Naruto: Blades, Bows, and Souls
Here's REVIEW RESPONSE:
1VFSNAKE: Thanks, Benihime's always been one of my personal favorite Zanpakutō and she's really underused in the fanfics. As for the pairing, I haven't made any decisions yet.
2fanofmany: Yeah, don't worry I hate those jumpsuits with a passion, and sorry for the shortness.
3Benjamin236: Thanks for all the praise hope you like how it develops.
4NoLifeKing666: Well then here's some more, just for you.
5VanillaIce1: Right beans, here's chap 2.
6narutoshamanking: thanks, updating now.
7godofall: you seem to be repeating yourself in every story you review.
8NeuanFang: Thanks
9aznblackhowling: Here's your updated
"Normal Speech"
'Normal Thought'
"Zanpakutō Speech"
"Demon/Large Summon Speech"
'Demon/Large Summon Thought'
Jutsu, Kidō/Gintō Incantation, Kidō /Gintō Spell Name, Skill Name, Zanpakutō Ability
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Bleach, or anything else for that matter except for any original ideas.
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Chapter 2: Tempering the Soul
(A short time later)
Naruto was in the Hokage's office, sitting in front of the old man's desk, sword resting in his lap, and his face running a gambit of emotions. On the other side of the desk the Hokage sat in silence as well, his hands folded in front of his face and his mind abuzz with worries. The old man had hoped that this day wouldn't come, at least not so soon, not until the boy was older and more capable of defending himself and dealing with the truth, but there was nothing he could do about that now.
The boy had awakened his mother's bloodline and now there was nothing that could stop it. The old man briefly thought about attempting to seal the boy's newly awakened bloodline, but quickly banished those thoughts. First, he doubted there was even a way to effectively seal off the blonde's bloodline considering how heavily linked it was to both the sword now resting in the young man's lap and Naruto's own body and chakra network. Not to mention the fact that Naruto would probably see the act as a form of betrayal and, combined with everything else that had happened tonight, would likely abandon the village if he tried.
He also briefly thought of simply keeping his silence about Naruto's family, but again that idea was shot down shortly after it was formed. Sarutobi knew for a fact how dangerous the blonde's new bloodlines could be, and without the information Kushina provided in that scroll Naruto could seriously damage Konoha or himself by accident. Besides, Kushina had a number of friends who would be able to easily recognize her bloodline, and thus her connection to Naruto, and he doubted even his direct orders would silence them after keeping the blonde's heritage a secret for so long. No, the boy needed the information now and despite his wishes to keep the boy's heritage secret until he was old enough to properly handle everything, there was no way to keep his mother's identity a secret any longer.
The Hokage's train of thought was interrupted by the voice of the young blonde sitting in front of him.
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Shortly after Iruka had given him his headband a group of Anbu had arrived on the scene. A number of them had quickly arrested Mizuki, one using the hilt of his sword to silence the ranting traitor who was trying to lie and pin the blame on Naruto after he was removed from the tree and returned to consciousness, while another, smaller group had performed some basic first aid on the injured Iruka before carrying the injured instructor to the hospital for full treatment. Before Naruto could follow the remaining two members of the Anbu squad had stopped him and said that the Hokage needed to see him right away.
Naruto had trusted the masked-nin's words, mostly because the Anbu had, except for a few noticeable exceptions, always been pretty kind to the blonde, and Naruto was glad the pair that was in charge of escorting him now included one of his favorites, Neko. The purple-haired kunoichi wearing the distinctive cat mask had always been a dear friend to the blonde, having looked after him a number of times when he was younger and the Hokage was too busy to keep an eye on him, but she seemed to be distracted tonight. Naruto also noticed that she seemed to be constantly glancing at the sword he was carrying, though he could be mistaken. It was really hard to tell with those masks they wore after all.
Now the blonde was sitting in front of the man he'd viewed as a grandfather for most of his life, and the man who had also been lying to him for most of his life as well. The young blonde's mind was a chaotic storm of emotions as he sat there staring at the old man who seemed to be lost in thought as well. As the blonde sat there his mind ran back to the countless times he'd come running into this very office as a child, crying to the elderly kage after someone had said or did something especially cruel to him. How he'd always asked the older man why nearly all the grown-ups in the village hated him, and how the old kage would never give him a straight answer. After a time the blonde had simply stopped asking, always assuming that the old kage didn't know, but now the truth was out and he wasn't happy about it. As his thoughts continued to swirl the blonde felt anger begin to boil in his chest. The old man had lied to him all his life, and now wasn't even bothering to apologize for it. Finally, anger and betrayal overriding his other emotions, the blonde decided to break the silence that seemed to eclipse the room.
"So Hokage-jiji" the blonde practically hissed out the formerly warm suffix causing the old Fire Shadow to flinch slightly, "were you ever going to tell me about my little tenant?"
The old man let out a heavy breath before turning his full attention to Naruto and beginning to speak, "Naruto," he said slowly, taking his time to ensure his voice was as calm and placating as it could be. "I know you're upset right now, but…" his speech was interrupted by the younger boy standing up and slamming one of his hands down on the table while the other held his new sword so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.
"Upset? UPSET! You're damned right I'm upset! You've known all along why nearly everyone in this village hated me and you never bothered to tell me!" shouted the enraged blonde, practically leaping out of his chair to glare at the old man sitting behind the desk. "Didn't you think I had the right to know? Didn't you think I deserved a reason for all the shit I had to endure from this village?" snarled the blonde, tears forming in his eyes as betrayal began to overwhelm rage.
"Naruto please calm down." pleaded the elderly kage, holding up his hands to the younger man. "I didn't tell you because you weren't ready to learn the truth yet. I thought it would have been too dangerous." Sarutobi explained trying to placate the blonde.
"TOO DANGEROUS! What the hell would have been dangerous about me knowing why I was treated like shit by the majority of the bastards in this village?" snarled the blonde in response, neither calmed nor the least bit placated by the answer.
"I wanted you to have a normal childhood." Sarutobi answered. "That's the reason I made it a law forbidding anyone from mentioning your relationship with the fox under penalty of death."
"A normal childhood?" growled the blonde sarcastically, acid practically dripping off his voice as he slammed a fist into the desk in front of him as he barked out a short sarcastic laugh. "HAA! That's rich! Tell me old man is it normal for a kid to be constantly glared at and insulted for no reason? Is it normal, to have nearly every shop in town overcharge or outright deny selling to you? Is it normal for parents to tell their children to avoid you for no reason? Does any of that sound like your idea of NORMAL?" finished the blonde with an audible snarl.
The Hokage visibly deflated at that little statement and a pained look entered his old eyes. "I know Naruto." stated the old man letting his head drop. "I know I've failed you in nearly every way possible, but please believe me when I say that everything I did, I did to try and help you." finished the old kage.
Naruto was more than a little shocked at the way the old man was acting. Normally the old man was as strong and durable as an oak, but now the man seemed to be on the verge of tears himself. Hell, the man's last sentence sounded more like he was begging than anything. Here was Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of the greatest shinobi in the Leaf Village's history nearly in tears over what had happened. It sort of made the blonde feel a bit guilty. He knew the old man was wrong for keeping everything a secret from him for so long, but a part of him also realized the old man was only doing what he thought was best, even if it all went disastrously wrong.
Taking a few long deep breaths the blonde sat back down. "I believe you Hokage-jiji," stated the blonde calmly, "but it's going to take me a while before I can forgive you for this and a lot longer before I can trust you like I did before." finished the blonde coldly, not meeting the older man's eye.
Sarutobi merely nodded his head. "I understand Naruto, and I'll do anything in my power to try and earn back your trust." stated the old man resolutely. Deciding that it was now or never the Hokage reached into a drawer and pulled out a scroll. "Naruto, I was instructed to give you this scroll when you awakened your bloodline."
"Bloodline?" questioned the blonde as he took the offered scroll.
Sarutobi nodded and indicated the sword that was still in Naruto's hand. "That sword you're carrying is a physical manifestation of your chakra, a part of the bloodline you've inherited." noticing the blonde was about to speak up again, the elder Sarutobi raised a hand and stated, "Please, just read the scroll before you ask me any more questions. If there's anything you want to know after you've finished reading, just ask me. I'll answer to the best of my abilities."
Naruto gave the man a brief look before nodding his head. The blonde set his sword down against the side of his chair before attempting to open the scroll. After struggling for a few moments the blonde noticed a seal near the exact center of the scroll where it was supposed to start unrolling from. The blonde briefly turned his attention to the Hokage while indicating the small dark red marking. "What's this seal for?" asked the blonde curiously
The old kage leaned forward and studied the seal before answering. "That's called a blood seal Naruto. It's a type of seal that can only be released when a bit of the proper blood is smeared across it."
"'Proper blood?'" questioned the blonde.
"Depending on the type of seal it could be the blood of a specific person, a specific family-line, a specific clan, or simply human or some kind of animal blood. Simply cut or bite your finger and then smear the blood across the seal. That should release it and allow you to access the scroll's contents."
Nodding his head again the blonde bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood. It was pretty easy considering the blonde's pronounced canines, one of several of his physical characteristics he was now attributing to being the container for the fox. After swiping the blood that had formed on the already healed digit across the seal, the blonde watched as the blonde seemed to be absorbed into the seal before it dissolved into a small amount of fine red powder that fell to the floor while the scroll seemed to unlock and began to unfold itself in the blonde's hands.
Taking a deep breath as he unrolled more of the scroll, the blond began to read,
To my little Maelstrom,
I guess the first thing I should do is introduce myself. To most of the Leaf Village I am known as Kushina Uzumaki, also known as the Benishio (Crimson Tide), but to you I'd like to be remembered by a different title, Kaa-san. That's right my Sochi, I'm your mother. I don't have a lot of time, I can feel my life slipping away as I write this, but there are things I have to tell you, things you need to know. I can hear the Kyūbi approaching, even as I feel my own life's blood slowly leak away from and I prepare for what will certainly be my death.
If you're reading this letter then that means you've either obtained the rank of Chūnin or have awakened our bloodline. I'm pretty sure it's going to be the later, let's just call it mother's intuition. Now if you're anything like me, then you're pretty pissed at the old monkey for keeping who I am a secret from you for so long, but please don't be. I asked Sarutobi to keep it a secret until either of those conditions were met. The reasons for that are a bit complicated but the truth of the matter is I made a lot of enemies throughout my life, some for my actions as kunoichi and others for simply being who I am. I know that a great deal of them wouldn't think twice about attacking my son to either get some petty vengeance against me in the afterlife or to see our bloodline wiped out or brought under their control. Either way, if anyone found out about your heritage before you were capable of defending yourself your life would be in a constant state of danger, something I could never allow to happen, especially without me there to protect you. The same fact goes for your father, so please don't try to find out anything about who he is from the old monkey. You'll get a scroll from him when you reach Chūnin rank if you haven't already. Just remember my little maelstrom, your father and I loved you more than anything, even before you were born. When your father found out he was going to be a dad, he was literally bouncing off the walls in joy. Now before I get distracted by my memories, you need to learn the truth about your heritage from my side of the family.
As I said before my given name is Kushina Uzumaki, but that's not my real name, or at least it's not my birth name. My real name is Kushina Kurosaki Ichida, heiress to both the Kurosaki and Ichida clans of the Uzushiogakure no Sato (Village Hidden by the Whirling Tides) of the Uzu no Kuni (Land of Whirlpools).
While the Whirling Tides Village was one of the smallest of the hidden villages it was also one of the oldest and strongest. That was mostly due to the three bloodline clans that lived there: the Ishida, Kurosaki, and Kariya clans.
All three clans were the oldest in the village, all being direct descendants of the village's legendary founder, who first gathered his children and their families together on the small island nation of Uzu to form what would later become Uzushiogakure. Despite their distant blood ties, the clans never truly got along, particularly the Kurosake and Ishida Clans. In the beginning it started out as nothing more than an intense rivalry between the two families, but as years passed they grew to hate one another. Civil war between the two clans, with the rest of Uzushio stuck in the middle, seemed almost inevitable, but the two heirs of the clans sought a way to build a peace and mend the hatred between the two clans. Their names were Yuzu Kurosake and Uryū Ishida, your grandmother and grandfather. It was through this shared desire for peace that the two met and fell in love. Seeing their union as a way to reunite the clans and bring about peace the two married in secret and produced an heir to both clans: me. Sadly, their hopes that my birth would lead to peace were shattered when the circumstance of my birth became known to the clans. Instead of forming a bond of family and love between them, my birth became a spark for hatred and betrayal. Accusations were thrown about one clan heir seducing the other in an attempt to steal the other clan's power, despite the pleas of both young heirs that it wasn't true. It all came to head when both clans soon ordered my death, claiming it was the only way to prevent the civil war from beginning. My parents refused and fled Uzu, coming to Konoha, where they hoped to live out the rest of their lives in relative peace. Sadly their desertion was the final straw; both clans blamed the loss of their heir on the other, pronouncing claims of kidnapping or murder. The love that my parents had hoped would prevent the war actually started it. The civil war raged for many years until both clans were nearly wiped out. Seeing an opportunity for conquest and the destruction of one of their oldest enemies, a combined shinobi force from Iwa, Kiri, and several other villages launched an attack on Whirlpool, destroying the majority of what remained and angering our former home's allies and starting what was known as the Third Great Shinobi War.
While all this occurred my parents raised me in Konoha, keeping our identities a secret from all save the current Hokage, Sarutobi. The old monkey, who was old, but not as old at the time, took pity on our family and offered us sanctuary in the village. My parents accepted and took the name Uzumaki, in honor of our lost homeland. The rest, as they say, is history. I grew up and awakened both my family's bloodlines, much to the surprise of my parents. They guessed that since both of their clans shared a common ancestor and their bloodlines carried a common root they were able to safely recombine in my body. I became a strong kunoichi of the leaf, met and married your father, and lived a relatively happy life. I'm afraid your grandparents died near the end of the war, fighting to defend their new home with all their might. The happiest day of my life was the day I found out I was pregnant with you. I dreamed of raising you and teaching you after you awakened our bloodline. Sadly, like my parents, my dreams were not meant to come true. On the night of your birth the Kyūbi no Yōko attacked our village and you were chosen to be its container. Don't hate the Yondaime for picking you Naruto, he had no other choice if he was going to save our village, and I know forcing the fate of a Jinchūriki on you hurt him in unimaginable ways.
The Yondaime had faith in the village, hoping that they'd see you as a hero for helping him stop the fox, but I've always been a more pragmatic person and I doubt it'll turn out the way he wished it, but no matter what I want you to stay strong. You are the last full-blooded heir to both the Kurosaki and Ishida clans, two of the strongest and oldest clans to walk the world. Stay strong for me, for your ancestors, and, most importantly, for yourself, and remember that I will always love you and watch over you.
Your loving kaa-san, Kushina Kurosaki Ishida
PS: Attached to the bottom of this scroll are four more seals. These are a special combination of blood and storage seals that your father designed, the man may have been a bit of a dope at times but he knew his seals. Just swipe some of your blood across one and it'll release the items stored inside. The one on the left is from your grandfather Uryū, and contains information on the Ishida clan's part of our bloodline and a few other items. The next is from you're your grandmother Yuzu, and it contains information the Kurosaki's aspect of our bloodline and some items from her as well. The next one is from me and contains a few mementos and a gift for you. Lastly, the rightmost seal contains a gift from your father.
Tears were leaking from the Naruto's eyes as he finished the letter. His family really did care about him. That was always the hardest part growing up alone, never knowing whether or not he was a mistake or if his parents had died or simply abandoned him. This little letter did so much, answered so many painful questions. It told him he would have been loved, he would have had a pair of parents that cared for him and raised him. "She really did love me." he whispered softly.
Sarutobi nodded his head slowly, his eyes half-closed in remembrance of dear friends now lost. "Your mother loved you more than life itself. I remember the day she found out she was going to be a mother, she was jumping around my office squealing like a schoolgirl." the old Fire Shadow chuckled softly at the memory.
"What about my dad?" asked the blonde. Before Sarutobi could speak again, he continued, "I know you can't tell me who he is until I make Chūnin, but can you at least tell me what happened to him, and what he and my mom were like?" he asked desperately, hungry for some new knowledge of the parent's he'd just discovered he had.
Sarutobi slowly looked at the boy before nodding his head. "Your father died bravely, fighting to protect our village from the Kyūbi. He was a truly great man that I was glad to call a friend; honest, loyal, strong, and always willing to work for what he desired. All traits I know you inherited from him." stated the old man warmly, getting a small, happy grin from the young blonde, "However, I think you get most of your personality from your mother. She was head-strong, stubborn as a mule when she'd made up her mind about something, never willing to give up, and had a love of ramen that rivaled your own; not to mention the fact that she was quite the mischievous prankster during her youth. She was probably just as loyal as your father, maybe even more so, but people had to earn her loyalty, but once earned she'd rather die than betray a person who trusted her." he finished fondly, recalling the vivacious young girl who'd stolen his successor's heart.
"What about the Yondaime?" asked the blonde curiously, getting a raised eyebrow from Sarutobi. "From the letter it sounded like my mom knew him." he explained.
"That she did, you mother was actually a childhood friend of the Yondaime's. They attended the academy together and became rather close after graduating." answered the Hokage honestly; it was true enough though not the entire story.
The two sat for nearly an hour, the Hokage telling him stories about his mother, and occasionally bits about his father without letting out who he was. As the night dragged on Naruto let out a large yawn. Looking at the clock the Sandaime noticed how late it had gotten. "Well I think it's about time for you to head home. Before you leave I have another gift for you." reaching down the old kage pulled out a small set of keys and a map. "These are the keys and a map to your mother's family house. It's not extremely large, but I think you'll like it. I've had people keep it clean and in good repair since your mother died, and it's still furnished."
"Thanks old man." stated Naruto warmly, he hadn't completely forgiven the old kage yet, but he appreciated the gesture all the same. "I just wish I had more time before team assignment so I could study the scrolls and stuff mom left me explaining about my new abilities." he added as an afterthought as he stood and stretched, working out the kinks from sitting in a chair for over an hour.
An idea suddenly hit the elder Sarutobi, "Well Naruto you may just get that wish." he stated with a slight smirk. When the blonde raised an eyebrow in question the old Hokage continued, "Given Iruka's injuries we'll have to delay team placement for a bit. There's also the fact that, with your graduation, we'll have to rearrange the teams we'd already decided on. Then there's the matter of Mizuki's betrayal. Given the animosity he showed you I wouldn't be surprised if he had some hand in you failing the exam. Given the circumstances we'll have to launch a full investigation into his time as a teacher at the academy, which could take a while to complete. All that combined with the work and preparations associated with the upcoming Chūnin Exams in Suna means we'll have to delay team placements for quite a while."
"How long old man?" asked a slightly excited blonde. He knew that this was just another way for the old man to try and make things up to him, and if he kept it up, he'd earn the blonde's forgiveness pretty soon.
"About three months would be my best guess." answered the old kage. "I'll be sure to send a message when the exact date is set."
The blonde's face split into a wide smile, "Thanks Ojiji, I really appreciate this." he said warmly.
"It's the least I can do Naruto." responded the Sandaime with a warm grin. As the blonde turned to leave he spoke up again. "Oh there's one more thing. Given the fact that you've awakened your mother's kekkai genkai, I'll have to make an announcement to the council. When that happens I'll need you to be in attendance for a few other announcements. It'll probably happen in the next week or so. I'll send someone to get you when the time comes."
The blonde nodded his head and left the office, nose buried in the map that would lead him to his new home.
As the blonde left the Hokage let out a tired sigh. 'At least I'm halfway done. Now I have to deal with the truly dangerous part.' thought the elderly Hokage as he pressed a button on his intercom and stated, "Please send in Neko now."
A few moments later the purple-haired kunoichi entered the office. "You sent for me Hokage-sama?" asked the Anbu in a calm voice.
"Yes I did, but please remove your mask Yūgao, the information and task I have for you is a personal one." stated the old Hokage seriously.
Nodding her head, the young woman removed her mask to reveal a young woman with a beautiful face with sharp features and narrow, green eyes. "What is this about Hokage-sama?"
Taking in a deep breath and preparing for what was to come, the elderly Sarutobi spoke again, "Kushina's son is alive." he stated calmly.
This brought an immediate reaction to the young kunoichi. Her eyes widened in shock before quickly narrowing in anger. "You lied to us?" growled out the woman. "You told us he died in the Kyūbi attack. WHY?" finished the woman in a snarl.
The Sandaime answered slowly, "To keep the boy safe. You know how many people wanted Kushina's head, or her bloodline for that matter." he stated calmly hoping to keep the woman's temper in check and not add any fuel to the fire.
"We could have protected him. Hayate and I would have adopted him in a heartbeat and protected him from anyone stupid enough to try anything. It was the least we could have done for our sensei's son." growled out the woman as glared at the old kage.
"I know Yūgao, but could the two of you have watched him every moment of every day? You know how ruthless the types of enemies Kushina made, both inside and outside the village, could be." answered the Hokage his voice never losing its calm tone.
"We still had the right to know." returned the woman, though her voice had lost some of its heat before the Hokage's logic. "Who is he?" she asked quietly, before a look of realization struck her. "It's Naruto isn't it? He's Sensei's son."
"Yes." answered Sarutobi before raising an eyebrow and asking, "How did you know?"
"The sword he was carrying. It looked just like Kushina's, and it gave off the same unusual aura." answered the woman before sighing and slumping into the chair Naruto had just vacated. "To be honest Hokage-sama, I always suspected the boy was actually Kushina's. He acted so much like her, and I didn't really buy the bit about you giving him that name to honor her and her son's memory." stated the now exhausted Anbu.
"You always were an incredibly smart girl Yūgao, and I know that Kushina would be proud of what you've accomplished." stated the old kage fondly with a slight nod of his head. "Now I've got a new mission for you, but bear in mind it'll require you to leave Anbu for some time and go back to being a regular Jounin."
"What's the mission Hokage-sama?" asked a now curious Yūgao.
"I'd like you to volunteer to act as Naruto's team sensei." stated a grinning Hokage. "Either you or Gekkō would be the best choice since you know more about Kushina's bloodline than any other active Jounin, and since Hayate's only a Tokubetsu Jounin, you're the one best qualified for the job. If you do choose to accept, I'm quite certain I can make it happen unless one of the other jounin has some spectacular trick up their sleeves."
A large smile split Yūgao's face as she stood back up and saluted. "I would be honored to accept this mission Hokage-sama." stated the smiling kunoichi.
"Excellent, now here are the files for the rest of the graduating class, you'll need to select your other two genin carefully and have a good argument for them since I can't show any favorites in the final decision. I hope you'll be able to create a good team with our young Naruto. There will be another jounin meeting in a few weeks to finalize the new formations." instructed the old kage as he handed her a small stack of files
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End Chapter Two
I know my poll isn't over yet to decide team senseis but I wanted either Yūgao or Hayate for this story, and since Yūgao's far in front right now I decided to give it to her.
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