Disclaimer: I do not, in any way or form, own any of the Naruto characters. However, I do own all made up characters of this AU.
Bold- Biju/Yōkai talking
Bold and Italic- Biju/ Yōkai thinking
Italic- someone thinking/ Flashback
Italic and Underline- Time/location shift
Bold and Italic and Underline- Translations, Title, or Narration
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Chapter 2: The Truth behind All Truths – The Heirs are Revealed!
What does it mean to be an outcast? What is so scary about being alone, with no one around? Is it total quiet one is given by his peers and his elders? Or is it the fact that no one can give the person what they crave for the most: Love? Whatever the answer, there is one sure fact among those who are outcasts: though they are outcasts, there are others like them...
Naruto and Josuke rushed through the streets of Konoha at the quickest speed they could both muster up. Josuke looked at Naruto as they jumped over a couple passing by, "Why do you always have to make us late by eating so much ramen!?"
As Naruto dodged being hit by a person passing by, he retorted, "It's not all my fault! You ate almost as much as me!"
Both Naruto and Josuke had been asked by the Hokage the previous day to come to a small meeting in the afternoon that was of utmost important to them. That morning both had gone out and trained with their Taijutsu master, Maito Gai, and his apprentice/look-alike, Rock Lee. After a morning of practice, both Josuke and Naruto headed for Ichiraku to eat some lunch and rest up before their meeting with the Sandaime Hokage. They had eaten about ten bowls each when they noticed that they had ten minutes before they needed to get to the Hokage's office.
As both jumped onto the roofs, Josuke and Naruto remembered the night before when Ienari Kenji had talked to them about adopting both as his sons. Both boys had jumped at the opportunity and had stated that they would both be glad to be his sons. Kenji had warned them, however, that they would both be targeted by many enemies of great strength and intelligence. They would also train at a much higher level of training than the others, and they would be taught more than what a normal shinobi should know. Needless to say, neither Naruto nor Josuke were intimidated by the warnings, and both stated that they would do whatever was necessary to become the best shinobi in the entire world.
Naruto and Josuke soon landed on one of the balconies that the Hokage's Tower had, and rushed inside the door. Both breathed heavily as they entered the office, and shouted, "Sorry we're late!"
Both the Sandaime and Kenji looked at the boys as they came in, both with a small grin. The Hokage waved his hand as he replied, "Don't worry, you two made it on time, and besides, we were waiting for a few more people."
Both Josuke and Naruto wondered what the Hokage meant by that when a knock came to the door. The Hokage stated whomever was behind the door could enter, and both boys gasped at seeing their friend and Naruto's girlfriend, Hyuga Hinata, come in with her father. Josuke quickly turned away from both, knowing that if he looked at them straight in the eye, he would most likely get the elder Hyuga angered before the meeting could commence. Josuke then heard Hiashi ask, "Why are these…two here? If I had known I would've been sharing a room with a half-blood freak and his…brother…I would've…"
Hiashi never got too far in his ramblings as the room was suddenly filled with the strongest killing intent that he had ever felt. He looked to Kenji who was frowning at him, and looking as though he had been annoyed by something. As the killing intent disappeared, Kenji responded in a calm tone, "You do well to keep a civil tongue, Hyuga Hiashi; you may lose it if you call my future sons here names…"
Hiashi activated his Byakugan and gave the man a long glare before he deactivated it, and he and Hinata sat as far away as they could from the others. The Hokage sighed in a bit of relief that a fight wasn't going to break out and asked Kenji, "Is all the people you wanted here?"
Kenji pulled a small watch from within his cloak and answered, "There is one more, and he's running late…"
Suddenly the center of the room was filled with a black flame tinted with silver, making everyone but Kenji jump. As Kenji pocketed the watch, he looked towards the flames and muttered, "You're late, Hachiro. I thought I told you to be on time for this meeting..."
From the flames the shape of a man appear, and as they died, everyone gasped seeing a young looking man who had eight, black fox tails waving back and forth. The fox tailed man wore a black kimono with white flames outlining the edges and had a silver belt around his waist. The man's black hair was well matched with the fox-like ears, and his piercing amber eyes surveyed the room before he answered, "My apologies, Rakugosha-sama, time moves so differently here than back at home that I thought I had a bit of time to stop by and get something to eat."
Kenji sighed as he asked the eight-tailed man, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me by that name?" seeing everyone was still eyeing the visitor strangely, he added, "This is a friend of mine, Kitsune Hachiro. He is the acting head of the Yōkai clan known as the Kitsune."
Hiashi suddenly sat up and was about to shout something, when one of Hachiro's tails came and grabbed him by the neck. Hachiro looked at Hiashi for a moment before he stated, "Judging by how violently you're reacting to my clan, and by your eyes, I say you're an idiot who's scared of the story he's heard of my kin and a Hyuga," Hachiro chuckled, "A very bad combination, if what I've heard about your clan is true…"
"Hachiro," Kenji warned, "let go of Hyuga Hiashi. We have more important matters to discuss, and we need him, no matter how irritating his presence is to you or those in this room."
Hachiro snorted as the tail that held Hiashi was removed and the Kitsune huffed, "You must've lost your sense of humor when you were a baby, Rakugosha-sama…"
Both Josuke and Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the comment, and quickly became silent when they saw the stare that their soon-to-be father was giving them. The Hokage then cleared his throat and looked at Kenji, "Is that everyone?"
Kenji nodded, and soon the Hokage continued, "Right then…what's about to be spoken in this room is an S-class secret, and the penalty for telling said secret is immediate execution. Nobody in this room must ever speak this to anyone unless given my or Kenji-dono's approval."
Everyone in the room took a solemn nod and let the aging man continue, "We've had had many clans in Konoha before as those of you know. However, there were once upon a time four clans that were considered the strongest clans in the entirety of Konoha's history. These clans were the Uchiha, the Hyuga…the Uzumaki, and the Ienari."
Josuke, Hinata, and Naruto let out a gasp at hearing the last two names, and all three looked at Kenji, whom merely had his head down and did not want to be read by the three. The Hokage continued after clearing his throat, "The Uchiha, as we know, were the wielders of the Sharingan eye and made up most of the Konoha Police force. The Hyuga are considered still as one of our more exalted clans, and of course, they are noted for their Byakugan. The Uzumaki clan were the least numerous of the clans, however, they were once our best Ninjutsu specialists. The Ienari, though not as miniscule as the Uzumaki, were not very numerous and specialized in…Yōkai extermination."
Everyone but Hiashi, Hachiro, and Kenji stared in stunned silence as the Hokage finished his sentence. The Hokage nodded to Kenji, whom replied, "The Uzumaki and the Ienari clan thought of the village before their clan and thus were the first in line when in battle, always ready to take the first blow for the sake of their people…No matter if their enemy was another shinobi or a Yōkai, the Uzumaki and the Ienari always held the line and never retreated once."
The children in the room were now utterly enthralled by this revelation, and hung to every word that Kenji was now giving them. Kenji continued seeing he still had the attention of the others, "I was good friends with the current leaders of the clans before they were destroyed by the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Uzumaki Arashi, or as everyone knows him better, the Yondaime Hokage and Ienari Ken'ichi (Strong First Son) were the greatest of their generation and had both helped the other in finishing the Kyuubi no Kitsune when it rampaged."
Now Hiashi and the Hokage were surprised by this statement and listened carefully as Kenji continued, "When it was apparent that the Kyuubi could not be stopped normally, Ken'ichi used one of the Ienari clan's strongest Barrier Techniques that held the Yōkai in place while the Yondaime performed a special Jutsu that finally finished the great beast. I watched in utter despair as the barrier broke, and took the life of Ken'ichi, just as Arashi finished performing the Jutsu that took his life along that of his enemy."
Hiashi looked away for a moment as his thoughts quickly raced through his mind, But the Council said that the Ken'ichi had been killed before the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha! Something doesn't add up…
Kenji sighed as he finished, "After the Kyuubi was destroyed, I left Konoha, vowing not to return as long as blood ran into my veins. However, something pulled me back after a few years," here he smiled at the two boys, "two somethings to be exact."
Naruto, after getting rid of his shock, asked, "Does…that mean, we…?"
Kenji nodded, "Yes, you and Josuke are the last of these two clans."
Now everyone in the room, except for the Kitsune who was leaning back on his chair, stood in complete silence for a long while. Josuke then looked up and asked, "But…how can I be the last of the Ienari clan? I was orphaned at a young age and you gave me the name Ienari!"
Kenji looked a bit worried but answered, "Your last name was lost to everyone because the entire clan was destroyed at the time, and since no one other than me ever spoke with them, no one knew who you were until I told Naruto your name," seeing Josuke was ready to yell at him, Kenji raised his hand to be allowed to continue, "Josuke…I'm not your father. I was adopted into the Ienari clan before you were born and so I'm only in name an Ienari, not in blood. Forgive me…at the time, I could not think straight and it took me a while for my head to be cleared of the depression that it had taken."
Josuke looked down for a moment, many emotions running through his mind and face. After a few seconds though, Josuke looked up, tears visible, and smiled, nearly shouting, "Are you kidding!? How could I get mad at the guy who's going to be like a dad to me and Naruto-nii-san?"
Kenji smiled, almost crying himself, seeing how strong willed Josuke was, If only I could tell you the real truth, Josuke…
Hachiro cleared his throat, souring the mood that had just come up, "Not to be rude or anything, but we are here to do a few things."
Kenji, after taking a hold of himself, nodded and looked at the Hokage, "May I continue?"
The Hokage hesitantly nodded, and Kenji sighed, "Naruto, Josuke, Hinata…the truth is that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was never destroyed by the Yondaime Hokage."
Hinata, Naruto, and Josuke looked at each other for a moment before they all looked at Kenji and Hinata whispered, "We know Naruto-kun is the jailor of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Kenji-san."
Everyone in the room stood quiet before Hiashi shouted, "Who told you this!? Who broke the law that the Sandaime Hokage put onto all of us!?"
Josuke shrugged, facing the Hyuga now for the first time, replying, "No one did. We figured it out all by ourselves."
Everyone stood in pure amazement at what Josuke had just stated so matter-of-factly. Kenji's eyes scrutinized the trio as he asked, "How did you three figure it out?"
Naruto, to everyone's surprise, was the one to answer, "It happened about a year ago in after a day in the Academy. Josuke had run ahead to get to work, leaving me behind with Hinata-chan and a friend or two," Hiashi looked at Naruto with a glare, but stopped when he saw one of Hachiro's tails hover close to him, "There wasn't much time for training, so I asked Hinata-chan if she wanted to get a bowl at Ichiraku, and she said yes. While we were on our way there, a drunken man comes out of a bar and starts to shout at me. We ignore him and continue on our way when the drunk throws the bottle at me. Since he's drunk, though, he misses me and hits Hinata-chan on the back of the head…"
Hiashi was now fuming very visibly, and only Hachiro's tails kept him away from where Naruto sat. Naruto took a deep breath before he continued, "After I saw Hinata-chan clutching the back of her head, I…I kind of lost it, and then this chakra starts to pour out of me. I glare at the guy for a moment, before he shouts something I couldn't understand and I hit him with my fist on the face…hard. After that it kind of gets fuzzy, but I remember someone saving the guy, me chasing for a while before I just lost consciousness."
Hinata then looked up and continued where Naruto left off, "I went after Naruto-kun when he jumped after the man and his rescuer, and tried to tell him to stop. I was pretty far behind when I found him again, unconscious and looking a bit like himself before the drunken man had hit me. I look around, looking for someone to help me, when I heard someone call my name from where I had come from. I turned to see Josuke coming towards me, looking like he had seen a ghost and asks me what had happened."
Josuke leaned back and looked at the roof for a moment before he finished the narration the three were giving, "When I got to work, I remembered I had left something at school and told Teuchi-ossan that I would be right back. I was pretty close to where Hinata-hime and Naruto-nii-san were at the time, and I felt the chakra surge. Somehow I kind of just knew that it was Naruto and I hurried to the spot they were at. I saw Hinata-hime go after something that was surrounded in red chakra and followed as quickly as I could, trying to figure out what was going on. When I caught up to Naruto and Hinata-hime and was told what had happened, I started to wonder about the red chakra and what Hinata-hime had told me a moment ago."
Everyone in the room waited for Josuke, Hinata, or Naruto to continue, and after a moment Josuke told them, "The drunk had told Naruto-nii-san that he should've died eleven years ago with the Yondaime Hokage. I took this as a clue and began to read everything I could about the battle between the Kyuubi and the Yondaime. It was then I realized something: Naruto was always beaten the worst at the tenth of October, the same day that the Yondaime fought the Kyuubi. Naruto was always being called a demon or monster behind his back, only after everyone thought that he was out of earshot. Then there was the fact that all the parents wouldn't let Naruto play with their children when he never did anything to them. There were just so many clues that we kind of wondered why everyone never talked about it publicly."
Naruto then added, "That was when Hinata-chan gave us the answer: it was a law not to speak about me being the Kyuubi's jailor. I kind of felt sick in my stomach when I realized everyone hated me because of the monster inside of me, and I told Hinata-chan and Josuke-nii-san that if they never wanted to be around me again then I would understand…"
Now everyone in the room could feel the pure misery that hung around Naruto, and for a moment, even Hiashi felt sorry for the boy. Josuke looked at the adults and smiled as he answered, "And naturally, we told him we didn't care if he was the Kyuubi incarnate, we would always stay by his side no matter what!"
Kenji smiled when he saw Naruto grin and return to normal. However, in his thoughts, Kenji was disgusted by the village, How could they give such hate and anger to someone who had no choice? How could they turn an innocent boy an outcast, though he sacrificed his very childhood?
Hachiro sighed as he tapped one of his feet impatiently, "This is all very touching, and I really feel sadden by these stories, but we are supposed to be doing something important here!"
Kenji rolled his eyes in annoyance but decided to hold his tongue in check for now, "Very well, Hachiro, we'll get to the matter now."
Hachiro nodded, and cleared his throat, "Thank you, Rakugosha-sama," after a glare from Kenji, he looked at Naruto, "Naruto-kun, as you know, you are the vessel for our master, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. What you, and the others here, don't know is that our master was abducted and forced into the realm of humans by a summoning."
Everyone but Kenji listened attentively as Hachiro continued, "We do not know exactly who summoned our master, but we do know that there were ten mortals doing the summoning. They then induced a Genjutsu that instilled rage into our master, and thus his killing instincts took over and he attacked your village. When we learned that he was sealed within a young mortal child, we were both outraged and desperate at the same time to get our leader back," Hachiro sighed, a sad look upon his eyes, "We, however, couldn't do anything since there were rules place upon Makai about interfering with human affairs. That is…until Rakugosha-sama gave us the idea of fusing Naruto-kun with our master."
Everyone in the room stood quiet, before they shouted, "WHAT!?"
Hachiro looked as perturbed as they did, "It was not our idea, you have my word on that. Rakugosha-sama is…not like other humans. He told us that the only way for our master to return to his seat would be if someone of his blood or chakra would take over our clan. We fought against the idea for a while, but we gave up after we acknowledge the fact our master didn't have any kits of his blood and no one had the same type of chakra that he had had. Rakugosha-sama knew this, and showed us the scroll that held the Jutsu he had in mind to do the fusion, and it was agreed that if Naruto agreed, we would call him the next Kyuubi no Kitsune when he came of age and strength."
Everyone just sat there stunned most of all Naruto. Here he was, being given not only a father, but now a clan if he agreed to be fused and made into the very thing that had caused him such great torment for the past twelve years. Naruto stayed in his seat his thoughts churning through his head at the possible outcomes of becoming the new Kyuubi no Kitsune. He looked at Hachiro and asked, "Can you tell me how the Kyuubi acted before he attacked us?"
Hachiro nodded and answered honestly, "He was both a proud warrior and a caring leader. He put the pains of others before his, never once asking for help or advice unless he knew he had to be careful in a matter. He was always proud of being called the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and he always watched over us like a parent does with his child. He was…no, he is like a father to me and I would've gladly helped him in anyway that I could."
Naruto took all of Hachiro's words and thought about them for a time. He then looked at Kenji and asked, "Is there someway we could talk to the Kyuubi, Ienari-jii-san?"
Hiashi stood up in disbelief and shouted, "Talk to the very beast that caused us misery!? Do you know what you're saying you stupid little-!?"
Hachiro gave a growl and glared murderously at the Hyuga halting his ramblings, before Kenji calmed him down, and answered, "Yes, there is a way for you to speak to him. Are you sure that you want to do this, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto nodded, and Kenji replied, "Alright then…what I'm about to use is a Genjutsu that will send your conscious mind and that of mine to your deep subconscious. Since we are going to enter your mind, I suggest that if you don't want to lose yourself to your own illusions that you keep near me."
Naruto stood and walked over to Kenji, who began to form a few hand seals before stating, "Shinshin no Jutsu (Mind & Body Technique)!"
Within Naruto's mind; a few moments later…
Naruto blinked for a moment, and gasped seeing that he was no longer in the Hokage's office but in a sewer-like hall. Beside him, Kenji stood looking around him and muttering something about killing the damn villagers for making this place what it was. Naruto looked down and made a face when he saw that his ankles were submerged in the slime.
Kenji gave another disgusted grunt before he motioned Naruto to follow him through the maze of sewers that made up Naruto's mind. Naruto didn't know how long they walked for or how far, but when they arrived to where the Kyuubi was housed, Naruto was amazed. There before him stood the largest gates he had ever seen in his life, with only a small piece of paper with the kanji for "seal" written on it.
Suddenly a dark voice called out, "Hey, you two…come closer…"
Naruto shivered at how vile the voice sounded, but Kenji stepped forward and stated in a calm voice, "I see you're doing well, Kyuubi…"
Suddenly a giant claw came rushing towards Kenji. Naruto tried to yell out to watch out, but stopped when he saw Kenji merely raise one of his hands and stop the claw a few inches away from his face. Kenji gave a snort as he muttered, "And I still see you have the same attitude you had when you attacked Konoha…"
The voice of the Kyuubi sounded confused, "Do you mind telling me who you are? For someone to able to stop me, you have to be either three beings: Kami-sama himself, the King of Makai, or Rakugosha the Traveler."
Kenji smirked as he looked at the darkness of the cage, "That was my name before I decided to stay in the Realm of Man…"
The Kyuubi now was surprised and came into view, startling Naruto, and somewhat, Kenji. The Kitsune stood before them as tall as a mountain, nine tails swaying in the small confinement of the cage, and still looking like it could kill someone with just staring at them with its maniacal eyes. The Kyuubi looked carefully at Kenji before his claw retracted and laughed, "Well, well, well…if it isn't the Traveler himself! To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence in this dismal place?"
Kenji didn't answer but performed the seal of the snake and murmured, "Kai Release)…"
Suddenly the Kyuubi blinked once, then twice, and to Naruto, it seemed as though the anger had evaporated completely. Now standing before them was not a feral beast, but rather a creature that could contest against the celestial beings in the sky and theYōkai of Makai. The Kyuubi looked at Kenji and Naruto and asked in a very loud voice, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING!? WHERE AM I!?"
Kenji waited until the Kyuubi finished a bit of cursing that followed after the questions to answer, "To answer your first question, twelve mortal years ago, you were induced by a Genjutsu to attack the mortal settlement known as Konohagakure no Sato. You were then sealed within the body of the Hokage's son, which should also answer your second question."
The Kyuubi looked at Kenji again, and actually sighed in what seemed to be relief, "Rakugosha, my comrade! Am I glad to see someone who isn't trying to see you!"
This statement confused Naruto, but Kenji laughed as he replied, "It is good to see you too, Kyuubi no Kitsune. I'm glad to see I was able to release the Genjutsu placed upon you."
Naruto stood there for a few minutes before he snapped, "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY THE KYUUBI NO KITSUNE IS NOW ACTING LIKE HE'S HUMAN!?"
Both Kenji and the Kyuubi looked at Naruto for what had been the first time since they had begun their talk. Kenji coughed once and explained, "Naruto, remember when Hachiro said that the Kyuubi was in a Genjutsu that made him go on a rampage?" Naruto nodded, "I just undid the Genjutsu so that we could talk about the fusion."
The Kyuubi now looked curious, "A fusion? Mind explaining what you mean by that, Rakugosha?"
Soon Kenji, with some add ins from Naruto, explained what they were planning on doing in order for at least the Kitsune clan to become at peace as well as Naruto's dream of becoming the Hokage. The Kyuubi listened aptly at everything that both the man and the child told him, and considered it for a while. It looked at Naruto, and within him, he could see the very mortal that had become known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha within him.
This kit, the large fox thought with an inner grin playing his mind, He looks so much like that bastard…and I bet he has that same spirit of protecting others that the bastard and I seemed to have shared. If we fused, my bet is that it would be for the better rather than the worst. After all, I made his life pretty miserable in this God forsaken village, the very least I could do is give him a damn family like he should've had.
The Kyuubi looked at Naruto and then at Kenji, stating, "Alright, do the fusion."
Naruto and Kenji were both amazed at how quickly the Kyuubi had answered. Naruto was the first to recover and asked, "Are you sure? I mean you're going to be-"
"Kit," the Kitsune interrupted, "I may have been under a Genjutsu but I was never blind. I saw what me being in you did to your childhood, and no one should be forced to go through the hell you went through. The very least I could do is give you a good family and a home that you should've gotten when you were born."
Naruto just stood there dumbfounded at how caring the Kyuubi was sounding, it almost sounded fatherly, like when Kenji had asked how they had been when he had returned. Naruto looked up at the giant fox and asked, "So is there anything I should know when we fuse?"
The Kyuubi looked at Naruto and told him, "Rakugosha can explain that since my expertise on the whole fusion techniques is very limited. Oh and kit before you go, I have a word of advice about you and the girl you're seeing," Naruto looked at the Kyuubi, whom looked solemn as he finished, "If you want to marry her or for that matter protect her, you'll have to make her a Kitsune one day too. My kin and the other Yōkai in Makai would kill her if they knew she was only a mortal and they knew your current level of strength."
Naruto then asked, "What about Josuke?"
The Kyuubi closed its eyes and laid down on the prison's floor, "Your…brother is safe enough. He's one of the Ienari after all and if there is one kind of mortal that could kill Yōkai in their sleep, is them."
Naruto stood there for a moment before he nodded, and turned to Kenji, "So Kenji-jii-san, how do we get out of here?"
Kenji made a few hand seals and a door appear before him and Naruto. He looked at Naruto and nodded towards the door, "This is how."
Both soon passed through the door, leaving the Kyuubi no Kitsune behind them.
Hokage's office; a few seconds later…
Naruto blinked for a few seconds before he was able to get his bearings back. He looked around and saw everyone look at him, clearly everyone aside from Hiashi worried about him. Naruto took a deep breath and sat down on his chair, thinking of what had happened within his mind that seemed only a few moments ago. The decision he made now would be both permanent, and crucial to not only a large clan of Yōkai, but also to everyone in Konoha.
He looked at Josuke, the brother who had always stood by his side ever since Kenji had asked Naruto to find him, then at Hinata, the girl that had become the person he cherished most when she had stated her love to him, and then at Kenji, the enigmatic man who had begun these chain of events and who would become Naruto's and Josuke's second father. Naruto thought about everything he had heard from everyone in the room, and the Kyuubi's words when he had entered his mind.
He looked at Kenji and asked, "What would the fusion do to me exactly?"
Kenji answered honestly, "You would become a Han'yō, a half-demon. You would have all the powers of the Kitsune Yōkai, but still have your humanity as well. Once a month, you will become completely human so that your powers are periodically restored. You will have higher senses than any human, and you may gain some new appendages like a tail or such, which can be hidden when here in the Realm of Man."
Naruto looked at Hachiro and the other adults in the room before he clenched his fist and replied, "Alright, I'll fuse with the Kyuubi no Kitsune."
Hiashi opened his mouth and was ready to insult and warn Naruto, but was cut off by the Hokage, who asked, "Are you sure, Naruto?"
Naruto nodded, "From everything that's happened in this room, I don't see why I shouldn't fuse and get a bigger family than I was originally going to get."
Josuke smiled as he patted Naruto on the back and told him, "You better not forget about the 'family' you got baka!"
Naruto grinned as he retorted back, "How could I forget the brother who stuck by me for the last seven years?"
Both grinned at each other, knowing that they would still watch over the others' back no matter what. Naruto then looked at Kenji, "So when do we do the fusion?"
Kenji, whom had been whispering something to Hachiro, answered, "Tonight as I have all the necessary items for the fusion to be successful."
Hachiro then looked at Naruto, a smile playing on his face, and bowed, "Excuse me for now, Naruto-sama; I have to tell my, erm…our kin about the good news!"
With that, the black Kitsune disappeared in a burst of white and black flames. Hiashi stood up, preparing to leave with Hinata, when he was stopped by Kenji. Hiashi gave the man a cold stare as he asked, "What now? I would think that since this meeting had nothing to do with me, I would be allowed to leave at my leisure…"
Kenji looked from behind his sunglasses and stated, "It does concern you, Hiashi. For you see, I requested that your daughter be on a team with my sons, and which is to be headed by me and those whom I ask for assistance."
Naruto and Josuke watched as Hiashi face turned red and his anger filled the room. Kenji merely shrugged off the anger that was being directed at him and explained, "Your daughter was the only one to truly accept Naruto and Josuke out of all your clan, she's the heir of the Hyuga, and from her scoring that I was allowed to see, she tends to specialize in medicine. In other words, she would be perfect support for two heavy hitters like Naruto and Josuke, plus the fact that she would be trained by several Jonin-level shinobi and myself, who as you know is ranked Sannin, does make it better for the Hyuga, doesn't it?"
Hinata gave a small gasp after she heard Kenji state that he was a Sannin, and knew that if her father passed this up, he would be stunting the growth of the Hyuga. This thought raced through the Hyuga leader's mind and he knew that he would gain or lose a lot with the answer he gave at that moment. He looked at Hinata, and then at Josuke and Naruto, and finally Kenji, and finally muttered, "Very well, you may train her," he glared at the man, "But should you either slow her growth, or for that matter harm her, I will personally make sure that you die the worst possible kind of death imaginable…"
With those words, Hiashi and Hinata left the Hokage's office leaving Josuke, Naruto, Kenji, and the elder Sarutobi alone. Kenji let out an exasperated sigh and muttered, "If it wasn't for the fact that I was train by the most shrewd minds in this world, I would've spat at that man and then assassinated the entire clan for good measures…" He then saw Naruto's and Josuke's faces and waved his hand in front of him, "Don't worry, I would've left Hinata alive."
The Sandaime sighed, rubbing the temples of his head, "I would not blame you for it either…"
That made everyone laugh a little, and soon Kenji and his boys left the Hokage to his work.
Later that night; in a large room…
Naruto took a deep breath to settle his nerves, trying very hard to keep himself from running away from the place that made him feel like he was in a dungeon. Kenji had organized everything for the fusion in a few hours, and had even reserved this particular room for the fact that chakra couldn't be detected from the outside. Naruto and Josuke had asked why he had done so, and Kenji had to explain that the excess chakra would've startled the entire village and Kenji did not feel like explaining to a "bunch of bastards who are blind to the truth" what the chakra burst had been.
Naruto looked at the ornate designs that Kenji had written with a black candle and his blood, remembering what Kenji had said the designs would do. The strange eight-point diamond would work like a large seal release that would "filter" the poison, the circle with the triangle would alter his physical body to match that of a Kitsune, the cross within a circle would keep his soul intact, and the triangle with a star inside would alter the chakra in his system as well as fix any abnormalities that he had.
Josuke hummed to himself as he sat outside of the large circle with Hinata fidgeting beside him. Hinata had asked to come and see Naruto's fusion, most likely worried that something would happen to Naruto if she wasn't present. She had been a bit queasy when she saw Kenji begin to draw with his own blood, but after a few breaths, she managed to watch as Kenji finished the last of the seals.
Suddenly a burst of black and white flames, followed closely by red and gold flames appeared suddenly near Kenji, startling the others within the room. The elder Ienari looked to see Hachiro and a newcomer appear from the flames. The newcomer was female with a long cascade of red hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a red kimono in similarity to Hachiro's; however, hers was red with golden flames. Her seven red tails waved in a graceful manner, as her red ears swiveled from side to side checking for any intruders that might come in.
"Hachiro, Hoshi(Star) good to see you made it," Kenji answered as he shook hands with both Kitsune.
Hachiro nodded, while Hoshi smiled and gave Kenji a hug, "It has been far too long, Rakugosha-sama. We really need to catch up on what has happened since you left Makai."
Kenji smirked and nodded as he was let go, "Some other time, Hoshi. For now, however, we are going to make history," as he walked over to where Naruto was standing, he added, "And please call me by Kenji; I discarded the other name many years ago."
Hoshi giggled at how childish Kenji was being about his name, but decided that she would tease him later about it. Kenji soon stood in front of Naruto, and he whispered to him, "There is still time for you not to accept the fusion, Naruto. You can back out now, and no one would blame you for it."
Naruto looked at Kenji as though he had grown a second head, and shouted, "Are you crazy!? I'm going to have a family that's going to help me become a Hokage, and you're telling me to back out? I made my choice and I never go back on my word!"
Kenji smiled and nodded, "I was only giving you a choice, Naruto. I would never forgive myself if I had not at least given you a chance to fall back."
Naruto understood and soon made his way to the center of the room, where he was to stand as the two Kitsune and Kenji performed the seals that would turn him into a Han'yō. Soon he stood there, and looked at Hinata and Josuke, grinning to the pair and giving them a thumbs up, which they returned.
Kenji, Hachiro, and Hoshi then walked over to the three smaller circles that barely touched the large circle that Naruto was in. As they stood within their respective circles, they closed their eyes and began to form hand seals at a joint pace. As each seal was formed, the black lines began to writhe and wriggle as though they were alive and began to shift from black to a scorching white that soon blinded the eyes of Hinata and Josuke.
Josuke then felt something strange in the back of his head, and soon his body began to feel like it was burning from the inside out. He shouted in pain as he bent over, clutching his stomach as the burning sensation course through his body. He was barely aware of Hinata who seemed to be having the same ill effect as the fusion continued. Just as Josuke was about to howl, the chakra that had surrounded Naruto erupted outwards and knocked him and Hinata into the wall.
As the glow subsided, Naruto's voice could be heard muttering, "Damn that felt weird…"
Naruto had undergone a complete transformation: he now stood around Josuke's height rather than being his old short self. The baby fat that had been there was completely gone now, replaced now by lean muscle that with a bit of tuning, would make girls drool with lust for. Behind him waved six golden tails, and he was right now scratching a pair of fox ears of the same color as the tails. His hair had grown out to shoulder length, and seemed, if possible, spikier than it had ever been before. Naruto felt the inside of his mouth, and was surprised to feel that his canines had grown somewhat also, most likely sharp enough to bite through skin if the prick in his finger was any indication.
He turned to ask Josuke and Hinata what they thought about the new look, and his eyes widened when he saw both lying on the floor. He rushed over to them, and stopped when he saw the same red chakra was around Hinata while a white, or perhaps silver, chakra surrounded Josuke. After a moment the white chakra surrounding Josuke disappeared and he got up somewhat hesitantly and murmuring, "Man…if that's just for the fusion, I hate to see that chakra in action…"
That was when he noticed Naruto's new look and grinned, "Whoa… Naruto? That's…okay, you know what? I just don't know what to say."
That made Naruto relax a little, and he once again looked at Hinata, only to be tackled by something moving very fast. After getting his bearings, he was amazed to see that Hinata had undergone a transformation similar to his own. Four dark blue tails waved happily behind Hinata, each of them ending with a pure white tip. Her fox ears were covered slightly by her hair, which had also grown to shoulder length as Naruto's had done. Though her face was unadorned, Naruto could tell her canines most likely had also extended and sharpened. Her body had also matured a bit and she too had grown now to be around Josuke's height. The muscles on her gave her the looks of a strong and graceful warrior, and which awakened something within Naruto.
"H-hinata-chan!?" Naruto sputtered out, "Are you okay? You were on the floor and-"
But Naruto never got to finish his sentence as Hinata kissed him right in the mouth, startling him at first but finally enjoying it a bit. Josuke rolled his eyes a bit and asked the approaching adults, "Any ideas why Hinata-hime is a Kitsune now and I'm not?"
Kenji looked at Naruto, who was now nuzzling with Hinata, and cleared his throat. At that, both looked each other, quickly separated, and blushed a deep crimson. Kenji then stared at Naruto and asked, "Naruto, by any chance, were you thinking about Hinata?"
Naruto nodded, still blushing, and Kenji sighed, "So that's why…" Josuke still looked confused, and the elder Ienari explained, "You see, this particular fusion was tricky enough because it could've caused the death of Naruto if we weren't synchronized. However, there was also the chance that we could've been affected in some way considering the fact that the Kyuubi no Kitsune's chakra is one of the most volatile chakras in the known Realms," he took another sigh, "Hinata, being both human and without some sort of protection from the chakra ended up as such. You, Josuke, weren't affected because of the Ienari blood running through your veins."
Hinata, who had overcome her embarrassment, asked, "What do you mean by protection, Kenji-sensei?"
Kenji nodded to Hachiro, who produced a small black fireball in his hand and threw it at Josuke. Josuke raised his hands and closed his eyes instinctively, and the same white chakra Naruto had seen appeared around him, absorbing the black flames like a sponge did with water. Josuke opened his eyes and looked at himself as Kenji explained, "That's what I meant by protection. Josuke, like many of the true Ienari, has a secondary type of chakra that absorbs any Yōkai chakra that attacks him directly, and after I begin to teach him, he can wield as a weapon and to heal those who have been harmed by Yōkai or negative chakra. The name of this chakra is Zenten Chakra (All Heaven Chakra), and it is an occurrence that happens within those who have the blood of the Ienari."
Josuke looked at his hands for a long while, before he grinned and replied, "I can tell I'm going to go through hell to use this chakra properly…"
That made everyone laugh for a bit, but Kenji stopped the mirth as he stated, "I'm afraid that Hinata is a Han'yō like Naruto now…"
Hinata quickly got up and asked, "What do you mean?"
Kenji pinched the bridge of his nose as he answered, "You were hit by the Kyuubi's chakra at full force, without a sort of protective seal, and without the same ability as Josuke. An oversight on my part, as I thought that the protection seal I had drawn around Naruto and you would be enough to contain the Kyuubi's chakra from harming you two," Josuke was about to ask his own question again, but was stopped as Kenji continued, "However, since this room bounces the chakra and contains it, and since there were two protection seals active, Hinata's body only absorbed the chakra rather than get poisoned by it," he looked at Hinata and bowed, "I apologize for what happened and will explain everything to your father once we-"
Hinata raised her hand, cutting Kenji off, as she told him, "Kenji-sensei, you don't have to apologize. You made a mistake, that's something humans are known to do every once in a while," She blushed a little, "And to tell you the truth, I kind of like this new look…"
Kenji looked so surprised by Hinata's answer that he didn't register the others laughing at him until he regained his composure. Hinata then looked at Hachiro and Hoshi, "Hachiro-nii-san, Hoshi-nee-chan, do I have to learn the same things as Naruto-kun does now?"
Hoshi hugged the little Kitsune as she answered, "You bet you are, and I'll be the one to teach you two how to keep yourselves in check and not give in to your instinct like you did a minute ago."
Hinata and Naruto blushed as Josuke, Hoshi, and Hachiro had a small chuckle at their reactions. Kenji rubbed his temples as the elder Kitsune continued to explain things to the younger ones while Josuke listened with interest.
Something like this shouldn't have happened, he thought, I made sure that everything was in order so that something like this wouldn't happen! He sighed to himself, It cannot be helped now. I will have to watch over both of them until they have been both properly trained by the Kitsune Yōkai…Hiashi is going to enjoy yelling at me…
END OF CHAPTER 2
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Another long chapter, and one with a lot of talking. I got the idea for Hinata's look from one of Dragon Man 180's stories, though I decided to change a thing or two. The next chapter will have real action, I promise, and a few surprises for Team Ienari. A C-rank mission, a bunch of cannibalistic Yōkai, and a love interest for Josuke? Man I got my work cut out for me…and that's not even covering the new OC's that are going to enter…
As you all know, I'm a big Naruto/Hinata couple fan, so that's going to be one of the pairings in this story. However, for Josuke I'm going to see which one you guys want me to make him get stuck with! Here are the votes right now:
Ayame – 2 (Seems that working with her has made her have some feelings for our favorite half-Hyuga…)
Ino - 0
Sakura - 0
Tuschi Kin - 0
TenTen - 0
Tayuya – 2 (And our redheaded, foulmouthed Kunoichi from Otogakure is tied with Aya-chan! Not surprising considering the fact that she's an outcast like Naruto and Josuke…)
Other (Specify) - 0
So it's going to be either Tayuya or Ayame depending on this and the next chapter! I can't wait to see who you guys make Josuke like! That's all for now!
Shidyk D. Shade
