The Missing Hokage: Rise of the Shōkan-ō

REVIEW RESPONSE:

1jmg1988: Who said it was just NaruHina, the challenge said it could be either NaruHina or Harem, and if you've read any of my other stories, you know which I prefer.

2The Elemental Dragon Emperor: Thanks for the support.

3VanillaIce1: Thanks, I tried to get the first chapter as a good framework being set for the series, and I think you'll enjoy this chapter.

4Benjamin236: Thanks I'm just trying to apply my own unique style and spin to this great challenge.

5NoLifeKing666: Thanks, glad you like what I write, and I hope this story meets your standards.

6Yamamato: Thanks, and while Tsunade may not get to punish those two to her heart's content, they will suffer. I assure you.

7GODHAND Gene: Thank you for those words of most unarguable wisdom, and I will do my best to meet your high standards.

8chm01: Don't worry; I'm actually planning on doing something a bit different for his bloodline (read on to find out).

9JAYSEN: Thanks, and here's some more for you.

10sleepingdragon504: I don't know if it's the first one, but it plays well with the plans I have for Naruto's development in this fic.

11FenrirCrinos: I know, I just thought, that well seeing her cousin, who's she just starting to get close to again thanks to a certain blonde, getting put in the hospital in critical condition, and then having to go through the emotional roller coaster Hatake-teme put them through, and then finally seeing her crush, who just so happens to be the reason her family is coming back together, about to be kicked in the head by a person who he'd done so much for would be enough to set even someone like Hinata off.

12Mr D Knight Of the Woo: Thanks and don't worry, being able to summon multiple species is a part of the challenge's requirements and I fully intend to meet it.

13raw666: Thanks, I think, and don't worry and here's another chapter to help you make you decision

"Normal Speech"

'Normal Thought'

"Demon Speech"

'Demon Thought'

Jutsu

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other media.


Chapter 2: The Council Demands, Tsunade Plans, and the Fox Gives a Gift

(The Next Day, Konoha Council Chambers)

"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?" shrieked out the Slug Sannin turned Godaime Hokage.

The volume of the blonde Sannin's shout alone was enough to make a certain pink-haired Genin jealous. However, unlike the shrill sounds of the fangirl's shriek, Tsunade's enraged voice sounded more along the lines of a roar than an actual shriek. That combined with her slamming her fists onto the table, nearly shattering it, and the amount of killing intent she was subconsciously releasing, was enough to send most of the civilian members of the council scurrying backward and the shinobi members reaching for their weapons.

"It is the decision of the council that both Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha will not be tried as traitors for their actions. It is also our decision that Naruto Uzumaki is to be banished from Konoha." stated the cold tone of the ancient war-hawk known as Danzo Shimura, who was currently sitting on the opposite side of the table between his fellow members of the Elder Council: Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, her sensei's former teammates.

"Explain yourselves." hissed the Hokage, glaring directly at the elders, "First of all the Uchiha attempted to defect from Konoha to one of our greatest enemies, and you want to let him get off scotch free? As for Hatake, he not only abandoned a severely injured comrade, a Genin under his direct authority no less, to die, but lied to me about it." she growled out.

"Please, you can't blame the boy when his actions were obviously not of his own control." stated Homura calmly, the elderly man speaking with a crisp and calm decorum. "It's obvious from our reports that the Curse Mark that Orochimaru inflicted on the boy negatively influenced his personality. Our reports clearly show that the boy had been suffering from fits of aggressive and antisocial behavior since that man infected him. Combined with the mental trauma the Uchiha Massacre and his brother's betrayal caused the boy, and his strong desire to avenge his clan, the boy was obviously not in his right mind. Steps are being taken to ensure that this doesn't happen again; we already have seal masters working on a way to permanently suppress the seal, and we have also placed a locater tag on the boy's leg to ensure any other attempts at kidnapping will be futile."

"As for young Kakashi," stated Koharu, "our interview with him showed that while the man did make a mistake, it wasn't one worthy of the crimes you're blaming him for. From Kakashi's rendition of the events, the man was quite certain that Naruto would die before he could get him back to Konoha, while he was uncertain about Sasuke's condition. Clearly the man believed that Naruto was beyond his ability to save so he focused on saving the one student he thought he was capable of helping. As for lying to you, well I can't really blame the poor boy. It is well known how close you and the young Uzumaki are, if he'd told you the exact truth you'd have probably killed him then and there." stated the elderly woman her voice filled with false sympathy.

"What about the statement Pakkun gave me? From that it's quite clear that Hatake's intentions in leaving behind Naruto were wholly malicious." snapped Tsunade

"Hmmph." snorted Koharu, "The word of one of our ninja far outweighs the word of a summons, and since there are no other witnesses or evidence, we can only trust in our shinobi. You needn't worry Tsunade, Kakashi will still be punished for his breaches in conduct, but I don't believe the boy's poor choices should cost him his life, especially given the circumstances. Furthermore, given your close relationship with the boy he 'abandoned' we'll be the ones to decide the punishment, since your closeness to the case would obviously impede your ability to make a fair and unbiased judgment."

'Yeah right,' Tsunade mentally scoffed, 'from what I've read those, 'fits of aggressive and antisocial behavior,' have been going on since the brat's clan was slaughtered, but you idiots have been ignoring or explaining it away just so you can have your precious Uchiha clan revived. As for Kakashi, you just want him to be able to keep teaching the little bastard. I also doubt any punishment you inflict on the man will even be noticeable. Hell, they probably want to reward him for almost getting rid of Naruto.' mentally growled out the elder woman, but she knew that this wasn't the time or the place to argue about that, and, quite frankly, she didn't much care what happened to the Uchiha or Hatake now, the only one she cared about right now was her little brother.

"And what about banishing Naruto? What the hell is the boy's crime?" growled out the blonde woman murderously.

"Naruto Uzumaki is charged and convicted of the assault and attempted murder of the Clan Heir of the Uchiha clan. A most serious crime." stated Danzo somberly, with a twisted smirk on his face, a smirk shared by the remainder of the Elder Council, the Civilian Council, and to Tsunade's surprise and anger, a large majority of the Clan Council.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" shouted out the blonde Hokage, "Naruto and his team was assigned to retrieve Sasuke by any means necessary, and from what I've seen Sasuke was the one least injured by their fight!"

"Calm yourself Tsunade-sama," stated Danzo coolly, his voice never losing its even tone, "from what we've confirmed from the battle, it is clear the blonde used excessive force than necessary to bring back the young Uchiha. Under Konoha law those actions against a fellow ninja, especially one not under his own power, constitutes charges of assault and attempted murder."

"And where the hell do you get the idea that Naruto used 'excessive force?'" snarled out Tsunade.

"From Kakashi's report of course." stated a smirking Danzo, "within it we find statements on the condition of the battlefield and the young Uchiha, that clearly shows the young Uzumaki clearly used greater force than necessary to capture young Sasuke. Along with those charges there are the clear indicators the boy is succumbing to the demon held within him. The many instances of his use of its chakra is a clear enough sigh of that. The boy needs to be removed from Konoha immediately for the village's safety if nothing else!"

Tsunade was gripping the edge of the council table so hard that the two chunks in her hands suddenly cracked and snapped off. Throwing the hunks of wood, that were now barely more than handfuls of sawdust, to the side she rounded her glare onto the Clan Council. "I expected this kind of blatant favoritism and animosity from the civilians, but am I to take it that the Clan Council agrees with this as well? I thought that you people at least were capable of seeing past the damned fox." she growled angrily.

For the most part the council cringed under their leader's glare, but Hiashi Hyuuga decided to speak up, "It is the near unanimous," the head of the Hyuuga clan shot a glare at Shibi Aburame, "that the boy is too dangerous to remain inside Konoha. The indicators of his use of Kyuubi's chakra in the confrontations with Zabuza Momochi, my nephew Neji, and then again in his battle with Sasuke are clear signs the seal is weakening. Given those facts it is in the best interests of the village to see the boy removed."

Tsunade ignored the Hyuuga, she was sure that if she didn't she'd likely pluck out the man's eyes with her own two fingers and turned her attention to the Aburame clan head. "I take it from Hiashi's reaction that you're the only one who voted against banishing Naruto." she stated calmly.

"That is correct, Hokage-sama." stated the Aburame head calmly. "My clan knows full well what it is like to be disliked and persecuted for something that we hold within ourselves." he stated solemnly.

"BAH!" came the shrieking voice of Tamara Haruno, the head of the Haruno clan and head of the Civilian Council, "It's just like you bug-freaks to sympathize with that demon brat. If I had my way the little monster would've been drowned as soon as it was bor…." her rant was halted by a kunai, courtesy of Tsunade, whizzing past her cheek and leaving a deep gash.

"I'll remind the council that my predecessor and teacher's law is still in place, and I will personally enforce it on the next person stupid enough to break it in my presence." stated Tsunade coldly, getting many frightened stares from the entire council.

"Calm yourself Tsunade." growled out Danzo. "We are attempting to be merciful to the boy. Normally the punishment for the crimes the boy has committed is death by forced seppuku, but considering your relationship with the boy, and his numerous actions for the good of the leaf, we are only banishing him."

"And if I refuse to acknowledge the council's decision?" returned the blonde kage.

"Then we will be forced to take this directly to the Fire Daimyo, and have him punish the boy to the full extent of the law. It is your decision Tsunade either agree to banish the boy or risk him being forced to kill himself as punishment. Naturally, we won't force you to make a decision so suddenly; we'll give you until the boy's banishment is due to make your decision. If he has not left by then we will be forced to take the matter to the Daimyo."

"And when exactly is the banishment to be enforced?" asked Tsunade in a dangerously calm voice.

"The boy will have three days after he is fully recovered from his injuries to set his affair in order before his banishment is enforced." stated Koharu, "When is the boy due to be fully recovered?"

Tsunade thought for a moment. "Given his healing abilities, Naruto should regain consciousness within the next day or so, and be fully recovered within a week of that." she lied calmly. In all honesty the blonde would probably be fully recovered in two days, but she needed the extra time to plan."

"Very well, we'll trust your judgment on the boy's recovery." stated Homura calmly. "Will you be the one to deliver the message to the boy?" she asked.

"Yes." growled out the Slug Sannin, she wouldn't trust any of these fools to deliver the news honestly to Naruto.

"Good. Then this meeting is over." stated Danzo with a final victorious smirk.


(An hour later: Hokage's office)

"!"

The enraged roar of a pissed Sannin split the night as a chair suddenly flew out the topmost window of the Hokage's tower. The chair was quickly followed by several other pieces of furniture and one unfortunate Chuunin who had chosen that time to deliver a report.

Within the office connected to that window a red-faced Tsunade stomped about in a state of utter and complete rage, ignoring the screams of the freefalling Chuunin. "Those bastards! Those chauvinistic, idiotic, pig-headed bastards! How dare they do this to him? After everything Naruto's done for this village, they just up and order me to banish him, or they'll have him executed." she finished with a dark growl.

"Surely there's something we can do Shishou? I mean with the flimsy evidence they have they can't honestly convince the Fire Daimyo to support their claims right?" asked a worried Shizune. Her master had explained everything to her before she went on her rampage and now the young dark-haired woman was worried sick.

"It's not that simple Shizune. First, the Fire Daimyo is a politician first and foremost, if he sees the entire council standing against one boy then he may decide to side with them despite the evidence, and that's not mentioning any political tricks, favors, or sway Danzo or his cronies have up their sleeves. Then there's the implied threat Danzo and the rest of those toads in the council made when they gave me the offer." she growled.

"Implied threat?" asked Shizune cautiously.

"When they offered me the chance to decide whether or not I agree to Naruto's sentence they were issuing a challenge and a threat. To translate it said, 'Either agree with us now and banish the boy, or the next time the boy even steps slightly out of line we'll do everything in our power to see him dead.' Basically, they're saying that this is my only chance to let Naruto live, and if I don't do as they say they'll pull out every dirty trick, plot, and plan they've got to see the gaki executed at the slightest convenience." explained a grim Tsunade before sighing and continuing. "I'm also pretty sure that even if I do agree to banish him they'll constantly threaten to have him marked as a missing nin in the bingo books if I don't become their cooperative little puppet."

"Oh dear." stated a shocked Shizune realizing what that meant, and it was a pretty bad situation for Naruto. If Tsunade agrees then he'd be banished from his home for the rest of his life, but if she refused then Naruto would be under a never ending cloud of political scrutiny and danger. Either decision would also benefit the council. If she agrees, they'll have a constant threat against her to try and control her, and if she refuses they'll constantly bombard her with threats to the younger blonde, making her unable to prevent any other plots without risking the blonde's life. It was pretty much a lose-lose situation for both the blondes, and a win-win for the council. If she didn't hate the council's guts at the moment Shizune would have been impressed, it was political maneuvering at its finest. Instead she asked, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know Shizune, I just don't know." stated a depressed Tsunade. She looked out her now shattered window and thought to herself. 'Grandfather, Uncle; is this truly the village you fought so hard to found? A village of corrupt and bigoted fools who can't see past a bloody fox and their own pain to see the kind and gentle person they're seeking to destroy in every way possible? The only reason I'm even in this village is because I believed in Naruto. He's the only reason I came back and took this job and the only reason…I'm…still…here. THAT'S IT!' mentally concluded Tsunade, as a serious and slightly evil smirk cemented on her features. Looking back toward Shizune she barked out, "Shizune!" awakening the younger woman from her own depressed thoughts.

"H-Hai" stated the surprised medic.

"What was the main reason I returned to Konoha in the first place?" she asked seriously.

"It was because of Naruto-kun Shishou." responded her first apprentice, who was slightly confused by her master's questions.

"And who was the one who convinced me to take this job in the first place?" continued the blonde.

"Naruto." answered the still confused Shizune.

"And who or what is the only reason I'm still in this village?" asked the Sannin as her smirk grew.

"Again that would be Naru…" realization suddenly dawned on the black-haired apprentice. "You don't mean?"

"Yes I do Shizune." stated a serious Tsunade. "That gaki is the only reason I'm in this god-forsaken hole in the ground. It's no longer the place my grandfather and uncle dreamed of. The tree they worked so hard to plant has rotted all the way down to its roots. The only reason I came back here is because I thought Naruto could save this place from itself, but since that's no longer possible I don't really see any point in staying. Besides, if those bastards think I'm going to just sit down and follow their orders while they banish one of the few people left in this world I care about, they've seriously underestimated me. I'm the Hokage for a reason, not to mention a Senju and a woman besides that. I think it's about time the council learns why it's supremely stupid to mess with one of those, and suicide to mess with all three at once." she finished with a fierce growl.

Shizune nodded her head. "Where do we start?"

Tsunade took a moment to look at her first apprentice. "Shizune," she said solemnly, "you know you don't have to go along with this. I know how much you've wanted to settle down, start a family. I won't force you to…" she was interrupted by Shizune hand coming up to halt her speech.

The younger woman looked warmly at her master and friend. "Tsunade," she stated warmly, "you are my family, and Naruto-kun has become very precious to me as well. Anyplace I stay without you two would never be home for me. If you're going, then I am as well." finished the younger woman in a serious tone.

Tsunade took a moment to look at her first apprentice and long-time friend, and smiled. "Glad to hear it." she stated warmly before switching into full commander mode, "Now get a pot of tea brewing and make it strong. If we're leaving, I'm going to make this entire village sorry for everything they've done to Naruto. We'll also need supplies, money, and a way to keep those idiots in council from declaring us missing nin. I've also got an idea or two for a couple of extra hands we can bring along."

"Yes sir!" stated Shizune with a quick military salute, before setting to work on the tea.

"Also send out two messengers. Send the first to the Hyuuga Estate with a message to Hinata to have her come to my office first thing in the morning for a meeting about the offer I asked her about. The other one goes to Jiraiya, have them tell the old pervert that if he isn't in my office by noon tomorrow, I'll outlaw all hot springs in Konoha, have every single one of those perverted books he's written collected and burned in a public bonfire in the town square while he's tied to a stake and forced to watch, and then castrate him, heal him, and castrate him again. That ought to make sure the pervert's here on time."

"Hai." called out Shizune as she finished starting the tea before heading out to alert the needed messengers.

While Shizune left Tsunade got to work on the first paperwork she'd ever been excited about doing in years. 'I'm going to teach those council idiots what it means to piss off a woman, especially Tsunade of the Sannin. As the old saying goes 'Hell has no wrath like a woman's scorn.' By the time I'm done, hell will seem like a paradise compared to this place.'


(Meanwhile: Konoha Hospital, Specially secured room)

Naruto Uzumaki was lying on his bed, still unconscious from his injuries. His room was well secured and guarded around the clock by at least a pair of Anbu who the Hokage trusted completely, shinobi she knew were both completely loyal to her or the office of Hokage itself, and held no grudge against the younger blonde. They were instructed to allow no one in to see the boy without first reporting it to Shizune or the Hokage herself, which included all medical staff. Resting on the foot of the bed was Shizune's pet pig TonTon. The little pig may be pampered but she was still a ninja-pig and had a nose better than some ninken. She was the blonde's early warning device, if anyone came too close to the blonde that TonTon didn't recognize or even thought was acting suspicious the little pig would set off a small seal in her collar that would instantly draw Tsunade and Shizune's attention to the room, as well as alert the Anbu standing guard.

With all the security Naruto could rest and recover easily without the threat of any ninja or civilian attempting to get into his room and finish what Kakashi and Sasuke had started. The two Anbu stationed to guard the boy had thought that the Hokage was being a bit extreme about the threat the boy was suffering from, but they soon stood corrected. It had barely been a full day and the two had already stopped two doctors and a nurse from coming in to give the blonde a sanctioned 'medical shot,' which both discovered contained powerful poisons, and a single Jounin from sneaking in through a window, thanks to TonTon's early warning, with a kunai ready to murder the blonde. Needless to say both had since increased their active surveillance of the area, and when their shift ended, both would be sure to warn their replacements about the level of animosity the boy would face.

While his protectors stood guard over his immobile body, Naruto's mind was very much active.

(Naruto's Mindscape)

Standing before the massive cage doors that signified the Kyuubi's prison, was the annoyed form of our blonde hero. "What the hell do you want fox?" asked the irate blonde

"Actually kit, I've brought you here to strike a bargain." stated the surprisingly calm voice of the monstrous Kyuubi no Kitsune.

"Why the hell should I listen to anything you say you damned fox! You probably just want me to remove the seal so you can finish destroying Konoha!" accused the blonde.

A tick mark suddenly developed above the massive eyes that indicated the fox's presence. "Now listen here you pathetic little ninken." growled out the fox demon. "If it wasn't for me working my ass off to keep you alive and the actions of a few of the mortals who actually care about you, you'd be dead thanks to your so-called 'brother's' actions, your teacher's prejudice, and that pink-haired fangirl you call a friend nearly kicking your head in!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Sasuke wouldn't really try to kill me, and what the hell are you saying about Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan?" asked the annoyed and confused blonde.

The fox let out a heavy sigh, before replying, "I know you're not going to like this kit, but you need to know who to trust. First the wounds the Uchiha inflicted on you were all designed to kill you, the little brat was aiming to see you dead from the very beginning. As for your sensei and the pink-haired one…well I think you'd better see for yourself." with that the fox showed the blonde exactly what had happened since the battle in the Valley of the End, from Kakashi's betrayal, to Sakura's attempt to harm him, to Hinata standing up for him. One may ask how the fox had viewed all this, but the fox was deeply connected to all the blonde's senses, even when he was unconscious, and the fox could witness everything that occurred around the boy, even with his eyes closed.

Needless to say the blonde's world was shattered. Three of the people he had come to view as precious had betrayed and tried to kill him. "This can't be true. YOU"RE LYING" cried out the blonde desperately, though he somehow knew the great demon wasn't.

"Sorry to say kit, but I'm not. If you can't believe me, just confirm it with the blonde Hokage of yours when you awaken." stated the fox solemnly.

With those words, those undeniable words, Naruto slumped to his knees and tears began to fall from his eyes. "I guess it's true, no one really cares about Me." sobbed out the broken-hearted blonde.

"I wouldn't say that kit." stated the fox comfortingly, "After all that large-chested blonde looked ready to murder that Hatake fool when she found out what he did. And let's not forget the purple-haired Hyuuga girl who stood up to defend you when that howler monkey attempted to attack you. I'd say you've got at least two people who care a lot about you there."

The blonde sniffled a little as he called the memories Kyuubi had shown him, and the fox was right; Tsunade and Hinata both seemed to really care for him. "Thanks Kyuubi I appreciate it," he whispered before a small grin appeared on his face, "but that doesn't mean I'm gonna remove the seal."

A large toothy, or fangy as the case may be, grin appeared below those massive eyes and the fox responded, "Wouldn't want you to kit, considering that ripping off that seal would likely kill us both. Though I may be immortal and not even the Shinigami's seal is able to truly kill me, it would still be an incredibly painful experience that would leave me a lot weaker for a long time. Something I'd like to avoid for as long as possible. Nope, we're stuck with each other until death do us part." stated the grinning fox demon.

Naruto smirked, "Great I'm pretty much married to giant demonic fuzz-ball. Ain't that the story of my life." he finished with an exaggerated sigh, getting a barking laugh from the fox demon.

"I'm not too happy about it either kit. Personally I'd rather be stuck with the big-chested blonde Hokage of yours, at least then I'd have something fun to look at." stated the fox with a perverted giggle, causing the blonde to sweatdrop.

"Great, I've got the demonic version of Ero-Sannin sealed in my gut." he stated while face-palming his head, before looking up at the ceiling and asking, "Am I doomed to be surrounded by perverts for the rest of my life?" he asked.

"Afraid so kit." smirked the fox.

Both demon and vessel shared a laugh before Naruto got a confused expression on his face. "Hey Kyuubi." he asked, "Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? When we met in the Chuunin exams you were pretty much ready to bite my head off and devour me. What's with the sudden attitude shift?"

The fox looked down on the young blonde with a calm expression, well as calm as an expression as a giant pair of red fox eyes could get, and spoke, "When we first met kit, I had just been woken up from my long slumber by you traipsing in and ordering me to give you my power, which naturally got me a little pissed, but after being up for a little while I started to watch what you did with the power I granted you. I have to admit you did something pretty rare, you impressed me. Most of my former containers have used my power to further their own goals, but you only used my power when there was something you wanted to protect. You never relied on it, only using it when you had no other options. Then I decided to sift through your memories and saw what your life has been like. Despite everything you've been through because of this village, all the years of loneliness and hate you've experienced, you never went down the path of anger and hatred. For a mortal to show that much resolve and strength of will is something truly impressive. To put it simply kit, you've earned my respect, and that's something only a very small list of mortals can claim to have done, two of which were your First and Fourth Hokages. Come to think of it you actually remind me a bit of the old wood-head and the blonde-haired speedster." finished the fox with a smug expression.

The blonde was flabbergasted; he'd earned the respect of theKyuubi no Kitsune, the greatest of the tailed demon lords, and even reminded the fox of both the First and Fourth Hokages. "Thanks." he muttered not really sure how to respond to the praise. That was a lot of compliments for a kid who barely received any at all. Then again considering how his supposed sensei seemed to be just another bigoted idiot, that wasn't much of a surprise. Remembering what had started the conversation, "You mentioned something about a bargain?"

The fox's grin returned full force, "Glad you remembered that, maybe you're not as stupid as everyone thinks."

"HEY! It isn't my fault that those baka instructors at the academy wouldn't teach me anything! All they did was yell at me and send me out of the class at every opportunity. It wasn't until Iruka-sensei started teaching us that anyone bothered to try and teach me anything." stated the annoyed blonde.

"Relax kit, I know." stated the fox calmly. "We'll have to work on that once you're back on your feet, but that can wait for later. Right now, what I'm offering you is a bloodline." stated the smirking demon.

"A BLOODLINE!" shouted the shocked blonde. He remembered what Kakashi-sensei…no Hatake-teme, had told him about bloodlines. They were a rare and powerful gift that only members of certain clans could use. "How can you grant me one of those?" asked a confused and excited blonde

"Well right now, due to the lengths I went to keep you alive after the Uchiha whelp ran a Chidori through your lung, your body is pretty much saturated with my chakra. All I have to do is channel more of it and then immerse it into your DNA to alter it, granting you a bloodline." explained the fox.

"Oh," said the blonde flatly, not understanding everything the fox had just told him, but deciding to go with it, until another question popped into his head. "What do you get out of this Kyuubi?"

"Excuse me?" asked a surprised fox.

"Well, you said this was a bargain right, and a bargain usually has someone giving something to someone else in exchange for some other thing or favor." stated the blonde confusingly, as if having trouble putting his thoughts into words.

The fox openly stared at the blonde for a moment before it started to laugh again. "You know kit, you might actually have a brain inside that slab of concrete you call a skull." laughed the demon.

"Hey!" shouted the insulted blonde.

"Relax kit, all fun aside; yes there is something I'd like you to do for me. I want you to hunt down that snake bastard Orochimaru and another person when you become strong enough and rip him into bite-sized bits." growled out the fox.

"What's with the serious grudge you've got for Orochi-teme and this other guy?" asked the blonde.

"They're the reasons you and I are stuck like this." growled out the fox. Seeing his vessel's confused expression the fox explained, "Have you ever wondered why I attacked Konoha in the first place?"

"I never really thought about it?" answered the blonde honestly.

"Well it all started about 14 years ago. Despite what most ninken believe, we Biju are not an entirely evil race of demons. Most of us just want to be left to our own devices. I'll gladly admit I'm a hot-headed and violent being, but I don't rampage unless someone pisses me off. I'm no pacifist mind you, in fact there are few things I love more than a good fight, but I don't like mindless slaughter. I'm usually content with just lying around and enjoying the peace and quiet of my den, and occasionally getting into a fight with some being that's actually worth the effort. That's where those two come in. I was in my den simply enjoying a nice nap when those two came in. That snake-freak bit me in the neck and injected me with some sort of poison that weakened my mind and made me more susceptible to genjutsu. Then the other one, a man with a single, unusual Sharingan, placed a powerful genjutsu on me, throwing me into a berserk fury and sending me straight to your village. Now there's a lot of things I don't like in this world, and right near the top of that list is being used. That's why I want your help in seeing those two pay." finished the fox with an audible snarl.

"I see." stated Naruto with more than a little anger lacing his voice. "Considering it's their fault my life has been so royally screwed up, I don't think I'll mind taking care of them, but who's this second guy? The one with the weird Sharingan?" asked the blonde.

"I don't know for sure kit, his scent seemed so familiar but I just couldn't place it. But somehow I know that we'll meet him again in the future, just like we met Orochimaru." answered the fox.

"We can worry about finding him after we deal with the Hebi-teme." stated Naruto, before an excited look appeared in his eyes. "Now what exactly will my bloodline be able to do?" asked the blonde boy.

"Heheheh. Eager aren't we kit?" stated the amused fox. "Well your bloodline…"


END CHAPTER 2

NEXT TIME: FIND OUT WHAT POWERS THE FOX'S BLOODLINE HOLDS

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