eyes? They felt strange during the fight. Like they were burning." He stated as if he didn't fully register Mizuki's words during the heat of the moment, when he was full of adrenaline.
He was quite the genius, his acting was good enough to fool Iruka in his more emotional state, chunin or not.
"They changed," Iruka explained. "They became red, with a black mark in each one. The Sharingan - the Uchiha clan's kekkei genkai."
Indra allowed appropriate shock to appear on his face. "The Sharingan? But I'm not... I mean, I'm an orphan. I don't have a clan."
"It seems you do," Iruka said thoughtfully. "Or at least, you have Uchiha ancestry. The Sharingan doesn't lie."
"Is that why you're so good at genjutsu? Because you're from a clan?" Naruto asked.
"Perhaps," Indra admitted. "I never knew. It just came naturally to me."
Iruka studied him for a moment longer before nodding. "We'll need to report this to the Hokage as well. The awakening of a Sharingan is significant, especially given recent history."
"Recent history" being the Uchiha Massacre, Indra knew. Sasuke would be interested in this development, as would many others in the village.
Exactly like he wanted.
"Can you activate it again?" Iruka asked.
Indra nodded, channeling chakra to his eyes with careful control. The single tomoe appeared in each eye, spinning slowly.
He maintained the activation for only a few seconds before releasing it, giving the impression of a novice still adjusting to the dōjutsu's demands.
"Incredible," Iruka murmured. "Two Sharingan users in the same graduating class."
As they gathered the scroll and prepared to return to the village with the unconscious Mizuki, Naruto approached Indra.
"Thanks," he said simply. "For what you said. About me not being the fox."
"It's just logic," Indra replied with a small smile. "Anyone who can't understand the difference between a container and what it contains isn't very bright."
Naruto grinned, "You're alright, you know that? For a genius, I mean."
"And you're not bad yourself," Indra returned. "For the dead-last."
Rather than taking offense, Naruto laughed. "Not anymore! I graduated, believe it!"
It seems things were truly going as he wanted.
All according to plan.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Do tell me how you found it going, I hope it was logical.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)