Waking up in the morning, Naruto was having an off day to say the least. His stomach hurt, now he knew what food poisoning was, and he could tell this wasn't it, instead the pain felt heavy, closer to when he took a heavy beating as a child. Holding his stomach, he limped to the bathroom and got under way, if he hadn't been so tired and in pain, he would have noticed the blood in the toilet. Picking his outfit for the day, another set off kill-me orange, he opened his front door and groaned at the thought of going to training ground three.
Naruto was far from stupid; he would never argue that he wasn't an idiot, but he wasn't stupid, the detail was in the words. An idiot is foolish, while stupid means lack of cognitive function; he knew the difference, proving he right there he wasn't stupid. How stupid other people were however, amazed him, the kill-me orange was brilliant for stealth, when you had a reputation people wouldn't recognize him if they couldn't see the orange.
Entering the training ground, the first thing greeting Naruto was a screeching shout from bubblegum. "NARUTO-BAKA! YOU'RE LATE!" How he had gotten a crush on her kept eluding her, or not, Sakura paid attention, even if all she did was shout and hit him. "By five minutes, so what Kakashi-teme won't be here for another two hours."
Letting out another groan, he dropped to the grass and curled up, it hurt like a motherfucker. Then his statement registered in his brain, he had called Kakashi bastard, something he usually reserved for the Uchiha princess. His thoughts stopped, he was a lot more volatile today than ever before, but also, he realized that Kakashi was seriously screwing with his education much like the teachers at the academy.
"The dobe's right, I'm going to train." Sasuke grunted, and then stalked off with Sakura in tow, screeching about something, Naruto couldn't really focus on it and just groaned painfully again. It really hurt, and he wasn't sure what to do about it, so he just closed his eyes and tried to relax.
"A sewer…?" The words left his mouth as Naruto took in the surroundings, dank concrete walls, and stagnant water reaching his ankles. "…just great." He started walking forward, as he considered how he ended up here, probably some chuunins finding him and wanting him to suffer, tossed him here.
The long tunnel ended and in front of him, Naruto saw a gargantuan iron gate, held closed with a single piece of paper with the word seal. He whistled appreciatively at the sight, the fuinjutsu geek in him dancing for joy. "Now that's something you don't see every day…"
"Damn right it isn't! So my jailor finally deigns to visit me in my prison!" Naruko stared into the darkness of what he presumed to be the cell, and slowly the form of a fox came into view. Well, a foxlike creature, it was red, sure, but it's ears were too long and it had nine tails. Also, it was around five-hundred feet tall. "Kyuubi I presume?"
"Yeah, brat – so what do you want?" The fox was clearly not too happy, and Naruko was only paying half a mind, more interested in the seal on the gate. To the uninitiated, it would look like nothing more than a scribble on faded paper, but to him, he could see how the whole thing was just ingenious. "Not much, not now at least. I wonder if we can get along, anyway, let me do you a favor."
The fox peered at him curiously as Naruko materialized a brush and ink. Then with a few quick strokes, the seal changed. "I see…" He muttered to himself, then with a tight focus of his mind, the world around them shifted. Instead of the dreary dank sewer, they were in a forest, a forest with gargantuan trees. The gate too, had vanished, and instead there was now a collar around the fox' neck. "Wha…?"
"It was too dreary for a prison, I wouldn't want to be locked up in such a place and don't think anyone deserves that, so I changed it. Also, you have direct access to my senses, if you want – entertainment…" The fox looked, stunned. As much as a fox can, but Naruto just smiled, he had long ago guessed that the fourth sealed the fox in him, it really explained much, as it would be impossible to actually kill a chakra creature. "I… – No, thank you, this is nice. Now, how can you be so… relaxed about all this?"
"Simple, I figured it out years ago, a masterful fuinjutsu seal on my stomach, massive chakra reserves, everyone hates me and calls me a demon, or fox brat… How could I not figure it out?" The fox snorted and Naruto just smirked. "True… seriously… you humans are so foolish." He sighed at the words from the fox, human truly could be foolish. "Yes, but I want to believe in them anyway, for the sake of the few that don't reject me."
"How noble…" The fox rolled his eyes, Naruto just smirked, he had another ace up his sleeves. "So dad, will you be my friend?" The massive fox scoffed at him before suddenly coughing. "WHAT!?" He chuckled at the bewildered expression on the fox, this was fun, he had confirmed many thing today, amongst those that the biju weren't inherently evil, and they were intelligent. "See the whisker marks? They were there when I was born, right… so that means I inherited them from one of my parents, right… they're quite distinctive, so if anyone else had them, I would have found out by now, right…"
The fox coughed and sputtered as the implications set in, and even his fur seemed to pale in response. "I… I–I'm a father?" Naruto nodded, he had reached that conclusion years ago, and come to accept it, it wasn't bad, it meant he might have a chance to meet at least one of his parents. "I…" the fox looked at him sadly. "I am sorry, I killed your mother."
Again, Naruto wasn't surprised, something must have gone horribly wrong that night, hopefully the fox could fill in the blanks. "I figured, would you tell me what happened that night?" The fox nodded, and seemed to relax a little. "Your mother, my previous jailor, well during childbirth the seal will weaken, a lot, and I tried to escape. Tried, being the operative word, she was way too strong, and the seal was as tight as ever, but then something happened, moments after you were born, just as I was about to give up, I was violently torn from the seal by an outside force."
Naruto nodded, the story seemed reasonable, and the fox continued. "Well, once out, I figured that there was probably a fuinjutsu master nearby, along with two suitable containers as well, so I did the only thing logical, I turned to flee. Then, he was there, the worst man I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, Uchiha Madara, a vile creature, wearing a ghastly orange mask with a blazing sharingan. He put me in a genjutsu."
Now the story was a bit more implausible, but Naruko couldn't be certain, yet. "Then what happened?" He asked quietly. "He made me believe that my kits were being tormented by the villagers, so I did what any parent would do. I burned the place, searching for them. Now, here's the thing, you're the only child I have, and outside of mixing through a seal like that, biju can't have children, so… Anyway, the genjutsu was suddenly broken, and I turned to leave, again, when I was suddenly being sealed, seeing the vessel defenseless I tried to kill it to prevent the sealing, but your parents got in the way, taking the hit meant for you."
"I believe you, you seem to be reasonable, so I will trust your word." Naruto looked at the fox as he sighed in relief. "Thank you. Do you have any other questions?" He smiled at the fox, before moving on. "Yes, a few. What is your name?" The fox looked at him and chuckled. "I have never given my name to a human before, it is fitting that my child is the first to learn it. It's Kurama."
"Kurama…" Naruto formed the word slowly, it had a nice ring to it he decided. "...it's nice. So, Kurama, do you have any questions?" Kurama just shook his massive head. "Then my second question, do you know why my body is acting up, usually you'd heal anything quickly, but today I woke up feeling like crap." The fox tilted his head in wonder at the question, before having an eureka moment. "Welcome to puberty, kit, it sucks to be girl."
Naruto scrunched his face at that, now granted there were classes he didn't pay much attention to, but still basic anatomy said that boys had a penis and girls didn't, and he was damn certain that the piece meat between his legs was a penis; certainly on the small side, but a penis nonetheless. "Kurama, I am fairly certain that girls don't have a penis, since I have one, it would instantly remove the possibility of being a girl."
The fox sent out a pulse of chakra then chuckled, after a few seconds it turned into a full on laugh as he rolled around in the grass. "Sorry… oh that's precious, sorry… my fault for not noticing kit, you're a girl, with all the bits and pieces for it, you can get pregnant now by the way, but due to my influence you're also a guy, you can get other girls pregnant as well. Anyway, once a month you will feel like this, you will also bleed from your vagina, that's all I know, so seek out a human."
Naruto nodded, this was quite the news, and he wondered what he would look like when he grew up. As if the fox could read his thoughts, it answered. "You'll look female, that was your initial gender, the boy aspects are just additions, also, I have two gifts for you, my daughter, a way for you to escape the hatred, and a name from your father that was never consulted, if you want it."
Naruto woke up with another groan just as Kakashi appeared in front of team 7. Sitting up slowly, he noticed that Kurama was helping him manage the pain, though just barely. "Alright team, for the morning exercise, Sakura, you need to work on your reserves, so tree climb until you drop, and Naruto you need better control, tree climb while holding a leaf. I'll train Sasuke in use of the sharingan." With that, Kakashi led Sasuke away.
A low growl escaped Naruto's throat as he watched Kakashi give special treatment to the Uchiha, again. Usually he would take it, believing that their sensei knew what was best for them, but somehow, he knew, the man wasn't teaching them because he favored the princess. Huffing, he stood up, and stalked away.
"NARUTO-BAKA! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" Naruto groaned at the volume of her voice, and a voice rang out in his mind. 'Make her turn down the volume, or I'll go deaf, please!' It was a rather novel experience to have someone talking to you in your mind. 'I lived with it for six years, if I could I would.' He mentally replied. "Away from here, Sakura. If you haven't figured it out by now, then let me clue you in. To find a REAL teacher, I have already mastered the exercise, every day is the same, Kakashi-teme didn't even ask how we were progressing, instead running off with the Uchiha brat. If you want to be a weak disgraceful kunoichi then stay, otherwise, I suggest you find team 8's sensei." Not bothering to wait for a reply, Naruto set off towards the Hokage tower.
Walking along the street, Naruto grumbled, he felt so pathetic, how had he not noticed it until now. Kakashi had taught them nothing, until the middle of the wave mission, an A-rank mission. If nothing had happened then they would likely not be taught anything even now. Lost in thought he didn't notice the woman until he bumped right into her. "Oy! Brat, you made me drop my dango! I hope you're ready to pay for it."
For the rest of his life, Naruto would continue to wonder why he did what he did that day, however he never regretted it, also he would look at it as the defining moment of his life, and the most important.
Looking up, Naruto met the woman's soft brown eyes and for what felt like an eternity, they stared at each other. Then he let out his foxy grin. "Sure, if you can catch me!"
The brat was off before Anko had a chance to grab him, but she too was no slouch and quickly jumped to the rooftops following him. She had heard the whispers from the others, something about the snake bitch and demon brat, and blah, blah, blah, she didn't care, in that instance, the brat was just, she wasn't sure, but she'd have to catch him to find out.
Running from ANBU took more than just stealth, sure Naruto had quite a few tricks in that department, but they wouldn't work unless he initially put some distance between himself and his pursuers. Looking over his shoulder, he could tell the woman was enjoying herself, and while he certainly had the stamina to outrun her if need be; he didn't want to. Seeing his smile, the woman smirked, and launched a barrage of kunai at him, which he nimbly dodged.
'The brat is good, I wonder who his teacher is.' Anko raced across the rooftops, she was out of breath as the chase had already lasted four hours, but it was clear that the brat had energy to spare. She had taken to throwing weapons at him, first kunai, they were big and slow, then shuriken, and finally senbon, she wasn't aiming to kill, just to keep him on his toes. She was enjoying this, she realized, she wondered what Nai-chan would say if she saw her expression right now. 'Time to end it, brat.'
Suddenly a bunch of snakes wrapped themselves around him, and Naruto stumbled. The game was over, and the woman slowly walked up to him. 'That was interesting, kit. However, I'm sorry about…' He suddenly puked as the pain and nausea from his stomach returned. '…this.' Sending a mental shrug to Kurama, he looked up at the woman. "You're good, brat. Tell me, who's your teacher?"
"No one, I never had one." Naruto sighed as truth of the statement hit him, he never had a teacher, Iruka was a teacher at the academy, but he didn't teach him much of anything, and Kakashi was never his teacher to begin with. "I call bullshit, brat. You're a genin so you have to have a jonin-sensei, who?"
"Iruka-sensei in the academy taught me the leaf exercise, the bunshin, the kawarimi, and the henge. Kakashi-teme only ever taught me tree climbing, focusing all his time on the Uchiha princess, so he isn't my teacher." Naruto spat out the words like poison, it felt good to say what he always knew. "You ain't lying to me now?"
"No, I promise, I learned more ninja arts in the academy, than I did under Kakashi-teme." Anko looked the kid closely in his eyes. Kakashi was a well-respected, if tardy, jonin so it didn't match up. Still, she was almost certain he wasn't lying, she wasn't the number two interrogator in Konoha for nothing, she could spot a lie, and besides, the kid had a rep with the jonin, if he makes a promise, he keeps it, always. "Alright, I believe in ya, every jonin knows you keep your promises."
"Really…?" The kid looked at her with an almost pleading expression, it wasn't a good sign, she knew. "Yeah. I believe you. That fool is wasting your talent." The kid smiled, as tears silently left his eyes, Anko understood, he was the only person in Konoha that had it worse than her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please, will you be my teacher?"
"I… don't know if that's good. Umm…" Anko wanted to teach him, she wanted to take him home. Still, she wasn't much better off than him, so it wasn't as if she would be worse off, but rather, he would. Unlike herself, if the kid used violence against the civvies then things could get very bad for him. That was when she spotted the blood, her eyes widened, she knew that she hadn't hit him, but he was bleeding profusely from the abdomen, or slightly lower. "KID! You're bleeding, what happened?"
Before Naruto had a chance to say anything, another wave off dizziness hit him, and his stomach tried to empty itself again. "Kid! What's wrong?" The woman quickly grabbed him, and he shook his head, 'Kurama, five seconds' he pleaded, 'sure' and for a brief moment the pain and nausea cleared. "Hokage office, now."
Anko didn't need to be told twice, she had wanted to head to the hospital, but she figured the old man would know better, and the likelihood of complications was a lot lower. She quickly sped off across the rooftops, towards the tower, and moments later the two of them appeared in the Hokage's office in a shunshin, just in time for the kid to vomit again.
"Jiji – clear the room – privacy seals – keep her – please." Hiruzen was horrified, the child he thought of as a grandson looked to be dying, throwing up in his office, and there were copious amounts of blood coming from his abdomen. 'And worst of all, he said please!' "ANBU clear out!" As soon as he gave the order, he triggered the privacy seals in the office, and watched as they took effect. In that moment, he proved why he was called the god of shinobi, as the air in the room exploded from rushing over. "We're alone, the seals are up, you can talk freely."
"Please, tell him what I told – you…" Anko could tell the kid was gathering the reaming strength he had left, and decided to fill the silence by reporting what the kid had told her. "…I believe him, as your number two interrogator, I am certain it is true. Also, he asked that I teach him… I don't mind but for him… associating with me… would only make his life worse."
"Thank you, Anko-san." Hiruzen was furious, to some extent he had predicted that Kakashi would screw up, but the worst-case scenario had been an exclusive focus on his grandson, as the man in question had asked specifically for him during team assignments. "Disgraceful, I will need to have words with Kakashi, now Naruto, what else did you want to speak about?"
The pain and nausea had receded slightly, and Naruto could focus again. "Jiji, can I trust her? With everything?"
"Yes, Anko understands, she is the second most hated person in the village." The old man smiled and nodded to him, he knew that Anko was loyal to the village and to him, but also, to the kid, he could tell. "Anko, whatever is said and whatever happens is an SSS-rank secret, it must never be spoken of again, unless you have mine, the Third Hokage's, or Naruto's explicit permission." The woman nodded and affirmed the order.
"Jiji, I know about Kyuubi, I have known since I was like five." The look on the old man's face was priceless, and sent Naruto into a giggle fit, which was quickly replaced by groaning as the pain returned. "Seriously? They call me demon, or fox brat, I have a master level fuinjutsu seal on my stomach, massive chakra reserves and zero control, how could I not figure it out? Also the whisker marks, I doubt my parents have them…"
Hiruzen sighed, it really was stupid to think that Naruto wouldn't figure it out, he had always known that the boy was clever, in way similar to a Nara. "Yes, you're the holder of the fox, you are the jailor, not the fox itself." His grandson snorted at this, much to his surprise, he had expected crying, or denial, not this. "I know, Jiji. I met him today, by chance I entered my mind, and we had a long conversation."
"You MET him? Wait, you talked to him?" Naruto nodded. "Yes, on both, well entering my mind, a simple task, of course I would meet him." The old man nodded, conceding that it was a stupid question. "He is nice enough, and trustworthy, he dislikes humans, for sealing him, and using him as a weapon, and he likes the forest I made for him. To the point though, he knows what happened that night, and he told me…"
"Bloody Uchiha. Now I take it that this was just the smallest part of it?" Hiruzen was certainly surprised, but not nearly as much as he should have been, the Uchiha were known as troublesome, as the Nara put it. "Much more, first though, will you let Anko-nee be my sensei?"
Hiruzen considered it for a moment, he didn't mind as such, Naruto trusted her with everything, and he knew that was rare, so he would too; he looked at the woman in question. "Anko?" She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and looked him the eyes. "Hokage-sama, I wish to be the brat's, umm… Naruto Uzumaki's sensei."
"Thank you!" Narito felt like this was the best day of his life, even if it started off on a bad note, and he quickly hugged the woman, Anko. "Anko-nee, you're the best!"
Hiruzen smiled, he could see it, the young woman in front of him had regained some of light that had been gone from her eyes. She needed this, the boy needed this, they were lucky to find each other.
"Now for part two, all the pain and the bleeding stuff…" Naruto blushed, it was rather weird and seriously embarrassing for the boy to explain that he had gotten his period. "Umm…. Anko-nee, it's just that time of month, apparently."
"Darn, I thought you were a boy, sorry brat." She ruffled his hair in apology, but the old man looked a little more surprised. "Naruto, I was there, and I am fairly sure you're a boy…" He shook his head at the statement and sighed. "I'll explain, Jiji – but only if you promise that Naruto Uzumaki is dead!"
The steely gaze from his grandson was enough to give Hiruzen pause. "Why?"
In front of him, Naruto sighed sadly. "Naruto Uzumaki was never treated well by the villagers, you know this. However, I doubt you know the full extent of it. If people knew that the girl Natsuki was really Naruto it would only be a matter of hours before I was raped!" Hiruzen narrowed his gaze, the child in front of him was dead certain, he wasn't guessing, or making assumptions, just stating a fact.
"Aren't you blowing it out of proportions, Naruto?" The moment Hiruzen asked he regretted it, as he saw the look of betrayal on his grandson.
"No, Hokage-sama, I am not." Hiruzen staggered as if slapped, the cold gaze his grandson directed at him, and switching to his proper title. "Currently, because nobody is aware, nobody checks, so I have been reasonably safe from that particular torture. However, until I made genin, I was chased by villagers, and given vicious beatings, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays evenings. My apartment is often broken into, and my possessions are destroyed. Then there's the price gouging, the reason I wear kill-me orange is because no one would be caught dead in this, so the stores will sell me this stuff at the normal price. This black t-shirt, cost me 2,000 ryo, the same for food, replacement furniture, shinobi supplies, everything. Lastly, there are the yearly 'foxhunts', all the villagers take part in it, even the younger generation. Now, do you really think they wouldn't start raping me if they knew I was a girl?"
Anko was furious, she too had experienced those sentiments, the ninja outfitters weren't much of a problem since they had connections, but the ordinary stores would often raise prices, though she could be persuasive with her snakes. During the daytime, her skill kept the villagers from attacking her, and at night, the seals on her apartment did the same, but she knew that if she lowered her guard, the villagers would rape and kill her. "Hokage-sama, either agree or I'll take my student somewhere safe!"
The situation was a lot worse than he had expected, but it also warmed his heart to see that his grandson, granddaughter, he reminded himself, had such a staunch ally. "You are right; I underestimated the situation, which is a horrible thing to do." He quickly walked over to his desk and pulled out some papers.
"Naruto Uzumaki died from complications to injuries sustained during a mission to Wave country." There was a loud thud as Hiruzen stamped the document.
"Thank you, I may not like most people here, but for the few that I can call family, I want to stay."
"Naru– no, Natsuki, do you want me to abolish the law preventing people from telling the younger generation?" Naruto looked at the old man, he was leaving it up to her, though they both knew it wouldn't be as strictly enforced, and people would start breaking it. "Yes, it will show me who my true friends were."
"Very well, I will hold a speech announcing this. Now that this is settled, let us move on, how is it that you're a girl?" Natsuki just rolled her eyes. "No one ever checked properly, yes I have a penis, but the fox always thought I was female, I have both, and they are fully functional, though the boy part seems rather small."
"Ah… yes – it was a rather hectic night, though in hindsight I am pleased with the oversight." Natsuki smirked at this, it was rather funny after all. "Yeah Jiji, thanks for screwing that up, by the way." She snickered, and the old man just shook his head. "Now there are a million little details to go over, first are my birthmarks, the whiskers, I take it that neither the Fourth nor Kushina had them?"
"You knew?" Anko looked between her student and the old man; somehow, she knew that she had just heard something very, very dangerous. "Yes, it wasn't hard to figure out, blond hair, blue eyes… If I'm not a Yamanaka, then there is really only one other option, I sometimes considered painting whiskers on the monument, just to make people shit themselves. However, he had too many enemies, and I don't want Iwa and Kumo running me down."
"Wait, wait, wait! Wait a fucking minute there! You're sayin that the brat here, is the son– daughter of the Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze?" Anko was shaking as she looked between the two of them, they both silently nodded with serious expressions. "Hokage, have you lost your marbles? You want me, of all people, to teach him– her? Also, fuck! What the hell is wrong with this place, hating on his so– daughter like that!"
"The council denied all connection between them that night, and since there are no records of the marriage or the parentage, the story went that his child died that night. Naru– Natsuki, I am sorry, but there is no inheritance from them, I managed to secure the important things, and destroy the personal effects and the house. I didn't want you to walk by your house and see other people living there, or find your baby blankets in a museum. Instead, there's a small memorial park."
"Thanks Jiji, that is for the best. Anko, you are my sensei, as the daughter of the Fourth Hokage, I want the best, and that is you! You stood by me when I was a nothing more than an orphan, prepared to lose your career and your life for me; there is no one better than you!" Natsuki quickly hugged the older woman, she truly was a blessing from the gods, her blessing. "Thanks, brat." "You're welcome, Anko-nee."
After giving the two girls their moment, for five whole minutes, Hiruzen quietly coughed. "Now, with this digression over, can we get on topic?"
"Ah, sure. Where was I? Yes, the birthmarks, did either of my parents have them?" Hiruzen shook his head. "No, they did not, why?" Natsuki smirked. "Yes, but my mother was the container for the Kyuubi before me, all during pregnancy right?" There was a nod. "Well, take a wild stab at whom I inherited the whisker marks from."
"Kyuubi…!" Naruto smirked at the old man's answer. "Correct, the Kyuubi is also my 'parent' in a way, the marks is an inherited trait from him. The fox is also my father, in a way, so I still have one parent, in a way, sadly he's in jail, but I have visitation rights!" She laughed at this, and as the snort from the fox. "In all seriousness though, my dad has a plan, you know how I eat ten times my weight in ramen, daily? Well, it takes a lot to feed a gargantuan fox, he can do a something similar to the Akimichi clan technique to my body, just in reverse. He'll age me by four years or so."
Hiruzen nodded at this, it wasn't unbelievable; jutsu's that involved age regression was always considered a holy grail, though no one had succeeded. "What is the price?" Such things never came for free, he knew. "Forty years." The Uzumaki's were a long lived clan, tough too, the price of ten to one, at best Naruto would live to around his own age, it wasn't that bad.
"You are an Uzumaki, so you would normally live a lot longer, cutting it by forty years shouldn't be too much of a hindrance, you can still reach my age." Natsuki shook her head. "You misunderstand, Jiji, he needs someone to get forty years younger."
At that moment, the pipe dropped from Hiruzen's mouth, he finally understood why the fox was being so honest about everything, it needed an old man for the plan to work, and he was the only one that Natsuki trusted. "You mean I would be twenty-eight again?"
"Yes, Jiji, though your outside won't change much, the inside of your body will. You wouldn't be Jiji anymore, just an oji-san. Hey, if you give an extra year and you'd be my age…" At that Hiruzen laughed, this wasn't a price, but rather a prize, his laugh faded, replaced by a smirk as he considered how badly he could hit his enemies with this. "Jiji, you're kinda scary…"
"Sorry, there are still plenty of enemies for Konoha, I was thinking about how badly it would be for them if my body wasn't old. I agree, now are there any other side effects to this?" Natsuki had shrunk back from the old man, and Anko had her arms protectively over her, a wonderful gesture. "Yes, minor though, I would gain a closer relation to the fox, so some small appearance changes, some natural genjutsu abilities, and a longer lifespan."
"That isn't really a price, now is it?" Natsuki looked her sensei in the eyes, and gave her a quick hug. "No, it isn't, I would still look much the same, just slightly older, however, the natural genjutsu means people won't recognize me as Naruto, unless they know, and actually think about it, people that truly knew me, would see a slight resemblance, but most wouldn't realize it. Oh yeah, I will also be able to fully draw on dad's chakra without any effects, visual or otherwise."
"That is actually scary to think off." Hiruzen nodded, and groaned; today was one of those days were everything sidetracked. "Let's get back on topic. Na-tsuki, I will make sure your knew personnel file is handled, so name, birthday, picture, we need everything done; also, why Natsuki?"
"That was dad, he wasn't in on my naming the first time around, so he figured it was only fair my mother and father were left out this time, it's written as beautiful moon." Both Anko and Hiruzen were stunned at this, it really was a wonderful name, the Kyuubi clearly wasn't monster they thought it was. "That is a wonderful name, brat. Your dad can't be all bad if he gives you such a name." Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "Yes, we have a lot to learn about the Kyuubi it seems."
"Anko-nee, Jiji, back on topic." Natsuki snickered. "Okay, dad and I already went over the details, and have a solid background. Uzumaki Natsuki; female; born September 19; age fifteen; rank genin. Just returning from a B-rank long-term infiltration mission. Or so he says."
Hiruzen nodded, it was plausible, and even without a team, the chuunin exams were could have a spot open for them, with the "death" of one of them. Not bad at all. "So, what else? We covered that Kakashi is not a teacher, that an Uchiha is responsible for the attack twelve years ago, that you're actually a girl, that you're dead, that the Kyuubi is also your dad, and that your age will change, did we miss anything?"
"Hmm… no, nothing major anyway…" Natsuki scratched the back of her head. 'Kit, you forgot to mention the plan for your death, you know, burn the body.' "…Ah, shit. I knew there was something, Jiji, everyone saw how I barged in here, so they'll wonder if there is no body, right? Well, dad has a plan, dubbed burn the corpse, I will release some of his chakra, and you make a huge scorch mark on the carpet, you know for safety."
"Yes, that is plausible, but how about your new form appearing suddenly in an important meeting, how will we explain that?" Natsuki grinned deviously at the old man's question. "Oh, don't worry about that, I'll henge into an ANBU, it'll be fine… natural genjutsu, remember… oh all the pranks, damn it, those days are over now…"
"Are you certain it will work?" Natsuki nodded, once the old man opened the door the ANBU guards would return quickly, however, she figured the chances of an ANBU needing to deliver a report at that moment would be pretty high, besides her dad would help. "Yes, pranking was a way to practice infiltration, stealth, speed, stamina, as well as cunning."
"Oy brat, tell me, are you serious about that?" Anko looked carefully at the girl as she responded, while the pranks were hilarious, it had never crossed anyone's mind that they were also deadly serious shinobi business. "You're seriously going to be a force to be reckoned with soon."
"Thanks Anko-nee; Jiji, thanks for taking care of me for the past twelve years. Now, can I borrow a coat so we can get this show on the road?" Natsuki held out her hand between the two others, she wanted to see which of them would lend her a coat first. Anko shrugged as took off her large coat, and much to most perverts displeasure her boobs aren't visible through the mesh armor since has to wear a proper sports bra for support, it is skin colored though.
Naruko quickly started removing her clothes before Anko draped the coat over her, as she piled the piled it on the bloodstain. Using a water ninjutsu, the old man wet her old t-shirt, and she quickly used it to clean off the blood. "Okay, Jiji, sit on the floor next to me, and take my hand, then dad will begin."
One moment Hiruzen had been sitting on the floor next to his granddaughter, the next he was standing in a sewer. The place was awful, the stagnant water, the foul smell, the cloying darkness. Walking ahead, he spotted light, and as he exited the sewer, he found himself in a forest, with trees thicker than whole city blocks, and taller than he could imagine. Then her heard the conversation, it was faint but he could hear two voices up ahead, one rumbling, and the other loud, and as he stepped around a tree, he spotted the source, his granddaughter, and the Kyuubi.
"Jiji, you're here, dad was just telling me you were coming." Stepping closer, he realized he had crossed from Natsuki's mindscape, and into the seal, the thought terrified him, yet as he could actually detect no malice from the fox, he relaxed. "Yes, I take it that I would need to be here, or perhaps the Kyuubi just wanted to meet me?"
"Both," the gargantuan fox rumbled, "Sarutobi, I wanted to meet you, since after all, you were protecting my kit when I couldn't, so thank you. Also, this allows Natsuki to show you her memories of Kakashi, so you'll know what to do." Humbling, that was the best word Hiruzen had to describe the situation; he knew was in the presence of not a demon, or even a fox, but a creature of divine nature. "It has been my pleasure, Kyuubi, Naru-Natsuki is like a grandchild to me; I just wish I could have done better, but at least I can give her a second chance."
"Good. Natsuki, show the old man your memories, all you have to do is think of the time and place." Following Kurama's instructions, Natsuki thought of the first day of training.
"He's late…" Naruto said in an annoyed toned. Time passed as the genin waited, until finally two hours later, their jonin instructor showed up. "YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison, as Kakashi gave one of his lame excuses, before sending them off to the mission desk for a D-rank. After the mission was done, Kakashi disappeared with shunshin, leaving his genin team behind. The scene repeated itself, fifty times, with no real variation, until finally the team was granted a C-rank.
"Team, today you will be learning the tree climbing exercise…" Kakashi made a quick demonstration, telling them to control their chakra and mark their progress with a kunai. The genin were left behind on their own as they struggled, Naruto and Sasuke in a close race, and Sakura already finished, sitting on the sidelines. The scene repeated itself until finally both of the students were sitting at the top of the tree.
Team 7 was back in the training field as Kakashi appeared in front of them. Again Sakura and Naruto shouted for his tardiness, and again he gave a lame excuse. "Alright team, for the morning exercise, Sakura, you need to work on your reserves, so tree climb until you drop, and Naruto you need better control, tree climb while holding a leaf. I'll train Sasuke in use of the sharingan." With that, Kakashi led Sasuke away as the two genin started their training, and at lunch, Kakashi returned with Sasuke and dismissed them. The scene kept repeating itself, with the only noticeable variation being the excuse Kakashi gave.
"UNACCEPTABLE!" Hiruzen boomed, as he watched the replay for the last time, he had a lot of faith in his jonin instructors, and expected them to at least do a minimum of training, even his lazy son was better than this. "HATAKE KAKASHI – I WILL HAVE YOUR HIDE!"
After the old man finally calmed down, and stopped cursing out the copycat ninja, an action that taught Natsuki quite a new additions to her already extensive vocabulary, Kurama cut in. "Sarutobi, I recognize that eye, your pathetic excuse for an instructor has the companion eye for the one used that night. Furthermore, it was still in its original Uchiha as well, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to put me under."
Hiruzen stopped his scowling, and his face took on a grim expression. "That is impossible, Obito died in a rockslide, his eye crushed." The fox hummed. "Are you certain, did you ever verify this?" It was at that moment the old man froze, and his face turned bitter. "Kids in a warzone, we should never have allowed it, no, we trusted Kakashi's report, and the Yamanaka's checked his mind as the Uchiha clan tried to retake the eye. Certainly he was at deaths door, and when we returned the heavy rain had caused a landslide entombing the body."
"Convenient." With just that one word, Hiruzen's view of events shattered. Kakashi had been unstable after that, and often spoke to Obito's gravestone, even talking about things he shouldn't. "Natsuki, I am sorry to inform you, but it is likely that Hatake Kakashi holds responsibility in the death of your parents. For now, I hope you will leave the punishment to me, as there are more forces at play, and he still holds value."
Natsuki nodded, silent, as she thought of a memory. They were back at training ground, in front of the memorial stone, watching, as Kakashi gave Naruto a strange look. At the time, she hadn't been able to identify it, but now, she could tell it was guilt, guilt and pity.
"Keep that bastard away from my daughter, or better yet, give him to me!" Kurama rumbled, making the old man flinch. Natsuki was conflicted, she still held the memories and feelings of Kakashi when she believed him to be a good instructor, but now, she wasn't certain anymore, of what he truly was to her, though one word kept popping up. "…traitor…"
Hiruzen caught the nearly whispered word, and decided to correct her; she would not walk the path of vengeance if he could help it, not with a new lease on life. "No, stupid brat that had no business in the Shinobi forces, a mentally unstable man that should be in an institution, but not a traitor. Your father gave him the information, and knew he might speak to Obito's gravestone; he needs a punishment for what he did, certainly, but you shouldn't seek vengeance, his blood isn't worth dirtying your hands."
"Kit, the old man is right, don't dirty your hands with that idiots blood, he is not a traitor, just a sad mentally unstable human. You can just as well blame your father then, he knew the man was unstable, but still told him where the birth would take place. He also made a second terrible mistake, if he had sealed me in your mother, both of them would likely have been alive now."
After a long pause, Natsuki sighed, they were right, vengeance wouldn't be the answer, not for things long in the past that she knew nothing of. Still, she needed time, time to cool down, and not see his ugly mug, or she might snap. "Fine, but I can't guarantee his safety if I see him any time soon."
"That is all I can hope for." Hiruzen said quietly.
Anko watched in amazement as her new student changed in front of her. The moment she had taken the Thirds hand, the change had started, and by now her breasts were starting to fill out, and her hair had grown longer gaining a reddish tint. Her height had changed as well, before she had barely cleared four foot eight, short for a twelve year old, and likely due to malnutrition. Now she was nearing Anko in height, having grown almost five inches in the span of half an hour.
Then there was the Hokage, although the visual differences weren't as noticeable, she could tell his skin was getting stronger, along with his bones, and his muscles. If she hadn't been there to see it, she wouldn't notice, but the small changes were enough to confirm he was growing younger, as weird as it sounds. The Third Hokage would likely rule for quite a while longer.
Turning her attention back to the girl, who by know had reached a small but clearly present B-cup in her estimate, Anko decided to peek a bit at the claimed small penis, purely for academic purposes, of course. "Yup, it's small." She couldn't say much more about it, from her knowledge of anatomy she knew it was long enough to perform its intended function, but it was still small enough to stay out of sight even if Natsuki wore a short skirt or tight shorts. Interestingly she noticed a distinct lack of attachments, which should be there for functionality, though of course with the Kyuubi in the mix, common anatomy might as well go out the window.
"Who you calling small, Anko-nee?" For a quick second Anko blushed, before her face returned to its instinctive smirk state. "Nothing brat, just academic curiosity, that is all." She really shouldn't be ogling her student, she knew it was wrong, and stepping any further, and she would be too much like Orochimaru, an unpleasant thought.
"Anko-san, let us get on with it shall we?" Anko watched in amazement as the old man moved about with renewed vigor, then it hit her, the old man was physically her age, with at least three times the experience, and Kage level chakra reserves, that were quickly increasing at the moment. Even compared to the biju her student held, the old man might just be the more dangerous of the two.
Hiruzen quickly got underway forging the necessary paperwork, something which he did regularly when handling espionage missions, and took out a new hitai-ate for Natsuki. "Congratulations, Uzumaki Natsuki, for making genin, soon you'll be placed with a team for the chuunin exams, and I expect that you will pass."
With a grin Natsuki accepted the new hitai-ate, and quickly tied the black cloth. "Looks good, brat."
"Thanks Anko-nee, Thank you Hokage-sama-Jiji. Now where should I hide for a month or so, just you know, I don't want to be around when the villagers start shooting off fireworks to celebrate my death." For a moment all three pondered this, until Anko hit on something. "How about training ground forty-four! No one is there at the moment, and I am the designated caretaker anyway, it's perfect!"
Hiruzen paled at the idea, the place was a deathtrap, not the worst of the training grounds, but certainly no picnic either, even for jonin, Mitarashi Anko excluded. Then he saw something that drained all the color from his face, Natsuki was nodding and agreeing with the idea. "That's brilliant, it's safe, secure, and out of the way, besides I usually go there to train on my own, so I know the place."
Pocketing a kunai and an empty scroll from the old man, Natsuki henged into an ANBU shinobi, with short dark hair and cat mask, as she got into position. The moment the seals were lifted, several ANBU shunshined into the office, and she did same, though from just across the room. Pulling out the scroll from her fake clothes, she perfectly mimicked real ANBU. "Hokage-sama, report on blue-snake." The old man took the scroll and quickly dismissed her.
Natsuki quickly shunshined out of the room, and raced to her apartment, there were only a few possessions she was interested in keeping, only one item stood out, the photo of team 7. A dirty tainted memory, now that she had realized, the truth about Kakashi, but still an important one, her only photo of Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan, the only photo of anyone.