Chapter 2: Legacy Of The Fourth Hokage
1 Year Later (Naruto age 6 years and 3 months)
It has been a year since Naruto and Tora began their training sessions. Naruto grasp the first stage of both the elements very easily, but when he asked to do the second level, Tora straightly rejected him. He was never told that he had Wood Style. He only needed the first level of skill for Mokuton, the second level was based only for power, as in the second level, people tends to learn to increase the power the respective element. The hardest part was to mix both the elements to form Mokuton. It was like looking in both the directions at the same time, he needed to focus earth chakra in one hand and the water chakra on the other. Neither Tenzo nor the Hokage told him this yet, they were planning on telling him this later, when he would be trained enough to pull it off.
In the year, they both became very close and hence Tora revealed his name, Tenzo. Although he was also given a codename Yamato for this type of situations, but he trusted Naruto and told him about his past, his time in root and then his time in ANBU, obviously he hid all the classified information, but he warned Naruto of Danzo, he specifically told him about his twisted ideals. He told Naruto his codename too, and he asked him to refer to as Yamato, if he refers him in front of anyone else.
"Yawn" Naruto yawned, it was his free day. Yamato was on an S-class mission and Jiraiya is writing furiously Icha-Icha volume 8 and he was also out of Konoha. That's why he is currently near the outskirts of Konoha, sitting on the wall with Izumo screaming at him about some security seals, "Ok, ok I'm going" Naruto replies, jumps and runs toward training ground 44, "man, nothing to do" Naruto said.
When suddenly a cry comes, from the east of the forest, the east exit/entrance gate to Konoha is situated there, and nobody guards the place since the forest of death acts as a means of protection for it "Should check it out" said Naruto, as he runs toward it, ignoring the warning sign on the entrance to the forest.
Naruto runs fast, jumping from tree to tree for extra speed. He jumps high in the sky looking around for anybody, but can't due to the dense growth and congested trees. He gets back on the ground and scouts the area, just as another sound comes north-east from him. He runs toward it, "From the scream of the sound, the person is female, age around 5-6" Naruto concluded, his training with Jiraiya was helpful at times like this.
He finally reaches the place "Just as I thought, a kidnapping … white eyes, and Kumo forehead protector" Naruto murmured, he jumped from the branch and gave the person a drop kick, throwing the girl of his back "run" Naruto said to the girl, she got scared and whimpered out.
"W-w-what's y-your n-name?" she asked
"Naruto, now run" he screamed, and the girl ran away.
'Clap, clap, and clap' he heard. "The Hero's here, how dramatic" the person, now up and clapping said
"What does Kumo want with a Hyuga girl" Naruto asked, looking straight in the Kumo Nin's eyes
"So we can increase our power, and I have a name it's Ryuga" said, he sped in front of Naruto and kicked his chin up, Naruto flew back
"That pains" he screamed, but he got up and did Kawarimi with a clone, which was behind the man and gave a spinning kick to his spine, just as he was about to hit, Ryuga spun and pierced his chest with a kunai "GAAAH" Naruto screamed and fell back.
"Next time, it's going to pierce your neck" Ryuga smirked and went forward, "is the baby alright" he mocked. Naruto took a kunai, added wind chakra to it, and while Ryuga kept mocking quickly pierced his foot "GAAH, you..." Ryuga screamed, Ryuga tried to remove it, but Naruto kicked the man back, Ryuga somehow removed it as he fell, "enough play time, Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu" Ryuga bellowed, release a burning fireball on Naruto
"Shadow Clone Jutsu" Naruto said, making numerous clones, which attacked Ryuga. Ryuga couldn't believe this, Shadow clone jutsu was jonin level. Ryuga could only stare as he got mauled by the clones.
"Lightning Style: Roar of the predator" Ryuga said, with all of the clones on him, covering him like a dome. The clones got all electrocuted, as the proofed. A bloodied Ryuga came out of the smoke, his hand now disabled.
"You are so getting on my nerves" Ryuga said, an annoyed smile on his face.
He then runs towards Naruto. "AHH" Naruto screams, when there is a piercing sound, Naruto slowly turns and looks at the pierced Kumo Nin. The Kumo Nin was pierced with a wood looking spike, which came from the ground.
'Wood... meaning Mokuton, how could I use Wood Style' Naruto asks nobody as his vision started to blurt and he passes out.
Back At Konoha
The news was spread across the village like fire, Hinata Hyuga, the sole heiress of the Hyuga clan was kidnapped by the Kumo ambassador. All the Hyuga's, every single available jonin and chunin were searching for her, nobody aware that the blond boy, the pariah of the village had already saved her.
The Hokage looked in his magical ball, he saw Naruto's fight and how he passed out. "ANBU" he called, suddenly from the shadows 4 ANBU appeared, "Move out to the forest area, tell Hiashi that her daughter is safe, Naruto managed to save her."
The four ANBU looked pretty happy and relieved. They consisted of Inu, a dog masked ANBU, who have the priced Dojutsu of the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan, and he was also the ANBU captain. Then the next ANBU was Neko, a cat masked ANBU, she had a sword strapped at her back. Then there was Weasel, a weasel masked ANBU whose eye were red and had 3 tomoe in each, he was the youngest ANBU recruit, then there was Wolf, a wolf masked ANBU with a four edge shuriken in each red eye, he was the second youngest ANBU recruit. Tora was not there, so he was a substitute for him. They heard him and nodded and Shunshined from there.
Back At The forest
The girl, Hinata, was crying, although she was safe, she was crying at the 'death' of the blond that saved her, at least that's what she thought. The Hokage with his ANBU appeared at the scene. Two ANBU checked the boy and the girl, when they figured out that both of them were fine, they turned and nodded to the Hokage. While the remaining two checked the Kumo Nin and again nodded to the Hokage.
"Inu, take Naruto to the hospital" he said as he looked towards Inu, he turned and pointed towards Neko, "Neko, take Hinata to Hiashi" he said and turned towards the remaining two ANBU, "Weasel, Wolf, take him to Ibiki for interrogation, if required, then call Inoichi too" he said, all the 4 ANBU nodded and left.
Naruto's Mindscape
Naruto awoke to the sound of feral screaming and wet feet. He wondered how he got there as the last thing he remembered was napping on Tori's back on the way to the hospital. Since when did the hospital look like a sewer? It wasn't hygienic, right? He thought out loud, almost falling down when the feral voice screamed louder, thundering throughout the sewer. "If you know it's unhygienic don't turn your mind into a sewer, BRAT!"
"My mind?" he echoed as he ran to the source of the voice. "Who's there?" It didn't take long for him to find a giant cage and a pair of red eyes glowing in the deep darkness within.
Kyuubi moved closer to the bars with bared fangs. "I see that my jailor has decided to grace me with his presence..." He would have tried to intimidate the boy with his claws, but decided against it because distressing the brat risked the seal reacting in the undesirable way it did last night.
"Jailor?" Naruto repeated. "Who? Me?"
"Yes, YOU!" The Kyuubi growled, and after a beat added under his breath, "to my everlasting shame." He was pretty grumpy because of the noise from before and because of the fact it sounded eerily like Kushina's chain.
Naruto looked at the giant shadow with red eyes with childish curiosity. "You're big."
"Very observant," he said sardonically.
Naruto beamed at that. "Thanks!" Rubbing the back of his head with that sheepish smile eerily reminded the Kyuubi of Kushina's habit when she was embarrassed.
"You're not even old enough to recognize sarcasm." Kyuubi rolled his eyes. "I bet you don't even know what sarcasm is."
"I know what that is, Jiraiya sensei had taught me that" yelled Naruto
Kyuubi sighed. This was why he preferred his jinchuriki to be at least capable of comprehending he was a dangerous being. "Heh... what a child… whatever, go away brat. I need my beauty sleep."
"Oh... you're a girl? I thought your voice was a bit... low like man! Sorry!" he chirped.
Kyuubi's left eye twitched angrily. "I am no woman, brat. Now GO AWAY and never come back!"
"If you want me to go away, then why don't you go away, this is my mind after all" he yelled
Kyuubi sighed. "I wish I could."
"You can't? Why?" Naruto was looking at the beast with wide, curious eyes.
There was something in those eyes, and Kyuubi's mind went into auto-pilot like all living creatures did when faced with puppy dog eyes. The eyes demanded to be given into to. "I was sealed in you, so like it or not I am going to be here for your whole life." Mentally, Kyuubi hit himself for giving in.
"You..." Naruto stammered in disbelief. "Will be..." he took a deep breath, "with me forever?"
"To my everlasting shame," Kyuubi admitted with a growl. "I am inside your mindscape, so yeah... you live, I live unless you screw up." The last part was muttered under his breath.
Naruto's big, blue eyes widened as he took in what Kyuubi said. "Ok then, we can't do anything about it, so will you be my friend?" he asked with the most pleading voice he could muster.
Kyuubi's eyes widened in disbelief. The brat asked what?! Friend?! Had he been dropped on his head or something?! "Do you know who I am?" he asked back.
"Yes, you are the Kyuubi who attacked Konoha 6 years ago, and the fourth Hokage sealed you in me, and died doing so. So, will you be my friend?" he asked the beast again
"If you want to be my friend, then come forward" the Kyuubi said. Naruto started moving towards him, "A little more" the Kyuubi said, when Naruto was close enough, Kyuubi attacked, a claw came out of the cage, but when he was about to get hit, without even realizing his intentions, a flash rescued him.
"Well, that was close wasn't it" a new voice spoke, Naruto was still in a shock, a moment before the claw was just above his head, there was no way of dodging, he thought he was going to die, but it never came, and he didn't know the reason for it, his eyes were still closed due to the fear of death.
"Lord… Fourth… Hokage" Naruto said in awe, he still didn't believe what he saw. Not every day one can meet a dead legend in his mind scape, so it was all weird, having a beast in his mind, then the Fourth Hokage, what will come next, the First Hokage? He then looked towards the Kyuubi and yelled "Hey, if you didn't wanted to be friends, all you had to do was say it, you know"
'Befriending a beast, definitely my son' the Fourth thought. "I worked in the seal formula that I will appear in your psyche when the first time you end up here. Truth to be told, I didn't hope it would be anytime this soon, since I didn't wanted to see you nine tails" he said as he looked towards the nine tails, the Kyuubi only roared in response, "But then I was looking forward to seeing the young man that my son had now become, I guess it evens out" he said
"Fourth Hokage, come here, I'll rip you to shreds" yelled Kyuubi as he recognized the mantle of the fourth.
"Well, if that's the case, then I think I'll just remain here" the fourth Hokage joked, he turned towards the blonds who's eye was still in awe, "Wouldn't you agree, Naruto" he told him.
"Wait, you called me Naruto, you know who I am, but why… Why in the world does the Fourth Hokage know my name?" he asked, still shocked at the fact that the Fourth Hokage, his idol, his hero knew his name.
"Simple, I know because I named you, because the truth is you are my son" he replied to the young blond
"Did you say son, seriously" Naruto asked again. He couldn't believe what was happening, one moment he was no one, the next moment, he was the godson of a legendary ninja, and the third moment he used Mokuton and the fourth moment, he was the son of his idol, the fourth Hokage.
"That's right, like I said before, you are my son" he said calmly and smiled at the young child.
The mix of emotions, he looked sad, then he cried, then he laughed, the truth was he was happy. "Fourth Hokage" roared the Kyuubi.
"He's a loud mouth, don't you think, so let's go somewhere quieter okay" the fourth said as he snapped his finger and the mindscape change, he was no longer standing in front of the Kyuubi, neither was he in a sewer. Naruto laughed a bit more as he cleared his tears, "Lord third Hokage didn't tell you much of anything huh, guess he wanted to suppress as much information about the nine tails as he could. If people had found out that you're my son, you would have been in danger" he said
"Dad" Naruto said as he hit him in the gut. "Why would you seal the nine tails inside your own son? Do you have any idea what I went through because you did that? All of the grownups juts look at me with contempt or fear, and I couldn't make any friends, I just wanted people to except me, or at least not hate me. I… I… dammit, I don't even know what I am saying anymore, dammit am I supposed to be happy or mad, I don't even know" he said as he cried and leaked all his frustration, anger and happiness in an instant.
The Fourth Hokage winced in pain, but quickly recovered. He heard all he said and decided to ask forgiveness and to tell him a big truth, a truth that nobody knew aside from him and thee Kyuubi. "Naruto, how old are you know?" the Fourth asked
"6" he answered, still crying and sulking like a child.
"I see 6 already, well I guess it's a little bit early, I hoped you would be 12 when we have this conversation, however you look almost 8 now, looks like Jiraiya sensei did a number on you. Well I am happy that he took care of you" the Fourth Hokage said
"Yup…that he did…he trained me…took care of me…showed me the love of a father…helped me mature…showed me the way of shinobi" he replied still sulking as he remembered his time with Jiraiya and how he showed him the love of a father. "Hey wait a minute…how did you know that?" Naruto asked not understanding how he knew all that
"I know because I named him your godfather" replied the Fourth as he remembered the day when they named him.
"But he is a pervert, did you really have to make him my godfather, sure he is your sensei, sure he is strong, but nevertheless he is a pervert for crying out loud" Naruto yelled as he stopped sulking for a moment.
The fourth Hokage simply laughed at the comment and mention of his pervert nature and spoke "Well, he is a pervert, but he was a perfect choice, because he is a perfect shinobi and if you have spent time with him, then you must also had acknowledge him, have you not Naruto?"
"Yup…he is a perfect role model if we remove his pervert side" spoke Naruto while he stood still crying and sobbing.
"It must have been hard for you Naruto, I am sorry, I really am, although I suppose it's a little consolation if I apologize now, after having put you through all of that difficulty" the fourth said trying to change the topic and not talking about Jiraiya but only focusing on his son at the moment.
"No, its fine, after all I am the son of the fourth Hokage, I'll deal" Naruto said with a smile on his face and crying stopped.
"Since you asked, I sealed half of the nine tails chakra inside of you, because I believe you could master this power, I did it because you are my son" the fourth said as he smiled and eye smiled too. "There is a reason I went through trouble to do this, a big one, 6 years before now, when the nine tails attacked the village, I learned something, back then, a master mind orchestrated the whole nine tails attack, quite a formidable shinobi, someone you would need an extraordinary strength to defeat, I believe he will attack our village again. But you are too young for that, I will talk to you later, it's time for me to go, I will meet you again, I promise" he said as he disappeared.
Later That Day, Hyuga Compound – Council Meeting
Currently, after the failed abduction of Hinata Hyuga, the Hyuga Elders were having a hard time. The matter at hand was about her, or more briefly, the ways in which her Byakugan can be protected. Normally, there are only two ways, either brand her with a caged bird seal or wait for her to get strong to protect herself. In the eyes of the elders, she was weak, and along with her shy nature, she was even weaker.
Hinata Hyuga, age 6, she is a shy girl who wishes to end the caged bird seal system, and in her eyes the cage bird seal was an abomination, it was wrong to divide a family into two. This was the sole reason why many Hyuga wanted her either dead or caged. They feared that if the cage bird seal was dissolved, then they wouldn't get the privileges that they were receiving now. Many Hyuga of the main house treated the branched family like slaves, the seal was indeed a great idea to prevent the Byakugan falling in wrong hands, but at the same time it made the wearer a slave of the main house.
It was their tradition that the weak member would be caged in order to protect the Byakugan, but how can they expect a 6 year old to defeat a jonin to prove that point? Hiashi Hyuga was having a tough time, but he also had a plan in his mind, and if the plan worked then the caged bird seal could be demolished. But his plan still lacked some key point, which he would figure out soon.
"Lord Hiashi, she is weak, and as such she should be caged. We have to protect the Byakugan at all cost." Replied one of the elders. Currently, there were five elders, one being Hiashi Hyuga, the current clan head, second being his brother Hizashi Hyuga, the head of the branch family, the third being the previous clan head, and the remaining two being the strongest among the main family.
"Yes I know, but I still need some time. She is my daughter after all, but even then I will make fair judgement, I need one week time for all this, I need to figure out a way to keep Hanabi out of this" Replied Hiashi. He knew too well that Hanabi would not take it well that her big sister was branded with the seal.
"I agree with Lord Hiashi" Hizashi replied with a nod from the previous clan head and the others too. They all agreed to that, and went out of the room. When Hiashi and Hizashi were alone, Hizashi spoke "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, but I will not send her to the branch family" replied Hiashi, he knew that the branch family would not treat her well, and he also knew that one day he would need to brand anyone of the two with the seal, however he was hoping to save both of them from it.
Hiashi hated the seal, he didn't wanted to brand it to his own daughter, neither did he wanted to brand the seal to Neji, but his hands were tied. He knew well that the elders would not allow him to stop the seal, he knew that if somehow he even did that, then the branch family would start a revolt against the main family, and thus the village would be caught in a civil war.
"Yes, I agree, if she is send there, the branch family may treat her unwell, after all they bear great hatred towards the main family." Replied Hizashi and with that he took his leave too.
2 Days Later – In The Hospital
Naruto woke up and tried to rub his eyes, then noticed that he was in the hospital, and has bandage on his whole chest. 'Oh yeah, he pierced my chest, I killed him using Mokuton, Wood Style, dammit why did I forgot to ask about that? Oh well maybe Jiraiya would give me some answers' he thought, 'Well, it was worth it, I was able to meet my dad, I was also able to use Mokuton, wait a second, so that was what the training was about, they wanted me to use it, old man knew this from the start, and the worst thing, they never told what I was doing, they only told me that it was an experiment they were trying to do. Maybe Mokuton is not a bloodline, maybe anyone with Water Affinity and Earth Affinity could pull it off.'
"Hey there Naruto, how are you feeling?" asked Inu
"I am feeling great, I met my dad, I was able to use Mokuton, the only sad thing is that I end up in the hospital" Naruto replied the last part with a sad face and a pain in his voice.
"Good…Wait, what? You met your dad, but how? I mean he was dead and Mokuton, what the hell is going on?" Inu asked in shock. Well, it wasn't his fault completely, not every day a child would come and say that he met his dad who was supposed to be dead.
"I would tell you later, but for now tell me, how long was I out?" Naruto asked, not wanting to tell the story right there, it wasn't that he didn't trusted Inu, Inu was the closest thing to a brother he had even before Jiraiya came in his life, he just wanted to tell him, the Hokage and Jiraiya together, so that he didn't have to repeat it again.
"Um, you were out for about 2 days, Lord Hokage along with Master Jiraiya are waiting out, should I call them?" Inu asked
"Yeah, I have to tell them something and ask them some questions" he said with a nasty grin plastered on his face.
After a while, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with Jiraiya, the toad sage and one of the legendary Sannin entered the room. Before anyone could say or ask anything Jiraiya spoke "Hey kid, how are you doing? Heard that you saved a girl, so made any move to get her?"
"Will you put an end to it, pervy sage" he yelled, then he turned serious and spoke "I met my dad" now this was a shocker to both the new arrivals, aside from Inu who was still there "He worked into the seal formula so that he would appear in my mind scape to talk to me, the first time I would end up there, he told me that the whole attack 6 year ago was planned by a masked man"
"He was really something else, to come up with something like this. So what else he told you?" asked the toad sage curious about what else the Fourth could have told him.
"Nothing much, just father to son talk. He told me he would meet me again, I guess I will ask him then. You never told me that I could meet the Kyuubi or I could talk to him, or he would stay with me forever" he said
"You were too young to learn about seals but now it looks like I have to take your training more seriously" the old sage spoke thinking about continuing his training again, and what else could he teach him.
"Yeah, and I want to learn Fuinjutsu. And old man tell me, what is this thing about Mokuton, I thought it was supposed to be a blood line" Naruto asked. Inu was curious too about this, but Jiraiya was still busy in his own thoughts.
"I don't know, it was just a hunch. I saw the forest getting dull and thought it has something to do with you, so I made Tora check your identity, and when I found out that you have Water Affinity and Earth Affinity, the elements to form Mokuton, I thought to give it a try. The rest, I have no idea." The Hokage spoke. "What did your dad told you about it" asked the old man
"Nothing, I forgot to ask, I didn't even asked him about my mother. So pervy sage, do you know something that I should be aware off, after all you are my godfather" he asked with a nasty grin that spoke 'if you don't tell me, then I'll hurt you'.
'Should I tell him, nah, I should wait for another time' he thought and spoke "You mother was Kushina Uzumaki, she was cheerful and playful just like you, but she was a tomboy although your father loved her a lot, the rest I don't know. If you want to ask someone, ask Kakashi Hatake, after all he was your father's student" Jiraiya said with another grin matching the blonds shocked expressions.
"Okay is that so. And where will I find this Kakashi Hatake?" Naruto asked with an angry face thinking that his father's own student abandoned him.
Inu stood up and removed his masked. He came forwards and extended his arm and spoke "Hi, I am Kakashi Hatake, nice to meet you Naruto"
"So you didn't abandoned me" Naruto said with a smile and tears in his eyes.
"Of course not, how could I have abandoned my little brother. However I am still mad that I was not able to adopt you, but lord Hokage was right, I was not old or experienced enough to take care of you" Kakashi spoke with an eye smile and a smile on his masked face.
"And I was always on the move, so adopting you was not an option back then, however I paid a huge sum to the orphanage to take care of you, but I guess it didn't play out in your favor" replied a sad Jiraiya.
"No problem, I think that everything went well. Hey old man, now that I know who my father was, can I get settled in his old house." Naruto asked with an innocent smile
"No my child, I am afraid not, it would rise too much suspicion if people saw you in the house" said the old man with a sad smile. He couldn't even let a child have his heritage because of some old and stubborn fools.
"But, Jiraiya sensei can place a seal in my apartment, so that I can go from my apartment to his house, and nobody would notice it" replied the blond
"Can you do it Jiraiya?" the old Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked as he turned towards Jiraiya for some answers. He was hoping a yes from him, if he could do that, then it would be good for Naruto, he wanted what was best for his grandson.
"Yes, I know a teleportation seal, if the seal is placed in his apartment and then in Minato's house, he can teleport between the seals. I will start working on it" Jiraiya said
"Perfect" Naruto yelled, "Ironic… isn't it. Every kid look up to his father like an idol, and wishes to be like him and to surpass him. I never knew that the Fourth was my dad, but I always looked up to him, in hopes to be just like him, and one day to surpass him." Naruto said with a serious face and a mature voice.
Everybody was dumbstruck by the mature words he spoke, but then again he was unpredictable. 'He can act childish at one moment juts like Kushina and then act like a mature in another just like Minato. Truly he is unpredictable, just like both of them' thought the Third Hokage.
'Just like you both, Obit…sensei' thought Kakashi
'I am proud of you Naruto. You act like Kushina at one moment, and then like Minato at another, you has your father's hair and a little bit of Kushina's facial features. If we remove those whiskers, you would look like a mini version of the Fourth with a little mix of Kushina, you are truly their son' thought Jiraiya and took his leave to do the seal
"Now Naruto my boy, just remember not to tell anyone about this, many ninja will try to kill you if they found out who your dad was. Understood" the old Kage asked, to which Naruto only nodded, "Good" he stated and took his leave.
Later That Day – Hokage Tower
The Third Hokage was sitting on his desk, doing his paper work, when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in" the old Hokage said.
The door opened and Hiashi Hyuga came in, he closed the door and came forward to speak with the Hokage. "Lord Hokage, I have an important matter to speak with you in private" he said
The Hokage made some gestures and the ANBU left the room. "Now we are free to talk in private, what did you want to talk about?" asked the Hokage
"I am worried that someone inside the clan is involved in the kidnapping 2 days ago" replied Hiashi as he took a seat in front of the Hokage.
"I feared that might be the case, it was bugging me from the start, that how can a Kumo ninja invade a clan full of Byakugan? Now that you mentioned it, it cannot be neglected" replied the Hokage, he took a sip from his pipe and let out the smoke, and spoke again "Do you have any idea who the traitor is?"
"No, I am afraid I have no idea" replied Hiashi. He took a deep breath and spoke again "I was thinking that it may be best for her to live outside the clan, since I can't protect her from inside, and my hands are already tied to manage my new born daughter Hanabi, after her mother's death it is difficult to manage her. But I can't just send her out of the clan, it would rise suspicion, and the traitor could try to harm Hanabi as well" Said Hiashi
"This is a very delicate situation, one wrong move and it could backfire on you" replied the old Hokage as he placed a hand on his beard and let out a deep breath.
"Yes I know that" Hiashi replied, "The elders are pestering me for putting a caged bird seal on her because they think that she is weak, I am thinking that maybe I can use that for her own benefit, and then I can banish her from the clan. After that I can ask someone to take care of her, this way she will stay safe"
"That is indeed a good idea, however she would not be able to bear that pain" Hiruzen said, "And even if she did, then whom will you place that responsibility? People will get suspicious if she is adopted by a jonin whom she had no connection before, and then it can be traced back to you"
"I know, that's why I have come to you for help. The only person who could help me in this, is none other than you" asked Hiashi. Now this was a complete shocker, Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga clan who was said to be strict, who never showed emotions, who would never ask for help, he was now practically begging for the help of the Hokage.
"I could give her an apartment, but she would not be able to take her care on her own, and I am a Hokage, so I can't do more than that" the old man said. He took a sip from his pipe and let out a smoke and smirked, "Or maybe she could live with Naruto" he spoke
"Naruto….as in Naruto Uzumaki" Hiashi asked with a shocked expression. The Hokage simple nodded, and Hiashi spoke again "I don't want to judge you statement Lord Hokage, but don't you think that he is rather small to take care of my daughter, let alone himself"
"Yes I am certain that he would be fit for this job, and no suspicion would arise, and it cannot be traced back to you, it in all sense would be flawless plan. And after all, he is the one who saved your daughter from the Kumo Nin, and he would definitely be a big impact on Hinata's shy nature" replied the Hokage
"Wait, you mean to say that a mere 6 year old boy killed a chunin level ninja and save my daughter" asked Hiashi, still shocked what he heard. Many chunin's have trouble killing another chunin, and a boy who hasn't even started the academy killed a chunin.
"Yes, that's exactly what am I saying" replied the Hokage with a blank expression on his face, stating that he isn't kidding.
"But how? He hasn't even started the academy yet" Hiashi asked, shocked and surprised at the fact that a boy was able to kill a chunin, he was not even a genin and had his first kill.
"Well to be complete honest, it was sheer luck, although his abilities are impressive, he is already genin level right now, and knowing him he would be a great ninja one day" the old Hokage replied. Hiashi was confused regarding his level, but then he remembered the council meeting years ago and smirked. He know understood that the man took him with him to train him.
"Knowing who his father was, I have no doubt in him, still I am a little concerned about my daughter. What if the traitor decided to harm her again, would he be able to save her from a Hyuga? I mean you just said that it was sheer luck, luck alone won't help him the next time" Hiashi asked again
"Yes he would be, considering the facts that he will be staying in the safest house build in Konoha, and that he would be protected by ANBU and a Sannin, once in a while, will also be checking on him too. I have no doubt in him, I know for sure that he could protect her" spoke the Hokage
"Wait, did he know his heritage" he asked, the old man only nodded, "And he will staying there" he asked and the man sitting in front of him nodded again. "Then those ANBU and Sannin, must be Kakashi Hatake and Master Jiraiya" he spoke with a smirk and the Hokage again nodded. "Okay, then when should I execute the plan?" asked Hiashi
"At least a week later, he still needs prepare somethings, so he will need sometime" replied the Hokage. Hiashi only nodded and took his leave.
1 Week Later
It has been a week since the previous events that took place, Jiraiya had completed his seal and in the meantime he gave lessons to Naruto, regarding his career in Fuinjutsu. As Jiraiya thought he was a prodigy in it, he grasped the concepts much quicker than Jiraiya did, when he was learning it. Jiraiya had shown him gravity seal and restriction seal. It was his first Fuinjutsu lesson. However, the blonde had managed to understand their concept in two hours whereas it had taken Jiraiya around a day to learn them.
"You have an affinity for Fuinjutsu," Jiraiya explained. "Not surprising, given your clan."
"I'm from a clan," Naruto was shocked. "I've never heard of the Uzumaki clan."
"How could you not?!" Jiraiya seemed angry. "I understand that they don't teach about it at the Academy but I would've thought Sarutobi-sensei would tell you about your heritage." 'I can understand Minato', the Toad Sage thought. 'But he should at least know about Kushina and his clan.'
"Alright, listen up," Jiraiya said, calmed down. "The Uzumaki clan was a ninja clan that founded the village of Uzushio, the Village Hidden in the Land of Whirlpools. Uzumaki ninja were tremendously strong; they were specialized in Fuinjutsu, wind and water Ninjutsu. They were also great fighters and any Uzumaki genin could take our chunin; that was just how trained they were."
"What happened to them?" Naruto asked. "How come I've never heard of them if they're so good?"
"Unfortunately," Jiraiya sighed. "During the Shinobi Wars, many ninja found Uzu, and the Uzumaki ninja were a threat to the ninja world due to their immense powers. As a result, most of the clan became extinct and the village was destroyed. The Land of Whirlpools is now in ruins due to the destruction although there are some secrets still there."
"Secrets?" Naruto asked. "What do you mean? They've been dead for a long time."
"That's true," Jiraiya said. "But like I said, the Uzumaki clan specialized in Fuinjutsu so it's possible that they sealed their great techniques in scrolls that are maybe somewhere underground. Sensei has purposely ordered the Konoha ninja not to explore the ruins since I think it should be an Uzumaki that finds them." Jiraiya looked pointedly at Naruto.
"Someday I'll check it out," Naruto said
"Yeah sure, but let's keep it for later. For now, let's head to your apartment, and then to your new house to place the teleportation seal. Remember, as soon as you push chakra through the seal, you will be teleported to the house." Jiraiya said
"Yeah, yeah I remembered it" Naruto stated and then started boasting "How can't I, after all, I am an Uzumaki, and I have to live up to my clan name, you know"
Jiraiya said nothing but only grinned. They head over to the apartment and placed seals, Jiraiya asked Naruto to either stay there or go out for a walk, because he can't take him to the house by road. Naruto listened to him and went out for a walk while Jiraiya went to place the seals. Naruto was out in the park when he saw 3 boys, at least 2 year older them him, pestering a young girl, probably the same age as him, he concluded that they were bullying her and decided to help her.
"Hey you…wait hold on she is a Hyuga girl, isn't she?" asked the boy in the blue shirt, he let go of her arm and took a closer look. They despise the clan and their members, because they were better than ordinary shinobi.
"Yeah, she got those eyes" replied the fat boy as he took the closer look at her as well.
"She must be Neji's cousin then, and she is probably stuck up like him too" replied the one in brown, while the other two only nodded. Neji was indeed her cousin and most of the children his age didn't like him because he was better than them.
"Yeah, I bet she thinks she is better than us because her family had talent" replied the fat one with a snort, and the other two nodded again and decided to bully her further.
The girl mumbled sorry and tried to run, but the one in blue shirt caught her arm and yelled "Hey, come back here" The boy caught her and the other two circled around her like before, and started bullying her again.
"Trying to run off after telling us you were sorry hum, that's not cool" replied the fat one, the brown one nodded his head and decided to add his own words.
"Yeah that's right" replied the one in the brown
"Go on apologize" the one in the blue said as he placed his arm on her head and forced her to bend down to her need and face down towards the ground.
"And be nice about it too" the fat one added to his comrades words
"Do it now" the brown one joined his words too.
"I am sorry" the girl mumbled as she cried and tears ran down, from her eyes to check and then to the ground, the rate of flow only increase from before.
"Not good enough, say it like you mean it" the leader of the group as Naruto concluded, the boy with the blue shirt spoke, still not satisfied with the result, and went to take it further.
"Apologize" the fat one spoke, he understood his friends thoughts and put a hand on her head and forced her to bend down more.
"I am sorry…I am sorry…I am sorry" the girl mumbled as she cried faster than before, the tears escaped her eyes with the same speed as the words escaped from her mouth.
"Okay, now that's enough" Naruto said as he made his entrance and decided to put a stop on this bullshit. The one thing he didn't like among other things were bullies. He hated them with all his will, he couldn't stand watching 3 overgrown boys taking on a young girl, that was not guts, that is coward. "You boys don't have the guts to deal with kids your age, so you are showing your power on kids younger than you, disgusting, you guys piss me off, believe it!" he spoke again, giving them a taste of his own mind.
"Hey wait…he's that kid…that kid that everyone hates" the fat one spoke as he remembered Naruto getting in trouble and how they hated the very essence of him.
"Oh that kid, ha" the remaining two boys said and started laughing at his face.
"Hey, I am not that kid, my name's Naruto Uzumaki, and I am going to be Hokage one day, believe it!" he stated his dream once again, he did not like being called that kid or demon brat, he had a name, a name given to him by his parents, a name passed as a precious heirloom by his master.
"Hokage" they all yelled and laughed again. It hit Hinata like a stone, she remembered that boy, the one who constantly yelled that he will become a Hokage, the boy who never gave up, the boy who was hated by everyone, the boy she admired, the boy whom she had a crush on, the boy who saved her from the Kumo ninja.
"Some idiot kid like you could never be Hokage" yelled the leader and then tried to punch the blond, only to be stopped by him.
"You are going to regret it" Naruto spoke as he let go of his punch and make his favorite seal and yelled "Shadow Clone Jutsu" and in a puff of smoke, 3 clone appeared, they already knew their orders, so they hit the 3 boys on their cheeks, making them fell on floor.
"That can't be, clones can't attack, they are just illusion" said the boy in the blue shirt, still rubbing his cheek from the pain delivered to him by and the others by Naruto.
"Because they aren't clones" Naruto stated with a clod gaze of his eyes. He watched them stood up, ready to fight, he yelled "Shadow Clone Just" and in a puff of smoke 10 more clones appeared, "Do you really want to fight" he spoke in a cold voice which made them flinch and they stopped in their path. "Good, now get lost before I beat you to a bloody pulp" he spoke again making them flinch and they took their leave, or rather they ran away to save their ass.
Hinata watched as the bullies ran out of there to save their ass, she turned around to see Naruto and spoke "Thank you f-f-for s-saving me a-again".
"No problem, let's go and drop you at your home" Naruto said grinning, he turned around and said "shall we". But to his surprise, she didn't move, all she did was to start crying again. "Hey, what happed? Come on don't cry. If anything is troubling you, you can tell me…Trust me I'll try my best to help you, you know!" he spoke as he tried to cheer her up.
"My…My d-dad…said t-that…I am w-weak…a-and…that I…I…can't live…with h-him…He said t-that…he don't w-want…to…to see m-my…my face a-again…And I…I don't…have a…p-place to s-stay…anymore" she completed her sentence and broke out crying again.
"Hey, hey, don't worry, come on you can live with me" Hinata lifted her face to see Naruto talking, "And then we'll show your dad that you are not weak" her face brighten up at his words, "Come on, I'll help you to train, we'll show him, we'll show everyone that we are not weak" her courage seemed to replenish, she felt different, "I'll help you to achieve your dream. Okay, believe it!" she only nodded to her question, and with that Naruto took her to his apartment.
Hokage Tower
"Well, that went better than expected, although I didn't plan those boy bullying her, but in the end it went well" Jiraiya said with a smirk, 'He sure is growing up' he thought.
"Indeed it did, although I didn't imagine that he will pull that off, it was interesting watching a 6 year old boy using a forbidden jutsu to just piss them off" replied Hiashi, he was still angry at those bullies trying to bully her daughter, he made a mental node to talk to their parents about it. "Now I understand how he was able to kill a chunin, with tricks like that, who would have thought that he could pull something like that, the ninja must have underestimate him and paid the price. And something tells me he knows more than that, that he has more tricks hidden up his sleeves" Hiashi stated
"He sure surprised me, heck even I had trouble creating 10 clones when I become jonin, and he managed to pull it like it was nothing. He sure amazes me time after time." replied Inu, aka Kakashi who was still in his ANBU disguise. The remaining ANBU only watched that in amazement and nodded to his words.
"Yes, indeed he does" replied the Hokage in a sad voice, which was almost went unnoticed by everyone, expect Jiraiya. He was his student after all, he knew the Hokage very well for his own good.
"What with the voice and sad expression sensei? And don't try to hide it with me, I know you too well" asked Jiraiya
"I should have known that I couldn't hide it from you Jiraiya. Everyone here, please make sure that the fact that Naruto killed the Kumo Nin remains a secret. Apparently the Raikage has asked for the head of the ninja who kill the ambassador." Replied the Hokage, he was very pissed at his demands, he never expected the Raikage to snoop so low on to capture a child for power, and then instead of admitting his deeds, ask for the head of a savior.
"WHAT?" every single person in the room yelled at that. The Raikage asked what? The head of a child? A child who saved a girl? A child who killed a traitor?
"And what did you reply sensei?" asked Jiraiya still pissed that the Raikage asked for the head of his godson, if required, he would go to Kumo and kill the Raikage with his very own hands just for his godson. The Third gave him the copy of the letter that he send to the Raikage. They all started to read it and smiled at his response.
Lord Raikage,
I am surprised by your demand. I am sure that your Daimyo would completely agree with me, you see, you violated the treaty by attempting to kidnap the Hyuga heir. As such, you have no right to demand anything of us. The one that you want is a child and not a ninja. Our Will of Fire does not allow us to give him up. As a result, I regret to inform you that our agreement is null and void due to your ninja's attempt unless he was acting without orders.
Sincerely,
Third Hokage,
Sarutobi Hiruzen
"So, as you can see this information is to be kept a secret, I don't want to deal with that stupid council once again" the Hokage asked and everyone nodded at his request. The old man' view changed as he saw his crystal ball and spoke "Well looks like things are in motion again"
"Wait, is he going to tell her" Hiashi asked a little bit worried and then he saw Jiraiya's nod and he got riled up. "But, what if she refuses to live with him? What if…?" Hiashi started his barrage of questions
"Oh, stop whining will you. He knows what he is doing, and besides I know that your daughter is kind hearted, she would never misjudge the situation, sure she is shy but she is not an idiot, if she is anything like her mother, as you so tell, then she must know the hardships of the sealing, she will understand" Jiraiya stated and Hiashi calmed down and only nodded at the logical statement.
Naruto's Apartment
They went inside Naruto's apartment and Naruto started explaining his truth, "Hinata, now that you are going to be living with me, you should know this" he said as he took a deep breath and continued, meanwhile Hinata only pondered as to what the blond was talking about, what truth? "6 Years ago, when the Kyuubi attacked, the Fourth Hokage battled him and defeated him, but he couldn't kill him, so he did the next best thing, the only thing that could be done, he sealed it inside a bay, a new born boy" he said and wait to moment to collect his breath, it hit Hinata like a stone, the new born boy was none other than Naruto, "It was me, he sealed the Kyuubi inside me" Naruto finished his statement and watched as Hinata broke down in another cry.
"I n-never k-knew…that you w-went…through all t-that...I know t-that you…you are n-not…the K-Kyuubi…you a-are k-kind…cheerful a-and…hardworking p-person…It's…n-not your f-fault…that h-he…he sealed I-it...inside of y-you…everyone h-hate y-you…for something…t-that you h-have…no…no control o-over" replied Hinata still crying, while his father who was watching from the crystal ball felt proud of her.
"So, do you still want to live with me, after knowing what I contain" asked the blond with more curiosity.
"Yes" she replied without stuttering. All the men in the Hokage tower smirked at that, they wanted her to get her out of the shell, being Naruto will just do that, and they knew it.
Naruto pulled her and channelled some chakra in the seal which was beside him, the seal flashed for a moment, and then the next moment they were standing in the house of the Fourth Hokage. The house was as good as new, 'Jiraiya sensei must have cleaned it' he concluded. There were pictures on the wall of the Fourth, his mom, and pictures from their missions, their graduation day, and what not. "Welcome home Hinata" he said with a wide grin and a broad smile.
"Who a-are y-you?" asked the now curious Hinata. The Hokage and others watching from his crystal ball was as much curios as her, they were still betting whether the boy will tell her or not, or in which style will he tell her.
"I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. I am the legacy of the Fourth Hokage" he spoke with a wide grin which made Hinata blush and the others in the Hokage office proud of his declaration.
Note: Well what do you think? Naruto and Hinata living together, and good Hiashi. I made the ambassador a chunin, so that Naruto would have less trouble fighting. Also Naruto lost against his opponent and he was on the verge of dying, but his Mokuton saved him, the ninja never expected a Mokuton spear to come out of the ground, Naruto won by sheer luck. Also Itachi graduated when he was 7, Kakashi graduated at age 5, so Naruto is a little more than 6 and he is genin level ninja, although he has not graduated till now. Rate and Review. Special thanks to Rasenkai.
