"Weak...You're absolutely pathetic child.."
"S-Shut up..s-stupid f-f-fox.."
This short conversation was one that young Uzumaki Naruto found himself having quite often, as well as the situation that had sparked the quick exchange as well. The ten year-old blond was sprawled just outside of his "home", the great village of Konohagakure. Numerous wounds decorated his frail and slightly malnourished frame, the injuries appearing as if they'd come from a variety of weapons such as knives and even gardening tools.
"Stupid villagers, I hate this day.." Grumbled Naruto, laying still as the red, thick chakra leaked from his body to do it's usual job of healing the wounds he had received. Every year, on the day of October 10th, it seemed the villagers would all get together in a mob and hunt the poor child down. While the beatings usually didn't last long thanks to the intervention of the masked men wearing black, that didn't derail the fact that Naruto went through agony from the mob attacks.
"And yet you continue to remain in this cursed village. If I were you, I'd burn this entire place to the ground, and take my time slaughtering those who remained within.." The malicious words of the Kyuubi suggested in his head, Naruto merely shaking his head in slight disagreement.
It wasn't long until the damage had been fixed to the point where Naruto could stand again. Slowly he rose to his feet, limbs shaking a bit in protest before standing strong. "Now where the heck am I?" Wondered the demon container. He'd been chased around by the villagers before but it seemed that this time they had actually thrown his unconscious body somewhere outside of the village. "And they call me a monster.." Naruto grumbled in irritation as he began his trek ahead. Subconsciously the young child had been moving further and further away towards the outskirts of Konohagakure; it felt as if someone, or even something, was calling him towards a certain area.
Moving forward on legs that continued to tremble in protest, the one young Uzumaki made his way ever onward, his exact destination still unknown to him however that thought was pushed towards the back of his mind. Now, your average person would be a bit more cautious and weary when it came to obeying subconscious desires but Naruto was far from your average person. It was either this or go back to the village, risking a second beating at the hands of the hateful, ignorant Villagers he lived among. The latter being something Naruto most definitely didn't want to go through again if he could help it.
Eventually, the blond jinchuriki's curious nature had led him to an old and decrepit building of some sort. The structure seemed to have collapsed at some time in the distant past, now just a heap of rotting wood and spiderwebs. What immediately caught Naruto's attention however, was the red swirl painted above the front entrance. Cerulean hues going wide, the blond couldn't help but feel a strange sensation at the sight of the familiar symbol. Now feeling even more curious and brave, he ventured onwards into the ruined temple, however making sure not to injure himself.
The interior of the temple was composed of mostly wood, however the inside strangely didn't look as ruined as the exterior did. While the blonde expected the smell of rotten wood, he instead was able to smell food oddly enough, as if someone had prepared a hot meal just that morning. These factors raised young Naruto's suspicion a bit, putting him on guard as he continued throughout the small temple. The inside wasn't that spacious, merely a narrow hallway which lead towards the back. It was here that Naruto came to a large room, a display of odd mask directly in front of him. Being child he was, Naruto thought the display was an interesting sight, not understanding however why someone would go through the trouble of collecting what appeared to be at least two dozen mask. Moving in closer to inspect the unique accessories, Naruto felt a gradual strange emotion enter his body. A foreign sense of familiarity ran through him as he reached out slowly, tracing his fingers over the porcelain surface.
"Brat, focus chakra into your hand and pour it into the mask." Kyuubi instructed all of a sudden which confused Naruto as the Bijuu had remained silent for nearly half an hour. Figuring he had nothing much to lose the blond did as so, drawing upon his immense pool of chakra just as he'd watch the strange masked Shinobi who moved throughout Konoha. The reaction was near instant,the white surface rapidly darkening to a a deep shade of crimson, the eyes turning a bone-chilling amber that made the mask seem as if it was staring at Naruto. "W-Whoa, that's cool! And kind of creepy.." Naruto stated to himself, examining the object once more before he finally noticed that there was someone else in the room with him. Turning on his heel, the young jinchuriki's eyes widened at the large man who was staring down at him.
The male seemed to be of an elderly age, Naruto guessing in his late sixties judging from the others wrinkled complexion along gray hair. His hair was shaven except for the gray ponytail that stood sticking up, just as thin and straight as the Van Dyke mustache that was on his face. He was tall, body stature lanky and towering over Naruto at nearly six foot. The stranger was clothed in long, ornate robes similar to what a priest might wear however there were metal bracers that covered his arms as well as legs. With the robes being black, there was accents of gold and red as well as a patch stitched onto his breast. Sharp violet hues bore into his being, the coldness of them sending a shiver down Naruto's spine as he couldn't help but feel nervous. It was then that in his effort to avoid the unknown man's piercing gaze did he focus on the patch stitched onto his chest.
A red swirl.
"So you are the child of Kushina, it is evident seeing as your life force is so similar to hers. But another presence is also within you.." The man suddenly said, Naruto looking away from the red swirl once he caught the word "child".
"Wait, did you know my mother? Could you tell me about her?" Naruto all but demanded, nervousness long forgotten as the desperation of knowing of his lineage clouded him.
"Calm yourself child, all your questions will be answered in due time. First, let us get comfortable. Follow me and bring the mask with you.." The stranger commanded, turning on his heel and walking down another hallway. Naruto blinked in surprise, glancing down at the mask he'd forgotten he still held, before quickly following after the elderly male. The presence of the unknown man reminded Naruto of the Sandaime Hokage; it was of one who brought respect from those around him as well as a natural confidence. This was something that Naruto wished he himself possessed. Then maybe the attacks by the villagers would cease.
"So from your questioning I assume that you have no knowledge of who your father is or even what clan you come from.." The old man said, tone displaying something akin to passive frustration. Naruto merely nodded in response, unwilling to trust his voice at the moment.
"Your father was Minato Namikzae, none other than the Yondaime Hokage and the one who sealed your tenant within you. That should already be obvious however with the numerous signs such as you two looking almost identical, as well as your birthday being the day the Kyuubi attacked." The stranger then continued, watching carefully as Naruto didn't react with any noticeably amazement. This information was already known to the young blond, he had learned of it when he'd spoken with the Bijuu for the first time. The exchange was brief due to the Kyuubi being mostly unresponsive, only telling Naruto who was responsible for making him into a Jinchuriki.
"Now your mother, was Kushina Uzumaki, hailing from the birthplace of the Uzumaki Clan which was known as Uzushiogakure. Now-" At that point the inevitable happened, being Naruto finally interrupting the old man.
"Wait, you mean I have a real clan? The Fox never said anything about her besides her name. Were they strong like the Uchiha or super smart like the Hyuuga?" Naruto questioned enthusiastically, a flicker of something akin to irritation crossing the man's withered face.
"Uchiha? Hyuuga? Child, the Uzumaki Clan are mightier than both of those feeble worms!" The stranger suddenly cried, voice as strong and as unwavering as a steel beam, his tone and expression causing fear to seize young Naruto's frame.
"Us of the Uzumaki Clan were so powerful that Shinobi Villages had no choice but to form alliances together if they hoped to stand against us. To hell with Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu, the Uzumaki were skilled with Kinjutsu, Kenjustu, and Fuinjutsu which if utilized properly were far stronger than the standard three techniques. "The elder explained, more emotion seeping into the previously bland tone he used earlier. "If not for the destruction of our village and the lack of aid from Konoha, the Uzumaki would have grown with time to be the strongest clan in the Shinobi Continent!" Naruto stared in awe, unable to believe that he had come from a family that was so strong. His entire life he had thought of himself as a lowly orphan, only to find out his last name was that of a legendary clan of Shinobi.
"Please Mister, tell me more about my clan. I'll do anything, just take me as your apprentice!" Begged the small blond as they finally came to a stop, falling to his knees and bowing like he had seen foreign nobles do in front of the Sandaime Hokage. The old man scoffed, grabbing Naruto by his tattered collar with surprising strength, and pulling him to his feet.
"First off, my name is Hariken but you will address me with proper respect so, Hariken-Dono. Secondly, do not be so quick to grovel at the feet of another, carry yourself with some pride and respectfully request." The now introduced Hariken explained coolly causing Naruto to quickly shake his head in understanding as the other continued. "Now I am old, if not for the strong life force that us Uzumaki possess then I would have passed on many years ago. However I still retain decades of battles expertise and knowledge, all of which I will pass onto you. Naruto, it is up to you to return the Uzumaki to their former glory, make our foes pay for destroying our home. I will become your Sensei so to teach you everything you need to know in order to do these things, such as that mask you carry."
This brought Naruto's attention back to the strange accessory he had forgotten he'd carried, glancing down at it with curious cerulean orbs. "What is this thing anyway?" He questioned as he looked back at Hariken.
"That thing, as you so factually put, is a treasure of the Uzumaki Clan. One of the first Uzumaki's were said to have been a descendant from the children of the Sage of Six Path's, and these masks were rumored to have been a gift from that very Sage. While there were dozens on that wall, less than five of them have any actual usage and are just to confuse those who seek to steal them. How you managed to grab the correct one, well it was either a subconscious choice due to your Uzumaki blood or you were simply lucky." Hariken snorted, Naruto scratching the back of his head sheepishly at the thought.
"The mask were artifacts created by Hagaromo with the purpose of channeling godlike abilities some might say belong to the Kami. Anyone without at least ANBU level chakra reserves would instantly die however as the mask require a large amount of chakra in order to be used. These mask are one of the Kinjutsu tools that were kept a close secrete by our clan, it is possible that word of them leaked and that was enough to frighten the other nations enough.." He continued, Naruto once again glancing over the mask and getting a shiver down his spine as he looked at the bright amber eyes. Suddenly the mask was snatched from his hand, the jinchuriki looking up in shock to see it return to it's bland appearance as the chakra flow was cut.
"Now I am well aware you'd like to learn more of the mask but you've had a long day, and will have an even longer one tomorrow. I must make sure my student gets a good night's sleep in order to work hard in the morning." The older Uzumaki said slowly, Naruto looking ready to burst from joy as he balled his small hands into fist.
"Thank you so much Hariken-dono, I promise you won't regret this! I'll learn all our clan techniques in no time just you watch." Cried the blond, quite sure of himself with the large grin on his face. This caused the smallest of smirks to cross Hariken's face as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"I'm sure you will child, I'm sure you will. You will sleep here for the night, there is a spare bedroom you could use as I don't want you running into any of those foolish villagers on your trek back to your home.." He stated, inwardly growing irritable at the thought of what those fools had done to his family member. However they, like all the others, would eventually pay for their actions against the Uzumaki Clan. Hariken was sure of it and now with Naruto, his belief would only strengthen.
Somewhat relieved he wouldn't have to make the dangerous journey back to his apartment as it was nearly an hour's walk from the temple, Naruto nodded a bit in thanks. "Oh, t-thank you Hariken-dono." He said, attempting his best to be polite and respectful just as he was scolded to do not that long ago.
"Now off to bed, we will rise at sunrise and immediately begin your training. If you are to restore the Uzumaki to their greatness then you have much work ahead of you, Naruto." Hariken said on a serious note, the smaller male nodding his head as the anticipation steadily rose within him. Naruto would prove them all wrong, the villagers and that teme Sasuke that he wasn't just some worthless loser from an unknown clan.
The entire world would know the power of Uzumaki Naruto.
AN: And that's it, finally. I've had this one on the drawing board for quite some time now so here it is. This does mark my return to writing so expect either revamps, deletions, or updates to my other stories as well. This Naruto will eventually be god-like but not for some time. It is a harem story as well but the pairings will be kept to 3 because anything more than that will just be a pain to manage. If you have any suggestions for the harem then let me know in your review or shoot me a PM. Might accept Uzumaki OC's as well if their background is good enough. Until next time.