Chapter 2: Realizations
A massive roar came out from the cage, and it blew Naruto back a couple of feet.
"Who dares enter this place?" A loud, intimidating voice said. It wasn't a yell exactly, but the source of the voice was obviously huge; a fact that was easy to infer, since the voice itself nearly deafened the young child.
Naruto felt some fear as he swallowed his saliva and looked into the cage. "Umm... it's me?" He ventured. "What. . .what are you? Who are you? And where am I?" Naruto asked, putting up a brave front.
"Hmmm... insolent child! I am the Great Kyubi no Kitsune! The destroyer of villages! The one who topples mountains, splits oceans in two and fells forests with a mighty swipe of my tails! All bow before me lest they feel my wrath!"
"Ummm... that makes no sense whatsoever. I mean, if all feared you, then why did my village's ninjas fight back? And, if they wouldn't want to anger you, then what made you angry enough to attack them in the first place?" Naruto deadpanned
"WHAT?! You, a mere child, DARES question my greatness?! Who do you think you are?" The greatest of all bijuu said.
"Uh. . .Naruto Uzumaki, and once again I ask, where the hell am I?"
"Impudent child!" The Kyubi roared. "You would do well to hold your tongue, and do NOT call me a furball!"
"Eh? I wasn't going to call you a furball."
"You were thinking it. Yes, I can read your mind, and... hey! STOP! You will not call me a furball or fuzzbutt! I will not be referred to by any degrading names, mortal!"
Naruto had to hold in a laugh at how he unintentionally messed with the so called 'mightiest bijuu'. "Moving on, can you tell me where I am now!?"
The Kyubi sighed as he looked at his container, still unable to believe that he was the reason he couldn't get out. "Fine, where you are right now is your mindscape. Right now, you are actually asleep."
"Oh, alright then." Naruto stared at the fox before a brief moment before asking, "How do I get back?"
The Nine Tailed Fox palmed his face with his paw as he groaned in annoyance. "Little idiot. . ." He mumbled to himself. "Child, honestly? This is your mind, so you have absolute control. Figure it out yourself."
"Stupid fox. Fine then, I'll find my way out! ALL BY MYSELF!" And with a huff, Naruto left the area, leaving the fox alone.
He walked for what seemed like miles, always turning, never stopping. "Jeez. . .damn fox. . .I can't believe that something like that inside my own gut!" He entered another large room, and stopped and stared. He was now in a room that didn't have any water on the ground, but instead, the room felt different in a "radiate obscene amounts of power" way. It was also decorated to an incredible detail; everything looked alive, from the paintings of lakes and forests, to the golden statues of warriors. At the far end of the room was a large display case that was hovering over what looked like a stain glass pedestal. Walking towards it, Naruto became increasingly nervous; everything around him looked far too real. When he finally saw what was inside the case, he gasped. Lying there were two of the most beautiful katanas that he had ever seen in his life. The first katana had a completely black blade with a crimson grip, but no guard. The sheath was also beautiful, and had the image of an electric blue Kirin on a dark grey background that vaguely looked like storm clouds. The second sword had a very exotic look to it. The blade was completely snow white, it had upward ridges coming out of the inside of the blade that made it look more deadly, a dark green handle, and an orange guard that looked like a hawk's head with gold eyes. The sheath was also exquisitely made, and it had many amber leaves imprinted on it. Whilst looking on the first blade, Naruto had the feeling that something was watching him. It also made him want to cut something. While staring at the second blade, Naruto had a feeling that a presence was protecting him, and not just watching. He also felt his spirits become elated by admiring the sword for some reason. He reached out to open the case and touch the blades, but a barrier flared angrily into existence. All of a sudden, the wall behind the case flashed white, and a message made of golden letters appeared, and it said:
Greetings, finder of the Blades. Ye have been watched by the gods, and they have deemed you worthy of being the closest to actually wielding them.
Naruto's eyes went wide as he read the text. "Whoa. . ." He breathed out as he continued reading the text as it appeared.
You see, long ago, these blades were forged for the gods by the greatest of all blacksmiths, and with them, they won a war with the dark forces that prowl this earth in weakened form. For you see, while the gods could strike these creatures down, they could not destroy them.
Naruto gulped as he read that part. "Yikes. . " He muttered.
Only a champion of the gods, blessed with these weapons, could ever hope to fully vanquish the evils of the War of Heaven. However, while you have shown that you are indeed worthy, the gods require one last test, to see if you are indeed the one that will lead the worlds of gods and man to peace.
"But. . .when? When is this test!" He excitedly asked, ready for it.
Your final test will not be known, nor will it be given to you; as you have passed their tests before, so now must you too pass this one. But be warned, mortal. For if you fail, you will be cursed, for the gods are not prone to giving 'second chances'. Now go, Naruto Uzumaki, and prove that you are worthy!
And, after Naruto read the last word, the room... vanished. He found himself staring at nothing but a wall. "If I am to be tested," the boy said aloud, "Then I guess I just have to do my best!"
At that moment, a fire lit in that boy's eyes: the fire of determination. With his new goal in mind, the boy who was chosen by gods left his mind, prepared to show them that he is, indeed, worthy.
Naruto forced his eyes open as he felt being under some bed covers. As he finally opened them, he instantly closed them from the bright white lights. Then, he remembered that he was still in the hospital. "I must have really scared ojiji when I went unconscious in front of him... I should probably apologize for the scare." He thought. As he lightly stretched his arms and legs to work out the soreness from yesterday's beating, a welcome face appeared in front of him. "Inu-san!"
"Hello, Naruto. How are you?" He asked, his voice laced with worry. "Are you alright? Hokage-sama was quite worried when you knocked out in front of him. He thought that the beatings had gotten to you."
At the mention of the beatings, Naruto's face turned dark for a second before quickly turning sheepish. Scratching the back of his head, he nervously laughed. "Well, you see, Inu-san... well, to put it frankly lot happened. And I'm not talking about what went on out there."
"I see. Well, Hokage-sama wanted me to report if you recovered. I will get him right away."
"Thank you, Inu-san." Naruto soon got himself out of bed as he then rushed to the Hokage's Tower, filled with energy.
Inu sweatdropped, and followed, muttering, "That works too..."
As Naruto ran through the village, he couldn't help but ponder over what had happened in his head. He knew it was all in his mind, and that at least the Kyubi part was real, but at the same time it felt like a very long dream. "Should I tell Oji-san about it?" He thought in question. "I probably should. I trust him, and maybe he can help me?"
As he walked into the Hokage's Tower, he waited at the door, and heard a conversation going on the other side. Curious, Naruto placed his ear to the door and started listening.
"Sarutobi, we need to kill Uzumaki! He'll become a major threat in the future!" The female elder said in a harsh tone.
"I refuse that course of action! We will not harm the child!" The Hokage said.
"Sarutobi, how could you say that?" The male elder said. "He is a demon, and should be destroyed for the safety of the village!"
"How dare you?!" The Hokage said with barely-controlled anger. "He is just a child. To think about killing a child is insane. The fourth has entrusted his child to us. The boy is his legacy, and I'll be damned before he is killed!"
The two elders glared at their leader and former teammate until the female stepped forward. "Regardless, he's still a-"
"Finish that sentence, Homura, and you'll be dead before you hit the floor." The Hokage suddenly said, rage curdling inside him.
"Is that a threat, Hiruzen? How dare you -"
"THAT'S ENOUGH! I WANT YOU BOTH OUT OF MY OFFICE THIS INSTANT!" Hiruzen yelled, having enough of their bullshit.
Thunk! A sudden sound reached their ears, and they all jumped towards the door. They swung it open, and found. . .nothing. The hallway was empty.
"Must've been someone who rushed by and tripped. Remember the attendant who scattered all of the papers across the hallway? It took the entire day to sort out." Koharu said.
The two elders spared one final glance towards the Hokage, and walked out of the office, and out of the building. Hiruzen was about to walk back in, when something caught his eye. Stooping down to pick it up, and cursing his bad back, he found. . .a hair. A medium-length, blonde hair. Wait, blonde hair? Only two people had blonde hair, so. . . "Oh no." Hiruzen whispered in horror. Summoning an ANBU, he practically yelled, "Get an ANBU team assembled, and find me Naruto Uzumaki! Hurry!" With a nod, the ANBU left. "I'm really getting too old for this..." Hiruzen thought. "Naruto... where are you going?"
On the outside of the Hokage's tower, Naruto gasped for breath as he was glad that they didn't know he was there. "Good thing I'm really fast. . ." He muttered as he then thought of the two elders. "So those guys were the ones who sent people out to kill me." He thought. His hands clenched, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. "Damn them! Damn them all!" Blind with anger and unspilled tears, Naruto ran. He ran and ran, and the villagers and shinobi could only stare at him, before looking back to the Hokage's Tower, where he had come from.
And there were all thinking, "What the heck just happened?"
Time seemed to warp to the young blonde. He felt like he had been running for hours. His lungs were burning, and when he stumbled on a tree branch and rested on the grassy floor, he already began to retrieve his breath, and calm his beating heart. He had never run so hard, so fast in his life - not even when the villagers would beat him to near-death, would he run this fast. He found a tree that had a small crevice within it, just big enough for him to fit in it. He squeezed in, covered the entrance with some leaves, and cried his heart out, still alert, still wary of any danger, but safe - for the moment. "I'll be alright for now. . .but. . .those two old farts with Hokage-Jiji. . .why do they want me dead? Cause of the fuzzbutt? Either way... as long as they're alive, and don't trust me, they'll keep trying to kill me. So maybe... maybe I have to kill them first! But the question is... how?"
"Use my power boy. . .I'll let you use it this one time. . ."
Naruto heard in his head. "Eh?! Why would I need your power, fuzzy? Huh?"
"Let's call it... insurance. this way, that you'll owe me a favor in the future. . .leave it at that. . ."
Naruto looked at his right hand as he gripped it into a fist. "I. . .I don't know. . ." He then noticed an orange glow appear around his fist. "Damn it! I don't need your power! Stop it!" He said frantically. "Stop! Stop!" The glow began to spread slowly, fighting against the will of Naruto. Soon, the glowing arm started to shift, as it looked like it began to turn into orange chrome, as if it was metal. A red looking jem that looked like a fox's eye appeared on the back of his hand as orange colored metal started to surround it, making a clawed hand, covering his arm, ripping part of his shirt. "W-What is this!?" A sudden burst of power, originating from the gauntlet, knocked Naruto out for the second time today.
"Ugh. . ." Naruto groaned, forcing his eyes open, only to see a sewer. "Damn it! Not again! That fox'll pay for this!" He stormed down the corridors, looking for the Kyuubi. When he finally reached the cage, his anger burst. "Baka fox! Why the hell am I back here? What the hell is... is this?!" He said, gesturing at his arm.
The fox only grinned, satisfied, but with what, Naruto couldn't fathom. "What? That little trinket? It is just... a gift."
"Well, what the hell is it?!"
"That, my kit, is the beginning, the Kitsune no Ikari, a weapon manifested from my chakra now bound to your entire arm. As you grow, it's power will also grow, shifting it's appearance slightly over time in response to your own growth. I'll also be able to talk through the red gem on it."
"So, the more I train, the stronger this gets as well?"
"Yes. It is like training yourself twice; you have your own strength, the gauntlet has it's own strength. Add them together, and you have twice the strength. Get it?"
"I think so. . ." Naruto said in an unsure tone.
"As a bonus, when you get strong enough, you will probably get another ability. However, your ability depends on how you grow, your personality, and the gauntlet itself."
"Dang. . .so, can I make it disappear visible so no one will freak out over the sight of it and try to kill me. . .again. . ."
"Umm... Yes. Just concentrate some chakra into it, and it will disappear. Obviously you can't do it in here, since technically you don't have chakra in your own mind, so you will see it anyway. But it will work in the outside world. When I talk to you through the invisible gauntlet, it will just look like a glowing red circle appeared on the back of your hand."
"That could be a problem if I'm sneaking. Red is an awfully bright color."
"Well, what do you want me to do? Make it look dark purple? It's my chakra, it always looks like that. If it bothers you, just put more chakra into it."
"Fine fine fine, jeez. . ."
"Now then," Kyubi snickered as he snapped his paw, making a red glowing portal appear on the ground front of Naruto. "Time to begin."
"Eh?" Naruto said, his head cocked to the side.
"I'm going to train you to use the gauntlet, fool. Now jump."
"Uhh... I don't trust you. Why should I?"
"Look, kit, if you want to be stronger, than I will make you stronger. Plain and simple. No strings attached." He said, smiling wolfishly (foxishly?).
Naruto eyed the portal one last time, before shrugging. "It's not like the fox can do anything while he's sealed. And I need to get stronger, so... Here we go!" And with that thought, he jumped into the portal.
The Kyubi's smile grew as he watched Naruto go in and heard him screaming. "Fool! Oh well," he thought, the smile never leaving his face. "Now, I have the perfect opportunity to force the brat to use my power and possibly bring out my armor. Finally, I may have the means to free myself!" He laughed maniacally, before being sucked into the portal after Naruto.
~Chapter end~
A/N:
S-98: Hello everyone, and welcome! This is chapter 2 of The Uzumaki Files: Genesis! So, Naruto has been chosen to wield two legendary swords (if he proves himself), found out the two people that wanted him dead the most, he got a new gauntlet, and Kyubi is now planning on freeing himself through Naruto using his chakra! How suspenseful! What do you think, JG?
JG: Gotta say, it will be interesting to say the least! Will our fishcake named friend survive or will he be fox food?! And what's this armor the Kyubi was talking about?
S-98: Good questions! Unfortunately, Mistery Maiden has been unable to help us with this story, due to school just starting. I myself have been having some trouble with school, and I think JG has to!
JG: DAMN YOU SCHOOL!
S-98: Yup. So, Read and Review, or else! Hahahaha!
JG: Also give us new ideas we can use, it will be well appreciated! Later everyone!
S-98: Yep! See you next time on The Uzumaki Files: Genesis!