Disclaimer: see chapter 1.
Chapter 2:
The Hokage trudges from the council chamber angrily, holding young Naruto in his arms. "If it wouldn't start a civil war, I have half a mind to imprison those fools for disgracing Minato's name with their stupidity!" he growls to himself.
Cries of "demon" and "kill the monster!" can be heard from the council chamber mixed with the occasional "he's Minato's son! Leave him alone!"
"You allow them to disobey the blonde toad man's last order?" a deep voice mocks from the shadows. "Pathetic."
ANBU appear around the Hokage with their weapons drawn. "Who are you?" Sarutobi questions, holding Naruto closer to his chest protectively.
A blast of pure killer intent erupts from the man, freezing the ANBU in place. Even Sarutobi is fazed by the KI. "Nobody worth mentioning," the man smirks as he steps from the shows. Civilians and ninja alike feel the killer intent permeating the village when suddenly it vanishes as if it were never there. "But you may call me Blue. I like Blue. It is quite the color, wouldn't you agree?" he says conversationally, his blue hood still casting a shadow over his face. ANBU await the Hokage's order to take him into custody.
Kyuubi grins when he feels the killer intent and opens one eye. "Well if it isn't my old pal, come to bail me out. I knew he'd show up," he growls.
"Give me the boy," the stranger says calmly.
The Hokage gestures with a small hand sign and the ANBU surround the man, only to fall unconscious around him. Sarutobi barely saw the man's movements as he rendered the entire ANBU squad unconscious. "Now, old man," the man continues with growing impatience. "I'll give him right back!"
He hesitates, but decides that there is little he can do if the man gets impatient and takes Naruto anyway. Sarutobi asks cautiously, "What do you want with him?"
"I just want to have a short chat, that's all," the man says with an amused smirk. The Hokage can barely see the smirk and hands Naruto over to him, stepping in close enough to stop him if he tries to leave with the infant. "Protective, are we? That's good," the man chuckles as he takes Naruto.
He lifts up the newborn's tiny shirt and places his hand over the seal. "Guardian! I knew you'd come for me. Let me out of here so I can finish destroying this place!" Kyuubi snarls, slamming against his cage bars again.
Guardian shakes his head slowly as he looks up at the Kyuubi through the bars. "Sorry, furball, but I won't. I warned you! But did you listen? Noooo, you never listen to anything I have to say. Now you get to pay the consequences."
"Humans are petty. They will try to kill me through this boy! I've seen it in other villages when Shukaku, Nibi, and others got sealed. I will not be like them! They are going to kill this container and me along with it!" Kyuubi roars. "Let me out!"
"No," Guardian says firmly, crossing his arms. "I won't allow them to kill you, but you will suffer the humiliation of being sealed inside this human's body. I'm leaving, but the seal is being adjusted as we speak so that you can see and hear out of the container's body. You merely cannot control him at all or influence his thoughts. It should be better than sitting around a dark sewer." He smirks and turns to walk away.
Kyuubi spits at the man, the saliva landing just short of him. "You are failing your own job, Guardian."
The man turns around with his blue eyes glowing dangerously. "You are alive. My job has nothing to do with you, Kyuubi the 'King of the Demons'! Now rest in peace!" The fox roars furiously, the cage shaking around him. New sounds assail the fox's ears as two small holes appear on the wall opposite the cage. The fox looks through the holes to see the Hokage and Guardian.
Guardian opens his eyes and hands Naruto back to his Hokage. "That was interesting, but I must be on my way. I will be around to keep an eye on him." He stares into the Hokage's eyes seriously. "I will be back. If this boy is harmed in any way, I will raze this village faster and with more casualties than the furball ever could."
"Who are you?" Sarutobi repeats gravely, a bit disturbed by the confidence in his voice as he made the threat.
Guardian chuckles, "I already told you. You can call me Blue. I suggest you tell the village gossips who the boy is related to. Now." He vanishes before the Hokage can say another word leaving nothing behind.
He looks down at Naruto and examines the seal carefully. "Well," Sarutobi mutters to himself. "There's no damage to it. I wonder what Mr. Blue meant by chatting…" his eyes widen. "With the Kyuubi!"
In Suna, Guardian appears at the gate of the Village hidden in the Sand. The guards order him to halt and show his papers. A moment later, they are laying facedown on the ground. He walks past them, leaving footprints that look almost like wolf paw prints, only larger.
The Kazekage looks up from his paperwork and sees a blue-eyed man staring down at him. "How did you get in here?" he demands loudly. "ANBU!"
"They won't be coming," Guardian smiles pleasantly. "Where is Shukaku the One Tailed Raccoon's container?"
The Kazekage lunges at the man, but a lightning fast fist smashes him into the floor. "I am a creature of limited patience, Mr. Kaze," the blue-clad man says calmly as he flexes his gloved hand.
The ninja leader begins hand signs but is launched through the wall before he can finish. Guardian steps through the hole and strolls over to where he is. He lifts the Kazekage up by the back of his shirt and drags him back to the office, tossing him into his chair. "Now, let's try this again. Where is Shukaku's container?"
The Kazekage says harshly, "I'm not letting you anywhere near that weapon! It's the village's!" He goes through a short string of hand signs and Guardian watches him in amusement. He patiently waits for the hand signs to finish and the Kazekage shouts, "Wind Style: Wind Blade!" A gust of wind cuts through the thin cloak but dispels into a gentle breeze through the office.
Guardian sighs and slowly pulls off his tattered cloak. "So that was a jutsu, eh? Not very powerful, are they?" he smiles, looking down at the terrified Kazekage. "What's the matter? Oh, I forgot to comb my hair today didn't I?" Guardian says when he notices the leader's horrified stare.
"What are you!?" the man shouts, his ninja training barely keeping him in his chair.
Guardian grins evilly, "Just a man passing through. But I think I can sense Shukaku, so I'm going to find him, and have a chat with him. You will keep your pathetic ninja away from me, or I will kill them." He picks the Kazekage up by the collar and pulls him very close to his face. "Do you understand me, little man?" he says pleasantly. The Kazekage nods quickly. "Good! I'm glad you are so reasonable." He tosses the Kazekage back into his chair.
He walks out the door and hears, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flame!" A strong gust of wind throws the fireball back at the Kazekage, who barely dodges it. "Behave yourself," Guardian calls over his shoulder. "I would hate to think that you were being inhospitable." He drops into the street and slowly strolls down the road, following Shukaku's chakra signature. Guardian picks up a cloak in passing from the street merchant and it instantly turns from desert brown to a deep blue. "Much better," he murmurs, sliding it on as he walks.
The merchant mutters, "It's a monster!"
Guardian smiles with amusement as he stops to look at the chubby salesman. "You humans say that about everything you don't understand or is different. If it is not like you, it is a monster. I would advise you change that bad habit of yours before one of the 'monsters' decides to shut you up." He continues on his way, the merchant gaping at him.
He enters a mansion, the guards dropping to the ground before they can say anything. He follows the chakra signature to a small bare room. A young girl and a dark haired little boy stand around a crib. Sand swirls around the crib, rocking it. Guardian approaches and looks down into the crib with a fond smile. "Well if it isn't the little trouble maker himself," he whispers. The boy and girl jump at the sound of his voice.
"How did you get in here?" the boy demands with some sort of war paint on his face, trying to sound intimidating.
Guardian sighs, "You must be that one ninja's son. You sound just like him. Seriously, I am beginning to think that you humans are a broken record! 'Who are you, what are you, monster,' it gets repetitive after awhile, wouldn't you agree?" He winks at the little girl who blushes slightly.
He chuckles and ruffles the children's hair. "Don't worry, you won't need to fear this kid anytime soon. If the leader fella says otherwise, shout 'Guardian', and I'll be here before he can finish the sentence." He slides a small blue feather and puts it in the girl's hair. "There you go," he smiles. The blue-clad man picks up the baby, the sand wrapping around his wrists and trying to crush them.
Guardian frowns, "Is that any way to treat an old friend, Shukaku?" The baby gurgles and laughs a little. He places his hand on the seal and opens his eyes in a cage almost identical to Kyuubi's, only with the prison bars cracked and having holes in them. The gigantic sand raccoon stares at the man curiously.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, buddy?" Shukaku grins playfully. "Surely you didn't come all this way just to talk to little ol' me!"
"You sound bored, Shukaku. What do you plan to do with this prison of yours? Drive him crazy?" Guardian inquires with a smile.
Shukaku leans against the cage and grins wider, showing his large teeth. "Only if I can."
Guardian smiles and laughs humorlessly, "That's what I thought." His smile disappears instantly. "But I cannot allow that. If you do, he may one day try to kill Kyuubi's container. Another thing, I'm not your buddy."
"That old fox got captured too?" Shukaku says uneasily, not liking the frown on Guardian's face. "Does that mean you're not here to jailbreak me?"
The man smirks, "Wow, you are getting smarter, Shukaku. Must be the all the time cooped up in here with nothing for you to do but think. The seal holding you in is ridiculously shoddy work. I don't know how you are even being held in here with such a pathetic lock on this wreck of a cage. I'm going to fix that." Guardian looks up into the raccoon's frightened eyes dangerously. "And when you see the others that got locked up, tell them that Guardian says hi." Shukaku's screams and yells echo through the prison as he begs Guardian not to do it. His cries fall on deaf ears as Guardian disappears from Gaara's mindscape.
The demonic raccoon gives in to the temptation to cry when he sees the bars thicken and repair themselves. The seal holding Shukaku in changes to match Kyuubi's seal. Two identical holes to the ones in Kyuubi's cage appear as sounds fade from Shukaku's ears to be replaced with fewer, more distinct noises.
Guardian kneels down to the two children and gently puts the baby back into his crib, the sand clinging tightly to its skin protectively. He looks into each child's eyes. "The baby's sand will always be there to protect him," he explains in a soft tone. "But the sand won't go on killing sprees or try to attack anyone without the baby commanding it. It will protect only, unless the boy learns how to use it as an attack. Do you understand?" Temari and Kankuro nod slowly. Guardian smiles warmly. "Good. Now, tell your daddy that I say hello and that if he tries anything about that seal or to make your baby brother into a weapon, I will return for his head. Got all that?" he says in a deceptively pleasant voice. Temari frowns alittle at the message but nods anyways. Kankuro nods enthusiastically.
Guardian pulls out another feather from inside his cloak and slides it into Kankuro's hand. "Keep that, and when you become a ninja, put that with whatever is your favorite weapon. It brings very good luck."
After Kankuro announces his promise to do that, Guardian leaves the room silently. The two sand siblings rush to the door and look down the long hallways, but the stranger is already gone.