A/N: I have accepted Brown Phantom's Hidden Bloodline challenge. While I know many have done this, I'm not entirely sure if anyone has tried this route before. I look forward to see what you think of it!

...and away we go!

"Y-You're a monster!"

~Mizuki.

Ghosts of the Past

"I wouldn't touch that were I you, youngster."

Uzumaki Naruto bolted upright, his hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar. Mere minutes before, he'd been about to borrow the Scrolll of Sealing. Not steal. Borrow. Steal was such a harsh term. When one stole they did not return. It wasn't as if he'd though he'd intented to keep the scroll, or anything, right? Now he swung around, blue eyes bulging, stammering, trying to erect a plausible reason for his prescence here, in the Hokage Tower at the dead of night. Only...

...there was no one there.

"Weird." the blond mumbles, scooping the scroll up under his arm and taking to the window. He was hearing things again. In the blink of an eye, he alighted upon the windowsill; his plans already prepared. Rather than return to his apartment to revel in the secrets of the scroll, he would make a break for the forest instead. That at least, should give him enough time to learn a single jutsu and-hopefully-pass the exam before anyone caught him.

Scarce had he set foot upon the ledge, however, than it spoke again.

"Are you truly that desperate to succeed that you would believe the words of a liar?"

Naruto bristled. Just because he could see the speaker didn't make him any less riled. He'd heard voices like this before and always dismissed them as his imagination. This one...was unusually persistent.

"Mizuki-sensei isn't lying." He grumbled, tensing himself for a leap. "He's trying to help me!"

"And you honestly believe that?"

Naruto squirmed restlesly beneath the voice's unspoken derision, his anger growing. True, he did find it a tiny bit strange that Mizuki, who hadn't so much as spoken three words to him until now, wanted to help him. But that didn't make him a liar, did it? He was just so desperate to pass the trials and become a genin...maybe he'd been blind to the truth?

He drew himself back from the ledge.

"Good boy." Although the voice couldn't be seen, Naruto thought he detected a smile in its words. "It seems there is some wisdom in this generation after all.

"Show yourself, damnit!"

"That, I cannot do." the voice answered. "I am attached to no one. Without a host, I haven't the strength to manifest myself properly. Even this, speaking to you, demands my full concentration. And even that, is only capable thanks to you, blood of my blood."

"Blood of your-what?"

The voice continued as if he hadn't even spoken.

"So the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans produced an heir before their destruction." He felt a faint consciousness brush against his own, fingers like ice latching onto his shoulders. It was like the touch of death itself. "Fascinating. The things I could tell you boy, what I could've taught you, had you come to me but a bit sooner. Now it is too little, too late."

Naruto shook himself, felt the icy fingers retract. Namikaze? Uzumaki? Did this...did this thing-whatever it was-know what'd happened to his parents? A sudden yearning erupted in his chest; he'd never known them, always assumed he was alone in this cruel, unforgiving world. Another question thrust itself to the forefront of his mind.

"W-What the hell are you?"

Laughter resonated around him, seeming to come from within the tower itself. "Someone long since dead. I rooted my spirit to thiss village, to thi tower long ago, just before my death. It seems you are the last."

"So...what?" Naruto managed a nervous chuckle, his mind increasingly on edge. "You're a ghost or something?" He was truly and terribly afraid of all things spectral and ethereal, and ghost were no exception. It suddenly occurred to him th

"You hit the nail on the head." the voice answered. "I am the spirit of the Niidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju, predeccessor to the Sandaime Hokage, and that is my clan's scroll you clutch beneath your arm."

There was a silence.

"Ghost!" Naruto yelped, flinging himself to the windowsill. Rather he tried. Something rooted him in place. He suddenly felt as if he were a but a single raindrop in an endless ocean; that this enigmatic entity standing before him unseen was deeper and darker than even its depths.

Killer intent.

That must've been it; because his muscles refused to move, would not obey. His knees knocked together and he staggered back as though he'd been struck; stumbling towards the window. It slammed shut before him, barring his path with a harsh clatter of wood meeting metal. Naruto tried to touch it and jerked, fingers stinging. Cold! It was like reaching into the ocean again, its frigid chill freezing him to the bone.

"I cannot allow you to leave just yet." the voice spoke at his back.

"Go to hell!"

Another laugh, though fainter this time.

"I'm already headed there, but before I go, allow me to present you a parting gift." The spirit prodded. "I may not be able to aid you in your trial physically, but I can unseal the strength my predeccesor saw fit to lock away. I can set your bloodline to stir, to awaken the power that was always meant to be yours. It is dangerous power, boy. I only wish I'd had the time to tell of its powers...

"Bloodline?" Naruto stammered in surprise, "I don't have a bloodline-oh wow." And then he saw him. A man with silver hair and dark eyes, wrapped in resplendent azure armor. A man of power, of pride, of passion. Naruto saw him and his jaw nigh but fell off his face. It took everything he had not to flee, not to bolt from this ancient shinobi, long since dead.

"Holy shit!" He hissed beneath his breath. "You...you are a ghost!"

Dark eyes glittered with amusement and he was frozen once more.

"You shall see thus, in your new strength." The Niidaime reassured him. "Just as you see me, so too shall you be able to see others, to use them and all the power they possess. Now as promised...I give you my power! My strength! Use them well, oh last child of the Uzumaki!"

Naruto was just about to ask what said strength was when he felt the icy touch of death once more. This time, that touch did not simply setle on his shoulders; it enveloped him like a wet blanket; thick and heavy. Smothering him. He gasped out a cry of pained surprise, his breaths coming in short, rapid gasps. His vision exploded into a tapestry of a thousand colors, some of which he was sure didn't exist.

The would-be genin crumpled to the floor in a heap shaking, shivering as the Nidaime's essence merged with his. There was no other word for it nor could there be; all that he was and all he'd ever been all that he ever would be, ceased to be in that instant as the powerful shinobi merged with him. Countless futures were eradicated unbeknownst to him; a future of careful ignorance stripped away before his very eyes and replaced with another.

"Live well, Uzumaki Naruto." These were the last words of Tobirama Senju-the second hokage-and then he was gone. Naruto felt his passing as profoundly as the loss of an arm; the world seemed brighter somehow, and yet darker with his passing. As though he'd been looking through veil all this time, and that shroud had been violently torn assunder. He could feel it in his body, in his veins; his strength, his power, his chakra, the second hokage was forever

He felt an eerie calm settle over him, as still and flat as the surface of the sea. He knew what he had to do. Slinging the lost scroll of his shoulder he was only mildly surprised to find the window now open; because a nearby mirror had ensnared all of his attention. The face that stared back at him was...changed. There was just a touch less of baby fat around his cheeks, not to mention the silver streaks in his hair. And...did his clothes feel tighter for some reason?

Indeed the loose orange jumpsuit he often wore was indeed tighter than before, if only minutely. Surely...he hadn't grown in the last few minutes, had he? He touched a hand to his bedragged locks, stroking the silver streaks in this hair, as though he could somehow rub them out. They refused to fade, no matter how hard he tried.

"Live well...

The Niidaime's words rang in his mind once more, stirring up memorries. Yes, Uzumaki Naruto, would live well. He would become an excellent shinobi, one whom all would respect and look up to. He turned back to where he'd last seen the ghost, but found only empty air. He clasped his hands and bowed, something he'd never done before.

"Rest in peace." He murmurred.

Without another thought, he leapt out into the night.

(Several hours later)

In the end, the ghost was right. Of course he'd been right. Naruto had just been too foolish to believe; to stubborn to listen to reason. Mizuki had been using him, using him to take the scroll for his own selfish reasons. And now, in an attempt to try and break him, he revealed the dreaded secret that Naruto himself had suspected all the while.

"What's the matter demon brat?" Mizuki taunted. "Are you so surprised to know that you're the Kyuubi?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, but he didn't rise to the bait. They-the villagers-had called him by that name many a time now, and its sting was greatly lessened. Demon-brat. Kyuubi. He was the Kyuubi. The monster was inside of him. Him. How had he failed to make the connection beforehand? How had he not seen this coming? He risked a glance at Iruka; his sensei lay against a neary trunk, his lifeblood bleeding out from the shuriken at his back.

If he didn't get a medic soon, Iruka-sensei was as good as dead.

"Oh, don't worry about him." The silve-haired chunin chortled as he advanced. "He's already as good as dead. Now, give me the scroll before I have to hurt you."

It was like flicking a switch. His calm evaporated, replaced by boiling anger, seething sorrow, raging fury. He hadn't had time to fully master the shadow clone jutsu-thanks alot, niidaime!-but he would not give this man the scroll. Not afer all he'd done and said; not after what he'd done to Iruka-sensei!

"Just try it, asshole." Naruto hissed. Like hell he'd go down without a fight!

"How about this, then?" The chunin smiled, his mouth warping in a sardonic smirk. "You give me the scroll and I won't take out my anger on Iruka's body. Whaddya say?"

"SHUT UP!"

He flung the kunai as hard as he could; it struck a glancing blow on Mizuki's back and then the chunin was on him and there was no more time for forethought. Clenched knuckles barreled into his face and then his stomach, knocking the breath from his lungs first and sending star spiraling before his vision.

"Protect your face!" a different voice echoed in his ears, dark and furious. For a moment. he dared to think that Tobirama was with him, but no; this voice came from within, not without. Ultimately, he had no time to think on it

Naruto could only think to raise his arms and protect his face; for what little good it did. Mizuki was taller and stronger than he; and the would-be genin's orange jacket did precious little to muffle the blows. He crumpled beneath the assault in short order, cursing himself for his weakness, his inability to defend himself against his tormentor.

He was thrown to the ground; for all his newfound strength, he hadn't a clue as to how use it. Damnitall! He swore as a foot struck his ribs and then another slowly splintering them. Why didn't you tell me how to use it, Senju! He was dimly aware of Mizuki, speaking to him, delighting in his pain and torment.

"When I'm through with you, if you haven't become insane, you'll wish I'd let you kill yourself. You will wish your life was a switch you could just turn off...But first, you must learn—brat—just who-you're-talking-to!" Each word was swiftly pursued by violence; accompanied by a powerful kick to the boy's ribs, each strike a lance of a fire in his gut.

"Is..that so?" Despite himself and what must've been several broken ribs, the blond couldn't help but chuckle. It earned him another kick in the stomach, dazing him.

The fight should've ended right then; Mizuki had a split second where he could have dropped his knee onto his victim-to call the boy an opponent would've been laughable by this point-driving the breath from his lungs and pinning him to the ground while he pounded Naruto with his fists. But it didn't happen.

His back, bruised beneath the flak jacket by the blonde's blow, spasmed.

The pain was agonizing; instinctively Mizuki straightened up, clutching at the injury. It gave Naruto. the chance to roll out of the way and get back to his feet, albeit weakly. Somehow he managed to drop into his fighting crouch again. His ribs howled in protest, and he grimaced as red-hot daggers of daggers of pain shot through his body.

Mizuki saw the grimace and laughed.

"Does it hurt, demon? You should know better than to try and fight someone like me!"

Mizuki charged forward again, not giving Naruto time to formulate any strategy, or even retreat. This time his hands weren't fists, but claws grasping and grabbing at anything they could find, trying to nullify the younger boy's small size and speed by getting in close. Naruto tried to scramble out of the way but his legs were too stiff and sore to get him clear.

One hand grabbed his shirt, the other got hold of his belt as Mizuki pulled both of them to the ground. It occurred to Naruto then that his opponent could've easily finished him off with that giant shuriken on his back-in his sorry state, there would've been no way for him to dodge-but the fact that the Chunin would resort to something as unorthodox as this meant only one thing.

Mizuki-derranged man that he was-wanted Naruto to suffer before he died. The sudden insight sparked the boy's anger, and though he knew he was hopelessly outmatched, he fought back.

They grappled together, wrestling on soft grass of the clearing. Mizuki hung well out of the boy's reach, keeping Naruto from landing a solid elbow or head-butt. He still had a grip on Naruto's belt, but now his other hand was free and punnching down at Naruto's visage. Naruto tried to twist his arms up in the chunin's, to throw his blows off, but...he wasn't so lucky...his face was open and vulnerable.

Mizuki struck out a blow with his free hand, but he didn't hit with a closed fist. Instead he drove his thumb hard into Naruto's whiskered cheek, only a few centimeters from his real target. Naruto bristled in confusion, and Mizuki took the opportunity to strike again with the thumb, looking to gouge out one of his opponent's eyes and leave him blind and writhing in pain.

It took Naruto a second to realize what was truly happening; his tired mind had become as slow and clumsy as his body. He turned his face away just as the second blow landed, the thumb jamming painfully into the cartilage of his upper ear. Naruto despite himself, gawped. The man wasn't just trying to kill him now; he was trying to inflict as much damage as possible; for one sole spiteful reason; because he could.

Frantic, he flung his arms up before his face, pushing and shoving at the chunin's saddistic smirk, but to no avail. His weary body betrayed him. His limbs were heavy and soft; he couldn't get the levereage he needed. Once again, it was Mizuki who was able to twist and turn, wrenching his hand free once more.

"Hold still, demon brat!" Mizuki hissed, his hand creeping ever closer as the boy's fingers fumble against his face.

Dark rage exploded inside Naruto: a burst of firey passion that burned away the exhaustion and fatigue. Suddenly his mind was clear and his body felt strong and rejuvinated. He knew what he was going to do next. More importantly, he knew with absolute certainty what Mizuki would do next, too.

He couldn't explain how he knew; sometimes he would just anticipate an opponent's next move. It was how he'd managed to elude Anbu on occasion when they pursued him following one of his pranks. Instinct some might have said. Naruto felt it was something more. It was too detailed-too specific-to be simple instinct. It was more like a vision, a brief glimpse into the future. And whenever it happened, Naruto always knew what to do, as if something was guiding and directing his actions.

When the next blow came, Naruto was more than ready for it. He could picture it perfectly in his mind. He knew exactly when it was coming and precisely where it would strike. He knew not to think on it, only to act. This time he turned his head in the opposite direction, exposing his face to the incoming blow-and opening his mouth. He bit down hard his timing perfect, and his teeth sank deep into the flesh of Mizuki's probing thumb.

Mizuki screamed as Naruto clamped his jaw shut with gusto, severing tendons and striking bone. He wondered if he could bite clean through and then-as if the very thought made it happen-he severed Mizuki's thumb.

Those screams became shrieks as Mizuki released his grasp and rolled away, clasping his maimed hand with his whole one. Crimson blood welled up through the fingers trying to staunch the flow from his stump.

Naruto spat out the thumb out onto the ground. The taste of blood was hot in his mouth, and it did not taste like chicken as everyone so claimed. He nearly gagged on the taste of hit, but his ribs prevented anything more than an agonizing gasp. He needed to get that looked at.

Come to think of it, he needed to do something about Iruka before he bled out-

But before he could think up a way to deal with the screaming Chunin, a hand locked around his ankle. He balked as a fierce snarl erupted in his ears; little more than a derranged roar of complete and utter contempt. Then his footing was lost to him in a blur; everything spun as his head struck the unyielding forest floor. A weight settled onto his chest, and he stared up at his attacker, into the maddened, bloodshot eyes of his tormentor. It was Mizuki. The man wasn't beaten yet.

"You little shit!" He howled, frothing at the lips, flecking him with foam. "You think that'll be enough to make me stop?! Huh, you FUCKING DEMON BRAT?!"

Naruto didn't even have time to blink before Mizuki's forehead slammed into his; the metal of the chunin's hitiate shattering the goggles he wore, showering him with the glass and sending black spots sprawling before his sight. He rasped out a gasp as the shinobi took hold of them and flung them aside, another head-butt sent blood trailing down his face and into his eyes leaving Naruto stunned whilst the silver-haired man reached down for him.

There was no vision to aid him; not this time, as the chunin's bloodsoaked hands smashed down against his eyes and slipped across his throat to crush against his mouth, rendering Naruto both mute and blind. He tried to fight back, to scream for help but was instead made helpless as the larger man began to suffocate him.

"You're dead!" Mizuki roared in his face, and were Naruto to see his visage, he would've seen true depravity; a complete and utter lack of sanity. As it were he squirmed furiously, thrashing like a wild beast, struggling to pry the iron-clad vice, away to suck in life giving air through his mouth and nose, to see through unseeing eyes. Air! He needed air!

Deprived of his senses, he saw something else. As though the brutality of biting through the man's thumb had been the catalyst; the to awaken something, something within his very blood, he saw it. Them. Chakra. Chakra coils.

He could see the coils of chakra; just as he could see Mizuki, so too could he see them. The network of energy that each shinobi had; developed from years of training at birth just to allow proper use. And he could see them, plain as day; the gossamer thin strands dangling before them like the threads of a spider's web.

Slowly, tentatively, Naruto's mind reached up and past itself beyond himself, and gave them an almost feeble yank. Mizuki shivered as though a cold breeze had passed through the clearing. But there was no breeze, and suddenly, his blows didn't quite seem to hurt just as much. And were the colors of his chakra darkened, somehow?

Naruto yelped aloud as Mizuki's thumb stabbed into his right eye, jerkeing in panic as blackness filled his vision. Once again he pulled upon their threads Harder. The chuni's face abruptly screwed up in renewed pain and the pressure in Naruto's eye abated, if only a tad. His confidence restored, the blond tugged again and Mizuki jerked backwards, rolling off him and falling to the ground, fi nallyreleasing the boy from his tenuous grip.

Unwilling to allow his opponent another reprieve, the student grabbed the threads with his mind once more, holding tight to them with all his might and, pysche fraying from the strain, dragged them down and out. Out of the Chunin's body. Mizuki yowled; it was a piteous, heartrending wail, but Naruto felt no pity for him. He'd tried to gouge out his eye, and now he would pay the consequence for it.

One by one the lights in his chakra cords turned dim; sputtering like a lonely cande in the breeze. At the same time, Naruto felt his sapped strength begin to return. It crept back to him in increments, easing the tension in his arms and legs and eye, and all the while he forced himself to focus.

"Why you...You little shit!" Mizuki hissed, alarmed by his sudden lack of ability. "What did you do to my chakra?!" He struck out at Naruto, but the boy pushed him back with ease. Had Mizuki really been this weak all along? Or, was he simply strong now that he'd consumed his chakra? He scarcely even felt his wounds now; it was as if he'd never been wounded at all. The pain was simply gone. Gone and...

Naruto had no idea what he had done. It was as if he'd been in someone else's body; as if he were watching his actions from afar, removed from the conflict that had nearly claimed his life. His body felt strong and reenergized, as if some great power surged through his veins. All the fight had been taken out of his opponent; Naruto, could do anything he wanted to the once now, and he was tempted.

"Rip it out." the darkened voice crooned at him.

'Huh?'

"His soul! " it urged. Rip it out! Consume it!"

Naruto carefully ignored the voice. There would be time for that later. Resolute, he advanced upon his hated adversary, eyes agleam with anger and animosity. He owed the man arrighteous beating for all that he'd done.

"Y-You're a monster!" Mizuki blubbered, clutching the severed stumb of this thumb. "Give it back! Give me back my chakras, you little shit! You monster!"

Monster.

Naruto shivered.

Something about those words-about the way they were said-twisted something in them. Monster. Yes, I suppose that's what I am to you, isn't it? he mused. All the adults called him that. And though his classmates didn't, they still saw him as a loser, as a dead last-no. There was one who hadn't. Unburdened by ignorance, the jinchuuriki reflected on that one. Pale eyes, the color of lavender. Hair dark as night, skin the color of creme. Her was a soft voice; the chimes of a bell,barely rising above a whisper whenever she adressed him:

Naruto-kun...

What had her name been again? Hi..something. Hi...Hina...Hinata! As though the name itself was a key to the door holding a part of himself back, the floodgates opened, sending the waters of revelation crashing down over his head. Naruto staggered from it, both the realization that there was someone who maybe-just maybe-didn't hate him, and from the power. Power! It was everywhere as once, shoring up his weakened body, pouring through his veins, refreshing him, leaving him drunken. On a whim he flexed his fingers, they practically glowed with chakra.

Naruto grinned to himself, pleased by the discovery. Perhaps, perhaps...she was someone he could call friend, eventually. He caught sight of Mizuki at his feet trying to drag himelf away, trying to make it to safety. Naruto couldn't have that. He took a single step forward and stomped down on the chunin's knee, crushing it. Mizuki shrieked out in pain, his escape attempts cut painfully short by the blond; shrieked as the boy reveled in the squishing sound of the obliterated joint.

"And where do you think you're going, asshole?" He hissed. "You think I'd just let you off after that beating you gave me? Oh no you don't!" He seized the chunin's ruinated leg and began to drag him backwards and into the forest, ignoring those weak and planitive cries for mercy.

'Alright asshole,' he decided to himself. 'Just this once, I'll be a monster...

"So I'm a monster am I?" Naruto hissed, his eyes flaring slitted. "If so, then maybe...I ought to kill you." He reached down for the weakened chunin, maddened malice in his those scarlet slits.

Mizuki squealed.

"Don't touch me, you monster! Demon! Demon brat!"

"So I've been told." Naruto hissed, hoisting the quivering chunin up by the scruff of his neck. He felt his hands move as if of their own accord saw with his second sight, the soul of Mizuki. His fingers crooked into claws. "But what does that make you huh, asshole? A dog? A human? Or a monster? Or maybe it just makes you...

His hand blurred with chakra. He felt the threads of Mizuki's soul, rooted in his flesh, intertwined in his body. To cut through these threads would mean certain death for the chunin. Naruto severed them without a second thought, his fingers slicing in and out of the infinite tapestry that tied soul to body and ending the man's life.

...dead."

Mizuki sank to the ground, his body withering, turning to dust before it even touched the ground. Naruto stared at in shock and awe, watching as the ashes of his victim, blew away on the wind. Amazing. So bodies were merely refuse without their souls to feed them. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Thus ended the tragic tale of Mizukii, a foolish man who thought he could he could scrap with a demon and win.

Naruto sighed as he drew the chunin's soul up from the well of his body, wincing at the tool it exacted upon his body. This was not a technique he could use liberally. It crawled into his pam and he held it there in a hand, contemplating the flame of its lingering life.

It glimmered like a thing alive, which it was. It was surprisingly small, petty almost. Blue light emanated from it and stabbed up an into his fingers; leaving him with the tiniest pinprick of pain. Even now in death, the chunin was still trying to hurt him, to make him pay for something that wasn't his fault.

Naruto held the soul aloft, glaring bloody red daggers at it. Part of him still stood in shock-he'd murdered someone!-the rest, well...the rest was still very angry, angry enough not to care for the consequences.

"Now, what to do with you?"

Part of him knew he could gain its strength; the rest of him revolted at the thought of the chunin as a part of him. Ultimately that made the decision for him. His fingers closed around the soul with gusto, and began to squeeze, claws digging deep and deeper into the miniscule flame.

Fracture lines spread across the spirt, trailing from his fist as he slowly crushed everything that was Mizuki; his past, present and future, all that he had ever been. The soul shattered in his hand like so much glass, spraying flames in every direction, a shower of fire that left the forest utterly untouched. Naruto shook the last remaining embers from his hand, his rage sated, a figure of calm once more.

But not for very long.

"Stop right there!"

Naruto's head snapped up as a host of Anbu materialized in a semicircle around him, their masked visage's staring him down with cold dispassion, their blades drawn, and directed at his vital points. Naruto offered a silent curse. Crappola. So much for getting out of this scot free. And yet he felt no fear. He knew these men would not kill him, even when the leader pushed his blade just a hair closer to his neck. And he was right.

As one they sheathed their weapons, and said leader, a man bearing the likeness of a fox upon his mask, began to speak. He did not sound at all pleased.

"Uzumaki Naruto, by order of the Hokage, you are to give us the scroll immediately and return to the village-

"Hai hai," he raised his hands in surrender. "I know the drill. You can have the scroll back now." He kicked it towards them in a heap, allowing it to unfurl and be caught by one of the many shinobi. "But, before you take me away, would someone mind taking a look at Iruka? He's bleeding, ya know."

The leader nodded, and one of his men went to the man's side to provide the wounded special jounin with treatment. Naruto heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Hopefully, his sensei would live to see another sunrise.

"Where is the traitor?" One of them demanded to know. Again, Naruto felt only calm. Whereas before he would've happily all but blurted out his accomplishment, he instead chose to downplay his victory. Besides, he had the succint feeling, it wouldn't be wise to tell them the truth of what transpired in the clearing.

"He...fled."

"Did he now?"

Naruto bristled as another shadow detached itself from the trees. Revealed was a wrinkled face he knew all too well. Even so he couldn't quite contain his surprise as Sarutobi Hiruzen materialized from the shadows themselves, his red and white robes immediately distinguishing him amidst the clearing.

"The hell're you doing here, old man?!"

"Leave us." His words were soft, yet deadly. Naruto watched the sandaime with a wary eye. He no longer knew what to think of the man standing before him; Sarutobi had kept many secrets from him. Too many. And yet, he could not bring himself to hate the hokage. That didn't make him any less angry!

Instead he simply stood there, arms folded, uncaring as the Anbu departed; wincing only slightly when one slung Iruka a tad too tightly over his shoulder. And then they were alone,with only the wind to keep them company. Their silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity to Naruto, but it must've been only a few minutes before the sandaime finally cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Why is that I sense Tobirama's and Mizuki's chakra in you?" Sarutobi was the first to broach the subject.

"You tell me." Naruto glowered. "Apparently I've had a bloodline all this time. One that apparently likes to activate on its own, not to mention one you've neglected to tell me about, jiji!" His words pitched into a furious shriek as he finished, his voice cracking painfully towards the end. He told himself it was puberty, but he couldn't deny the betrayal.

Damnit, he'd trusted the old man! For so long, for all this time, he thought the old man was looking out for him! Taking care of him! Was that too, a lie?

"How did you learn of it?" Sarutobi pressed.

Naruto grimaced at the memory of the ghost.

"It's a long story."

"We have time."

"Not for this, you don't." Naruto bit the word 'bastard' back at the last instant, struggling to find his center, his calm. And yet his temper persisted. It roiled through his veins, seeking an outlet, a vent, anything to impress upon the world just how truly angry he was. Naruto ruthlessly tamped it down as best he could, fixed the kage with an iron glare, and refused to relent.

"And what's this about the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans?" He argued. "Or is that something else you 'forgot about' jiji?"

The old man sighed, his shoulders sagging as though beneath a heavy burden. For a moment he seemed very, very old. And tire. Just for a moment. Then was the village leader once more, in full command and control of the situation, straightening to speak with the full wieght of his authority and station.

"Come back with me to the tower."

"Why?"

"Because I am your hokage!" Sarutobi thundered! "We have much to speak of, and I would rather speak with you in private than this forest!" Naruto flinched aside, cowed by the older man's killing intent. As such, he nearly missed the flash of steel flying towards him. His hand snaked out on instinct, closing around the metal plate before it could strike him.

What?

This was his first thought as he beheld the blue-cloth headbead in his hand, the insignia of the leaf staring back at him under the moonlight. He turned it over in his hands, awe slowly overtaking his features. Just to be sure; to be absolutely, complete and totally certain, he pinched himself. Ouch! Okay, not dreaming!

"Jiji," he began, the words thick in his throat, "Why are you giving me this?"

"Consider it a promotion." Sarutobi smiled, although it was veiled with sadness. "I am well aware of what you did to Mizuki, my dear boy. And for that, by the power invested in me, I name you a genin. Now come," he turned aside, leaving the boy to follow. "We have much to discuss."

Naruto nodded numbly, fumbling with the hitiate. He wore he would never take this thing off, so long as he lived. He'd done so much, worked so hard just for this day, and finally, it was his. His! And yet there were still more questions. Who were his parents? Just what other powers did his bloodline entail? So many questions, so few answers. He willed himself to be calm, to accept this transition as a part of his new life.

He raced after Sarutobi, determined to have the answers he sought.

Even so...

...he had no way of knowing what lay in wait for him tomorrow.

A/N: Well now! It's been awhile since I've written a pure Naruto story, so there you have it. Not quite sure what to call this bloodline. Naruto is able to talk to ghosts and take on their power as their own, but thats not the half of it. He can strip someone of their chakra indefinitely as a lesser form, though it puts grievous strain upon both his psyche and his body. The idea of him having the gift of foresight just seemed to jive with me, though whethr those visions will fade over time remains to be seen.

His talent is still terribly undeveloped and he has yet to unlock the power lent to him by the ghost of the Second Hokage. When he does...look out! Pairing is NarutoxHinata, though I may make it harem. Be sure to review and me what you think! Tell me what team he should be on! That sort of thing!

So...in the immortal words of Atlas...

...Review, would you kindly?

R&R! =D