AN: I don't know why I wrote this, honestly. The idea just came to me while I was drinking coffee and it seemed like a good idea at the time? Well, I hope you guys enjoy this as much as you like my other fic! Warning: MinaNaru, and tons of angst.
Chapter One: Old Memories and Familiar Faces
Kami had a strange sense of humor. On October tenth, the Kyuubi had been sealed inside of Uzumaki Naruto. Exactly twenty-two years later, on exactly October tenth, the Kyuubi was ripped out of Naruto. The Fourth Great War had been going on for six years, the Shinobi Alliance fighting against Madara and the Juubi. Madara had believed that taking the Kyuubi from Naruto would have cemented his victory.
Fate is a cruel mistress, as he soon found out.
Twenty-two years with the fox inside of him, Kurama's chakra had become apart of Naruto's chakra coils, more so than his own. It was his chakra, all the way on a cellular level. Kurama being ripped out of him had unforeseen consequences. Rather than dying as he thought, Naruto became something else, something not human. Uzumaki Naruto died, yes, but something else replaced him; he'd become a half demon.
Taking the fox did not seal Madara's victory; it sealed his fate. With his new found strength, Naruto and the Alliance had defeated Madara, sealing him and the Juubi so they could never cause such destruction again. The Shinobi Alliance had won, but Naruto had paid a heavy price, not that he would realize it for years. Even though he was free, Kurama could tell of the changes in his former Jinchuuriki.
Watching Naruto grow up, watching him suffer and yet strive to protect everything he held dear, the fox had developed a deep respect for his Jinchuuriki. Now, sensing his own chakra within the boy, he realized that Naruto wasn't human He was a half demon; his own kit, no less. So, despite the fact that he could have left, Kurama stayed at Naruto's side, if only to be there for the shinobi when he realized what would come.
The Shinobi had their victory, but Naruto had lost more than anyone else. He'd lost his humanity.
Two hundred and twenty-five years, four months, three weeks and five days had passed since the war, not that Naruto was keeping count.
After the war, Naruto had settled down as Rokudaime Hokage, ruling over in the peaceful era. Sasuke had come back to the village and he'd been instated as an ANBU Captain, along with most of the Rookie nine. It had taken Naruto a while to realize it, however. His friends seemed to be aging, yet he was unchanged by the current of time. One by one, Naruto watched as his precious people were taken away from him due to old age. One by one, his friends died of natural causes while he could do nothing but watch.
It was a curse. Naruto couldn't take his own life. Kurama had stayed by his side, helping him through the overwhelming pain of losing everyone he held dear. Every time he tried taking his own life, he would be saved by his own chakra. He was as much of an immortal as Kurama was. The pain lasted for decades, and each time Naruto formed a new bond, he was forced to watch them die. Life was so fragile, just as humans were, he soon discovered.
Two hundred years had passed. Kurama had assumed his human form, being publicly known as Naruto's 'father'. Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Kurama were known as direct decedents from the Rokudaime Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. Kurama steadily built his own empire, using his knowledge to make his own company that contributed to the police force. Kyuubi Inc. was a force to be reckoned with.
Konoha had given way to a blooming city, cars lining the streets and technical innovations flourishing. Cars and airplanes were the primary ways of traveling now. Chakra was strictly monitored, and most people were civilians, their chakra systems laying dormant. Only the police, hospital doctors and government soldiers developed their chakra systems enough to fight. Even then, most jutsu were lost in time, steadily becoming part of history just as shinobi. Ninja's were stuff of legends, taught in schools and made into movies. At some point, people began questioning if shinobi and jutsu even truly existed, and if their feats were as great as the legends claimed.
The Hokage Monument was the only thing that stayed the same, a historical site that was kept preserved, the six faces watching over the bustling city.
Two hundred years, and Naruto had met the first reincarnation of one of his precious people. Jiraiya had been a young man, developing his writing company and soon flourishing with his adult novels that enticed the young audience. Tsunade had grown into a woman who rose quickly in the medical field, making a name for herself as well.
Despite himself, Naruto had gotten to know both of them. Whether they noticed his ever useful appearance, they never once commented. They weren't his Ero-sennin or Baa-chan, Naruto knew that. His precious people could never be replaced, but he had room in his heart for new people.
It was five years later when he came across Hatake Kakashi. The boy was merely five years old, his father having committed suicide, leaving him an orphan. It seemed history would repeat itself no matter what. He couldn't bare to leave the child to grow up in an orphanage, having experienced the pain himself of living in such a place. Kurama had advised against it. Kakashi was a genius as he had once been, he was bound to notice sooner or later-
Yet Naruto ignored the warnings of his adopted father. The bond he and Kurama had was one of father and son, one that ran deep after nearly two hundred years. Their appearances were different yet similar. Naruto had blond hair, whereas Kurama's hair was a deep red, reaching down to the middle of his back, which he kept in a pony tail. The demon's eyes appeared blue to everyone else, so similar to Naruto's own eyes, and three whisker marks rested on his face, just as Naruto's own. Most people assumed it was a family trait.
It had taken Naruto a month for the adoption process to go through, only two weeks to get Kakashi moved in with him. The young genius was withdrawn after the death of his father, unwilling to open up towards Naruto. He was patient, however, taking time off of his job as a history teacher to bring Kakashi from his shell. Naruto cooked them breakfast, lunch and dinner. He told Kakashi stories of shinobi, stories of Team Seven and his own battles. The child brushed them off as just that; stories.
However, Naruto noticed the way Kakashi started listening to those stories. It had been strange at first for Naruto to see the boy without a mask, but he looked perfectly normal. Completely adorable, honestly. The little comments came next.
"Shinobi going chasing a cat as a mission? What kind of mission is that?"
"A mission from Hell," Naruto answered bluntly. He would swear that he saw a hint of amusement in Kakashi's eyes.
Two nights later, Naruto decided to test something out. He had made dinner as usual, though this night, he kept quiet. There were no stories of ninja, no attempts at talking. He noted with amusement the glances that Kakashi kept throwing at him. It took Kakashi half an hour to crack.
"How do you get chakra?" Kakashi had asked halfway through dinner, finally breaking the silence.
Naruto smiled. It was progress, that was for sure. "You don't get chakra, Kashi-chan," He smiled at the face Kakashi made at the nickname and started the process of explaining what chakra was and where it came from. He told him of how to mold it as well as how to open the chakra system in your body. Tonight, Kakashi listened attentively, taking in everything Naruto was saying and constantly asking questions.
"Naru-chan," Naruto twitched at the nickname, no doubt payback for calling the boy Kashi-chan. "How do you know so much about chakra?" Kakashi asked when they were putting away their dishes.
"I just do," Naruto shrugged, washing his plate in the sink. The vague answer did nothing to appeal the child's curiosity.
"I've never heard anyone talk about chakra like you do. Either you're lying about it, or you can use chakra." It was more than a statement. It was a challenge. Kami, Naruto was being challenged by a five year old. Then again, Kakashi was a genius. He sometimes forgot that little fact.
"Maybe I can," Naruto once again gave a vague answer, smiling to himself at the annoyed look on the boy's face.
"Prove it." Again, another challenge. Kami, did the kid ever give up?
"Maybe when you're older, Kashi-chan." Yet again, his answer only served to make Kakashi more annoyed. The boy huffed, glaring at Naruto in a way he probably thought was intimidating, though Naruto just found it to be adorable. He leaned back against the counter, weighing his options for a moment before making a hand sign he was familiar with. The confused look on Kakashi's face had him grinning. A puff of smoke filled the kitchen, and a clone of Naruto stood right beside him.
Kakashi's reaction was priceless. The boy stared between Naruto and the clone, his eyes wide as he tried to process what was happening. He'd heard of the clones in Naruto's stories, but had never thought they were real. Kakashi had taken many stories of shinobi to be exaggerated, yet Naruto had just preformed the Shadow Clone Jutsu! He recalled Naruto telling him how this jutsu was forbidden, using a bunch of chakra that would normally kill normal shinobi. His mind was reeling at the possibilities of what this meant. His new adoptive father most likely had a bunch of chakra.
After bringing the shocked boy to bed, Naruto had let the clone do the cleaning for him. The house was small and modest despite the sizable portion of money Naruto had saved in his bank account. Living for two hundred years, he could probably buy the entirety of Konoha and live comfortably.
Kakashi's reaction the next morning at breakfast wasn't surprising.
"Teach me. I want to learn the shinobi way." The look in the child's eyes surprised Naruto. It was a look of pure determination, one he use to have when he went into battle. Sipping on his coffee, Naruto leaned against his chair, taking in Kakashi's expression.
"I will teach you if you give me an answer. Why do you want to learn the shinobi way? When you can give me the right answer, I'll teach you." His tone left no room for argument, and Kakashi nodded at the request.
The boy spent the day thinking over his answer, remembering all of the stories he'd been told. Each of Naruto's stories about shinobi had one thing in common. The shinobi had fought to protect their precious people. Whether in a simple battle or a war, each shinobi in Naruto's stories fought to protect someone close to them. That made him ponder on his answer. Was Naruto precious to him? The man had come into Kakashi's life after his fathers death, adopting him and giving him a comfortable life. His first impression of Naruto was that the man was a clumsy idiot. He smiled all the time and always seemed to be tripping over himself. To think that Uzumaki Kurama was Naruto's father was unreal. Kakashi had met Kurama many times, the man coming over multiple times to have dinner or generally annoy Naruto.
While he thought over his answer, Kakashi realized that the pain he felt from his fathers death was lessening. He tried to imagine what it would be like to go without Naruto's stories from now on, and was surprised to find that he couldn't. He couldn't imagine going without the blond's stories, or seeing him every morning. He couldn't imagine going without Naruto in his life.
It was a day later when he gave his answer, personally waking Naruto up the next morning. When the blond became coherent enough to realize that Kakashi had woken him up, the boy looked directly at Naruto. This clumsy idiot had saved him from the pain of growing up alone. He'd saved him from the overwhelming sadness his fathers death had left him with.
"I want to learn so I can protect you, Naru-chan." To say Naruto was surprised by the answer was an understatement. Despite how smart he knew Kakashi to be, the child was still only five years old. The will to protect someone wasn't generally figured out until a person was older. Naruto never found that strength until the Wave mission.
It took him a moment to answer, but Naruto sighed, sitting up in bed. "Alright. I'll teach you, Kashi-chan. What are you gonna do when you learn though? Are you going to join the police force when you're older?" Although it wasn't illegal to practice your chakra or even use it, most civilians in this modern time didn't even know how to unlock it. Naruto himself was registered as knowing how to use his chakra, though he had lied about several things, such as what he could and couldn't do.
"Of course. How else can I protect you?" Kakashi pointed out, giving Naruto a look as if he were an idiot. Chuckling softly, Naruto tugged the boy into a hug, playfully ruffling his hair.
"Fine, brat! Get ready because I won't go easy on you!" He grinned at Kakashi's puffed out cheeks and determined look.
That day marked the first time Naruto openly showed his abilities as a shinobi to anyone other than Kurama in over two centuries. He took Kakashi on as an apprentice, much to Kurama's amusement and slight exasperation, and promised himself to give the boy a better life than what his first one ever was.
That day, Naruto had found something to really live for.
AN: This is just the beginning. Let me know what you think!