Hello everyone, I'm glad you came back for more. Since there will inevitably be questions about the story due to the many plot holes that will probably arise, I've decided to address questions anyone might ask before each chapter so I hopefully don't get questions twice.
Yuki no MuraSeishin: Is there a possibility there will not be a pairing... pairing.
A: Sorry, but there will be a pairing for sure. It will not be all that important in the plot and it won't have much time in the spotlight, so hopefully you still read. I was thinking either Fuka (not crazy and doesn't have creepy powers) or Honoka (still alive... that's important).
thor94: do you plan naruto knowing his legacy (namikaze and uzumaki)? and friendship kurama (beside sarutobi, jiraiya and kakashi, only the fox can tell naruto about his parents)
A: His Uzumaki heritage will be discussed in this chapter, and as the title suggests it plays an important role in the story (kinda just what drives the entire plot). As for his actual parentage, yes he definitely will. That will be a few years into the future though. He will not be friends with Kurama in the foreseeable future, but they will interact and at some point have at least a begrudging partnership.
Ok, if you want to suggest a pairing keep in mind Naruto isn't friendly to Konoha and people won't randomly defect... so Anko could be on the table, but Ino, Hinata, others just won't work. Similar situation with loyal shinobi of Kumo, Iwa, or Suna. If you insist on one of them anyway, please include how you think I should get them away from the village.
Enjoy the chapter!
Naruto opened his eyes and stared into the dark ceiling. He glanced around and noticed he was in a small but cozy room with sparse furniture and several bookshelves. "Am I dead?" he wondered aloud. Naruto was surprised when he actually received a response.
"Far from it, young man. But if I had found you any later there's a good chance you would be." responded the old man kindly. He was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room looking at Naruto.
Naruto was relieved to find he was alive, but also confused. Through his short, miserable life, the closest thing to kindness he had ever experienced were the brief and rare visits from the Hokage. And even then it was primarily to deliver his monthly stipend. 'Why isn't he looking at me the way everyone else does?' Naruto asked himself. Then a frown made its way onto his face. What did this man want from him? Was he trying to lower his guard so he could hurt him later? No, he was too weak to even run at this point, he was defenseless. If he wanted to harm him he could have already. What could he be after?
The elderly man noticed the varied emotions playing across the boy's face and inquired "Is something wrong?"
Naruto didn't respond immediately. He maintained a guarded expression and eyed the man. Now that he got a good look at him Naruto could tell he was very old. The man looked to be well into his 70s, but just like the Hokage, not at all feeble. He was average height, but towered over Naruto due to the age difference. His eyes were light green, and radiated kindness on the outside. If one looked deeper, something else was there, but Naruto couldn't figure out what. His hair stood out more than anything, though. It was a faded red color mixed with strands of gray hair. Never in his life had Naruto seen anyone with red hair before.
"Who are you? And why are you helping me?" he asked carefully.
Now it was the old man's turn to be confused. "What are you talking about? I'd have to be a heartless bastard to leave a child to his death. And my name is Akifumi. Now, young man, it's only fair that you tell me your name as well."
Naruto sighed. This man actually seemed like he was genuinely trying to help. Even if he meant him any harm, there was nothing he could do in the state he was in. 'Oh well, there's no harm in telling him' "Uzumaki Naruto," he responded curtly.
Akifumi eyes widened for a moment before he reverted to his previous expression. "Well Naruto-kun, would you like something to eat? You look like you haven't eaten in days."
Naruto nodded. He was beyond hungry at the moment. Even if this man had bad intentions and poisoned him, he didn't care. As long as he could eat he was content.
He attempted to push himself off the bed and get up, but didn't even have the strength to accomplish that. Instead he decided to roll himself off the bed. This worked, but unfortunately he wasn't able to catch himself and fell on his face.
Akifumi turned back to see what caused the crashing noise and saw Naruto lying face down on the floor. He continued to look for a few moments before breaking out into laughter. Awhile after he quieted down, and asked, "Would you like some help?"
Naruto wanted to glare at the man but couldn't, as he was still face down. Instead he just grunted an affirmative.
Akifumi then put Naruto's arm over his shoulder and helped him stumble his way out of the room and into the kitchen. The kitchen was small, just like the room where he had recovered. In the middle of it was a small table with a single chair. 'Akifumi-san must live by himself' Naruto thought.
Akifumi brought Naruto over to the lone chair and helped him sit down. He then went over to make something to eat while Naruto waited patiently.
The two remained silent while Akifumi was searching for something to eat. Naruto felt slightly awkward with the silence. Akifumi was oblivious to the situation because he was deep in thought.
'Uzumaki, huh? It's unlikely he was simply given that name, since most at least know of the Uzumaki clan, but then again he doesn't have any of the characteristics of an Uzumaki. Maybe he's only part Uzumaki? I suppose I can ask him, though I should be careful what I ask so he doesn't get suspicious.'
Akifumi brought a tray of bento over to Naruto and placed it in front of him. Naruto shakily picked up the food and managed to make it all the way to his mouth. He felt as if it were the best thing he had ever tasted, but that was likely the hunger talking.
Akifumi decided this was as good a time as any to question him. "Naruto-kun, how exactly did you end up face down in the road?"
Naruto frowned. He didn't want to be reminded of that now. He just wanted to enjoy the meal he was having. 'I might as well tell the truth. He seems trustworthy and he did save my life.'
Akifumi noticed the frown but didn't comment on it.
"I was kidnapped from my apartment and left to fend for myself in the forest." Naruto stated bluntly, hoping to get back to eating his food.
The old man didn't let this happen though. "Kidnapped? You can't be serious. What reason would they have to kidnap a child? Do you come from an important family or clan?"
Naruto scoffed. "Clan? No. I'm an orphan, and nobody ever told me who my parents were. And I was probably kidnapped so they could get rid of the 'demon brat' once and for all," Naruto said bitterly.
'Now this is interesting. An orphan with the last name Uzumaki. Interesting, but it doesn't make things any clearer. What did he say about the demon though?' Akifumi's eyes widened for the second time in 10 minutes. He remembered something he had seen earlier after he brought Naruto back.
(Flashback : The Day Before)
Akifumi had just laid Naruto down on a bed and started performing basic medical treatment. He removed Naruto's shirt to have better access to his torso. When he did that the first thing he noticed was that the boy's ribs were clearly visible. He made a mental note to get some food in him as soon as he woke up.
He then used a basic diagnostic jutsu to determine if the child had any internal injuries. As he channeled chakra through his hands and into the boys body, a large seal became visible.
The seal was incredibly complex, and covered the boy's entire stomach. What was most important though, was the strength of the seal. It was one of the Uzumaki clan's most powerful seals, the eight trigrams seal. This seal was usually only used to contain something very large and very powerful. Anything less than a bijuu would be stored in a lesser seal. 'Could this boy be a jinchuriki? No, no self-respecting village would lose track of a jinchuriki.' Regardless, he was curious. He would make sure to ask the boy about it later.
(Flashback End)
"What village was it you were living in before you were kidnapped?" asked Akifumi innocently.
"Konohagakure no Sato," replied Naruto with a hint of anger in his voice.
Yet again Akifumi's eyes widened. The only bijuu Konoha ever had was the Kyuubi. But he had heard that the Yondaime Hokage had managed to kill it somehow, though he was skeptical of that. Bijuus are sentient masses of chakra, they can't simply be killed. The only way to defeat a bijuu was to seal it, usually inside a host. The Kyuubi was a special case though. It was the most powerful of the bijuu and the only people who could be its jinchuriki are Uzumaki, due to their powerful chakra.
There was no doubt in his mind now. This Naruto was really an Uzumaki, and the Kyuubi was not dead. He knew this because its jinchuriki was sitting right in front of him.
Akifumi decided it was best to tell him these things sooner rather than later, though he'd at least let him finish his food first.
So the two stayed in silence for the remainder of the meal. When Naruto was finished, he had gained enough of his strength back to at least stand on his own, though walking was still somewhat difficult for him.
"Naruto-kun, why don't you sit down? I have some things I would like to talk to you about," Akifumi said carefully.
Naruto complied, then asked, "Akifumi-san, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
"Naruto-kun, you are familiar with the Kyuubi attack, correct?" inquired Akifumi.
"Of course, everyone knows about it. The Yondaime sacrificed his life to kill the Kyuubi no Kitsune and save the village," stated Naruto confidently.
"Actually, that's not what happened. The Kyuubi cannot be killed. It's a mass of chakra, it can only be sealed."
"Seal? Like into a scroll? What could possibly hold the Kyuubi?" asked Naruto in disbelief.
"No, usually a bijuu is sealed into a human. The Kyuubi is powerful enough, though, that regular humans cannot handle the strain of housing it," replied Akifumi.
"Regular humans? Who was the Kyuubi sealed into?" Naruto was curious why he had never heard of this before.
"The only person who can house the Kyuubi is an Uzumaki. You are the jinchuriki Naruto-kun. But before you begin to think you are the Kyuubi, know that you are its jailor. You are two separate beings," said the old man sadly. He hoped Naruto would take it well. As long as he understood his relationship with the Kyuubi he should be fine though.
Naruto simply sat there with his eyes wide. Everything was that had ever happened to him made sense now. Why he was glared at when he was doing nothing but walking down the street, why he was called the 'demon brat', why he was sold spoiled food, and every other bad thing that happened to him was because of the Kyuubi. No, it was because it was sealed into him. The fault lay with the Yondaime. Naruto felt an immense anger at the man. Why him? Why did he have to be sacrificed for the village? Did anyone stop and think how he might feel about it?
He'd sort out his feelings about that later. Something else had caught his attention. 'Akifumi said Uzumaki like there are others. Do I really have family?' This thought got Naruto excited.
Akifumi sensed what was going on, and decided to answer the unasked question, "Yes, the Uzumaki are a clan. The most powerful after the Senju and Uchiha, actually."
This shocked Naruto. Not only was he from a clan, but it was on par with the Senju and Uchiha. And all this time he thought he was just another orphan. He couldn't wait to meet his cousins.
"Where are the other Uzumakis? There weren't any living in Konoha that I can remember," Naruto asked happily. The broad smile on Naruto's face faltered when he saw the sad expression on Akifumi's face.
"As far as I know the few that are left have scattered and possibly changed their name," Akifumi said sadly. He then brightened slightly. "Though you do have me, Afkifumi Uzumaki."
"You're my family?" Naruto was dumbfounded. He had managed to run into the only known member of his family, and all because he was kidnapped. He couldn't believe his luck.
"Wait a second. What happened to the Uzumaki? You make it sound like they're in hiding," Naruto pointed out.
Naruto regretted asking, as he felt an absurd amount of killing intent rolling off the man, and it wasn't even directed at him. Looking at Akifumi, Naruto could see pure hatred and anger on the man's face.
Akifumi noticed he was leaking killing intent and calmed himself down, and braced himself to tell the story to the boy in front of him. After he suppressed his anger he asked, "Have you ever heard of Uzushiogakure no Sato, Naruto-kun?"
"No. I've heard the shinobi in Konoha talk about other hidden villages, but never Uzushiogakure," he replied, wondering where this was going.
Akifumi frowned slightly. 'Figures those bastards would forget even after what they did.' He then saw Naruto staring at him and continued, "Uzushio was a secluded hidden village located on a large island near Kirigakure. It was once as powerful as a great village, and was the home of the Uzumaki, and a few lesser clans. Even with their strength, they were a peaceful people, and preferred to stay out of the conflicts the other villages started."
"If it was so strong, what happened to it?" Naruto asked confusedly.
"The Uzumaki and Uzushio were becoming a threat to other villages. Their skill in the obscure art of fuinjutsu gave them a leg up on ordinary shinobi. This however, was their downfall. When the great villages saw how strong Uzushio was becoming, the decided they had to stop their growth before they became too powerful. Having a common enemy, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure formed a temporary alliance to destroy Uzushio. Kiri remained neutral because they were wary of the Uzumakis power, and Konoha was allied with Uzu. They each assembled roughly a third of their entire fighting force and they marched on Uzushio. The Uzumaki, however, had protected the island with extremely powerful fuinjutsu, making entry impossible for their enemies."
Naruto was becoming angry. His family that he had only known for minutes was destroyed simply because they were powerful. But there was one thing that didn't make sense to him. "If the Kumo-Iwa-Suna alliance couldn't even reach Uzushio, how was it destroyed?" he asked.
At this point a wave of killing intent hit Naruto again, but this time it was even more powerful, so much so that Naruto began sweating.
Akifumi tried to control himself but couldn't help but raise his voice, "Uzu's ally, Konoha was aware of Uzushio's defenses. They too saw Uzu's growing power as a threat to their own. They could not attack Uzushio, since they were allies, but they revealed the nature of the barriers and traps around the island and gave information on its defenses. With this information the alliance swept into Uzushio and overwhelmed it with sheer numbers, but not before half their own force was obliterated. Besides a few groups of civilians and the shinobi protecting them, nobody in the village at the time survived. They executed the prisoners as well as the women and children, in the hope that the Uzumaki would not come back. I was one of the few lucky shinobi tasked with escorting the remaining civilians," Akifumi ended ruefully.
Naruto was seething. The great villages went to war and his home village of Konoha betrayed their own ally, his family, because they felt threatened? And if this was not enough, they killed thousands of innocent people who were not even shinobi. This treachery could not be forgiven. One way or another, he would find retribution, and rebuild his clan. Naruto realized this was a long road, and that it would be years before he was ready, but this was the only option. He could not let those cowards get away with their crimes.
Akifumi saw the fire burning in Naruto's eyes and his lips twitched. 'Good. I can see his determination. With that attitude Naruto-kun will go far.'
Naruto then spoke. "Those traitorous bastards must pay," he ground out.
Akifumi nodded in agreement. "I agree with you. Their time will come, but I'm too old and you are far too young and weak to do what you're thinking."
Naruto sighed. He needed to get stronger, but he doubted anyone in Konoha would be willing to 'help the demon regain his power'. Now that he thought about it, he would have to return to that godforsaken village once he recovers.
Naruto said quietly to himself, "How can I go back to the village knowing everything it has done?"
Akifumi caught this with his improved hearing and grinned wide. "You know, you don't really have to go back," he said. "You could stay here with me, and I could give you the training you need to get stronger."
Naruto of course was ecstatic hearing this, but deflated when he thought of an issue. "Won't Konoha come looking for me since I'm their jinchuriki? I doubt they'd let someone as valuable as me go without a fight," he said sadly.
"Hmm, well you said you were kidnapped right? Well I'm sure they have some idea what happened to you, and probably think you're dead or long gone by now," Akifumi said thoughtfully. "Plus, I can hide this place with a strong genjutsu so nobody can find us here."
Naruto saw no fault in this plan, and nodded happily.
"Well Naruto-kun, since that is all sorted out, I think it's best that you focus on recovering for the next few days." Akifumi stated.
"I guess you're right," Naruto replied reluctantly. He didn't want to sit still longer than he had to, but he supposed if it made him recover faster it was alright.
"I know you want to train now but that will do nothing but prolong your recovery. Don't be down though, because I have something to teach you while you rest, part of your heritage," he smiled.
"What is it?" asked Naruto
"Fuinjutsu. For now it will be all theory work, and calligraphy, later on I will help you with actual sealing."
Naruto was excited to learn the specialty of his clan. If he were not an Uzumaki it may sound boring, and continuing his clan's legacy far outweighed his hyperactive tendencies.
With that Akifumi went to his basement where his small library was and brought back several large scrolls about fuinjutsu theory as well as blank scrolls for praticing calligraphy.
He placed the scrolls on a table and told Naruto that every day after his physical and chakra training he would give Naruto lessons on fuinjutsu and in the evening Naruto would practice his calligraphy and writing speed.
Akifumi then proceeded with explaining the basics of fuinjutsu and the different applications of it.
-Two Days Later-
"Well, since you are completely recovered, we should probably decide how I am going to train you. Have you received any form of training yet or done anything yourself?" inquired Akifumi.
"Nobody in Konoha was willing to train the 'demon brat'," replied Naruto bitterly.
Akifumi was actually somewhat glad he could train Naruto from scratch and teach him what a shinobi really is.
"Alright, before you do anything else, we're gonna get you into good physical shape. After your workouts I'll teach you chakra control exercises so once I teach you jutsus you can use them efficiently and to the fullest."
Naruto groaned. He felt a sense of foreboding about the physical training that Akifumi had come up with. But he would manage. He had to, for his family.
Naruto then resolved to put his all into his training. He would not slack off or slow down. He'd take everything Akifumi taught him seriously. After all, he was his clan's legacy.
If you're wondering if the Kumo-Iwa-Suna alliance was a mistake, it wasn't. I have good reasons for keeping Kiri innocent.
If you think Naruto's immediate thought of retribution after hearing of Uzu's demise was too sudden or extreme, remember that he just discovered the existence of his family, then learned they were wiped off the face of the earth by these villages, and for stupid reasons too.
In addition to pairing ideas I'd like some input on another question.
Would you guys like me to spend several chapters on his training, summarize it in one, or do a time skip and cover anything confusing in flashbacks? I'd rather not spend a few weeks writing about the training only to bore everyone out of their minds.
Till next time.