Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I don't make money off of this story.
A/N: This is my version of the back story of all of Naruto. This is what I think could be used to fill in the missing parts in much of the manga and help tie together those plot holes that pop up in much of the storyline. I know that this won't be perfect, but after reading Naruto Fuujinroku, I felt the need to write this. I also really recommend that fic to anyone looking for one hell of a read. I first read the story and was taken back by the level of detail and thought put into it. So I wanted to do something like it, just my own way. I wanted to come up for a reason for what happens in the manga every week instead of spending time coming up with stupid ideas as to how it could have happened. And I know it's been a month since I last updated my other fics, but be patient and soon enough, I'll have new chapters up for the other two. Anyway, read, review, enjoy.
How It All Began
At the birth of time, there were demons that roamed the world. They lived in peace with the other species of Earth, fighting only amongst themselves. They were originally crafted by the hands of the gods for entertainment, after all.
These creatures stored unbelievable amounts of energy, far superior to anything the weaker beings that lived across the globe could every dream of harnessing. These entities were so great, so paramount, that they ruled the lands while the gods ruled the skies. And for a while, peace rang out with this balance. When a group of humans grew too strong for their own good, the bijuu would punish them accordingly, instilling the fact that they were dominant of all of Earth's life, no matter how insignificant or large.
As such, the humans and weaker beings worshiped the bijuu as gods, some creating religions and rituals to honor their overlords. This only stood to infuriate the real gods- the ones that humans would later group together and refer to as 'Kami'. So the gods exercised their superiority over their subordinates and created a new dimension specifically for containing their demonic essence. Needless to say, the bijuu were forced into this hell without any protest, otherwise suffering the obliteration from a god's true wrath.
For countless centuries, the bijuu waited for a chance to seek freedom. They waited and waited. And one man was able to defy the rules of humanity, of life, and of the gods by committing the unspeakable. He tried to set them loose under his reign to claim all the world as his own. He failed miserably, of course. That much was assured when he went against the very gods that granted life to all.
This idea had been conceived before, just never acted upon. But he resorted to unheard of lengths to break down the wall that barricaded the bijuu's dimension. He channeled the energy in nature and used a combination of long since forgotten wizardry and science to carry out his plans. He sacrificed an entire nation to this power. By doing so, millions of men, women, and children were lost as the gates of hell rose from the ground, only to suck this abomination inside. That was the last the earth ever heard of alchemy, the accursed science that allowed that man to trespass on god's territory.
After that day, all was wiped clean. The god's recreated the plethora of species that once inhabited the earth. The bijuu still remained imprisoned in their dimension until the day humans once more crossed the line. They created weapons capable of slaughtering millions in an instant from the far side of the globe. The gods had no choice but to find a solution to this one particular creation that insisted on destruction.
They turned to the bijuu. The nine demons of mythical power seized this moment and punished those who went against their creators. The world was once more reshaped because of this incident.
For some time, the bijuu roamed the land, destroying the humans that dared pose a threat to them. The gods saw this eternal power struggle and came up with a solution: the Rinnegan. Eyes that could make the power of the bijuu pale in comparison. Yes, this would surely level the playing field some for all of the god's creations.
The first holder of the Rinnegan was a woman who shifted the power balance and allowed humans to create cities and prosper. This woman, Eien Ayama, was pure of heart and set out to rebuild mankind. With her help, humans were able to grow and advance themselves.
Descendants of Eien Ayama showed no similar ability, which scared the humans into believing that the bijuu would destroy them for thinking they had a chance to become something. However, the bijuu showed no aggression towards the growing civilizations. Instead, they went back to living in peace with the other species of the world, accepting the will of the gods. All was fine for many, many years, until the day a man was born once more with the Rinnegan. He possessed the ability to revolutionize everything and help mankind excel.
This man would grow up to be known throughout the entire would as Rokudou Sennin, the Sage of Six Paths. The Rinnegan once again showed its worth by helping the Sennin discover the six types of chakra. His work would write history.
The six chakras were phenomenal for humans, as it gave them the ability to wield similar powers as the bijuu, even if just a fraction's worth. These amazing chakras linked nature and mankind, bringing together the elements that composed the world and allowing men and women to manipulate their environment like never before. These six types of chakra were fire, wind, lighting, earth, water, and, aether.
Technically speaking, aether was the purest and most powerful type of chakra. Aether was energy in its rawest form, allowing its user to trump any other chakra, regardless of the type. In fact, it was aether that was able to subdue the Bijuu that went against Eien Ayama centuries before. And it was Aether chakra that allowed Rokudou Sennin to impart this gift unto others. He was able to create the chakra circulatory system inside of others with the the help of Aether chakra.
Once that system was crafted, a person could hone their skills in the other types of chakra. But since they didn't possess the true source of Aether chakra, they couldn't control the most powerful type of energy known to man. Only the holder of the great doujutsu could mold such an almighty chakra. However, each human gifted with the chakra circulatory system did hold a latent form of Aether chakra. This weaker form of the aforementioned chakra would become the basis of the shinobi world.
In such small and impure amounts, Aether chakra was seen as nothing more than standard energy which flowed through anyone (once their chakra circulatory system was crafted, of course). Therefore, humans could use this minor form of Aether chakra to complete tasks once thought impossible, such as defying gravity by walking on walls and ceilings or walking on water.
More people began to experiment with this power, manipulating the elements as they pleased once mastering a type of chakra. Soon, people came together and created a political world based on strength. They raised their young to fight and control chakra. At a certain age, these people were given a name: ninja.
Ninjas grew up and used their skills to change the world around them. They fought as one for their countries and achieved the impossible. Soon, these countries adopted the names of the elements: The Land of Fire, The Land of Wind, etc. War broke out many times and the bijuu were forced to intervene. That was what lead to the formation of Fuuinjutsu, sealing jutsu.
Mankind struck back at the bijuu the only way they could. They made the immortal mortal and sealed some demons within their own human bodies. People began claiming the bijuu as their own, using them as weapons to fight their battles for them, once said bijuu were sealed. The other bijuu retaliated at such heinous acts by leveling entire cities and crippling the economy in several areas by devastating the ninja population for some major villages.
The two strongest bijuu, the Hachimata and the Kyuubi were bitter rivals, as were all bijuu. The Hachibi was an eight headed snake with a very similar power level to the Kyuubi, the nine tailed fox. Many people believed that the number of tails, or in the Hachimata's case, heads, displayed the sheer power of the monster. They couldn't be more wrong.
While coincidentally, the Hachimata and Kyuubi had the most number of extra appendages and were the most powerful, the bijuu were ranked by the powers that the demons could possess. Some like the Ichibi could control wind, Kyuubi could control fire, and so on. But there was one bijuu that could fight with a balanced arsenal of the elements. That demon was the Gobi, Houkou.
Houkou was a wise bijuu. It respected the gods that created it and bowed before the other two beings stronger than it, the Hachimata and Kyuubi, respectively. However, Houkou didn't flaunt its superiority over the other bijuu, even the ones that it defeated. It was as honorable as a bijuu could be. And as such, it made a deal with the human race, more specifically, two very promising young humans.
These two would later create a village, one of the strongest in the world. They would also end up fighting to set the course of history, but as of right now, that is unimportant. One Uchiha Madara and one Senju Kinpaku were both the leaders of their clans and both pursued change. The Uchiha family hailed from the north, a small providence of Iwagakure no Sato. The Kinpaku clan was from the center of the continent that would later become Kusagakure. By bringing together two world renown clans, their idealistic village would be impeccable.
Houkou sought after these two leaders and pleaded with them to help bring peace to the bijuu. It was no secret that the Kyuubi was anticipating the day it could slash open the numerous throats of the Hachimata. So, the Gobi, in all its wisdom, gave the two men gifts if they promised to create their village that would try to bring a more large scale sense of peace to the world.
Both parties consented, and the Gobi gave the Uchiha leader two extra abilities to his sacred Mankeyou Sharingan. The first was a mighty fire attack that called upon the god of fire herself to rain down flames on the unfortunate target. Ameratsu would become one of the most infamous and fearful fire jutsus every created. The second gift granted was one from Houkou's own personal stash. Since the Gobi was the inspiration of genjutsu, being the bijuu with the power of illusion, it gave Madara's Sharingan Tsukiyomi, a jutsu capable of creating a dimension where the user is in complete control and able to impose any situation on one person for seventy-two hours straight in the course of several seconds in real time. Truly a powerful genjutsu. But that was not all that the Gobi left for Madara. His blood would carry on those two gifts, enhancing the doujutsu even further. Any Uchiha that had Madara's blood pumping in his or her veins would be able to wield the Mankeyou to it's fullest.
Sadly, just prior to the Gobi's offering, Kinpaku fell ill with a disease that threatened to end his very life and destroy the dreams of both important clans. So, to Kinpaku, Houkou gave the gift of life. Kinpaku was able to live on thanks to the healing energies that only a bijuu could master. But that treatment also influenced his other gift, Mokuton. Kinpaku would be able to combine his chakras like no other human and manifest life. By bringing together the powers of wood and water, Mokuton would be able to inspire life from even the most barren soil. Unfortunately, Kinpaku's children, born before this gift, would not be granted the ever useful Mokuton. And as fate would have it, the disease left Kinpaku infertile. Not even the healing hands of the Gobi could reverse that.
Across the world, other bijuu posed similar offers. In the east, the Sanbi Isonade gave the newly created Kirigakure seven enchanted swords to the strongest men there who helped it to defeat the the Shichibi Kaku. One of them being his very own servant, Samehada, who would collect vast amounts of chakra for its master. Also, Isonade delivered upon the most prominent clan a piece of its soul. The descendants of that clan would grow up with one of the strongest kekkei genkais ever recorded: Hyouton.
Unfortunately, Houkou's gifts corrupted Uchiha Madara's poorly transplanted Sharingan which he stole from his brother in hopes of escaping the darkness. This betrayal of trust eventually led to the creation of the Valley of the End, where both Kinpkau and Madara said their last goodbyes with a fight for the ages. Madara left his village in shame, but let the Uchiha name live on in Konohagakure no Sato, the most recently created hidden village in all the continent.
Kinpaku would go on to become the Shodai Hokage in his village after setting up a formal government and political house with the feudal lords and noble families in the Land of Fire. In memory of his old comrade and the giver of his Mokuton, Kinpaku created the Will of Fire, a belief that as long as one loyal shinobi stood in the name of Konoha, than his village would live to see another day. This Will of Fire would go on to be known throughout the Land of Fire as the inspiration for every single shinobi and kunoichi who fought for Konoha and its name.
Because both Mokuton and the Makeyou's extra abilities were from the third strongest bijuu, they too carried part of its soul. Both Kinpaku and Madara would later discover the true reason for their gifts, the ability to weaken the other bijuu. Yes, the Gobi knew that the bijuu's peace (if one could call it that) would not last long so it devised a way of merging its soul with that of the receiver of its powers.
Before Kinpaku died, he had part of his soul sealed into a necklace. This necklace held a bit of the power that created his Mokuton and a fragment of Houkou's soul inside. By using this, the other bijuu's powers would be weakened, though not to the extent of either Kinpaku or Madara. Kinpaku knew that this was the only way to ensure his clan's- no, his village's survival in the event that they were ever forced to fight a bijuu in the future. In some ways, this act was similar to passing down a kekkei genkai.
However, in the coming years, when the Hachimata was used as bait for the Kyuubi to strike down Konohagakure no Sato, one man would rise and fight the 'King of Bijuu', even without a crystal necklace. That man was Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage.
And even though Minato failed at defeating the most powerful bijuu ever created, he spared his village complete annihilation. Even if it meant damning his son for the rest of his life.
This is where our story begins...
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Several Years Later – Konohagakure no Sato
Tenzou walked home quietly. He had just completed an S-rank mission with the help of his ANBU team. But now, having been away from home for two weeks on duty, he was walking home and looking forward to a hot shower and long, deep night's sleep.
Tenzou looked up and admired the sky with it's streaks of pink flowing in the clouds, making a trail to the setting sun in the west. His life as a ninja rarely allowed him these types of moments, so he reveled in them when he could.
It all started many years before when Tenzou was just a child. He was taken against his will with one of his village's most despicable ninjas since its creation: Orochimaru. Tenzou was taken to an underground lab and experimented on. His odds of survival were next to nothing, and because his kidnapper was forced to abandoned his tests, he lived. The statistics of that happening based on the initial group were 1 in 60. Tenzou being that one.
The test was a disgrace to the very laws of humanity. Orochimaru sought power, and whom better to take said power from than the Shodai Hokage himself? The man that spent countless years fighting for a place to leave behind when he crossed into the afterlife. The man who was fabled to have been able spprout limbs of plants from his body to use during combat. The man the current Hokage looked up to like a legend. Anyway, Orochimaru extracted the DNA of one of Konohagakure no Sato's founding fathers and implanted it into sixty children. That was of course before he was ostracized from his village by the Sandaime Hokage. Orochimaru's sensei and master since childhood had the responsibility of killing his favorite student, but he couldn't. However, that is a story for another time.
To put it simply, Tenzou was a miracle to medical science. He was the first successful subject of transferring a kekkei genkai from one person to another with no real blood relation. It was a feat considered impossible, but somehow, either by the hands of Kami or sheer luck, Tenzou was given one of the most powerful elemental bloodlines that had thought to have been lost with the Shodai: Mokuton.
Yes, Mokuton, the very ability that helped to craft young Konoha from desolate forests and wide meadows. The same ability that defeated a madman bent on immortality decades ago when the peaceful village was made by the help of two prestigious clans.
Although Tenzou was given the DNA of the Shodai, he had no idea as to why the Mokuton ability wasn't passed on to the descendants of the Shodai Hokage. It was technically classified as a kekki genkai, yet it followed very few rules of the bloodline. The theory was that all bloodlines were passed on from generation to generation. One person was usually found to have a bloodline and then his or her children would carry it on. Only the Shodai and Madara knew why Mokuton hadn't been passed on. They kept that secret safe from getting out to the public. It wouldn't end well if the other bijuu had learned of the deal that had taken place at the time.
But it was that problem that had kept Tenzou up many a night wondering just how in Kami's name he was able to use something only once ever used before.
Tenzou sighed to himself while passing a dark alleyway. He was only ten blocks away from his apartment, and although he could make the trip in a little over four seconds by running at top speeds, it was worth taking the extra time and enjoying the night air nip at the back of his neck while watching the sun set in the distance. Konoha may not be perfect, but it had one beautiful sunset at twilight.
He stared ahead at the small children running around in the distance, most likely playing ninja. Children that age were so naïve, so innocent, and so pure. They had no idea what would happen if those wooden toy kunai were real, yet they played the game like it was tag. That was just every day life in a ninja village. Most shinobi had a short life expectancy. Hell, being a Genin in Konoha had the odds of five percent death on one's beginning six months. Those were still must better statistics compared to other villages such as Kiri or Iwa, though.
Tenzou stared blankly, his dark eyes reflecting purple in the light of the setting sun. How he wished to be able to remove his mask and let the cool breeze wash over him. But he couldn't. Even in the heart of Konoha, it was unsafe to let one's face be exposed like that. For the ANBU at least. Damn regulations...
Something small and orange blew past him on his left. A normal person would step aside, or let out an outburst. But Tenzou didn't so much as flinch. It was common to be on alert and not react to such trivial things.
His interest was piqued however when the orange clad child ran into an alley way. He was more intrigued when three men ran down the street as well, stopping in front of the alley way as well. The men shouted something inaudible then began running into the dark ally. Screams of pain were heard almost immediately afterward. Tenzou ran up and tried to see what was happening. What Tenzou saw next appalled him. All three of the villagers were beating the young child! It was absurd; he had to do something.
But just before he could draw a kunai, something happened. Something very, very bad. The boy who was covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises began glowing. A shuriken in his thigh popped out and the wound healed suddenly. A head of bright yellow rose up while red chakra began to spiral around him. All three of the men stopped abruptly, shocked to see extra long teeth protruding from their prey's lips.
His face twisted into a snarl and the young boy jumped at the nearest villager. His eyes flashed from bright blue to enraged crimson. One hand swept across the figure's chest and blood erupted from the wound. Instantly the man cried in pain as his flesh seemed to boil. Luckily for him, blissful unconsciousness came quickly.
'Is that...the Uzumaki? The Jinchuuriki? I thought that Sandaime-sama said he was harmless? What the fuck is this? He can't be more than six years old!? He shouldn't be able to do that...unless he can't! Please, don't let the seal break! This can't be good!'
Tenzou reached out one hand and forced chakra into his palm, a seal appearing instantaneously. 'Please let this be enough.'
Wood erupted from the walls and ground, surrounding the now stunned child. What appeared to have been the head of a dragon clamped onto his wrist, holding on tightly. Seconds later, more wooden heads latched onto the boy, keeping him in their grasp. Then, as if by magic, the red chakra receded into the angry boy and he collapsed into the dirt.
"Neither of you two are to move." Tenzou's voice was cold, demanding. Both men who had been crawling away ever so slowly halted their movements. "That pulse of chakra will have every decent ninja within a mile's radius on high alert. You two wait for further orders."
Neither man could do anything more than reply with a nod. They hadn't even seen the ANBU show up. Oh they were so fucked.
Tenzou knelt down and picked up the body of Uzumaki Naruto. Behind him, three squads of ANBU landed and looked around for the source of the malicious chakra. "Zaimoku-taicho, what has happened here?" one ANBU in front asked after surveying the damage.
Tenzou replied, "That is not important. That man over there, the unconscious one, he needs medical attention. The other two now need to be under arrest for assault on a resident of Konoha."
"Is that...the demon bra- Jinchuuriki, Zaimoku-taicho? What are you do doing with him?"
"I'm taking him to the Hokage. He needs to see this. Everyone else, go. That man's life could be in danger, along with his," he said referencing the dirty bundle of blood and bruises in his arms, "so we can't afford too much time chitchatting here. I gave you all orders, now go."
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"Hokage-sama! I need to speak to you!"
The reply was even answered by the time Tenzou had broken through the majestic looking doors to the Hokage office.
The Sandaime Hokage looked up, already aware of the situation. He felt the demon's chakra flare up, but it was so weak compared to the real thing. He couldn't just rush out like that, so he sent three of his best ANBU elite squads.
"Tenzou-san, place him here." Sarutobi motioning to a wide magenta couch along the western wall. He stood and surveyed the lightly damaged body as Tenzou placed him gently down.
"Hokage-sama, I was heading home and I stopped when I heard shouting. I walked in on three men assaulting him. I tried to put a stop to it, but I couldn't do so in time. Somehow...he accessed the Kyuubi's chakra or something. I don't know what happened. He just started glowing...I was worried that the seal may have broken. So I brought him here."
"That is very good Tenzou-san. I'm glad it was you who found him and not one of Danzou's men. Kami knows what would have happened then. I'm no medical expert, but it seems as if his wounds are being healed. His body is stabilized, but I would still prefer to have a professional look over him." Sarutobi looked over Naruto's body, taking mental note of all the damage done. So far, it was all being rapidly healed. It would most likely look completely fine the next morning.
"We must watch over him. There is no telling what might happen if that chakra is called upon again. Thankfully you were there to repress the demon's influence... I just don't know..."
"Hokage-sama?"
"Both Jiraiya and Tsunade would be so useful right now, I just wish I knew where they were. Jiraiya was the only other one Minato collaborated with on his sealing methods. Perhaps he would be able to give us some useful insight on the complexities of the jutsu. Anything we try to do could potentially reverse the effects and unleash more of the Kyuubi's chakra. If that happens, Konoha would cease to exist..."
"We could send a search party after Jiraiya-sama. Maybe we would have some luck in finding him... Then he could tell just what this seal is supposed to do... But he has been away so much since that day. What do you think?"
Tenzou adverted his attention back to the sleeping form before him. The blonde's clothes were stained with blood and dirt while rips, probably from kunai, streaked across his chest. From the looks of it, the boy shouldn't have been breathing, yet there he lay, a mildly content look on his face. His eye was twitching. Tenzou couldn't determine if that was from the horrible chakra flooding his system or from a dream.
The Sandaime sat down heavily in his chair, eying Tenzou from across the desk. "You know that it would take some time before Jiraiya would be able return. Even if we do somehow find him, it would take several days to get him here."
"When would you like to me to leave, Hokage-sama? I can go at anytime." Tenzou sat stoically, staring the Hokage dead in the eye. 'So much for that night's sleep...'
"I don't. In this state, we have no idea how Naruto is mentally. He could be completely fine or...he could take on demonic traits after accessing that chakra. We have to wait to find out. Until then, I would like to assign you to be his guardian. It would be temporary, but you have the Shodai's 'gift'. I know that you'll be able to stop the Kyuubi's chakra in the event that it ever spikes again. I know it seems like a babysitting mission from the D-rank pile...but if that boy loses control, the entire village would be wiped off the map. So, consider it more of an S-rank accompaniment type of thing. You are literally the only one for the job on this. Do you accept?"
"Of course, Hokage-sama."
"Good. I'll give you the codename 'Yamato'. You will also be treated as a normal Jounin, not an elite ANBU." Sarutobi smiled lightly. He didn't know many people he could trust, but right now, he was talking to one of them. "I also expect you to watch him, all the time. He is under your watch now. I am making this your number one priority. You may train, but Naruto must be with you always. I would need a bi-weekly progress report delivered in person. I will tell you when Jiraiya is back. Until then, keep him safe."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"On a side note, I'll provide you with an allowance to help pay for food and other expenses for this. Dismissed."
Tenzou stood tall and removed his mask, placing it in his back kunai pouch for the time being. For a while, he was Yamato. Just another average Jounin.
Yamato walked across the room and picked up Naruto before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. 'What has happened around here...Minato?'
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A/N: I have an idea as to the pairing. Not Hinata. Not this one. One of my other stories that I write next will be a Naruto/Hinata pairing, but for this one, I'm open. I was leaning a bit towards Tenten. You'll see why in later chapters if you like this so far. But yeah, this could be considered a prologue or something. I don't know. I just wanted to get so much down and this seemed to have been the best way to do so. Anyway, review if you liked it.