Welcome everyone to my new story!
Since in this period I'm reading different fic where Naruto is ignored or abandoned by his family, I decided to try to write something like that! Before we begin with the story, however, I must warn you of some small details that might pleasure as not.
1) There will be some OC, the most important will be Naruto's sisters since they'll appear most of the time but there will also be less important characters created by me.
2) This fic, only in some respects, will be a big X-over but during this chapter you'll understand what I mean (I will explain further in the notes at the bottom).
3) I do not have too much time to write, so updates may take time.
WARNING: this story will contain a huge amount of gore, splatter, lemon and other things for adults, so you have been warned.
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO nor any characters that will appear in this story (apart from the OC, those are mine).
NOTE:
"Human dialogues"
'Human thoughts / mental dialogues'
"Demonic dialogues"
'Demonic thoughts / mental dialogues'
CHAPTER 1: A new destiny
In an alley of the village, between two buildings like many others, there were several teens and children, all intent to laugh and throw stones to a person curled up on the ground, screaming now and then 'Disappear ghost!' or 'Die demon!', accompanying each word with a kick against the head of the person on the ground.
The person covered with bruises, blood and dirt, was actually a seven year old boy with sun-kissed blond hair. His white shirt was now ruined at different points due to the repeated blows of his assailants. Closed in a fetal position by several minutes, the small child could only cry, praying that someone would help him, since his requests were ignored. In a place devoured by war or ravaged by poverty, a similar scene was quite common.
But Konoha was not at war and poverty was not a problem. So why a poor child of seven years was mobbed by his peers and no one seemed to want to intervene to help him?
Simple. In the eyes of everyone else, he was nothing. Not even his own parents nor his sisters nor his godparents seemed to notice him. He was simply left to himself and, since no one seemed to care about that, he was used as a 'relief valve' or 'pastime' by his peers.
A well-placed kick hit him in the forehead, causing him to roll on the ground. His attackers laughed again and one struck him in the back with another kick, bringing him back to the initial point. The child's eyes were already closed, but the tears continued to roll down his cheeks, then falling to the ground. Several twinges of pain poured into his body but he couldn't risk opening his mouth to scream, otherwise they would have kicked that point, breaking his teeth.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" a man shouted entering in the alley. All the laughter stopped abruptly and the child opened his eyes to the ground, staring at the newcomer with his deep blue eyes. In an instant, he recognized the man's clothes and his heart beat wildly with happiness. He was a ninja. He would save him from his assailants!
"Dad! Why are you here?" a child asked in a bored voice, while his father was getting closer. Unconsciously, Naruto felt a shiver of terror in seeing the grin on the man's lips.
"Your mother said you have to go home, Yahiru. Now." All those present, excluding the child called back and the blonde on the ground, burst into laughter but in the end the man looked down on the victim of the assault "Oh? Still alive? And to say that last week I saw you while you were beaten by the drunks...hard to die eh?"
The child felt a new pain in his chest, this time of pure terror.
"Well, I might as well finish the job but I will not dirty my hands with someone like you. I'll let someone else, or rather, something else to do the work." the main said, pulling out a piece of black cloth and then tie it around the child's head, making him temporarily blind.
"N-no! I-I didn't do a-anything!" the blond whined trying to squirm but the man, after a violent punch to the face, tied his hands behind his back. In desperation, the boy tried to escape but his attackers made him fall and someone hit him violently on the back of the head, knocking him out. As darkness claimed him, the child began to remember why his life was so awful and so full of suffering.
For an orphan, such a life could almost seem normal but he was not an orphan. He had parents, a house and a room of his own. His parents weren't even like the others, they were Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki, the Red Lady of Death.
That's right, his parents were two of the strongest ninja of all Konoha if not of all the Five Great Shinobi Nations! And yet, he was constantly attacked, beaten and despised by the people of his own village. His life had been almost always like that, but at the beginning, when he was still an infant, his parents took care of him, or so he thought. In fact, after only few days of life, his parents had entrusted to a nanny while they were concerned about the child's sisters.
All this was due to the fact that, both girls, called Mito and Miwako, were the Jinchuuriki the Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox which, on the day of their birth, had attacked the village. Obviously there was a solid explanation behind the attack and it was that, during childbirth, a masked man had managed to reach Minato and Kushina, the previous Jinchuuriki of the demon. Being born a minute earlier of his sisters, Naruto had been taken to a safe place but then the masked man had acted, managing to free the Kyuubi. After a fierce battle, Minato had managed to defeat the enemy and, using a new seal of his creation, he had divided the enormous power of the Kyuubi into two, sealing each piece in his daughters. After establishing that they were safe, Minato and Kushina had presented them to the village as the saviors of Konoha.
That had been the beginning of the nightmare.
Over the years, the child had realized how his parents ignored him, thinking only of his sisters. His mother often cooked for four people and not five, his father took his sisters to practice leaving him at home and they hadn't never bought anything. If he tried to get noticed, his parents ignored him; if asked to be trained, they snorted and said that his sisters had priority; if by chance he was beaten, nothing happened because, due to his Uzumaki blood, he healed quickly and had no evidence of what happened.
During his seven years of life, he had never received a hug or some form of affection from his family. His sisters didn't help him in any way and his godparents, when they were at home, they thought only to them (his sisters). The only glimmer of hope in his life was represented by the former Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Ayame and Teuchi, the owners of the Ramen Ichiraku, the only place where he could go to eat without any problem. They were the only people to show him a bit of affection but it was obvious that they could not replace a real family. Because of this, Naruto had slid slowly into depression, arriving to think it would have been better if he had never been born.
His thoughts were interrupted when he was awakened suddenly, by being thrown to the ground. The man who had kidnapped tore off the blindfold and freed his hands, allowing him to look around. The sheer terror slipped into the baby's chest as soon as he realized that he was in the middle of a forest full of huge trees, but not too far he saw an iron fence covered with vines.
"W-where are w-we...?"
The man grinned "In the forbidden area of the Forest of Death, the only place suitable for a scrap like you." and, in an instant, he vanished into thin air, leaving alone the child who began to tremble, looking around with eyes full of fear. Not knowing what to do, the blond approached the fence, but renounced to climbing over it due to the height and brambles.
A sudden sound, like a hissing, startled him and, turning slowly, he saw a huge black scorpion, big as a bear. The arachnid quickly closed its claws and lifted the tail, showing its red sting. After a few seconds of silence, the beast lunged forward and the sheer terror assailed the child who ran in the middle of those huge trees, not daring to look back. To his right, sprouted other scorpions and so he turned left, not knowing where to go for safety. Those beasts were fast and he was already tired, not to mention still suffering the beating of a few minutes earlier. Now run out of energy, the child did not see a stone protruding from the ground and stumbled, slamming his face. The child tried to get up and run at the same time, getting a long cut on his right thigh that ripped the blue shorts, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.
After five long minutes, the child arrived at the edge of a huge clearing, but just at that moment, a scorpion struck him in the back with its sting, piercing just above the right shoulder blade. Screaming in agony, the child was raised in weight and launched forward. Sobbing for pain and effort, he got up slowly and tried to approach the colossal oak positioned in the center of the clearing, unaware of the fact that the scorpions, after a few meters, had escaped away from the clearing.
Finally, the blond reached the oak and leaned against one of the roots, trying to catch his breath, but the pain was unbearable and, judging from his faded sight, he had been poisoned. Now about to pass out, the child did not notice a strong green glow that sprang to his right, amongst a tangle of roots. However, when a deep female voice thundered in the air, he was quick to leap to his feet, turning to the light.
"What are you doing here, human?"
The child stared at the light, trembling again not knowing what to say. That glow didn't seem threatening but now he could no longer trust anyone or anything.
"I see that you're just a child. Are you lost or something?" The voice was calm and seemed curious of his presence. Seeing the child deny with the head, the voice asked "Boy, what's your name?"
"N-Naruto..."
"So, why are you here, Naruto?"
"I-I-I was l-left h-here..." the boy whispered, trying to stop shaking. Without success.
"You were...left here?" Naruto nodded "Oh poor creature. I don't know who has abandoned you here but certainly has no soul. Here, come on in. At least you can hide from those beasts." the glow faded, showing a small tunnel in the middle of the roots. The child, though unsure of what to do, went into the tunnel which closed behind him. After a few minutes, Naruto found himself in a huge cave from the domed ceiling covered with roots. Several green and yellow flowers were scattered on the walls and on the ceiling, illuminating the environment, while the ground was covered with green and lush grass. Caught by the beauty of the place, Naruto didn't notice a woman approaching him until she was not just two meters away.
"It's a beautiful place, isn't it?" the woman asked, gaining his attention and stopping his heart for a few seconds.
In front of him there wasn't a woman but a goddess. A perfect body, for which all women would have killed, with an ample bosom and curves in the right places, was wrapped in a thin silk cream-colored dress that contrasted with her tanned complexion. Bright golden eyes were intent on scrutinizing the child from head to toe, while the blacks long hair that reached to her ankles with two braids that fell to the sides of her face, swayed with each step. A smile that would melt even a block of ice formed on her lips as soon as she was in front of Naruto.
"Hello, young Naruto."
After the initial bewilderment, Naruto gave a slight bow with the head "H-hello..."
The woman chuckled "My my, you're a little shy, aren't you? You can relax with me. This place is not for you people but I won't allow a child to die in this forest after being abandoned."
"T-thank you...err..."
"Chikyuu, my name is Chikyuu." the woman said with a smile.
"Earth?" Naruto asked confused and Chikyuu nodded "Yes, my name means 'Earth', in fact I am the spirit of the earth, one of the major spirits that reigns in this world." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and the woman chuckled again "But don't mind about these small things, since I'll erase your memory as soon as I will know how to take you home."
Naruto winced slightly, but Chikyuu's calm voice convinced him that she did not want to hurt him like everyone else. The child opened his mouth to speak, but fell to his knees gasping and looking for air. The woman knelt quickly beside him and saw the wound on his back.
"Oh no, you've been stung by one of those scorpions." her voice was alarmed and, without effort, she lifted the child and ran to a stone cradle that was formed from the ground in the center of the cave. After lying him in the cradle, Chikyuu recited a strange spell and Naruto was engulfed by a thick green liquid, but so much the child was already passed out so he didn't notice. Watching him closely, the woman sighed, placing a hand on his forehead, not caring of the liquid "Poor child, who could never do such a thing?"
Having to figure out where his house was, Chikyuu did a thing for her simple and plain but that would have led to a series of unimaginable events. Holding the hand on his forehead, she began to read his mind and his memories. After a single instant, her eyes widened, and with each passing second, her pupils shrank more and more, while a look of pure fury formed on her face.
A slight tremor began to shake not only the oak or the forest but rather the whole Konoha. After the first few seconds the citizens began to worry because the earthquake was becoming stronger. Several cracks were formed in the walls of buildings as well as in the streets while the dogs began to bark panicked. Even the Hokage's family began to worry, and all those present in the compound went out into the garden for safety.
"What's happening?" Kushina asked, looking around. She could easily feel the earth shake and for sure it was not a jutsu. At her side, there was two little girls of seven years. The first had long red hair with a blond tuft that covered her right eye, while the second had long blonde hair and the same purple eyes as the other child. Mito and Miwako seemed worried like the mother but also Minato didn't seem much calmer. Suddenly, both girls sensed a sharp pain in the belly, that forced them to bend over in pain.
Minato was immediately in front of them as his last student, Kakashi, shunshined to go and check the surroundings.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt? The seal is hurting you?"
"N-no, K-Kurama is...is...scared!" Mito shouted with incredulous eyes and her sister nodded. Contrary to what imagined by many, the two sisters were already in touch with the demon inside them and, amazingly, they had managed to become friends quickly. After some time the demon had also revealed her real name and her gender, which had almost left everyone speechless.
Willpower, Minato said. Women power, Kushina said.
"That furball is scared? For an earthquake?" Kushina asked incredulously, but her daughters shook their heads.
"Kurama is saying 'She is angry! She's completely mad! Who is the fool who has made her angry?' and things like that..." Miwako said and Minato asked "Who is she talking about?"
For a few seconds, no one spoke but eventually Mito lifted her head "Of the most dangerous woman ever existed..."
Hokage Tower
Hiruzen Sarutobi was terrified. While darting through the corridors of the tower where he had his office, dozens of thoughts crowded into his mind. The earthquake was going on now for more than a minute and had become stronger and stronger. Now, many buildings presented serious damage and several trees and lampposts had fallen.
He knew who was behind that seismic shock. He was the only one aware of Chikyuu, being the only person to whom she had addressed, mainly because of his age and to his constant presence in the village. When he was younger, the spirit of the earth had made him swear not to talk about her to anyone, and in return she would have made sure to make more fruitful the land of his village. That day, she had also donated to him a perfectly spherical stone. She had explained that, in case of an earthquake, something would happen to the stone and it would be cracked or broken.
'Only cracks, it means there is a small problem. If the stone is split in half, there is a serious problem. Three pieces indicate that it is something urgent.' Hiruzen kept running toward his office, thinking back to the words of Chikyuu 'If the stone will break into four pieces, get your ass in front of me. Instantly.'
The elder ninja swallowed loudly, then arriving at the door of his office. Without even hesitating, he opened it violently and his face turned white like a ghost.
Five pieces.
"May Kami have mercy of our souls..." all of his instincts kicked at the same time and, with a speed that would have made embarrass even Minato, Hiruzen darted toward the Forest of Death. In just a minute he reached his destination, finding the tunnel into the roots already open. Swallowing again, the old man went into the tunnel until he get to the cave where he had met Chikyuu the first time.
"Hiruzen." the old man froze on the spot. He recognized the voice, but if he once could associate it to a summer's day, now that same voice seemed to come out of a storm of ice and snow. Turning very slowly, he saw Chikyuu sitting at a stone table where there were five empty chairs. Beside her, there was a small cradle of stone and Hiruzen's eyes widened in terror in seeing the child inside.
'Naruto-kun...'
"You seem to know this child." Chikyuu said and Hiruzen nodded "He is like a grandson to me, Chikyuu-sama."
Her gaze became even more enraged "Ah so it's like a grandchild to you. Then tell me...why, in the name of all that is dear to me in this world, I found this poor child near my home after being abandoned by one of your ninja?!"
Hiruzen had to stop the urge to tremble in front of her "I wasn't aware of it. Unfortunately I can not always look at him and I thought he was with his family..."
Huge mistake...
"WITH HIS FAMILY?!" Chikyuu slammed her fist on the table "Do you think that I'm an idiot?! I saw the memories of Naruto and his family has never been by his side! I promised to help the Land of Fire but this is just too much!"
The situation was taking a turn for the worse and Hiruzen knew that. Antagonizing one of the five major spirits was the best thing to do if you wanted an atrocious death. Bowing to show respect, the elder said "Chikyuu-sama, I know that his family has made many mistakes. I tried several times to reason with them, but there was no way to make them understand and...!"
Chikyuu waved a hand to silence him "Enough excuses, I know how things are. The only reason I haven't destroyed Konoha yet it's because of Ayame and Teuchi, the only two that showed affection toward Naruto, besides you." Hiruzen sighed in relief "But the fact remains that I will take serious measures. Sit down, we have a lot to discuss and the others have yet to arrive."
"The...others?" the old man asked.
"The other major spirits." hearing those words Hiruzen paled instantly "Normally, such a situation would not require a meeting, but you humans are pulling the rope too much and therefore we must act. Do you know what was Naruto's dream?"
Hiruzen nodded slowly. The child had always said that he would become Hokage so as to be recognized by everyone. Wait...WAS?!
The man raised his head with an alarmed look but Sarah kept him from talking "He's not dead but his dream is now just that...a dream. Before arriving here, he was stung by one of the scorpions that protect this place. Their venom destroys the circulatory system of the chakra at the molecular level. When I found it, the poison had already destroyed three-quarters of his system. There's no way to recreate it." Hiruzen had to sit down to the other extreme of the table. His legs could no longer support him and a cold grip was crushing his heart.
After a few minutes spent trying to calm down, Hiruzen stared at Naruto with a distressed look "And now...what will happen?"
"We will decide shortly. It seems that my sister has arrived." Chikyuu said and, in the chair to her right formed a small tornado. Within moments, a figure materialized inside the tornado which was dissipated with a violent gust of wind. Hiruzen gaped at the girl now sitting at the table.
She was incredibly slender but her body showed perfect muscles without imperfections. Although she was sitting, the old man hypothesized that she was high on the meter and seventy, a little less than Chikyuu. The rosy complexion was matched perfectly to the white dress that covered her body from the neck to the thighs, leaving uncovered the arms and legs, while her brilliant green eyes sparkled like those of a child. The last unmistakable traits of the spirit of the air were her long golden curls and a perfect smile.
The newcomer looked at Sarah with a broad smile "Hello, dear sister."
"Kuuki, it is good to see you after all these years." Chikyuu greeted her smiling back "I apologize for the sudden call but there is something that you should definitely see."
Kuuki's eyes rested on Naruto and a strange sound, like howl of the wind, came out from her throat. Sensing Hiruzen, she turned to the old ninja, looking at him with hatred. The former Hokage, on the other hand, could not help but lower his head in shame and fear. A few seconds later, however, a pillar of fire sprang from the chair in front of Kuuki and, to the right of Hiruzen, a violent lightning sprang from the ceiling, hitting the empty chair.
Once the column of fire was dissipated, to the left of Chikyuu there was a man with a chiseled physique and tanned skin, at least two meters high. His eyes were orange while the hair was red as blood, and kept back in a low ponytail. The chest was completely naked while the legs were covered with red leather pants and brown boots, styled with bracelets of the same color on both wrists.
"Kasai, welcome and sorry for the short notice." Chikyuu said with a smile. The man shrugged and crossed his arms over the chest "No problem sister, I was anyway bored."
She nodded then moving the look on her second brother, the spirit of lightning, whose skin was pale blue. Almost as tall as Kasai, his body was slimmer than his brother, but it was still well defined. His short white hair was straightened into the sky with a long tuft shaped like a lightning while his eyes were golden like those of Chikyuu. Like his brother, he wasn't wearing anything in the upper body, but his legs were covered by a long golden skirt open at the front with blacks pants below.
"Why the hell did you organize this sudden encounter? I was sleeping peacefully!" he shouted suddenly watching with bored look the other spirits.
"Lively as usual, eh Denkoo?" Kuuki asked with a wild grin. Before the spirit of lightning could respond, a small explosion of water gushed to the right of Kuuki and Hiruzen found himself admiring another undoubted beautiful woman. Like Kuuki, even the newcomer had long ringlets but her were blue as the night, while the eyes were as blue as the ocean. Her body with generous shapes was covered only by a long water green tunic.
"I apologize for the delay." she said with a short bow. Chikyuu smiled as well as Kuuki "Do not worry, Mizu. My call was sudden, but you have arrived as soon as possible and for that I thank you."
"Yeah yeah we get it! Tell us why we have been gathered here!" Denkoo shouted causing a series of sighs from his brothers and sisters.
"Very well. I've called you here because of this child." Chikyuu turned to Naruto and only then the other spirits, except Kuuki, noticed him. Kasai raised an eyebrow, Denkoo merely snorted, not understanding what was so important with a human, while Mizu looked at him with pity.
"Then? He has done something to you? I can strike him instantly if you want." Denkoo suggested, but a glare of Chikyuu silenced him instantly.
"He hasn't done anything. The reason for the meeting is what they have done to him." Chikyuu clarified and, in front of each spirit, she created a small white stone. Already knowing what to do, the other four placed a hand on the stones and Chikyuu used a spell to flow the memories of Naruto in their minds.
Hiruzen swallowed hard. If the earthquake had been caused by a single angry spirit, he didn't even want to imagine what they could unleash, all five together. Within seconds, the temperature in the cave dropped dramatically and the old ninja thought that he could see at any moment the spirit of the ice. Unfortunately for him, there was no spirit of the ice, but the KI that the new four spirits poured on him was all too real. His heart nearly stopped and, only after seeing him about to faint, Chikyuu raised a hand to appease the other spirits who continued to stare Hiruzen with hatred.
"I know that you would kill him instantly, but he is one of only three people who have shown affection towards Naruto, so I ask you to let him breathe." Chikyuu said with a serious tone. Her brothers and sisters decided to listen to her and went back to look at her, leaving Hiruzen struggling with his body shaken by tremors.
"Let me kill his family." Denkoo said and the spirits of fire and air found themselves inclined to acquiesce his request.
"No, it wouldn't solve anything and the Hokage's death would only bring more problems for everyone!" Mizu protested and the spirit of the earth nodded "True, we can't do anything to them directly and if we decide to use our powers, we would only raze the entire village."
"So what do you propose? I can see that you saved his life, but he has no more way to use chakra, so he can not become a ninja." Kasai said with a raised eyebrow.
"Simple, we will give to him the means to become strong without using the chakra. According to our laws, we can't give to him our major powers, as my land control for example, so we will donate some special abilities." Chikyuu explained and in front of her appeared a sheet of paper "Therefore we will need a contract."
"A contract?" Hiruzen asked, somewhat confused. Mizu turned to him and nodded "Each of us will offer one or more gifts for Naruto and they will be scored on the contract. If any of us were to give him something out of the contract, he or she will be confined at the boundaries of the world for a thousand years."
Hiruzen nodded and, in that moment, Chikyuu spoke again "Ok, let's begin. Mizu, you go first."
"I, Mizu, the spirit of water, make him a gift of three abilities. The first is the ability to breathe underwater, the second is the ability to walk on the water as various ninja can do, and finally the ability to communicate with sea creatures." she said and the others nodded.
"I, Kuuki, the spirit of air, make him a gift of two abilities. The ability of being able to fly and to be able to communicate with all the creatures of the sky." the blonde said, and Hiruzen was particularly surprised 'Only two spirits have declared their gifts and they are already amazing.'
Another spirit decided to offer his gift "I, Kasai, the spirit of fire, make him a gift of two abilities. The ability to be more resistant to fire and the ability to be able to control the temperature of his body, so as to better adapt to heat and cold."
All you then turned to Denkoo who grinned "I offer the God-Speed Impulse." and all those present, excluding Hiruzen, eyes widened in surprise. That ability was the closest thing to the Sharingan, outside of the Doujustu, and he was entrusting it as if nothing had happened?
"Can I know why?" Chikyuu asked and the response was immediate "Because that child has had a crappy life and with that ability he'll able to defend himself!"
"Oow! Denkoo has a heart after all!" Kuuki giggled, instantly making him angry "SHUT UP!"
"Ok let's get back to serious matters." Chikyuu called them back "I, the spirit of earth, make him a gift of two abilities. The ability to be able to recover his energy in contact with the earth and to be able to identify any presence around him, as long as it's on the ground. Someone wants to add something?"
The other four spirits shook their heads "Very well, then I think we can..."
"Wait a moment, dear sister!" interjected a manly voice behind her. Emitting a weak growl, Chikyuu turned slightly, just to see a man with gray skin, red eyes, short black hair, dressed in a black robe and black boots.
"Kuragari...what are you doing here?" Chikyuu asked, and, hearing that name, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow 'His name means Darkness. I foresee trouble...'
"Oh, your coldness hurts me, dear sister." Kuragari said with a small smile "I am here to offer my gifts to this child." and he pointed at Naruto. The other spirits stared at him suspiciously and Kasai gave voice to his doubts "And why, the spirit of darkness, should be interested in a child?"
"Because even I have a heart. Black and rotten, but I have it. I observed Naruto for all his life and I know how he suffered, so I want to give him the power to make other people suffer! Of course, not intentionally, but if he becomes strong enough, maybe his parents will realize their mistakes and their expressions of shame will be a sublime reward!" Kuragari explained with a grin to which the other spirits looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.
After a 'silent conversation', Chikyuu turned back toward him "All right, go ahead."
He stared back at her with unbelieving eyes.
Chikyuu narrowed her eyes "What's the problem?"
"Err...I haven't prepared any gift...eheheh..."
"WHAT?!" Denkoo thundered with a fist on the table "Are you here to joke with us?!"
"Absolutely not! It's just that usually you do not grant me anything and then I was not ready for an affirmative answer!"
Chikyuu sighed "All right, how much time do you need to decide on a gift?"
The man seemed to think about it and eventually snapped his fingers "To make it even better, can I ask a gift to each one of my councilors? I'm sure that they will satisfy the needs!"
Chikyuu sighed again "Okay, but be quick, we do not have all day." and gave him the contract, only after writing a few clauses. The man took the contract and gave her a quick hug "Thank you so much, you won't regret it!" and he vanished in a cloud of black smoke.
'I hope so...' was the collective thought of the other spirits who sighed at the same time.
"Chikyuu-sama, if I may ask, who was that man?" Hiruzen asked, worried about what might happen.
"Kuragari, the spirit of darkness. He's a spirit that can be associated with all of your jutsu that don't use any of the elements, such as the Kawarimi no Jutsu, the various Genjutsu and the Bunshinjutsu." Chikyuu explained with a tired voice "Usually, he's not evil but loves to make jokes and plotting behind us, also there isn't a sacred place in this world for him and therefore he has several councilors from the various floors of his world."
"Do I have to worry?"
The spirits exchanged another worried glance.
'I'll take that as a yes...'
In an unknown location
Kuragari walked into a huge stone hall adorned with candlesticks and a huge round table in the center of the room. Around the table there were eight chairs and only one was empty, that reserved for him.
"Hello, my friends, I hope that the trip was to your liking!" he shouted with a broad smile and some of those present snorted, including a grotesque knight provided with a deformed right arm. Placed against the back of his chair there was a monstrous broadsword with one eye open near the hilt. (1)
"Boring to say the least, seriously Kuragari, why did you made us come here?" the knight asked with a hoarse voice.
"Simple! The other spirits have allowed me to help them to a certain question! In short, a human child will receive gifts from every spirit and each one of us can add the gifts but without exaggerating. That finicky of my sister has added a lot of clauses..." the spirit explained, surprising some of his advisers.
A boy dressed in black with dark hair and eyes tilted his head slightly "Something strange happened? Usually you make them suffer, you don't help them."
Sighing, the man created seven spheres of darkness from his hand and sent them to his advisers. Upon contact with their bodies, the spheres transferred the memories of Naruto within them, so as to avoid too much explanation. He then turned to the boy "I hope that is clear why I'll help him, Zeref." (2)
Zeref nodded and to his right, a man dressed as a black and yellow ninja, cracked his knuckles, staring at Kuragari with his completely white eyes "Any reason why you haven't killed his parents yet?" (3)
"Yes, according to my sister, killing them would only bring trouble. Personally I'd like to see that village burning but I'm sure that the others would stop me instantly, so I'll help Naruto and I will laugh in seeing the shocked faces of his parents." Kuragari explained with a wide grin on his face.
"Hmm...I understand your reasons, but we are eight dark and evil beings. What gifts we could ever offer without exaggerating?" asked a big skeleton dressed in a large black suit and a red globe positioned just below the rib cage. (4)
Kuragari stared at them one by one with a smile "Well, surprise me!" and everyone sweatdropped.
"Can I turn him into a vampire?" asked a man with red eyes, showing a rather strange smile. His blacks hair were facing forward and seemed to ignore the gravity, while his elegant black dress was covered by a long red coat.
Kuragari began reading the various clauses "Sorry Alucard, no vampires or such beings." (5)
"Heh, it's a shame. I am sure that Seras would have loved a little brother." Alucard chuckled while thinking to a possible gift. After several minutes, it was the vampire who offered the first gift "I will give him a weapon, the Monofilament Wires. If it'll be possible, I will ask Walter to train him."
"Ok, your gift is acceptable! Anyone else?"
"I offer the ability to remove or seal his seven deadly sins." said a man dressed in a loose white tunic. His eyes were golden and cold, while his long hair, kept in a low ponytail, and his beard were blond like wheat. Some of those present arched an eyebrow and Zeref asked "Father, your is an unusual gift. Can I know why you're offering that ability?" (6)
"His family won't disappear into thin air, and seeing it again might increase his anger or his envy toward his sisters. Without sins in the heart he will concentrate better. I'll give to him mine order to keep him under control." the man explained with a serious look. After a few seconds of silence, the knight struck the table with his deformed hand "Bullshit! You just want to get rid of those seven so as not hear them in your mind!"
Father sighed "I won't deny it, after hundreds of years they are becoming unsustainable..."
"Then create seven bodies for them. With your enormous power you can do it." Kuragari suggested, but the old man shook his head "I've done it in the past and they have caused only disasters. I don't want to repeat that experience..."
"Ok...well your ability doesn't fit into any clause, so there are no problems." Kuragari resumed reading the clauses "What?! No horsemen of the apocalypse? Tsk, my sister is a real spoilsport..."
"The clauses say something about companions or evocations?" Zeref asked having half an idea for his gift.
"No legendary or extinct creatures. Why?"
"I offer my demons as a gift. Since he can not use the chakra and I can't teach him how to use magic, I'll modify my 'books' in order to activate them with his blood. Besides, I'll move them inside a scroll, since the ninjas prefer those to books. I will keep with me END, it's too important for me." Zeref explained with a smile and the others nodded.
"Very well, these gifts are not bad at all!" Kuragari cheered. He could not wait to enjoy the faces of Naruto's parents. His eyes then rested on the only councilor who had not yet spoken. From a distance he looked like a man but his body was covered with a kind of red organic armor equipped with wings that covered his arms, while his head was locked in a strange helmet that resembled the head of an eagle or something like that "Griffith, nothing to say?" (7)
The man called Griffith turned to him with a face devoid of emotions "I have an idea but I don't know if it can be combined with all other gifts."
"Don't tell me that you want turn him into an Apostle!" the skeleton snapped "As far my creatures are monstrous, your Apostles are simply grotesque!"
"No Ainz, I don't intend transform him. I want to offer him an armor." Griffith said with the same emotionless look. Kuragari peered at him carefully "You're not talking about THAT armor...aren't you?"
Griffith nodded "Yes, I'm referring to the Berserker Armor. I know it's dangerous but this child, as I understand, could face dangerous enemies and an extra boost wouldn't hurt. But these ninja don't wear armors, therefore I'll modify it so as to make it appear in time of need, for example through a tattoo or a symbol similar to one of their seals."
"I am in favor. That armor transforms the user into a kind of demon driven by negative emotions. Removing his sins, the wrath won't be able to govern him and therefore he'll control its power." Father said with a nod.
"It might work." Kuragari said "All right, I will accept your gift Griffith and in addition, as my personal gift, I'll erase most of his emotions. Naruto has to become strong and emotions such as happiness or love would only slow him down. Over time he will learn again to experience those emotions, but it is not the case to think about it now." the others nodded.
"It's to you now." Alucard said looking at the knight, the ninja and Ainz.
The ninja cleared his throat "My gifts will be my special kunai and a training in my style of fighting, including my infernal powers." Kuragari opened his mouth to protest but the ninja anticipated him "He won't be able to go to hell like me. The 'powers' will be limited to inflamed shots and my ability to vanish into the flames. It will replace the Kawarimi no Jutsu."
"Are you sure, Scorpion? I hope that you won't corrupt him with your revenge. He must become a strong ninja, not an avenger." Kuragari said with a serious glare.
"You said it. It's MY revenge, not HIS. I'll teach him only how to fight, nothing more." Scorpion said with a shrug "Oh, and also I will give to him some decent clothes. After all I am the ninja here, not you."
For a few seconds there was silence, but then...
"Please, I'm more qualified for that field!" said the knight with a serious tone but apparently Father did not agree "You wear only monstrous armors, I do not think you can have your say."
"Oh give me a break! Nearly all your sins dress up with some black spandex jumpsuits!" the knight retorted.
"On that, Nightmare is right!" Kuragari commented with a chuckle "However I think Scorpion's right, he's the best suited to decide on further clothes for Naruto."
Nightmare mumbled something but in the end did not reply. Seconds later, the door of the room opened and a butler brought some drinks, placing them in front of Kuragari, Alucard, Zeref and Father, then went out and closed the door. As they began to sip, Ainz placed a ring and a small leather bag on the table.
"In the bag there are some special gems. Crumbling one of them in any location, that place will be marked with a powerful spell and Naruto will be able reach that particular place through the ring at any time." Ainz explained with a calm tone but then he noticed something "Someone should give him some kind of creature to ride."
"Why? He can travel with your ring and my sister Kuuki gave him the ability to fly." Kuragari remarked.
"Yes, but I think that among the ninjas those are rare or non-existent skills, so it would be better if he had some way to get around without attracting attention." Ainz explained "If that's okay, in my guild there are different creatures including a demonic horse. It has nothing strange compared to other horses except the red eyes and its only ability is to never get tired."
"Well I think there are no problems, it is only a horse." Kuragari said, sipping his wine.
"I offer the Soul Edge."
The reactions were varied and immediate.
Kuragari spat his wine dirtying almost the entire table, Ainz's jaw came off falling to the ground, Scorpion turned his neck so fast almost breaking it, Father and Zeref lost the grip on their glasses which shattered on the floor, Griffith's eyes widened in shock and Alucard looked at his glass 'Perhaps this blood is rotten...'
In the end, everyone turned toward Nightmare who looked back at them "What?"
"I said without exaggerating!" Kuragari shouted "How can you give him a cursed sword?!"
"I won't give to him the true Soul Edge, but the Soul Edge Phantom. It was created from my memories and is much weaker than the original. It'll become stronger with the souls who will absorb but nothing more." Nightmare explained "Also I'll turn it into a pendant, so it'll not attract unwanted attention, and Naruto will be able to evoke it with his blood."
Kuragari looked at the contract with a thoughtful look "Well I'll be damned...it is not prohibited..."
"Seriously?!" Scorpion was astonished. That child couldn't summon legendary creatures but they left to him a cursed weapon?
The spirit of darkness showed him the contract and the ninja nodded. Stupid spirits...
"Well, I'd say that we're done. Now I'll go back to my brothers to deliver the contract. I will inform you of any developments. See you soon!" and with that, Kuragari vanished in a cloud of smoke.
In the Forest of Death
"They are taking their time..." Kuuki groaned, and the others nodded. At that moment, only Hiruzen felt out of place.
"Hey, human." the spirit of lightning called him "Y-yes, Denkoo-sama?"
"It's your turn to deal the cards." the spirit said with a bored tone and the old ninja nodded, shuffling the cards.
'I ended up playing poker with them...what the hell happened?!'
Kuragari came to his rescue which put the contract in front of Chikyuu. The spirit of earth raised an eyebrow reading the various gifts "A demonic horse, the eradication of his emotions, the sealing of his sins, a group of demons to conjure, cursed armor, three weapons one of which cursed, a training by the hand of an infernal ninja and a ring for the teleport?"
"And new clothes!"
"...and new clothes."
"Cursed objects aside, they do not seem exaggerated as gifts. Don't you think?" Kasai asked and the others nodded except Chikyuu who sighed "All right, I will accept these gifts, Kuragari." her brother nodded with a broad smile and her attention shifted to Hiruzen "You will provide to Naruto the means to survive and a suitable place where to train. Don't tell to anyone about his abilities and, when possible, help him in his learning."
"If I understand correctly, you want make him a strong ninja. I know that it would take away time from his training, but wouldn't be better to make him go the academy?" Hiruzen asked.
"That place is out of the question. We have decided to help him to keep him away from his family. At the academy he would be in the same class of his sisters and that's something that we want to avoid. You are the academy rector, so you won't have problems to invent some excuse to make him a ninja." Chikyuu said with a serious look. Hiruzen nodded slowly, trying to calm himself, but the KI of the spirits was putting a strain on him.
Without another word, all six spirits surrounded Naruto and put a hand over him. From their bodies sprang energies of different colors which flowed into the child's body. In that moment, however, Kuragari asked "Can we remove his whiskers? They're somewhat ridiculous..."
The others rolled their eyes but nodded. After several minutes, the lights faded and the ritual came to an end.
Chikyuu picked up Naruto and handed him to Hiruzen "We will observe you, Hiruzen. Don't disappoint us."
"I won't." Hiruzen bowed "Thank you for everything that you are doing for Naruto."
Chikyuu waved a hand with a little smile "We are helping him with pleasure but if his family will continue on this path...I can not guarantee that Denkoo will remain on the sidelines.
"You can bet on it..." the spirit of lightning hissed with a hard glare toward Hiruzen.
Hiruzen nodded again and then shunshined away, heading toward his house. The various spirits were silent for a few seconds and eventually Kuragari asked "Sssoooo...anybody want to bet on the reaction of his parents?"
With Naruto and Hiruzen
The old ninja looked at the child tight in his arms. His sad eyes were illuminated by a new light and the pure determination crept into his heart. Looking ahead, his eyes fell on the face of Minato carved into the mountain.
'You'll see, Minato-kun.' he thought 'Naruto-kun will surprise you and everyone else. I just hope that this road will not lead to the utter solitude...'
Unseen by him, the slight smile on the lips of Naruto faded slowly as the spell of the spirits was activated.
His journey toward redemption had just begun.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 2: A NEW NARUTO
(1) Nightmare from Soul Calibur IV;
(2) Yes, Zeref from Fairy Tail;
(3) Scorpion from Mortal Kombat 9;
(4) Lord Ainz Ooal Gown from Overlord;
(5) Alucard from Hellsing Ultimate;
(6) 'Father' from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood;
(7) Griffith 'God Hand' (old anime version) from Berserk;
Aaaaaaaand STOP! End of the first chapter!
So, what do you think? Has it captured your curiosity? I hope so! As you may have noticed, several characters have appeared from other manga or video games and more will appear BUT the main world will be that of Naruto and all its characters. Also the story will follow Naruto and not the other characters (of course, occasionally, I'll also show them).
I hope that you will follow and review this story! The advices are welcome as always! That said, I leave you with a list of the characters created by me!
See you around and have a good night!
OC list:
Mito: Naruto's sister and Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki;
Miwako: Naruto's sister and Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki;
Kuuki: spirit of air;
Kuragari: spirit of darkness;
Chikyuu: spirit of earth;
Mizu: spirit of water;
Kasai: spirit of fire;
Denkoo: spirit of lightning;
