Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... No affiliations to it... No profit off of this... Property of Misashi Kishimoto... Can't I like type this in my profile and never have to again?
Flames licked the air, blazing at unnatural heights. The heat radiated off of them much like an eternal inferno. Once mossy green grass had been charred a crisp black, while some places had become completely desolate of that specific part of its enviornment. Bodies lied around in piles of rubble, a bright crimson leaking from them. Some of the bodies moved every few moments with moans and screams penetrating the world around them. Other bodies lie completely motionless, their skin pale and torn, their eyes lifeless.
Standing high and proud amongst the wreckage that it had created, the Kyubi No Kitsune, t Nine Tailed Demon Fox, roared with rage. Its slitted red eyes roamed the warzone as it reared its monstrous head. Its snout curled as the fox bared its teeth, gnashing thin air at the sight before him. Konohagakure No Sato's Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, stood impaled on one of the Kyub's massive claws. In front of him his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, bared the same fate. Bright red liquid dribbled from the gaping wounds in their bodies, and the corners of their mouths. The red liquid fell from their own bodies onto their child, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze.
The baby slept soundly in an alter that held him in a crib like manner. His eyes remained shut as he took small shallowed breaths. Minato's facial features were pulled taught in a grimacing smile. His wife had given her speech to Naruto. Her final words, uttered with her final breaths. She had taken what time he had planned to speak to his offspring. But it didn't really matter. She had spoken everything that had plagued his mind, and more so than that. And the smile that she held on her face, despite the tears that stained her cheeks and mixed with the blood falling from her mouth. "Naruto..." Minato's voice rasped out lightly. His voice box almost failed him and he clenched his eyes shut in utter pain.
The infant continued to sleep heavily, oblivious to the world and death surrounding him. "Naruto..." The blond headed Hokage tried again, his voice reaching a louder volume as his wife's shoulder shuddered violently. "I'm sorry that this is how life has dealt you its hand. It's unfair. But... then again... Life's always unfair." The Yondaime grit his teeth harshly before he drew in a rugged breath. Kushina's blood stained hands wrapped around his own tightly as his chest heaved painfully. "I'm sorry that I'm... placing this burden on you. The burden of being your... Jinchuriki...
Your mother didn't want this for you... I didn't want this for you." The man's wife released a loud sob as she threw her head sideways, burying her fast as best she could in her husband's robes. "Whoever the man was that did this... The man claiming to be Madara Uchiha... I didn't beat him. I didn't beat the Kyubi. Not on this night. Not when I lose everything dear to me. Not when I leave you, my son, in this cold and heartless world... All alone." Minato leaned forward against his wife's back. He could feel the life draining from his body. He felt tired, and it was a task just to keep his eyes open. His vision blurred heavily as he panted.
"But that's your job. You're going to defeat him, and you're going to defeat... The Kyubi. Only you can..." Minato's blue eyes widened considerably as the ability to breath left him momentarily. And as the function returned to him, he lifted his head to the sky. Cold drops of liquid fell amongst the smoke and sulfur. Washed debris away from the ground, and bathed the dying and dead. The blond haired Hokage allowed a smile to overtake his features. He would die, but he would die on his own terms.
"Look at that... Kushina... Naruto... Even the heavens are weeping for us. Angels crying... Just because we're being torn away from each other so early on in our lives..." Kushina sobbed heavily against her husband's shoulder. Her tears soaked the fabric of his outift, mixing together with rain and blood. The various liquids stained his very being it seemed as his eyes fell once more on his child. "I'm sorry Naruto. We're going to be leaving you now. Don't be sad, we'll be watching over you every step of the way. Believe in me." Minato's smile widened considerably across his face as his eyes dulled to a lifeless blue. "Because I believe in you... Naruto."
"Mommy and Daddy love you, Naruto." Kushina sobbed as her husband nodded dutifully.
"This is it, Kyubi." The Demon snarled with rage burning bright in its eyes. It yanked violently on its paw as it tried to viciously rip the appendage free. It failed considerably as Minato slumped forwards. "Shiki... Fujin..."
From an overview, Konoha burned with a multitude of flames. Building crumbled under the pressure of the Kyubi as the inferno incinerated anything in its path. It ate away at everything that it touched. Bodies lay lifeless as buzzards circled them. Their caws rang out over the warzone as they dived down to the food sources before pulling away, too afraid to actually move in for the kill. Men dragged their blood stained bodies across the dirty Earth floor, leaving blood trails. Men and Women lay amongst each other. Some neighbors that had exchanged pleasantries daily. Other complete strangers that had never before met before their deaths.
Elderly and Youthful held each other as their bodies slumbered. Their souls had long since passed into the next world, but the bodies appeared as if they still held life. As if those beings would open their eyes, smile, sigh in relief, and say, "It's over... It's all over..." But they didn't. And they never would. A bright light flared throughtout the raped village. It shimmered brightly. blinding the shinobi that searched their decimated forces for surviving comrades. Its light bathed the world around it in a silvery glow as the rain, which had just begun to drizzle, became an outright downpour.
The flames battled back against its enemy viciously. It licked away at the drops of liquid as it sizzled and was beaten away. And then, finally, as if by a miracle, the flames were defeated. The rain defeated the inferno and won back the domain of Konoha. The sky flashed brightly as victory thundered from the heavens. A long bolt extended from the sky with a crack of thunder. The bolt was white, outlined in dark blue. It rippled through the air, destroying the particles in its way, before it crashed into the metallic crib like altar left behind by Minato's sealing jutsu.
Silence carried out over Konoha as a whole. Those deceased made no noise for lack of life, while those alive made no noise for fear. They drew in ragged breaths as nothing but the sounds of rain pelting the Earth harshly reached their ears. And then an infant's wail pierced the air. Its vocals carried out over the raped battlefield. The noise brought those with their hearts still beating back to life quickly.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku glanced at each other wearily. Upon their visual appearance, one would normally mistake the two for the original Gold and Silver Brothers. This wasn't necessarily the case. They were directly related by blood to the two, yes, and were called the Gold and Silver Brothers. But that's all they were. Descendants. One of the brothers had bore a heir before their Coup De Tate of the Nidaime Hokage and Raikage.
The Kyubi's malovent chakra was passed down from generation to generation. As it were, it also expanded any directly related relatives lives. Kumogakure's Nidaime Gold and Silver Brothers themselves were only the Grandsons of the brother that they had been derived from. They themselves had set out to cleanse their family name. The name that their ancestors had tarnished with their unnecessary ambitions. And the one thing that would completely nullify the damage done to their clan by their ancestors were simple. The delivery of the Kyubi Jinchuriki to Kumogakure.
By no means did the two brothers expect to have been able to steall away the Nidaime Kyubi Jinchuriki from Konoha. Not only had Kumo already tried, and failed, to captured Kushina Uzumaki, she had become stronger. As had her husband. Her husband who, unbeknownst to himself, was the grandson of the other original Gold and Silver Brother. Upon the arrival in Konoha, neither of the NIdaime Gold and Silver Brothers had expected to find the most powerful shinobi village ravished in the way that it had been.
They had arrived just in time to witness the Kyubi rage and lay waste to the land surrounding it. They had decided that the best course of action would to be to stray away from the demonic beast, and feast from the malovent chakra that it gave off. And so they had. They had allowed Konoha to throw its best at the nine tailed fox, only to have them cut down. Had watched as the Kyubi blasted the Earth and those standing on it into oblivion. And they had watched as Minato Namikaze had sealed the Kyubi into his own son. "To believe..." Ginkaku muttered, astonished. "The Kyubi... Sealed into a container who's not only of Uzumaki descent... But the Great Grandson of one of the Gold and Silver Brothers."
Kinkaku's shoulders shook violently as he chuckled lightly. "I never believed that the day would come, Ginkaku. Never even gave it a passing thought to be completely honest. But look, we have a new brother now. Orphaned into Konoha's ignorant little legal system upon the death of his parents." The golden haired man's right hand rose to stroke one set of his own distinctive whisker marks. "Look. It appears he even has our birthmark. How delightful!" Ginkaku shifted slightly as he leaned backwards.
"What're you planning, Kinkaku?" The silver haired brother questioned his sibling heatedly.
"We were sent to capture the Kyubi Jinchuriki and bring him back to Kumo. To clear our clan's name of the disgrace of our ancestors! Remember, we planned to retreat and give the story of defeat. That Kushina and Minato were simply to destructive a force, too invincible for even the Nidaime Gold and Silver Brothers to defeat. But now... Now the plan has changed. We continue on with our mission. This time, Ginkaku... This time, the Gold and Silver Brothers are returning the Kyubi to Kumogakure!"
"I'm not sure that's the brightest idea, Kinkaku." His brother spoke beside him. Admittedly, his brother's plan normally worked out in same way shape form or fashion. But at least one of them had to be the voice of reason in a duo who craved the violence brought on by battle.
"Think about it, Ginkaku. Our brother has just been born into this world. He's now an orphan in Konoha's eyes. And a Jinchuriki. A Jinchuriki to the strongest Biju that the Jubi was split into! Jinchuriki to the Biju whose power we posses! He'll be kicked and spit on in Konoha. He should be with us. His family. In a better enviornment, a better village. He'll be a better shinobi, and this world will be a better place."
"Konoha may have just been rocked by the Kyubi. But look at the child in that alter. You can't tell me that you don't feel the Sandaime Hokage's chakra signature heading this direction. We don't have time to take the kid. And even if we did, we'd be taking Konoha's Jinchuriki. Shinobi villages don't take kinfly to that sort of thing, you know?"
"Our mission was to retrieve the Kyubi Jinchuriki. It is the only way we will completely restore our clan in Kumo's clan heirarchy! And he's a relative. A brother. That's no mere coincidence, Ginkaku. If you want to talk reason here, talk reason. He should be in Kumo! Not Konoha!"
"You heard the boy's father, he believed in him! He wanted him here, in his birth village. We may not have liked Minato Namikaze, but he was our relative too. And we should at least do what our ancestors wouldn't and honor that." Just as the silver haired brother finished his statement, a lightning bolt shot from the sky with thunder following it immediately. The bolt of electricity crackled as it descended from the air like an angry god bent on revenge. The Gold and Silver Brothers watched in shock as it struck the sealing altar left behind and, inevitably, the infant inside of it. Ginkaku's eyes hot away from the scene, appalled.
And then the child's wail pierced the heavens above. Kinkaku grinned brightly at the signal of life inside of the altar. "There! Do you see that, Ginkaku? Even Raiden, the God of Thunder and Lightning believes he should be with us! Do you not see it? It's a sign." Ginkaku frowned at his golden haired brother's words. He had never been a religious zealot like a lot of the shinobi he knew around the five nations. But he wasn't opposed to the signs sent by higher beings. He saw the whelps and marks forming on the infant's skin from the lightning.
"The Gold and Silver Brothers, descendants of one of the originals, travel to Konoha to capture the Kyubi Jinchuriki and return it to Kumo to restore honor to their clan." Kinkaku spoke with a grin pulled taught across his features. Ginkaku stood straight as he watched his brother from the corner of his eyes. "But when they arrive, the Nidaime Jinchuriki has failed and they witness the scourge of Konoha, the Bane of its existence turn it into nothing but rubble.
And then they witness their relative seal the Kyubi into his son. Their newest brother. But when one of the two questions all of the signs set before them for what they should do, what happens? It seems that Raiden himself sends down a sign that he wants the Sandaime Kyubi Jinchuriki in Kumogakure. He wants that boy with his family. He wants a true lightning shinobi. Do you see the signs now, Ginkaku?" The silver haired brother frowned deeply as a group of Konoha Anbu appeared beside their new brother's altar. Their weapons were drawn as they surrounded the infant in a square protective formation.
"I see the signs, Kinkaku. But how are we going to retrieve our new brother? What's the course of action that we need to take?" Kinkaku's grin widened.
"That's the beauty of it, Ginkaku. Their village has been ravaged by the greatest of the nine Biju. Their forces are next to nothing. They have no established leader. Their councils will jump at each others throats in an attempt to grapple power in their perilous situation. They won't focus on their new Jinchuriki. They won't focus on our brother. So we simply take him. Come, Ginkaku, let's wait for that old monkey to have his moment."
The Nidaime Gold and Silver Brothers disappeared from their observation spot as Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, appeared near his personal Anbu unit. His eyes allowed tears to fall heavily down his face. It was obvious that his soul was burdened as he came to stand next to Naruto's altar. His parents had fallen forwards at the moment of their deaths. And while the infant wailed loudly and angrily, frightened, his parent held him and each other in a loving embrace. Smiles stayed planted firmly on their features as they held each other in their eternal slumber. The ultimate display of love. "This day has done us no favors, nor have the gods." One of the Anbu muttered as he removed his porcelain white mask.
His features, even underneath, were hidden by a black half face mask. His right eye was stoic and black, no emotion showing whatsoever. But his left eye was red, with three tomos swirling around the pupil. Tears fell freely from the red eye and spilled down the man's cheek. His right hand rose and brushed his silver hair away from his forehead, where it had been caked with blood and sweat.
"Silence, Kakashi." Hiruzen spoke sternly as his eyes narrowed at the younger man's words. "It would not be wise to anger any gods at this point in time. Not in the situation that we're in now!" The man, Kakashi, returned the heated stare with his black eye as he stepped towards the former Hokage. His comrades tensed at the sudden motion, their weapons poising towards his imposing figure.
"What gods!?" Kakashi questioned angrily. "Look around you, Hiruzen-Sama... Look at this village! The Kyubi swept through here like a pestilence, a disease, a plague like no other! Nothing has come this close to causing Konoha's extinction since the moment Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju founded it! Look at those two humans lying on the ground... I said look at them!"
"You would do well to hold your tongue right now, Kakashi." Hiruzen interrupted as he deliberately looked away from the now deceased Hokage and his wife. It felt as if he was invading their world. Their own personal love, every time he glanced at their lifeless bodies.
"Those two are two of the greatest people to have ever defended this village. And their dead! Dead because the so called godsdidn't think them favorable enough to save! That man was my father! After my real flesh and blood had taken his life and my own with him, that man made me see the light! He saved me from the same fate as my real father! And you have the gaul to say not to anger the gods!? What about me!? The gods have angered me Hiruzen!"
"Enough." The elderly man responded as his nostrils flared. "That is enough. Minato was a great man, a great shinobi, and a greater husband. There's no doubt what type of man he was, or what type of woman Kushina was. Don't you ever insist that I don't realize that. I loved Minato like my own. That's why I chose him as my successor all those years ago, and not Orochimaru. There's no question about Minato's personality, Kakashi. I'm not saying that the gods are fair, either. They took away a great man and a great woman. Their likes may never be seen in this world again. But we can't damn the gods for something they themselves didn't do. Less we wish to be damned ourselves." Kakashi's own nostrils flared beneath his mask.
"You're the God of Shinobi, Hiruzen-Sama. I have no chance against you. And I can't outsmart you. You're as political as they come. I know my place. I'll keep my tongue about my sensei and father. I'll keep my tongue about his wife. Just know this. You're not fooling me. If you've fooled yourself or not, Minato didn't mean as much to you as you think he did. If so, you'd be more in contempt with the gods. You'd actually let those around you know how much you cared."
"I've had enough of your mouth Kakashi! If you can't tell the love I had for Minato, as a friend and a comrade, then you're a fool. And I refuse to breach such a subject with you again. The only time we will speak of this again is at Minato's funeral, when we have the opportunity to give him and his wife a proper burial." As the Sandaime spoke these words, another unit of Anbu landed gracefully on the ground beside him without any noise whatsoever, bowing. Hiruzen slowly nodded his head in the direction of the deceased parent, his expression filled with sorrow. "Take them. Prep their bodies for burial and sustain them until such details can be arranged."
Kakashi watched from his different eyes, both of which displayed different emotions still, as the Anbu bowed deeply before disappearing from sight with his sensei and the man's wife. "And his son...?" Kakashi questioned as he indicated to Minato's child. The boy had, miraculously, fallen back into a deep slumber after he had been struck by the lightning bolt. "I'm no fool, no matter what you say, Hiruzen. Minato and Kushina were having a child when all of this happened. That is his son. What of the son of Minato Namikaze? What of my brother, Hiruzen?"
"How am I supposed to know, Kakashi!?" Hiruzen questioned, irritated. The Anbu who still protected the slumbering child shifted uncomfortably as they continued to observe the confrotation in front of them. "I'm no longer the Hokage, and no one knows of his existence yet."
"Good. It should be kept that way! He should be placed under my care and allowed to live a normal life!"
"That's not going to happen, Kakashi." Hiruzen replied grimly. "You know it, and I know it to a greater degree than you. There will be a council meeting soon. A war council. The Hokage, which would be me since I am the only living human to have recieved that title, his advisors, Danzo, Homura and Koharu, and the clan heads. Many things will be breached, and two will definately be placed under a microscope.
The first will be the position of Hokage. Who will take Minato's place? You? Jiraiya? Danzo? It will lead to a dangerous situation where everyone is tugging for power. Minato has left a bomb behind with his death. Its fuse is already lit, the clock's timer just has to reach zero. The second subject will be the Kyubi. How was it defeated? Sealed. In whom? This boy. Why? He was Minato's son.
Do you see where I'm going with this, Kakashi? A vote will spread. Should his lineage be revealed? Is it too dangerous considering our situation and our enemies. More specifically, Minato's enemies. There will be no vote on if his status as Jinchuriki will be revealed. It's almost an unwritten law. They who are the Jinchuriki will be recognized as such. There has never been a Jinchuriki whose identity was unknown to the general public. From there, what do we do with him?
Danzo will want him for Root. The clans will want him married into their clan, or removed from the Shinobi system all together. Those who petitioned to have Kushina's status as a kunoichi stripped will vote for the latter. Some will want him raised as an Anbu. Some will want him dead... Most will want him dead. I will not be allowed to help the boy.
And you? You will not be allowed to help him." Kakashi's eyes narrowed dangerously as Hiruzen lowered his head to avoid the younger man's gaze. "I'm sorry, but it's true. His heritage will be denied. It would be too risky. We're weakened, and Iwagakure would stop at nothing to kill Minato's son. And if we placed him in your care? What would that say? Konoha's Copy Ninja, Kakashi, walking around with a boy who appeared out of no where. Calling him brother.
There are informants in every village, Kakashi. Some times information doesn't get out of the village, but that? That would. And then what? The conclusion would eventually be reached that you are housing the son of Minato Namikaze. This world is cold and cruel and unfair. And Minato's son must brave it all alone. It breaks my heart to know it, and even more to say it... But it's true."
"No. It's not. He could have a chance! He could have family! You just don't want to risk it. After all, what's the point in hurting one more person after everyone tonight, right? Face it. He's just another Jinchuriki to you." Kakashi's left hand slowly rose to his face. His head sat, facing right. Hiruzen's fist remained clenched, knuckles white, as blood began to soak Kakashi's otherwise colorless mask.
"Get out of my sight, Kakashi. Now." The sharingan wielder released a growling like noise as he stepped back. Then, he was gone in a plume of white smoke that dissipated thoughout the air. Hiruzen remained, tears flowing freely down his cheeks like a waterfall in a valley, before he finally turned to the remaining Anbu. "You, Penguin, take this child to a secure building.
Preferably on the far side of Konoha where the buildings are slightly more stable. Then go seek out Inoichi. Praise Kami if he's made it out of this scenario okay. Kakashi is becoming unstable with Minato's death. It may be opening some of his more repressed memories. We may need him to repress them again. You, Dolphin, seek out what members of the war council are left. The advisors, and the clan heads. If any of the clan heads fell in battle, seek out the next in line. Keep moving down their family tree until you find one still alive. Finally, Crocodile, rummage the battle field. We have a few medics out, and there are more rushing to the scene as we speak.
Find any comrades that are still alive and keep them comfortable until help can arrive. If... If they aren't going to make it... put them out of their misery." Hiruzen's eyes clenched shut tightly as he said this. Shinobi had evolved since the founding of the shinobi villages. This was no longer the Warring States Era. But it seemed as such with the words Hiruzen had spoken. He had said them more than once before. It brought him his own repressed memories. "I sounds harsh, and barbaric, and it is... But we should keep the dead on Earth when they aren't going to live again."
"Hai, Hiruzen-Sama!" The Anbu replied simply before they disappeared in their own little clouds of smoke, much like Kakashi did. The Sarutobi clan head raised his hand to his face and stroke his facial hair gently. His features seemed to gain even more unlived years as he walked towards the ravaged village of Konoha. As he did such, the altar left behind by Minato shimmered like an illusion, a Genjutsu, or a hallucination of the heat. And then it ceased to exist. Vanished as if it had never been there in the first place. As if it had never been summoned.
Hiruzen's eyes rolled over the room he now stood in. It hadn't taken the Anbu long to find the members of the War Council. Surprisingly, not many new faces had arrived, which meant that not many of them had died in the wake of the Kyubi's destructive force. "I'm glad to see familiar faces here amongst us. And sorrowful that I have to see new faces. I am, however, grateful that those new faces are here, meaning they are alive. I wish we were here under better terms. But we're not. Kushina Uzumaki failed as Jinchuriki for reasons we do not yet know. And we have just lived through its destructive wave. It is an annoyance that-"
"Annoyance?" Danzo Shimura questioned as he banged his cane on the ground heavily. The noise echoed throughout the room, drawing all eyes away from his life long enemy. "Is that what we call the greatest Biju? Is the Kyubi No Kitsune nothing but an annoyance now, Hiruzen!?" The former Hokage glared at Danzo dangerously. There was no doubt about the man's craftiness. He wanted to obtain something. Hiruzen could tell from the evil glint that shined in his eye.
"I'm sorry if a phrase upsets you in a time such as this, Danzo. But we have other things, more important matters, to attend to. That first order of business being the position of Hokag-"
"No." Danzo spoke, causing his enemy's eyes to widen. Hiruzen was sure that Danzo had been wanting to win the tug of war for power, and claim the position of Hokage for himself. What possible reason could the war counsler possibly have for diverting away from the topic of Hokage? "I wish to stay on the subject of the Kyubi. It may be an annoyance to someone like you, Hiruzen, but it devastated our village.
And we all know you don't simply defeat a Biju. No, it's not feasible, it's not comprehendable, it's not possible. The only way a Biju is defeated is if they are sealed. Which means that there is a new Jinchuriki inside of our village. I want to know whom it is, and why they were chosen. I refuse to have such an annoyance pester us again!" Hiruzen's eyes gained an impassive gaze as he stared at Danzo. He now understood what game the man was playing at. He wanted the Jinchuriki, just as he had explained to Kakashi he would.
"Very well, there's no point in putting it off. You've obviously peaked everyone's curiosity. The new Jinchuriki of the Kyubi No Kitsune is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. Son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, as stated by this birth certificate." The aging man lifted his hand to his wrinkled skull and massaged his temple gently as he listened to the inevitable outrage that overtook the room immediately. "Yes, yes, I know. I know. Please, control yourselves, and let's move this meeting along as quickly as we possibly can.
Obviously, we all wish to be seeking out our families and can't until we're done here with this meeting. So I'm going to lay out what this meeting is for and move it ahead. We're here to vote, and I have already mapped out everything that we will need to vote upon. That being said, we must decide if we will release Naruto's heritage or not, if we should or should not release his status, or plans to fix our military and economy and most importantly, who will be filling in for Minato. Understood? Then let's begin. On the subject of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze..."
Ginkaku and Kinkaku sailed over the rooftops of what remained of Konoha's archetecture. The two sibling's eyes roamed their enviornment constantly as they observed any and all possible outlying dangers. Shinobi rushed to and fro to the deceased and dying. The smell of death itself stained Konoha and wafted into their brothers nostrils. That in of itself was enough to bring any normal man to his knees with sickness. Moans and groans resounded from collapsed buildings as mothers cried over sons and brothers cried over sisters.
Truly the Kyubi had devasted the village unlike anything else before it. The demonic monster had killed insdiscriminately. Had slaughtered the masses that had mocked it from outside of its containers for so long. It had held its revenge on Konoha with all of its might. Its impact had been felt, and it had been felt quickly. A man stumbled along one of Konoha's roads, almost drunkenly. His eyes seemed devoid of emotion. The man tripped and fell to the cold, hard, unforgiving ground where he lay unmoving. Not dead. But not alive either.
One specific building crumbled under the pressure of the Gold and Silver Brothers as they sailed from it vroken structure. As they passed over the ravaged village, Hiruzen Sarutobi emerged from a building with a dreary sigh. His thoughts had all been confirmed and it seemed that life continued to condemn Naruto without remorse. Less than a few hours old, and the boy had lost his parents, become a Jinchuriki, been struck by lightning and basically had any chance of a normal life ripped away from him by the merciless war council. He squinted his eyes as two rather muscular burly shinobi passed overhead.
It was odd. He hadn't known of any Konohagakure Shinobi with that specific body structure, let alone two. The closest clan he could summarize to similarity were the Akamichi, but their shape was bent around body weight, not muscle. Then again, Hiruzen didn't quite know whom Minato had enlisted as Shinobi of the leaf. With another long drawn out sigh, the man let the thoughts slip from his mind. And then the newly reinstated Hokage set out to find Kakashi. Just because the Anbu couldn't raise his so called 'brother', didn't mean he couldn't keep a close watchful eye on him.
Moonlight glittered through an open window. A light breeze kept the window's curtain flapping gently with a rather soothing effect to it. The moonlight bathed the room in a majestic glow, and seemed to bring a mystic feeling to Naruto as he slept peacefully in his crib. Above him, a man stood erect with a razor sharp scapel held firmly in his right hand. Only the lower portion of the man's face could be seen in the room as shadows seemed to wrap around the upper portion. "I was given a choice." The man spoke silently to the child, as if trying not to alert anyone to his presence. Though there was no one there.
"A choice that weighs heavily on me. The choice to kill you and forever destroy the Kyubi. Or turn you in where you'll be tamed. The Kyubi's power on display for Konoha. I want to kill you." The man stated as he lowered the scapel to the infant's throat. "I truly do. To see you dead is my greatest desire, now and forever! You've taken so much from me. My entire family. My wife, my children, my brothers and sister. My parents. You've taken everything! And it's just not enough!
You want to take more more more! More hate, more souls, more death! You want to live amongst us and then turn on us! Oh yes, he told me all about your evil ways! But there was a flaw in your plan, you see Kyubi? You made yourself weak. Vulnerable. And that is your downfall. As much as I want to see you die... As much as I want to take revenge for my family, everyone's familes, and my village... As much as I want to bathe in your blood... I want to see you caged like the animal you are." With a precise jerk, the right hand hold the scapel was lying limp at the man's side, Naruto unharmed.
"I'm turning you into my master. You're going to be tamed and used as a weapon time and again. You're going to defend what you fought so hard to destroy! And then... Then, when it's all over and done with... When you've been used up and worn out? When you're a broken tool? You're going to be tossed aside. I get to see the Kyubi betrayed, just as it betrayed us with its last 'Jinchuriki'. Power of the human sacrifice... As if a human body could hold a demon! Yes... When you're tossed aside, then... then I take my vengeance. Then I kill you. Understand?" Naruto remained oblivious to the mentally disturbed man whom nodded. "Good. Then without firhter delay, he's awaiting your arrival."
The man pocketed his scapel before he leaned over the crib to retrieve the small infant from within. Before he could do so, a large hand clasped harshly onto his shoulder and sent him sailing backwards into a wall. "And just what do you think you're doing? Touching our little brother?" A giant shadow overfell the man who grit his teeth at the interruption.
"You know not what you do. Move aside and leave so that I may retrieve that Kyubi for my master."
"We can't let you do that. You see, our brother is going to be serving a higher cause. And that higher cause isn't going to be your master, whoever that is." The would be kidnapper frowned deeply. This was not to his master's plan. Not at all. Lurching forwards, the man's fist went to meet the shadow's face. The man bathed in shadows ducked underneath the blow and slammed his knee into the man's abdomen. Said man doubled over before he was pushed backwards by the shadow. He stumbled along the wooden floor of the room before a searing pain rushed throughout him.
A fire seemed to have started in his abdomen and spread throughout his body like his a forest fire that couldn't be contained. Behind him, a second shadow had appeared and run him through with a long, katana blade. The blade was roughly ripped from the man's body as he fell to the ground, the crimson blood quickly causing a blood puddle to from on the floor. "You shouldn't have tried to touch our brother, you imbecile!" Ginkaku stated as he imbedded the katana in the wall.
Kinkaku grinned widely as he kicked the man over on his stomach. His foot crashed down onto the man's skull before he began applying a massive amount of pressure. Leaning forwards on his knee, his eyes fell on Naruto's crib. "Ginkaku," The golden head man spoke, his brother already moving ahead of the other's words. "Fetch our little brother why don't you?"
Ginkaku's large hands wrapped around Naruto's small form before the infant was cradled in his arms. The silver haired brothers lips stretched into a smile exactly identical to his brother's. "You were right, Kinkaku, he does favor us. Especially with those whisker marks." The man's eyes glanced out of the window catching the shadows of shinobi hopping around, still trying to find surviving comrades. It made him realize that he didn't care to be in Konoha any longer than he truly had to. "Kinkaku, let's go home."
The door of the room was blown off of its hinges. Dust and debris filled the air as Kakashi rushed in with lightning crackling dangerously around his right hand. The sound of a thousand birds seemed to fill the air as the blue and white electricity illuminated his masked face. The room was empty, save a lone wounded man who lay on the ground, moaning in agony. A sword had pierced straight through his abdomen. The man lay, almost motionless, in a puddle of bright red liquid. He was on the verge of death.
Hiruzen stared at the man. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but the truth was undeniable. Not only had someone attempted to kidnap Minato's legacy, but someone had halted that attempt and made one of their own. One that had succeeded. The man had almost been dead when Kakashi found him, but he had been the only lead that Hiruzen had on the abduction. As such, he had been healed by medical ninja and brought to the torture and interrogation department. The reinstated Hokage had truly desired a true interrogation, but everyone had been predisposed. And the Sandaime simply couldn't waste shinobi for a task such as this.
"What did you do with the child?" The Sandaime questioned with rage aflame in his eyes. The man grinned, proudly bearing his crimson stained teeth.
"I didn't touch him. And if I did, he would be well out of your reach, Hiruzen. He'd be in the hands of someone who would take him and-" The man stopped mid sentence. Where he had been leaning forwards, he now leaned back, clasping his hands together. "I don't believe that I should tell you anything else. I reserve me rights to freedom, and therefore will await my death."
"Death? You're not going to die. Trust me, I'm not going to allow you to die until I learn who you work for, where Naruto is, and why you did what you did. It would be better for you to comply with me." The man chuckled despite his still recently healed wound.
"That's where you're wrong. You see, my master doesn't want you, or anyone else for that matter, butting into our business. You see, we have a very strict code of conduct. And I'm going to die. I failed my mission, and I'm to die so that I don't speak of my failure. It's something I welcome with open arms." Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. This was a dangerous situation with a dangerous person.
"Who is your master?" The man chuckled through his pain as he glanced towards the ceiling. Hiruzen followed his gaze and released a frightened gasp as he saw the flickering of a genjutsu being released. The sealing was covered with hundreds of thousands of high power explosive tags.
"The man who's making sure you don't get any information. Goodbye, Hiruzen Sarutobi. I'll meet you in the next world." Hiruzen rushed away from the man who smiled brightly as he began to chuckle. The aging Hokage's body smashed into the window of the interrogation room, shattering it into thousands of sharp, jagged pieces as his body plummeted to the concrete ground below. As his body impacted and skidded along the pavement, the building exploded in an inferno that reignited the rivalry between flames and rain.
Civilains and Shinobi released shrieks of terror at the sound of the building exploding. The Earth shook as debris and smoke filtered through the air. "He... smiled..." Hiruzen spoke breathlessly to himself. It wasn't uncommon for Konohagakure shinobi to die with smiles on their faces. Far from it. Most died in tense situations with smiles knowing that they prolonged the Will of Fire. But the man in that building had been under orders of someone, and had failed their mission.
And failure meant death to him and the apparent cult that he had become involved in. And he had smiled knowing he was being killed by the master that commanded him. "He... smiled." It was a thought that would haunt the Sarutobi clan head for many nights to come. The elderly man's remained on the building as the flames were beat away by the rain. Twice in one night. Perhaps it was symbolic. Perhaps the Will of Fire and dwindled down until it had finally been snuffed out. The man's eyes hardened. "As long as there's breath in me, there is the Will of Fire. Straight out of your mouth, right, Minato?"
The Nidaime Gold and Silver Brothers landed harshly on a beaten dirt path. The echoes of their footwear resounded heavily throughout the small village they had founded themselves in. The village was bleak and desolate. Completely deserted and void of any life whatsoever, it seemed like a town whose population had simply been wiped from the face of the Earth with no resistence at all. The golden haired brother stalked forwards menacingly, his newest sibling held firmly in the crook of his right arm. "It seems they deserted this village when they felt the Kyubi's Chakra."
The village itself was located just outside of Hi No Kuni's borders. However, It was still bery close to the Fire Nations heart, Konohagakure. As such, it had been one of the small villages who felt the Kyubi's unmistakingly malovent chakra. "Just be careful, Kinkaku. We're carrying Konoha's Jinchuriki around. We don't know if they've already sent forces out to retrieve him, or if they've noticed his absence at all!" Kinkaku chuckled loudly at his silver haired brother's rational talk.
"Let's look at the facts here, Ginkaku. They're so devastated at this point in time that they can't afford to send any shinobi after us after they do realize he's gone! For one, they don't even know who took the kid, so they can't specifically send shinobi after us. Second, they need every available man and women out there scouring the battlefield looking for resources and comrades. You also have to take in the body count they had back there.
They simply don't have the forces to do anything but lick their bleeding wounds right now. If anyone's going to ambush us, it's going to be same unnamed bandit hoping to grab a few gold coins in the wake of this disaster. And if someone's ignorant enough to attack us, Kumo's Nidaime Gold and Silver Brothers? Then they'll just be another unmarked grave in this whole travesty." Ginkaku's eyes watched his brother critically before he slowly nodded his head.
"You're right. I'm just nervous. We're so close, Kinkaku. So close to having our new brother in Kumogakure. So close to restoring our clan's status in the village's eyes. So close to boosting morale with a third Jinchuriki! And all we have to do, is cross our border. We should go now. The longer we're near Konohagakure No Sato, the more we're doomed to fail at our agenda." The golden haired brother chuckled in response again, his shoulder shuddering violently as his chest heaved.
"How can we fail, Ginkaku? You saw it with your own eyes, Raiden himself has blessed this mission. This is what he wants, for our brother to be in Kumogakure. Now then, before we do leave... I think our brother needs a new name." His eyes fell on the childs slumbering form as his left hand rose to take a strand of the infant's locks of hair in his grip. It had changed color since his birth a few hours prior. Perhaps due to the Kyubi's presence, or perhaps due to the fact that he had been struck by lightning upon the sealing alter. His hair had disintegrated from the shocking bright blond it had been to a greyish-white platinum color, complete with a light blond haze. "Hakkinkaku. That sounds fitting, doesn't it Ginkaku?"
"So now we're renaming him?" The silver haired brother demanded angrily. "You heard his father, he had a name, Kinkaku! It was Naruto. You heard it just as clear as I did!" Kinkaku frowned deeply at his brother's words as the true platinum blond baby stirred heavily in his arms.
"No, we're not renaming him, Ginkaku. I have more respect for our deceased relative than that. I may have hated the man with every fiber of my being, but I respect him. He was our family and I won't disgrace his memory. But he'll be part of our clan in Kumogakure. And he'll need a christened name for our clan. A Kaku name. It's tradition, Ginkaku. It's why we were named after our ancestors. That's why." The silver haired brother released a slow breath of air.
"I'm sorry. I spoke too quickly. You're right, it is tradition to have a Kaku name. Hakkinkaku is fitting brother. The Platinum Horn." Kinkaku nodded as he allowed another smile to stretch over taught over his features.
"No, don't apologize Ginkaku. I understand. I'm glad you have so much respect for our deceased relative. Alright, I'm growing sick and tired of being so near to Konoha. Come on Ginkaku... Naruto... Let's return to our home now." The two burly shinobi launched themselves from the dirt path to the overhanging rooftops. Then they were gone, leaving the village abandoned and silent once again.
Kakashi Hatake's sole visible eye, the stoic one, read the list of names upon Konohagakure No Sato's memorial stone. A list of men and women who had all died in battle, who had all died defending their village. One of his own close personal friends, his best friend's, name was upon that stone. His fire had been snuffed out before it had ever truly had a chance to blaze brightly. That wasn't the only person close to Kakashi's name on the stone. No there were many more. One of them a person who had been vying for Kakashi's heart. And now, there would be many more names upon the stone.
Too many to count. They would more than likely have to build a second memorial in dedication to the souls that they had lost in the heat of conflict. And amongst those stones would be two of the greatest shinobi to ever grace the Earth. Minato and Kushina Namikaze. They had been the true bearers of the Will Of Fire. And that fire had been doused in water. Now, only black smoke filled the void that they once had. Kakashi's right hand wrapped tightly around the handle of a kunai knife, blood losing circulation. His knuckles became a pale white as he tore his eyes away from the stone.
The dam that Kakashi had held strong for so long threatened to break as his eyes clenched tightly. Tears rolled from their corners as the silver haired man's shoulders shook heavily. "Contemplating suicide, Kakashi? Gotta admit, I never pegged you for the type." Kakashi's visible eye snapped open and glared heatedly at the intruder. Asuma Sarutobi, the Sandaime's son.
"I have nothing to say to you, Asuma. You're not here as anything but an advocate for your father. And just as I have nothing to say to you, you can tell the same to him." Asuma sighed wearily as his right hand rose to his lips, a cigarette burning brightly as he took a long drawn out drag off of it.
"Me and my dad don't quite see eye to eye, Kakashi. In fact, we're not even father and son. We're comrades under the same family name. He didn't have time for me as a child, and he doesn't have time for me now. I don't know what a father and son relationship is. But you do. You've had two of them. And the recent one that meant the most to you just died. You're hurt, and you need help. You're lashing out for no apparent reason, Kakashi." Asuma flicked his cigarette.
"Say what you have to say and leave." Kakashi grit through his teeth as his grip became even more noticeably tighter on the kunai knife.
"I just did. My dad wanted me to come make sure your alright, and I did. You need help, Kakashi. You may not see it, but everyone else who runs into you does. You should seek someone out. I would. Take care of yourself, Kakashi. I'd hate to see your name on that stone you're staring at." Asuma turned away from the silver haired Anbu member and made to leave, though he halted in his steps. "You never said what the knife was for."
"I was contemplating on carving Minato-Sensei's son's name onto this stone. He's gone now. Maybe forever. I don't truly know."
"You can't carve an alive man's name on a dead man's tomb, Kakashi. Because when you do, that person's dead. The moment we carve Minato's name on the stone, then, and only then, is he dead. He's still alive right now. His spirit hasn't quite been set free. But it will be, soon. You should say your goodbyes while you still can."
"You're more like your father than you realize." Kakashi returned simply as his vision zoned back in on the memorial stone. "He loves you, you know. You don't see it... But everyone else that you meet does." Asuma chuckled at the words as he flicked the cigarette from his fingers onto a piece of charred black grass.
"You shouldn't say things that you don't mean, Kakashi."
"And you should take your own advice, Asuma."
Ginkaku shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. The Yondaime Raikage, A's, eyes shifted over he and his golden haired brother, taking in every detail about them. His gaze seemed to stare straight through their bodily shells into their souls. "You succeeded." A spoke rather softly, a rare trait for the easily angered Kage. Kinkaku allowed his head to nod slowly in response.
"Hai, Raikage-Sama. We've retrieved the Kyubi Jinchuriki. The Nidaime failed as the container and the beast was sealed into this child upon our arrival. He is the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki." A's eyes narrowed dangerously at the child in Kinkaku's arms. The son of his greatest enemy lay before him, an infant, ready to be raised as a Kumogakure shinobi.
"To think, the Kyubi Jinchuriki brought before me. The child of one of my greatest enemies and his wife. Descendant of the Uzumaki clan and the original Gold and Silver Brothers." A stood to his feet and rounded his wooden desk. Reaching out, he took Naruto out of Kinkaku's tight grip, holding him in one hand as he was observed. His left hand rose and traced the scars left behind by the lightning that had struck the infant. "As you expected, he will be placed under your supervision.
There's no one more suited to raise him than actual relatives, whom have power from the same Biju that he himself contains. You may train him, but you will not be his primary trainers. For certain, Killer B will be one. The child will need a true Jinchuriki to train him in the ways of controlling his Biju. B is the only one that is certified to do that. Other than B, I'm not sure who will take full on control of his training. We'll see as he grows. Before I dismiss you, what's the boy's name?"
"Naruto." Ginkaku responded immediately. "His father said his name was Naruto. We heard him. And through respect for him, that name will remain. He will, however, have a Kaku name. It's our clans tradition. He will be Hakkinkaku. But we request he be referred to as Naruto." The Raikage's eyes fell back upon the platinum/blond haired boy before he allowed a nod to respond to the request.
"I didn't like Minato. In fact, I hated the Yondaime Hokage. But there's no doubt that I respected that man. And I respect your requests. In honor of the man who made it possible for Kumogakure to have this ultimate opportunity, we will reserve the right to refer to this boy as Naruto. He will have no last name affiliated with Konohagakure No Sato though.
He is our dominion now. Not Konoha's. He is no longer an Uzumaki in sense of names, as he is no longer a Namikaze. If you wish to give him a last name to coincide with his original, you may. But you will refrain from making it Konoha related. I'm sure you two don't have much of a problem with that. You despise Konoha just as much as I, after all." The Nidaime Gold and Silver Brothers nodded in response as the Raikage gifted Naruto to Ginkaku before returning to his chair.
"I have nothing else to say. Ginkaku, you are dimsissed with Naruto. Take him to the hospital. We need to make sure that he's completely stable after being turned into a Jinchuriki and... Struck by lightning, you said. Kinkaku, seek out my brother. While you two begin your lives as his guardians immediately, B will begin overseeing him immediately. Understood? Good. Kinkaku, Ginkaku, you've done your village a great service. You've cleansed your clan's name of the dishonor done to it by your ancestors. I am proud to claim you as my shinobi. You're dismissed."
Jiraiya couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the carnage that had been wraught by the Kyubi. "It's a disaster... isn't it?" The voice was familiar to Jiraiya. Like the warm embrace of a mother to her child was it familiar. Such was the bond between the sanin, Jiraiya, and his sensei, Hiruzen. "All of those flames burned out so quickly. All of those families torn apart. Fathers ripped away from their children. And then their children ripped away from their father's legacy."
"You're speaking of Minato, aren't you?"
"I am. It's why I had one of my personal Anbu track you down, Jiraiya. Minato died sealing the Kyubi back into a new Jinchuriki. His own son. We still have no clue as to why Kushina's own seal failed, and we may never know." Jiraiya's features became even more sorrowful. To him, Minato had been a son, not just a student. Minato was his legacy, and his flames had burned brightest of all. But perhaps the brightest flames burned themselves out quickest.
"And his son. You said he was ripped away from his father's legacy...?"
"His son was kidnapped. We don't know by whom, and we don't know why. And even if we did, there's nothing we could do about it. I'm asking you to search for him. Try to find him. I'm afraid that it's far too late for that, and if you do find him, he'll be in another village. We have no jurisdiction if that's the case. But that won't stop me from asking you to find him. He's Minato's legacy. The heir to his Will of Fire. We deserve to at least know where he is."
"No problem, Sensei. I'll find him for you." Jiraiya responded with a deep grimace set in upon his features. "Now, what about Kakashi. I'm sure he's not taking these sudden tragedies all too well." Hiruzen's own facial features took on those resembling Jiraiya's own.
"Kakashi isn't mentally stable at the present. He's been deeply disturbed by the death of his sensei and father figure, along with Minato's son. He proclaimed hm his brother before his disappearance. As it is, Inoichi is going to fix the damage done. I wish that it didn't need to be this way, but I truly have no other option at the present. I can't have Kakashi going rogue right now. Or ever for that matter."
"I understand sensei. Just make sure that this doesn't came back to haunt you. You've lost Minato, you've lost his son... You don't need to lose Kakashi." Hiruzen nodded solemnly as his white haired student turned to leave the devastating scene.
"Before you go, Jiraiya... His son... He named him Naruto. After the character in your book. You were the father he never truly had, you understand?" Jiraiya halted in his tracks for a moment before he began to walk forwards once again. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks as the image of his student flashed through his mind constantly.
"Yo hey yo, Kinkaku said you need the B, so I'm here as you can see!" Killer B slammed through his brother's wooden door, shattering it into thousands of small shards. A's eyes blazed angrily as he lurched to his feet, his fist slamming through his desk. The piece of furniture shattered in a similar fashion.
"Damnit B! How many time have I told you to come through my door like a civil human being!?" B chuckled loudly as his left hand rubbed his stomach. His brother's eyes glared at him heatedly as he shoved his decimated desk out of his way.
"Yo, you're a hypocrite in office, smashing through your window like you don't even care!"
"That doesn't even rhyme B!" A snarled through his teeth angrily. Truly, his brother's raps angered him. There was no ryhme or rythm to them whatsoever. "Nevermind. Just listen to me, and listen to me good, B. Kinkaku and GInkaku succeeded in retrieving the Kyubi Jinchuriki. But it's a new one. An infant. He's to grow up under their supervision. But you're going to help out.
He's going to need someone to train him in controling the Kyubi's chakra. You're the only Jinchuriki that we have that can do that. Do you understand, B?"
"B heard it all my brother! We got a Jinchuriki that needs some training, by the time I'm done with him he'll be maiming!" A's right eye twitched dangerously at his brother's attempt at 'rapping'.
"B?" The large muscular Jinchuriki grinned brightly at his brother's voice. A lurched forwards and grasped ahold of the younder man's face tightly, his nails digging into skin. "Get out of my office! Now!"
So I don't have a lot of time to write now. School's back in (Since Thanksgiving Break is over) and I have a lot going on. But I wanted to try this story out. I was trying to write a Naruto raised by Ginkaku and Kinkaku story, and then a story where Naruto was in Kumo, and the two ideas kinda merged. This is like the third our fourth Prologue that I've rewritten, so I hope you all like it. The name 'Hakkinkaku' is something I coined for the Ginkaku and Kinkaku story.
'Hakkin' means Platinum in Japanese while Kaku means 'Horn'. Naruto's hair is platinum, and blond, but it isn't platinum blond like Ino's. Think of it as kinda white, but with a blond haze to it. That's the best way I can explain it. I'll explain his scars more in the next chapter from the lightning, which will probably be put out with this chapter. I wanna get a couple chapters done before I post this so... yeah...
