Chapter One: Families and Joes
It was a night of celebration, tonight was the celebration of the defeat of the Kyuubi. For one child though, it was a night of terror and pain rather than one of happiness. Running through the streets, a 6 year old with blond hair and blue eyes ran with all his might. Why you may ask, perhaps it was due to the fact that a huge mob of villagers were chasing him, intending to hurt him for a reason that was unknown to him. The boy's name was Naruto Uzumaki.
"Come back here you demon!" a villager shouted while he threw a bottle, which whizzed by young Naruto's head before breaking on the ground.
"What ever I did, I'm sorry! Please, just leave me alone!" he wailed as he ran. His pleas went unheard by the mob, seeing as they were out for his blood.
Unbeknownst to the mob and Naruto, a man dressed in a full grey ninja suit, which covered from head to toe along with a pair of swords on his back forming an X was watching. His face was completely covered and over his eyes was a vented visor; the man went by the name of Snake Eyes. He looked up to see two figures running along the rooftops toward the blond boy; they were none other than Itachi Uchiha and Anko Mitarashi. Curiosity spiked, Snake Eyes decided to follow them.
Meanwhile, Naruto ran down the street and turned down an alleyway, which turned out to be a dead end. He turned towards the mob and cowered in fear. "Please, I beg of you, don't hurt me I'm sorry!" he cried.
"Yeah right demon, like we are going to believe you!" one of the villagers laughed, "NOW DIE!" he screamed as he went to stab the young container but stopped mid stab.
"What is wrong Ryu, why don't you finish the little bastard?" another villager asked. He got his answer when he saw the man fall backwards. There between his eyes was a kunai, with only the handle visible. Upon seeing the kunai, the mob looked to the top of the fence that Naruto was cowering against to meet a pair of swirling sharingan eyes that belonged to Itachi Uchiha and an extremely angry Anko.
"Pathetic, I thought I had seen everything, but this takes the cake." said Itachi in a monotone voice; while he looked calm on the outside, inside he was a raging typhoon. 'How could they do this to Minato's son, I mean sure he contains Kyuubi but he is too nice to be the demon; they deserve to die'. With that thought over, he looked at Anko and gave her a look that asked 'You thinking what I'm thinking'; receiving a nod, they jumped down in front of Naruto who looked up.
"Anko-neechan!" Anko looked over her shoulder and smiled.
"Don't worry Naruto-kun, I'll keep you safe." Anko had become rather fond of the boy since they were alike in so many ways. The villagers hated both of them for things that they had no control over and they both grew up without knowing their family. Itachi knew the boy from observing him and came to the conclusion that even though he was the number one prankster of Konoha he was no Kyuubi.
Snake Eyes watched on with fascination at the growing scene here was a child that did not look like a demon and simply hated for something he could not control. This made Snake Eyes's rage grow; he knew he had to get this kid out of the village. 'He would make one hell of a Joe with that stamina and quick thinking of his.' When he saw Anko and Itachi, a smile came to his lips. 'So this kid is not alone, there are people who do care about him…but it seems as if there are very few of them…very few indeed.'
"You people are in violation of the Third's law, and as such, you are all sentenced to death" Itachi stated. The crowd immediately gasped.
"But this…brat is the Kyuubi!" The oh so intelligent villager was decapitated by Itachi for his words.
"Naruto is not the Kyuubi!" Anko yelled. Thankfully Naruto was unconscioius due to exhaustion so he did not hear her. However, the mysterious stalker heard, and was shocked.
'Naruto…wasn't that the name of Duke's dead nephew? I must get that kid out of here to find out for sure. If this really is Duke's nephew…then there'll be hell to pay.' With that in mind, Snake Eyes slowly but quickly bounded across the rooftops to the scene. When he got there, he waited for the perfect time to strike. When Itachi and Anko started their punishment, he decided to make his move.
"Now to execute you damn villagers" Anko hissed out with venom. She used one of her favorite jutsus to shoot snake out of the sleeves of her trench coat to poison several of the villagers. Meanwhile, Itachi showed the villagers how painful Katon jutsus really were. The two Anbu members turned to Naruto to take him to the hospital, but saw another man crouching next to Naruto. Snake Eyes looked over his shoulder at the two shinobi and threw a smoke bomb before grabbing Naruto and headed towards the gates. (Hokage Tower)
Sarutobi was watching the night's events through his crystal ball and was saddened by his villagers' stupidity.
"So…it seems that soon Duke and Scarlet will know the truth…Kami-sama, they're going to wring my neck." Sarutobi paled as he envisioned a pissed off red-head archer and a blonde First Class Sergeant screaming at him. He prayed that the two would understand; after all, he had to protect Naruto from the council. Danzo, would have liked nothing better than turn Naruto into a living weapon. Luckily, Sarutobi was able to put an end to his plans. He sent a small messenger bird toward Itachi and Anko, in order to tell them to call off the pursuit
(Back to the Pursuit)
Itachi chased Snake Eyes across the rooftop with Anko right behind him when they saw the messenger bird pass over them. 'What could Sandaime-sama want now? We have to save Naruto-kun.' Despite their beliefs, they both complied with the Hokage's wish. 'I hope he knows what he is doing…' The duo then headed back to the Hokage Tower.
Seeing his pursuers leave, Snake Eyes leapt over the wall and headed towards the temporary base camp outside the village. When he got there, he met up with a man in a red suit and helmet with sunglasses who smiled at him. His name was Edwin Steen, but everyone knew him as Lifeline.
"Ahh, Snake Eyes you're back with a guest I see." When Lifeline saw the unconscious boy covered in cuts and bruises, he gasped. "Oh my God, what happened? Get him to the medical tent stat!" he ordered rushing to the nearest tent. While he was running, he thought, 'This kid looks like Duke's brother, Minato...' When he went back to the other tent where Snake Eyes was waiting with Naruto, he noticed that the cuts where healed like they were never there. "This is strange, don't you think Snake Eyes?" Receiving a nod, he pulled out a syringe. "Why not do a blood test and find out who this kid is?" Receiving another nod, he drew some blood and went into the other room with the silent ninja following. If only they knew what was happening in the young blondes mind.
(Naruto's Mindscape)
Naruto woke up in his mind and noticed that it looked like a sewer. 'God, my mind is a sewer. I hope that doesn't mean I'm going to be a pervert.' He saw a red glow coming from the last opening on the left and decided to follow it and see what was causing the glow. He came to a room where a big cage had a piece of paper with the Kanji for seal on it.
"AHH, it seems my container has come to visit. It is nice to finally meet you Naruto" a loud voice bellowed from the cage. A giant fox stepped up to the bars and stared at him.
"W…who are you?" the young container stuttered out, "and where are we?" he asked with fear lacing every word. The fox had no problem smelling the young boy's fear.
"Well child, I am Kyuubi no Kitsune…and we are in your mind." Seeing his container shake with fear, he answered, "No need to fear me Kit, I am not evil like your books make me out to be."
"But why did you attack the village 6 years ago?" he asked, his curiosity now spiked.
"Because a certain clan head killed my mate." Venom laced Kyuubi's words, scaring the young child in front of him. When he noticed his container's fear, he calmed himself. "However, I quickly learned that not the whole clan was bad; the heir, I believe her name was Tsume, saved my kits. I owe her a debt that I have to repay." Naruto raised his head upon hearing the name "Tsume".
"Isn't that the head of the Inuzuka clan? I remember her, she saved me once!"
"Yes, that is her Kit. We can talk later, but for now you must rest. I will explain more the next time we meet." This time, Kyuubi's voice was laced with warmth and kindness, making Naruto comfortable and sleepy. Seeing this, Kyuubi sent out some charka and wrapped the boy in it like a blanket. His chakra helped Naruto fall asleep. 'Hmm, this boy has led a harsh life…I sense that these strangers have his best interest at heart surprisingly enough.' Kyuubi was able to see Lifeline tending to Naruto's injuries and Snake eyes protecting Naruto.
(Reality)
Lifeline covered the cuts that did not heal while Snake Eyes checked the perimeter of the campsite when the beeping of the machine behind him brought him out of his thoughts of how the young child had recovered so quickly. Going to it, he took the piece of paper and read it. His eyes immediately widened.
"Snake Eyes, get in here now!" Said ninja appeared, ready for combat. Lifeline just smiled and stated, "We found Him." Upon hearing this, the ninja stiffened in joy; they had just found his commander's supposedly dead nephew. "Hurry, we have to contact Duke!" That being said, he went over to the communication computer and turned it on.
(GI Joe Base USA)
"Duke, this is Lifeline, come in Duke!" A blonde haired First Class Sergeant, dressed in a kaki shirt and green pants walked up to it followed by a red head dressed in a black and tan suit.
"This is Duke, what is it Lifeline?"
"Duke, we found HIM." Hearing the emphasis on the "him", Duke went wide-eyed and looked at his red-headed fiancée.
"Lifeline, this better not be a joke cause if it is…" he was cut off by the said medic.
"This is not a joke sir, I ran a blood test of a child that Snake Eyes found in Konoha…he's a match. Snake Eyes says his name is Naruto."
Duke gasped as his emotions switched from shock to anger. 'He was alive all these years…he's still alive… why would Sarutobi tell Scarlet and me that he died when he was born? I know Sarutobi better than that, he would have told us…it must have been because of the council…I'm going to kill them all when I get there…' Scarlet was able to read her fiancée's emotions and saw him clench his fists, and instantly put her hand on his shoulder.
"I know what you're feeling dear, but we have to approach this rationally" she warned him. He turned to meet her emerald green eyes and his anger went away instantly.
"How do you do that honey?"
"Do what?" she asked, using her most innocent voice.
"Calm me down so quickly when I'm so riled up" he answered the lovely redhead.
"Cause we've been together for four years, of course I know how to calm you down…and turn you on" she smiled seductively before leaning in to kiss him passionately which he willingly returned, until a voice pulled them out of their make-out session.
"Geez you two, I hear that my nephew is alive, and when I come over here to investigate, I find you two making out like horny teenagers!" Duke's half brother, Falcon, who was standing in the doorway next to his girlfriend, Jinxs. The two immediately jumped away from one another, both blushing a new shade of red. Regaining his composure, Duke looked at him with all seriousness. Falcon knew that Duke was serious.
"Falcon, you and Jinxs grab Spirit. We're going to Konoha to get our nephew," he said standing straight up. They started to head out when Scarlet spoke out.
"No."
Falcon, Jinx, and Duke looked at Scarlet in surprise. "We're going to pick up our son. Duke, I knew your brother just as well as you did, and I know he would want us to give him the family he needs" she smiled at her fiancée whose look of shock turned into a smile.
"But first, we need to get him and tell him of his heritage. Then we can tell him that we want to adopt him" he replied pulling her into a hug.
"Well, if we keep stopping to hug and kiss, we won't get there until next month" Falcon said sarcastically, breaking the two out of the hug and earning a glare from the said two.
"Let's go get my son" Duke said, earning a nod from the rest. When they walked out, they bumped into a man with a war helmet and goggles on.
"General Hawk sir, sorry" they stammered, but the man waved them off.
"Go get your son Duke, he deserves a family." The group stared wide eyed at the general. "Don't think I didn't hear a single word in this base" he chuckled. "Now get going you guys, Spirit is waiting for you in the hanger." That being said, the group left and a few moments later the sounds of a jet taking off was heard.
A few hours later, the group of Joes was at Konoha's front gate where a very angry and worried Duke stood waiting for the idiotic guards to show up. After a few minutes, the guards appeared.
"State your name and business here." Duke wanted to kick the crap out of the guard that spoke for his less than enthusiastic behavior, but some calming words from his fiancée calmed Duke down.
"We are here to see your Hokage about my nephew, who will hopefully be my son" he stated with a calm but serious voice that spoke volumes. The two shinobi instantly recognized his voice.
"D…Duke-san, is that you?" Receiving a nod, the two shinobi instantly paled. "Please proceed."
(Hokage Tower)
Sarutobi sat at his desk, rubbing his temples. He had just gotten through with explaining his reason for calling Itachi and Anko back. While he was thinking of the best way to break the news to Duke, he heard a commotion from the other side of his door.
"What do you mean I can't see the old coot! He has some things to answer for!" Upon hearing the voice, the Hokage started to pale; he would recognize that voice from anywhere. Suddenly, the door slammed opened to reveal a seething Duke and an equally angry Scarlet. "Old man, you have some explaining to do…and it better be good."
"Duke, listen to me. I' sorry I didn't tell you, but the council went behind my back. There was nothing I could do." Sarutobi held up his hands, praying that Duke would understand.
"Well old man, you call the council to a meeting and I'll have a little chat with them. First, I'm going to get my nephew and see if he wants to be my son." Upon hearing the news, the Hokage smiled.
"I glad to hear that, young Naruto needs a family very badly" he stated. 'Those bastards on the council sealed their fate' he thought with a grin as he watched Duke pull out a wakie talkie.
"Lifeline, this is Duke, come in do you hear me?" his respond was a groan from the other end. "Lifeline, is something wrong? Are you and Snake Eyes ok? What about Naruto?"
"Naruto's fine…and as for Snake Eyes and me…well, we're somewhat okay" Lifeline responded, still groaning.
"Why are you groaning? Were you attacked?"
"Well, your darling little nephew woke up and made a run for it. When I tried to stop him, he nailed me in the family jewels sir. Then he got Snake Eyes by surprise." Hearing Lifeline's report caused everyone in the Hokage's office to laugh.
"Well, I'll have Spirit track him down while you guys recover from the attack" Duke managed to reply in between laughs.
"May I offer some assistance?" receiving a nod he press the intercom "Send for Anko please." A moment later, a short-haired, brown trench coat wearing lady walked into the office.
"You called Hokage-sama?" she asked politely before noticing the others in the room. 'Who are they, and why are they here?' she thought until the Hokage broke her from her thoughts.
"Well Anko, it seems that the one who took Naruto is part of an elite anti-terrorist unit called GI Joe, and this man," he said, motioning to Duke, "is not only the second-in-command of the group, but also Naruto's uncle…and hopefully new father." Sandaime's statement caught the kunochi by surprise, and in her surprise froze for a second before her rage took over her control and lunged at the man and pinned him against the wall.
"Where the hell were you for the first six years of his life huh?" she screamed, "He was beaten and chased more times than I can remember, and lets not forget the assassination attempts that Itachi and I stopped! Last time I checked, there were over five hundred assassination attempts!" Duke just hung his head in shame as he heard what his nephew had to go through.
"I know, I should have been there for him, but I didn't know he was alive." Upon hearing the man speak, the young girl released her grip. "We were told by the council that he died in childbirth, along with my sister in law."
"Those damn fools…always interfering with people's lives. I know Danzo had something to do with this!" she growled before she clenched her fists, thinking of ways to torture the said man who had caused nothing but hell for Naruto and her.
"Anko, before you came in we received reports that Naruto escaped from the medic and the ninja who took care of him last night by using…less than extreme means." Anko just grinned.
"Let me guess, he got away by kicking them in the groin." Everyone in the office just stared at her with wide eyes.
"You taught him to do that?" Upon receiving a nod, the Hokage asked the question that they were all wondering. "Why?"
"Hell, he is a small kid…even if he was treated normally, he would still have older kids picking on him for being short, but back to the point, seeing as how adults are usually the ones targeting him, he has to use his size and speed to his advantage to get out of situations until help arrives. Which is usually Itachi and me." The aged Hokage just shuddered as he thought of what other…non-lethal moves Anko may have taught Naruto.
"Well, do you know where he might be?" he asked knowing that Kurenai, Anko's best friend, Itachi, and Anko were the three who spent the most time with Naruto.
"Yup, there's a nearby cave that I told him to go hid in if he was ever chased out of the village. He'll wait there until Itachi or I go there to bring him home." The old man smile and Duke smiled; it was nice to see that someone cared so much for Naruto.
"I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for Naruto. I'm glad he's had someone watching over him in this damn village. Now, lets go get my nephew." That being said, they all left the tower heading for the gate in which Snake Eyes had left with Naruto the previous night.
(Cave outside of Konoha)
Naruto staggered into the cave, exhausted from his full speed run through the forest. As he wandered deeper into the cave, he collapsed from exhaustion. Unable to fight it anymore, he let the darkness and relief of sleep take over his mind.
(Mindscape)
Naruto woke up once again in the sewers of his mind. 'Time to get some answers.' Putting on a face of determination, he walked to the last door on the right and stood in front of the Kyuubi's cage. The sight that greeted him wasn't anything that he expected. Instead of a gigantic red fox, there was a six year old girl with fire-red hair, dressed in a black kimono with red sakura petals dancing pattern on it.
"K…Kyuubi, is that you?" receiving a nod, Naruto yelled, "YOU'RE A GIRL!" The fox girl winced due to his loud shouts.
"Not so loud Naruto-kun…it hurts my ears" the boy blushed and began to apologize before she waved him off. "You're probably here to ask me about my attack on your village six years ago, right?" receiving a nod, she took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, six years ago I lived in a small cave near your village with my kits and mate. My mate was a kind creature, but when it came to protecting our precious people, there wasn't anyone or anything in this land that was fiercer. One day, I was hunting for dinner while my mate stayed home since he was tired and just slept with our kits" she smiled as a tear slid down her cheek. It made her so emotional to just remember those happy times. "When I returned, I found my mate dead and my kits were missing. At the time, I assumed that they where killed. I went into a rage and attacked your village. Your ninja put up a valiant effort but their attempts to subdue me were all in vain…until the Yondaime Hokage showed up. I believe that the Yondaime knew that I was not attacking out of bloodlust, but of sorrow. Instead of killing me, which I'm sure he could have done, he decided to spare my life by sealing me inside of you." Kyuubi looked and at him and saw that he was crying along with her. "I am so sorry Naruto-kun, it is because of me that hte blasted village of yours hates you. I understand if you hate me as well." The answer she received was not the one that she expected.
"I don't hate you." Hearing the child's statement made the fox girl gasp. "It was not your fault. The one to blame is that women who attacked and killed your family." Before he could continue his statement, Kyuubi corrected his statement.
"That is where you are wrong Naruto. I said that the clan head at that time killed my mate but not my children. Right before your Yondaime sealed me inside of you, I saw another woman younger than the clan head holding my children protectively. I could tell she would take good care of them." Upon hearing that Kyuubi's children were safe, the two of them smiled.
"Well, when Anko-neechan comes to get me, I'll have to visit her and see your kits."
"Well you may get your chance soon since I sense them coming so how about you wake up now ok" the boy nodded and with a blast of chakra she sent him out of his mind 'I hope they are who I think they are since he needs to know about his family since it was my fault his father died sealing me within him' she thought watching a small screen that show what was happening outside
(Real World)
Naruto woke to meet the brown eyes of the woman that he thought of as a sister.
"Neechan!!!" he shouted, making Anko cover her ears and reel back from the volume. After a few minutes of rubbing her ears, the snake mistress smiled at the young boy who was currently apologizing.
"Calm down Naruto, I know you were excited to see me" she replied ruffling the boy's hair which prompted him to tackle her. It was then that he noticed the other people behind with his sister.
"Neechan, who are these people?" he asked pointing to the group of Joes behind her. With a heavy sigh, she stood up and helped the young blonde to his feet. Motioning to the group, she began to speak.
"Naruto these people are with a special group called GI Joe. They protect the world from dangerous enemies." Before continuing, she looked at Duke who nodded his head. "This man here in the tan pants and green shirt is…" Anko took a deep breath before continuing, "Your uncle, Conrad, also known as Duke in the Joes team." After she finished speaking, she heard a gasp. She looked at Naruto, who had tears glistening in his eyes.
"I… I have family…where were they these past six years?!" he choked out. His voice was so full of misery and despair that the snake mistress embraced him in a tight hug and let him cry it out. At this moment Scarlet quickly walked over and joined in on the hug.
"There, there Naruto. We didn't know you were alive…we were told that you had died along with your mother in child birth" she let a tear slid down her cheek before continuing, "If we had known that you were alive, we would have come to get you immediately." While all this was going on, Duke was shaking with rage and mentally thinking about the meeting with the council. He decided that no matter what they were going to say, he was taking his nephew away from this hellhole of a village and making sure that they paid dearly. Falcon was able to read his brother's emotions and placed a firm hand on his brother's shoulder to calm him down.
"Duke, I know we barely get along, but I promise you that they will pay…we're in this together." Duke smiled and nodded before he turned his attention back to the two women holding his nephew. He decided that now was the best time to pitch the adoption idea since Naruto had calmed down. With a sigh he composed himself and walked up to the trio.
"Naruto, I'm not the best with words, so I'll get straight to the point. Scarlet and I would like to adopt you…would you like to become our son?" Naruto went wide-eyed and stared at the man.
"Y…You mean it?" receiving a nod he proceeded to tackle Duke "I have a family I have family!" he proceeded to yell before he started crying in his new father's shirt. Jinxs, Anko and Scarlet proceeded to aww in unison at the sight while Falcon just chuckled.
"Lets go son, we have a council to punish and some training to plan." Naruto stared at his new father in confusion.
"Training? What for?" he asked tilting his head to the side.
"Why to become a Joe like your mother and me, and protect the world" he said proudly.
"But I want to be a shinobi of the leaf!" the jinchuriki wined which earned a chuckle from the group.
"Well, I'll talk with the Hokage to get someone to train you in the art of the shinobi." Upon hearing that he would still be able to become a shinobi and stay with his family, the boy smiled even wider than before. "But first, we're going to have a little chat with the so called high council." Anko smirked when she heard the venom in the man's voice.
'I think I'm going to like this guy.' On the way back to the village, Naruto was holding onto both of his parents' hands, practically dragging them back to the village. Anko sighed as she realized that over the years she had become very fond of the blonde knucklehead whom she saw as a younger brother. 'Oh wel,l it was fun while he was here.'
Her disappointment did not go unnoticed by either Scarlet or Duke, who were thinking the same thoughts, 'Maybe she can be the one to help Naruto learn what it is to be a shinobi and their skills.' They looked at each other and nodded, silently agreeing that they would ask the Sandaime to allow Anko to accompany them.
(Council Room)
The council members looked at the third with a little bit hatred…after all, it was two o'clock in the morning. They had all been sleeping soundly when they were summoned for an emergency meeting.
"Hokage-sama, why is it that you have called this emergency meeting at this time? What could be so important that it can not wait for another few hours?" The speaker was a man with pale, pupiless eyes, and held an air of superiority. He was Hiashi Hyuuga.
"This meeting concerns the treatment and family of one Naruto Uzumaki." As he suspected, the Sandaime's statement caused an uproar, especially from the Hyuuga and a man named Danzo. The uproar was silenced by a wave of killing intent coming from the aging Hokage and three other members of the council. One of the three had blonde hair tied in a high ponytail with blue eyes, while the one next to him had a look of pure rage instead of his normally laid back look, and the third was a big man with red hair. The three were the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and the main supporter of the young blonde jinchuuriki since their children all were friends with him. Whenever they could, three of them would play together while one would lay on the ground and watch the clouds float by.
"Well, Minato's brother came to get his nephew…well son, since I will legalize the adoptation papers." The Sandaime's remark was immediately objected to by Danzo.
"Hokage-sama, you should not let them take him! They might turn him into a living weapon!" The Hokage and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio all sweatdropped."Weren't you thinking of doing the same thing Danzo? That was the first idea that came out of your mouth when the sealing was complete." Danzo tried to stutter out a reply, but the Sandaime continued. "That's what I thought. I know his family, and while they may turn him into a living weapon, he won't be a mindless one like some of your ROOT Anbu." He was about to continue when the doors of the swung open, revealing Duke and Scarlet each holding one of Naruto's hands. The Hokage and trio just smiled at the sight. It had been so long since Naruto had last smiled like that.
"Inoichi-san, Shikaku-san, Chouza-san, look I have a mother and a father now! I got adopted!" The euphoric blonde managed to let go of his parents' hands in order to hop up and down in front of the trio. The three shinobi smiled; they had personally watched over the blonde from time to time and had seen him grow up.
"Yes, we can see that Naruto-kun. We're all very happy for you. Now why don't you go outside and play with our children, we adults have some things to discuss" Inoichi stated. The young blonde nodded and went outside, but not before kissing his new mother and father first. After he left, the smiles that adorn the faces of the trio and elderly man disappeared as serious looks took their spots. Duke decided to break the silence with a venomous tone lacing his words.
"So this is the almighty council that decided not to tell me my nephew was ALIVE !!!" he shouted. His rage was so evident that event he civilians on the council winced. "Now, whose bright idea was it not to inform me that my nephew was alive? Who decided to tell me that he died along with his mother and my brother?" At this point, one foolish and very arrogant Danzo and a smug Hiashi stood up.
"That would be us. We did'nt want you to turn Minato's son into a weapon to use against us?" he replied.
"Ahh, you must be that prick, Danzo, that my brother told me about. And you, the one with pupiless eyes must be Hiashi…you have an air of smugness that I hate." After hearing Duke's analysis of them, the two council members shook with rage. "Well, I heard you were the ones who wanted to turn my nephew into a weapon and a mindless one at that. Now that I'm here, I'm going to make him into a weapon…but he'll have a mind. He won't just be some killing machine" he smirked before continuing, "But then again, it's up to him to do what he wants. If he wants to be a civilian fine. If he wants to be a Joe…then even better, I'll train him so well that he'll be ten times better than he would be if he were under your tutelage."
This statement made the Hokage smile with pride. He knew that by giving Naruto to Duke and Scarlet, he was finally giving Naruto what he had always wanted-a loving family. The trio was happy that Duke and Scarlet had decided to adopt Naruto because they could tell that they would treat him right and train him well. When the subject of training came up, they remembered that the blonde wanted to be a shinobi and one day the Hokage. How would he become the Hokage if he was living with the GI Joes? The looks of concern did not go unnoticed by Scarlet who noticed everything, especially when it concerned her new son.
"Do not worry Sarutobi, Naruto has told us of his dreams of becoming Hokage." She smiled as she remembered her son's antics. 'He kept telling us all the reasons why he wanted to become Hokage during the walk back to Konoha.' Scarlet had to repress a chuckle as she reminisced. "We were thinking about hiring two of your shinobi to have them come with us and train him in all the aspects of a shinobi."
"Hmm…that's a rather good idea. Do you have anyone in mind, or should I appoint them?" The elderly man started rubbing his beard as he mentally created a list of shinobi who did not hate Naruto and would be willing to train him. Sadly, the list was rather short.
"Yes, we would like to have Anko Matarashi." Upon hearing her name as one of the shinobi to train Naruto, the snake kunouchi stared at the couple who turned and smiled at the young girl.
"Me, what's so great about me?" Anko couldn't help but wonder why they had chosen her to train their son. After all, the village and the council hated her guts. Meanwhile, the council members were wondering the same thing.
"Surely you are joking. Miss. Scarlet, I know you are new here, so I must prevent you from making a grave mistake. That…woman is the former student of the nukenin, Orochimaru!" The civilian council member who had found the courage to voice his thoughts was immediately silenced by Duke.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" he yelled, silencing the whole chamber. "The reason we choose her was because she watched out for my son and treated him like a normal person. From what I can tell, she even went as far to see him like hr little brother, while you assholes sat here making his life miserable. Sarutobi, for Naruto's second teacher, I would like to take someone who respects Naruto." The elder man nodded and smiled before he pressed his intercom.
"Hitaro, you can send him in now." That being said, the doors swung open revealing the obsidian-black eyes of one Itachi Uchiha. The council was once again thrown into an uproar.
"Hokage-sama, you can't be serious! Itachi is a prodigy, he can not train the demon! He…" the council member was silenced by a backhand from said Uchiha who had appeared beside him and activated his three tomoe sharingan.
"Who do you think you are!? Just because you are a prodigy doesn't mean that the law doesn't apply to you! Not only have you assaulted me, a fellow Konoha citizen, you have activated your sharingan. That's considered an act of aggression; I could have you killed for that!"
"Honorable Council Member, you have broken the Sandaime's law; therefore, I have every right to commit an 'act of aggression' as you put it. You should be executed…but I shall let you live this one time. Know this though: if you ever break the law again, or even think about harming Naruto, I shall carry out the consequences. As for Naruto, I see no demon. I only see Naruto Hauser, Duke's son. It would be an honor to train him with Anko-ch…" Itachi had to bite his tongue to end his sentence. He mentally berated himself; his father was in the room, and if he ever learned of his crush on Anko, his father would do whatever it took to keep them apart. Unbeknownst to him, the Hokage knew of the young Uchiha's crush on the snake mistress. He also knew of the tragedies of his love; thanks to his asshole of a father, who didn't want the Uchiha blood and name sullied with 'trash' as he so eloquently put it, there love had a very little chance of flourishing. Itachi's mother on the other hand, didn't care who her son fell in love with as long as he was happy. The same could be said of his little brother, who loved to tease his older brother in private about his crush. After all, it wasn't often that one could make the famous Itachi blush like a tomato.
"Understood, you and Anko will train Naruto, but first I would like you to stay here for a bit to take care of some…business with the esteemed council." Sarutobi couldn't help but smirk as he turned towards the council smiling. The Joes, who had never been exposed to it before, were the only ones who were unaware that he was unleashing a massive amount of killing intent upon a majority of the council. Those having it directed at them, meaning the council members who tried to harm Naruto or hated him, began to wet themselves. 'Finally…Minato, I will finally be able to help your son like I should have done so long ago. Please forgive me for taking all these years to help Naruto.' The three that sided with the Hokage were thinking the same thing, 'Squirm you bastards…suffer…if only you could suffer as much as Naruto has.'
(Outside with Naruto)
Naruto had just left the council room he came upon three kids; two boys and one girl. The girl was currently yelling at the boy who had a pineapple hair cut about being lazy, while the other boy, who was heavyset, just sighed before he started eating a bag of chips. The children were none other than Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji-his best friends.
"Hey Ino-chan!" he yelled, causing the girl to turn to him with a smile and run up to him. Meanwhile, Shikamaru gave a sigh of relief; Naruto was always good at gathering someone's attention. On many occasions Naruto had saved him from what had promised to be a scolding from Ino. Before he could think of what else was good about Naruto (the list was rather long), he was fast asleep.
"Hello Naruto." When she was close to him, she bopped him on the head and said, "What did I say about yelling!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head with sheepish grin.
"Gomen Ino-chan." The platinum-blonde girl just shook her head and smiled at the boy.
"At least you're more fun than Shikamaru, all he wants to do is sleep" motioning to the said boy, who was sleeping, when a thought came to her. "Naruto, who were those people you were with?" Upon hearing her question, the blonde boy's face lit up with excitement.
"They're my new parents! They just adopted me. You want to know something cool?" Before Ino could ask, Naruto continued his answer. "They're from an anti-terrorist group called GI Joe…or something like that." Ino looked at him before frowning. Naruto noticed her frown immediately. Was she mad that he got parents? Did he say something wrong? Realizing that he didn't know what was wrong, he decided to figure out the easy way-by asking her directly. "What's wrong Ino-chan?"
"They aren't from our village are they? That means that you're going to leave…you probably aren't coming back" she said sadly while she hugged herself. Since she had met the young blonde, she had grown attached to him. He always made her smile.
"Don't worry Ino-chan, I'll come back. I have to; after all, I am going to become the best Hokage this village has ever seen!" His reply made her smile.
"Promise?" she asked, her voice slightly trembling.
"I promise" he replied. As soon as he finished, the doors behind him opened to reveal a smiling Anko along with Duke, Scarlet, Sarutobi, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. The only person who exited the room that was not smiling was Itachi. Naruto had never seen him smile before. 'I'm going to make him drop that damn mask and have him laugh, even if it kills me' Naruto silently pledged as he looked at him. "So, what happened in there?"
"Well, after some persuasion done by the Hokage, the esteemed council allowed two people whom you know very well to train you in the art of a shinobi as long as we come back in six years in order for you to take the test and become a Genin" Duke said grinning along with Scarlet.
"See Ino-chan, I am going to be back! I'll be gone for six years, and I'm gonna be stronger than ever!" Unknown to Naruto and the group, Ino had grown a crush on the fellow blonde. Inoichi was the only one in the group who knew of her attraction. It wasn't because he was a great shinobi and was capable of reading his daughter like a book. No, he was just as clueless as all men when it came to women, so he decided to read a different book-her diary. Like any father, he read her diary to find his fears laid to rest when he learned that she wasn't an Uchiha fangirl. She just acted that way for some reason.
"Ok but you have to write to me understand?" pointing a finger and scowling at him.
Raising his hands in his, defense and grinning, Naruto replied, "Understood". HE then dropped his hands and looked over to his new parents. "So who's going to teach me about being a shinobi?"
Duke and Scarlet side stepped to reveal Itachi and Anko and replied in unison, "They are." Anko was grinning while Itachi was smirking. Seeing them made Naruto's eyes light up. He immediately started jumping up and down like a madman.
"Anko-neechan and Itachi-niisan are going to train me! I'm gonna be Hokage sooner than I thought!" the blonde grinned before continuing, "You hear that old man? When I return, I'm gonna take your job!"
Sarutobi chuckled and shook his head at the boys enthusiasm "I don't think the council would allow a twelve year old to become Hokage Naruto." His response made Naruto frown and everyone else chuckle.
"Well this is good and all, but I think it's time we start to head back to our base. We need to make a brief stop in Suna." The Hokage turned to face him.
"For what Duke?" he asked. The Sandaime couldn't understand why he wanted to go to Suna. There was nothing there but sand and wind and even more sand.
"We have reports from a friend of mine code- named Dusty that there is a boy like Naruto there." The Hokage's eyes widened. "I see you know of the boy, or at least of what the implications of the facts mean. Anyways, it seems that the father of the boy has been sending assassins after him for quite some time." Seeing a nod from the elder man, he continued. "Well, Dusty and his wife, who he has been in contact with, have decided to adopt the boy as their own, as long as the Kazekage will allow his son to be adopted."
"I see. Well anybody like Naruto needs all the love he can get. Those assassination attempts from his own father can't be good for his mind" Sarutobi replied before continuing, "Well then, I bid you farewell and a safe journey my friend." With that, the Hokage and Duke shook hands while Ino and Naruto hugged. Ino cried; she was going to miss her friend and crush. She smiled though, because she knew he would be back. After all, he had promised and he always kept his promises. After the farewells were over, the group left for Suna.
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Well I have a challenge for all of you reader out there. I'm challenging you to make a Punisher Naruto crossover which takes place at the VOTE. Sasuke tells Naruto how Sakura knew of his 'condition' and continued to treat him like trash and Kakashi purposely held him back. The first chair of the shinobi seven swordsmen, Frank Castle takes Naruto with him after finding him injured at the VOTE. Frank trains him along with the rest of seven swordsmen, including Kisame and Zabuza. Tsunade manages to find Naruto and gives him letters from some of the rookie nine. You can choose who sends the letters, but Hinata has to be one of them, and the letters have to show that people care for him. There has to be a comical scene where they argue over what his sword should be (size, type, special abilities, etc.), which is started by Kisame and Zabuza. I will write one myself, but it will take a while for it to be published so if you would like to write this yourself please drop me a line and tell me.
I'm going to write Mutation, which will take place at the VOTE. It will be a Hinata Naruto Sakura story. I am placing these and the other stories on temporary hiatus since I just started my senior year in college, and as such, I have a butt load of work to do. Also my beta Taintedlegacy has produce a great story which I would advise you to read since he help me with my stories.