Naruto: Bonds of Fate

Characters

Naruto Characters, OC

Description

All Ichigo ever dreamed of was becoming a recognized ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It wasn’t nearly as easy as she had hoped, not with the heads of the village watching her every move due to her clan’s past mistakes and all of her peers treating her as an outcast. Yet, with the help of a fellow outsider, Ichigo lands herself on a true ninja squad and is ready to protect her home- and prove her worth while she’s at it.

Essentially, a novelized form of Naruto with an OC insert. Some details may be slightly off from the universe, only because I was quite unsure just how to make this work. It deviates a bit from canon and I know not everyone will agree with it, but if you don't care for how it's done please don't make too big a fuss about it. I'm trying to make this work as much as possible without disturbing the universe too much. This is going to be a long-term project, so I hope there are some people who enjoy the story. Thank you!

Foreword

After the Third Great Ninja War, the great ninja nations fell into a hard-won peace and ceased major strife with one another. However, peacetime between great powers does not eliminate all struggle, and the major nations had to deal with a great many internal problems- including keeping the peace between the major clans that each housed in their ninja villages. The Land of Fire was no exception to this rule, and had a particularly tough time handling the diverse clans that resided in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

One of these clans were the powerful Tsukihana, a ninja clan that were expert swordsmen and summoners. They were well-respected, believed to be descendants of the beautiful moon goddess. However, the high-ranking members of the clans were dissatisfied with the way the village was being run, and these ill feelings grew and grew, and eventually boiled over.

Fifty years ago, the leaders of the Tsukihana assembled many of their brethren and attempted to overthrow the Hokage in an attempt to seize the village. Naturally, this failed, and all the participating members were slain, leaving the innocent bystanders to be exiled from the village and forever barred from the ninja way. Only one family was spared this strife- the family of the Jonin Ichika, who betrayed his brethren and fought to protect the village he loved. Only he, his wife, and his infant son Ichiru were allowed to remain within the village, but life was not easy for them either.

The ruling powers of the village were extremely distrustful of the Tsukihana, and very hesitant to permit them to become ninja despite the deep loyalty the family felt for their home. Ichiru, a child prodigy, faced many challenges until he won his honor defending the village from the legendary attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox. In that same year, his daughter Ichigo was born, and she as she grew older she adopted her family’s ambition to serve the Village Hidden in the Leaves. With Hokage Hiruzen’s insistence she was permitted to join the Ninja Academy, and she excelled despite being ostracized by her peers, who blindly echoed their parents’ hostility for the girl’s family.

When it came time for Ichigo to graduate, she passed the exam with flying colors, but was not permitted to become a Genin. Crushed, the young ninja resigned herself to cruel fate, but an encounter with the local village loner and a chance to prove her loyalty would mark a change in her life, and she would form strong bonds that would carry her through the darkest point in the history of the world.