(I decided not to go with the typical 'Naru' or 'Naruko' and go with something a little different. Her name means 'Bright Beauty', with 'ake' meaning bright and 'mi' meaning beauty. Please let me know if this is wrong.)
Five year old Uzumaki Akemi fled through the fading light, fleeing from the steadily increasing light of the torches carried by her pursuers. She knew that she stood no chance against the large group of both civilians and shinobi, chasing after the 'demon brat' as they had deemed her to be. Oh, she knew all about the Kyuubi, due to one very painful night that she had locked deep within her consciousness.
Furasshubakku no jutsu (Flashback Technique)
The three year old crouched in the blocked off alley way as the group of shinobi staggered drunkenly after her, their weapons drawn and rage playing across their faces. "Finally, we've cornered the demon brat!" Said one. "This is for my mother, you demonic scum!" With similar outbursts, the shinobi converged on the small girl and beat her harshly with whatever was available. A mere smattering of minutes later, the tiny girl was barely breathing from the vicious onslaught.
Deep bruises showed up on her deathly pale skin which was marred in innumerable places with cut marks left by kunai, shuriken and even glass. No part of her body was left untouched and parts of her skin were burnt, the skin peeling away. The ground around the girl was soaked in brilliant crimson, staining the golden hair that flowed around her and gradually absorbing her life into the ground. Yet the girl was still awake, staring at the men right in the eyes, showing not the demon they saw in her but rather the scared, abused three year old they had just destroyed. Her eyes held a pain and loneliness that was in a class of its own, a deep suffering that held no anger.
The last thing the girl saw were the horrified faces of the men as they realized their foolishness.
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Opening her eyes, the three year old girl found herself staring at the ceiling of what seemed to be a sewer or cellar of some description. As she slowly attuned to her new surroundings, she discovered firstly she was lying in shallow water and secondly, the pain was gone. No ache came from her shattered ribs and broken arm, which she found rather strange but seemed to accept . 'Where am I?'
"Akemi, you are currently within the seal the Yondaime placed upon both you and me at the moment of your birth."
"W-who are y-you?" Akemi asked rather shakily as she stood up to find herself faced with a massive red fox that toured high above her, its nine tails gently waving as if swaying in the non-existent breeze.
"I'm the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the biju who attacked Konoha five years ago after being placed under genjutsu by one Uchiha Madara. The Yondaime Hokage sealed my consciousness and power into you, a newborn infant at the time."
Akemi stared up the fox and then grinned cheekily. "Ms. Kyuubi, could you shrink a bit? My neck hurts from having to look up so far. I can't even see your eyes from down here." A bright flash of light lit the place she now deemed the Kyuubi's Kennel and when she looked again, she was face to face with a young woman with flowing red hair, fiery red eyes, two red ears that sat delicately on her head and nine red tails spread in a loose fan shape behind her.
"Better now, kit?" The woman asked in a melodic voice that sound musical even as she talked.(Random fact #1: the longest word I know how to spell is 'floccinaucinihilipilification'. I learnt it when I was nine because I got bored. BTW, there will random facts placed randomly throughout the chapter randomly at random intervals. Random, huh?)
Akemi nodded happily and then stared at the dreary walls of the sewer. "Ms. Kyuubi, is there any way I can change this hellhole into a better place?" Kyuubi nodded.
"Because this seal is placed within your mind, you can control it. Just visualize your changes and, viola!"
The blonde nodded thoughtfully and then closed her eyes softly, visualizing the perfect place for a fox.
"Kit!"
She opened her eyes to see a grass filled meadow littered with flowers and small plants. A peaceful creek chugged quietly along to the right of her and fish jumped lackadaisically out of the cool water. Then she noticed the young woman rolling on the grass and couldn't help it. She giggled.
"Kit, thank you! This place looks like my old home, down in forest country. So peaceful… Thank you, my dear kit."
Akemi smiled happily and then twitched slightly as she heard panicked voices floating in from outside the seal.
"What happened to her? Who could do this to an innocent three year old?" 'That's Jiji!' Akemi thought in surprise.
"Kyuubi, why aren't I dead?" At her morbid question, Kyuubi's eyes grew sad and angry.
"Firstly, my chakra heals you almost immediately but these wounds are great. I have healed what I could and will have to leave the rest up to the medics at the hospital. I'm sorry Kit, this is my entire fault!" Tears poured from the demoness's eyes as she wept in anger at herself.
"Kyuubi, it's not your fault. Now, I have to go but later I'll visit, kk?" The demoness chuckled a little and wiped her tears away. "See you later, my dear Kit."
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Akemi awoke to bright lights and the concerned face of Sarutobi Hiruzen. "You're awake!"
From there it was a painful journey of learning to walk again and just breathing for the 1st few days hurt tremendously.
She visited Kyuubi everyday in the following two years, both giving and receiving the companionship she had craved growing up. In return, Kyuubi taught her to control her ridiculously large chakra and giving her near perfect chakra control by the age of four. Slowly the seal weakened and Kyuubi became more and more solid in Akemi's mind.
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Furasshubakku no jutsu kai (End Flashback Jutsu)
Akemi fled from the villagers, running through the streets, alternating between the roofs of the houses and the ground. She ducked and dodged through the crowd as the angry crowd drew closer. Suddenly she tripped on someone's outstretched foot and the crowd caught up to her.
Before a single blow was landed, a large chakra began to slowly materialize next the five year old blonde. The chakra stretched and shrunk for a few seconds before dissipating, leaving one very angry demoness. Her KI (killing intent) spreads over the crowd, making quite a few of them relieve their bowels, quite violently I might add. Her eyes flashed demonically (Forgive me, I couldn't resist!) as she glared and her nine tails thrashed angrily behind her while her ears twitched in annoyance.
"Don't you even dare lay a finger on my kit or harm a hair on her head or you will suffer a fate far worse than the one you had planned for my kit." The villagers slowly backed off from the enraged demoness and sighed in relief as they saw the Hokage rush into the street, thinking that he was going to get rid of the demon brat. However, when he greeted the young woman warmly, you can imagine their reaction.
"Sarutobi, what is the meaning of this?" Roared a dark-haired Uchiha shinobi, his Sharingan flashing in his angry eyes. The crowd echoes his statement and began plying the poor Hokage with questions and judgments. He began to answer but was cut off by one very-very-very-pissed-off-demoness.
"What's the meaning of this, you ask? Well, for starters, I have emerged to guard my kit against a village that shuns the very child that keeps all of you alive, because otherwise I would just decimate you for how you have desecrated the Yondaime's last request. However, this child that you have abused and hated won't let me hurt you, because she loves this village. I myself can't see why she would care but it's her wishes. I have come forth from the seal to protect my only friend and my child, Kitsune Uzumaki Akemi."
The silence stretched unchallenged for what seemed to be an eternity before Hyuuga Hiashi stepped forward and bowed to the small girl huddled against the demoness's legs. "I of the Hyuuga clan wish to extend my deepest apologies to the child and am deeply grieved as to see my own views were so twisted. I beg your forgiveness."
Akemi stared in shock as many people followed his example, apologizing and begging for forgiveness. When they had all stepped back, the small blonde stepped forward and did something entirely unexpected. She hugged every single person who had apologized and forgave them, no matter what they had done to her. However, when she turned to the remaining civilians and shinobi, her blue eyes flashed red and promised pain for those who had dared hurt her.
After glaring at the 'bad' side of Konoha and releasing the largest amount of killing intent she could (rivaling Kyuubi's earlier intent), she turned back to the 'good' side and grinned happily.
"Hiruzen, I wish to train the child until she is able to take the genin test at age 12, in seven years time. I would take her traveling through all of the main Hidden Villages as to expose her to different cultures. Is this acceptable to you?" Kyuubi spoke softly, her hopeful eyes locked on Hiruzens.
The Hokage sighed thoughtfully and then nodded. "Hai, that's acceptable. However, may I ask that a jounin accompany you to teach Akemi, as well as to send tri-monthly reports to me on her progress. Hey Anko!" He called over his shoulder and a woman in a trench coat and miniskirt arrived next to Hiruzen.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." She smiled conspiratorially at Akemi, who giggled at Anko's funny face.
"Would you mind accompanying these two for the next seven years? I would mark it down as a long term A-rank mission and you would be payed the appropriate sums." Anko grinned slightly psychopathically and exclaimed, "Don't mind if I do!"
Sarutobi sighed tiredly and smiled softly. "Well, now that that's out of the way, Kyuubi I expect to see you in seven years along with an at least partially alive Akemi, ok? Dismissed." With that, the Hokage swept down the street and the jounin, the demon and the jinchuuriki disappeared in a flash. The crowd dispersed quietly and the village went back to normal, minus one loud blonde-haired exuberant five year old that had filled the village with laughter.
Phewww, that's it! It's done!
Okey-dokey, please review and constructive criticism is needed and accepted!
Random fact#2: I have memorized the first however many digits of pi, again because I got bored. And here they are : 3.
There, another random fact from Snowkissed! Random, huh?
Review, the blue button below needs some love! Please!
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