Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Gundam SEED and Gundam 00.
Welcome readers, to the Shippuden Next rewrite, titled 'Dimensional Innovation', only I've dropped Bleach as a fourth crossover anime. This time, I have included the characters from Gundam 00 instead of Bleach characters in the Bleach SEED Shippuden Next. There will be major changes in this fic, mostly the shifting of sides and factions, as well as adding some elements that are reminiscent of Turn A Gundam.
Turn One: Of Rouge Nins and Aliens
In the last two thousand years of human history, peace has been established. Humanity has learned the price of its aggression on itself by heeding the warnings of another life form that nearly wiped out their existence. Throughout human history, no one has broken the chains of conflict without having to resort to compile up arms to protect themselves. Even the advances in science in technology have been used for both good and bad purposes. Just as the first humans disobeyed God's command not to eat the forbidden fruit, so sin came into the world through the first murder of Abel. Eventually, human history would be notoriously known for its stench of blood which dominates its drenched pages. Two World Wars haven't steered humanity in the right direction, only the opposite. Even an armed intervention by a group long rumored to be dormant known as Celestial Being couldn't change humanity's old ways, although Celestial Being managed to help broker the peace that flourished for two thousand years. The same principle has applied to a parallel world, unlike any of our own world but with some interesting changes.
However, the events that occured on one side of the world is unmatched by what will happen on another world in which the ELS is currently living. In this kind of world that the other seed that has sprouted now carries an extra burden that labels him as an outcast, unworthy of association. It would certainly have been a tragic end if it wasn't for the fact that one mentor has seen him as human. But now, external forces are out there to make sure that his death will happen if they wish for their vision of a new world would flourish,but one man would make sure that it goes farther than just simple rulership.
The atmosphere surrounding this great, vast land was anything but peaceful. Bloodshed and the sounds of war dominated every single second of the lives of all combatants involved in this new war that had broken out. In the heart of this conflict, a blond haired man and a black haired man charged towards each other, their weapons clashing in the broad daylight. One of them wears the traditional armor of the Uchiha clan while the other man wears the armor of the Senju clan. Their fierce rivalry now boiling up to the surface, and threatening to spill over unless one of them is either dead, or weak enough to be captured. In this case, the goal of one is the death or weakened state of the other. In the distance, another boy watches the fight with curiosity and contempt. He (ees both warriors as pests who should be killed.
So that is Uchiha Sasuke. Grandfather, I shall avenge your death.The boy thought to himself furiously while the battle dragged on. He waited for the right moment to strike, aware of the fact that he wouldn't take this chance to strike should another man intervene before him.
"Just do me a favor and surrender, Naruto. I would like to kill you, but I'm under Madara's orders to take you in," Uchiha Sasuke told his opponent, who simply ignored him. The Uchiha breathed out a gust of flames towards his enemy, but Uzumaki Naruto dodged the attack and replied back by kicking him into the ground. "Not bad. You've certainly changed from that old loser to the most dangerous man I've ever fought."
"I'm fighting for the right reasons, Sasuke. Now that I've seen what you really are, I don't need to consider you as my best friend anymore," Naruto replied back coldly. He gathered some chakra and jumped up before Sasuke could his face, which he blocks it and throws him to the ground. The Uchiha responded by grabbing his legs with a wire and threw him down into the boulder. "I feel the same way."
"Typical of you, Naruto. Tell me, have you discovered your true origins yet?" Sasuke asked back. "Uchiha and Senju clans are determined to fight each other, simply because their ancestors descended from the Rikudo Sennin, and the same Sennin was succeeded by a Senju ancestor instead of an Uchiha."
Naruto ducked in time to dodge Sasuke's foot aiming at his head. "If you mean that the jonin's vest had that swirling shape, and the fact that the Shodaime Hokage's wife was an Uzumaki, then yes I know. My mother told me about it."
"Then it's imperative that we must end this rivalry once and for all," Sasuke replied back solemnly.
In the far distance, a hundred thousand Zetsu clones swarmed towards an encampment where eighty thousand shinobi and samurai warriors were defending the village of Kumogakure. Casualties ran high for both sides, although the defending shinobi's luck started to run out as more casualties piled up on their sides. The observant boy watched continuously as Naruto and Sasuke fought each other fiercely.
"I've grown tired of this charade." Sasuke sighed in disappointment and charges up a Chidori. He begins to spread the rod of lightning throughout the fields as Naruto gathers wind chakra into his palm. "Chidori Stream!"
"Wind Style: Wind Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, but the boy watching the fight decided to jump into the fray and deflect the attacks, causing an explosion. "What was that?"
"Foolish idiot, interrupting our fight," Sasuke snarled furiously. Madara appeared a while later, and it was only a matter of time before the boy who intervened started to fight him. "Pathetic. That boy can't even defeat Madara."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Madara may be strong, but he's way past his prime."
The boy summoned five Shadow Clones and threw a shuriken at Madara, which he easily dodged. Madara was forced to move away from the surging clones led by the real boy as he tried to use the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, but one of the clones blew himself up and created a smokescreen. Madara paused for a moment, waiting for the real copy to attack. Before he could attack, the boy spoke up.
"Uchiha Madara, you're the man who turned my grandfather's killer into one of your goons. Is that right?" the boy asked calmly as he gripped his own kunai.
"Right. I am he, the man who wished to make the world mine. You on the other hand, are either brave or foolish in fighting me," Madara replied back, but the smokescreen vanished to reveal a black haired boy with custom armor and a wakizashi on his hand. "So you're Danzo's grandson. Shimura Naraku."
"Correct, and I am here to avenge the death of my beloved grandfather, and to restore the honor of the Shimura clan, which has been in a constant decline, notably thanks to the Uchiha and Senju clans. The clan that I wish to exterminate however, is the Namikaze clan," Naraku spat back silently as he continued to tighten the grip on his kunai. "Tell me, what ever happened to my grandfather's set of Sharingan eyes that he grabbed for the sake of Konoha?"
"You mean, how he robbed the dead Uchiha of their eyes for his selfish use? Or tell me, did you know that your grandfather was Orochimaru's guinea pig when he decided to mix the kekkei genkai of both Senju and Uchiha clans for the sole purpose of controlling the Kyuubi, or rather, its jinchuuriki," Madara asked back as Naraku turned towards Naruto and Sasuke. Naraku gasped in shock at the sight of the current jinchuuriki in front of him. "Why do you wish to fight me?"
"To restore the honor of the Shimura clan, of course. We're a respected clan who places the way of the shinobi above all else. The Senju and Uchiha clans planted the seeds of dishonor into my clan when they refused to allow my grandfather Danzo to rule Konoha. He was working for our village's best interests," Naraku answered back, eagerly defending the ideals in which he was taught while working as a Root ANBU shinobi. "I was placed under Root to flourish with my grandfather's teachings. He would have been made a perfect Hokage, but the Nidaime had to appoint that bleeding heart Sarutobi Hiruzen as Sandaime. Worse, his successor tried to implement the destructive teachings of equality and humanity into this world. Yes, Namikaze Minato is the man who nearly led Konoha into ruin and would have done so had he lived."
"And yet he died. What can you accomplish should you kill both the jinchuuriki and my new apprentice?" Madara asked back. Naraku laughed and grinned. "You seem to have sunk so low as to defend the actions of your grave robber of a grandfather."
"Do I have to tell you the same thing all over again? In addition, I can kill two birds with one stone and even become Hokage if I wished to. Thanks to that old hag Tsunade, my Root ANBU are now reviled as criminals, hunted down until we're extinct. I won't ally myself with you, the chief creator of chaos. Rather, I shall bring this world under my control," Naraku replied back before he made another handseal, but panted heavily after it was summoned. "Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon Gate!"
"Ugh! You're going to put me in that gate? Good luck with that!" Madara teleported away from the gate as Naraku forced himself to recall the huge gate, but he had to retreat away from the battlefield.
Naruto and Sasuke resumed their fight as soon as Naraku fled from the battlefield and Madara had to retreat back to his hideout. Almost out of chakra, they charge up their final attacks and run towards each other.
"Sasuke, this is for the future of the entire world!"
"Naruto, this is for the Uchiha clan's honor!"
Both attacks collide, but before Naruto and Sasuke land their attacks on each other, the same boy who observed them fight deflected their attacks into the ground and threw them off. Sasuke was the first one to spot the newcomer with contempt as Naruto gasped in shock and surprise at the recognition of a boy who once was their schoolmate in the academy.
"Who the hell are you, and why did you interrupt our fight not once, but twice?" Sasuke sneered, blocking Naraku's kunai strike. Naruto tried to attack Naraku as well, but he too, was blocked by his kunai.
"Don't you remember my grandfather, Danzo? The man you've just killed, and yet you can't remember his grandson?" Naraku sneered back before aiming a kick at the Uchiha's head. Naruto intervened by aiming a Rasengan at Naraku's back, but the Root ANBU agent sidestepped and kicked Naruto aside. "This is why jinchuuriki like you shouldn't be trained well, or else their loyalty to the village they live in would be suspect."
"Easy for you to say. Have you ever been a jinchuuriki before?" Naruto asked back furiously before he and Sasuke stopped engaging Naraku and looked up. "If you haven't been one, then why do you see us as tools, not humans?"
"Because you aren't humans at all! Even when the Rikudo Sennin made himself the first jinchuuriki, he was no longer human. Besides, the way of the shinobi practically destroyed our way of life as humans," Naraku spoke back before he threw another smoke grenade and disappeared. "This isn't the end of me."
Sasuke watched as the renegade Root ANBU shinobi disappeared and noticed a patrol of Konoha jonin approaching him. They surrounded the Uchiha as Kakashi approached him, along with Yamato and Uzuki Yugao. Naruto watched Sasuke anxiously to see what he would do in response to the growing presence of Konoha shinobi, whose aims were to arrest this renegade and bring him to justice.
"Is there anything you would like to say before we take you in for questioning?" Kakashi asked his former student. The one eyed jonin hoped to see some repentance inside the Uchiha heir, but hardly expected it. To their surprise, Sasuke began to speak.
"Yeah. I would like to form a truce with you. A temporary truce." Sasuke offered, but the Konoha shinobi cried out in disapproval at the proposal. "While I go hunt down the grandson of that grave robber. I just killed the man who's also responsible for ordering Itachi to kill every member of the Uchiha clan and brought it close to ruin."
No jonin was anticipating in this proposal, and even Kurenai and the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, arrived a minute later to see the source of commotion. Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji went towards Naruto and helped him up while the remaining Konoha Eleven approached their friends. Although no one had trusted Sasuke for what he's done to the entire world, the fact that the Root ANBU had gone rouge under Danzo's dangerously vengeful grandson had more clout than even dealing with the Akatsuki, which had now been reduced to almost virtually nothing. Finally, Tsunade turned to face Sasuke and spoke back, albeit with a hint of suspicion, as to make sure that he (stuck)stick to his end of the deal.
"All right, Uchiha Sasuke. We'll agree to this minor truce in exchange for giving you a free hand in killing every single Root ANBU. However, once that mission is complete, you will be taken into our custody and be given a fair trial," Tsunade spoke back. Sasuke nodded and disappeared from the view, along with Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo. She then turned towards Naruto and spoke. "Naruto, I know that you'd had a hard time facing your former teammate, but as of now, I am giving you a chance for a promotion to either chunin or jonin."
"Well, I could go for the rank of chunin as I am still a genin," Naruto replied back, but he saw Homura and Koharu walk towards him. He was surprised to see the two elders bow towards him for some odd reason. "Uh...I don't know what to say."
"Uzumaki Naruto. I believed that we owe you something for what you've endured. Like Danzo, we saw you as a tool, not as a human being. Unfortunately, because of our actions, Konoha was nearly destroyed. We would like to thank you for defeating the leader of Akatsuki, Pein," Homura replied back, but Naruto shook his head and smiled.
"Pein was just a front man. Uchiha Madara was the real leader, and it was actually Shimura Naraku who took him out," Naruto answered back, shocking everyone present. "Shimura Naraku wanted to kill both me and Sasuke as atonement for letting Danzo die at Sasuke's hands."
"Hello?" a voice called out. Homura looked back as the Daimyo joined the crowd along with his bodyguards. "I'm sorry for being late."
"That's all right." Koharu nodded. She beckoned for Naruto to follow them into the village where the villagers shouted in jubilation at his arrival. Once they came inside the room designed for the meeting, the elders turned to him.
"Still, there is something that we need to tell you. You must come with us to the Hokage tower to confirm something," Koharu beckoned for Naruto to follow them into the village where the villagers shouted in jubilation at his arrival. Once they came inside the room designed for the meeting, the elders turned to him. "You were once Master Jiraiya's apprentice while he lived. Now that the first generation of the Legendary Sannin are going to fade away, we need three new candidates."
Naruto at first, didn't know what was going on. Why were the elders of Konoha telling him about the fading legacy of the sannin? However, the Fire Daimyo decide to continue the explanation in order to give Naruto a clear picture.
"I understand that you've progressed much, despite the fact that you're still a genin. To reward you for your efforts, we of the Fire Country have decided to give you a spot within the Twelve Shinobi Guardians." the Daimyo proposed, shocking both Naruto and the elders. "As of now, we're five ninja short of the original twelve, meaning that there are only seven shinobi left."
Naruto held up his hand. "I'm sorry. I am tempted with those rewards, but all I am asking is to be commissioned as either chunin or jonin. My skills were above genin-level, and I wasn't promoted at all."
"Due to the circumstances at hand, and the fact that Danzo sought to prevent you from advancing, that was inevitable. As of now, we're going to promote you to Chunin. Only with the destruction of the Root ANBU can we award you with another rank, Naruto," Koharu told him as Homura gave him a scroll. "This is the last will and testament of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato and his wife Uzumaki Kushina. Inside is a prophecy, I'm sure you'll decipher it."
Naruto opened the scroll and immediately began to read its contents. A long letter from his parents dominated the scroll's space, while a short prophecy was inscribed down at the bottom of the page.
The last will and testament of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina:
As I lay down on my bed, weakened after giving birth to a special little baby boy, I knew that my time in this world was fading fast. The Kyuubi has been released by Madara. No doubt he is here to seek revenge on Konoha for scorning him. Naruto, if you are reading this letter, you'll have known your parents by now. Your father made a special seal should you lose your consciousness. Your father would appear in your conscience should you release the seal that held the Kyuubi inside, and I would appear to you should you lose to your inner hatred. You were given the name Uzumaki because the Sandaime wanted to protect you from your father's enemies. Now that you're of age, you can decide whether to accept your father's name or not. On the plus side, the Uzumaki clan married into the Senju clan, which makes Tsunade effectively either your aunt, surrogate mother or your grandmother. (Although please do not call her grandmother as she is sensitive to her appearance.) Anyways, there is a prophecy that appeared from over two thousand years ago. If you can decipher the prophecy, then you are on your way to becoming a very special man.
Uzumaki Kushina
P.S.: Two seeds, brought forth from Humanity's Liaison through the union with the Matriarch of Eternal Peace that we treasure, shall sprout from the ground of conflict. One seed shall sprout to become the inspiration of the world while the other seed shall become the knight who will help the other seed to destroy the distortions of the world, and must prevent humanity from destroying itself or a great tribulation shall come to reap retribution upon us all.
"Hmm...two seeds. Now this is interesting." Naruto told himself as he was led out of the office by the Daimyo himself, eager to find out the mystery of this prophetic riddle.
VEDA CHAMBER
Even after two thousand years, Celestial Being did not really become extinct. They simply helped usher in a peace that reigned for two thousand years. Now that VEDA had predicted another conflict, Tieria Erde wondered if this conflict was related to the prophecy that was written by either one of the genuine Innovators, Setsuna F. Seiei, or the woman whom he fell in love with and bore him two sons in addition to the orphans whom she had adopted after the war with the A-LAWS was over.
"Setsuna, is this conflict? The one that you predicted? A war between two genetically different peoples, should it become a war of extermination?" Tieria wondered to himself in his incorporeal body. "Ever since the ELS turned you into one of them, peace has reigned throughout this world, and you're immortal. Now, VEDA tells me that there will be another war. Is this true? What happened to the peace we had? Is it because humans have created the first coordinator? Whatever it is, they've sown the seeds of conflict and have potentially destroyed whatever peace we have left." He continued to pace around VEDA and came up with an idea. "I'm going to awaken someone to help me. Hixar Fermi, Regene Regetta. Guys, wake up."
No sooner did Tieria gave the order for the two Innovades to wake up from their cryogenic sleep did they actually wake up. After the war with the ELS was over, Tieria and Setsuna had to choose three people to oversee the search for the latter's two seeds, whose descendants could be found with the help of Setsuna's ELS abilities. Being an immortal human/alien hybrid, Setsuna could search for the two seeds and find them easily. However, Tieria wisely decided not to awaken Setsuna up so as to allow the Innovades to roam first. The exception to this order was Fon Spaak, who was also chosen to become the third search party member, albeit he would be the last one to awaken.
"All right, Tieria. What is it? There's no conflict, and Ribbons Almark was permanently erased from VEDA's memory. So why give the order to wake us up?" Regene Regetta asked his twin. "Is it because of Setsuna's prophecy?"
"I believe it's time we start recruiting for new generation of Gundam Meisters. Now that the other two are long dead and one of them is already assigned to the 00 QanT, we're gonna need three new Meisters. I can already commission myself into the ranks, but we need new Gundams too. Two thousand years of preparation should have allowed us to build four Gundams quickly, and from scratch too," Tieria told Regene and Hixar. "Although the Federation has gained access to the GRM and 1(pronounced Ai) Gundams, they have yet to regain their ability to build GN Drives, most notably because the ELS had destroyed them in the Reconstruction War."
"A pity really, but those aliens have graciously left off a few GN Tau Drives so that when the right time comes, it will be acquired again. Not like what Ribbons and Alejandro Corner did," Hixar replied back. He waited for a moment until Tieria started to explain the mission. "Although there was a GN Drive that emitted violet particles, presumably from the aliens' assimilated mobile suits."
"We need new Meisters. One or two can come in from the ELS's home world, and the other one can come from here. If I am correct, the gateway to the ELS's home world is located in the assimilated Jupiter moon Europa," Tieria explained. He waited for Hixar and Regene to dress up so they can start their journey. "Good luck to your travels."
"No need." Regene and Hixar left the VEDA chamber and boarded a shuttle, no doubt headed towards the ELS's home world through the gateway. "Hixar, it seems to me that we should commence the search for Setsuna F. Seiei's two lost seeds."
"Of course. The first location would have to be where the ELS resides," Hixar replied back as the shuttle approached the portal. The ELS aliens, resembling GN Fangs of jumbo size, allowed them to enter their home world and teleported them into their home world. Regene was shocked to see that the ELS's world was just an ocean away from another world, and(,) to their surprise, there were humans who resided in that world, but oblivious to the presence of the aliens. "Regene, it begins."
"The search for the new Meisters has begun."
UNKNOWN HIDEOUT
Yakushi Kabuto just barely escaped the clutches of death as soon as the Root ANBU started to swarm around the new Akatsuki base. Hearing about Madara's near demise at the hands of an unknown stranger, Kabuto investigated the disappearance, hoping to find the culprit and kill that person before he or she killed him next. Just as Kabuto was about to go inside the hideout, Naraku appeared behind him.
"So...Yakushi Kabuto, former subordinate to Orochimaru of Otogakure, right?" Naraku asked serenely. Kabuto smirked at the appearance of the newcomer, believing he wasn't the one who was responsible for Madara's disappearance. "I'm here to join forces."
"Really? The fact that you've attacked Sasuke just to settle your grudge against him for Danzo's death seems to be so strange. You've also attacked Naruto, right?" Kabuto asked curiously before Naraku teleported close to him. "What's the hold up? Afraid that I might possess your body?"
"Actually, it's the other way around, Kabuto. I acutally took these eyes from Madara and have plans for them." Naraku showed Kabuto the Sharingan and the Rinnegan. "If memory serves me right, Orochimaru wanted to gain access to the Sharingan, right? Now that he's dead, I would continue his research. Scratch that, I'm going to abandon that project and simply dispose of the Sharingan and the Rinnegan. Only the Byakugan remains, but it too will be destroyed. I have my reasons for their destruction."
Kabuto was amused at Naraku's decision to dispose of two valuable weapons and felt disappointed that he wasn't going to grant his dead master's wish of gaining the Sharingan. Even though Orochimaru is technically dead, his remains were absorbed my both Kabuto and Sasuke. Now that Sasuke will inevitably put his revenge on Konoha on hold so he can fight and kill Naraku, Kabuto starts to think whether he could kill Naruto as well.
"Why destroy them when you can use them?" Kabuto asked back.
"Kekkei genkai has resulted in Konoha's shinobi becoming over reliant on those abilities. It's up to me to eventually get rid of the world's kekkei genkai so that the true strength of the shinobi will be pure, untouched by such monstrous upgrades. Even the jinchuuriki are going to die out in the end, but I am going to be the one who will lead the jinchuuriki to their deaths, and with that the last despicable connection to the Rikudou Sennin. My grandfather was given a kekkei genkai to use, but he was a guinea pig. I won't sink down to that level." Naraku explained before he reached for a katana and impaled Kabuto with it. "Yakushi Kabuto, you're just in the way of my plans. I plan on not only ridding the shinobi world of their kekkei genkai, but even their sense of humanity too. I just said that I'd join forces with you so that you can lower your guard down."
"Y-you bastard!"
"Thank your master Orochimaru for me, would you?" Naraku backed away and walked off, but not before the Root ANBU squad arrives. "Burn the corpse."
"As you wish, sir." the Root ANBU lit the corpse with a simple Fire jutsu as the Shimura heir stalked off. Once Kabuto's corpse was cleanly disposed off, they rejoined their de facto leader. "Naraku…"
"Just refer to me as captain. I am planning to reorganize Root into an efficient group with an autonomous streak. Now that Konoha will no longer welcome anyone with a connection to Root, I will have to lead them into a new land. Start the preparations for the invasion of Snow. Let us support the shinobi who hated the Daimyo in league with that Namikaze heir. No doubt that she will be a thorn to my side." Naraku disappeared along with the Root ANBU into the forests. "Don't forget to start planning for our invasions of other nations."
Naraku and his Root ANBU allies searched throughout the Fire Country for a suitable place they could call home. Unfortunately, the only thing they can find was a mountain cave that could serve as a temporary headquarters for their depleted units. Some of the Root ANBU shinobi started to clean up the mountain cave, setting up necessary tools needed to maintain a base while the de facto Root leader surveyed the mountains for food.
"Naraku, we've found a herd of deer and killed them." a Root ANBU shinobi reported. Naraku nodded and smiled.
"Very good. Divide it amongst the crew, and make sure everyone get some sleep. Our Root ANBU kunoichi comrades will be joining us sometime soon." Naraku ordered the Root ANBU and they complied with the order. He grabbed a small notebook and wrote down something.
A kunoichi approached Naraku a minute after the sun had gone down and sat beside him. "Naraku, do you have any relatives left?"
"Well, my grandfather is dead, and my father was killed in the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. My mother, she is still around, but I don't talk to her much." Naraku admitted. Despite his brutal approach towards completing his missions, he was surprisingly soft spoken. "She detested the idea of me joining Root from the beginning."
"She must have had her reasons," she spoke back, but Naraku shook his head.
"My mother raised me when I was a child. I was always playing with the same kids on the block. As such, we were taught to stay away from that man. He is no considered a demon brat since he's technically no longer a child anymore, but Uzumaki's dangerous. So is the Uchiha heir, and he killed my grandfather Danzo," The Shimura heir continued to explain. "It wasn't until grandfather suggested that I join Root as soon as I was promoted to chunin that my mother began to distance herself from me."
"That's pretty bad, but like I said, she may have her own reasons."
"True." Naraku lay down on the ground and looked at the night sky. "Still, I dreamed of one day when she would accept me for what I am."
WITH NARUTO
Naruto is currently busy training by himself on one of the secluded training grounds. Now that he has mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu and the Rasengan, he intends to keep himself sharp in his skills, and if necessary, to start learning more jutsu in order to fight Naraku on an equal level. Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji and Neji showed up a while later as Naruto paused for a moment to allow the other boys to join in.
"You seem to be training hard, Naruto," Choji told Naruto as soon as they began to stretch. "I've got a lot of moves that I want to learn before I join you guys in order to fight that Naraku guy."
"Yeah, but he's dangerous to us all," Naruto replied back firmly. He showed everyone a slip of paper and explained. "Captain Yamato explained to me that I had to gather some chakra into the paper and see what my elemental affinity is."
Kiba tried to do what Naruto had instructed, but to no avail. "Man, this is gonna take a long time for me to figure out what my elemental affinity is."
"Why not restructure our group based on our fighting ability? From my point of view, Naruto's pretty much a flexible guy in terms of his combat skills. Judging by the way he fights, I'd say he's still the perfect guy to launch attacks," Shikamaru explained to everyone present. He turned to Naruto and grinned. "Although you're gonna need to learn how to cast and dispel genjutsu. You're still a dunce when it comes to genjutsu."
Naruto groaned. "Oh...I can't find anyone willing to teach me how to dispel and cast genjutsu."
"Well, there are some scrolls in the library for genjutsu attacks. Maybe Kiba could teach you on how to dispel them, and in return, you can actually tell us about your abnormally large stamina," Choji replied back hopefully. Naruto nodded and grinned, but Neji cut in to the conversation.
"Perhaps we ought to plan on how to counter Shimura Naraku when we fight him. I haven't fought him before, but I could tell that he's proficient in long range attacks." Neji explained. "What do you say, Shikamaru? We start training with Naruto, Kiba and Choji for our fight with Naraku."
"Yeah, that guy's troublesome." Shikamaru remembered the time when Naraku ignored Choji when they were in the academy. "Who would have thought he'd join Danzo's Root ANBU?"
Naruto blurted out promptly. "He knew he had to join; after all, Danzo's his grandfather."
"We know that part already." Kiba reminded the blond haired jinchuuriki. "The question is, why did the Hokage agreed to hold a truce against Sasuke? He defected from Konoha after all."
"Naraku is after both me and Sasuke. Naraku wanted to kill me simply because I am the Kyuubi's jailer, and he wanted to kill Sasuke because he killed Danzo. To him, killing me and Sasuke would be literally killing two birds with one stone. He could destroy both the Uchiha and Senju clans in one blow." Naruto answered back. They headed out of the training ground with Neji following them. "It seems that Naraku never liked anyone with a kekkei genkai when he was younger, and he still doesn't like anyone with a bloodline."
"Strange, since people with a kekkei genkai are admired here. Could he be related to a Kirigakure shinobi?" Neji wondered. "I mean, Kirigakure had the bloodline purges a long ago."
"He could have learned about that incident, but he's not stupid enough to launch a campaign of a bloodline purge in Konoha. Rather, he's just biding his time until the time is right." Naruto replied back before they separated and went back to their homes. "See you tomorrow then."
Once Naruto arrived at his house, he opened the scroll the elders gave him a while back. Studying and reading the prophecy once again, the blond struggled to decipher its meaning of it. Just as he is about to give up, there was a knock on the door. Naruto opened the door to reveal Kakashi outside. The one eyed jonin entered the house and sat down on the chair as Naruto gave him the scroll.
"What do you have here, Naruto?"
"Just some sort of riddle. I can't seem to decode this one, since it's not like the Pervy Sage's codes that involve numbers." Naruto admitted. He looked at the moonlit sky and yawned. "Maybe I'll solve this tomorrow."
"I see." Kakashi replied back. He looked at the riddle and frowned when he could not decipher what it meant. "We can do this tomorrow. Get some sleep, you'll need it when the Hokage summons you for a special meeting."
Naruto nodded. "Thanks." Kakashi left the house and Naruto simply fell on his bed, asleep.
NEXT MORNING...
"Wake up, Naruto! You have a meeting with the Hokage, so you better get your butt up or I'll have to drag you out." Naruto stirred up from his sleep and yawned. He slowly got up towards the door and found Sakura standing there.
"Sakura, thanks for reminding me. I haven't even had breakfast yet." Naruto yawned continuously until Sakura entered his house and waited. "OK, let's go."
Both former teammates walked along the streets of Konoha, or rather, the crater that once was Konoha, but it was now in the process of reconstruction. Villagers and foreign construction workers alike were at their daily tasks of rebuilding the village. Once Naruto and Sakura arrived at the Hokage's office, Tsunade and the elders were waiting for them. To his surprise, Naruto saw his friends that he talked to last night and waved back, except Neji, of course.
"Naruto, you should know by now that I have summoned you here for a special mission. Well, it is a mission of utmost importance since the Root ANBU are on the loose. The elders told me about how you have been denied your promotion to chunin because of external circumstances. Maybe it's long overdue, but as of now, I am promoting you to the rank of Chunin." Tsunade issued him a Chunin vest. "Congratulations, Naruto. Now, as for the mission, it will actually be Neji leading since he is a jonin. I'd say it's high time you smarten up and start taking your career as a shinobi seriously."
"As acknowledged," Naruto said before Sakura nudged him to say the honorific. "Lady Hokage."
"Good. Your mission will commence in a week, so you'll have to start training for this mission, both physically and mentally. Since Kakashi and Yamato are on a mission to help rebuild the village, you'll be training under Maito Gai. Kurenai's on a maternal leave, as you know, and I don't trust Anko to train you in case you might start your mission in bad shape." Tsunade dismissed Naruto and the rest of the other team.
Shikamaru grinned in satisfaction as he patted Naruto in the back. "Congratulations, Naruto. You've made it to Chunin, and after so long, you'll need a lot of luck if you ever want to become Hokage."
"Well, it is true that even if I was Chunin, I'd still obey orders from you and Neji. I'm pretty much the lowest rank here, even if I was Chunin since you've all been promoted way ahead of me," Naruto replied back. "Anyways, what did she mean I have to train myself mentally for this mission? Do I have to study or something?"
"Well, you can go read in the library and learn some jutsu. I could also teach you some strategy through shogi, but you'd be bored by now if you've played." Shikamaru suggested. Kiba and Akamaru raced up to join them a minute later. "In case you may face up against a Fire jutsu user, you'll have to learn how to use some Water jutsu. Who knows, maybe you can even combine Water and Wind to make Ice jutsu."
"Leave the Ice jutsu for the professionals." Naruto spoke back before another messenger ran through the streets and into the Hokage tower. "What's his rush?"
"Dunno," Choji told them. He spotted his house and stopped. "Do you guys want to come over for some barbeque?"
The other three chunins agreed, except for Neji, who was disinterested. He replied back in a polite tone. "I have to get going; my uncle is expecting me to come back home so I can spar with him."
"All right." Choji nodded as Neji went off in his own way. Once they entered the Akimichi barbeque house, Akimichi Choza waved at them to sit down. "Hey, Dad."
"Choji, I heard from the Hokage that Naruto's been promoted. About time, since he's been stronger than an average genin, and everyone in his age group is already a chunin." Choza noticed the Chunin vest on Naruto's chest. "I remember the time when your father was promoted to Chunin, he went over to this same place with us. He brought your mother along to celebrate."
Naruto nodded. "From what I've heard, my mom was a pretty tough woman. She told me about how she acquired the name 'Red Hot Blooded Habanero', and reminded me of Shikamaru and Kiba's moms."
"You have a mother who could have your dad whipped? That's a bummer." Kiba chuckled, but not before Choza dropped the bombshell.
"His dad is the Yondaime Hokage." Everyone gasped at the revelation Choza had just mentioned. "Of course, most of the older InoShikaCho trio knew your parents, Naruto. I remember the time when your mother used to get angry whenever someone called her a tomato. Lord Hyuga Hiashi made the mistake of calling her one, and he almost paid the price for it if it wasn't for Lord Hizashi."
"Wow...so Uzumaki Kushina's on the same level as my mom. Troublesome woman, I bet she's way worse than my mom," Shikamaru told Choza before the waiter brought in the food for the four friends. "Anyways, we've come here to discuss how we're supposed to track down the Root ANBU. The Hokage told me that Shimura Naraku has taken the spot as leader."
"Shimura Naraku? That punk who said that people with bloodlines shouldn't exist at all? It's weird, since an Aburame and a Yamanaka were part of Danzo's guards, and his grandson doesn't like them?" Choza frowned at the memory of the Shimura heir. Choji remembered the time when Naraku loudly taunted him for his weight, Shikamaru for his lazy demure, Kiba for having Akamaru around, and of course, Naruto because he holds the Kyuubi. "What made him go after you guys?"
"Well, Naraku wanted to kill Sasuke first because he killed Danzo," Naruto replied back, but Shikamaru and Choji gasped when a familiar redheaded girl with glasses entered the barbeque house. "What the! You're that girl who Sasuke nearly killed."
Karin was surprised to see Naruto in the same place as the same group who nearly succeeded in retrieving Sasuke. "Hello...what is your name again?"
"Uzumaki Naruto. Scratch that, Namikaze Naruto," Naruto reminded her, albeit with a tone that indicated that he was annoyed. "What's up?"
Karin joined them in the table a minute later and explained her situation. "After I was interrogated by your Intel corps, I was freed from my captivity, provided that I was escorted by someone with a rank of Chunin. Since the Chunin in question had already left, I learned later on that you are the one that will be my supervisor."
"I see. Perhaps you could shed some light on why you've chosen to ditch Sasuke," Kiba spoke as Karin nodded and promptly explained.
"I'm a sensor, so I can sense someone's chakra. Sasuke's chakra grew colder as soon as he met Madara. When I first saw Naruto, I sensed his chakra to be warm and bright, but also malicious because of the Kyuubi's chakra inside." Karin suddenly tensed up and sensed two presence approaching the restaurant. "I sense...two strangers. Where they came from, I don't know."
Karin and Naruto watched the sky as they waited for something to fall. Unknown to the Konoha shinobi present, the two strangers have already entered the restaurant and grabbed a table before turning their gaze towards the blond haired jinchuuriki. Regene and Hixar watched as Naruto interacted with Karin and the other Konoha shinobi while a waiter took their order and left.
"Do you think that's him?" Regene asked Hixar.
"I'm sure. Setsuna has requested for us to find those two seeds," Hixar answered back. "The ELS has already found one of the other seeds, and I'm sure the remaining seed can be found here. The ELS did make this place after all."
A minute later, Hinata entered the barbeque house just as the two Innovades were about to engorge themselves in their meals. Naruto looked up as she went over to their table and excused himself so that he could see her before he went back to enjoy some barbeque. Naruto wanted to know about the confession she made when she was fighting Pein in order to save him. Karin on the other hand, she stayed behind with Shikamaru and Kiba.
"Hinata...is it true?" Naruto asked her.
"Is what true?"
"That you loved me. Back then, when you were fighting Pein even though I told you to run," Naruto answered back, as he looked down on the ground. "I don't know what to say. I've had too many conflicts within myself, and I'm too distracted to give you an answer."
Hinata looked at him curiously. "Too distracted? What do you mean by that?"
"Hinata, I don't want you to get your hopes up when I respond to your words. It's just that I don't have the answers I need in order to tell you how I feel. I'm not even sure that if I fell in love with you, your father would approve. After all, he does have a big influence in the village." Naruto admitted back. He searched his pockets and gave her a three pronged kunai. "If it's possible, here's my gift to the Hyuga clan. My dad's prized kunai. Your dad should know what that kunai is, and how it works."
"Of course, this is the one that the Yondaime Hokage used when he fought over a thousand Iwagaure shinobi. Father would be surprised if he found out that you're entrusting his kunai to us." Hinata smiled and hugged him. "Take your time, Naruto. There's lots of time in the world…"
BOOM!
There were screams heard from all directions as the customers rushed out of the barbeque house. Naruto and Hinata gazed up in the sky and saw a meteorite smash itself just outside the village gate, and one metallic object smashed close to the gates as well. Sasuke arrived in Konoha, hoping to attack whoever was responsible, but found himself face to face with a metallic object that actually shifted into something else.
"Just what is that thing?" Shikamaru asked back. The metallic objects charged at Naruto, forcing the shadow user to grab him and ducked under. "Naruto, be careful!"
"Why do I get the feeling that those things aren't really normal?" Naruto asked back curiously. He threw a kunai laced with an explosive tag on it and activated it. The object exploded, but reshaped itself once it turned into liquid. "A metallic shape shifting object?"
It was then that Regene and Hixar made their appearance. "Not just any shapeshifting object, it's them."
"What is it then, and why did it crash itself into this village?" Shikamaru asked the two strangers. He noticed Naruto clutching his head and the Kyuubi's chakra going haywire. "Moreover, why is Naruto affected by those things?"
"Because they have found it, or rather, they have found him." Regene smirked, gazing his eyes on Naruto. The rest of the shinobi can only watched as Naruto grew weaker while the shape shifter approached him closer. "The second seed descended from Celestial Being's Gundam Meister, Setsuna F. Seiei."
OK, this is my first Shippuden Next rewrite, and this time I've included elements from Gundam 00. That would surely replace the existing Shippuden Next series. Tell me what you guys think of this one, and see if you guys liked this one or the originals. If you guys don't like it, I'll take it down, thinking that I made an effort to make a rewrite of the said series. Enough said, I am limiting to either three or four Naruto world characters that will become Gundam pilots. Sasuke could join Celestial Being to make sure that he and Naruto have a friendly fight, and to check up on Naraku's ambitions.
Anyways, the 00 counterpart to this one may be the Gundam 00PS: League of Victory fic, since I plan on conjoining that fic into this one, and to ensure that Naruto's lineage comes from Setsuna and Feldt. I don't want him to have the lineage from Marina Ismail, she's too old for Setsuna. Feldt on the other hand, may serve as a role model for any pairing that Naruto would be with. Most of you guys may want me to pair him with Lacus, but there's a catch on this pairing: Naruto may want to stay with the Earth Alliance and not defect. Especially if he wishes to protect and keep Badguirel alive.
As for the filler girls of this fic, Haruna would be replaced by Hotaru, and Utakata will make his appearance in this fic too. There will be GN based Gundams inspired by Nu and Hi Nu, as well as Wing Zero and Wing Zero OVA. Look up on the pairings in the beginning of this fic, and those pairings will be final.
FINAL NOTE: My new official Beta Reader for the entire Dimensional Innovation fic will be Sound of Wings. So you will notice some considerable changes made in this page.