First Chapter: Iron blooded, cold blooded, hot blooded.
Part 1
It was a time of strife.
The world was embroiled in a state of constant battle. Countless shinobi clans were always in conflict with one another; warring over rights, land, and anything else in between. Life spans were low and it was heartrending, yet not entirely unexpected for a family to lose member after member without pause. Conscripted children were slaughtered like cattle. If you could raise a blade towards your enemy, the idea that a child was off limits was the farthest thing from anyone's mind. It was the Sengoku Jidai, or Era of the Warring States…
An enemy was an enemy.
The cycle of death and revenge continued unending.
Two of these mercenary clans were feared far and wide across the world as the strongest and most dangerous; the Senju and the Uchiha. Because of their rivaling powers, a deep loathing between the clans slowly poisoned their way of thinking until a 'kill on sight' ideal became a part of their teachings. If one group happened to hire the Uchiha for a job, you could bet easy money that the opposing faction would employ the Senju simply because no other clan could handle it, and vice versa.
Speaking of the Senju, their skill set was rather broad compared to the others. Whereas other clans focused on one particular talent, these people made sure their kin were well rounded. Stories told that the Senju descended from the younger son of the fabled Rikudō Sennin, the very man that gave birth to the age of shinobi and defeated the mythical Juubi beast. The brother inherited his father's 'body', or physical chakra, and that man held the belief that love was the correct path towards peace.
As for the Uchiha they relied on the power of their ocular doujutsu known as the Sharingan, the 'eyes' the older brother received from the Sage of Six Paths as well as his spiritual chakra. Unlike his sibling, the eldest son believed that power brought about peace and love was just a fanciful dream. The bitterness at seeing his brother's conviction chosen by their father brought about a deep-seated hatred that would continue on for generations; he should have been the successor to the Sage's name! He was older; it was his right to inherit!
From that day forth the two were despised rivals always at each other's throats.
However…there was also a third.
The Uzumaki. While not descended from the very first ninja, the large clan was equally powerful in their own right. Little was known about the clan, besides the fact that they were distant blood relatives of the Senju, and stories regarding their rise to power varied from person to person. Regardless of the small amount of information known about the clan, what was known was their specialty in the art of fūinjutsu, or sealing arts, and nearly all members with dominant Uzumaki genes showcased deep crimson hair as their commonplace appearance. The family also held crazy stamina and chakra levels.
What's significant was that the seal crafters could have been classified as a third equal had their involvement in the mercenary lifestyle been more proactive than reactive. But once their wrath was uncovered, watch out. The destructive force could rival that of a wandering biju, and the Uzumaki were crafty enough to come up with unorthodox ways to fight. It did not help that fact that rumors had been spread throughout the land about the Uzumaki clan and their involvement with the spiritual side of the planet. Anyone somehow left alive after the onslaught could attest that they were one of the scarier clans to cross.
It was these three families, enemies through survival that set forth drastic changes in the future of the developing Elemental Nations. All thanks to two young members from the two clans that realized friendship could be an outcome to break the never-ending feud, and the third youth from the third clan simply having been in the right place at the wrong time. The animosity between their clans couldn't hold up the mere idea that peace could be achieved simply by banding together for a common goal. It was this dream that slowly gave birth to the hidden villages…
Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki; the Great Clan Triad.
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SPLASH
PLUNK
...
"Dammit!"
A young boy dressed in an untucked black kimono, white pants and a pair of flip-flops, and a red cloth belt cursed in anger as his chosen rock took two skips across the river's surface before sinking to the bottom without ceremony. Picking up another stone, the preteen gave it a few light bounces while the other free hand took a swipe through his messy chin-length raven hair. Eyes so dark they appeared completely black glared in quiet irritation at the running water; a low flush setting in his pale cheeks because he simply could not get the damn shitty rock to clear the entire span of the river!
"This time I'll make sure it reaches the other shore…" the boy mumbled to himself as he ran a thumb along the pebble's exterior, searching for any imperfections that could throw off the trajectory. It seemed fine, plus the underside was incredibly smooth due to years of erosion. If this one didn't skip straight to the opposite side then he was going pop a blood vessel in anger. How long had he been out here wasting the day away? What started out as boredom had evolved into a competition with himself. He just wanted some time away from his siblings to collect his thoughts and just chuck some things about. How the hell could he throw a knife without trouble and yet couldn't make a crappy piece of earth jump right?
The young Uchiha Madara hated to lose.
Movement out of the corner of his vision had the child tense responsively; he was alone and far from his clan. Any passing shinobi could decide he was easy pickings. Death was no stranger in this day and age. He may not have been as strong as his brothers or father but he'd at least hurt the bastard. He was trained to never be caught unawares and yet that's exactly what happened. Why did his attentiveness have to go and fail him now?
A small rock flew past Madara's body, hitting the water and miraculously hopping all the way across the liquid before clattering to a halt on the opposite river bank. A bit confused, incredibly annoyed, and somewhat curious, the youthful Uchiha hummed quietly in the back of his throat before turning to meet the stranger who dared show him up.
It was another boy.
The male looked to be around his age with tanned skin and dark irises. Whereas Madara's hairdo was uncontrolled, the new arrival's similar black hair was shaped into a somewhat choppy bowl cut. His clothing was dashed with bright colors, sporting a small tan jacket and hakama pants, blue sandals, dull red cloth belt and bandanna around his neck, and a white shirt. His arm was outstretched and body hunched, evidence of being the one to make the throw, and he even had the gall to go and wink at him!
"Ya know, the trick to throwing them right is putting a little more passion in the motion."
Madara's jaw jutted out as he stared at the other kid with a deadpan expression. Growling slightly the dark-eyed Uchiha stared down at the rock in his palm before clenching it between his fingers. "Well duh! Everyone knows that! I could reach the other side if I wanted, I just felt like tossing 'em casually!...Anyway…who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The newcomer's lips curved into a grin as he watched his fellow preteen stare him down. "You could say I'm your rock skipping rival, I suppose. Then again I've already gotten mine to the other side." he finished with a chuckle.
"That doesn't answer anything!" Madara snapped, body muscles tensing again purely out of the urge to sock the kid in the jaw for his evasive answer. His 'rival' remained perfectly calm in the face of a scuffle, perhaps having experience with demanding fellows. Instead he just continued to stand there with his arms hanging loosely at his side.
"Call me Hashirama. That's my name…but I won't say what my family name is." the newly labeled Hashirama answered. Both boys continued to watch each other as the Uchiha's gaze turned thoughtful. Withholding the surname meant he possessed shinobi training. Letting others know which clan you were a part of was an instant death sentence…and yet, Madara's train of thought was more about beating the smiling idiot at this action he should have been a pro at! If Hashirama wanted to kill him then he would have done so when he first took the child's back. He'd give him the benefit of the doubt for now, or else his newly birthed challenger would be crushed under the mighty Uchiha Madara's might!
Lucky him.
"Well take a close look then, Hashirama! 'cause I'm gonna make it reach this time!" The kimono-wearing male's limb snapped out in an arc, sending the rock spiraling along the river. This time it was Hashirama's turn to act contemplative as he watched the precise motion. That was the exact same way one would throw a shuriken, giving the deadly metal star enough spin to cut and tear through flesh. At least that's what the un-revealed Senju believed, until the released stone sank into the depths a few feet from the rocky shore.
Both boys quietly stood in their spots.
"…huh."
"YOU ASSHOLE! IT'S SO OBVIOUS YOU STOOD THERE TO DISTRACT ME! I'M SO AWARE OF MY SURROUNDINGS I CAN'T EVEN TAKE A LEAK WHEN SOMEONE'S STANDING NEAR ME! THAT MUST BE WHY YOU WERE AT MY BACK!"
The bowl-cut recoiled in terror. "AAH! FORGIVE ME!"
"WOULD YOU BOTH CEASE YOUR BLABBERING!?"
Both Uchiha and Senju spun in their spots, turning towards the mysterious new voice that entered their private conversation. This time both children were raring to respond to an attack; it was twice now someone had gotten past Madara's personal sphere of alertness in the same damn day. It had to be some crazy strong shinobi looking for new targets. Or a dangerous new enemy stalking them both. Like infanticide, child slavery was not an uncommon rumor thanks to the scores of orphans left after parents were killed. Who dared to think they could kidnap the son of an Uchiha (and Senju)?
Apparently it was another young boy.
Said person was currently lounging on a thick tree branch attached to one of the many mighty oaks that made up the surrounding forest. Although lounging was currently a subjective term; the kid looked pretty pissed off at the pair standing on the rocky ground. His abnormally bright blue eyes were blurred with the remnants of disrupted sleep and the spikes of his untidy blond hair flowing down to his neck. His clothing consisted of a baggy dark red robe hanging down to his knees with long, flowing sleeves that nearly covered his hands, similarly colored pants, and sandals. A lengthy burnt orange belt tied about his waist kept the robe closed but one could still see the hint of mesh underneath at the chest. A small jerk of his head allowed the Madara and Hashirama to see the contrasting piece of accessory tied around the boy's neck, a brown helmet with large round goggles strapped on top of it.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Madara shouted back, getting the blond's tanned cheeks to puff out as the ravenette's pointer fingers flicked out in fury.
"I'm the guy who was sleeping here before you woke me up!"
"Well…a kid like you shouldn't be falling asleep out here in the woods!"
"You're one to talk, being all alone out here!"
"Considering there are three of us here, none of us aren't exactly by ourselves!"
"ZIP IT!" the two shrieked, causing Hashirama to jump yet again and fall into a sitting fetal position. Despite the animosity Madara and the blue-eyed kid currently felt towards one another, seeing the third of their ragtag group immediately clam up like the world was against him had the pair feeling like they really needed to apologize. Who knew he was so emotional?
"F…forgive me…" the bowl-cut child murmured.
"Hey, uh…don't worry about it? Sorry for yelling at you, ya know?"
"What blondie said; I got caught up in the moment."
The burgundy-wearing child suddenly rolled off his wooden perch and landed nimbly on the balls of his feet, a hand on his helmet and clothes flaring out due to the unnecessary length and the height he had dropped from. Neither Madara nor the repenting Hashirama missed the way he hit the earth and absorbed the impact with his legs. No one but a shinobi could have done so without breaking something.
And as he walked forward without pain, the boy took a place next to the Uchiha son with the Senju rocking in front of him, "…No need to explain…you both just wanted to gang up on the nice kid…such malevolent, evil children taught to pick on the weak…"
"H-hey, shut up!"
"I can't tell if this bastard is just really sensitive or being a smartass," Madara muttered, pointing at his 'rival' while glancing at the yellow-hair, "By the way, what's yer name?"
"It's Naruto. That's all you're getting," the now named blond grunted.
The simple sentence seemed to wake Hashirama from his funk as he suddenly shot to his feet while laughing boisterously. Slapping one hand against his knee, the other mimed skipping motions as if it were one of the very rocks he had thrown across the river, "You can't tell that but you sure as hell should understand you'll never beat me when it comes to throwing stones! And what kind of name is Naruto?"
"Keep that up and we'll see how well you skip across the damn water!" the onyx-haired doujutsu-user took to pointing angrily at the still laughing Senju even as Naruto stomped his foot in the dirt and shook his fist.
"It means 'Maelstrom' you dick!"
Like clockwork, Hashirama fell back on his butt with the air of dejection funneling off his body. The gloominess had the standing duo pause in the verbal attack, sharing a glance as their combined ire drained away simply because it was no fun to pick on someone so pathetic. What happened next was the continued cycle of Hashirama ticking Madara off until the explosive boy finally ordered him to leave before grabbing at his collar when the Senju took it seriously. The bowl-cut suddenly froze, his eyes locked onto the steady current in the distance.
"What?"
It was a body.
Shrugging off Madara's fingers, the male suddenly darted across the water with his soles staying afloat without him even falling in. The submerged corpse bobbing along laid face down, its bloated skin already a deathly pale from being waterlogged. Shadowy eyes scanned the dead person as he stopped its uncontrolled path. How far had he traveled since the day he died? His armor bore the crest of the Hagaromo clan… "It's best if the two of you headed home. It looks like the war has finally reached these lands…I'll be leaving as well."
Now standing, Hashirama leapt the rest of the way to the opposite bank. The adolescent went to say goodbye but realized he only knew one of their names. Sensing his confusion, the Uchiha spoke out to make sure the other heard him loud and clear. "My name's Madara!" Tilting his head, he nodded softly towards Naruto as a bunch of his bangs fell in front of his right eye. "It's Madara. And not giving your surname to a stranger-"
"-is a basic code of conduct for any shinobi." all three finished as one, chuckling somewhat at how mechanically they all answered. Each of them were drilled in the art of the ninja and right then and there Madara, Hashirama, and Naruto all knew they were dealing with such people.
To reinforce the idea, the blond eventually stepped past out into the middle of the river, he too drifting above the sandy bottom as chakra kept him afloat.
Hashirama on one side, Madara on the other, and Naruto hovering in between the two.
Sharing one last glance, the three boys turned and started their treks back home. While the two on land disappeared into the concealment of the forest, the lone boy in the water walked against the current as he used the river for travel.
Had the two been watching the blond closely, they would have noticed the child's eyes narrow slightly as the two boys left before turning golden amber colored, "Two children raised by clans that rival each other…" were the words he stated before he too left the area.
It was almost ironic; the Senju and Uchiha were on clearly defined opposing sides whereas the Uzumaki took to keeping the middle ground. And yet…it was this chance gathering that changed it all.
The riverbank would become the neutral meeting ground for these unknowing enemies for countless days to come.
oooooo
Multiple shuriken slammed into the wooden lids of the newly summoned boxes. The dull thuds were repetitious until finally the onslaught ended and the sight of four separate upright coffins filled with metal throwing stars was the main attraction. An elderly man dressed in the thick plates of outdated shinobi armor sighed wistfully, proud of the fact he was victorious in stopping at least one of his former student's machinations. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, slowly curled his hands into tight fists at the fact Orochimaru would go so far in his revenge as to pull out such a technique.
'Three of the four are still in play…and for him to call forth those people…'
"What's the matter, sensei? Having flashbacks in your old age?" Orochimaru teased, chalk-white skin looking unnaturally abnormal under the blazing midday sun. With his long black hair, golden-slit eyes, and purple eye markings, the snake summoner appeared quite parallel to the serpents he consorted with. A smug grin wouldn't wipe itself from his lips as the trio of coffins still in play began to hum, watching as his previous teacher looked positively disheartened at what was about to pass.
Rigid lids creaked in defiance as the sealing placed upon the items released, allowing the covers to drop towards the tiled roof with heavy sounds. Sarutobi would have gasped in utter shock at the three people that slowly stepped out of their prisons had he not already been given some idea as to their contents. One. Two. And an incredibly familiar spiral motif. The kanji carved into the coffins sent a thrill of terror shoot through his body, especially when the bodies took their first few steps into view.
Rust red samurai-esque armor with shoulder and neck guards over a black bodysuit, tanned skin, black Leaf headband and long raven hair. Similarly dull blue armor with a fur-trimmed collar, black suit, pale skin, metallic happuri facial armor with the Konoha mark, and spiked white hair. A black haori that hung down to the knees worn over a faded burgundy kimono top with arm-hiding sleeves, red spirals on the shoulders, surprisingly dark orange hitai-ate with the same swirl etching, tanned skin, long blond hair covered in numerous untamed spikes flowing down to and stopping at his shoulders. All three of them looked to be zombified, their clothing and bodies ragged, crumbling, and dirty while their arms swung bonelessly as they stumbled out from the caskets.
Outside the large barrier crafted by Orochimaru's henchman, the gathered ANBU waiting for an opening nearly shit their pants.
"Huh…if it isn't the little monkey," the white-haired one said, voice sounding incredibly hollow and echoed.
"Oh wow…you've grown rather old, Sarutobi," the black-haired one mentioned, sounding surprised.
"What in the world...?" the remaining blond asked tersely while his black, dead eyes searched the distorted purple barrier. When the coal-colored sclera zoomed in on the Sandaime he recoiled but kept his wits, preparing for the upcoming battle. Two of them he could have handled; perhaps even come away from the battle with serious injury instead of death. As the former student of both Senju Hashirama and Tobirama, the elderly leader of the Hidden Leaf knew the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage's fighting styles rather intimately.
But the remaining summoned corpse…Sarutobi was doomed.
Uzumaki Naruto had been one of the most powerful ninja in existence during his lifetime. As the former head of the now defunct Uzumaki Clan and their village Uzushiogakure, tentatively nicknamed the Uzukage by his peers, the man had been classified as a deadly opponent you fled from immediately, no ifs, ands, or buts. Snippets of information could only be gleamed from his fights, since they only took a ridiculously short time with a large portion of the area fought in being heavily damaged. Thus he was only known as the Beast of Shinobi. With some help of his friends Uchiha Madara and Hashirama, he searched and gathered his clan in the Land of Whirlpools and crafted their own homeland indefinitely allied with the then newly built Konoha.
While Hashirama held unparalleled skill in his unique Mokuton bloodline, Madara's doujutsu and katon abilities were top notch, and even though Tobirama was considered a master in his manipulation of water, the legendary 'Aquarius' Uzumaki was the real deal behind suiton jutsu and the art of seal crafting. Couple that with his innate family chakra abilities, Naruto was an army of one that helped his clan finally break through their indecisive look on the war and temper them into the rightful equals of the Uchiha and Senju.
With the ends of his headband flaring out behind him, Sarutobi couldn't keep the grimness out of his battle-hardened features. "I never thought I would meet any of you again in my lifetime. It is regrettable…but I must defeat you all here, even if I lose my life in the process. Hashirama-sama, Tobirama-sama, Naruto-sama."
The second Hokage's neck creaked as stiff, ashy muscles contracted as he turned his head, "The Edo Tensei, eh? To think this brat used a forbidden art…" he finished while staring down the still smirking Orochimaru. At his side Naruto's teeth bared as his decrepit hands curled in anger at what was done.
"I warned you, child! Such a technique was foolish! Now look at what it's bared!"
"Don't patronize me Naruto-dono! How was I to know someone else would be able to understand its intricacies?"
"Because power such as this is just waiting to be misused…I taught you secrets. I helped enhance your skills. Why did you not heed my advice?"
"We were at war. What better way to save lives than to use soldiers who were already deceased?" The two dead warriors continued to square off, staring the other down while Hashirama sightlessly looked at his second successor. His brother and best friend, while great buddies and comrades, always wound up going for each other's throats and bickering like crazy.
Breathing in through his nose slowly but unable to truly draw breath, the wood-style shinobi listened as the two other reanimated ninjas verbally abused each other before speaking out to the Sandaime. "Since we're here I guess that would mean we shall be battling shortly."
"It sounds like that's my cue to start things off, mmm?" The traitor chortled in his spot behind the three zombies, pulling out a trio of kunai with specialized seals hanging from their rings.
"The fighting never ends…" Hashirama sighed wistfully even as the sharpened tip of the knife touched the back of his scalp. Hiruzen's angered expletive at using the dearly departed as tools was ignored as the kunais were plunged into the heads of the Senju Brothers with a wet, sickening squelch. Orochimaru moved to dig his third control tag into the Uzumaki but the blond's amused chuckle stopped him cold.
"What's so humorous?"
"Do you really think the Edo Tensei will work like you want it to?"
"Fufufufu…of course. I've studied its abilities extensively to make sure the technique was foolproof."
"And that's where you're wrong." Naruto laughed again, a bit of his fake body crumbling off into dust. "Who do you think taught the specialized seals that eventually allowed him to craft such a jutsu? Although I disagreed with Tobirama, I was never one to pass up learning new things. I feared this outcome was a possibility and so created a fail-safe for myself. And thanks to you allowing the child and myself to argue for a time, I was able to gather enough of my ambient chakra to set it off."
"What!" Without a second thought Orochimaru rushed to stab the armored 'Uzukage' and plant his control device but a large gout of summoned water phased into existence at Naruto's back and blocked the attack. Utilizing just enough of his limited energy, the blond used the chakra portion to shunshin to Sarutobi's side in a swirl of liquid without handsigns as the uncovered parts of his body began to glow with a faded yellow light.
His entire figure seemed to hiss as his skin cleared itself of imperfections and the faded colors of his makeshift clothes brightened considerably. The darkened sclera of his eyes lightened to a mix of grayish-white while the black irises morphed into the incredible blue of his youth. The same sort of transformation was mirrored by the two Senju as Orochimaru initiated the rest of the forbidden technique, drawing the Hokage's under his complete control while restoring them to their best. Their eyes were completely dead though; no signs of 'life' no longer visible in the glossy stares.
"Is it true Naruto-sama? Are you free from my fallen student's influence?"
"Yes…" he responded, the scratchiness of his voice no longer sounding wooden and empty. It reminded the Sandaime of how the seal master sounded in his younger days. The blond trailed off in his speech, his eyes flashing from blue to gold for a brief time, "Also…due to circumstances I shall not discuss, I may have been revived entirely."
While still confused at his predecessor's hesitation, as well as the brief but apparent change in eye color, the Sarutobi resigned himself and chalked it up as another "Uzumaki" thing and carried on, "I see…then, I thank you for your assistance in this fight. Had you remained on the other side I fear Konoha would fall under the combined might."
"Our villages are incredibly close. I could not, in good conscience, allow it to be destroyed when there is something I could do about it. Besides…I wouldn't hear the end of it from Hashirama if I let him destroy his own beloved home." Naruto crossed his arms across his torso and stared down his friend, privately encouraged at having smooth control of his limbs once again. He missed the wince from the aged shinobi at his side at the mention of their villages being allied. Naruto was unaware of the fate of Uzushiogakure…but could he even somehow bring up such a delicate topic?
No time for that now though.
"Thank you again. We owe you a great debt."
Naruto just waved him off before slapping his hands together and materializing his favored helmet, "I've missed the feeling of this on my head," he said with a smile as he put on the accessory.
"Shall we begin, Aquarius-sama?"
"Go ahead. Youngsters first." Sarutobi couldn't help but let a small smile play across his wrinkled lips before springing into action. He never thought he'd hear something like that directed at him again. As the elderly warrior began flipping through handseals for a fire technique he could literally feel the chakra levels of his teammate skyrocket in a blaze of released power. Even the two emotionless Senju had stiffened at the familiar presence, both sets of unseeing eyes focusing on the crazy power level growing in front of them.
Sarutobi had never been happier to have such a man on his side before.
oooooo
Well I took the challenge of Gavedin's Great Clan Triad and decided to put my own ~gatari twist to it. Seeing as how shinobi from the previous generation were basically monsters in clothing, I decided to take it up a notch with Naruto and actually make him out to be a real monster.
People familiar with the Monogatari series will know what I'm probably up to. I'll give you a hint, it's the title of the fiction.
This is going to be entirely different from Shinobimonogatari, where I'm planning on being progressive in terms of strength and character development, as it's going to probably be a curbstomp when it comes to Naruto versus someone in this series.
-TrixBella