Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the franchise, this is purely a fanfiction.

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Naruto threw himself into proving his chosen art, and what followed was a long process highlighted by sweat, blood and tears. Konoha had sufficient raw materials; after all they were literally surrounded by trees and forests, however specialist parts like puppet joints were not accessible outside Suna. This set Naruto back as he had to redesign his puppets from the ground up, making detailed notes and making the required parts from scratch. As time flew by Naruto had more than a passing knowledge in woodwork, metallurgy, as well as chemistry math and physics the academy pushed for.

First thing however was to secure access to raw materials and tools, fortunately the increase in his allowance he could afford to get the necessary tools and he also found a decent workshop run by a kind old couple that let him use their forge and storage for a small fee. At first he was hesitant but seeing how it would really help him he decided to go for it. As time went by he grew more comfortable and relaxed with them, and slowly both sides got to like and enjoy each other's presence. He found out they had had a son who had been a chuunin; he died on a mission a few years back, weeks before his birthday. The couple kept the workshop as a memento and were okay with Naruto using it for the time being, in fact the elderly lady Umeko, had taken to ensuring Naruto ate properly and had enough rest. Her husband Kazuki was the one who guided Naruto through the process of basic handling and care, as well as teaching Naruto more regarding life skills. In a way both filled roles lost to the other and helped soothe the unspoken hurts.

It took Naruto 18 months of solid work to even get the first puppet made, and then a further 7 months to refine the method and improve the puppet. The records Konoha had on puppetry were not always clear so Naruto had to improvise, trial and error to see what worked and what didn't. at times it seem a basic plan would yield promise but later down the line would cause problems and so had to be scraped, other times little adjustments and changes yielded much better results and slowly the puppet took shape.

Finally, after 2 years and 4 months the puppet battle ready….well, at least he hoped so. Naruto could barely hold his composure together as he looked over the finished product, he couldn't wait to test it out and put it through its paces. He heard a sound behind him and turned around to see Umeko walk in.

"Umeko-baasan, it's finished, I finally finished it" Naruto ran up to her and gave her a bear hug, his excitable tone bringing a smile to her face.

"That is wonderful Naruto" Naruto looked up at her his smile threatening to split his face "do you have a name for it yet" Naruto seemed shy at the question and hid his face. Umeko could not make out the sudden change and gently shook his shoulders to find out what was wrong "Naruto-kun, is everything ok?"

"Byakuya" Umeko looked confused at the reply. Naruto slowly gulped and looked her in the eye "I named him Byakuya"

Umeko froze, one hand covering her mouth in shock, the other hand shaking as she held onto Naruto tightly. Slowly tears began to fall down her eyes as Naruto began to explain his reasons, his voice very small "I remember what you and Kazuki-jii told me about Kotaru, and i…" Naruto faltered, his face reddening "I just wanted to him to be remembered. I would have like him to be my protector as well".

Naruto waited in silence, fear and adrenaline running through his veins in equal measure. He had not wanted to offend his pseudo family, he didn't think they would be against the name, Kotaru had always favoured the name Byakuya for some strange reason and Naruto wanted that piece to live on in his puppet. Naruto began to panic thinking it was a bad idea when suddenly he was engulfed in a warm hug. Everything went still, his hear refused to beat in the moment. Umeko was on her knees, her face pressed to his as she hugged him close, tears still falling but in joy, not sadness.

"Arigatou Naruto-kun" Naruto's eyes went wide as she kissed his cheek and pulled back, her face bathe in warm light.

"Byakuya is a good name, I believe he will always protect you" Naruto began to tear up as well at her consent and nodded vigorously. Both locked each other again in embrace, "Byakuya" in the background inert.

Shortly afterward Umeko came together and stood up "Naruto, you mustn't be late for academy" at that Naruto panicked, glancing over at the clock.

"Shimata! Iruka will be soooo mad!" Umeko could only chuckle at his behaviour as he quickly gathered his things and dashed out "Bye Naruto" she called out as he made for the academy. Umeko shook her head and faced the puppet, it was a sweet offer from a child she had come to care greatly for.

'I wonder' thought Umeko as she looked over the puppet, she had some spare cloth and paint, and maybe she could…..yes that would do nicely. Quickly she went back into the house idea firmly in mind, she hoped Naruto won't mind but Byakuya needed more!

Meanwhile, Naruto was racing down toward the academy building mind frantic; although Iruka wasn't particularly nice to him he was fair and treated Naruto well enough. That said he was always on Naruto's case about tardiness, paying attention, homework, test….. Well maybe he had a point but still! Iruka didn't have to be all in your face about it and besides, he had more important things and it's not like he was failing, not for a while at any rate.

Naruto pumped his feet harder just in time to hear the start bell. "Kuso" Naruto muttered under his breath, trying to avoid being spotted and make it into his classroom. As he rounded the corner he spotted Iruka chatting with another teacher, and they were getting close to the classroom! Quickly Naruto ducked back torn and frantically coming up with a plan to bypass them.

"Man, oh man oh man oh man, what do I do?" Naruto peaked around the edge and saw them stood in front of the class door, both had piles of papers in their arms as the chatted. Iruka let go with one arm and reached for the door, causing Naruto's eyes to widen in worry. In a split second decision Naruto quickly formed chakra strings and attached several to Iruka's arms and the papers, a quick twitch had said arm jerk suddenly, toppling the papers, Iruka and his companion instinctively reached for the toppling load and Naruto quickly did the same to the other teacher. Both swore as they started to grab and chase the loose sheets, while Naruto quietly snuck passed into the classroom.

"Safe" Naruto sighed in relief and made his way to his desk at the back. No sooner had he sat down Iruka walked in and placed the stack on his desk.

"Ohayo mina-san", Iruka called out to the class. "Ohayo sensei" Nodding to the reply he continued "Right, I'm sure most of you have forgotten but it's the midterm review for the next few weeks" he paused at the groan that erupted from the class then continued on "I have your grade sheets here and I'll be handing them out at the end of the day". He received scattered nods and turned to begin the lesson "oh by the way Naruto" Naruto looked up to Iruka, seeing the glare and cringed "Detention today after school, you know better if you are going to be late then don't get caught".

"Hokage-sama, these are the midterm reports as you requested" Sarutobi nodded as he blew lazy circles from his pipe, his gaze out the window taking in Konoha's beauty.

"Good work" he murmured, replies of 'yes Hokage-sama' echoing around. He turned to his desk and took in the files and various reports he had to sign before he could leave, maybe he could accidentally set them on fire.

No

Besides, the paperwork for the fire incident will be included and the paperwork for the missing paperwork as well! Best not give himself an ulcer this early on. "Is the report for Iruka's group included in here" he asked rhetorically. His assistants nodded, one indicating the file at the top. Sarutobi opened the file, looking over the names and review notes "yare yare, we have quite the number of clans in this group, it generally tends to throw the balance of these reports off, who knows how far along they generally are in comparison" again he received confirmations.

Waving his hand in dismissal, the room emptied and he took a few more puffs as he reflected on the report. To be honest there was really only one name he was interested in from the report at the moment.

Uzumaki Naruto, the boy who was at the centre of so much controversy in the village and his honorary grandson.

He was also the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.

For the moment he was safe, Sarutobi had made it abundantly clear the lengths he would go to protect the child and none so far were willing to go against him, and many were waiting to see how the child will develop, although in the beginning his loud boisterous attitude had not really won him any favours amongst some.

Speaking of attitude, Sarutobi frowned slightly as he recalled when Naruto seemed to undergo a metamorphosis. Well to say metamorphosis was a bit misleading, it was a series of small changes over quite a period but suddenly the child seemed to grow up. When Naruto first came to him regarding his allowance Sarutobi made discrete enquiries and the reports he got left a bad taste in his mouth. Fortunately his office dealt with everything relating to Naruto so it wasn't all bad and now that Naruto picked his vouchers and allowance directly form him it was moot. It also seemed to do the child some good and if Sarutobi was honest he rather enjoyed the frequent visits. It was also a nice surprise to notice the steady improvement the child made in his work which left Sarutobi feeling much better in his future.

Sarutobi had been discretely running surveillance on Naruto via his crystal ball, curious as to why he needed the increased allowance. Seeing the supplies he purchased only heightened the curiosity but nothing compared to the shock at what Naruto planned

A puppeteer, in Konoha

At first Sarutobi was unsure as to whether Naruto had been a bit too ambitious, however it seemed to give him a drive and focus which applied to his academic work, Sarutobi during their regular visits skilfully got him to expand his focus into other areas without alluding to his knowledge of Naruto's plans. Soon after meeting the Takahashi's and renting their space Sarutobi had again made discrete financial arrangements with the couple regarding Naruto's welfare, it was however an nice surprise when Kazuki came to him and returned the payments, the couple had come to genuinely care for his charge and were no longer comfortable with the payments. The money Naruto gave them they held in trust for him and Sarutobi quickly convinced them to do the same with the payments he made instead of returning it.

Sarutobi watched on as the puppet took shape, pride in his would be grandson growing with each panel and each test, as far as he was concerned it was too late to stop, Naruto was a puppeteer and change would only be detrimental. Still he will make sure that Naruto didn't handicap himself completely.

Suddenly there was a knock on his door breaking through his thoughts "come in" he stated and smiled when he saw the bright blond hair.

"Naruto-kun" he said warmly as he got up and gave him a hug, he felt the little arms wrap round and a mumble "Hi Jiji". Sarutobi patted him on the shoulders and pulled back to look him in the face. "Every time I see you, you seem to grow a bit more. A fine young man if I do say so" Naruto blushed at the comment, but his eyes shined in pride and glee.

"Hehe thanks Jiji." "Hey Jiji do you remember my surprise?" Naruto couldn't stay still as he thought of showcasing Byakuya to his grandfather. "Yes Naruto I remember, though it seems to have taken quite a while, I was wondering if I would ever get to see it" Naruto ducked his head abashed "Sorry but I wanted it to be perfect before I showed you. "But" Naruto grabbed Sarutobi hand and hopped around "it's ready now so can you come see it now?" Sarutobi chuckled and nodded "Alright Naruto lets go".

Naruto couldn't seem to contain his excitement as he got closer Takahashi's workshop. Kazuki could be seen sat outside pipe in mouth a relaxed air about him. "Naruto-Kun, Hokage-Sama" Sarutobi nodded and returned the greeting; Kazuki turned to Naruto and ushered him in "Umeko has a nice surprise Naruto, I think you'll like what she has done". Naruto quickly went in and stopped suddenly at the sight of Byakuya.

Umeko had given it a dull grey coating and fitted hakama style pants on the lower half of the puppet. The top half was left bare except she fitted a hood on the puppet which incorporated a sleeve on the sword arm of the puppet.

A shield was locked into the bare left arm similar to a kite shield and reinforced around the edges and across the face with metal bands and rivets, the shield was painted black with orange trim. Jutting from the top of the shield was the accompanying sword, a kodachi serving as the main melee weapon.

Byakuya's face had been painted as well, shades of white and cream, with a red spot on the forehead, the eyes however stood out the most from the slits. Umeko had used a luminescent paint for them and oddly had chosen 2 colours, orange for the left and purple for the right. Both eyes glowed eerily and seemed to follow your every move. The overall effect was striking and Naruto felt even more connected to his puppet, his fingers itching to bring it to life. With a quick flex thin chakra strings came out and connected to the puppet, Naruto paused for a moment, feeling out the connection and savouring the sensations running through him. He walked slowly to Byakuya and with quick flicks had the puppet knelt in front of him, he climbed onto its shoulders and with more flicks got it up and heading for the door, He could barely contain his excitement at his Jiji's expression!

Sarutobi though very curious was content to wait outside for his young charge to get ready, his present company wasn't all bad either and certainly had good tastes in pipe weed. "You and Umeko have been of great help to him, I can't thank you enough for your efforts" Kazuki only grunted; content to blow rings of smoke one after the other. Sarutobi chuckled and inhaled deeply then slowly he exhaled a steady stream, the smoke twisting and shaping until it looked like an oriental dragon, then it flew through the rings leaving smoky trails in its wake.

"Tch, ninja show off" Sarutobi's smile grew more impish at mutterings. Soon afterward he could make out Naruto's presence "Jiji I hope you're ready" Sarutobi chuckled "indeed Naruto, let's see what you have their".

"Jiji, meet Byakuya" Naruto just loved the stunned look on both his grandparents faces, if anything Byakuya's new look was even more striking out in the waning daylight. Not to mention the fact that he could now show off the fruits of his labour was leaving him on a massive high. "Byakuya, say hi to Hokage-Ojiisan" Naruto flexed his fingers and the puppet to several steps forward and gave a deep bow. "Good evening Hokage-dono" Sarutobi could barely back a chuckle at Naruto's badly disguised attempt at posh speech, Kazuki had no such compulsion and let loose a deep belly laugh. Naruto continued regardless "it is my greatest pleasure to serve the present and future Hokage of Konohagakure."

Sarutobi's eyes twinkled with mirth "Rise Byakuya, it has been with eager anticipation that I greet you now, may your service to Konoha be fruitful". Byakuya bowed again and Naruto jumped of its shoulders and rushed toward Sarutobi babbling excitedly about his creation.

"Do you know how hard it was to get the joints done, some of the internal mechanism aren't even available in Konoha and I couldn't even get more details from the stupid records we have on puppetry" Naruto ranted away, recalling his foul mood during the more trying periods "fortunately Kazuki-jii knew a few people that could help me come up with parts, I even learnt how to work with wood and metals and tools, then I had to raid my apartment for spare weapons fit into the puppet but one guy said no it had to be good grade so he gave me a discount if I help clean up the shop for a month and then…." Sarutobi listened on as he gave critical eye to the puppet 'He has really outdone himself' Sarutobi had fought several puppeteers before and based on those experiences did he see the access points for several hidden weapons and other surprises. The design was quite different from the ones Suna employed which was a nice surprise he noted as he ran his hands down the puppet.

"Naruto I must say you have done well for yourself" Naruto blushed and tried to stutter his replies but Sarutobi continued on "It is the truth Naruto, you took the only records we had and from their recreated a shinobi art. Despite what in most cases should not have been possible you have thrived and created something truly special." Sarutobi beckoned encouragingly "show me what you can do with him Naruto".

At that Naruto brought both hands up and connected the strings to Byakuya, his body throbbing with excitement, immediately he flung his hands out fingers in motion and Byakuya lurched forward bring both arms close to its chest.

The sword arm grasped the hilt extending from the shield on the left arm and with a swift motion pulled the weapon free, seconds later the shield tuned 90 degrees and locked itself into its defence position.

Byakuya followed Naruto's motions and swung across, leaving an orange trail, then it did a rising slash and series of cuts and slashes, creating several blazing trails, every few moments Naruto would break the chain with dashes, shield bashes and evasions, show casing his prowess with the puppet. Facing several practice stumps, Naruto brought his hands close to his chest and twitched his fingers; Byakuya straightened from its crouch and its chest panels opened revealing concealed weapon pods, it unleashed a quick barrage of senbon, each striking with deadly accuracy on the targets, closing the distance with quick strides Byakuya fell upon the target stump with an overhead strike splitting it in two, with a quick flick the puppets torso half did a full swing, 360 degrees slashing the target stumps around it. Naruto kept the torso in windmill leaving the head and legs stationary, and then he moved it forward and backwards showing he still had directional control while the arms had now become a deadly shredder. Slowly he brought the spin to a halt and wound down with standard katas and then brought Byakuya to its neutral stance. With casual flicks he set the shield 90 degrees back into rest mode and sheath the sword before leaving the puppet inert. Naruto turned back to face Sarutobi, his face beaming at his performance.

Sarutobi meanwhile was appraising the skill Naruto displayed with the puppet, he had fought alongside and against puppet users from Suna and he knew they were not opponents to take lightly. Naruto's showcase only served to reinforce that point and Sarutobi was quick to note the other concealed weapon points that hadn't been used, and the general movement and capabilities of the puppet itself. Overall he was impressed with Naruto's skill level 'just imagine how much farther he could, no, will go in time'. Sarutobi thought to himself.

Sarutobi turned his old eyes over to Naruto and suddenly Naruto felt his hairs stand on end, he didn't know why but he felt he needed to give his full attention to the Sandaime Hokage. "You have grown Naruto, and you need to keep growing, both for your sake and for Konoha." Naruto nodded rapidly, more than a little worried and confused in Jiji's tone, Sarutobi patted on the shoulder, the tension easing slightly. He beckoned Kazuki to give them some privacy and then turned his attention back to Naruto.

"Naruto I think it is time I gave you these" Naruto looked at the scroll Sarutobi presented to him; it was almost as tall as he was and he wondered where the old man could have kept it hidden. The scroll was bound and had a Kanji that bore the name "Uzumaki Clan" Naruto looked up sharply hi mouth open but the words died at the sight of the Sandaime's stone gaze. "Understand Naruto, there are many that do not want you to have this information, some do not think you are responsible enough to understand or accept the fact that some things are kept secret for a reason" the gaze warmed slightly "I believe now you can be trusted to hold and use this wisely, Naruto." Naruto gulped and accepted the scroll his heart rate rocketing at Sarutobi's proclamation. Sarutobi reached again into his robes and pulled out several smaller scrolls and casually made his way to Byakuya, as if to inspect the puppet. He found a panel and quickly slipped the scrolls into space before closing the panel.

"That scroll belongs to the Uzumaki Clan as you can see from the seal, it details your Clans history. The last person to hold the scroll was your mother" Naruto looked up at that statement, Sarutobi nodded in confirmation. Naruto felt a strong desire to know more swell within him and his grip on the scroll tightened till his knuckles turned white at the strain.

"Jiji, can you tell me anything about them, please?" Sarutobi looked on as the tears welled up in Naruto's eyes, the abject hunger he could see in them. He sighed and steeled himself to disappoint his grandson this time.

"Unfortunately Naruto I can't give you that information yet, and I've taken steps to remove your parents' names from the scroll" Sarutobi expected anger or even a protest of sorts, he did not expect Naruto to close his eyes as if severely pained and the look of resignation and defeat to permeate the air around him. He quickly crossed the distance and gripped his shoulders "Naruto that information cannot yet come to light. Your parents and information on them for the moment are an S-ranked secret"

That stopped Naruto cold. S-Ranked, his parent, at this point he didn't know what was going on but the Sandaime had never lied to him and from the looks he was getting it was a serious matter. Sarutobi gripped his shoulders tight and continued "Naruto, you have just under 2 years before I expect you to graduate, which gives us plenty of time for you to improve. You need to be strong, strong enough to protect Konoha, even from herself".

"I don't think I understand Jiji" Naruto began uncertainly "I Know, I know" Sarutobi said encouragingly "in time I will tell you more, but for now you need to get better, no one can know I gave you the scroll Naruto, please keep it safe and hidden" Naruto nodded fiercely, clutching the scroll even tighter. Sarutobi nodded and straightened out "Naruto, watch this and learn carefully" bringing his hands together he went through several seals. {Kage Bunshin} suddenly to clones appeared in a cloud of smoke, the three Kages looked expectantly at Naruto and watched as he went through the hand seals. Sarutobi stopped him short of executing the technique. "Naruto remember your promise" Naruto nodded again and Sarutobi brought him into a warm hug, his eyes widening at the last words "I am and will always be proud of you, my grandson".

Naruto couldn't help the tears falling from his eyes at the sincere statement and he swore to himself to never break his promise to Sandaime.

Naruto wasted little time on Sarutobi's departure, he quickly placed Byakuya back into a storage scroll and bade a hasty goodbye to the Kazuki and Umeko. Grabbing his backpack and the Uzumaki scroll he sped off, eager to reach his apartment and open his family's scroll. He barely paid any attention to his route, ducking and weaving past the evening crowd determined not to lose even a minute.

As he sped home he couldn't help but wonder about what the Hokage's words really meant. Was he in trouble, or something – and more importantly why were his parents an S-Ranked secret to the village! And again why was everyone always looking at him strange!

'Well, everyone except Hokage-Jiji' he thought with his brow furrowed, then it relaxed as he smiled softly 'and Kazuki-Oji and Umeko-baasan…and Ichiraku and Ayame' Naruto shook his head and clutched his scroll tighter, maybe he could find something in his family scroll that could answer his fears.

He quickly entered the apartment and engaged all the locks. He went straight to his bed and carefully laid the scroll down and took a deep breath. The Hokage had shown him how to open the seals on the scrolls and Naruto's hands shook as he broke each one, his heart beating faster and faster, but at least he had something right? Information on his family, he wasn't alone he had a clan and there were records to prove it!

Naruto open the scroll and rolled out the first section –

Records of the Uzumaki Clan

Legacy of Uzushiogakure

In the year of the rise of the Hidden Villages, I Ashina Uzumaki am Leader of our clan. This is a record of all Uzumaki past and present, and will be record of our future generations to come. Our bonds do not fade with time but live through each one from first to last. Our people from all walks of life are to be remembered.

Naruto unrolled more of the scroll and perused its content, it was full of names, births, family ties and general professions and skills – this was as Ashina describe, a record for all Uzumaki and their way of life be they ninja or otherwise. Naruto eagerly scanned the names and for his and hopefully his parents, but as Sarutobi's made clear it had been cleared off the scroll, much to his disappointment.

However he noted where his parents' names should have been and focused on his entry, it was just his name written out. As he compared it to the rest of the scroll he noted some places had different handwritings and he realised they were probably personalised entries and had their signatures, again where possible.

Naruto bit his lower lip, his eyes bright. He grabbed a brush and inkwell and very carefully made his entry into the scroll –

Uzumaki Naruto

Ninja of Konohagakure

Ninja of the Uzumaki Clan

Puppeteer

Future Hokage

Naruto sat back and sighed in satisfaction. Suddenly it was as though a nagging doubt, a crushing weight had been lifted off him and for the first time he could stand up straight and lift his head up high. He look around his room, everything seemed lighter? Or maybe just -?

Either way for once he could truly say there was hope, not just wishful thinking, but deep true hope. Naruto looked down on the scroll and his gaze bore his determination. For him now there was no going back, He had a legacy to be proud of.

"From first to last" he whispered to himself. He retrieved his storage scroll and without fanfare unsealed its content. Byakuya stood silent, its head angled downwards as if looking at Naruto his gaze almost seeking in a way.

"You will help me right?" Naruto asked his silent partner "You will be my sword and shield, my protector, my counsellor right Byakuya?" still the puppet made no sound. Naruto gazed hard into its masked face, as if trying to find some hint. Somewhere in the back of his mind he tried to remind himself that Byakuya was just a puppet and technically couldn't reply back without aid, the rest of him however paid it no mid.

Naruto sighed to himself and turned round, his back to his puppet, he clenched his fist in a silent vow "I will be the best puppeteer ever, and a great Hokage –"he clenched harder, his palm bleeding. His left hand twitched and Byakuya came to life, moving slowly towards him "- I will never give up, because this is my ninja way". Byakuya's hands reached forward onto Naruto's shoulders, as if to offer support and encouragement

'I will help you bear this burden, as long as it is yours to bear'

Both Master and puppet turned to the open window, gazing out at the village and what lay beyond.

"2 years, Byakuya, we will be ready."