Zodiac no Shinobi
Unknown-nin345: Hello there everybody! I have some big news: I have decided on the pairing! It will be Naruto x Multiple Girls…But I won't be outright telling you until all of the girls have been revealed over the course of the story. So you'll just have to wait. :)
On with the fic!
Naruto sighed in annoyance as he stood outside the double doors that led to the room where the 'Advisory' Council of Konoha waited. The blonde jinchuuriki knew without a shadow of a doubt that he'd rather be anywhere else right now, preferably back at his apartment with Iruka and Mizuki so that he could learn more about his mother. But, before he could learn more than her name, a member of Konoha's Anbu forces had shown up and informed Naruto that he was being summoned by the Hokage to appear before the Council of Konoha.
So here he was, feeling very much like he was about to enter the lion's den. After taking a deep breath to fortify his nerves, Naruto pushed open the doors and calmly marched into the room. The blonde-haired teen came to a stop at a signal from the Sandaime Hokage, whom Naruto bowed low to.
"You requested my presence Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked, still deep in his bow.
Before the Sandaime could answer, one of the civilian members of the council (who incidentally had bright pink hair) screeched, "Stay silent you worthless demon! You have no right to speak amongst your superiors!"
Naruto gave no indication he had even heard the screeching as he remained bowed. Hiruzen chuckled mentally as he gestured for Naruto to rise from his bow. The blonde teen did so, his eyes only facing the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama, may I ask why Uzumaki-san is here before us?" asked one Hiashi Hyuuga, with barely concealed contempt.
The Sandaime spared him a short glance before he began speaking, "I have called Uzumaki Naruto here today because he has recently discovered the truth about his 'condition' as well as why he was used to be the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."
"What truth?" another one of the civilian members interrupted, "That Yondaime-sama chose him simply because the demon's bastard father and bitch of a-" This councilmember was interrupted by a crushing force that smothered and pushed down on the room, making it hard to breath for all aside from the Sandaime and a couple of the Shinobi clan heads.
"DoN't eVEr!" Everybody's attention was drawn down to Naruto, who was glaring at the civilian councilmember with burning crimson eyes. "SpEAk THaT wAy AboUT mY mOTheR!" If one looked closely enough they could see the blonde's canines elongating slightly, along with his fingernails.
The Sandaime decided to 'save' the undeserving civilian, "Naruto." When the blonde teen looked in direction the old Hokage continued, "Calm yourself. This man isn't worth your anger."
Slowly Naruto's eyes returned to their normal blue state but still held their anger. "I apologize for my outburst Hokage-sama, but I will not stand to hear anyone spout such things about my mother," Naruto said after a quick bow to the Hokage.
"And what about your father?" asked one Nara Shikaku with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"That coward can suffer his fate inside the stomach of Shinigami-sama!" Naruto answered with venom dripping from every word. This statement brought quite a few looks of surprise on some of the more informed clan heads features.
"Hokage-sama…does he mean..?" Inuzuka Tsume, leader of the Inuzuka clan, trailed off as she realized the implications of Naruto's words.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed as he nodded his head, "Yes Tsume-san. Naruto-kun here is the son of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato." Absolute silence met that statement. "On the night of the Kyuubi Attack, I decided to hide Naruto's true heritage until he either discovered it himself or I deemed him strong enough to protect himself from the wrath of any potential enemies his father's, and mother's, exploits might have garnered. Last night Naruto-kun learned just who his parents were after he stole the Forbidden Scroll of Seals and…awakened his Kekkai Genkai."
Muttering met this new piece of information before one Akimichi Chouza spoke up, "Hokage-sama, might we know what exactly this Kekkai Genkai is? As far as I know, Yondaime-sama didn't possess one and I had thought Kushina-san didn't either."
The Sandaime nodded before looking down at the new genin, "Naruto-kun's kekkai genkai is quite unique; a characteristic that definitely seems to suit him and his mother when she still resided in Konoha. It allows him access to twelve different abilities, each one linked to an animal of the Zodiac. Kushina-chan showed me some of these abilities and told me about the rest of them and I must admit that I was a little envious of these abilities. Also, there is apparently a second level to the kekkai genkai that also the user to generate a cloak of chakra in the shape of one of the animals that acts like a protective armor of sorts. Unfortunately I never had the pleasure of seeing this particular level though."
Hyuuga Hiashi sneered slightly, "While it sounds impressive, it still doesn't not compare to the might of the Byakugan."
As he glanced toward the man, Naruto only had one thought run through his head, 'How the heck can Hinata-chan be related to this jackass?'
Hiruzen frowned slightly at the man, "If you knew what some of these abilities could do you would not speak so lowly of Naruto-kun's abilities Hiashi." The Hyuuga Head only scoffed. "Moving on, there is just one last bit of business concerning Naruto-kun."
After clearing his throat, the Sandaime gestured to a small box in front of him. "This box carries several of the treaties that Minato made during his tenure as Hokage with the other Hidden Villages. However some of them had a small…stipulation attached to them."
Naruto gulped nervously as an unsettling feeling began to settle in his stomach.
Seemingly not noticing, Hiruzen continued, "This stipulation being an arranged marriage between a person of that village's choosing…and Minato's child." Naruto's eyes were about pop out of his head before the aged leader dropped the proverbial bomb. "Two of these treaties have this stipulation."
After a moment of silence, the head of the Aburame clan asked, "And which villages requested this stipulation Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen sighed and prepared himself for the outburst sure to come, "Kirigakure no Sato and Kumogakure no Sato."
As expected Hiashi leapt to his feet, "This is preposterous! There is no way I will be convinced to accept such an engagement. Not with them!"
The Sandaime turned a stern eye to the Hyuuga Head, freezing the man in place, "These treaties are above you Hiashi, and you will have no choice but to accept." Seeing the stubborn man slink back into his seat, Hiruzen turned back to Naruto (who was extremely close to passing out from shock), "Naruto-kun I will summon you at a later date to discuss this in more detail. Dismissed."
Robotically, Naruto bowed before turning and exiting the room, exerting all his willpower to wait until he had passed beyond the doors before he took off running. After running for what felt like forever Naruto found he had arrived in one of Konoha's many training grounds. With a groan, Naruto slunk down to the ground with back against one of the various trees littering the training ground.
"Ugh, why me?" the blonde-haired teen asked no one in particular. Realistically he knew that most guys would kill to be in his position, being able to be with two women at once was nearly every males dream. And Naruto was not above admitting he had entertained a thought or two about it before.
But there were too many revelations that had rocked his world in the short time span they had been revealed. His head felt like it would burst the more he thought about it so he close his eyes and tried to just relax. Slowly the sounds of the world around him faded away, leaving him floating in a sea of calmness. When the blonde opened his eyes, what he saw shocked him immensely.
He was now standing ankle-deep in the water of some dark and foreboding sewer. Dripping pipes lined the ceilings and walls; some pulsed with a bright blue light whilst other pulsed with a chaotic red light. Looking left and right, Naruto quickly picked a direction and started aimlessly walking.
After what felt like many hours of walking, Naruto noticed that the glow from the red pipes seemed to be getting brighter. This continued until Naruto came upon a wide open room.
The room itself didn't have much in it, just twelve stone pedestals that each had one of the animals of the zodiac resting on it, each pulsing with a low blue light. The end of the room drew Naruto's attention though due to the gigantic iron bars that vertically ran up to the endless ceiling of the room. Naruto moved closer to the bars, drawn closer by some feeling he couldn't discern.
When he came within a couple yards distance, two bright red eyes with slit-like pupils flashed into existence behind the bars. Those twin eyes stared at Naruto with such an intensity that Naruto stood frozen, but not from fear. It was like those eyes were seeing into the deepest parts of his soul to judge his character.
"So, my newest container decides to show himself. Hmm, you have the potential to become great but something is holding you back," a booming voice suddenly stated, startling Naruto slightly. "But far be it from me to forget my manners. Come young one; let us exchange pleasantries so that we way move onto more important matters." A tendril of red chakra suddenly leaked out from behind the bars, stopping a couple feet in front of Naruto. To the blonde's surprise the chakra suddenly began to take a more humanoid shape.
When the chakra finished manifesting Naruto grudgingly admitted that the man stood before was definitely impressive looking.
He had dull silver-gray hair that cascaded down his back to below his waistline with two bangs framing the sides of his angular face. Bright crimson eyes with slitted black pupils stared directly at Naruto, making the blonde feel a myriad of emotions. The man was wearing a bloody-crimson thigh-length leather jacket with metal shoulder guards being the only indication that this man had ever heard of the word 'armor'. He wore no shirt; instead he had two leather wrappings form an 'x' over his muscular torso. Covering his legs were black pants that led down to heavy combat boots. Finishing of the man's appearance was a nine-foot-long nodachi that rested on his shoulder. (A/N: Just picture Sephiroth from FF7 with a red jacket and red eyes being the only difference. In my defense, I was watching Advent Children whilst typing up this chapter.)
"So, I finally get to meet my newest container. I must say I was expecting our meeting to occur a little later in your life," the man suddenly said, his voice carrying with it the wisdom and experience of a battle-hardened warrior who had existed since the beginning of time.
Naruto took a small gulp to steady himself before he asked, "You're the Kyuubi no Kitsune, aren't you?"
The man nodded, with a small smile on his face, "Indeed I am young Uzumaki, though that is but a title. My real name is something that you shall have to earn the privilege of learning, just like your mother and my first container had to do when I was housed within them."
"My mother was once your container?" the blonde Uzumaki asked in little more than a whisper.
"She was and I still consider it to have been a great honor to have fought alongside her. Just as it is my greatest hope that I will be able to say the same of her son." The Kyuubi paused he remembered his time with Naruto's mother. "Your mother was a woman whose passion would shine out in everything she did. No matter what it was, she always gave her all in every endeavor she undertook. You carry that same trait young one."
Naruto blushed slightly and bowed his head towards the Kyuubi, "Thank you for your words Kyuubi. I hope I'll be able to make my mother proud of me one day. Will you help me make that possible?"
The Kyuubi nodded, "Your life has been a hard one so far young one, and it will still be a hard one long after today. So, I will help you along with this burden, as long as it is yours to bear. I swear this on every bit of honor I possess Naruto. I will help you become a warrior whose name shall be known in every corner of the world. You will become one of the strongest fighters in history and your name shall be remembered even after a thousand years have gone by. As I speak, so mote it be!"
The Kyuubi took his sword and made a small cut on the palm of his hand before pressing the bloodied hand against his chest. A hissing sound came from the contact as smoke rose where the palm was pressed against his chest. When the Kyuubi moved his hand away, the burnt image of a hand could be seen on his chest.
Naruto was floored by the promise just made by the nine-tailed fox and bowed deeply to the bijuu, utter respect flowing with every word, "Arigatou gozaimasu Kyuubi-dono. I will do my absolute best to ensure that your faith in me is not displaced. This I promise and I never go back on my word."
The Kyuubi just smiled at the teenager before him, "I know you won't Naruto. Even with all that has happened in your life you possess one of the strongest hearts I have ever seen. But enough of all this, now I suggest we move on to figuring out how to transform you from what you are now into a warrior of legend. And the first thing I would suggest is a wardrobe change."
"Believe me Kyuubi-dono, while I like orange I would gladly pick more shinobi-appropriate attire. However, I haven't been able to find a store that will allow me to shop in peace or not overcharge me for the simplest of things," Naruto said with a small scowl.
The Kyuubi smirked slightly at that, "You just leave that to me Naruto. I guarantee that when you leave here you will garbed in clothes that will represent who you are and since they will be made out of my youkai, they will be impervious to any damage that might be caused by any ningen you might come across and should you desire a change then all you to do is think it and your clothing will change."
Naruto smiled back at the Kyuubi and bowed his head, "Thank you Kyuubi-dono. I can tell already that you will perhaps be my greatest ally in the years to come."
"It is no trouble at all young one, but we can talk more later. Right now, I believe you should go say hello to a certain 'princess' who is currently observing you from afar," the fox stated with a humor-filled smirk. Oh, the teasing ammunition he could get with this. He might have been a wise, centuries old warrior…but trying spending a couple decades sealed inside two people whose love of pranks rivaled that of the trickiest of kitsunes and see how serious you still are.
Naruto blushed lightly since he had a good idea who this 'princess' was and cleared his throat to regain some self-control, "Uh, right. Well, wish me luck Kyuubi-dono." With that Naruto's body started to vanish from the mindscape.
With a small chuckle in his throat, the Kyuubi no Kitsune walked back to the bars of his cage, "Believe me Naruto, even Lady Luck herself couldn't make you any luckier than you already are."
- (With Naruto) -
The blonde-haired teen opened his eyes and stood up from his position against the tree. Before he took off to go greet the 'princess', he looked down and saw that the Kyuubi had made good on his promise and if he had any say about it, Naruto thought that he looked pretty damn good.
He was now wearing a sleeveless black high-collar jacket that was unzipped enough to leave his neck visible; underneath that was a rust orange short-sleeve shirt. A thick leather belt held up black pants, with an orange stripe going down the front, which had a couple cargo pockets scattered on the legs with black combat boots covering his feet. Attached to the belt was a dull silver half-kilt that hung down to just above Naruto's ankles. Finally, on his left shoulder was metal shoulder guard in the shape of a fox's head. (A/N: Mainly Clouds' outfit from FF7 Advent Children, minus the color changes and metal fox head. Again, I was watching that movie whilst typing this up.)
After he had finished inspecting himself, Naruto nodded and began to make his way to where he could feel the 'princess' was hiding. After a couple steps though the blonde jinchuuriki stopped as a tremendous pain erupted in his abdomen, right where the seal was, that brought him to his knees. He could feel a scream rising in his throat as a pitch-black hole suddenly appeared on his abdomen as an immense pressure settled on the clearing, suffocating the life out passing small wildlife and wilting the plant life within a foot wide circle around Naruto.
Guided by some instinct he couldn't have a hope of explaining, Naruto reached into the hole in his stomach, generating even more pain and finally ripping forth the scream that had been building in the blonde's throat. After what felt like an eternity of suffering Naruto felt his hand wrap around something and began to pull on it. The pressure in the clearing rose to even greater heights, along with Naruto's screams, as the hilt of a sword suddenly began to slowly slide out of the hole with a midnight black blade following it. In a flash of blinding light, Naruto finally pulled the sword out of his body.
When the light had died down and his breathing had evened out, Naruto looked down at the sword in his hand. It was a normal enough ninjato except for a couple differences. The metal of the blade was a shiny matte-black color and was nearly four feet in length. The guard was oddly shaped for such a sword, in fact Naruto could not recall ever having seen such a shape before (A/N: Since I'll probably botch the description, just go Google 'Triquetra'). The hilt was wrapped in a white cloth that felt as soft as silk and had nine-pointed star dangling from a small golden chain at the end of it.
"Where did this come from?" Naruto softly asked as he stared in wonder at his sword.
"It would appear that you received more from me than any of my previous containers Naruto," the Kyuubi mentally stated.
'So you know what this is Kyuubi-dono?' Naruto asked, not speaking aloud so as to not alert any watchers.
"Yes. It would seem you have inherited my ability to possess a soul sword or zanpakutou. This is an extension of your soul used for the sole purpose of fighting, for what reason is yours to decide. But this sword will eventually grant abilities beyond that of the norm, even by your shinobi standards." The Kyuubi explained to his young charge.
'Abilities?' Naruto asked as he looked dubiously at the sword.
The Kyuubi nodded, even though Naruto couldn't see the action, "Indeed Naruto. These abilities vary from sword to sword because no two people fight the same way. Everyone is different and, as such, holds a different attitude towards fighting. But in order to use these abilities you will need to learn the name of your zanpakuto in order to activate its shikai. Then, if you can prove yourself and surpass all of you limits, you will be able to achieve a level of power known as… bankai."
Naruto stayed silent for a moment, even though it was whispered in his mind, the blonde teen could still feel the absolute power that word held. 'Have you reached such a level Kyuubi-dono?' Naruto eventually asked the nine-tailed fox.
"Yes and in achieving my bankai, I also gained my ninth tail which cemented my position as the Kyuubi even though there were other eight-tailed beasts who hoped to gain that position and title." The Kyuubi paused in thought for a moment, "But, I don't believe I can recall a human ever having a zanpakuto before so I am unsure as to whether or not there will be side effects."
"That's okay," Naruto said, suddenly choosing to speak aloud. "Whatever happens I'll face it like I have every other obstacle in my life: with my head held high, back straight, and fists ready to beat the shit out of whoever gets in my way." The blonde shinobi then moved the sword behind his back, placing it into a sheath the magically appeared out of nowhere diagonally across his back. "Now then, I think I've kept my princess waiting long enough." He took a single step forward, vanishing in a burst of speed as he did so.
When he came to a stop, Naruto felt a little dizzy and took a moment to get his bearing back, 'What the heck did I just do? I'll have to ask Kyuubi-dono, see if he knows.' Coming back to the real world, Naruto found himself standing a little ways from a frantic-looking Hyuuga Hinata. Stifling a small smile, Naruto stealthily tiptoed closer until he stood directly behind her and, before she could notice, wrapped his arms around her in loving hug.
The lavender-eyed girl tensed briefly before she turned and returned the hug. After a couple moments of silence, Hinata could tell that something was bothering the blonde-haired boy since the majority of the times when he would hold her quietly like this his mind would always be in turmoil.
Hinata pulled away slightly and rested a hand on Naruto's cheek as she softly asked, "Is something troubling you Naruto-kun?"
Naruto sighed, placing one of his own hands on hers, before answering, "A lot of stuff has happened since the graduation exam yesterday Hinata-chan. I've had a whole lot of bombshells dropped on me and I feel like my head is just going to explode!"
Hinata was silent for a moment before she pulled Naruto over to a tree and down into a sitting position. She then leaned up against him as she said, "Why don't you tell me everything? Maybe sharing it with somebody will help lighten the load."
Naruto nodded before launching into his tale, telling her everything that had happened since the graduation exam. He even let her read the letter left to him by the Yondaime. She surprised Naruto by uttering some swear words directed at the former Kage. When he reached the part about the marriage contracts, the teenage kunoichi got a strange gleam in her eyes but didn't say anything about it.
"And that brings us to where we are now Hinata-chan," Naruto finished, running a hand through the lavender-eyed girls hair. They both fell silent for a moment before Naruto asked, "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking we should get some cinnamon buns and ramen," Hinata answered absently. She looked up at the blonde who had a small smirk on his face. "Oh fine, spoil my fun. I'm really thinking I'm glad you found out whom your mother is and that she still might be alive. Hopefully we'll be able to run into her on one of our missions outside of Konoha. From what you've told me so far I'd really like to meet her."
"Thanks Hinata-chan," Naruto said, leaning down to plant a small kiss on the lavender-eyed girl's forehead. "You always know how to cheer me up."
Hinata smiled back at him, blushing lightly from the kiss. "Well as the girlfriend of the future Hokage of Konoha, I'll have to know how to cheer you up when you're all bogged down with paperwork."
Hearing Hinata so casually reaffirm her belief in his dream brought a bright smile to Naruto's lips as he leaned down and caught her in a scorching kiss that made both of them feel incredible. As he lost himself in the feel of his girlfriend's lips, Naruto thought back to the day that started him down the path to gaining this angel as his girlfriend.
A couple months ago Naruto had been heading back home after a particularly rigorous training session. Unfortunately, in his tired state Naruto didn't notice the group of drunken villagers tailing him until it was too late. A bottle to the head stole most of Naruto's coherent thought and the villagers laid into the blonde-haired jinchuuriki who both too tired and dazed to fight back. Eventually the villagers just got tired and left Naruto lying in a puddle of blood and alcohol.
After an hour or so Naruto finally managed to get enough strength back into his body to stand up, though he had lean heavily against the wall of a nearby building. However the blonde jinchuuriki only made it a couple teetering steps before he fell back down to his knees. Naruto suddenly felt one of his arms moving not of his accord and glanced to the side to see that Hinata had brought Naruto's arm over her shoulders and was now helping him walk.
Eventually they came to Naruto's house (days later Naruto would ask Hinata just how she knew where his house was, which lead to her admission of her favorite pastime and endless teasing from Naruto) where Hinata helped the wounded Naruto inside before patching him up as best as she could along with using a medicinal cream she had made that worked wonders on Naruto's wounds. Shortly thereafter Naruto surrendered himself to the realm of dreams so that his body could heal.
When Naruto awoke the next morning, it was to the sight of Hinata sleeping in a chair next to his bed. He had been awestruck by how beautiful she looked sleeping (also because she wasn't wearing her normal beige coat, which left only her skintight purple tanktop covering her torso) and when her eyes fluttered open, Naruto felt like his breath had been stolen from him. After making sure that Naruto was okay, Hinata left after being thanked by Naruto.
Naruto and Hinata continued to meet in secret, both agreeing that it wouldn't be wise for them to be public about their friendship until they were better able to defend themselves if what happened the night they met was any indication. After a couple weeks of this, Naruto finally gathered the courage to finally ask Hinata to be his girlfriend. Hinata was frozen in shock for barely a second before she had launched herself at Naruto whilst screaming 'Yes!' over and over.
Naruto came back from his trip down memory lane in time to notice his girlfriend had moved to straddle his lap while his hands had migrated to her pert round buttocks. Eventually, and with great reluctance, Naruto pulled back from the kiss and rested his forehead on Hinata's as he stared into her lavender eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with all of this, specifically the marriage contracts?"
"While I would like to keep you all to myself, I know that if you did end up with more than one wife you would never favor one over the others…your heart is simply too big," Hinata said softly. "Any woman lucky enough to find a place in your heart would never have to worry about not being loved. That is one of your greatest qualities Naruto-kun."
Naruto placed a small kiss on her lips, "Alright then. If you're really okay with this Hina-chan then I'll let Oji-san know that I have no problems accepting the marriage contracts." After another kiss with his girlfriend the blonde asked, "So who do you think your teammates are going to be?"
Hinata nibbled her bottom lip in thought, an action that greatly distracted Naruto, "Hmm, if they're going to try and make specialized teams, like they did with Neji-niisan then I'll probably be put with Shino-kun and Kiba-san to make a tracking or reconnaissance team. Kurenai-neechan mentioned she would try to get Hokage-sama to place her as my sensei."
Naruto nodded in agreement, "Knowing my luck I'll be put on the same team as emo king and the pink banshee with a sensei that won't teach me anything. Heck he'd probably focus all his attention on the Uchiha, only to have all his efforts blow up in his face."
"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked after giggling at the nicknames Naruto came up with.
Naruto sighed and leaned his head back against the tree as he explained, "Sasuke-teme only cares about one thing: gaining more power to kill his older brother, the one who killed off the rest of their clan. To Sasuke any road is worth traveling…even a road where he leaves behind dozens of bloody corpses in his wake, so long as he can gain the 'power' he thinks he needs to kill his brother. As soon as Sasuke thinks he has learned all he needs from whatever teacher he has at the time, he'll cast off that person and move on to the next avenue of power no matter where it comes from."
Hinata frowned and cradled Naruto's cheeks with her soft hands as she asked, "How can you be so sure of this Naruto-kun?"
"I've snuck into the Uchiha district a couple times, mostly to escape the drunks that like to go 'fox hunting', and I've heard Sasuke talking either to himself or to his parents' gravestones about how he needs to kill his brother. Trust me Hinata-chan, I doubt Sasuke's capacity to follow a good path," Naruto answered somberly.
After hearing such a statement from the one she loved, Hinata wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, wanting to feel the warmth and comfort she always felt whilst in his arms. "Well I know that Uzumaki Naruto will only want to walk down the path of good. You will become the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato one day my love and I will be at your side for as long as my love lasts."
Naruto placed a gentle kiss on her lips, "For eternity then and I wouldn't have it any other way Hinata-chan." Suddenly a mischievous grin lit up Naruto's face, "Say Hinata-chan? What do you think about one last prank? Something that will not only say we're together but will stick it to your father and show that you're not the weak little wallflower he thinks you are?"
A similar grin appeared on Hinata's lips, "I think you've been a bad influence on me Naruto-kun, what did you have in mind?"
- Chapter End –
Unknown-nin345: Well there's the end of the second chapter. I honestly didn't intend for it to become this long but then I got carried away with Naruto's first meeting with Kyuubi. Yes, Hinata is one of the girls Naruto is going to be with. (Shrugs) What can I say, I'm a huge NaruHina fan.
Let me know what you thought and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.