AN - A new story in a different fandom. Hope you all enjoy my take on Naruto!
A piercing scream rang out through the night followed by an intense roar. It was time for the Leaf to understand the truth; that it was a village filled with self-righteous liars and hypocrites. It was time for those who took so relentlessly to feel that same loss they were so adept at causing. This was the beginning of a revenge that'd be sweeter than any relationship this place had ever held. Vengeance was the ultimate satisfaction.
"Where is the Yondaime? We need him!" Yelled a blood covered man whose left hand was gripping at a large wound on his right arm. Blood fell on the leaves of the tree he was fighting from. Sadly the wound, unknown to him, would kill him from the residue of the Bijuu's poionous chakra.
"He's getting ready to fight now! We have to stall until he finishes preparing his technique! We can't give up!" A man called back before shooting a ball of fire from his mouth. The man would later be crushed by a swipe of one of the beast's nine massive tails.
None of the defenders of Konoha knew of the true battle waging on. Or that their beloved Hokage would arrive just to bring the beast away with him, that his wife was battling while dying, that his child was in an array for a transference seal designed by his ancestors to seal away immense power, or that the small infant's parents were both pissing off the mastermind behind all of the chaos. No the defenders of Konoha were oblivious to the truth of what was going on behind the scenes.
"Why won't you die?!"
A man with an orange spiral mask ducked and spun away from a thin whip-like chain made of pure chakra while the wounded woman glared at him. Her fierce violet eyes and fiery red hair gave the bloody woman an air of savage ferocity. The blood dripping from her mouth a sign of her internal damages. The destruction of her seal and extraction of the Nine Tailed Fox had given her body a terrible shock. She should have died during the process alone, not counting the actual withdrawl of the Bijuu, but her clan had legendary fortitude.
The man dodged a grasping tendril by leaping into the air as a deafening roar shook the trees. He gave a hidden smirk as a massive black ball of chakra flashed over their heads. His satisfaction turned to dismay when the mighty roaring abruptly cut off. He swiveled his gaze, distracted long enough that he didn't notice the chain coiling around his left arm until they had already teleported.
He appeared near the woman who was now standing beside a man with bright blonde hair and a white coat with a flame design along the edges. The three were dwarfed by the enormous form of a red fox with nine thrashing tails. It was smoking slightly as if struck by a powerful jutsu and getting up from where it had fallen on its side. The man in the mask snarled as the chain binding him remained stuck fast. The man ducked just in time to avoid a second chain that flew over his head. Before he could redistribute his weight the chain already latched onto him slammed him down to his back. The woman called to the blonde man, who had already begun a string of handseals.
The red eye showing through the mask stared at the massive fox as it swiped a paw at the blonde, only for it to be stopped inches from the blonde man's face by several chains wrapping tightly onto its appendage. Quickly others wrapped tightly to its body, forcing it to its belly. The man saw that his chains were connected to those binding the fox and he felt a moment of terror.
He couldn't break the chain or phase between dimensions while linked to another. He couldn't escape. Now Kyuubi's and his fate were linked by the lattice of chains. he saw how he and it were both bound by the power of the former host. All three of them watched as a pale mist came into existence behind the blonde. Slowly it began to come into focus. The masked man barely dared believe what he was seeing.
The Shinigami, pale robes and demonic face was becoming clearer. It grinned at the four locked in combat, raising its purple arm, the loose end of the string of beads it had been holding flew up and circled its arm. The masked man tried to pull away, break free. He only managed a better view of the crucified form rising up in mist before the Shinigami. Suddenly transfixed, he watched the god plunge its beaded hand and arm into the figures back. there was a faint smile on the blonde man's face before he too jerked like the mist figure. The masked man wondered what it had been trying to grab. His heart turned to ice: it had grabbed one end of the chain that the woman must have attatched to him when she bound the Bijuu. He felt the chill air. Death was coming for them all.
There was just one problem. The Uzumaki sealing methods were too powerful. There was no escaping the transference seal. As soon as the God finished slicing away the soul of Minato Namikaze and the physical aspect of Kyuubi's chakra a flash of light, brilliantly burning white, flooded the area. By the time anyone arrived on the scene the four combatants had vanished. All that remained was a blue eyed newborn baby, wailing at the old man in battle armor.
He was unharmed, if not tired from raising defenses and rallying his fellow ninja. He had truly tried to put this life behind him, and Minato was sure to have reigned a long and prosperous tenure as Hokage. The man sighed, gathering up the child. "I see your father made the sacrifice. He was a true hero. And a hero you shall be, little Naruto."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the child a soft smile, and the baby quieted. He had deep blue eyes, the exact same as his father. He knew two things in that moment: even with the three birthmarks across each cheek he was almost an exact replica of his father, which could bring untold trouble down on his young head. Second was that his reputation as the Kyuubi Jinchuriki needed to be kept quiet. He knew this task could be entrusted to no other. With a heavy heart he took the child to make the preparations to return to duty as the Hokage.
Hokage Tower - A quarter hour later
"I was too late," the man who spoke was sitting in the office when Sarutobi arrived, "I failed Minato and Kushina."
"No Jiraiya, this is no more your fault than mine. Coming when you could was all he could've asked for." Sarutobi gently consoled his old pupil. Jiraiya had been Minato's sensei before the third war, and his mentor ever since. He even had inspired the name of the child in Sarutobi's arms. Minato had used the name of the main character in Jiraiya's first novel. It felt like a blow to his gut now. The pain of loss made him serious as he raised his gaze to the child.
"I'm his godfather Sensei, I should take care of him." Jiraiya told him, his soft gaze on the child. He jerked his head up to gaze at Sarutobi when he heard the reply.
"No, Jiraiya."
The Sannin stood abruptly, "Why not Sarutobi-Sensei?" The hard look in his eyes told the Professor that his answer needed to be a damn good one. Sarutobi turned his tired eyes down to the sleeping bundle.
"You are the head of our information network. You have diplomatic status as both a Sannin and a writer. The village needs you Jiraiya, more than little Naruto. I have to retake my station as Hokage and I need someone I trust to check the information networks for plans of attacks in our weakened condition. Besides," Sarutobi raised his eyes in an even look to meet Jiraiya's angry gaze, "you will need to keep his identity a secret. Only you can prevent his lineage from becoming known."
Jiraiya frowned, "You mean Iwa. Look Sensei," Jiraiya started but Sarutobi cut him off.
"No you look Jiraiya!" The third Hokage straightened, his eyes flashing dangerously. "If Iwa were a concern after their heavy losses in the last Great War I'd be shocked. But Kumo has been active in Fire Country, and the rumor you gave me was they were preparing a strike. Not now but in the coming years they will attack. If we fight them on the heels after Kyuubi's attack we will be crushed."
"Good to see you're thinking like a ninja Sarutobi." A dry voice interjected from behind him.
He didn't turn.
"Danzo. Now is not the best time-"
"I disagree, Sarutobi." Danzo said seriously, leaning against his walking stick. They all knew it was unnecessary, a prop for a veteren shinobi to appear weak. Jiraiya ground his teeth, but said nothing.
"I noticed the son of the Yondaime is also our new Jinchuriki." Danzo said plainly. He wasn't here to mince words. "I want him."
"This boy is not a weapon Danzo!" Jiraiya snapped angrily. He knew about ROOT, and what it did to children. It sickened him. It made him think of the three kids he had trained, and what might've been if Danzo had instead. He did not train shinobi, he created weapons whose only gauge of right and wrong was success and failure.
Danzo shrugged, " All shinobi are weapons of their villages. This child has the blood of the Uzumaki Clan as well as Minato Namikaze. He has untold potential. Carrying the Kitsune for his whole life will increase the odds of successful compatibility." He glanced at Jiraiya dismissively, "You have no plan, no ties to this village itself, and an extensive espionage network that requires large amounts of upkeep. I have a training program and a wealth of practical knowledge training shinobi. I also have an unwavering loyalty to Konohagakure. I am best suited to raise and train the Jinchuriki."
Sarutobi shook his head, "All you have proven here today Danzo is that you are incapable of handling this child." He glared darkly at the former candidate for Hokage. The blood between them was not bad, but neither was it water under the bridge. Danzo yearned to rule both the shadows and the light of Konoha. Sarutobi wouldn't stand for it. "Danzo, I hereby forbid you from coming near Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. I won't stand for your methods to be applied to the one who is, even as we speak, saving us from the Fox's wrath. Minato wanted him to be a hero. And I shall at least give him a level playing field. As of now, anyone who releases his status as the Jinchuriki or Minato's legacy will be executed within the day! Even my advisors are forbidden, Danzo." He narrowed his eyes at the bandaged man, who gave him a harsh laugh.
"You need me Saru, far more than I need you. Do not think you can threaten me. Besides, everyone will know soon enough. They saw the flash and disappearance of Kyuubi, they aren't fools. Besides, his face is all they need see." He gave an airy gesture at the whisker-like birthmarks and walked back out.
Jiraiya growled angrily but Sarutobi turned to him next. "I need you to go now and start informational damage control. You must imply the Leaf is coping with minimal losses. Add that out guard and security have tightened. It'll add to the illusion." His former pupil still seemed mutinous. Sarutobi understood his reluctance. Nobody in Konoha remembered the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure, but that was why his mother's name was best. Even abroad, the Uzumaki clan was all but gone. He spoke in a quiet, pleading tone, "Jiraiya I need you. Konoha needs you. Naruto will only benefit from this course of action."
Jiraiya gave a jerk of his head, and then vanished in a whirlwind shunshin. Sarutobi set the child down on the desk. He lay sleeping, oblivious to his status, or his parentage, or what he was going to become.
"I'm going to protect you, Naruto."
Konoha Orphanage - Five Years Later
A child sat in a rundown room on the second floor of a remodeled building. His bright blonde hair stuck up wildly, and his bright blue eyes were staring out of the locked window. The child couldn't leave the room but for bathroom breaks after running away and causing trouble. He only did it so people could see him. He knew pulling tricks on people and making mischief on the adults was a bad thing, but they would ignore him completely if he let them. Negative attention was still recognition.
All his privileges revoked and he was placed under confinement; he still found enjoyment in his situation: watching the people. He saw men building, raising walls for new buildings, and digging holes for posts that would become fences. Saw women going to shops, greeting each other, laughing. Saw children of all ages, running and playing, getting scolded and praised.
He felt lonely, and the only person other than the matron that he had seen for the last few weeks had been the Hokage. He liked the Hokage's visits, he could stop pretending to be mute and illiterate. He could speak rather well, an achievement from the Hokage's visits and tutoring him. He knew better than to show he was smarter than average children. People didn't like him already. The Hokage would talk to him, ask him about his dreams, and talk to him about friendship and the Will of Fire. Sometimes they even ate Ichiraku Ramen! But now he was alone, watching the sunset on the village as the people milled around.
Naruto then smelled something. It was sour and stale, and familiar. He knew what to expect when he turned around. His door was opening. He heard the sound of men swearing - though he didn't understand some of the words he knew what anger sounded like. The door swung in and revealed three men. The reek of sake and beer became even more pronounced, and his sensitive nose and experience putting together what was happening: the men who burst into his room were angry, and they were incredibly drunk.
"Beast!" One man slurred furiously,"You killed my brother! Now I'll kill you!" He struck the child across the face, sending him to the ground. The boy whimpered in fear as blood trickled from his split lip. Sometimes making himself smaller and less of a threat made it end quicker. The drunkards cheered raucously and the first one moved closer.
However before he or his companions could do anything more, two figures appeared in the room. The taller of the two had silver hair that spiked upwards and a Dog mask hiding his face. His partner, slightly shorter, wore his black hair long. A Weasel mask guarded his features. The drunks blinked at their sudden arrival. Then they backed away before turning to run.
"Weasel, you take care of those three. I'll clean up here." Dog ordered. Weasel vanished without a sound. Dog turned to Naruto, "You ok kid?" He really wanted to just take the boy himself, but he was too busy with Black-Ops. He knew he also wasn't the best suited to raise a child, even his beloved sensei's son. He did know what he could do though, and that was watching over the child to keep him alive and safe.
The blue eyes that looked up at Dog were the same blue as the boy's father. He felt a tug in his heart. How can these people not see what is in front of them? But he knew already: Fear. The fear of another rise of the monster. Dog knelt down, glad his mask was covering his simmering anger. How could he not be angry? A scroll doesn't become the kunai sealed inside it. The boy tentatively scooted forward toward him, "Are they gone?" Those blue eyes shone with nervous hope. The ANBU soothingly said, "Yes kid, the bad men are gone."
He looked at the mask and asked, "Dog?" To which the teenager chuckled.
"I'll keep an eye on you kid," He gently wiped the blood away, noticing the flinch when he first touched the child's face. He registered the action and its implication. He slowly lowered his hand. The boy was still wary, but his lips turned up at the corner. Dog gave a mental growl. There'd be hell to pay this time. Sandaime's law was being ignored and this time the culprits were caught in the act.
"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere safe." Dog held out his hand, but the boy gave it a confused look. Dog waited patiently, but Naruto had a different idea.
"Can I see Jiji?" He asked with a serious expression. Dog was surprised, but knew from his rotations on guard duty that he meant the Hokage. That and the boy only considered the Hokage important enough to name. It was endearing, if disrespectful.
Dog nodded and the boy moved to take his hand. The pair vanished in a swirl of leaves. Not three seconds later they were in front of the door to the Hokage. Dog knocked, and with permission he brought the boy in to an audience with Sandaime.
"Jiji!" Naruto cried out, running over to him with a huge smile. His still bleeding lip trickled blood down his chin. The adults didn't miss the poorly hidden relief on Naruto's face. If Sarutobi was surprised, his easy smile and gentle eyes gave the impression he was simply glad to see the blonde bundle of energy.
"Naruto, you seem awfully excited this evening!" The peaceful aura surrounding the man never dissipated as he ruffled the spiky hair of a boy he was quickly coming to consider as a grandson as much as his own Konohamaru.
"Dog brought me to see you!" He bubbled with a laugh that was almost like he hadn't been attacked moments before.
"I see, well I'm happy to you as well." He turned his eyes to the ANBU, watching impassively. Sarutobi knew only one reason that the child would be brought to him by this particular ninja. His smile no longer reached his eyes as a knowing look was shared by the Jonin and the Hokage. It was short, barely a meeting of the eyes, but Dog nodded imperceptibly.
"Naruto, is your lip ok? You seem to be bleeding." The concern in his voice made Naruto smile wider, and he put his arms behind his head.
"Oh this? It's nothing, dattebayo!" Dog, unseen by Naruto, shook his head slightly. Sarutobi smiled and came to a decision.
"You know Naruto, if you intend to enter the academy next month I can arrange for an apartment and monthly allowance for you. You're going to need space to train and for your equipment. A space of your own."
The boy jumped up and down eagerly, his eyes wide, "Really Jiji?! That'd be awesome, dattebayo!"
A chuckling Sarutobi filled out a few papers and handed it to Dog. The top one read:
You're assigned a B rank mission to keep Naruto safe while moving his belongings. This mission will pause for your report when Weasel relieves you. I'll send someone to watch Naruto in the morning. Your two man cell is going to be needed then. All the necessary paperwork for his new apartment and the stipend from the treasury is here, you need only deliver it. This is not uncommon, and the stipend is to be delivered to you. I recognize the inconvenience to you, and as such I will be compensating you accordingly.
Naruto was still chattering about how cool it was to have his own place and how he was going to get even better than the old man. He was so bright and happy, such an optimistic spirit. Both men worried he'd lose that spark, that was something that made them both want to be around him in their world of death.
Neither Dog nor Sarutobi knew that this was something that the energetic blonde was hoping for when he asked the masked ninja to take him to the Hokage. Neither knew that he was a step closer to what he wanted. The boy was saddened that he had basically lied to the only man who cared for him, but he knew that he was also trying to protect the old man. He felt bad using Dog, and he even felt bad for using the abusive villagers' treatment of him. He didn't want people to get hurt. He actually wanted their respect, their recognition, and mostly to be one of them. The desire to prove the Hokage's Will of Fire burned deep in him. He couldn't know that those villagers had broken the secret law. Just as they couldn't know him, not yet anyway.
On Top of Hokage Tower - Next Morning
Three men stood, arms bound behind them, legs shackled to a post situated behind them. The thought of public executions had almost been dismissed. He hated to hurt his own people, but it was on the one issue he would brook no argument on. It was time the people remembered that he ruled the village. He answered to the Daimyo alone. Even then he had a bit of pull. His people didn't believe him capable of upholding his law and he needed to show them otherwise.
It was time to show this old dog's teeth.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, garbed in his official robes and hat, stepped before the crowd of his people. He looked down, a stern gaze leveled upon his civilians and ninja alike. He had ANBU ensure no children were present. He spoke with his aged voice raised, "You people of Konoha have enjoyed three years of peace and prosperity since that awful day five years ago. We came together to rebuild our businesses, our houses, our home. Yet," he paused, and his voice grew accusing, "there is a child who is being ostracized and neglected by his caretakers. There is boy who lives in solitude, locked away."
His voice filled with disappointment, a deep sorrow. "I asked one thing of you: leave the orphan Uzumaki alone. For he is both our salvation and our innocence. He is the last of a family of Konoha citizens who died in the attack. He is no more to blame for what happened that night than any of us. You would harm a child in memory of the day it was born? I thought my village, my family, was better than this. That they would not allow themselves to become slaves of hatred. Who then, is the monster?" Danzo, you leaked the fact he is a container but not his lineage. You are the crafty monster. Sarutobi thought bitterly.
He was joined by Dog and Weasel as he turned to the three imprisoned men. A night with Torture and Interrogations had rendered the three oddly compliant. They knew they broke the law. They had merely used drink to build up courage. They had no remorse. Even attempts to educate on the nature of seals had proven useless. They were going to try again. Unless...
"These men flagrantly broke my decree. They attacked the child. They have been questioned and show no remorse, knowing the penalty of their actions. They believed me too weak to carry out the punishment." His voice hardened like ice, "They shall be an example to all of my authority. They threatened Konoha by attacking the child, for what if the thing they feared came to pass? There are only two ways to release this seal, and one of them requires the boy be killed. The Fox will simply rise from his dead body to destroy us! The penalty is death for such recklessness!"
On cue, Dog stepped forward to the man on the first pole. He struggled weakly, but couldn't stop the ninja placing a hand on his head. Blue cackling lightning arced off the hand and the trapped man's head. His eyes rolled up, his blood began to boil from the high frequency charge. Sarutobi watched the man bite through his tongue before his head simply exploded apart. Blood burst outwards forcefully from the explosion. It splattered across the tiles of the roof, covering both Dog and the man next to the new corpse.
The second man screamed obscenities and insults at the Weasel Masked ANBU who approached. Weasel paused a distance away before going through some hand seals. The man's screams turned to wails of agony as the massive ball of fire consumed him. His death was quick, though compared to the last man. He had struck Naruto, and as such his was the most unpleasant sentence.
Dog stepped up behind him, his lanky frame speckled with blood and gore. A barrel of water stood beside him. The condemned man felt fear prickle up his spine. He stood stock still, his eyes squeezed tightly closed. He never saw the water's grace as it swirled up to Dog's hand, never saw the way the water sparkled in the sunlight. However he felt its cold embrace when it coalesced into an orb that encompassed his head.
His eyes opened and he struggled in panic. The cold bit at him, a thousand spikes jammed into his skin, he was deaf from the pressure in the dome. His vision was blurred and disjointed from the swirling membrane around the sphere made up of chakra laced water. Bubbles escaped his mouth and nose, and he knew he would die. He needed air, and his body reacted automatically, trying to suck in air. Water filled his lungs. He coughed and retched, but nothing changed. Slowly, he drowned standing upright on a roof. A twisted end fitting a twisted man.
The reactions of the crowd were mixed horror and fear. The civilians had never seen such brutality from their beloved Hokage. It seemed the kind old man was not just that. Those who looked away were reminded what being in a ninja village meant. Those who didn't remembered the steel backbone of the Professor. He was a man of peace, love, and sacrifice. But he was also a seasoned veteran shinobi. A man who'd seen two wars, dealt with Kumo only two years before when they came after the Hyuuga, and a man who had reigned over them longer than any other before him or since.
He was not an elected official, he wasn't there because they wanted him. He protected and loved them because he believed in them; their goodness. Some became ashamed, feeling they really had no reason to hate the kid. Others viewed it as a threat, they would adopt a hateful silence. Others renewed their resolve to make the boy miserable. They all agreed on one thing: it was foolish to disobey their leader in this, unless they wanted to suffer the very dire consequences.