SonofaFox
Chapter 1: Third Time's the Charm
"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" Giant, orange fur covered fists banged against the iron bars that held it in the dank sewer that was its new prison. To add insult to injury, it just had half of its chakra, the yin chakra to be exact, forcibly ripped out by the Shinigami. Had Kurama been a guy, she would be feeling castrated right now. If her new jinchūriki, the son of her previous one, had been awake, she would've seen the mass devastation that she'd caused the village of Konohagakure. Usually, she would've been proud of her handiwork, but she remembered that a lot of the destruction was not of her own desire, and there was a lot of desire, but rather, through the will of that bastard Madara and his bastard eyes. "DAMN YOU MADARA! DAMN YOU NAMIKAZE! LET… ME… OUT!" With every word, she banged even harder on her cage, but it still stood firm. To add further insult to injury, the only thing holding the cage was a thin slip of paper with the word "SEAL" written on it. Soon the great Kyūbi started smashing herself against the walls of her confinement, though that had about as much affect as banging on the cage's bars.
As Kurama settled down while panting from the exertion, she thought back to her father, and what he told her and her brothers and sisters.
Flashback
Kurama sat in front of her father with her oldest little brother Gyūki, and her whiny youngest brother Shukaku, or as she liked to call him, "Little Itchy." Around them were their siblings. Kurama's youngest sister Matatabi, her brothers Isobu, Son Gokū, Kokuō, and Saiken, and the oldest of her younger sisters, Chōmei.
"My time is coming to an end. Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Gokū, Kokuō, Saiken, Chōmei, Gyūki, Kurama, from now on, each of you will walk your own path in life. Even though I'll die, remember that you will always have each other. And when the time comes, you will all be joined together again by someone else. You will have different names, and different forms than now; when that happens, you shall know what it truly means to be strong."
"Tou-san, *sniffle* please don't leave us," Saiken said as he cried, though it was hard to tell if it was tears, or just slime. Pretty soon Isobu and Kokuō joined in.
End Flashback
YOU WERE A FOOL RIKUDŌ-TOU-SAMA. THERE'S NOT ONE AMONG THESE INSECTS THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE ONE YOU SPOKE OF. THEY ARE PETTY, SELFISH, DISTGUSTING INSECTS THAT ARE ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR OWN DESIRES. YOU SHOULD'VE JUST RESEALED US BACK INTO JŪBI-KAA-CHAN AND LET HER TAKE BACK HER CHAKRA FROM THESE WRETCHED CREATURES. MADARA UCHIHA, THE NEXT TIME WE MEET, I WILL KILL YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER, RIGHT AFTER I CASTRATE YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE IN YOUR DISGUSTING FAMILY! Kurama violently thought to herself.
(Konoha, Hokage's Office)
"What are your orders, Hokage-sama?" The two ANBU asked as they bowed before his military commander.
"Alert the Council and the clan heads; there's to be a meeting three days from now, the 14th to be more precise."
"Hai!" they both said as they disappeared from the room. As soon as they left, the Hokage went back to the letter he was writing. As soon as he finished, his former teammates now personal advisors, stepped into his office, followed by Danzō Shimura.
"Hiruzen-sama, may I ask why you do not request the council immediately?" Koharu asked.
"I wanted to give them time to mourn and bury their dead," Hiruzen answered simply.
"The civilians' maybe, but the shinobi should be able to mourn in silence while they're performing their jobs, otherwise they would not bring honor to their profession," Danzō claimed.
"Danzō, these are not just deaths in the line of duty, this was a massacre that no one could foresee."
"Either way, we are not here to discuss ethics," Homura cut in. All eyes went to the bundle sitting in a cradle next to Hiruzen's chair.
"Enough. Each of you will wait for the meeting. Now please leave."
With the Kyūbi jinchūriki in Root, Konoha will finally attain its perfect weapon. I cannot fail like last time. Danzō left last and lingered in the doorway a little before finally leaving. If his Root agents were to be trusted, and he couldn't find a reason not to, then this boy would be the key to his plans.
Even though Kurama couldn't currently see through the seal, and could barely hear, she was able to sense the negative emotions coming off of the elders, especially Danzō.
So the old War Hawk still won't give up. He should've learned from last time. But still, now things are different; without Namikaze, my current vessel being a baby, the loss of Uzushio, and quite possibly Shimura gaining the support of those old buzzards, Sarutobi will have Hell to face. Plus there's the inevitable shit hitting the fan when the clans and civilians learn of my presence in the kit. Hmph, you know, I almost feel pity for him. Kurama thought to herself.
"*sigh* What a bother." Sarutobi exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair.
Three days had passed since the Kyūbi's attack, but the village had little to show for it. Whenever debris from a demolished building was cleared, a body was almost always found, and that required a search for even more possible corpses. As it was, most of the village's chunin and genin forces were required for cleanup duty. Even some of the lower ranking jonin had to help out. The villagers had been informed of Minato's death, and of Hiruzen stepping back into the Hokage's robes.
In the Hokage's Tower, each of the major ninja clan heads had gathered. In the middle of the meeting room was a long table that was surrounded by chairs.
Fugaku Uchiha representing the Uchiha clan; Hiashi of the Hyūga; the members of the current Ino-Shika-Chō trio representing their respective families; Murakumo Kurama of the genjutsu masters; Danzō representing his seemingly nonexistent clan; and Tsume & Shibi of Konoha's two animal clans. Being the Hokage, Hiruzen was not allowed to make votes for the Sarutobi clan, as part of the Impartiality Agreement; it was a rule developed during the time of the Shodaime, stating that if a Hokage shares blood relations with fellow clansmen on the council, then that clan's own vote was forfeited, though they could still voice their opinion on the subject of discussion.
While the shinobi clan heads gathered on the left side of the room, the civilian half of the council gathered on the right, along with Koharu and Homura.
Sarutobi stood and gave a polite bow to the assembled. It was deep enough to show that he acknowledged their voice in the meeting, but light enough to say that it was he who had final say.
"I thank you for taking the time to come. I understand that many of you still have dead to bury, you have my condolences."
"Hokage-sama, I do not believe that you called us here to simply provide emotional comfort, so please speak what is on your mind," Shibi said as he adjusted his glasses.
"Very well. What you are about to hear is now going to be classified as an S-rank secret punishable by death should it reach its way to the wrong people." Hiruzen lifted the cradle Naruto was in onto the table. "The Kyūbi still lives-" As soon as the last sound left his lips, the entire room was thrown into panic, except for the elders and Danzō. Quickly putting two and two together, the assembled court realized that Sarutobi was talking about the child on the table.
"Hokage-sama, we must kill that beast NOW!" A civilian called out. Many of the other shinobi and civilians shouted their agreement, but were quickly silenced by the Sandaime's sudden killing intent.
"I understand that many of you have suffered greatly as a result of the Kyūbi but you are too blinded by anger and hatred to see past what I said. The Kyūbi lives on, sealed within this child. In Minato's son!" The members of the council were stunned at this. Taking a better look at the child on the table, they were astounded by the precise resemblance to their previous Hokage. "Half of the Kyūbi's soul lies within Naruto, the other half is with Minato in the Shinigami's stomach. I know this because I personally witnessed Minato using the Reaper Death Seal, as well as the sealing of the rest of the Kyūbi into Naruto-chan here."
Even if it's only half of the Kyūbi the possibilities that that child offers are too immense to let slip through my fingers, Danzō thought. But he also knew that he had to be patient; any hasty movements could cost him gravely.
"So what are your plans with the child?" Hiashi asked as he regained some of his composure.
"Like I said before, the truth of Naruto's heritage, as well as his status as Konoha's jinchūriki, is to be kept a secret from everyone outside of this room, and that includes your fellow clansmen. If Iwa were to learn their most despised enemies had a child who held the most powerful demon in history, I can honestly expect their ANBU to be sent on assassination mission within the week. As well we must also take into account our own people wanting revenge on the Fox."
"What exactly do you plan on doing with the child Sarutobi-sama?" Koharu asked.
"Before Minato died, he appointed Jiraiya as Naruto's godfather."
"Yes, but most of us are already aware that your student has been out of the village for a rather long time."
"I've sent out word to him by messenger hawk of what's transpired. All he knows is that he needs to return immediately."
(Three days after the Kyūbi attack, in Kirigakure) (October 13th)
The toad sannin just exited a restaurant with a warm cup of tea in his hands. Before he finished all of it, a crack formed on the rim of the cup.
That can't be a good sign, Jiraiya thought.
(The day after that) (October 14th)
Jiraiya dropped the scroll he'd received from the messenger bird. Only moments prior to its delivery, he was about to head into a nearby village to pick up gifts for Minato, Kushina, and Naruto who was due any day now. But those plans died when he read the message.
"Jiraiya, return to Konoha at once. Minato is dead.
Sarutobi"
After getting over the complete shock he was feeling, he went through the summoning hand seals so fast that not even a fully developed Sharingan could follow it. In a puff of smoke, the Toad Sages Shima and her husband Fukasaku appeared before him.
"Ma, Pa, you have to get me back to Konoha as soon as possible, there isn't any time to lose!" The sages hopped onto his shoulders without question, knowing that Jiraiya being deadly serious meant something either really bad, really important, or both, was happening. They knew of the Kyūbi's attack from Gamabunta, but he was only there long enough for Minato to teleport it away from Konoha, so they were interested as well.
(The Hokage Tower)
In a puff of smoke Jiraiya appeared in the middle of the council room on top of the desk, the Toad Elders seated firmly on his shoulders.
"Sarutobi-sensei, please tell me what you wrote in that letter about Minato-san is a sick joke right, and Kushina-chan?!" Jiraiya frantically asked as he jumped off of the table while ignoring the council members, who stared bewilderedly at the toads perched on the white-haired man's shoulders.
"*sigh* Jiraiya, please take a seat."
"Answer me Sensei!" the sannin yelled as he grabbed the Hokage by the collar. The old man didn't lose his composure once, and that infuriated the sannin even more.
"Calm down Jiraiya-boy," Fukasaku said as he calmly yet firmly gripped Jiraiya's arm.
"Yes, you're making a scene," Shima agreed. The council was so surprised by the talking toads that they forgot about the baby with the Fox spirit in the room.
"I want to know what happened to my student and his wife and child; I don't care if I make a scene about it Ma!"
*WHACK* Jiraiya fell to the ground in unconsciousness as Shima somehow managed to slip a frying pan into her cloak. "I apologize for him Hokage-dono," the Toad Mother said.
"I think you should wake him up, he won't want to miss this."
Shima focused chakra into her fingers, pressed them to the side of the sannin's head, and in an instant, he was fully awake, if not a little groggy from the kitchenware attack.
"Now will you calmly listen to Hokage-dono, Jiraiya-boy?" Fukasaku asked. The human toad sage nodded his head and grabbed a spare chair from the wall.
"Good. Jiraiya, I'd like you to meet Naruto-chan." Sarutobi handed the bundle to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya looked down to his godson, wondering if this was what his student would've looked like as a child. Somehow, he still managed to stay asleep, even after all of the commotion that'd just taken place, which further proved who the boy's mother was.
Sarutobi went back to the council as Shima started doting over the boy. "As I was saying, I do not have the full details surrounding the cause of the attack, or Minato and Kushina's deaths, but I can suspect it was murder." The council started muttering about who could've been responsible of the foul play.
"How can you be sure of this Hokage-sama?" a civilian asked.
"The only people aware of the location and time of Kushina's labor were me, Minato, my wife, and the ANBU stationed to guard them. When we found them, the latter two had their throats slit." More muttering erupted from the council. Clearing his throat to get their attention, the Sandaime continued. "Unfortunately, we are unaware of the murder's identity, but we know that he must've been at least an S-rank shinobi."
"But Hokage-sama, what're we to do with the child?" Shikaku asked.
"Hokage-sama, this is our chance to finally be rid of the Kyūbi forev-" The civilian who said that fainted from the combined killing intent coming off of not the Hokage, but from his student and the female toad.
Standing as if unaffected by the death glares directed at the council, Danzō said, "Sarutobi-sama, I believe that taking the boy into my Root ANBU would be the best course of action. He would be trained to be the Leaf's ultimate weapon, while still being a safe enough distance away from the populace." Danzō's proposition was met with muttered agreements from many of the council member's.
"If any of you come near my godson, I'll kill all of you!" Jiraiya said with as much venom to make it sound less and less like an empty threat.
"Jiraiya, take Naruto back to my office and wait for me." Sarutobi said. The toad sannin was more than compliant and shunshined out of the quickly dissolving meeting with the Toad Sages quickly following.
"You are all dismissed until further notice. And remember, not one word to anyone who wasn't here."
(Hokage's Office)
"*sigh* What a disaster," the aged Hokage said as he collapsed in his chair.
"Sensei, you can't let those bastards around Naruto, especially Danzō."
"Trust me Jiraiya; I'm going to do everything I can to keep Naruto out of Root."
"But Sarutobi-san, what do you plan to do with the child?" Fukasaku asked.
"Why don't I just take care of him sensei? I am his godfather after all."
"I'd love nothing more than to let you, but it's not really up for debate. While I may not share my old comrades' motives, they are right about one thing; as Konoha's jinchūriki, Naruto is our most valuable asset, so until he's able to defend himself, he has to remain here. Just as well, you have your spy network to keep an eye on, which I'm not sure you'll be able to do while raising a child."
"Hokage-dono, why doesn't Naruto come to live with us at Mount Myōboku?" Shima asked.
"Another good idea, but like Jiraiya's there are flaws in it; Naruto is too young to sign a blood contract with the toads, and the council will certainly wish to keep Naruto under their watch."
"To hell with them! Sensei, Naruto has no other family; he won't last out in the village. There's no doubt that those old fossils have already told others about his condition."
"Jiraiya, I want what's best for the boy too, but we're backed into a corner here."
"But you're the leader of the village, certainly whatever you say goes."
The aged leader looked out over the village, and the stone bust of his successor, and his predecessor. "If this were Kiri or Kumo yes, but it's always been in the Hokages' best interest for the civilian population to take a more active role in village politics, and over the years Konoha has been able to prosper as one of the most financially successful villages because of it. However, it's not without its costs. I'm afraid that the best I can do for Naruto while also placating the council is to put him in the orphanage with ANBU watching over him."
From inside the seal, Kurama heard what was going on between her container's godfather and his sensei. She may have despised the little gaki for keeping her locked up, but she also knew that without anyone actually guiding him through life, that he was going to be in for one tough ride.
If I'm to survive, I'll have to make sure this boy grows up strong. And who knows, with an impressionable new vessel, maybe things can be different this time.
Author's Note: Hello. I've kinda liked the idea of Kurama taking on the role of Naruto's maternal figure. I'm open to a lot of divergent roads in the Narutoverse. Sorry if this chapter seems like another cliché femKurama becoming Naruto's mother story, I just wanted to give it a go of my own.
Happy birthday Naruto, for your wish, please let it be so you can finally get with Hinata.