Howdy folks, Dez Guardius here. This is about the time when this starts diverging from the original. Here we get to meet Daikani and go through various other misadventures. Enjoy!

Blah Human dialogue

Blah Summon/Demon dialogue

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Chapter 2: The Meeting

'Well, this just sucks,' thought Naruto, as he, Kiba, and Sasuke were pinned by Haku. He jumped in to try to get them out, but found out too late that they weren't able to leave.

The next problem was that Kiba had been hit with enough needles to knock him out of the fight. However, Naruto could tell that he was unconscious, not dead.

"Let's get down to business," growled Sasuke, clenching at the needles in his body. He activated his Sharingan, confident in his abilities.

"Sharingan?" Haku whispered upon seeing Sasuke's eyes. "I see," she said out loud. "You have a Kekkei Genkai as well…"

"It's go time," said Naruto as he activated Kanchi, knowing full well that it was pretty pointless to keep it hidden during this fight. He would need all the help he could get.

"Two Kekkei Genkai?" she whispered. Now things were getting out of hand.

Sasuke was understandably annoyed by this recent revelation. "What the hell, dobe!? Since when have you had a doujutsu?"

Zabuza thought so, too. "I don't recall any one them having a doujutsu," he muttered. "I will have to do research later…"

Kurenai sent an annoyed look at Kakashi. "Care to explain?"

Kakashi stood in front of Tazuna. "This is news to me as well," he said, both of his eyes on Zabuza. "And what do you mean them?" he asked Zabuza.

"You seriously don't even remember your own allies?" said Zabuza. "Long story short, everyone has heard of the Uzumaki, but they're supposed to be extinct…"

That caught everyone by surprise. Hinata, Sakura, and Shino mused on the possibility that Naruto might be in the same situation as Sasuke, while Tazuna wondered what could have happened. Kurenai had the same thought, but Kakashi answered her unspoken question.

"I have a fair idea who Naruto's mother is, but his father..."

"Enough sentimentality," said the nuke-nin, brandishing his sword. "Time to die, you two."

"We can't die yet," said Kakashi. "And neither will our students."

"My team is a bunch of clan heirs... the next generation of their respective families," said Kurenai.

"Plus, Naruto's the last of his clan, and so is Sasuke… the last of one of Konoha's best."

"You mean…"

"Yep, Uchiha Sasuke is his name. A shinobi genius, with the blood of the Uchiha coursing through his veins."

"An offspring of that tragic clan…" muttered Zabuza. 'The same with Uzumaki…'

Meanwhile, Haku had been firing more senbon at the two. Sasuke had taken most of the damage, and Naruto was at the end of his ropes. 'I wish I could do something!' he shouted in his mind, and then he felt his eyes burn. It caused him to falter, and Haku used that chance to attack. She fired some more, and Sasuke took the blow.

"Wha… why did you take that?" asked Naruto, shocked by the fact that Sasuke did this.

"Pft…" said Sasuke, smirking slightly as blood leaked from his mouth. "I hate your guts… but my body… moved on its own…" He collapsed, and Naruto caught him. "That man…" sputtered Sasuke, as his eyes began to close. "That man I swore to kill… my brother… I told myself that I wouldn't die…" He winced as Naruto pulled out the senbon from his neck.

"You're not dying," said Naruto, his eyes now a shimmering white with three black triangles. "No ones dying, if I have my way."

Haku took this moment to merge with her mirror, but Naruto glanced at her, and uttered a single word: "Ranzatsu (1)."

Haku suddenly found herself disoriented, and she clutched her head. She felt a pulse in her head, and dropped to her knees. She lost all sense of balance, and she felt the blood rushing through her ears, the sounds of footsteps, the shattering of her mirrors… all was a cacophony of confusion.

She suddenly found herself clear, and looked up to see that Naruto had taken her mask. "What…?" she asked, confused by how he wasn't doing anything.

"Tomoe no Reinogan: Konmei," said Naruto, his shimmering white eyes turning back to his sapphire orbs. "The third Tomoe of my Kekkei Genkai… Konmei; Confusion."

Haku sat there on her knees. "Why didn't you kill me?" she asked.

"Like I said," said Naruto, "No ones dying if I could have my way. You didn't kill Sasuke or Kiba, so I didn't kill you." He motioned to his unconscious comrades.

Haku was silent, but then she stood, her head bowed. "You don't understand… now you have taken away my reason for living. Zabuza-sama has no need for weak shinobi, or a defective tool…"

"You're not a tool!" snapped Naruto. "What makes him so special anyway!?"

Haku bowed her head, and told Naruto of her history. She explained how in Mizu no Kuni, those with bloodlines were seen as monsters and tools, and civil wars in Mizu no Kuni had resulted in the deaths of nearly all the Kekkei Genkai users in Mizu no Kuni. "My mother was one of them," she said, her eyes vacant. "And when my father found out, he killed her, and then tried to kill me… but I killed him."

"Then Zabuza found you," finished Naruto, his gaze saddened. Her life was somewhat like his… unwanted, and alone.

"Hai," said Haku. "He took me as his own, and trained me to be his perfect tool. But now…" she trailed off, looking to the side. "Zabuza-sama has no need for a defective tool, so please… kill me, Naruto-kun."

Over with Zabuza and his opponents, Kurenai engaged Zabuza and had been batted away. "Useless," he growled. Her response was a flurry of hand seals, followed by an inhale of breath. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" She shot a fireball twice the size of Sasuke at the Nuke-nin, while countered with his own seals, and a cry of "Suiton: Suijinheki (2)!" A wall of water rose up and surrounded Zabuza as the fireball impacted, sending up a gout of steam in the air. Zabuza jumped as the water fell, and delivered a roundhouse kick to Kurenai's side, sending the kunoichi flying.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had taken a scroll from his pouch, opened it, smeared blood on it from a wound on his chest, and closed it, holding it in his hands. "Get ready, Zabuza," he said, as he did four seals. 'Tiger, Boar, Dragon, Dog…' he then slammed the scroll into the ground, and muttered "Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu (3)!"

Around Zabuza, eight dogs leapt out of the ground and latched onto him, holding the nuke-nin in place. "Those are my Ninken," said Kakashi. "Their sense of smell exceeds that of normal dogs. They tracked my blood on your body, and now you're stuck. As I said last time… your future is death."

"Pft," said Zabuza, glaring at Kakashi. "I'd say I was worried, but that would be a lie." With that, he collapsed with a splash.

Kakashi cursed, and jumped back as Zabuza's sword slammed on the ground. "First, I'm going to take you two out," he growled. "Then I'm gonna take out the bridge builder, then I'm gonna give my buddy Ao a matching left eye to go with his right."

Another Zabuza appeared and kicked Shino away. "You hear that girly," he sneered at the quivering Hinata. "Ao's got the right eye, and you've got the left. You only need one to see."

"Over my dead body," said Shino, standing and sending four shuriken at the Mizu Bunshin. Zabuza leaned to the side, and grinned. "That's the general ideaaARGH!"

Sakura had jumped on his back and buried a kunai there, distracting him enough for Hinata to overcome her fear and deliver a Jyuuken-powered arm thrust to his chest, making him collapse in a splash of water.

Kurenai let loose with a hail of shuriken, and Zabuza blocked with his sword. When he pulled it back, Kurenai had disappeared. Suddenly, he heard cracking behind him, and a tree, a damned tree of all things, sprung up and wrapped its limbs around him.

"What the hell...?"

"Magen: Jubaku Satsu (4)," came Kurenai's voice, and she appeared above him, armed with a kunai. "Anytime, Kakashi!"

Kakashi sighed and centered his gaze on Zabuza. "For the last time, your future is death. I heard what happened with you… that bit you mentioned about Naruto's clan gave off some insight, but still… a coup 'de tat against the Mizukage?" With that, Kakashi performed the seals for his original jutsu. Ox… Hare… Monkey… at Monkey, he grabbed his wrist, and lightning began to form. "Raikiri!"

'What!?' thought Zabuza, now a little unsettled. 'Enough chakra is visible around his hand!'

Kakashi faced Zabuza. "You're a dangerous man… your ideals sacrifice others for your gain. I'll ask you once more: Surrender."

"Do your worst," spat Zabuza.

Haku saw the light, and performed a single-handed seal. "Sorry Naruto-kun," she said to the startled Naruto. "But Zabuza-sama needs me…" With that, she disappeared into a mirror.

Naruto muttered, "Tomoe no Reinogan: Kanetsu Ni." Instantly, he could see all chakra… and he saw the ball of lightning in Kakashi's hand. "Kuso!" he cursed, his body moving faster before he could think. "Haku's trying to intercept it!"

Kakashi rushed at Zabuza, but he saw a dark shape appear before him. Too late to pull back, he surged forward, thrusting his lightning-engulfed hand at Zabuza, noting that Kurenai ended her Genjutsu and was free and clear..

In a splash of blood, he saw with horror what he actually hit, as did Kurenai, who covered her mouth in horror.

Haku had reached Zabuza in time… but Naruto had shoved her out of the way, and taken the Raikiri in the shoulder. "Wha… wha…" Kakashi tried to get out the words, but Naruto grinned, despite the pain he was in.

"I… couldn't let her die," he said, as Kakashi pulled his trembling hand free from his student.

"Heh," said Zabuza, amazed by Naruto's tenacity. "Saved by my enemy's student… all for a defective tool?"

Naruto, clutching his profusely bleeding shoulder, let his healing factor take over and glared at Zabuza with, for the first time, red eyes with slitted pupils. "Don't you call her that," he said, his whiskers growing more pronounced.

'What… is he?' thought Haku.

Zabuza decided that, unknown factors or not, Uzumaki and Kakashi were going to die, quickly followed by Yuuhi Kurenai. He swiped at the two aforementioned shinobi with his sword, but Kakashi reacted faster. Mad at himself for injuring his own student, he brutally jabbed a kunai into Zabuza's left arm, while Kurenai jabbed one into his right arm, both Jounin rendering them useless.

Even so, Zabuza tried to fight back, but Kakashi held a kunai to the injured nuke-nin's throat. "You can't beat me, Zabuza… I was a former ANBU captain, and you're in no shape to take me on…"

"Well, well…" came a familiar voice.

It was Gatou, and he had brought just about all of his henchmen. "Looks like you done got your ass kicked… Zabuza."

"Gatou," growled Zabuza, in no mood for this. "What do you want? And what's with those men?"

Hinata and Sakura, who had brought the now conscious Sasuke and Kiba over, tended to Naruto and Haku. "What's going on?" asked Hinata.

Haku grimaced. "It's our employer," she said wearily, tired from using her chakra.

"Hehehe…" chuckled Gatou. "The plan's changed. At first I wasn't going to pay you, and let the Hunter-nin from Kirigakure know where you were…"

Zabuza grimaced. He knew this wasn't going to end well.

"But then I saw this fight, and thought that it'd be better to kill off you guys, and give the lovely ladies present to my men as part of a job well done."

Hinata gasped, and latched onto Naruto in fright. Haku lifted herself to her feet, and glared at the short man who dared to betray them, as the rowdy group of man behind Gatou leered at the girls.

Gatou saw her, and grinned evilly. "Actually, as punishment for breaking my arm, my men can have you as their little toy, and I'll keep the pink-haired one and the red-eyed one… After all, it's not every day that you find a girl with naturally pink hair. I find it… exotic… I'll get my fair share out of her and the nice lady, and I'm sure Kumogakure will pay a fine price for the Hyuuga."

Naruto, at this point, had had enough. He drew out two kunai, both with exploding tags, and threw them at Gatou. Due to his still-recovering injuries, he missed and hit some of the men instead, the explosion killing them. "I think you'll be deader faster than you can say, 'Shinigami'," he roared.

"I think so, too," said Zabuza, his eyes filled with rage. "Kid, gimme a kunai!"

Kiba, pissed at Gatou for his threats and himself for being taken out early, tossed him a kunai, due to Naruto being unable to at the moment, and Zabuza loosened his mouth bandages, catching it with his teeth. "Sayonara, Haku," said Zabuza, and ignoring Haku's calls for him to stop, he rushed towards his opponents.

Gatou saw him coming and ran behind the ranks of his men, ordering them to kill him. They responded enthusiastically, but as Zabuza approached, they saw his aura surrounding him. "He's a true demon!" said one, and Zabuza began to cut through them. At length, he began to slow down.

Gatou was sure that Zabuza was dead, but Zabuza proved him wrong. He appeared before Gatou, swords sticking out of his back, and stabbed the short man with the kunai. Some of Gatou's man stabbed him more in the back, but Zabuza was single-minded in his mission.

Gatou's mission, at that moment, was centered on survival. He scrambled backwards, the kunai still embedded in him, screaming raspily, "Kill him! Stab him! Tear off his head!" He was almost free, until he felt little pinpricks on him. Looking down, he saw bugs. Hundreds of bugs, crawling, scratching, biting. He screamed and squirmed, trying to get them off of him.

Shino glared at the man from a distance. "In the words of my comrades, 'Don't write checks your ass can't cash'," he said. No one was around, so no one was shocked by his coarse language.

There was one person, however, that benefited from his action. Momochi Zabuza appeared in front of the imprisoned Gatou, covered in blood and woozily standing. "Hope you like the heat," he said, his eyes now shining with madness, "because where you and I are going, it's gonna be HOT!" With that, he severed Gatou's head from his body.

His mission done, he fell to the ground, his adrenaline deflating and the damage from his wounds kicking in at last. Gatou's men stood around the dying nuke-nin, then turned to Team 7 and Haku. "You guys are dead!" one shouted. "Our meal ticket's dead!" yelled one, and another yelled "Take anything of value, starting with the lovely ladies!"

"PLUNDER!"

"PILLAGE!"

"RANSACK!"

"LOOT!"

"MURDER!"

"SEXY TIME!"

Kiba sweated. "This ain't right," he growled as he wearily stood. Akamaru growled as he joined his partner. He was joined by Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke who stood to their feet, and faced the oncoming horde. "Damn," cursed Sasuke, still aching from his wounds. "Can't you do anything?" he yelled to Naruto and Kakashi.

"I'm nearly done," Kakashi shot back.

"Same here," said Naruto, pulling out kunai. "But I'm not going down without a fight. They can have Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, Haku-chan, and Kurenai-sensei over my dead body!"

Despite the situation, the four mentioned women blushed slightly, but she and the others were caught by surprise when an arrow landed in front of the gang of henchmen. "If you come on our island," shouted Inari, at the head of a group of vengeful villagers, "we'll stop you with everything we've got!"

At this point, Naruto grinned and did the only thing he could. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Ten Naruto's flickered into existence, and Kakashi did the same as well, creating twenty Kakashi's. As a final kicker, Akamaru jumped on Kiba's back, while Kiba put his hands into the Tiger seal, and shouted, "Gijuu Ninpou: Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu (5)!" Two Kiba's appeared in a puff of smoke, and launched themselves at the horde, joined by the Kakashi's and Naruto's.

The Kiba's tore through the henchmen like mini-cyclones, while the Naruto's and Kakashi's jumped into the fray, and started swiping at whatever poor soul they could hit.

With a third of their numbers down, this was too much for the henchmen, and they took off, screaming and piling onto Gatou's boat, to the joy of the villagers. "We did it!" they shouted.

As the Kage Bunshins poofed out of existence, Kakashi turned to Naruto. "First, I'm sorry about the Raikiri to your shoulder… you need to be checked out and…"

"It's okay sensei," said Naruto grinning. "I had a feeling it might happen."

Kakashi nodded, not sure if he should still check over Naruto. 'The Kyuubi seems to have healed him,' he thought. "Second thing: What's this about a Doujutsu?"

"Uh…" Naruto was saved from answering by Haku's cry of "Zabuza-sama!"

Haku fell to her knees beside the dying Zabuza, and let her tears stream down. "Zabuza-sama…"

Zabuza wearily looked up. "Haku… you've become a fine shinobi… and a fine young woman…" Coughing up blood, he knew his time was short. "You don't need me anymore… grow up strong… go with the Uzumaki kid… he seems decent enough…"

Haku sniffled and nodded. When Zabuza called over Naruto, he came over.

"Kid… you did good… I can see… that Haku's in good hands now… You make her cry though… and I'll come back from the dead… all for the express purpose of kicking your ass…" Zabuza coughed up more blood, and he knew his end was near. "Kid… I want you to have my sword…"

Naruto was shocked. "But… I… it's your mark…"

"And I'm giving it to you…" said Zabuza, closing his eyes. "Think of it as… a parting gift… for one asking for one… seeking… atonement…" Zabuza felt himself grow cold, and whispered in his mind… 'I just wish... that I could... have seen... Mei... one last time...'

As he whispered out "Mei…", Momochi Zabuza, former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, nuke-nin of Kirigakure, and nicknamed Demon of the Mist… passed from this world into the next world.

As it began to snow, Haku sobbed into her master's lifeless chest, crying his name over and over. Naruto knelt down from behind, and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Haku turned around and sobbed into his shoulder, and Naruto gently rubbed his hand up and down her back.

Two weeks later, after giving Zabuza a formal burial, Team 7, Team 8, and Haku departed Nami no Kuni, with the bridge completed. As the nine shinobi left, Tazuna realized what he'd call the bridge. "In honor of those brave shinobi who gave us back our hearts, and our courage, we'll call this super special awesome bridge… the Ultimate Ninja Bridge."

"Grandpa," said Inari as they walked back, "that's a good name… but could you please stop saying 'Super Special Awesome'? It's starting to scare everyone…"

"No promises my boy, no promises."

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"I can't wait until we tell everyone this back home!" exclaimed Kiba down the road. "We saved a country, and took down a tyrant!" Akamaru yipped, happy that he would have things to tell his littermates.

"Not to mention gained a possible future ally," added Shino.

Both teams nodded. However, Kurenai noticed that Naruto was unusually quiet. Kakashi noticed it, too. "Naruto?"

"I was thinking... is it possible to check out the eastern shore?"

In answer to Kurenai's attempted question, Kakashi said, "The old man that we mentioned earlier, Enishi, told us that there was someone named Daikani on the eastern shore who could answer our questions."

"Speaking of which," said Sakura. "How come we've never heard of the Uzumaki Clan? What were they famous for?"

Kakashi frowned. This was something he'd have to take up with the Hokage when they got back. "They were a powerful clan. They were known to have long lives and be fuuin Jutsu masters. They lived in Uzushio no Kuni, in their village Uzushiogakure, but the village and land was destroyed long ago... right before the start of the Second Shinobi War, I think. The clan was scattered everywhere, and it is rumored that any village would do anything to have at least one under their command."

Everyone digested this. "What did they do to warrant destruction?" asked Sasuke.

"Fear," answered Shino.

"Y-you can d-do anything with f-fuuin Jutsu," said Hinata. "Lock something, j-jail something, anything."

They were quiet for a while, with Kakashi, Kurenai, and Naruto on eggshells on how close Hinata got to nearly blowing an S-Rank secret. But she was right. Even now, Naruto held the scroll holding Zabuza's sword in his pouch, as he knew it would be a pain to lug around.

In any case, by an unspoken poll, the two teams, plus Haku, opted to make their way to the eastern shore. However, they were unaware that they were being watched.

In a tree, sat two beings. One was a man who had spiky red hair, piercing blue-green eyes, and wore a leather coat and baggy gray cargo pants, shinobi boots, and a bright blue crystal around his neck. Around his waist was a sword-in-scabbard, and slanted on his head was a black hitai-ate that bore a spiral. His eyes narrowed at the Konoha-nin below him, and his whispered something to his companion; something that looked like a dark green lizard that was about the size of Akamaru; it had a birdlike body, as well as a yellow underside, but it also had a pair of clawed human-like hands, three-toed feet with a dewclaw, short spikes on its knees and back, and a red-streaked tail as long as its 1-foot body. Around its neck was a blue bandanna with a red spiral. It watched with silvery eyes, and nodded at the soft words of its human, before crawling down the tree and running away.

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Hours later found the nine at the eastern shore looking at the ocean. With cliffs behind them, ocean before them, and standing on the sandy beach, it was a sight to behold. The sun was in the process of setting, creating long shadows that extended hundreds of feet outwards. "Does anyone have any idea where we're supposed to go?" asked Kiba.

"He just said the eastern shore," said Naruto. "Let's just look and see if we can see anything strange."

"There's something strange," said Haku a moment later, pointing down the shoreline.

Everyone looked up to see something crawling out of the water. It looked like a turtle, about the size of a medium-sized dog, but it had no upper shell. The upper half, which was like a leathery shell, was a tannish gold, and the lower half, which was shelled, was bone white. It had a row of spikes from in between its eyes on its head to just before the tail, and walked on four legs with five-clawed feet. On each side looked like a pair of flippers that were folded up, and around its neck was a blue bandanna with a red spiral. It looked at the group with disinterested silver eyes, before waddling off around the edge of some rocks.

"Well, there's something you don't see every day," joked Kiba.

"You saw the bandana, right?" asked Sakura.

"That means that it's owned," said Shino.

"Maybe it's Daikani," said Naruto.

"Check it out, Hinata," said Kurenai.

"H-hai," replied the Hyuuga, after which she activated her eyes. As the veins swelled around her eyes, Naruto sighed as an afterthought, and muttered, "Reinogan no Tomoe: Kanetsu Ni." His iris's turned yellow with two black triangles around the pupil.

"What do you see?" asked Kakashi.

"The turtle-thing is walking toward a hoard of rocks," said Hinata, tracking it.

"There's a chakra source its heading towards," added Naruto. He frowned when everyone looked at him. "I'm not getting out of this one, am I?"

"Nope," replied Sasuke. "Since when did you have a doujutsu? I was under the impression that there were only two; hers and mine."

"This came from my dad's side of the family, I guess," said Naruto, deactivating his eyes. "It could have come from mom's side, I don't know." About half of that was true, but it was up to them to sort out which was which.

All the while, the group made their way around the bend. When they arrived, they found nothing.

"What the crap is this?" said Kiba. "Where did it go?"

"Spread out, and be on guard," said Kakashi. "We don't want any surprises."

Slowly, the nine humans plus one puppy went out in a circle, eyes open.

Hinata, her Byakugan still active, scanned the rocks. This area was too open, too easy to enter... something wasn't right.

"Hey, there's a girl there!" exclaimed Sakura. She pointed at a young woman standing in the water up to her ankles, looking at the ocean. The girl looked to be about fifteen, with long red hair that went down to the small of her back, and a purple knee-length skirt that was tied around her waist. She wore a lavender vest over a blue tank top, a pair of black arm warmers that went from her shoulders to resembling fingerless gloves. Around her neck was a hitai-ate that they couldn't tell from the angle, and a blue hair clip keeping the left side of her bangs out of her eyes, which were sea green.

Sakura noted that she was even more developed than Kurenai, frowning at the beauty of this unknown girl. "Should we get her attention?" she asked.

"Pretty..." muttered Kiba. Suddenly, Akamaru began growling.

The reason came in the form of Hinata letting out a yelp, as the ground rose below her. She jumped, just as the sand erupted to revealed a human form. It was a man, wearing only a set of shorts, and scars all over his body. He was muscular and an inch taller than Kakashi, and had spiky orange hair with silver at the temples, and burning orange eyes that held a maniacal gleam. His hands and forearms, as well as his feet and shins, were wrapped in bandages. "Intruders!" he growled, hunched over and hands clenched like a bird-of-prey. "Dare to invade our territory, but I will drive you out!"

He jumped and delivered a strike at Kiba, who jumped out of the way. "What gives!?" yelled Kiba. Akamaru jumped at the man, but was thrown backwards. Thankfully, he was caught by Kiba.

Kurenai raised her hands in preparation, but was caught by an arm that wrapped across her. The arm belonged to a large man, who wore a grey vest and pants, with a netted shirt underneath the vest, and shinobi boots. In place of a belt buckle was a hitai-ate that had a spiral on it. He had short reddish-orange hair and a point beard, and grey eyes. "No no, Ms. Lovely," he rumbled. "None of that now."

"Sensei!" Hinata jumped at the large man, only to be thrown away by the orange-eyed man. Sasuke and Naruto jumped at him, only to be thrown back. It was a sufficient distraction though, as Haku created her mirrors, trapping the attacker.

Over with Kurenai, the large man let her go and flailed, as bugs suddenly appeared on him. "Worry not, sensei," said Shino. His victory was short-lived as he dropped to the ground, with the reason being a dart that had flown into his neck. His kikaichu left the man and flew to him to aid. Kurenai leaped backwards as the large man tucked himself into a ball and rolled after her.

With Haku, she was shocked as the orange-eyed man punched his way through the mirrors, but was immediately clotheslined by Kakashi. "We don't want any trouble," he said. "We're just looking for someone named Daikani."

"I am Daikani!" growled the man. "And you are intruders!"

Kakashi suddenly dropped as a dart appeared in his neck. Sakura threw three kunai at Daikani, who took them in the chest. Growling, he tore them out and rushed her, throwing a punch, but hit Naruto instead who jumped in the way. The punch threw him back into some rocks, and he shakily rose to his feet, but was caught on something. Turning around, he saw that the turtle-thing had his jacket, and he tore himself free, leaving behind the jacket and scroll.

"STOP!" came a strong, feminine voice, and everyone did so.

Approaching the battlefield was the girl from before, except she held a blowpipe. Her hitai-ate bore the spiral like her large friend, and she wore a frown. "Why are you here? Be quick!" she stated.

"An old man named Enishi sent us this way, to look for someone named Daikani," said Naruto, panting heavily.

She stared at him. After a while, she smiled. "The geezer found another one." She directed her orders to the others. "Daikani, Joumaru, stand down. We are in the presence of family."

Daikani's mood changed immediately. "As you command, Tsurina-sama."

"I am Uzumaki Tsurina," said the girl. "The big guy is Uzumaki Joumaru, and orange-eyes is Uzumaki Daikani."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," said Naruto. "My mom was an Uzumaki, but she died the day I was born, along with my dad."

That caused Kurenai to narrow her eyes. To her knowledge, there was only one Uzumaki in the village at the time of the Kyuubi attack, and if it was who she was thinking of...

"Oh, glory to the Creator, Enishi have found another!" exclaimed Tsurina. "So, when can he expect him?" she asked.

Naruto dropped his head. "You won't. He's dead. A Jashinist guy got him."

She gasped, Joumaru dropped his head, and Daikani growled. "I will tear him apart and use his spine as a whip!"

"No need," said Naruto. "I blew him to pieces. But he gave me this." He extended his arm, revealing the tattoo.

Tsurina inspected it, and nodded. "Time was against him, and it had to be kept safe."

"So..." said Kiba. "Do you think you can fix my teammate?"

"It's just a paralyzing agent," said Tsurina. "It'll wear off in a few minutes. In the meantime, let us invite you in. You wouldn't want to travel in the dark, would you?"

The seven congregated. "It w-would be rude to r-refuse," offered Hinata.

"They attacked us," retorted Sasuke.

"Because they don't know us," said Naruto. "Plus, this could be an opportunity to find out more about them."

"I'm all for it," said Kiba.

"I'd like to wait until Kakashi and Shino can move again," said Kurenai. "But given that we don't know how long that would be, I'm inclined to accept their invitation."

"What if it's a trick?" asked Sakura. "What if they're lowering our guard?"

"They had us on the ropes before," said Haku. "If they wanted to kill us, they would have done it."

"So, a vote then?" asked Naruto. "Yay's or nay's?"

"Yay," said Kiba.

"Y-yay," said Hinata.

"Nay," said Sasuke.

"Nay," said Sakura.

"Yay," said Naruto.

"Yay," said Haku.

"On a vote of 4 to 2, the yay's have it," said Kurenai. She turned to see Tsurina talking to a green lizard thing, that nodded and ran away. She walked over to a patch of sand, slammed her hands into the ground, and yelled "Kai!"

A house shimmered into view. It was a modest two-floor house that had double doors and a spiral above the doors. She waved them over. "Come, enter our humble domicile."

Kiba and Naruto picked their jaws off the ground. "That was awesome!" they yelled. They started forward, but Naruto turned around and created two Kage Bunshin. One picked up Shino, the other picked up Kakashi, and Naruto himself went to retrieve his jacket and scroll. As an afterthought, he picked up the turtle-thing as well. When he returned, he noted that Sasuke and the other Naruto were helping to carrying Kakashi in, and Daikani had jumped into the ocean, then emerged, free of sand.

Once everyone was inside, they found that they were in a medium-sized room that had a spiral staircase in the rear right corner that led up to the second floor. Another set of double doors lay against the wall, and torches had been lit on the walls, with a number of chairs lay before them. Kakashi and Shino were laid against the walls, the two of them now able to twitch, and Daikani ran up the stairs.

"So, an Uzumaki still lives within Konoha," said Tsurina. "How did that come to pass?"

"I don't know, but what do you mean still?" asked Naruto, setting the turtle-thing down. He had not heard of any Uzumaki before him. Neither had the others, for that matter.

Tsurina frowned. "Oh how Toma-sama will rage at this," she muttered. "Do you know nothing of your heritage?" she asked.

"That's why I'm here."

Tsurina motioned everyone to sit, and they did so. "Toma-sama knows more than I, but I will tell you what I know. What do you know of the Rikudou Sennin?"

No one answered, at least until Sasuke let out a sigh. "He's supposedly the man who discovered the means to use Chakra, and the savior of the world in a bygone age. He was also reported to have a legendary doujutsu, and was called a god on earth." He frowned as everyone stared at him. "So I read a couple of stories about him. So what? It's only a legend."

"You are correct, and incorrect, cousin," said Tsurina.

Sasuke frowned. "I'm not your cousin, Naruto is."

Tsurina giggled. "Somewhere up the line, we are related."

Naruto gazed in shock. "No!" he cried. "It's not fair!"

"Stop whining," Joumaru chided. "It's distant enough so that it won't matter. With us, it would matter."

"All that matters is the clan and the Great Ancestor," said Daikani, reappearing. He wore a blue sleeveless haori and black pants, tied in place by a black belt. He bore the Uzushio hitai-ate on the belt.

"In any case, he existed," said Tsurina. She pointed at a wall, which showed a picture. The picture showed a thunderstorm, with a great black beast with ten tails, a gaping tooth-filled maw, and a single strange red eye, facing down a lit tiny man wearing a high collar coat, wielding a Shakujou (6) in his left hand, and a sword in his right. "Behold, the greatest battle this world has ever seen."

"What is that thing?" asked Sakura, speaking for everyone.

"It was thousands of years ago," said Joumaru. "A terrifying monster rampaged across the land. It was the Juubi no Daidarabotchi (7), and it was so powerful that it shaped the land to its liking. Unfortunately, it hated everything, so it destroyed any and all that it could."

"Until one day," spoke Tsurina. "A man, a monk of all people, stepped forward to oppose it. That man was the Rikudou Sennin. He waged a mighty battle against his foe, until finally, he defeated it after many days of fighting, and was heralded as the Saviour of the World." She pointed at another picture, showing a shadowy figure with only his eyes visible; the eyes were purple, and in a hypnotic ring pattern.

Everyone, save Joumaru, Daikani, and Tsurina were entranced by the tale. "How did he defeat it?" asked Naruto.

"He sealed it into his body, through his doujutsu, the Rinnegan, and powerful tools that were called the Rikudou Sennin no Hougu (8)," said Tsurina. "The people saw, and were amazed, and called him the Shinobi no Kami."

Inwardly, Naruto noted that people in the past had more sense than people now.

"What does the Rinnegan do?" asked Sasuke. He had heard it in legends, vague legends, but nothing concrete.

"It allowed him to use all the elements, and a host of other abilities," said Joumaru. "Like we said, he used everything at his disposal to quell the Juubi."

"S-so what happened after that?" asked Hinata.

"He lived for a long time, but his body gave out," said Tsurina. "Before he died, he sealed the Juubi's body into a great mass of rocks, and cast it into the sky, where it became the moon."

"But that's impossible," said Sakura. "No one can be that strong."

"Hence why he was called the Shinobi no Kami," said Tsurina. "Afterwards, he granted his powers to his children." She pointed at another picture; this one had the end of a bed, and at its foot sat two men. The man on the left had long black hair with two locks wrapped in bandages framing either side of his face and his eyes had a spiral pattern instead of iris' and pupils, and were turned up at the corners, with markings under them. He had his eyebrows clipped short, and was wearing a black robe, as well as a frown. The man on the right had short spiky hair with two locks of hair wrapped in bandages framing either side of his face in a similar manner to his brother. He also wore a forehead protector with markings on the sides but no symbol on the metal piece, and a black robe. He had coal black catlike eyes, a frown, and a visible aura around him.

"To his elder son, the man on left, he granted his eyes, chakra, and spiritual energy. To his younger son, the man on the right, he granted his life force and physical energy," said Joumaru. "The elder brother would go on to sire the Uchiha clan, and the younger brother would go on to sire the Senju clan."

Kiba snorted. "Great, gave Sasuke a bigger head, why don't you?"

"Watch it mutt," growled Sasuke. "Least I know now that my great power is hereditary."

"But what most don't know," said Tsurina, stopping the coming argument, "is that he had another child that he passed powers onto... a girl. His only daughter." She pointed at a picture of a woman with long dark red hair with two locks wrapped in bandages framing her face, a pair of catlike sea green eyes, and a necklace around her neck that bore nine magatama. She wore a black robe, and a sad smile on her face. "She received his knowledge, and the residual energies from the Juubi, that had been purified by the great Rikudou, as well as a combination of his physical and spiritual energy. She was tasked to look after her brothers, and aid them in bringing peace to the land. She would go on to sire the Uzumaki clan, and we would later form our own village; Uzushiogakure, the Hidden Swirling Tides Village."

"She was our p... pro... progenitor," said Naruto, understanding.

"Indeed," answered Tsurina. "Hence, why I loosely call Uchiha-san 'cousin'... because of our great ancestor, the Rikudou Sennin."

Everyone was silent. "That was... enlightning," said Kurenai. "But why does no one else know of this?"

"As time passes," said Joumaru. "History becomes myth, myth becomes legend, and things are forgotten. But we remember, because of our progenitor, who recorded our history."

"Wow," said Sakura. Then she remember something that they said earlier. "You said that there was an Uzumaki in Konoha before. What did you mean?"

Tsurina, Joumaru, and Daikani looked at each other. "That's for another time. Until then," she stood. "You must be hungry."

Storytime over, a number of stomachs began to growl. "So we are," slurred out Shino.

xxxxxxxxxx

Moments later found everyone being led through the double doors and staring at a large table with sixteen chairs (seven on each side, and one at each end) that had been laden with meat, fruits, and vegetables. There were two different large slabs of meat, one pale red, the other dark red; plates that held fruits, such as Nashi (9), apples, strawberries, cherries, peaches, watermelon, and kiwi; and plates that held vegetables, such as cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, leek, and renkon. There were plates, silverware, and drinking mugs filled with water at each placement, except for the end placement.

It was all mouth-watering. "How did you make all of this?" asked Kiba. Akamaru barked the question, too.

"That would be our doing," came a rich voice, from the side. The owner turned out to be a tall muscular man with an orange goatee, his orange hair cut into a medium mohawk with a lock drooping in between his blue-green eyes. He wore baggy grey cargo pants, shinobi sandals, a purple vest in the style of a coat, black gloves, and the Uzushio hitai-ate in the style of a sash across his chest beneath the vest. Around his neck was a necklace with two glowing blue crystals.

His companion was the watcher from before, who raised an eyebrow at the assembled shinobi. Both carried a large barrel, that each had a faucet.

"The name's Gekidou, Uzumaki Gekidou" said the one with the mohawk. "And this surly bastard is my triplet brother, Saitou."

"I'm surly because you had me take on that bear," growled Saitou. "Plus, we lost the old man."

"And gained a kinsman... possibly a child of Miren," replied Gekidou. "So things worked out."

Saitou snorted. Behind him, the green lizard-thing snorted as well.

"Ano..." began Hinata. "Are those cre-creatures summons?"

"Something like that," said Saitou. "More like companions. This guy's called Iago." Iago let out a cawing roar, revealing a mouth full of teeth like a Tiger Shark.

"And this is Geki," said Gekidou, as what looked like a purple and black frog with a medium length neck and three clawed toes appear over his shoulder. It had an Uzushio bandanna around its neck, and it let out a growling croak.

"Odo is mine," said Joumaru, holding the turtle-thing in his lap. Odo just stared at everyone.

"And my companion Prio is somewhere," said Tsurina.

"Not that I'm complaining," said Shino, having finally regained his feelings, "But what is the reason for the feast?"

"It is Uzumaki custom to throw a feast and song in celebration of an event," said Saitou, as he and Gekidou set down the barrels. "Usually a victorious battle, or a clan head, heir, or heiress birthday. In this case, the return of another member. We were actually setting up for the arrival of Toma-sama, who was returning from a mission, but he informed us that he would be late."

"Let's get started then!" said Naruto enthusiastically.

"First we bless the food," said Tsurina. She stood, and walked to a case, as Saitou brought over an item. Said item was a memorial tablet, with "Uzumaki Enishi" carved into it, and it was placed at the end of the table. Tsurina returned with two memorial tablets; one said "Rikudou Sennin" and the other said "Kuroku-hime". Upon placing them at the end, she bowed her head, with everyone following her example.

"O Creator, please watch over Enishi-sama, and let him join the fallen in a place of honor. Watch over your children, O Great Progenitors, and keep us on the path to do your work, to bring peace to these lands. Namu Amida Butsu."

When she finished, she motioned everyone to sit. On one side sat Saitou, Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Haku, and Gekidou. On the other sat Joumaru, Kurenai, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Tsurina, and Daikani. Soon enough, conversation ensued as everyone filled their bellies.

"Saitou-dono, how are you part of triplets?" asked Haku. "I mean no disrespect, but you look nothing like Gekidou-dono."

"The wonders of genetics," said Saitou. "You should see brother Geiruudou, if he were here."

"Where is he?" asked Hinata, nibbling on a peach, and sighing at the taste. This was good, possibly better than any fruit back home.

"With Toma-sama," said Tsurina, keeping an eye on Kiba. He was feeding Akamaru scraps of the dark red meat, and subtly giving her looks. She mentally shook her head... poor lust-filled child.

For his part, Kiba couldn't keep his eyes off of Naruto's hot cousin. That long red hair, that world-class rack that matched Kurenai-sensei, and the way that skirt parted at her hips, revealing creamy flesh...

"MINE!" came a voice from below. Kiba jumped as something like a snake with legs crawled up into Tsurina's lap and hissed at him. It was dark blue on top and tan on the bottom, with four legs that ended with three clawed toes. At its middle were a pair of talons that stretched a membrane that was attached to its arms and legs in a web-like pattern. It had silvery eyes and an Uzushio bandanna around its neck, which was wet, and a mouth full of small pointed teeth.

"Prio, there you are," cooed Tsurina, nuzzling the creature against her cheek. "I was getting worried."

"Tsu-Tsu," growled Prio, and hissed at Kiba, who raised his hands in surrender.

"Burned!" guffawed Gekidou.

In an attempt to change the subject, Kakashi said, "This red meat is delicious. I can tell that the other is pork, but what is this?"

"Bear."

Everyone that had eaten the red meat let out a choking noise, save for Kakashi and Akamaru who happily dug in. "You eat bear?" gasped out Sakura.

"Damn straight," said Saitou, laughing. "This particular bastard could have eaten one of you in two bites."

Naruto shrugged at dug in. Bear was good, probably as good as ramen. "I need to wash this down," he muttered, and walked to the barrel nearest to him.

"I wouldn't pick that one if I were you," said Saitou, as he watched Naruto filled up the mug.

"What is it?" asked Kurenai, poking at the bear meat on her plate, and reaching for some strawberries.

The answer came in the from of sputtering from Naruto as he snorted and gasped as the pink liquid dribbled out of his mouth. "What was that!?" he gasped. "It was sparkly and kicked me in the face. And I can still taste it."

"Dragonfruit Beer," said Gekidou, gulping down his own. "An Uzumaki specialty. It only grows in Uzushio no Kuni."

"BEER!?" gasped Sakura. "You can't give us that, we're underage!"

"Not really," said Kakashi and Tsurina. After a glance, Kakashi added, "The moment you get that hitai-ate, you're considered an adult. Besides, I was younger that you when I had my first drink."

"You were a Jounin when you were their age," retorted Kurenai, sipping a little Dragonfruit Beer. It burned going down, but it was deliciously sweet.

"Meh, details," said Kakashi, tossing a Nashi at Tsurina, who caught it and thanked him.

"We are trained to fight and die for our villages," said Haku, trying some. "Zabuza-sama once told me that the moment you became a shinobi, other doors opened to you... Old enough to kill, old enough to drink, old enough to smoke, old enough to fu-"

"Sage words," said Gekidou, raising his mug and gulping more down.

By this point, Naruto had filled up his mug, and was joined by Hinata, who took mug-full as well. Just to try.

"Hinata..." intoned Kurenai.

"Lay off," said Tsurina. "One little drink won't kill her."

"I can't condone it, though," retorted Kurenai.

Hinata, by that point, had sipped some down, and started gasping. "B-burning!" she gasped. "B-but so sweet..."

"I want some!" said Kiba, standing up. Shino pulled him down. "You are bearable in the best of times, and we would not like to see you drunk anytime soon."

"He's right," said Kurenai. "No more beer for anyone who's a Genin." That sent a round of laughter from the present Uzumaki.

"When you enter an Uzumaki Hall, you can expect four things," said Tsurina. "The four B's; Bed."

"Board," said Joumaru.

"Bear!" yelled Daikani, holding up a piece.

"And Beer!" added Gekidou.

"Hear, hear!" they cried, raising their mugs of beer, and downing them.

"What about song?" asked Naruto, shaking his head a little. He had gotten used to the Dragonfruit Beer.

"What would you like to hear?" asked Saitou.

"Something... triumphant," suggested Kiba.

Tsurina nodded, and started off, her melodious voice blending with the garbling calls and vocals the Uzumaki companion creatures provided.

"Born in the time of darkness and evil under the sign of God

glory's my mother fire's my brother sword my holy law.

Into the land of chaos and hate there is no place for me

and for the conquest of justice and honour I will use my steel."

Daikani took over, his voice a Tenor's; "Holy flame burn again for eternity

burn my heart to win.

The holy war is awaiting another fiery king."

Joumaru took over, his voice a rich Baritone; "Rage in my heart crossing the forest riding my black horse

Across the valley along the river where the hot blood flows.

Over the lakes and over the hills I follow the call of the wind

uphold the legend and for my princess I will fight and win."

Daikani took over again. "Holy flame burn again for eternity

burn my heart to win.

The holy war is awaiting another fiery king."

All of the Uzumaki, sans Naruto, sang the chorus: "Lord of the thunder please be my guide

before and after my last ride

I'll be your soldier serving the light

riding forever alive and proud."

(Lord of the Thunder, by Rhapsody)

There was applause throughout the hall as the Konoha shinobi plus Haku delighted in the song. At that point, the double doors opened, to reveal two figures. The first was a tall man with long reddish-orange hair wearing an open trenchcoat that was so dark a blue it was nearly black, and a bandana on his head that had the Uzushio plate on it. He also wore baggy black cargo pants with shinobi boots, fingerless gloves, and a necklace that held a glowing seven glowing blue crystals. He wore no shirt, and his visible chest had a scar going across his chest from the left side of his chest near the collarbone to his right side under his arm. His face reminded Kakashi and Kurenai of Sarutobi Asuma (without the beard), and had a scar that went from above his left eye to below his right eye, both of which were dark blue.

His companion was short, a little taller than Sakura. He wore a dark blue high collar coat, black pants and shinobi boots, and a bandana with the Uzushio plate. The only visible feature that could be seen were his blue-green eyes. Around his shoulders was what looked like a gray snake wearing a bandana with the Uzushio sigil, with little wings where arms would go, and little legs, with piercing green eyes.

Behind them came something reptilian the size of a tiger. It was light green, scaly, and had an Uzushio bandana around its extended neck. It walked on four legs like a tiger, on five-toed feet that ended in short claws, with the exception of the thumbs, which had sickle-shaped claws. On its shoulders were little lowered flippers, and it had light blue eyes that swept over everyone. It let out a rumbling growl.

"Whoa," was echoed by all the non-Uzumaki, sans Naruto, while Sakura, Haku, Kurenai, and Hinata blushed at the sight of the tall man.

"Easy Vulgo... It appears that things are in full swing," said the first one, his deep voice echoing.

"Hey, Toma!" shouted Gekidou.

"Geiruudou," called Saitou.

"... Brothers and cousins," came a soft voice from the covered Uzumaki.

"... He has a good sense of style," said Shino.

xxxxxxxxxx

Having his fill of food, Toma turned his attention to Naruto. "So, you're Kushina's boy..."

Feeling slightly tipsy, Naruto nodded. "That's mah mommy."

Toma chuckled, seeing the onset of the Dragonfruit kicking in. "So which one of these ladies is your intended?" he asked. "The Hyoton user?"

Haku blushed and shook her head.

"The pink-haired one?"

"HELL NO!" cried Sakura, outraged.

"The Hyuuga?"

Hinata blushed, but thanks to the effects of the Dragonfruit, she didn't pass out; she only giggled. "Not yet," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Oi!" Kiba was outraged. "Stick to your team!"

"Bite me, Kibble!"

"So I guess that vision of beauty next to Joumaru is out of the question, huh?" asked Toma.

Kurenai blushed. "For your information, I have a boyfriend."

"I knew there was something going on between you and Asuma," laughed Kakashi.

"I like girls, but I don't have a girlfriend," said Naruto, biting into a piece of bear. He tossed an Apple at Geiruudou, who caught it and nodded in thanks.

"Well," said Toma, "It's nice to know that there is no jeopardy for you. Miren's heir will need to continue his line though."

"That's the second time I heard that," said Sasuke, biting into a Tomato. "What does that mean?"

"It speaks of the three lines of the Uzumaki, of the royal line through Uzumaki Jirago, the grandson of the founder of Uzushiogakure," said Toma, tossing some watermelon at Vulgo, who caught it in its mouth. "He had three sons; Shouwa, the eldest; Heisei, the middle child; and Miren, the youngest. Shouwa deigned to handle international relations, so he passed it to Heisei, but Heisei chose to protect the village, so headship of the clan was passed to Miren."

"Most of us here are children from Heisei's line," said Tsurina. "The exceptions are Toma-sama, Daikani, and you, Naruto-sama."

"Who are Toma and Daikani...?"

"I am from Shouwa's line," said Toma. "The only other member of Shouwa's line left was Mito-sama."

Something clicked in Kurenai's head. "You don't mean Senju Mito, do you?"

"Who's that?" asked Kiba. Sakura answered, "She was the wife of the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama. She has a granddaughter named Tsunade, and not much else in known about her."

Toma frowned. "In any case, none of us know which line Daikani stems from. Enishi found him wandering in the woods of Hi no Kuni years ago. He looked like he had been tortured, but the truth was far worse... he had been experimented on."

Everyone gasped, and Daikani clenched his fists.

"An inspection yielded the presence of Jashinist blood in his body," growled Toma. "Some bastard contaminated the sanctity of an Uzumaki with that foul blood, for reasons I do not know. Coupled with our Kekkei, the result was that Daikani in damn near indestructible and hopelessly mad."

"I will never forget!" roared Daikani. "I will never forget that face... that limp black hair, those yellow slitted eyes, the purple eyeliner, the boys hanging around him... I will not forget that PEDOPHILE!"

That pronouncement caused the Genin to go green, and made the pale Kakashi and Kurenai suspicous. The yellow eyes were a trait that they knew that only one man had...

"In any case," said Toma, "Any other Uzumaki that remain loose in the Nations are likely Heisei-born or Miren-born... but Naruto-san is the only Miren-born that we know for sure."

"How did you get separated?" asked Hinata, the drink making her loose the stutter.

"It was... long ago," said Toma, leaning back and closing his eyes. "The Second Shinobi War was nearing its end. Kushina-sama was sent to Konoha as part of a shinobi exchange program, and stayed with Mito, while we received a girl named Akimichi Tatsuko, who would later father Joumaru."

"That... makes sense," said Kakashi.

"Anyway, Soragakure had been defeated, but not without great cost."

"Soragakure?" asked Shino, asking a question for once.

"The Hidden Sky Village," answered Geiruudou. "A country from across the sea whose shinobi found the secret to flight, though it was through mechanical aids. They fought in the Second Shinobi War in an attempt to establish themselves on the continent, and were defeated and destroyed by Konoha. They were supposed to be the most advanced shinobi village, followed by Yukigakure and Amegakure."

"Yukigakure?" asked Sakura. "Where's that?"

"In Yuki no Kuni," answered Kakashi. "I was there once, and have no desire to return. Too damned cold."

"Can I finish?" growled Toma. At the silence, he nodded. "Thank you. As I was saying, the battle against Soragakure was won, but we lost a great deal of numbers, for the Uzumaki were not the only clans in Uzushio. Our allies were the Juujin clan, the Beastmen; the Yuurei clan, the ghostly ones; and the Kisaragi clan, the shapeshifters. We, the quartet, faced down Soragakure with Konoha, only to face a new nightmare... After we exchanged shinobi, we were attacked by a combination of shinobi from Kirigakure and Iwagakure, led by the Sandaime Tsuchikage and Mizukage. They led a force of 2,000 shinobi, versus the 800 of Uzushio. But they had no way to reach us."

"Why?"

"Because the only way is by bridge and by water, but the water route was taken care of, by the whirlpools we placed. Yes, our Fuuin jutsu granted us the ability to create whirlpools wherever we placed them."

"Then how-?"

"One of our own was blackmailed into releasing the kill-seals on the only bridge to the mainland, the Great Birdge of Numenor, created by the grandfather of Jirago, Uzumaki Numenor."

"Poor Airen," lamented Tsurina.

Gekidou, Geiruudou, and Saitou broke out into a haunting melody. "The silent willows keep the ancient stone

Hidden behind that cryptic door

Rituals of terror quake all the ghostland

The bloody line now paints the cold floor

The evil pages are almost written

With the dark poison of flesh and bones

Fire is raining on the grey mountains

Waters are waiting for the last oath

The way is open... now they are coming

Called by the blasphemous words of the lord."

"And finally" said Tsurina, "the violent waves announce their arrival. And blood will soon be painting the beloved lamenting ocean."

The four of them sang, with Joumaru and Daikani joining in; "The way is open... now they are coming

Called by the words... the words of the lord."

Toma spoke as they ended. "Ethereal harmonies spread through all the air... The unreal calm before Elnor's end..."

(The Poem's Evil Page, by Rhapsody)

"They broke through the Gates of Elnor, but we made them work for it. We bought enough time for the civilians and the Miren-born to be evacuated, and got them off the island. But they were waylaid on the mainland by stragglers, and nearly killed them all... until Airen fought back. He and members of the Juujin fought... a mere 13 versus 90. They killed them all, but lost 7 of their numbers."

The Genin were entranced and so were Kurenai, Kakashi, and Haku. They had heard the tales of Uzushio fall, but... Haku furrowed her brow. "I mean no disrespect, Toma-dono, but you speak as if you were there."

"I was, my dear," he said. "I was 35 at the time."

Kakashi and Kurenai widened their eyes. "That would make you over 70 years old!" exclaimed Kurenai.

"Yeah, so?"

"You look like you're in your 30-40s," said Kakashi.

"Good genetics," said Toma.

That made the other Genin look at Naruto, who shifted. Would that be his fate? To be stuck at a young age appearance-wise while growing older?

"Anyway, we were outnumbered nearly 2 to 1, and we still fought. The Daishogun of Uzushio, Uzumaki Sorin-sama fell in battle against the Sandaime Mizukage, but he ensured that the Mizukage could never be a shinobi again. His son, Uzumaki Eiren, repelled the Sandaime Tsuchikage, but they still kept coming, and he realized what they were after... our wealth, our secrets, our knowledge. So he activated the Kamikaze seals."

"Another lamentation," said Geiruudou.

Toma sand this time, his light bass making the solemn recollection even more so. "My princess why must I assist at your death

I can't endure this tragic pain

Now I close your eyes while thunder strikes the sky

I cry to see the innocent die

Brothers I'm ready the ride can begin

For you I must win

Now the time has come farewell my dear old friends

Ancelot is calling for my help

From the sun of Elgard to the middle plains

For salvation of enchanted lands

I'm looking forward to avenge all those killed

To be face to face

Fire and steel

Follow me through my lands

You will burn hordes of hell

In the deadly raging flames of revenge

Come out from your abyss the tears seek revenge

For this cruel tragedy flames are burning high

Brothers I'm ready the ride can begin

For you I must win

Fire and steel

Follow me through my lands

You will burn hordes of hell

In the deadly raging flames of revenge."

(Flames of Revenge, by Rhapsody)

He wiped a few stray tears away. "To prevent everything from falling into the hands of our enemies, Uzumaki Eiren devastated our home. It was a pyrrhic victory; the invaders were driven off, but the village was destroyed. Eiren's next command was the trial of Airen, whom we found innocent by reason of extenuating circumstances, but Airen chose Excommunication for his forced betrayal."

The assembled Uzumaki shivered, except Naruto. Treading on eggshells, Naruto asked, "What's that mean?"

"It means that his family name is taken, he is expelled from the clan, and his Kekkei is sealed," said Geiruudou. "He chose it, even though he was innocent, because he felt that that was the only payment that would be fair."

Everyone paled. Living a life without their Kekkei... it would matter for Kakashi, since his was artificial, and Kurenai and Sakura had none, but it was a terrible fate.

"H-How was he blackmailed?" asked Haku.

"His family with the Juujin clan's heiress was held hostage; unless he let them past the gate of Ancelot and onto Elgard - that was the old name for Uzushio - then they would die. He did so, but once they were free and clear, they tried to kill them, and succeeded in killing Airen's wife, their companions, his two daughters, and his son. Airen survived, and vented his rage on any enemy he came across. And, under the order of survial, Eiren scattered us throughout the Shinobi World, awaiting the time to call us back."

"And now, after decades of being lost," said Saitou, smiling toothily, "We can go home."

"UZUSHIO!" roared the seven adult Uzumaki, standing. "UZUSHIO! WE WILL ENDURE!" They came together, mugs in hand, and clashed them together.

"UZUSHIO!" yelled Naruto, raising his mug and standing. He stood with them, raised his mug, and they clashed theirs with his. "We are not alone!" he yelled out joyously.

"The dobe's lost it," remarked Sasuke.

"He just discovered that he has family remaining," said Shino. "Could you do any less?"

Sasuke sighed, and begrudgingly shook his head, knowing full well and he would probably by happy as well. He watched as Naruto sung and swayed with the seven Uzumaki, then he watched in shock as Naruto turned around, and planted a deep kiss on the surprised lips of Hyuuga Hinata, who let out a small shriek.

"NARUTO!"

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(1) Ranzatsu = Confusion. The trigger word for the third Reinogan tomoe.

(2) Suiton: Suijinheki = Water Release: Water Encampment Wall.

(3) Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu = Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique.

(4) Magen: Jubaku Satsu = Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death.

(5) Gijuu Ninpou: Juujin Bunshin = Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Beast Human Clone.

(6) Shakujou = also called a Khakkhara, it is a Buddhist ringed staff used primarily in prayer, or as a weapon, that originates from India. The jingling of the staff's rings is used to warn small sentient beings (i.e. insects) to move from the carrier's path and avoid being accidentally trodden on. In ancient times it was used also to scare away dangerous animals. Ringing also is used to alert the faithful that there is a monk within earshot in need of alms. In Japan the shakujō became a formidable weapon in the hands of a practiced Buddhist monk. It could be used as a staff to block and parry attacks and the metal rings at the tip could be slammed into an opponent's face to momentarily blind him. At the very tip of the metal finial is a sharp point which can be used to attack weak points of the body. The bottom end of the khakkhara has a metal butt which can be used to thrust and hit an opponent. An opponent's weapons can also be easily deflected.

(7) Juubi no Daidarabotchi = Ten-Tail Giant

(8) Rikudou Sennin no Hougo = Treasured Tools of the Sage of the Six Paths

(9) Nashi = Japanese Pear. Generally sweeter than the American/European pears

That obnoxiously long definition is about the only time I'll do that, since not many people know what a Shakujou is.

When I went for the portrayal of the Uzumaki Clan, I tried to do something different. Everyone else portrays them as some noble clan along the lines of the Hyuuga; calm, cool, and collected. Well, I modeled them in that similar vein, but mixed in a bit of viking culture - hence the feast and song - with Ancestor Veneration, and a teensy bit of Monotheism. Just a bit. Which makes them connected as a family through the veneration of their ancestors, with the Monotheism giving them a "live and let live" philosophy, and they celebrate joyous and solemn occasion with feast and song. But when it comes down to it, they can be as civilized and powerful as a royal family can be [in that world]. I went with the band Rhapsody because they are my current favorite band, next to Masterplan and DragonForce.

And I, in no way, support underage drinking. I just stand by how the Shinobi World is portrayed; medieval-esque, with an emphasis on training the youth to fight for the village, which leads to the vices. I mean, it was stated somewhere once you earn the hitai-ate, you're essentially an adult. Kakashi became a Chuunin at the age of 6, and looked to be a Jounin around 13 or 14.

Please review, and ja ne!