Chapter-10

(Next Day)

The fateful day had come.

Probably the most important one in the life of every Uchiha that ever lived.

For it was today it would be decided whether they were one of the group or liabilities required to be cast aside.

It was Naruto's judgement day.

The young boy stood near the lake fully armed and ready with a determined look in his eyes. Almost the entire clan had gathered to watch his Right of Passage. For not only was he a future possible clan leader if Madara or Tajima died, but he also had the famed Sharingan.

And for many who had not witnessed that holy power in battle before, this was a golden chance.

Conflict had reduced considerably after their critical victory over the Senju's six months ago with both great clans taking a step back leading to a strange momentary peace. Madara would still go out on small missions but only with a small squad, leaving the rest of the clan to starve to see the Sharingan in battle.

And now their wish would be fulfilled, but Naori knew it had only increased Naruto's problems.

While he would have to face an established and recognized younger member of their clan, mostly near to his age in combat to either defeat them or atleast show a fight worthy enough to be considered strong. That would make Naruto a true Uchiha and an adult despite being only six years old.

It was a daunting task for every child but Naruto stood strong because Madara was there watching him like a hawk. The presence of his older brother had stopped any whispering or jabs that were usually thrown at the fighters by the crowd.

But everyone's eyes widened when a fully armed Tajima was the one who started walking towards Naruto.

"Father, what is the meaning of this?" asked Madara furiously,

"I will be his opponent" declared Tajima, earning gasps from their clansmen as murmuring began in the crowd furiously.

"That is unfair and against the rules, Father. Choose someone near his age just as the law demands" argued Madara, his temper rising at the injustice about to inflicted on his younger brother.

Tajima glared.

"I make the rules boy. And you will obey me"

Tajima and the entire clan flinched when in the blink of an eye there was a sword placed at the Clan head's neck by none other than Madara himself who had pure murder shining in his eyes.

"Long have I watched you inflict injustice on him. Not anymore" promised Madara,

"You fool. Can't you see that I am doing this for you? I'll give a good show to make sure he passes, but also show that he is not as strong as you. The clan cannot be divided between two brothers, only you shall lead the clan and not him" hissed Tajima angrily,

"Naruto will never betray me nor has he ever desired power" said Madara confidently, staring right into his Father's cold eyes.

"Foolish boy. Maybe your brother doesn't want that, but if he proves himself strong today then his followers will grow day by day. There are already many in the clan that admire him, and they will one day push Naruto to overthrow you if only to satisfy their own goals. That kind of rivalry will tear the Clan apart, and I will not have that. I know the game of power better than you, so fall in line. This is my final warning" said Tajima icily, ready to thrash the boy if he persisted.

But Madara didn't relent as his Sharingan activated, Naori was already moving towards her brother and nephew to stop the conflict while the crowd grew only more entranced by the spectacle.

"I will fight him"

To everyone's surprise and Madara's horror, it was Naruto who said that by unleashing his sword and pointing it at his father.

"Naruto-"

"This is my fight, Nii-san. Believe in me" he requested, staring gratefully at his perplexed older brother.

Much to Tajima's surprise, Madara lowered his sword but didn't walk away without a warning.

"If you do him injustice, then consider my support towards you gone"

Tajima was about to discipline the insolent boy but Naori's pleading eyes and the stares of the entire clan stopped him. Already Naruto was corrupting the obedient and loyal Madara, and he could not have that.

With fury burning in his eyes, Tajima walked towards the battle arena as both him and his son took up positions across the lake.

"Try not to dishonor our family" warned Tajima, and was further irritated when Naruto smirked.

"Could say the same thing about you, old man"

This insolent brat!

Without warning, Tajima attacked.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)"

A massive raging fireball was unleashed by the Uchiha patriarch sending it right at his young son burning water in its way making steam rise.

Madara held his breath when Naruto simply brought his sword forward making it glow in chakra. The older brother saw Naori smirk proudly.

The next moment Naruto vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Shunshin!

Madara's eyes widened as through his Sharingan he saw Naruto literally carve the fireball in half with his sword and vanish out of the flaming aura with such speed that made Tajima gawk.

And he was not done.

Sharingan blazing, the boy weaved his hands through an intricate set of hand seals at lightning speed.

"Sution: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)"

Two large roaring dragons of water with hateful yellow eyes rose out of the lake and charged right at Tajima much to the shocked clan head's worry.

But experience kicked in as at the last moment Tajima made a hand seal substituting himself with a nearby log that was available near the shore just in time as the water dragons tore through his position.

Naruto whirled backwards bringing his sword forward to clash against his Father's steel as the man now appeared behind him with a fast Shunshin.

And Tajima made his first mistake.

For a brief second he glared hatefully right into Naruto's eyes that now burned with an active Sharingan.

The clan spectators gasped when Tajima froze as Naruto disarmed him followed by beheading the man swiftly only for him to turn into smoke.

Shadow Clone.

Even with their Sharingan gone, the Uchiha's were able to maintain their dominance across the world due to their skill in the ninja arts. One of their finest traits was their great prowess with ninjutsu which had led to the development of many powerful techniques.

The Shadow Clone was one of them.

Only a handful of their clan could perform this forbidden jutsu, and even they could do it to a limited extent. But Naruto's family had always produced the strongest warriors among their clan, it was why they were the leaders and the others followed them.

And while Tajima didn't have the Sharingan, it didn't diminish the fact that he was a powerful and dangerous shinobi.

Naruto turned back and saw the real Tajima waiting for him with a proud smirk on his face.

The son prepared himself as his father raised two fingers making four Mizu Bunshin rise out of the lake. All armed and possessing the same bloodthirsty grins on their faces with the intent of putting their enemy in his right place.

And then the clones charged.

Naruto charged back.

Madara was hardly grinding his teeth watching his father use so much power against Naruto, but surprisingly the young boy was holding up. Quite well in fact if the admirable and proud glances from their clansmen was a proof.

Still, it didn't make the older brother any less worried.

However, he blinked in surprise when Naruto unleashed sparks of lightning from his left hand as he came near the water clones making them scream. Within a second, Madara watched with his active sharingan that his brother's sword carved through the paralyzed clones like butter making them die.

And then the boy jumped high in the air with a ferocious battlecry descending down on the real Tajima.

The brutal kick he received across his gut stole every ounce of air out of the boy as Tajima smirked. But the gesture soon vanished when the Naruto he just kicked dissolved into water.

Mizu Bunshin!

"He copied my jutsu but without any hand seals, and when? More importantly, where is he?" thought Tajima quickly,

He gasped when something sharp tore through the back side of his legs as the real Naruto emerged from the lake with his sword now stained with his Father's blood.

Tajima angrily whirled back ready to pummel the insolent boy only to have him easily evade the attack.

Damn his Sharingan!

While he was glad that his clan had the prestigious power back, it didn't change the fact that right now Tajima felt a slight disadvantage towards himself as his son continued to evade his attacks.

"He's trying to tire me out or waiting for an opening. When he gets one, he'll strike with his impeccable speed. Clever boy, but it ends now" thought Tajima seriously,

He was already blurring through the hand seals of one of his most dangerous moves when a shadow appeared between them.

Naori firmly grabbed Tajima's hand and stopped Naruto's own sword from attacking any further with the help of a kunai.

"Enough" she commanded icily,

"The fight is not over" said Tajima coldly, only to receive an equally cold look from his young sister.

"It is over" she ordered,

"Are you defying me?" asked Tajima in shock,

"I will not permit you to slaughter a child to satisfy your ego, Tajima. More importantly, he's my nephew and I will not allow you to do him injustice" warned Naori, even as Naruto's eyes widened on seeing her stand up to his father like that.

And it was for him.

The next moment Madara also jumped in between and while he had not raised his sword like before, he looked ready enough to make a move if their Father persisted.

"He proved himself, Father. Much better than most Uchiha ever have, it's done" said Madara seriously,

Tajima heatedly glared at these two and then back at Naruto who stared back at him calmly. The boy still looked ready enough to fight but was holding himself back deferring to whatever decision the adults would make.

Then the Clan head also saw the crowd and in their eyes he saw pure admiration and pride for Naruto. All of them were also tense waiting for the next move which finally made Tajima sigh.

He placed his sword back on the scabbard on his back and saw Naruto do the same. Father and son both walked towards each other as Naori and Madara lingered nearby just in case if things got out of hand again.

"Kneel"

The boy obeyed and respectfully got down on one knee as Tajima removed his sword again and tapped twice on the boy's shoulder.

"Naruto, of the Uchiha Clan, you have successfully passed the Right of Passage and I hereby welcome you as a full fledged adult member of our prestigious and noble clan. Make us all proud" commanded Tajima,

Naruto thumped his clenched fist across his armored chest and looked back at his father with determination and pride burning in his eyes.

"I will, Father"

Despite everything that had happened, Naruto still felt defeated when Tajima simply walked away without another word while for his other sons he always had some good words when they completed the same test.

But his disappointment was soon shadowed behind joy as Naori and Madara came forward to congratulate him.

And when Madara uplifted him on his shoulders cheering for him, with a smile Naruto watched their enthusiastic clan cheer back.

It was a good day.

When the pair of eyes opened again they widened in shock and disbelief as in the darkness of the valley he saw a figure waiting for him.

"Are you mad?" asked the giant fox in disbelief,

Naruto grinned at the remark while showing off his official Uchiha Clan T-Shirt to the giant fox.

"Well I am an adult now, so according to you I am now one of the man cult" said Naruto cheekily,

"Why are you here, boy?" asked the fox with a strange sadness evident in his voice,

To his utter chagrin, Naruto simply ignored him and placed a few scrolls on the ground. With a single hand seal he opened them all and to the fox's surprise there appeared so many variety of foods.

"I am celebrating. Was nearby, so thought you might be hungry. What the hell are you staring at? I'm not going to finish all of this by myself" said Naruto with a smile, pointing at the hunted deer, ramen, five types of fishes, rice and many other dishes alongwith beef.

"Why are you here?" asked the fox again, making the boy frown.

"It took a lot of effort to steal this food from the kitchens and I hunted this damn deer myself, fast little thing-"

"Why are you here?"

To the fox's surprise the boy walked forward until they were both an inch away from each other. Naruto looked right into those demonic eyes, this time without fear and hesitation.

"Not all of us are mad"

The fox had barely gotten over his shock at those words and the boy's present actions when the child extended his tiny hand forward with a bright smile on his face.

"Naruto Uchiha, son of Tajima, brother of Madara, and second heir of the main family"

The fox stared without blinking until he suddenly received a hard bop on the head making his eyes go comically wide.

"It's bad manners not telling your name when someone introduces themselves to you" said Naruto with a pout,

"I will kill you..." promised the fox angrily, but was again left speechless by the clarity and conviction that arrived in the jovial child's eyes.

"You would have done that when we first met. Someone powerful like you is not just hiding here in this dumbass valley so close to the Uchiha Clan border without a reason. Am I right?" asked Naruto seriously,

The fox stiffened making the boy smile.

"It took me six months to figure this out and reading a hell of lot more books until I finally discovered the truth. You're a Biju, aren't you? A great being of chakra and power, the books called you Kyuubi and said your kind disappeared thousands of years ago when the very first war broke out. Is that correct?" asked Naruto curiously,

"You talk too much..." said the fox irritatedly,

"What is your name?" asked the stubborn boy, making the fox roll his eyes.

"They already call me Kyuubi. It doesn't matter what stupid humans call me"

"It matters to me"

For a moment the fox's eyes softened on hearing those words and the sincerity visible in this child's eyes. Perhaps the old man had been wrong, maybe this time things could change...

"You're annoying..." muttered the Kyuubi, making the boy roll his eyes.

"Why, thank you. Giant stupid fox..." replied Naruto with a smirk,

"I'll kill you" growled the beast,

"Please do so"

"I'll eat you"

"Why? I brought you so much good food. You're mean..." said Naruto with fake tears rolling down his cheeks,

"GAH!"

Naruto chuckled when the fox roared madly out of frustration before banging his giant head on the ground creating a minor tremor across the entire valley.

"Kurama..."

"Huh?" asked the boy confusedly, the fox was barely speaking in whispers.

"My name is Kurama..." said the fox irritatedly, earning a bright smile from the boy.

"A nice name. It's good to meet you..." said Naruto happily, and forcefully shook his tiny hand with one of the beast's massive paws.

When he looked up, he saw Kurama staring at him with a strange look present in his demonic eyes.

"Are you not afraid of me, child ?" asked the fox seriously,

"I was before. But for the past six months I have observed you from afar, you don't interact with anyone or go out for hunting. You just stay here in this dark valley sleeping, at first I thought you a lazy asshole, then I thought maybe you were protecting my clan. But none of our books mentioned someone like you as an ally, and then I remembered you saying that my clan has madness passed down among itself. And then I finally realized..."

Kurama had been left gawking by the deduction of this young child, one he proved by looking the fox right in the eyes with a knowing look.

"You are watching my clan, waiting for something to happen. I don't know what it is, but I guess it is not pretty or good for my people" said Naruto coldly,

"You're a smart one. Never thought those sister-fuckers would manage to create an intelligent one again..." mocked the beast, making Naruto frown.

"Those days are long gone. In-breeding has been reduced in our clan, and unlike our ancestors we don't kill each other now. Kinslaying is the worst crime an Uchiha can ever commit, and it is punishable by death. Maybe my clan was bad before, but we can change. Not all of us are crazy psychopaths..." argued Naruto fiercely,

"Is that why you are here? Setting an example?" asked Kurama with a smirk,

"Yes"

The fox laughed but this time it didn't have the mocking edge, instead the beast sounded amused.

"It won't work, boy. My vow is absolute and I will fulfill it should that dark day ever come. Even you cannot stop me from doing my duty" warned Kurama, but still the child didn't back down.

"Well then, it becomes my duty to make you see my people in a different light. I'll make you change your mind..." promised Naruto confidently,

"Quite a declaration. Not sure you can fulfill it..." challenged the Biju,

"We won't know unless I try"

With those words, the boy brought the dear forward and placed it before the fox.

"You're a strange child..." muttered the fox in an annoyed voice, and while he had no need to eat or drink he did grab the dear in his large jaw if only to humor the grinning child before him.

"Get used to it. We're friends now..."

(Few Days Later)

Madara and his squad charged through the borders at top speed, anxiety and fear evident in their eyes.

They had set out a few days ago to destroy a few Sarutobi that had tried to raid one of the villages protected by the Uchiha. While the monkeys had been all killed, Madara had received a distress call right from their hometown.

That had been an hour ago and he had not wasted a single second to return.

His group was tired but still they all ran as fast as they could, the fear for the safety of their families burning far and wide in their terrified hearts. Had the Senju's attacked in full force?

Or some other group was about to attack their borders?

Madara stormed through the gates not even glancing at the guards, his sharingan eyes locked on the monstrous fire burning in the place where the holy Uchiha Temple once stood.

He took to the roofs jumping across houses not even looking back to see if his followers were behind him or not.

After several long minutes, he arrived at the site.

And what he saw stopped his heart cold.

Around him were dozens upon dozens of their clansmen, many trying to put out the fire with water jutsu, while others remained motionless in horror.

For there in front of them were nearly a dozen bodies.

All Uchiha.

Men, women, even young children cut down like animals.

Their horrified open eyes staring blankly into the dark night.

The holy grounds of their temple now ruined with the blood of their own family that soiled the once green grass in red.

And in the middle of the massacre was the person being glared upon hatefully by the entire clan.

The young boy of six sat in a wooden chair with his bloodstained sword in his hands. His Uchiha attire soiled with the blood, flesh and dirt lying around him.

Madara stopped breathing when a pair of familiar eyes looked back at them all.

But where there was once joy and innocence lay a fully activated sharingan with three bright tomoes.

And when those same haunting and terrifying eyes so full of darkness looked back at him, Madara could only say one word..

Naruto.