Pre-story notes:
This story is AU. Highly AU. I am taking liberties with the timeline, and one gender. I will not bother to deny this – Although I am not radically changing anyone's respective ages, I am shifting around many dates, please keep an open mind in regards to this.
Those of have come to this story expecting more of the same that they have already seen from By These Fists, I am sorry to disappoint, but the only thing I intend to keep similar in this story is the quality of writing (and even there, I constantly strive to improve.)
This story is a serious change on the standard for Naruto stories, and I hope that I have managed to construct something that has not been done before, or at least, not been done as it is here.
For those who base what they read on what the pairings are (and I know that I am guilty of this from time to time), this story is NOT a Naru/Saku. If that is what you seek, go read By These Fists. It's a hard story to get past the initial chapters for, as my envisioning of the story changed radically as it actually got underway, but that is where you'll find your fix.
For those who are still with me, you may not be after this – this story is to be a Naru/Harem. In particular, we are to see Naruto/Temari/F.Haku/Tenten. Yes, Naruto has a fix for older chicks in this. Deal with it. Other pairings will be decided as we go along, as they will be somewhat less central to the story's direction.
Other changes that are so likely to happen that they might as well be considered a guarantee – Sasuke's not quite so much of a dick; there's a third living Uchiha; Sakura (and the other Konoha genin) are competent enough that you could actually believe they can kill; serious personality changes; heavy usage of weapons/tools; heavy usage of seals; and Naruto gets an overhaul like you wouldn't believe (again, hopefully one that's not been done too much.)
Chapter 1: Rising from the Ashes
The Village Hidden in the Leaves was, even from the beginning, famous throughout the Shinobi world for the high quality of shinobi that it produced, and the quantities that they were produced in. This was, in part, due to the philosophy of the Leaf, that given time, nurturing, protection and guidance, even the weakest of saplings can grow into a mighty oak, like those that comprised the forests of their nation.
This philosophy, initiated by the Nidaime, and carried through by the Sandaime in his first reign, proved to be highly accurate, and many shinobi of great power were produced during their reigns. The Third Great Shinobi war, where Konoha's more powerful shinobi were pitted against the seemingly endless tides of Iwagakure ninja showed the problem of this philosophy.
The problem, was that this philosophy took time – lots of time. Some shinobi, when given a terrific drive to succeed in the shinobi world, would become highly powerful very quickly in the environment Konoha provided. But those who weren't so driven to begin with could often take a decade or more to truly reach the pinnacle of their power, unless a nurturing hand came along to guide them into their strength.
The result of this was that although Konoha's most powerful shinobi, of which admittedly there were quite a few of all ranks and ages, were heads and shoulders above any other in the world, their other shinobi were sub-par. The massive body counts of the Iwa-Konoha war were the results of this sub-parity. The other result of the Iwa-Konoha war was the rise of the Yondaime Hokage.
The Yondaime's reign was short, a mere 4 years from his inauguration to his interment. These four years, Yondaime was faced with the haunting memory of the Iwa war, and how so many of Konoha's shinobi were cut to ribbons. Furthermore, he was faced with a serious lack of manpower, a lack that left him hurting for shinobi to be able to fulfill all that was needed. What he was not lacking, however, were resources - Calling on the assistance of his sensei and fellow seal master, Jiraiya; digging through the depths of Konoha's Great Library; brainstorming and constructing new systems, methods and techniques to improve on Konoha's shinobi; developing new training methods and skills; and applying his own not-inconsiderable skills as a seal master, the Yondaime's short reign would change the course of Konoha in ways that are to this day probably not fully comprehended.
His reign was cut tragically short by the attack of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The Kyuubi, a force of nature in physical form, was more powerful than all of Iwagakure's forces combined had been. Konoha, a village that had focused heavily on the usage of shinobi tools and weaponry since the Densetsu no Sannin had demonstrated, with incredible success, the devastation that a competent kenjutsuist (weapon-user) could mete out against unsuspecting foes, found for the first time in history that their tools were more of a hindrance than a help against their opponent.
At this point, I hardly doubt that I need to reiterate the story – how Yondaime 'defeated' Kyuubi, sealing him into a small child, and leaving behind his final orders.
1
If one were in the mood to be polite, Konoha's council could be called a gathering of experienced individuals, whose wisdom was ripened with age, trusted to guide the growth and decisions of Konoha so as to preserve the village.
Ensan Rin was far from willing to be polite – and with good reason. She was presently standing in front of the village council, very lucky to be alive, the thigh muscles in her right leg so completely beyond use that it was only her vast capabilities as a medic ninja that kept her able to assist as more than a pencil-pusher, listening to the councils civilian representatives demand the death of the child she was presently struggling support while she adjusted to balancing on a crutch.
Nevertheless, her war-honed reflexes kicked in as a pair of hands reached for the infant, shielding his body as best as possible, Rin's hand dove for her kunai-pouch, only to belated realize two things. First, she was no longer wearing a pouch, as that was the visual indicator of a field-capable shinobi, and no one was ever going to mistake her for one again with her leg. The second was that she had just taken her tenuous balance off of the crutch.
The hand that had reached for the baby proved to have even finer honed reflexes than her own, and Rin's brown eyes looked up to meet the lavender-tinged Byakugan of Hyuuga Hiashi-sama. Her sensei's teammate up until the day he was made a jounin-sensei.
"I believe it would be best if you allowed Kakashi-san or myself to hold the child, Rin-san. You are quite lucky to be alive at this moment, if what my wife has told me is to be believed."
"Another reason to kill the beast while its weak! Look what its done to our shinobi forces. So many dead."
"The decimation of our shinobi forces invoked by Kyuubi is nothing more than an exacerbation of a problem that Arashi had apparently already noticed to be true; a slowly growing, cancerous issue that would sooner or later require redressing." The soothing tone and eloquent speech of the Sandaime Hokage-sama was music to Rin's soul as the door opened, and the wizened man entered the council chamber.
Divided into two sections, the northern set of risers were reserved for the civilian councilors; merchants, smiths, doctors, experienced tradesmen who were vital to the running of any village, particularly a shinobi village. The southern risers were reserved for the life-blood of a shinobi village's income, the shinobi themselves. Clan-heads and their bodyguards took up the front two rows, with sufficiently experienced shinobi (of which there were fairly few, considering how few made it to such an age.) taking up the next several, with the clan-heads remaining entourages hugging the wall at the back.
Sandaime-sama had entered through the massive doors on the eastern end of the room, and Rin was suddenly acutely aware of her own exhaustion, if she hadn't noticed those doors open, she really was on her last legs… leg. With a slowness born of deliberation; and the finely honed sense for theatrics that any truly competent shinobi develops, as opposed to a slowness that might have been born of his being a man closing on his 8th decade, Sandaime Hokage-sama smiled lightly at Rin as he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing firmly, before walking past her to stand before Hyuuga-sama.
Nodding to the clan-head, Sarutobi-sama reached out, and slowly pulled back the cloth that covered the boy, to better examine the seal on his stomach. The swirl of black and its accompanying kanji were deceptively simple. Rin suppressed a mirthless chuckle at that – since her sensei's reign had started, seal-usage and research had sky rocketed. The deceptively simple seal on the boy, Naruto's stomach, was in fact hundreds, possibly thousands of smaller seals. And like any seal more complicated than those used for item-holding or explosive notes, the arrangement of the seals was at least as important, if not more so, than the actual seals that comprised the arrangement. Considering the power of what was being contained, Rin was willing to bet that the seals used were probably pretty important too.
Sarutobi-sama shook his head as covered the boy back up. Claiming his seat at the far end of the room from where he had initially entered, Sarutobi looked up at the council. "Ladies and gentlemen, it grieves me greatly to say that I must once again take up the mangle of Hokage; for as all of us know, for the situation to necessitate me taking up this mantle again at my age, means that we have no other candidate who will accept as of this time. As the first order of our business, I hereby declare the truth of what has happened this day, the sealing of the Kyuubi into the child in front of us, a S-level secret, not to be revealed to any who are not of 6 years of age at this point in time. Failure to comply will result in a sentence of capital punishment. This is not a negotiable suggestion, but my mandate as the Hokage."
Grumbling from the northern risers met that statement, but there was little that could be done. Sighing, the Sandaime reached into his robes, producing the pipe that had long been his signature quality. Slowly, deliberately packing and lighting, he took a deep breath, releasing the smoke slowly before continuing. "Arashi left us an extensive list of suggestions, observations and ideas. According to his journal, Arashi has been frantically preparing the village for this day; from the moment that Kyuubi was rumored to be near, 4 years ago. According to his journals, he spent every day in fear that the beast would attack, particularly after it nearly did so in the 6th month of his reign."
The council gave a collective shudder, remembering the days when the Kyuubi had seemingly inexorably closed in on them, only to divert a mere week away, not to venture so close again for another three and a half years.
"Already, none in this room can deny having seen the results of his work; the teleportation seals used by the ANBU to transfer to the hospital, prison or other locations; these simple, yet powerful seals are a highly simplified version of his Hiraishin."
A snort echoed from the southern end of the room. "I dare any of you to try and figure out how that sonuvabitch got the seals so blasted small. The specs he gave us, smallest we could get the arrays was room-sized."
Sarutobi smiled slightly at the Guhury Linca, the best of the eight or so seal masters that had risen from the ranks of Konoha's shinobi to become some of the most vital assets their village had. Although they didn't quite know it yet.
"Indeed, those seal arrays, verifiably effective, powerful and infinitely valuable, are only a fragment of the amount that Arashi discovered, developed or improved upon during the last four years. I have just finished perusing his journal, and his final suggestions and orders. Most, if not all of them, are useful and pertinent. Primary among them is that Naruto is not to become a weapon; he is to grow as any other shinobi of Konoha grows.
"Sadly, however, the manner and time in which shinobi of Konoha grow will, in the next while, change forever. Arashi's most pertinent observation has, just in the past three days, advanced from being merely a future concern to a dire threat on our village's stability, strength and future."
"I will be frank; at the present average level of quality, and in the present quantites, the Shinobi of the Leaf will be overtaken by the military power of other nations by the end of the next generation's lifetime, possibly within our own now that we have lost so many to this recent tragedy."
Sarutobi calmly puffed as he let the roar die down. Eventually, when the fires that still raged outside were heard again, he continued. "Arashi provided us with two plausible solutions – when applied in tandem, they are an admirable solution."
"Well, Sarutobi-san? You can't give us a hint like that and keep us waiting, can you? Our hearts might not take the strain."
Sarutobi bit back the urge to snap at his long-time rival, Danzo. "The first is the highly effective research and development done by him and his seal masters, the fuuinjutsus. Linca will be able to brief you later, for I unfortunately must soon return to organizing the reconstruction and recovery efforts. The second is what he titled SOCA. Shinobi Operative Capabilty Advacnement."
"Which is?"
Sarutobi's felt his expression tighten slightly. Danzo sounded like he was about to have a heart attack from anticipation, or try to have an orgasm, a difficult achievement for men their age. "Effectively, it is the application of a most unwilling observation Arashi made. The majority of Nidaime's reign, and the vast majority of my own original reign, were made during peace, with only the end's being marked by war. These wars, however, were very close together for a village such as our own, where shinobi take some time to grow to their full potential, and families grow so much slower than they do in Kumo or Iwa."
Sarutobi didn't continue. Everyone here well knew the advantage of numbers that Kumo and Iwagakure had to throw around. It was to their benefit that their villages held as much animosity for one another as they held for Konoha, or else their village would have been destroyed long ago.
"I certainly hope he was not proposing we emulate them? I refuse to acknowledge that he would suggest we set up little better than brood mare programs to produce as many children as possible"
"In part… The suggestion is mult-fold. It has long ago been noted that a shinobi's life is dangerous, often tragically short. Arashi's proposal, at least partially, was that one part of the unofficial customs of ninja, developed to cope with this danger, be acknowledged in official laws. It has long been allowed that a shinobi or kunoichi have multiple lovers or consorts in secret, partially to soften the blow if one of them were to be lost on a mission. Part of his suggestion was that this come out of hiding, and be accepted as a necessary, and partially useful part of our lifestyle. After all, if their secrecy is not needed, than pregnancy and the possibility of the useful children it produces need not be avoided.
"The primary part, the part that got this proposal its name is something that I know will make Danzo very happy indeed." The room gave a semi-mirthless chuckle. They were still reeling over the Sandaime's previous statement. "The part that got this proposal its name; is a significant tightening of graduation protocols and training regiments at the Konoha academy. Arashi's suggestion is that, given our smaller size than our two major aggressors of Kumo and Iwa, our comparatively greater economic resources than Suna, and our greater variety of technique, ability, presence of bloodlines, and other resources over Kiri, it makes the most sense that our laissez-faire attitude towards the growth of shinobi must be set aside in favor of the survival and future of our village. We have always treated the growth of a shinobi as something likened to the growth a tree, something to be tended to, nurtured and gently guided along a proper path to grow into their fullest potential. Now is the time to take a new approach; we must take strength from our place as the Land of Fire. Csedr-san, can you tell me which forge produces the best kunai?"
The man took a moment to respond. "The hottest one, the one that burns out the impurities from the steel. Those that come out in one piece are the best."
"Indeed, and so it must now be with Konoha's ninja forces. We can no longer afford lackadaisical growth rates and cheerfully watching shinobi grow stagnant for ten or fifteen years before they truly grow strong, or watch them decay for just as long before growing stronger again. We must forge our shinobi in the hottest fires while they are young, and find ways to keep them strong, sharp and sane when they are old enough to understand that this is not a job for the sane."
"You've lost your mind, ojii-san." Rin felt her lips moving before she realized she had actually said those words.
"Perhaps. I did say this is not a job for the sane. You know that better than most, Rin-san."
"You want to put these kids through the hell me and my team grew up in, willingly?"
"No. I do not want to, but it is necessary if we wish for them, and for our village, to survive. Furthermore, it will not be as you grew up in, in a bloodbath of war. It will be intense, a crucible of sorts; only those who are capable of surviving in the life of a ninja will make it through to their last year, but in many ways that is for the best."
Rin was quiet for a long moment, before she sighed. "You're a bastard. And I'd hate to have your job, because that's what makes you a bastard, ojii-san."
"For my village, my people."
"Yeah, yeah."
Kakashi reminded the world that, in spite of his silence, he was still there. Stepping forward, he placed a calming hand on Rin's shoulder, to be shrugged off rather aggressively. Shaking his head, he gently took the blond bundle from Hiashi's arms, and turned to the Hokage. "Just make sure they don't get out too early. Few more years might have done even me good." With that, he calmly took the bundle of blond from the room, his brunette teammate hobbling after him.
2
In the small hours of the morning, shortly after the fall of both Kyuubi and the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha, the future of the world was forever altered.
Ensan – hydrochloric acid