AN: Well, here's another story started. This one just hung around in my head for several days, never leaving, never stopping its constant flogging of my mind to type this out. Some of this will have some elements of Final Fantasy VII, which is my all time favorite game, and an element from Advent Children, which I haven't seen yet, but plan on if I get the chance. I doubt any actual characters from the game will make an apperance, maybe their names, but that might be it. This will be an AU, obviously. I'm probably going to have trouble keeping everyone in character with this, but I'll try.
I'm not totally giving up on my other story. It's just that the muse hasn't dropped by (She never calls, never writes).
I haven't decided if there will be any pairings for this. We'll just see as we go along. Again, I'll update when I have a new chapter up and running, whenever that will be.
Questions, comments, constuctive criticism, and observations are welcomed. Flames will be disregarded and feed to Cerberus.
Enjoy.
"Speech" , 'Thoughts'
The morning sunlight shone brightly through the blinds and into a small bedroom. A small, uncomfortable looking bed sat right under the window, allowing a blonde haired boy to receive a face full of bright light. Groaning, the boy buried his head under a pillow, trying in vain to stay asleep. After five minutes, the child gave up and slowly sat up, yawning as he does so.
The child rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he made his way out of his small bedroom and into a small kitchen. Opening one of the cupboards, he pulled out a box of dry cereal and a bowl. He poured the contents into the bowl, then placed the box back into the cupboard. He shuffled his feet to the refrigerator, opened it, and pulled out a carton of milk. After he poured the milk and grabbed a spoon, the kid trudged to a small table, sat down with his cereal, and slowly ate it, crunching away contently. Once finished, he washed his bowl out and placed it back into the cupboard for later.
A soft rapping noise was emitted from his door. The child slowly staggered to the door, his blue eyes half closed. He opened it and was greeted by the sight of a man in his fifties with white hair and a white goatee. He wore ceremonial robes and a straw hat, with the kanji "fire" painted on the front of it. The man gave a warm smile as he looked at the child.
"Good morning, Naruto-kun." the man said, his smile never wavering.
"Ojii-san!" Uzumaki Naruto shouted. It was like a switch was flipped inside the boy. Seconds earlier, he was half asleep. Now, he looked like he was on the mother of all sugar highs. "Did you come to teach me an awesome jutsu?" asked Naruto, bouncing in place.
The man, Konoha's Sandaime Hokage, chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Not today, Naruto-kun. I've just came by to see how you were doing." replied the Hokage, patting Naruto on his head. "Mind if I come in?"
"No problem!" the boy said, practically dragging the village leader inside. Naruto then ran to the kitchen where he grabbed an empty glass and filled it with water. Once Naruto returned to the living room, the Sandaime was sitting on an old couch, his hat laying on a coffee table in front of him.
"Here, Ojii-san!" Naruto said, handing the glass over to Sarutobi. The village leader nodded in thanks and took a sip from it.
"I have a gift for you, Naruto-kun." the Sandaime said, smiling.
"What is it, Ojii-san?" Naruto shouted, jumping in place. "Is it an ultra cool sword? An unbeatable jutsu?" Naruto rambled on, guessing what his gift was.
"Calm down, Naruto-kun." the old man said, chuckling at the blonde's antics. "I've enrolled you into the academy. That means you'll be one step closer to becoming the Hokage."
Naruto stopped and blinked at the Sandaime for a few seconds, then let out a cry of happiness, jumping up and down more. He then launched himself at Sarutobi, latching on to his stomach.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Naruto repeated over and over.
"As much as I like to say and celebrate with you, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said as he stood up, placing his Hokage hat on, "I'm afraid that the paperwork won't do itself."
For the briefest of moments, Naruto looked depressed. But as quick as it came on, it was over, replaced by a giant, fox like smile. "Okay, Ojii-san! We'll do that later!"
Naruto lead the village leader to the door, and after exchanging goodbyes, he closed the door. Naruto stood there for a few seconds until something dawned on him.
"Oi! I need to get some supplies for my classes!" he shouted. Turning on a heel, the blonde ran to his bedroom where he kept his money, given to him by the Hokage as allowance, as well as birthday gifts. After he got dresses in an orange jumpsuit, the only clothes he had besides his pajamas, Naruto ran out of his apartment towards a local shop.
Naruto glared angrily at an elderly man standing in the doorway to a shop. The man returned the glare, overflowing with hate and malice.
"Why the Hell won't you let me in, Ojii-teme!" the blonde shouted angrily.
"Like I would allow my establishment to be soiled by the likes of you, demon." the man growled.
"I see no reason for a little child to be called such a name." a calm, masculine voice spoke behind the blonde.
Naruto, seeing the surprised look on the shopkeeper's face, quickly whirled around. He found himself looking up, wait up, just to see the stranger's face. And even then, it was completely hidden from view by an extraordinarily large straw hat.
The eight foot tall man couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's expression, a mix if shock and curiosity. The stranger's body was hidden with a jet black cloak with various images of dragons stitched in red. Out from the cloak came a large hand, which gently patted the child on his head.
"Ya-Ya-Yamamoto-sama!" the exasperated shopkeeper stuttered, then gave a short bow. "It is an honor to meet you!"
The giant waved the comment off with the same hand he patted Naruto. "I see no harm in letting a child walk into this place." Yamamoto said.
"But, but, but," the elderly man stammered, still in shock over seeing the giant.
"No 'buts'." Yamamoto growled. "Child, come."
The shopkeeper stepped aside to allow Yamamoto and Naruto inside. Naruto turned to the man and made a face at him, sticking his tongue out for effect. The man's face turned red with anger, but kept himself in control..
"Child," Yamamoto stopped and looked down at Naruto, "where are your parents?"
Naruto looked down, sadness evident on his face. "I don't have any."
The giant nodded. "I see."
The two separated to get what they want. Yamamoto decided to keep within earshot of Naruto, in case of any more trouble.
'Those are some strange marks on his face.' the large man thought, grabbing a can of corn. 'And I can sense an odd aurora around him. Better keep an eye on him.'
Naruto grabbed some pencils and a notebook, as well as a few other miscellaneous items. He then walked up to the cashier and laid his items out, with Yamamoto behind him, several cans and a canteen in his large hands.
"That'll be 30,000 ryu." the cashier said.
"Nani! That's more that what I have!" the blonde child shouted.
"Excuse me," Yamamoto said, catching the two's attention, "I believe your math is wrong. That should be 1,200 ryo, not 30,000."
"No, the math's right." the man said, glaring hatefully at Naruto.
Yamamoto redid the math in his mind, still coming up with 1,200 ryo. "I can't see any justification of overcharging a child." he said calmly, if not with a bit of impatience.
"That," the clerk pointed a finger to Naruto, "is a spawn of Hell disguised as a child."
Yamamoto looked down at the child, hurt placed on Naruto's face. Yamamoto placed his groceries onto a nearby counter. Without warning, his massive hand launched out, gripping the clerk by the neck and lifting him three off the ground.
"I see no reason to justify your baseless accusation, nor your gross treatment of the child." Yamamoto's voice had a hard edge to it. "Let the poor child pay the correct price, then let him be." He then dropped the man back to the floor. The clerk scurried back behind the counter, taking the boy's 1,200 ryo for the items.
"Good." the giant said, paying for his items.
Both exited the store, with Naruto returning to his apartment and Yamamoto heading in the opposite direction.
"Oi, Kyojin-san!" Naruto called out to Yamamoto, who turned around and looked at him. Naruto then walked up to the man, looking straight up at the hidden face. "Why did you do that? You could have gotten in trouble!"
Yamamoto waved a hand lazily at Naruto. "I didn't want to see you get ripped off, Child."
"It's Naruto!" the blonde shouted, not liking being called a child.
"Apologies, Naruto-kun." Yamamoto chuckled at the boy. 'He sure does remind me of myself when I was his age.'
A glint of light caught Naruto's eye. Turning his head, he saw several kunai flying towards him. He shut his eyes, throwing his arms up in a vain attempt at blocking the weapons. Naruto heard several clangs, like metal hitting metal. He opened one eye, looking at the scene in front of him, which caused both eyes to widen exponentially.
Yamamoto managed to shield the blonde with a very large zanbatou, or more accurately, a giant meat cleaver. The weapon was at least three feet in width and about six feet in length. A large, circular shape hole was carved out of the trailing edge of the blade, probably in an effort to reduce the weight. The handle to the weapon looked to be about two feet in length with leather wrappings around it. Naruto couldn't help but gape at the large weapon.
"Show yourself." Yamamoto commanded.
Out stepped a chuunin, judging by his age and vest. He looked to be in his mid-forties, his hitai-ate tied around his right arm. He had many scars on his face, signs of hard fought battles. His left arm held a shuriken, ready to throw.
"So, one of the legendary Raikou no Sankenkaku (Three Swordsmen of Lightning) decides to side with a monster." the unidentified chuunin sneered, lifting the shuriken in a throwing position.
'What is with these people and this child?' Yamamoto thought, keeping his weapon in front of Naruto. 'They act like he destroyed half the village.'
"Die, demon fox!" the man yelled as he ran at the two.
Before Yamamoto could react, the chuunin's head was sent flying off of his neck, blood gushing from the stump. The giant turned his head to an ANBU, still holding its katana.
"Thanks." said Yamamoto. "But why kill him?"
"Can't tell you." the ninja replied, sheathing its weapon. "Foreigners are usually not allowed weapons within the village, but I will overlook that transgression. Put your weapon away, give it to me, or leave."
"Eh, I'm on my way out anyways." replied the large man, strapping the oversized meat cleaver to his back. "Take care, Naruto-kun." Yamamoto then began walking towards the northern gate.
"Thanks Kyojin-san!" Naruto shouted, waving at the retreating figure, who replied with a lazy wave.
Naruto sat atop of the Hokage Monument, contemplating his life. After his near death experience, he began thinking about just leaving the village.
'The only person who cares about me is Ojii-san.' the blonde thought depressively.
Naruto stood up and stalked away from the monument, going where ever his feet took him. Before long, he was in a dense forest on a very narrow path. He then stopped and stomped his foot.
"I've had enough of this shit!" Naruto yelled into the sky, causing several birds to take flight. The ground began to crumble beneath his feet, and before he could react, he plunged a dozen feet below the surface. He was knocked unconscious upon landing.
It was night time when the blonde boy came too.
"Dammit! I can't see a thing!" he shouted, looking around. Seven dim, pulsating light blue lights caught his attention. Feeling compelled, Naruto began walking towards the lights. He rounded several bends, the light getting brighter and brighter. Before long, the blonde came to the source of the eerie light.
A large broadsword was embedded in a rock, surrounded by five other, slightly smaller swords. Two had serrated edges, two looked like switchblades, and one looked normal, except the handle was surrounded by the blade. Naruto walked up to the embedded broadsword and examined it.
The sword looked to be about seven feet long, the blade making up about six feet of it. The hand guard was diamond shaped with various pivot points inside of it. A seam ran along the flat of the blade, from top all the way to the base. Without thought, Naruto grabbed the handle and pulled the weapon free surprisingly easy. It wasn't light, but it was heavy enough where the boy had to set it down after a few seconds. Leaving the sword where he laid it, Naruto examined the second one.
This sword, to the blonde's surprise, was hollowed out, even the handle. The entire weapon was six feet in length and looked like a it could fix on the broadsword. Grabbing the handle, the blonde also pulled it out. Because of it was hollowed out, it was lighter for the blonde to wield it without too much trouble, but would need to build muscle to use it effectively. He then turned his attention to the serrated blades.
The serrated weapons had square notched cut out of them, giving them a bit of a menacing look. Their overall length was a bit longer than the hollowed sword. They looked fairly heavy to the blonde and decided not to try to pull them out and risk slicing himself open.
The switchblades were far shorter and easier for the blonde to pull out. A pivot point at the base of the blade allowed the handle to flip a full one-eighty and rest behind the weapon. He figured he could use these weapons until he could get the strength need to wield all of the swords.
'Wait, when did I think I wanted to take all of the swords?' the blonde thought, surprised at himself. 'Wonder who put them here?'
"I see you found the Ichijiken (First Blade), Naruto-kun." came a vaguely familiar voice. Naruto spun around and searched for the speaker.
Yamamoto stood before the blonde boy, a torch blazing away. Even with the light, Naruto couldn't see his face, despite the face the flame was right next to it.
"You know what these weapons are?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. I know all about them." replied Yamamoto. "I've been searching for these for a long time."
"Wait, how did you find me?" Naruto asked.
"I heard you shouting about not seeing a damn thing." deadpanned the giant.
"So, what are these exactly?" the blonde asked, waving his hand over towards the swords.
"Those swords can be combined to form a bigger, more powerful weapon, Naruto-kun." Yamamoto said, walking over towards the embedded serrated blades.
"These," he said, placing his free hand on one of the handles, "are the Gizagizaken (Serrated Blade)." Yamamoto then tried to pull it out, failing in the attempt.
'What the Hell?' the giant man thought, straining to free the weapon. His eyes landed on the boy, one of the switchblades in his hands. 'Holy Hell, are these weapons sentient?'
"What's wrong, Kyojin-san?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to one side.
"Did you pull that one out by yourself?" Yamamoto asked, pointing at the sword in Naruto's hand. He nodded.
"I'll be damned," Yamamoto said, walking over to Naruto. Kneeling down, the giant looked directly into the blonde's eyes, chuckling slightly. "I believe you might have been chosen to wield the Ichijiken."
"Nani!" the boy shouted, eyes wide. "You mean these swords are mine!"
"Yes, they are yours." Yamamoto replied. "Though, you may need some time to bulk up on muscles to be able to hold the completed weapon."
"Teach me!" Naruto demanded, catching the normally stoic man off-guard.
"Why?" Yamamoto asked, confusion evident in his voice.
"Nobody here cares about me." Naruto said, looking down. "They kicked me out of the orphanage after my fifth birthday. Ojii-san managed to get an apartment for me, but the landlord keeps upping my rent and occasionally shuts off my water and lights."
"I don't know," the man said, "I train my student to the brink of exhaustion and further, and they are usually too tired the next day to handle a senbon needle."
"As long as I grow stronger, I don't care what you do!" Naruto yelled.
After a few minutes of thought, Yamamoto sighed. "Very well, Naruto-kun. I'll train you."
Naruto began jumping up and down celebrating, only to stop when Yamamoto grabbed the arm holding the switchblade.
"First, let's seal these swords in scrolls before you hurt yourself."
Later that night, Yamamoto and Naruto quietly left Konoha, the Ichijiken sealed inside of scrolls. Naruto turned his head to the shrinking village gates, one thought racing through his mind.
'I'll show you all wrong, that I am more than a monster.'