Kyū to Ichi: Nine and One
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Naruto would've graduated on his first try, rather than his third, and, under a proper teacher, would've totally kicked Sasu-uke's ass at the VotE!
The room was somber as Temari and Gaara reflected on what they heard. Naruto had a faraway look on his face, remember the events. Miyu had sad visage, and she reached out to try and comfort her beloved. As her small hand touched his, he lost the look on his face and smiled lovingly at her. He wouldn't know how he could live without his wonderful little Mi-chan. He brought her in close, enveloping her in his warmth and love. Naruto turned back to Gaara and Temari, ready to continue his tale. "I didn't take any provision with me when I left Konoha. I merely wanted to get as far away as fast as I could. Incidentally, my path led me directly to the ruins of Uzugakure, the home of my mother and her people. It was there that I found out about her. Shinobi from Uzugakure were reported to have many great special or supernatural powers, even for a ninja. Really, all those super powers were from a chakra-infused spring that held the memories and experiences of every Uzumaki that ever touched the waters. The spring is incredible in the way that it draws the soul of any Uzumaki that had previously touched it when they die. It takes the soul before it passes on and copies the memories of Uzumaki, so that the future members of the clan can learn our shared history.
"The Uzu no Tai Izumi was the spring that I drank from when I was exploring the ruins. It showed me the entire history of the Uzumaki, from the founder right on down to my kā-chan. I learned of everything from her memories, all except that of my father's identity. The spring only had a vague shadow of him, but I had my suspicions. It was only after I left Uzu and headed toward Iwa did I learn of who my father was." Naruto smiled nostalgically at some memory, and the other occupants of the room relaxed at the sight. Naruto could always affect another person's moods with his own, and it seemed he still could. Miyu wrapped her tail around one of his and smiled at his happiness.
"After seeing the all the secrets of the shinobi of Uzugakure, I trained for two years, mastering everything that the memories of all the Uzumaki held." Neither Sabaku sibling looked shocked at that bit of information. Naruto smiled ruefully, and continued. "I left Uzu with the intention of finding out if any other Uzumaki survived and stayed hidden. It was during my time in Tsuchi no Kuni that several squads of Iwa shinobi ambushed me and revealed to me my hitherto unidentified father. One of the jōnin who was old enough to have fought the Yondaime remembered his face, and told me that except for the whisker mark that I was a carbon copy of the late Hokage. I defeated the Iwa nin and retreated into the forests of Hi no Kuni. I meditated and entered my mindscape to talk to the Kyūbi. He agreed with the Iwa nin, and I immediately returned to Konoha. I entered the Hokage tower at night, but didn't find anything of importance." He gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "I did, however, make a copy of the Fūin no Makimono." Temari's eyes bugged out, and Gaara just shook his head at his friend's antics. "Other than that, I only looked up the directions to the Namikaze compound and immediately headed for it. I reached the gate and found it sealed shut. I had been studying seals during my time in Uzu, and I recognized a blood seal on the gate. Trying my luck, I put my blood on it and it opened. I was both happy and saddened at the fact the Yondaime, the man that I idolized and looked up to as a hero, was my father, and was the one who gave me the terrible burden of the Kyūbi. I decided to put my feelings on hold and entered the compound. I took everything that mattered, and burned it down. I returned to the Hokage tower to leave a surprise for bā-chan, and then I found some letters that I have overlooked before. They were from my parents, telling me they loved me, and that they were sorry. I was incredibly happy and pissed at the same time. I left Konoha once more, and trained my self in everything that my father left behind for the next three years, for a total of five years after I fled Konoha."
Naruto got a mischievous look on his face then. "It was in that fifth year that I died."
"WHAT?!" shouted both Gaara and Temari. Naruto smiled foxily at them.
"Yup! I died. However, not in the way that either of you are thinking." Gaara got a speculative expression on his face. Temari just looked on confused.
"Did it have something to do to with the Kyūbi?" Naruto smiled.
"I always knew you were a genius." His face grew somber. "It was actually the seal that did me in. I was created different than any other Jinchūriki. My tō-san created the seals to kill the Kitsune and to have me absorb his chakra, rather than just as a container. My father, in his haste, forgot about the yōki the akuma contained. Because of this, almost as soon as the Yōko was sealed into me, I became a hanyō. No one knew, because ningen cannot feel yōki." Here, he laughed, a humorless laugh full of pain. Miyu quickly hugged him, trying to ease his pain. "The villagers, the ignorant swine, never really knew how close they were telling the truth when they called me 'demon'." Miyu squeezed one of his tails with her own, and he smiled down at her and, as she looked up, stole a quick kiss. "I'm getting off track here. Anyways, because I was a hanyō, my body was out of balance. Hanyō never live very long lives, due to the imbalance that exists within them. Anyways, during that fifth year, fearing its impeding death, the Yōko decided it would try and escape. It hoped that, if it was going to die, then it would die trying for freedom, rather than waiting until I died. He tried to kill me to escape, but I wouldn't let it. A mental fight ensued, but I don't really remember it. It's all fuzzy. I do remember though that I somehow forced the seals to drain the Yōko's yōki, thus killing it. After that, all I knew was excruciating pain. I don't know how long I was out, but I think it was about two months. I just lied there, in the middle of the mountains deep in Kaminari no Kuni.
"When I woke up, I was different. I could feel it, just instinctual. I knew I was no longer a hanyō. I remember standing up, and seeing my tails for the first time, and I knew that I had succeeded in overcoming my fate of an early death. I had all this knowledge in my head, and I knew I was the new Kyūbi. I also knew that I was different than the last, and that I was a Zenko. For the next five years I went over my memories, and the memories of all the other Kyūbi that came before me, all the way to the original. I retrained my self, making sure I could do everything that I could while a human, and then going beyond the point of mortality and started training myself as a bijū. I pushed myself as far as I could go, and eventually earned my title as the Kyūbi no Zenko. After I made sure I knew everything that I could and couldn't do, I set out to find the other bijū to tell them a new person was in charge. Also I wanted to remind them that, while they may be bijū, and nigh immortal, they aren't invulnerable, unstoppable, or invincible." Naruto took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He smiled at Miyu, and gently pushed her forward. She took a hesitant step forward, and smiled shyly at Gaara and Temari.
"I guess this is where I come in…"
Author's Note
Here's Chapter 4! I'm sorry it took so long, I've been soooooo lazy lately. Nevertheless, here's the latest chappie! READ AND REVIEW! If you don't, then well, I can't help where Mr. Fluffy might accidentally wanders during the night!
Glossary
Konoha – Leaf
Uzugakure – Hidden Whirlpool
Shinobi – another way of saying ninja
Uzu no Tai Izumi – The Great Spring of Spiral(s) / Whirlpool
Kā – mother
-chan - term of endearment, used on young children and females in a relationship
Uzu – Spiral / Whirlpool
Iwa – Rock
Tsuchi no Kuni – Country of Earth, Earth Country
Jōnin – highest ranking ninja
Hi no Kuni – Country of Fire, Fire Country
Kyūbi – Nine Tail(s)
Fūin no Makimono – Scroll of Seal(s), the scroll Naruto steals for Mizuki (mistakenly called the Forbidden Scroll often)
Bā – Grandma / Old Hag
Jinchūriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice (People Sacrifice Power)
Tō – father
-san - formal addressing, used with respect or uncertainty
Kitsune – Fox
Akuma – Evil Demon
Yōki – Demon Energy, demons source of power
Yōko – Demon Fox
Hanyō – Half Demon
Kaminari no Kuni – Country of Lightning, Lightning Country
Zenko – Good Fox
Ningen – Human
Bijū – Tail(ed) Beast