"You are trespassing in Ryozanpaku territory. State your business," the young man said as now Itachi, Kisame and Saitama made their presence known. They also readied themselves for battle, but something felt off.
Especially for Itachi, who had his Sharingan activated, noticed something different about these opponents. Their chakra levels were different. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Their power levels were spiking off the charts.
"We mean no harm," Jiraiya stepped up to speak, although a bit nervously. He realized that they were outnumbered and even though they were strong, these people were stronger.
"We are new here, we have come from the East. We did not realize we were trespassing on anyone's lands. Please forgive us for our intrusion. If you would like, we can leave immediately," Jiraiya finished as young man looked at him with a cocked brow.
"Oh? And where will you go after?" he asked.
Jiraiya pondered for a moment. There really was nowhere else to go from here. They could turn back and try their luck in the East again, but that wasn't really an option considering Naruto wanted to come West.
"It seems like we will have to turn back and return to where we came from," Jiraiya said, which got him a disappointing look from Naruto. Itachi and Kisame unfortunately agreed with Jiraiya's assessment. There was no way they could find a place here in the West, especially if everyone they met were like the people they were surrounded by.
The young man just observed the 4 eastern shinobi and Saitama before nodding his head. He noticed the disappointing look on the young blonde's face as he dejectedly started to walk back to his tent and start packing his things. The rest of the group did the same as they started to pack their things and break down the campsite. They never noticed the large figure approaching the area.
"My, my what is all the commotion about tonight," spoke the figure as the young man who was observing Naruto turned around to greet the new visitor.
"Ah, elder. We had some intruders here at the campsite. They seem to be strong fighters from the East, but they have come in peace. They were just packing their things and leaving," he said as the elder now stepped closer, observing the group.
"Where will they go?" the elder asked.
"They said they will most likely return home, grandfather," said a girl, who had long, blonde hair.
The elder seemed to accept that answer before he had an idea. A small grin crept on his face as Naruto and the others were just about done packing and were ready to go.
"Nonsense!" the elder started as the eastern shinobi looked to see who this new person talking was.
"We have plenty of lodging here for them to stay at," the elder said, looking in the direction of the eastern shinobi.
"Excuse me elder, although I do respect your idea, we do not know these people. They are strangers, and may be spies from one of the warring states," the young man said.
"Nonsense, Ken-chan. They have said that they mean no harm. I'm sure they are all good people. Am I right?" the elder asked as the eastern shinobi nodded and bowed their heads while Saitama just nodded.
"Not to mention that they can pay the mandatory 10,000 ryo fee per person it is to stay here," the elder whispered as Kenichi could only shake his head.
"It's always about the money," Kenichi thought.
"We would be honored sir, but we do not want to be a hindrance to you and your people," Itachi spoke as the elder started to laugh.
"A hindrance? Don't worry about that. You have no place to stay and have travelled far! You all must be tired. Plus, it's dangerous to go back out there at this time of night. Bandits have been known to frequent the area. So please come! At least stay for a few days so that you can rest and continue your journey," the elder said.
Jiraiya, Itachi, Kisame, and Naruto huddled before making their decision. Saitama was left standing by himself, still looking bored as ever.
"What if this is some type of trick to get us and then rob us of all we have?" Kisame asked.
"Well not like we can do anything about it anyways, they outnumber us and their strength looks far superior than ours," Itachi answered. Jiraiya and Naruto agreed with his answer. It was a lose-lose regardless. However, they decided that they would be on guard at all times and that they would only stay for a day or two. They then broke the huddle.
"If it is no trouble, we would like to accept your kind offer," Jiraiya said as the elder was ecstatic.
"Wonderful! Now, before you can lodge here however, there is one more important matter to discuss," the elder said, now in a more serious tone. The shinobi were prepared for the worst.
"There is a fee for staying in our dojo. It will be about 10,000 ryo fee for each of you," the elder stated as the shinobi dropped their heads in disappointment. They knew it was too good to be true. They definitely didn't have 50,000 ryo to fork over and even if they did, that means they would be completely broke in a totally foreign area. Not to mention that now, they could be scammed out of a place to stay.
"Now, now, don't look so disappointed. Even if you don't have 10,000 ryo for each of you right now, I'm sure we can come up with some kind of plan for it?" the elder said as Jiraiya started to fidget around his pocket. He took out his wallet and started to count how much money he had. He was a bit shocked at the amount, and turned to the others with a smile on his face.
"I have 50,000 ryo exactly," Jiraiya said, taking out the money and handing it to the young blonde girl who stepped up to take it. She counted it and nodded her head to her grandfather.
"Perfect! It is settled then. Please follow us back to the compound so we can show you to your rooms," The elder said as the eastern shinobi and Saitama did as they were told. They were followed by the 8 figures as they made their way to the compound.
The compound was huge. Probably as big as some of the compound as Konoha. The compound of Ryozanpaku had two large buildings that were used for housing and other miscellaneous purposes, while the dojo was even bigger than the two buildings combined. There was also a hot spring in the forest in addition to the campsite. There was a large main gate at the front and a little down the street from the compound was Ma Kensei's acupuncture clinic and Kouetsuji's orthopedic practice.
The eastern shinobi plus Saitama were each given a room in the main building. They had makeshift beds made for them and were given privacy away from the other masters of Ryozanpaku. Though, a master would always be on watch of their new guests.
The eastern shinobi and Saitama made themselves comfortable in their new arrangements. Though they made plans of always being alert and on guard, they felt that this place was a bit different. There were little occupants in the compound other than the masters, the elder and the young man and woman.
All of them remained up that night, not being able to get any sleep. Well, all of them except Naruto.
He was beat.
The journey here to the West took them long enough and then having to deal with so many different things, Naruto decided that he needed to sleep. He knew that in the future, he may not get much of it, so getting the most of it now was the best he could do.
The Next Morning
Naruto awoke to the bright light of the sun hitting his face through the window. Compared to the last few days, today seemed like a beautiful day. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and went through his morning routine. He found Itachi, Jiraiya, Kisame and Saitama sitting in the living area all sitting on chairs. It was evident to Naruto that they did not get any sleep at all.
"You're finally up gaki," Jiraiya said, smiling to the young blonde as Naruto nodded. Itachi, Kisame and Saitama looked up to see the young jinchuuriki approaching them.
"How was your rest Naruto?" Itachi asked.
"It was good, probably the best sleep I've gotten the past few days," Naruto responded.
"Good, because that is probably the most sleep you're going to get for a while gaki," Kisame added which got a head nod from Naruto.
As they all sat down in silence, a knock came at the door of the living area. The door slid open and the young man from the previous night entered along with the young woman.
"I hope we aren't interrupting anything," the young woman asked.
"Nothing at all. We were all just waking up," Jiraiya responded with a weary smile.
"Perfect. Well we would like to properly introduce ourselves to you all before anything else. My name is Miu Furinji and this is Kenichi Shirahama. We are students here at Ryozanpaku. We know you all might be a little suspicious of us and to be honest, the feeling is a bit mutual, however, you are our guests. And since you are our guests, we have prepared breakfast for all of you if you would like. We didn't know what you wanted so we prepared plenty of options for you," Miu finished as Naruto perked up at breakfast.
The group were a bit hungry and hadn't eaten in a while. Breakfast sounded like a terrific idea. They all got up and followed Miu and Kenichi to one of the rooms in the dojo where the breakfast spread was laid out.
Everything from eggs, bacon, potatoes, vegetables, baked goods, cereal, milk were all laid out nicely on the table for them to choose from. Naruto's mouth salivated at the great looking food, though the table was missing something.
"Ano, do you guys have ramen by any chance?" he asked, much to the chagrin of Jiraiya.
"Oi Naruto, just eat the food here. They are not our servants," Jiraiya scolded.
Miu could only chuckle a bit at the request. "We do have ramen actually. However, If you would like some, you will have to wait for lunch or dinner," she answered which Naruto perked up at. He couldn't wait for ramen at his next two meals.
"Please eat. I would hurry before the other masters arrive. We prepared a lot food, but they will clean us out easily," Kenichi said as the eastern shinobi hurriedly went to get their food. Even Itachi and Saitama were eager to start eating.
As they all sat down, the 8 other masters and the elder started to trickle into the food area and just like Kenichi said, the masters started to clean house with the food. The group noticed how fast the masters ate and how they immediately went for more. In fact, the masters ate so fast that the eastern shinobi group barely even saw them put the food into their mouths.
They were amazed that even a small thing like eating made these Westerners, people that they should fear. Naruto was even more amazed. If he wanted to become strong here in the west, it seemed like this was the place to do it. He would need to convince Jiraiya that this was a place where he could possibly get stronger..
After breakfast, Miu and Kenichi took the group to the main room in the dojo. They had mentioned that the elder wanted to speak to them. When they got their, the elder was waiting for them. As they entered the large room, the group sat in the center of the dojo, in front of the elder, while Kenichi and Miu sat to the side of the room.
"My apologies at breakfast. I know we didn't get to properly introduce ourselves to you all. Usually when we get guests, my granddaughter and Ken-chan cook up quite the meal for us all. It's a real treat and we know that it won't last so we must eat as much as we can. Anyways, that's besides the fact. My name is Hayato Furinji. I am the elder here at Ryozanpaku. I know you have already met my granddaughter Miu and Ken-chan. What are all your names?
The eastern shinobi went down the line and Saitama also gave his name.
" Well it is nice to formally meet you all. Ken-chan here tells me that you all seem like strong fighters from the East. If I may ask, what brings you here to Ryozanpaku?"
"Um well elder, we are actually from the East. We are escaping persecution at the hands of many dangerous people there," Jiraiya said as this piqued the interest of the elder.
"Oh? And why might you all be suffering from persecution? Have you all done something you were not supposed to?" he asked.
"Ah no elder. We haven't done anything wrong. We also didn't mean to trespass on your territory. We are just looking for a place to lay low. There are many people that want to use Naruto," Jiraiya explained.
"And why would people want to use young Naruto here. He seems like a good boy who hasn't done anything wrong," the elder said.
"He was banished for doing his job, elder," Jiraiya said.
"I'm not sure I understand?" the elder questioned. Jiraiya turned to Naruto. It was now his turn to speak.
Naruto explained the situation he was in. How he was sent with a squad of his peers to make sure that one of their own didn't end up in the hands of Orochimaru. Naruto explained that they were successful in their mission. However, he had lost control of the Kyuubi, who had been sealed inside of him. He explained that people in the village are scared of him and treated him poorly because they thought he was the reincarnate of the Kyuubi. Naruto explained his childhood growing up, how he never had anyone to really look after him and how he just wanted to be accepted by everyone. He had a dream of being Hokage of his village, but now that dreamed had been crushed.
Itachi felt pain and disappointment when Naruto explained his life. He was very disappointed in not only the village, but at himself for what had become of both Naruto and Sasuke.
The elder Furinji could only look on in astonishment at the story of Naruto. He didn't understand how people could be so stupid about things like these. Miu was quietly crying, listening to Naruto's predicament that he was put in. Kenichi also was disappointed and saddened for the young shinobi and the life he had to live.
When Naruto finished, he could feel that anger boiling up inside of him again. Just talking about it made bad memories come back to him. He remembered everything that was said about him by not only the villagers, but also people he thought were his friends. He remembered those final words that he spoke at the last council meeting. He would make sure Konoha would burn at his hands, without fail.
The elder Furinji studied the young blonde boy for a minute. He could see the anger in the boys eyes. He could also see the hurt. He could tell that Naruto loved the place he grew up in. Despite the the hate he received, he could tell that Naruto never gave up on his dreams and goals that he put forth for himself.
"Maybe, just maybe, he is the one," the elder thought.
"I do apologize for your circumstances young Naruto. No one, especially one so young, should ever go through what you have. However, I must tell you, here in the West, all we know is fighting to survive. I'm sure you all heard the stories of this place. Most of them that you've heard, are probably true," the elder stated as he started to explain the history of the west.
"The West has never seen peace. Where you all come from in the East, there are periods where there is little to no fighting. Here in the West, we are lucky if we get a week off. There are factions and warlords here that cannot be compared to in the East. In fact, I would be so much to say that if you all, maybe besides Saitama, were to go out on your own here, you wouldn't last a month. Though you may be considered strong in the East, here in the West, you are just in the middle of the pack in terms of fighters," the elder explained. The Eastern shinobi were now a bit discouraged at this. Even Kisame was a bit worried about their chances here.
"However, I do see potential in all of you, especially you, young Naruto. You have a strong determination and will inside of you that no matter the circumstances, you push on. You have your values and you stay true to them. You have not been given the proper training yet, but you have the potential to be strong, even stronger than I or any of the masters here in this dojo." Naruto perked up at hearing this. After stepping foot in the West, he didn't think he would ever match up to anybody here. However, hearing the elder say that he had the most potential out of all of them, stirred that determination in Naruto even more.
"Originally, the plan was to let you all stay here for a few days. However, I see now that you all will be a tremendous asset to not only this dojo, but to everyone here in it. I have made the decision that you may all stay here for as long as you like. As long as you agree to abide by our rules and fight for our side, you will always be welcome here. I see that we have similar values. I understand you want revenge on your village, but you also have a dream of peace. We also are fighting for peace. Quite frankly, I think it is time the West sees it's fair share of peace. We have only known fighting, but I do think that you, young Naruto, can bring that dream of peace here."
Jiraiya, Itachi, Kisame and even Saitama were shocked at the elders words. Naruto was not strong at all, yet the elder saw how much untapped potential the young blonde had.
"I thought after all this time that Minato was the child of prophecy that the old geezer toad was talking about. I was wrong. Naruto is definitely the Child of Prophecy," Jiraiya thought.
"We are gracious of your kind words elder. We will abide by your laws and fight by your side and be any kind of assistance we can be," Jiraiya said as he bowed which the others soon followed.
"No need to bow in front of me Jiraiya, or any of you. We are comrades now. We will all train together in our fight for peace," the elder said as he rose and went to greet the group in the center of the room. He shook hands with each member and strongly gripped Naruto's hand. Naruto flashed a shy grin, still a bit in shock of the elders words.
"I cannot fail. I will not fail. It's time to start counting down the days," Naruto thought.
Few Months Later
Though the eastern shinobi plus Saitama were allowed to stay and train, the elder never said it would be easy. Just moments after their meeting with him, the compound of Ryozanpaku came under attack from a neighboring warlord. Ryozanpaku sprung into action, defending the compound with all they had. True to their word, Jiraiya, Itachi, Kisame, Saitama and Naruto all joined in the fight. It went without saying that the battle was lopsided, with Ryozanpaku winning easily. Yet it was evident that despite his potential, there was plenty of work needed to be done in Naruto's case. He had trouble holding his own against one opponent. His training began immediately.
For the past few months, everyday Naruto was training. Whether it was with Jiraiya, Itachi, Kisame, Saitama or even Kenichi or Miu, Naruto was going at it. He had a rotating schedule everyday of training that he would receive. If they were not fighting a neighboring clan or faction, Naruto was training. It was true that he got little sleep.
However, the training was starting to pay dividends. Naruto was more than holding his own against multiple opponents. His ninjutsu skills were improving, his taijutsu was improving, he even started to hold his own against Kisame with a sword. Naruto was no longer a weak link. If anything, he was now a competent fighter.
The only thing that didn't seem to be improving was his chakra control. His chakra was all out of whack because of the Kyuubi. Jiraiya had been loosening the seal on the Kyuubi, letting little by little of his chakra out for Naruto to use, yet nothing seemed to work. The chakra was a bit too strong for Naruto, even with Kisame helping him. There were a few times where Naruto nearly lost control, allowing the Kyuubi to take over him. Luckily. Jiraiya had his fuijutsu to slap onto Naruto before things got out of hand.
Naruto was frustrated to say the least. The damn Kyuubi was being hard to control. If he could just tap into the Kyuubi's power, it would allow him to become stronger so much faster. He cursed the stubborn Kyuubi, complaining about being stuck with him for the rest of his life.
What Naruto didn't know, however, was that the Kyuubi had been watching him from the inside. The Kyuubi was observing Naruto, getting an eerie feeling that reminded him of someone. It was soon time to make his presence known once again.
While Naruto was resting in his room one day, he was taken to his mindscape by the Kyuubi.
"What the hell. Where am I?" Naruto asked himself as the Kyuubi creeped his way to the bars that trapped him in.
"I've summoned you here, Gaki," the Kyuubi said which forced Naruto to jump back.
"Damn you. It's you again. The one that's caused me all of these problems my entire life!" Naruto yelled.
"Cry me a river, Gaki. You can blame the Yondaime for that. Anyway, that's besides the point and not the reason I've summoned you here."
"Then why the fuck am I here?" Naruto asked, pissed that the source of his problems brought him here.
"Because I have been watching you. Seeing you go from an idiot prankster to a competent shinobi in just a few months. It's interesting to watch you humans grow."
"I would grow a lot faster if it wasn't for you. Ero-Sennin said my chakra is all out of whack because of you," Naruto retorted to the Kyuubi.
"Like that old pervert knows anything about me. You could easily control my chakra, but you're still weak. You're even weaker than my previous jailer" the Kyuubi teased, only making Naruto more mad.
"Look who's talking about being weak. Aren't you supposed to be the strongest of the bijuu? Yet you easily got sealed by the Yondaime. Who's the weak one now?" Naruto retorted.
"Are you trying to anger me, Gaki?" the Kyuubi rose up, teeth showing.
"Did I make you angry? Isn't that cute. Between us, I'm not the weak one here. I'm your jailer. I decide whether to let you out or not. So why don't you be a good inmate and shut up! Naruto teased, making the Kyuubi fuming mad.
"I should've killed you when I had the chance! If it wasn't for your parents, you definitely wouldn't be alive right now!" raged the Kyuubi.
"My parents? You fucker. So you did kill my parents!" now it was Naruto's turn to get angry.
"Hmph. Why don't you ask that Old Pervert about your parents. He knew them very well. Maybe you'll see me a bit differently after. Now be gone, it was a mistake to summon you, Gaki." the Kyuubi waved him away as Naruto snapped out of it. What did the Kyuubi mean by asking Ero-Sennin about his parents? Did Jiraiya somehow know Naruto's parents?
Naruto walked over to Jiraiya's room and saw the Toad Sannin writing down some things for his new Icha-Icha Tactics novel. He was planning on making a come back here in the West. It seemed like there were still some perverts in the West and he could make decent book sales.
"Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked as he walked in the room.
"Oh, Naruto. What can I do for you?" the Toad Sannin asked, as he put away his writings and turned his attention to the young blonde.
"Did..did you know my parents?" Naruto asked much to Jiraiya's surprise.
"Why the sudden interest in your parents, Naruto?" the Toad Sannin asked.
"I talked with the Kyuubi, he said you would know who my parents were?"
"You talked to the Kyuubi? How? And what did he say about them? Jiraiya asked.
"He summoned me in my mindscape. He didn't say much about them, just that you knew them very well. If you know something Ero-Sennin, please tell me," Naruto said.
Jiraiya sighed, "I wanted to do this when the time was right, but I guess the cats out of the bag now. Come sit Naruto. I have much to tell you," he said as he motioned the young shinobi to sit down.
Jiraiya explained everything to Naruto. He explained that Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime, was his father and that Kushina Uzumaki was his mother. They both died the night that Naruto was born and that they died protecting Naruto from the Kyuubi. Jiraiya went on to explain their background and also how they had met and that he had trained Minato from an early age. He also explained the events of the night to Naruto, who was listening intently, with tears starting to form in his eyes and the anger starting to come back.
"Why didn't you tell me this?! That you knew my parents or even that you knew me since birth? Where were you when I was an orphan? Better yet, where were you or Tsunade baa-chan during my entire life?!" Naruto yelled, which attracted the attention of Itachi, Kisame and Saitama.
Jiraiya explained to Naruto the Sandaime's law and how the deaths of Minato and Kushina affected both himself and Tsunade. Naruto was furious to say the least. He was the son of the Yondaime, one of the greatest Hokage's in Konoha. If people knew who he was, then he wouldn't have lived a shitty life like he had. The tears started to flow even more from Naruto now.
"Did they even love me? Did they know how hard I was going to have it? Having to carry the Kyuubi inside me for the rest of my life," Naruto said as the tears wouldn't stop.
"They loved you with all of their hearts, Naruto. That's why Minato sealed the Kyuubi in you, because he trusted and believed in you. He couldn't put the burden on anyone else's child. He was the Hokage of the village. Your parents sacrificed their lives for the village and for you. I know I haven't been a great godfather, or even a great teacher for that fact. But when you told me your dream of peace, it only reminded me of your father. I've made it my goal Naruto to make sure that your dream of peace is realized in this world. I understand if you can't forgive for keeping this from you, but I want you to know that from now on, I am always going to have your back," Jiraiya said.
"As will I," Itachi spoke as he entered the room.
"That village spat on the dying wishes of their hero, how sickening. Naruto-san, I will always have your back," Saitama said.
"You can count me in, Gaki," Kisame said.
Naruto's tears had stopped now. He couldn't believe the support he was now getting. This was a bit of a foreign concept to him still, yet, he appreciated it. Though he didn't like that Jiraiya had kept this information away from him, Naruto appreciated that the Toad Sannin had now divulged everything to him. Naruto didn't want to let his parents down. He couldn't. Not after they put so much of their trust into him.
"Thank you," he managed as the emotions started to overwhelm him.
As the time passed, the 5 of them returned to their rooms to get some rest. It was early morning, and tomorrow, anything could happen. As Naruto closed his eyes, he found himself back in his mindscape.
He walked up to the bars that held the Kyuubi at bay. He noticed the seal that kept the Kyuubi from breaking free.
"What is it that you want, Gaki? I see the Old Pervert has told you everything. What do you think of me now?"
"I don't know what to think of you now. You killed my parents. You nearly killed me. After hearing what Ero-Sennin has said though, it has only made me more determined to achieve my goal. I just have one question for you, will you join me? I need to be as strong as possible to achieve my goal and you're one of the ways I can do that. I'll even lift the seal if you decide to help me," Naruto said causing the Kyuubi to cock his brows a bit.
The Kyuubi pondered this. He was very surprised by Naruto and how confident he sounded. He hated being sealed again into a human, especially by the Yondaime and Kushina, but the brat they produced was always surprising him. Watching his determination only increase made the Kyuubi very interested about what the future held for Naruto.
"I have just one condition, Gaki," he said. "What is it?" Naruto questioned.
"I get to finish what I started the night of your birth and burn Konoha to the ground," the Kyuubi said, a sly grin appearing on his face.
"Very well," was Naruto's answered. Which elicited a large grin now from the fox. Just as Naruto was about to leave, he heard the Kyuubi mumble something under his breath.
"What was that?" Naruto asked.
"Kurama. My name is Kurama," the Kyuubi answered.
"Kurama huh? Well, nice to meet you Kurama," Naruto smiled as he escaped his mindscape.
As he looked outside his window, he could see the full moon in the night sky. Naruto knew now what his new mission was going to be. If he wanted peace, this was the way he needed to do it. There were plenty of people who believed in him now. He wasn't going to let any of them down.
"Tou-chan, Kaa-chan. I won't let you guys down," he said as he prepared for bed.