Naruto Shipuuden: Rise of the Maelstrom.
Chapter 1: Confessions of a Human Sacrifice.
(A/n: This is basically the result of resentment for Kishimoto's tendencies. If anything, it's set during Shipuuden after Sasuke and his crew join Akatsuki, yet it begins in Konoha after dark.).
----
Inside the Hokage Tower, Tsunade was sleeping after looking over paperwork and drinking sake, although it's more than the usual amount this time. Why? Because of the casualties listed, one of them being her friend Jiraiya and another the Akatsuki double-agent Itachi, who was killed by Sasuke himself. Add the stress of Sasuke joining Akatsuki, the Council forbidding her to mark him as a Missing Nin, and the pressure the Raikage's giving her, she's basically plastered for a month.
However, the news she'll get tonight will possibly make her get more sake…and a couple painkillers, both of them provided by tonight's visitor.
Waking up to see who it was, she was surprised, yet pissed. "It's four-o-clock in the morning, gaki," she said.
"I know," the man said, "and you're going to need the painkillers for what I'm about to tell you."
Even at night, the orange still shines brightly. Naruto had taken it into factor.
"If it's about who your parents are…"
"I already know that." She was surprised. "And I'm not asking for my heritage either, since it would anger the Council that they're giving the Yondaime's heirlooms and weaponry to the Demon Child."
Sure enough, she had noticed the blue glow. "Since when did you learn the Privacy Jutsu?"
"That is basically the reason why I wanted to talk to you, because you've been sleeping since nine pm yesterday. Early morning is basically when the night shift arrives, but they didn't make it due to the newbies being hazed."
That explains why they were unmoving, Tsunade thought. The gaki's probably planned this out since after he and Team Eight got wind of the news on Akatsuki. "So, you made two Shadow Clones to act as new ANBU guards? Very crafty for a Genin, but that still doesn't change the fact that you still need two teammates to enter the Chuunin Exams."
"I know, but it's not that either. It's basically what really happened on the training trip."
Tsunade was stunned, so to speak. It was basically the reason why he brought the sake (other than the fact that he turned sixteen a month and a half ago), because she wouldn't believe what came out next.
"Well, enlighten me, Naruto. If you were smart enough to pose as two ANBU guards, make a privacy jutsu, AND get me sake, it's probably unbelievable."
Naruto had sighed. "It started at the border of Fire Country when Jiraiya, Kami rest his soul, had started asking questions."
(Flashback. Naruto's POV)
I was still upset that Sasuke had defeated me, but Jiraiya was as wise as he was perverted, as we all know. And I was wearing the brighter orange jumpsuit at the time.
"Gaki," he said, "you can put down the mask. This is as far as they can see us within the country."
"What do you mean, Pervy Sage?" I asked him.
"Drop the act, Naruto. There's no way that someone like you can stay happy with that much pain within him."
I was a bit surprised that Jiraiya found out about my mask of stupidity, so I faltered. "How long have you known?"
"Since the battle against Gaara, kid. You've been hiding your true strength for quite a while, but you barely grasped the surface of hard work." However, what he said next changed my life forever. "Before we begin, we need to test your chakra affinity."
"You mean check which element my Chakra leans toward the most?"
"Yup. If anything, I might tell you everything when we get to our first destination." With that, he showed me a small slip of paper. "All you have to do is pump your chakra into this piece of paper. Ash means fire, moisture means paper, split means wind, dirt means earth, and crumbling means lightning. You got that?"
I nodded. With that, I began pumping my chakra into the paper, and it not only turned to dirt, split in two, and moisten, it felt solid, froze, and I swore I felt a splinter.
"What gives, Pervy Sage? I nearly felt pain into doing that!"
Apparently, his surprised look was enough to know that I was something else. "It's not every day that you see someone with three elements at their disposal, and all three of them can merge with each other."
"You didn't answer my question, Pervy Sage. What was that?"
"You have not only the wind affinity, but the earth and water affinities as well. What you felt was them merging into mixed elements with special properties. Wood, as you know, was the Shodaime's specialty, ice was from Kirigakure before the blood wars, and sand happens to be used by the Ichibi."
In other words, I had the Shodaime's, Haku's, and Gaara's elements in my disposal.
"Now, we need to get to our first destination in order to train you in the elemental jutsu. If anything, I'll teach you some of the non-elemental ones." "Wait a second, Pervy Sage," I said, "how does this signify my identity? I don't get why I have all three of them, yet was unaware of it."
"This coming from the boy who painted the Hokage Monument undetected? I told you, I'll explain it when we get there, but we need to go by boat. Not even the Water Walking exercise can take us to your destination, and the nearest harbor happens to be Wave Island."
"Alright, but before we go, I have to fufill a promise I made during my first C-Rank mission and pay my respects to an old friend."
"It's okay with me. If anything, you've been planning that when you got there."
(Pause Flashback)
"I've read about that report," Tsunade said. "Wasn't it the one where you made a vow not to kill the innocent?"
"And the first time I met someone who shared the same pain I did," Naruto replied. "However, I didn't exactly get the name of our first destination until midway through the ride."
(Resume Flashback)
I was basically looking out towards the ocean while Tazuna was on the rudder.
"Tazuna," I said, "where did the Pervy Sage say we were going?"
"Basically an island where a select few know how to navigate the hazards," he replied, "myself being one of them. If anything, I'm using the back route because of the Whirlpools that surround it, hence the name Whirlpool Island."
"Or Uzugakure no Sato for the Ninjas living there," Jiraiya said, exiting the cabin. "Tazuna, is it okay if I talk to Naruto for a bit?"
"Of course."
With that, we both went into the cabin and Jiraiya had done a sound-proof jutsu around it.
"What is it, Pervy Sage?" I asked him.
Ignoring that comment, he had sighed. "Naruto, do you know what being Hokage means?"
"Learning over a thousand jutsu, protecting the village, and running the place. Other than that, nothing."
"That's basically the surface of the title. To become Hokage, you have to make tough decisions regarding the future of Konoha, even if it means sacrificing those you love with your own life."
I've known Jiraiya to go into deep thought, but apparently, he seemed to be in pain at the mention of it. "What are you getting at?"
"To answer that question, you have to answer this one: Why did the Fourth choose you as the jailer of the Nine-Tailed Fox? Why not someone like an Uchiha or a Hyuga?"
That thought never came to mind, but the answer was in reach. I just wasn't sure if it was the right one. "Because he wouldn't risk anyone else's child to bare the burden. In order to make it work, he'd have to use…his own…child."
I think you can imagine the reaction on my face when I found that out.
"How long have you known, Jiraiya?"
"I'm your Godfather, Naruto. And someone like me wouldn't exactly be good father material…"
"…so you left me to rot in the village?!?"
"I was under the Third's law not to adopt you! He had no idea you would be undertrained!"
"Under-trained my ass! Why couldn't you tell me before we left?"
"Because I knew you would react this way! Better out in the middle of the ocean than near Konoha, because anything relating to you is basically a Triple-S Class Secret! Only me and Sarutobi-Sensei were the only ones who knew, not counting Itachi Uchiha."
I had froze. "Why Itachi, then?"
"Because he owed your father his life. He's in Akatsuki as one of my contacts, and his mission is to keep you away from it and Sasuke away from the leader, although THAT part of the mission failed when he got to Orochimaru."
"How so?"
"Orochimaru knows the leader personally, Gaki. If anything, he's the man who killed the Shodaime."
It was a bit much to deal with, but I broke off the subject. "What were my parents like, Pervy Sage? I want the truth, not some half-baked lie."
His expression softened. "Your dad was basically an upstart Chuunin when I met him. He was working on the Rasengan, and I almost vowed to not take any more students until I heard him practice. If anything, you remind me of him, other than the looks. Your mother, however, wasn't from Konoha, but from Uzu, aka, our destination. Basically, she was a bit of a tomboy when it came to her attitude, and when they were dating, she had picked off all of his fangirls. When she was pregnant with you, they couldn't have been any happier. She had already started making a list of Water Jutsu for you to learn…but when Kyuubi came, everything went to hell. You already know what happened to your father, but your mother was assassinated after giving birth to you. Had she still been alive, you would've at least been an enemy to the Uchiha."
"Would they have been proud of me?"
"You made better progress with the Shadow Clone technique than your father did on your first try, managed to outdo his pranking record by painting the Hokage Monument, and you learned the Rasengan in a week. I could say they would be proud, but your mother would tell you to get rid of the orange."
I had silently snickered at that.
"By the way, your parents' names were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, although Minato had used the alias Arashi Kazama outside of Konoha."
I then decided to make a decision. "Looks like I have another reason to become Hokage, then, Pervy Sage. Not only will I learn the amount of Jutsu, protect the village, and show them that I'm not the Fox, but I'll stop Akatsuki and make my parents proud! However, I may have to keep the idiot mask up until the time is right, because all Konoha knows is the mask, not the true me."
"Then congrats on following the rule of Deception, gaki. If anything, it's been a good ally, but the orange screams 'Kill Me.' Now, I'm going to teach you the secret of the Shadow Clones."
(Pause Flashback)
"If anything," Naruto added, "it's why I'm wearing Black and Orange, although it's still a glaring color."
"Anyone with a migraine could see the orange," Tsunade replied, taking a sip. "So, what happened when you got to Uzugakure?"
"Basically, I met up with an old student of my Mom's. Apparently, he knows Kakashi during the Rock-Leaf War and is a master of not only my Mom's jutsu, but his family taijutsu and summoning contracts."
"Hang on." With that, she had taken out a Bingo Book containing dangerous ninja. "Basically a Whirlpool Jounin who keeps a set of normal summoning tattoos on one arm and either a deity or demonic one on the other, has as much endurance as you do when being beaten in a crowd, and has an undying hatred of Uchihas. Akito Ryuken the Blood Hunter, correct?"
Naruto was a bit surprised at that. "How did you know?"
"I've been there before, gaki. It was a pain to update the Bingo Book, though, and since your Mom and Dad had met as diplomats, it would be logical that Kushina's best student would teach you. Now please, continue."
(Resume Flashback)
You wouldn't believe how we first met. Jiraiya said that he had to do some research, much to my belief, and I waited near the docks for him to arrive. With that, I had noticed that a kunai had struck right beside me.
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" I heard a voice yell. I had jumped out of the way as he landed in a way I've seen Gai did when mistaking the Pervy Sage for Kisame. "Not bad for a guy wearing orange."
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?" I yelled. "You could have killed me!"
"Geez…not so loud, kid. It was just a simple test of reflexes." If that was considered simple, I would've hated to see harsh. "Now, I'm assuming you're Naruto, then?"
"What other Konoha Ninja wears orange?" I asked him sarcastically. "Seriously, though, what do you want from me?"
"One, to see if the village was holding you back, two, because I wanted to meet Sensei's kid for the first time, and three, because I'm your instructor thanks to the Perverted Hermit and his spy network."
I was surprised. "You're Akito Ryuken?"
"The one and only. What, did you expect me to be two hours late like Kakashi?"
"You know Kakashi-sensei?"
"Know him? We were temporary partners after Obito died, and he and I were like water and oil by first impression." He gave me a blank stare at that. "I hate Uchihas with a passion, kid, but Obito was an exception considering he acted like you."
"But why do you hate Uchihas?"
"That answer and more will be revealed…if you can keep up with the Ryuken style of training."
As it turns out, the Ryuken style of training equaled something similar to Boot Camp from Hell. Our routine was that he does early-morning reflex training on me, we spar in taijutsu, learn a different ninjutsu that's Water-based, Wind-based, or Ice-based, harness your inner beast's abilities (more on that later), and learn either the Whirlpool Fist or the Saint Soldier Style of taijutsu, but started with the Iron Fist.
(Pause Flashback)
"Must have been one heck of an experience," Tsunade said. "The Ryuken family has been known to harness an Inner Beast within them, but why did he make you harness Kyuubi's power?"
"That answer was given to me about a month within the training."
(Resume Flashback)
Akito had noticed my reluctance.
"Why are you holding back?" he asked me.
"What do you mean?"
"If anything, your abilities should be enhanced BECAUSE of the Kyuubi. Why hold back?"
I had told him about my run-in with Gaara during the Chuunin Exams and how his Biju was controlling him.
"Oh, you ran into someone with a faulty seal, and you're afraid of ending up like him if you use it."
"Faulty seal?"
"I trained with Minato as a Joint Sensei, remember? If anything, his seal prowess is unmatched, so you're in good hands, Naruto. However, this Gaara guy sounds like he had someone who didn't know what he was doing."
"Doesn't exactly help there, Akito-Sensei."
"Listen to me. When I was your age, I feared the same thing when Byakko had chosen me to be his vessel. As I matured, I found out that he was protecting me from the near-assassination and kidnapping attempts from the Mizukage and Orochimaru. Right now, they don't even know I exist."
"I don't exactly have that luxury."
"Well, Kyuubi had healed you after the mob attempts, poisonings, and all the other stuff that Konoha threw at you. However, there's more to a demon that it's reputation."
"What's that?"
"Ask him yourself. Right now, the lesson is over. Spend the rest of the day in intensive meditation, Naruto." With that, he left the training grounds.
Sitting on a nearby stump, I had done the basic steps of it and found myself in a dark sewer. Feeling the demonic chakra, I followed it to the source, which was the Nine-Tailed Fox himself.
"About time you got here, Gaki," it said. "Seems like your temp sensei has made you stronger."
"Cut the crap, Kyuubi," I said. "If anything, I want answers on why you attacked Konoha."
"I've got a perfectly good explanation on why I attacked, and it's linked to the tiger's hatred for the Uchiha Clan." I was confused at that part, but since Akatsuki wants him, I needed an answer before we moved to Sunagakure.
"Start talking, then. And no funny stuff. Your kind is known as the trickster for a reason."
"I couldn't lie to you even if I wanted to. We're stuck together whether you like it or not, so get comfortable." At that, I had made a chair from the thoughts of my mind. "I don't know how it happened, but while I was tending to my den, I had found myself facing a man with an orange mask with one eye hole and a cloak with red clouds and a bloody moon. Because I didn't know who he was, I had attacked without asking questions, but I recognized the eye he had. The very same eye I had created."
"Dare I ask what kind of eye it was?"
"Blood-red cornea with three commas around it, but that's not the point. Because of that eye, I had attacked your village in a blind range, looking for those who carried the eyes. Had it not been for those idiotic ninja and the Fourth Hokage, neither of us would be in this situation."
I was a bit surprised, but since I knew Sasuke left for power, he had overlooked Kyuubi. "Sounds like you and I have a common enemy, Kyuubi." He was surprised at that…or I thought he was a he at the time. "If anything, because of the Uchiha clan, I have a scar that looked like it was struck by lightning!"
"I know that already! It took an all-nighter to take care of THAT wound! I'm just surprised that he didn't go within your mind…then again, you were unconscious."
"Why the heck are you concerned about my well-being, anyways? I know we're stuck together, but it sounds like you actually care."
Because of that question, I was in for the shock of my life. The Kyuubi…the Nine-Tailed Fox that ravaged Konoha…was a woman.
"They never could go beyond their bias to consider whether I was male or female, now couldn't they?"
Had he known, the Pervy Sage would've had a field day with this one.
"Wow…" I said. I then pulled myself together before I became like him. "Sorry about that. If anything, we need to stop clashing in order to defeat our enemies, and with the bias in Konoha, that would be those who overstep their boundaries."
"Agreed, kit. Luckily, I have the Fox Contract with me right now, so we can work this out. In return, I can teach you the Fox Illusion style, which is a genjutsu style based on my Chakra."
After that, I had continued my regiment with Akito until the sixth month, when we were heading towards Sunagakure.
(End Flashback)
"And you're telling me this because you trust me?" Tsunade said, rubbing her forehead. Naruto had nodded. "And the facade…how long do you plan to keep this up?"
"Until I become Chuunin, which reminds me, when are the Chuunin Exams starting?"
"In a week. Until then, I need to work on the paperwork to get you on a team with an empty spot. In the meantime, whatever you said right now is a Triple-S Class Secret, the painkillers were given to me by Shizune, and the Sake is from trade with an unknown village."
Naruto nodded, and went out of the office.
Forget Chuunin, gaki, she thought. If what you said was true, you could make Tokubetsu Jounin.
----
Hours later, Naruto was basically in a good mood.
Feels good to get THAT off my chest, he thought. Now we don't have to worry about suspicion from the Hokage.
"Don't forget about the Council," Kyuubi said. "If anything, I don't think ALL of them hold you in contempt."
No kidding. Grampa Saru's old teammates and Danzo want me to become a weapon of war, and they'll do anything to get me. As for the Civilian Side of the Council, they can go to hell for all I care. However, Naruto stopped in his tracks, recognizing the smell of cigarettes. Strange. I thought Asuma was killed by Hidan…unless…
"Shikamaru, you can come out now," Naruto said to the shadow.
"Troublesome," a man in a Jounin Vest said, coming out. Unlike the last time they met, Shikamaru became motivated after his Sensei's death and started picking up his habits…including the one involving cancer sticks. "If you were that good already, why didn't you defeat Kakuzu without something that ruptures your chakra points?"
"Not in public, please. The less people know about me, the better."
Sure enough, they had moved to the Team Seven training grounds.
"To answer your question, Shikamaru, I wasn't exactly stable when I did it. First, Grampa Saru died, then Asuma fell. I may not have known the guy for long, but I could feel the pain Konohamaru had at the funeral. The Rasenshruiken was the only option going through my mind at the time. Anyways, why are you tracking me down?"
"Kakashi's out on a mission and Yamato's training Sakura, so I'm stuck with you for the time being. Hokage's orders, so I have no say in it. When we're done sparring, I can introduce you to your other two teammates."
"Talk about a paradox. Then again, we left around the time of Sunagakure's Chuunin Exam, and I had missed it." With that, Naruto entered an unfamiliar style. "I hope you've trained as much as I have over the years."
"In order to keep up with you, I didn't have a choice."
With that, a fight between old classmates had began…and the Maelstrom stopped holding back.
To be continued…
----
Omake 1: Restricted Summons (slight Futurama Crossover).
On their way to Sunagakure, Naruto had been trying to master the art of Toad Summoning by studying Jiraiya's summoning class scrolls. Needless to say, he was pissed.
"Stupid Pervy Sage," he muttered. "I'm not exactly good with books here, but in order to become the next Toad Sage, I have to study the type of class they're in."
Yeah. Really pissed.
It wasn't until he came across a scroll that said RESTRICTED that it perked his interest.
Not all toads are meant for personal use. Some of them happen to be very forceful when it comes to demands...I broke into the Hokage Tower stealing the Forbidden Scrolls. If there's a reason why this scroll is restricted, why not go through trial and error?
Near the Hot Spring, the Toad Sage had felt impending doom.
Something tells me that the gaki had found the restricted summons, he thought. Should I stop him before it gets hairy, or let him learn the hard way? However, he was distracted by a gorgeous female, and when it comes to Jiraiya, women, and research, the latter was chosen.
In the meantime, Naruto had used enough Chakra to summon it. "SUMMONING JUTSU!" In a poof of smoke, a small brown frog with yellow vibrating eyes had appeared...with a certain tune. "Okay...I was thinking you would be as big as Gamabunta.
Before it could retort, an Iwa nin had jumped out of the bushes.
"Prepare to die, Yellow Flash!" he yelled. However, he stopped when he saw the toad...and lost his sense of freedom in the process. "All glory to the Hypnotoad."
Hypnotoad, huh? Hmm...
"I'm surprised you weren't affected, gaki," Jiraiya said, appearing out of nowhere. "If anything, this effect was the reason why I put the Hypnotoad summon on the Restricted list."
"Sorry, Pervy Sage," he replied, ignoring Jiraiya's growl. "But you know me well enough to go through Trial and Error. Besides, I think we might make a little visit to Otogakure with this guy."
Jiraiya was grinning at that. "Let's get moving, then!"
It wasn't until three days later that Otogakure was screaming bloody murder. Simply put, when you put the Hypnotoad in a village full of snakes, weird shit happens, but to narrow it down, Sasuke had to take enough cold showers to classify it as holy water, Kabuto has a fear of bran muffins, and Orochimaru found himself in a (shudder) revealing hula girl outfit...with his hair dyed in a glaring shade of pink than Sakura Haruno's own.
Jiraiya had something to do with this, he thought. Only he could create so much chaos with just one summon.
The glaring hint was that all around the Sound Base, the graffiti had said, "All Glory to the Hypnotoad, The Kyuubi, and the Toad Sage." Needless to say, if he wasn't in the process of merging with Kimimaro, he would hunt down and destroy them himself.
Sometimes, it just sucked to be a villian.
As for why the Hypnotoad didn't hypnotize Naruto, well...
"MUST OBEY THE HYPNOTOAD."
Yeah. Individuals with either a lack of delta brain wave or have an inner demon within them aren't affected by it. Because of that, Akatsuki was not only after the Kyuubi, but it as well.