Chapter 2

A fully mobile Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha on his way to the Hokage Tower. He wanted to see the old man. He'd spent months, more than six months, getting proficient with his new leg.

It was almost time to sign up for the Academy. Maybe the Hokage would change his mind?

A few minutes later, Naruto pounded on the door and walked right in. The Hokage looked up from a scroll and frowned at his new visitor.

"Naruto, you must wait before I invite you in."

That confused the young boy. "Never have before, Old Man. Why now?"

"Something that's cute in a four year old is rather annoying in a six year old. You need to have better manners, my child."

"Alright, who's going to teach me?" Naruto smiled. He wanted to talk all about teaching.

"People learn manners by watching what other people do, Naruto. All people must be observant of the world around them, especially those who live in ninja villages…."

Naruto began nodding. "Or people who are going to be ninjas. Like me. Alright, I'll pay better attention…."

"No, Naruto, you live in a ninja village, but you won't be able to be a ninja."

"That's what I came to talk about, Old Man. You can see I walk just fine now. It was hard to learn to do, but you can't keep me out of the Academy. I can walk just as well as anyone else."

The Hokage peered down at Naruto's left leg. It was hard to tell that the boy was an amputee. But, the fact remained that he was.

"Naruto, the rules protect you…and the village. Training would be dangerous for you…and if an opponent discovered your weaknesses, it could jeopardize your teammates. It's better if we train you up to do something else, something safer for you."

"But I want to be a ninja, Old Man. You promised I could. I need you to sign my forms so I can register. Please!"

"I can't, my boy. I won't."

"Please!"

The Hokage leapt from his desk and flipped around, belying his advanced age. He landed on the floor in front of a petulant Naruto. With a single, elegant sweep of his foot, he separated Naruto from his his prosthetic leg. The boy toppled over onto the hard floor and looked up with tears in his eyes.

"Why? Why did you do that?"

The Hokage offered a hand to lift the boy up. "If I can do that, your opponents on a battle field could too, Naruto. I won't put you or anyone else at that type of disadvantage. You aren't able to jump; you won't be able to run. I'm sorry. I expected you to become a great ninja, my boy. I'm so very sorry."

The Hokage turned and walked to a wall. He tapped it once and the solid wall rippled. In its place was a wall of scrolls. While Naruto sulked, Sarutobi perused his collection of beginner scrolls. He pulled three out and then handed them to Naruto.

"You can't join the Academy, Naruto. I'm sorry. But you can learn about chakra…."

"I know about chakra, Old Man. I can use chakra strings. How do you think I move around so easily?"

Sarutobi smiled. This side of Naruto made him think of a young Minato, a brilliant spitfire with no manners whatsoever.

Sarutobi went back to his wall of scrolls and plucked a few more down. "Then try these, my boy. And pay attention as you wander around the village. You can learn more by observing carefully than by reading a hundred scrolls. True knowledge is that which you discover for yourself, my boy."

Naruto looked confused but plucked up all the scrolls. He hadn't gotten the answer he wanted, but he had gotten something…and some advice. Pay attention; be observant.

Naruto could do that. Naruto would do that!

And then the Old Man would allow him to go to the Academy.

"Alright then, Old Man. I'll be back later to change your mind."

"You can try, Naruto."

A bubbling little blonde boy ran all the way from the Hokage Tower to his aging apartment building. He couldn't wait to open his scrolls. He'd show them. He could be just as good as anyone else…no, he could be better than anyone else.

He plopped down in the center of his clean apartment and began unrolling the scrolls.

Two were on chakra theory. Boring…but he'd read them eventually.

One was on the great heroes of Konoha. On the Hokages, on the great jounins of times past. It explained their most famous techniques, but not in any detail, just the effects. It was great!

Making wood grow from nothing; or moving around faster than anyone could see; or wielding special chakra blades in battle. Naruto wanted something awesome like that.

Another scroll gave detailed instructions on basic taijutsu. Its companion explained several E- and D-rank jutsus that most Academy students learn.

Those scrolls told Naruto exactly what he wanted to know…gave him the steps for his training.

"The old man won't let me be a ninja, huh. I'll show him. I'll be the greatest ever, even without their stupid academy."

He read the scrolls late into the afternoon before he remembered about his weak leg, the one the Old Man had kicked out from under him.

He examined the thing until evening fell. He knew how to control it with his chakra cables, but it was still a weak stick of wood. He needs something better…something unexpected.

Naruto, after all, fancied himself quite a prankster, a Grand Trickster of Konoha.

He'd get started in the morning.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Another stupid leg…this one out of the hardest wood available in the forest. The strongest there was, but it was too weak.

Naruto could break the stupid thing with just a few hits from a kunai he'd found abandoned in a training field.

"I don't know how to work with metal. What else can I use?"

Naruto frustrated easily, but he did not give up. Not ever. He was going to get a newer, better leg, something that would make the Old Man sign him up for the Academy. It was hard going learning out of scrolls.

The bunshin was tough. He could make the Henge sort of work…some of the time.

It was the kawarimi he really wanted to use. It sounded like the Flying Thunder God technique of the 4th Hokage. Zipping around would be great.

All this learning took time. He wanted to learn in a school, maybe make some friends. He'd never had a friend before.

Naruto threw the hollowed out wooden leg on the floor. He went back to his plans. Instead of just a normal leg, he wanted this to be filled with surprises, something he could use to protect himself. Like a ninja would.

Everything he tried either didn't work or made the new leg way too heavy. Naruto had a fake leg, but he didn't want it thudding around everywhere he went because of its great weight. He needed to be somewhat inconspicuous.

He decided to try again…with a wooden frame, only four kunai, and a few of the other things he'd found on the training grounds.

Maybe it would work this time.

He could use chakra strings to walk…and operate the kunai at the same time. But he couldn't keep the thing together under even a few blows.

How to make it stronger? How to be a great student ninja?

Naruto wished someone would help him, but no one ever came. Not even the Old Man anymore. He hadn't been around in months.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

A few weeks later, after many failed attempts at building a stronger, trickier leg, Naruto gave up. Just hiding kunai inside it wasn't very tricky. He could just buy a kunai holster, after all. He needed something inside his leg that would be useful in a fight…and strengthen the overall leg. Leaving a hollow space just wouldn't work.

He wandered back through the streets toward the nearest part of the forest. He wasn't uncognizant of the dark stares and deep muttering that the villagers addressed toward him.

"No likes me in this stupid place," Naruto muttered.

He wished he could perform the Henge technique well enough to use it today, but he was still trying to make it work. It would be much better to be someone else in this stupid village.

"Stupid villagers."

Naruto turned toward a nearby training ground. He was going to design a trickier leg…he needed to figure out a way to fill the hollow spot in the middle. Did ninja ever use things like bazookas? A small one would be perfect!

The idea put a small smile on his face.

Naruto the Trickster. He'd remind everyone he was here…and that he was smarter than he seemed. It was a bad idea to keep scowling at him. Naruto would remember.

Yes, Naruto would remember the face of everyone who hated him.