A/N: Yo! Hi, name's TCOP. It's short for "The Circle Of Pain", a bit of an inside joke between me and my friends, so please, don't hurt yourself trying to figure out why I chose it, alright? :P Anyways, here's "Naruto Uzumaki, A Blank Slate"! Naruto will be presented as smart, he obviously has a bloodline, though I didn't explain all of it quite yet. It's an AU Fic, and he will have a romantic interest, though who it will be hads to be decided as of yet. I hope you like it!
Disclaimer!~ Naruto may rock, but if I owned it, it would be ten times better. And, he wouldn't be dumb. -.-
Summary~The shadowy and secret clan of the Uzumaki offer to step in and help defeat Kyuubi, what will the price be? How might Konoha pay for the birth of Naruto, container of the Kyuubi and wielder of the dreaded Uzumaki bloodline? Bloodline!Dark!Smart!Naru NaruX???
Naruto Uzumaki, A Blank Slate
Chapter Zero~Prologue
Among the Village Hidden in the Leaves, there stood a man. He had spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, and he wore a white coat lined in flames along the bottom over his standard ninja wear, the uniform presented to all ninja upon reaching chuunin. His mouth, lined with creases that could only suggest he often smiled, was closed in a frown. He stood there on the city's great wall, staring out into the dark night. He was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Yellow Flash of Konoha. From his post there, the Hokage frowned as he stared out, the signs of a large fire burning in the distance of the West looming, drawing ever closer.
"Hokage-sama?" came a voice. Minato turned towards the young Anbu at his side, a young child wearing a dog mask. He was a new recruit, but many, such as himself, could see that the young one would go far as a shinobi. He had gravity-defying white hair and an ever present attitude of a strangely irratating indifference.
"What have I told you about calling me that, Kakashi?" Minato asked, forcing a smile on his face. It was hard these days with that fate drawing ever closer...so hard. As Minato thought back, he could hardly remember a time when he had been happy. In the face of this growing doom, he had nothing he could do.
"Not to call you Hokage-sama because it makes you feel old." Kakashi replied, perhaps with a smile. It was hard for Minato to tell with that mask on his face...a smile could have just as easily have been a frown.
"Yes, that's right. Now, what were you going to ask me?" Minato asked in his playful tone though, both knew, it was little more than an act. He was the Hokage, and the pain and sadness of his villagers, those he protected, was more poignant than ever now.
"How...how much longer?..." Kakashi asked, looking away. Minato frowned unconsciously, his mask of happiness slipping.
"Not too much longer...I'm afraid that with the reports I've received it's likely to be here within the next three days, if not earlier than that even. The shinobi on the field have reported each attempt at the Fox's life, though we know by now it is too much to hope for even wounding it. It seems that it can regenerate from even the most massive of attacks, allowing it to continue on its rampage as long as it pleases..." the Yellow Flash said, for all the world seeming as if he could never live up to his own name at that moment. His speech was slow and careful, his energy drained. He seemed little more than a shell as he spoke of the beast, the great Nine-Tailed Fox Demon or "Kyuubi", as it had been deemed by the populace of the Elemental Nations.
"Is...is there anything we can do? I've heard of sealings of the Great Demons in both Cloud and Sand recently. Can we do that?" Kakashi asked, grasping at the merest consolation, for somehting that they might do to stop the thing.
"I'm afraid that a normal sealing ritual would be too weak to hold any as great as the Kyuubi. No, we would have to resort to the Reaper Death Seal, an ancient technique created to steal the soul of the opponent and seal it within your own before being dragged into the depths of the Death God's stomach yourself." Minato said while trying desperately to hold eye contact with his student though, in the end, he couldn't. Kakashi, on the other hand, looked shocked.
"Sensei, surely you're not thinking of using such a dangerous technique?! Konoha needs you! We could always retreat and rebuild somewh-" Kakashi started yelling when suddenly, he was cut off.
"It doesn't matter Kakashi, I can't use it. Even with the Shinigami's power, I'm not sure if such a beat could be killed. At least, not so directly. As it is, I'm beginning to believe the Kyuubi is an Immortal. The Reaper Death Seal was not created with the intent to capture, only to kill. With some modifications it might work, but the only thing that could even temporarily hold such a power back would be a newborn child whose chakra system has yet to grow. However, I fear, even then the child would only be able to hold the power back long enough to slightly weaken the beast before it would burst forth once again. The Kyuubi's power is too immense for even a seal of that magnitude. We could retreat, but I fear the Kyuubi cares not for Konoha, but for the inhabitants. It's almost certain that if we were to retreat, it would only chase us til the ends of the earth if need be." the blonde Hokage said sadly, his voice calm yet at the same time, almost defeated.
"B-but...su-surely there's some way..." Kakashi stuttered as a feeling of despair greater than any he had ever known began to creep over him, slowly at first, then rushing forward in one great wave of terror. He almost panicked when, suddenly, he felt the hand of the Hokage upon him.
"As I said, there might be. The Sandaime, the Sanin and I have been trying to devise ways to defeat or hold it back since the first news of its arrival. It is, however, looking very bleak. Worry not, Kakashi. The Shinigami comes for all, young or old, weak or strong. It's the one thing that we have in common, and the one thing we can always count on. It will happen, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but to worry about its coming is more pointless than trying to stop the wind's roar, or the sun's rise. Who knows, maybe Kami-sama will let us up there with him, no?" the young Hokage said, a true smile on his face. And, for all of his worry, Kakashi couldn't help but feel comforted. Maybe he would see his dad again after all.
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Elsewhere...
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Uzumaki Kushina grinned widely as she stared at the flames in the distance through her window from her bed in the Konoha Hospital. She was a beautiful woman, with bright red long hair, and pale skin that seemed to shine like the moon. The visible parts of her body were not marred, not even with the smallest of scars. If not for the sword lying by her side, it would be hard to guess she was even a shinobi. In her arms she held a young boy, a baby born little more than a two days ago. Looking down to the young blonde in her arms, her grin grew even bigger.
"See that Naruto-kun?" Kushina laughed, "The Kyuubi is drawing even closer. See that power, son? Soon it'll be yours, ne? I wonder what you'll be like? Will you regenerate too? Control over fire? Oh, I can only imagine!" she giggled happily. The baby only cooed in response, his small green eyes staring at her as he smiled. As she watched his eyes changed slowly, becoming a bright blue. Kushina laughed.
"A little early for that Naruto-kun. Most Uzumaki's take a few more days after birth to do that, ne?" she said with her wide smile, gently kissing the baby. "No worries, baby. Kaa-san will make sure you grow big and strong, just like my Tou-san helped me grow big and strong! Soon the big,bad Hokage and his advisors will realize that the Reaper Death Seal is the only way...and you'll be there to help them, Naruto-kun!" She explained to the little baby, whose eye and hair color was constantly changing even as she spoke, giggling all the while. Then, the door opened, and in walked a man, wearing the standard chuunin/jounin wear of Konoha. He had dark black hair pulled back in a ponytail and bright red eyes with the pinwheel of the Sharingan dancing within. He smirked as he drew close to Kushina.
"Nee-san." he said simply. Kushina slapped his arm from her place in the bed, faking an angry face as she did so.
"And what are you doing here, Arime-baka?!" she play shouted before smiling.
"Well, Tou-san told me about your little plan. I figured you could use a bit of help, ne? After all, how can you offer to use your child when you're confined to your bed?" he asked, making Kushina sweat drop. She hadn't really thought that far yet. "Besides, Naruto-kun is going to be a wonderfully unique little one!" Arime said with a grin of his own, his form slowly shifting, losing nearly a half of foot in height, and gaining a brilliant red hair and deep green eyes like his sister. He was no longer clothed in Konoha-nin wear, instead sporting a deep midnight-black kimono adorned only with a red spiral on the back. On his hip rode a simple katana, sheathed inbetween the belt of his kimono and his own body. "Still," Arime spoke as he finished the change, sitting down in a chair next to Kushina, "Fishcake?" he asked. Kushina growled, and soon, all he knew was darkness as she knocked him upside the head with the flat side of her own sword.
"Dumbass." she sighed, looking again towards the little boy in her arms again.
"You'll be so strong my baby..." she whispered again, looking out the window.
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A Bit Later - With the Hokage
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"What did you say?!" the Hokage shouted at Itachi. He, Jiraiya, Orochimaru and the Sandaime had been researching the ancient scrolls of Konoha, trying to find a way stop the demon, when suddenly in burst Itachi Uchiha, claiming he knew a way to beat the beast.
"I said, why not use the Reaper Death Seal? With a bit of modification, it could work." the Uchiha said with his face blank, as always. Minato's face was drawn in an angry glare for a while as he stared at the Uchiha. After a while he turned to his former sensei.
"Jiraiya-sensei, could you silence the room?" he asked politely, the anger in his voice apparent, yet at the same time seeming to hide a curiosity. After Jiraiya grumbled a bit, he put up the barrier. As soon as he did, the Fourth turned back to the Uchiha.
"Drop the genjutsu." he said calmly. Itachi only smiled.
"Genjutsu?" he said after a while, the grin on his face never fading as his features slowly changed, revealing none other than Arime. "I'm afraid, Hokage-sama," he said theatrically, "that was no genjutsu. I am Arime Uzumaki, Subtle Hand of the Uzumaki Clan." Minato, the Sanin (with the exception of Tsunade who was tending to the wounded scouts from skirmishes with the Kyuubi) and the Sandaime, all of whom had been occupying the room as they planned for the Kyuubi's arrival, gaped at the man.
"The Uzumaki?!" Jiraiya shouted, standing suddenly as he stared the man down, a new respect in his eyes.
"The Uzumaki are little more than a myth." Orochimaru said from his place in the corner of the room, glaring at the man. Arime, surprisingly, only laughed at this exclamation from the snake-like man.
"Are they? How would you know? Hmm?" Arime said with his ever-present grin on his face. "The Shifters, they call us. The Arm of Shadows. The Black Masks. We are known by many names, yet none know us. Shapeshifters by birth, we are natural stealth masters. How could you presume to know whether or not such a clan exists? For all you know, you may have even fought one once." the short Uzumaki said to Orochimaru. Orochimaru, for what it's worth, only continued to glare.
"Either way, why reveal yourselves now?" the Sandaime asked, suspicious. The rumors of the Uzumaki were many and widespread, with such wild "eye witness" accounts detailing things like sprouting wingsand flying or even metallic skin and other such ridiculous abilities.
"Why how blunt of you, Sarutobi-sama. I wish you could trust me more." the Uzumaki said, covering his eyes as he shook his head. Jiraiya, who was quickly losing his anger, shouted at the man.
"Just answer the question!" the Toad Sanin yelled.
"Calm down, Jiraiya-sensei," the Fourth said quietly, "Yelling will get us nowhere. However, he is correct Uzumaki-san. Why have you come here?" At this the Uzumaki took a more serious look on his face. His grin faded into only a faint smile, almost as if to say that it wasn't even possible for him to drop his eternal smile.
"To help of course."
"How? The Kyuubi is too strong to fight." the Fourth said simply, "And, as you must know, the very seal you mentioned is most likely to weak to hold the beast without a newborn, and even then it could break free of its prison in a few years, if not less than that."
"Perhaps, but that's with a normal newborn, no?" Arime said quietly, his small smile threatening to grow once more.
"What are you suggesting?" Orochimaru asked with some curiosity, if only a small amount.
"I'm suggesting we use an Uzumaki newborn." Arime explained. This, of course, floored the four listeners. Instantly, there were questions and shouting. Finally, Minato put an end to the noise of the two Sanin and the Sandaime.
"Shut up!" he cried out, instantly bring silence to the room. "That's better," he declared, "You guys were starting to remind of the council too much there." he stated, causing the rest of the people to sweat drop. "Now, tell me, what's so special about an Uzumaki child that it could hold the Kyuubi?"
"Well," Arime began, "It goes like this..."
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Hours Later
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"I see." the Hokage said.
Jiraiya and the Sandaime were quiet, and Orochimaru seemed to be even quieter than normal, if possible.
"So...", Jiraiya began, "Your nephew..."
"Yes." Arime said simply, cutting him off.
"It seems to be our only choice..." the Sandaime said, earning a nod from Orochimaru.
"I agree." the snake wielder said with a frown. He didn't like the plan one bit, but it was all t hat could be done.
"We'll do it." the four men said at once as the smile on Arime's face grew into it's signature Uzumaki grin once more.
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A little later, Minato Namikaze the Yellow Flash and the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure faced the Kyuubi in battle. Boldly he stood atop his summon, Gamabunta as he pinned the Kyuubi and summoned the Shinigami. The Shinigami laughed as it took the Kyuubi's soul from its body, sealing it into the newborn Naruto Uzumaki. Then, in a bright flash of light, it was done.
The Kyuubi, the Great Beast which had destroyed so much, was gone.
Minato Namikaze, the greatest shinobi the Leaf had yet known, was dead.
And Naruto Uzumaki, the soon-to-be-legendary child of Konoha, giggled happily from where he laid on the grass, the seal on his stomach slowly disappearing from view...
A/N: Bam! A finished chappy, and in my eyes, a nice beginning. I know my first fic didn't get many hits, so I'm hoping this one will. Maybe it was my name, maybe it was my horrible summary. I think I could definately take this places though. *nods* I don't like Orochimaru too much, but I feel that I could turn him into a bit more than the normal "OMZG, CREEPY LITTLE-BOY-LOVER" that everyone seems to like. I also didn't want to pull the son of the Yondaime thing everyone does. *shrugs* I just don't like conforming I guess.