The Four Years And-A-Half, Heart-Break, and Departure
…
Thinking/ Indention/ Flashbacks/ Fantasies
Kyuubi talking to Naruto in mindscape/ Naming a jutsu/ bold indention
Kyuubi talking telepathically to Naruto/ Calling out a jutsu/ Bold words
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I do not own Naruto or any other characters from any anime I might have used. If I did then I would have changed their storylines long ago to fit my fancy… heh heh heh….
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Naruto's knees wobbled before he collapsed onto the dojo's tatami-matted floor with a heavy thud. Four years had passed ever since he had come to Uzushiogakure—making him approximately eight years old—and they have been the best years of the boy's life so far. He had a family who loved him to death, and teachers who only wanted him to do the best he could in his training. And as of right now he had just finished a heated spar session with his taijutsu instructor, Yusuke Urameshi, and had just been beaten soundly though he had lasted much longer than last time.
He panted harshly as he looked up at the ceiling with dazed eyes and a wide, lopsided grin slapped happily across his face. Even though he had lost, he was happy that he had progressed exceedingly than what was expected from his teachers.
"Alright," Yusuke said as he popped his joints back into place, "that's enough sparring for today. Go ahead and start on your meditation training, I'll catch up with you in a little bit, m'kay?"
"Yessir!" Naruto saluted before limping off to the meditation room. It was only a five minute walk from the dojo to the meditation room but it felt like an hour for the boy due to his intense sparring sessions with one of his toughest sensei.
After a few minutes of painful hobbling, the blonde finally made it to his destination and signaled the two guards by the giant double doors to open it with a nod. The mediation room was by far the biggest and most spacious room in the Uzumaki Temple. It could be able to hold at least three hundred people and still have enough walking room for each individual. It had beautifully pristine black titanium double doors with white kanji letters for "Serenity" imprinted boldly across them. And once opened, Naruto was greeted by a dimply lit room from the feeble flickering glow of a few candlelight.
He walked inside with the regality of the strongest samurai with a mindset that was as calm and cool as a summer's breeze, despite his crippling pain fron his heated sparring session with his sensei. As he walked, candles lit up once he passed, furthering illuminating the dark room. But the strangest thing about these candles was that they were floating in midair. This was because of the Uzumaki designing specialized seals that allowed an object to float at a certain height in the air. They used this idea in this particular room to further enhance serenity, tranquility, and calm when one entered the meditation room.
The candlelight pathway ended once he stopped at the center of the room. There, waiting for him, was a large seal that was surrounded by other complex seals and glowed faintly upon the young prince's arrival. Its glow pulsed like a heartbeat, giving it an eerie sight, and suddenly stopped when Naruto stood in the center of it.
The boy sat down in the standard lotus position, his plain blue battle kimono he had dawned on illuminated by the seal's soft glow. "Well since I'm gonna be stuck in here for a while, I might as well go see that grouch of a fox…" Naruto grumbled as he recalled the first time he had met his tenant…
…
FLASHBACK (HAJIME!)
It was early February in the Land of Eddy, or more commonly known as the Land of Whirlpools, and a young blonde boy by the name of Naruto Uzumaki was walking with his Grandfather—Ryuu Uzumaki—to a new training room in the Uzumaki Temple.
"So what am I gonna learn in this new dojo Jiji [1]?!" Naruto questioned excitedly as his walk steadily turned into hyperactive bouncing. "Is it gonna be some cool room with no gravity?! Or, or a room where you can never get tired?! Or a room where there are really cool weapons that you're gonna train me in?!"
Ryuu laughed heartily at his grandson's hyperactive attitude. Truly the boy was a breath of fresh air in this old rundown temple that used to be filled with the greatest people to ever walk this earth. Ryuu felt as if he could still see all of his deceased relatives through this one boy, all smiling with happiness… or maybe it was just him getting old…
"Maa maa Naruto-kun," the old Daimyo chided as he began to ruffle the blonde's spiky hair, "I'll explain what this new room is in just a moment. First we have to get there, okay?"
"Okay!" The whiskered child grinned and took his grandfather's hand with his own and began to walk merrily by his side towards their destination.
A few minutes late, the two Uzumaki's arrived in front of two gigantic titanium platted doors. Two samurai were currently standing guard in front of these two doors and gave the two royals a respectful bow once they stopped in front of them. Naruto's cerulean eyes went wide at the gargantuan doors that had the white kanji lettering that spelled "Serenity" across them. He had seen some pretty big thins in his life, but he had never quite seen two giant doors in his life.
"This Naruto-kun," Ryuu began, gaining the small child's attention, "is the meditation room."
The young prince tilted his head to the side in confusion. "The meditation room?"
Ryuu nodded. "Hai, the meditation room is specifically designed to let one enter one's mind to gain a sort of peace and balance of one's self." The old geezer suddenly looked down at him with a stern look. Naruto knew that whenever his grandfather dawned this expression on his face, he was serious and that the boy should always take his word to heart. "Do you remember the little talk that your Obāchan [2], Ojisan [3], and I had about the Kyuubi no Yoko (Nine-Tailed Fox) residing in your stomache?"
The boy nodded and unconsciously gripped his stomache as he recalled that day. His relatives had all called him into the royal counseling room to discuss something of the upmost importance with him and only him. Even the Roku Kyoshi weren't allowed to participate in this discussion, besides his uncle Akihiko of course.
They had first asked him if he truly wanted to know about what they were going explain to him for it was something that they deemed that would change his life forever. And being the naturally oblivious idiot we all know and love, he eagerly agreed taking no heed to the terseness of the situation.
After they did explain that he was the third Jinchuuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko, did he truly grasped what they meant by his life changing. He sat and stared at them in shock and disbelief, not uttering a word with his relatives for a full fifteen minutes. When he finally did speak he asked them, in a quite hoarse voice, if they were joking… They were not.
So for a full five weeks after the explanation, Naruto has been adamantly combatting against himself of the pros and cons of having a Biju (Tailed Beast) sealed inside of him. He was surprisingly accepting of the horrifying fact for he knew that before he arrived in the Land of Eddy, the villages of Konohagakure has treated him horridly for most of his young life. So knowing of the reason why they hated him so, he couldn't really blame them. He also couldn't blame his parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, for sealing the beast inside of him either. He knew that what they did was right and was for the good of the village and that only an Uzumaki could contain a powerful beast such as the Kyuubi. After finding this out, the young boy couldn't help but respect and love his late parents even more for their honorable and sensible sacrifice.
Naruto's cerulean eyes turned somber for a moment before he finally answered his grandfather after a long bout of silence. "Yeah… I remember…" The boy sighed.
Ryuu gave the tormented boy a sympathizing gaze before giving him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. "Well, the meditation room is specially designed to enter one's mindscape to rid of all impurities and face one's greatest fears and weaknesses." The old Daimyo suddenly affronted a serious look on his face as he turned his grandson towards him to look straight into his wrinkly eyes. "Naruto, this room will help you face against the Kyuubi."
The young prince's blue eyes widened in shock at his grandfather's words. He wriggled himself free from Ryuu's grip and took a step back in fear. "F-Face the K-Kyuubi?!" He stammered. "Jiji are you crazy?! That was the beast that almost stomped Konoha to the ground! And you want me to face it in battle?!" Naruto suddenlly clasped his hands together against his chest as if it was a life-support while he shook. "I mean, I just started my training and I'm not strong enough to—!"
"Maa maa Naruto-kun," Ryuu interrupted, waving his hands in dismissal, "I never said that you had to fight the beast, you will have to do that when you are ready."
"R-Really?" The blonde Uzumaki sniffled and looked up at the Daimyo of the Land of Eddy. "I don't?"
Ryuu smiled down at the boy lovingly. "Of course not my boy, I just wanted you to enter your mindscape to converse with the beast. This will be one of your greatest trials that you will ever face, even greater than all of your senseis' training." The old man suddenly kneeled in front of the boy, fixating him a look of concern. "Now, are you ready to face the Kyuubi? We do not have to do this if you are not ready."
Naruto dawned on a hard look of immense concentration. What would happen if he did see the Nine-Tailed Fox? Would it attack him or try to attack him? Would it be friendly? Would it tell him why it attacked Konohagakure and ended the lives of his parents that night? All of these questions buzzed around the young blonde's head, filling him with much curiosity than fear. He was about to give the old warrior his answer when he suddenly remembered what Akihiko once told him.
Naruto, with his resolve steeled, looked at his grandfather with unwavering determination that made the old man smile with pride. "I'm ready Jiji. It's like what Akihiko-ojisan told me: A good samurai will always have his doubts, but a better one will always face them with true heart and bravery."
If possible, Ryuu's smile grew. "Very good my child, I will have to thank Akihiko after this battle with your inner demon is put to rest. Now then, are you ready Naruto-kun?"
Naruto grinned widely at Ryuu with excitement dancing in his cerulean eyes. "Hai, Jiji!"
Ryuu chuckled heartily before grasping the boy's hand once again in his as he led him into eerily black room. "Alright then. And do not worry my grandchild; I will be with you every step of the way."
…
Naruto watched with morbid fascination as floating candles were set alit whenever he and his grandfather walked past. He saw other samurai meditating in glowing seals, barely moving in their deep mental battles with themselves.
Naruto suddenly bumped into his grandfather after the man had stop and was about to ask why but stopped after he saw his Ryuu's narrowed gaze. The young Uzumaki followed his gaze and gasped at the sight. There, in the middle of the vastly dark room, was a large glowing seal surrounded by other tiny seals and would pulse after every few seconds.
"This," Ryuu suddenly spoke, gaining Naruto's attention, "is a specialized seal that our clan created specifically for us Uzumaki to enter our mindscapes." At this, Naruto raised a blonde brow in confusion.
"Why just us, why not for other samurai too?" He asked, tilting his spiky blonde head in question.
Ryuu smiled inwardly at the child's intuitiveness, but he held a feigned look of question nevertheless. He stroked his beard as he pretended to think long and hard about the boy's question, which didn't go unnoticed by the whisked child as he began to fidget around in anticipation and annoyance. Ryuu stopped stroking his beard and finally spoke. "Well Naruto-kun, we Uzumaki have large quantities of chakra yes?" The boy nodded. "Well we need to have specialized seals to enter our mindscapes for that reason. Any normal seals would instantly shatter for they are not well-designed enough to contain our heavy quantities of chakra. Thusly bringing us to this seal here." He finished before pointing to the giant pulsating seal.
"Oh…" Naruto drawled out in realization.
Ryuu chuckled. "It's okay Naruto-kun, your question was a very good one and it is good to ask people about things that you do not know of. It shows that you are progressing as a person. Now," the old man's tone changed to a serious one, making the prince stand up taller as he fixating his grandfather a look of a disciplined samurai, "are you ready to converse with the Kyuubi, Naruto-kun?"
Said boy nodded vigorously. "Hai!"
Ryuu returned his nod with another. "Hn. Okay now, proceed towards the seal's middle, but do it slowly so it can get used to another Uzumaki user; too fast and it could trigger the seal's system defenses, and you don't want that."
Naruto gulped audibly and slowly approached the pulsating seal. It's soft glow that it previously gave off was now brightening and it's pulse increasing. With great care, the Jinchuriki shuffled a small foot into the rims of the seal before doing the same to the other. With each step that he took, the seal seemed to scan him, getting used to his presence. After ten minutes of slowly shuffling and scanning, Naruto finally made it to the center of the seal.
"Good job Naruto-kun!" Ryuu yelled, congratulating the boy. The reason for the leader's yelling was because Naruto was fifteen yards away from the man. "Now the next step is to sit cross-legged at the seal's complex center!"
Naruto nodded before hesitantly sitting down, making sure that he was positioned perfectly, in the seal's center. After doing so, he cupped his hands to his mouth before yelling back at Ryuu. "Now what?!"
"Now you must clasp your hands out in front of you, close your eyes, and push out all of the sounds and reality as we know it from your mind. That is the key of entering your mindscape! If anything goes wrong I will pull you out with our Uzumaki Buraddorain'āto: Chakra Chēntekunikku (Uzumaki Bloodline Art: Chakra Chains Technique)."
"Gotcha!" Naruto called. He sucked in a deep breath to calm his nerves before he slapped his hands together in a prayer style. He regulated his breathing, emptying all of his thoughts as he started to plunge himself into darkness. He only heard one thing before he entered his mindscape.
"Good luck Naruto-kun…"
…
"Hello?" Naruto called as he trudged along in the dirty water. After he had closed his eyes, he had found himself lying awake in some dirty sewer water.
He continued to wander aimlessly, taking in his state of mind. It looked like the inner workings of a sewer, dirty water licking at his blue sandals as he continued to trek along. His nose crinkled as he took of whiff. Yep, even the nasty smell was correct.
"Man, is this is what the inside of my mind looks like?" Naruto muttered aloud to no one in particular. "It sure is crumbier than I thought it would be. I mean, sure the villagers back in Konoha hated my guts, but I finally found my family so it should be a little bit better in her—Gah!" He suddenly tripped and planted face first against the cold hard wooden floor. Wait… Wooden…? Floor…?!
Naruto groaned and began to rub his head to soothe his throbbing pain. He looked down at what tripped him and realized that he was currently lying on neatly polished hardwood floors.
He pushed himself up onto his feet once more before blinking in surprise. "What the…?" The Jinchuriki had found himself standing at the starting point of and endless hallway. But it didn't look like sewers, no, instead it looked like the traditional tatami decorated hallways that were held in the Uzumaki Temple.
Naruto cautiously proceeded forward, staring questionably at the many doors that would lead into unknown rooms that his mindscape possessed. Feeling curious, Naruto slid open a door and peered inside. What he saw was a delightful surprise. He saw another him eating all of the known ramen in the world. He laughed before reclosing the door with a grin on his face. All of a sudden a faint glow came from atop of the door, causing the boy to stare at it with rapt attention.
He watched as a blank white plague fizzle into existence before kanji letters began to burn itself onto it as it spelled words. "Ramen Dreams…" The blonde said as he read the molten words. He was about to go look into another room but stopped once he heard a voice call out to him.
"Naruto….Naruto…Come to me Naruto…" It said eerily with its heavy, almost demonic voice resonating throughout the boy's mindscape. Knowing what or who that was, the young prince gulped before he followed the sounds of the voice to find the source.
The blonde gulped as he stopped his aimlessly hunt as he stood in front of a lone door. It was decaying dark oak castle-chamber double doors that was heavily chained and sealed, warning people to stray away. He saw a banged up plague that had "Kyuubi no Yoko" written in blood.
Naruto sighed in exasperation. "Oh how delightful," he muttered, "couldn't it have a nice-looking door with ramen designs on it…?" He took in a deep breath before he began to slowly walk towards the death-ridden door. The seals immediately disintegrated as soon as his hand fell upon it, and in a show of speed the chains immediately retracted themselves from the door and disappeared in a plume of smoke.
The doors seemed to breathe once the seals and chains were undone, and Naruto saw bubbling red chakra leak out of the door and slowly inch its way towards him. He took in a deep breath before he pushed the doors open and stepped inside and stared defiantly at the thing that had caused him misery for most of his short life.
The Nine-Tailed Fox.
It was big, bigger than anything the boy has ever seen and was locked behind a red gate with a large eight-tetragrammed seal plastered in the middle of it—but it did nothing to belittle the beast's size. It was roughly one-hundred meters high, taller than a thirty-story building, with its nine tails swishing violently behind it amongst the boy's arrival.
Its teeth were five times longer and thicker than the boy, its eyes were blood red and filled with malice, its fur was the color of crimson—as if it was painted with the blood of its adversaries. It chuckled at Naruto's defiant look, making the large dojo styled room reverberate from the vibrations.
"At long last, my container comes to see me…" The Kyuubi said grinning maliciously, making the blonde shiver in fear. "Though you are much punier than I imagined and much weaker as well…"
Naruto narrowed his eyes angrily at the Biju [4]. Its voice sounded heavily male, but that thought was, for now, pushed to the farthest resources of his mind.
Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the fox. "I'm not puny! I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet and I'm not weak either! I have six senseis training me to become the greatest Daimyo I can be of Uzushiogakure!" The Kyuubi's eyes widened momentarily at this. "And besides, you aren't some chip off of the old block either buster. You don't quite live up to my expectations just as I don't live up to yours."
The Kyuubi growled with its tails swishing much more rapidly than before. "What do you mean that I don't meet your expectations, human?! I am the strongest of all the Biju combined! How do I not meet your standards?!" He roared.
The blonde just closed his eyes in his infamous expression, stuck out his bottom lip, and began to scratch at the back of his spiky blonde head. "Well, uh… I thought you were gonna be way bigger than you are now. I mean don't get me wrong or anything, you are huge, but just not the huge that I was expecting." He sighed. "And it's just well…. disappointing to know, ya know?"
What an impudent little twit this boy was, calling the Kyuubi insignificant! The beast growled at his jailer, his hatred riling up much more than it had decades ago. His gargantuan claws immediately unsheathed themselves and stuck through the gate, desperately trying to reach the boy so they could tear him limb for limb. Sadly, the young blonde was just a few feet out of reach.
The Kyuubi roared in frustration as he began to claw furiously at the cage to let him kill the boy. "Come here you little brat! I'll rip you apart and crunch on your bones even if it wouldn't satisfy me for a snack!" The beast hissed, now adding his tails to the gate to try and pry it apart, but to no avail.
Naruto was a little unnerved by the enormity of the Biju's claws, but quickly got over it once he saw the fox having a little temper tantrum. "Man, what a grouch…" The boy mumbled under his breath before whistling to gain the fox's attention. "Okay listen. You don't like me, and I really don't like you. But we're stuck together anyway and should help each other out in the long run."
The nine-tailed beast snorted. "And why should a great being such as me stoop to a low to help an impudent puny human such as you?"
The boy felt a tic form on his forehead but he ignored it, for now. "Because if I die, you die." The blonde smirked triumphantly at the fox's frustration. "And, I can change the landscape of my mind that Ryuu-jiji taught me." It was true. Before Naruto even knew about his mindscape, Ryuu has been teaching him the art of meditation. And on one day, Ryuu told him that with a little application of his imagination to his mind, he could be able to shape it into any form that he wanted. But of course the blonde didn't know what the ginger meant by that at the time.
Naruto squeezed his eyes shut as he pictured his desired landscape of his mindscape. The Kyuubi's eyes widened in surprise as he felt the ground rumbled and waver underneath him before the hard wooden floor began to morph into grassy plains. The rotted ceiling was replaced with a bright baby blue sky, the leaky walls stretched far and wide before they disappeared only to be replaced with more grassy plains that stretched far away from the duo. And the gate that held the Kyuubi in place and seemed to stretch up into the heavens, began to glow before it shrunk and attached itself around the fox's neck—forming a makeshift collar.
As the young Jinchuriki concentrated, woodland creatures began to fizzle into existence, scurrying about upon the grassy plains. The gargantuan fox yelped in surprise as trees began to sprout under his paws and quickly jumped away as soon grew as tall as him to provide home and refuge and shade for all of the animals. Lakes and rivers fell from the never-ending sky and made themselves known by establishing themselves into grooves that the grassy plains provided.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes and felt an enormous wave of exhaustion hit him that brought him to his knees and made him pant heavily. "There… all… done…!" The young prince wheezed but managed to send the Biju a victorious grin.
The crimson fox just stared at the boy blankly, his giant red eyes blinking owlishly at the heaving child beneath him. "Why have you done this for me human…?" He asked after a long stretch of silence. "Why go to great lengths for a being that resents you?"
The whiskered blonde was silent for a few moments, desperately trying to regain his breath, before he answered the bound beast. "Because that's my Takeshidō[5], my samurai way." Naruto said that with a face-splitting grin as he cerulean eyes shown with unwavering determination at his inner demon that was at least fifty times bigger than he. "And like I said before, you don't like me and I really don't like you, but we could learn to like each other if not tolerate."
The Nine-Tails narrowed his red eyes at him, looking for any stray traces of deceit on his container's face. He was surprised to see that the oblivious blonde was glaring back at him even though he was being childish about it. The Kyuubi chuckled before he sent the boy a foxlike grin which greatly surprised and unnerved the blonde prince. It was surprising because he didn't know that a Biju like him could smile, and it was unnerving because of the way the fox's pristine giant white fangs glistened dangerously at him.
"Alright brat, you pass my test." The Kyuubi's grin grew in amusement at the boy's fearful look. "I will provide you with my strength, and in exchange you will help me capture and kill a certain man who had controlled me as well as killed your parents many years ago… Deal?"
Naruto was a bit skeptical of the thought of killing a man but it immediately washed away once the beast mentioned the guy killing his parents. That, he would not forgive. "Deal." Naruto replied tartly.
The fox unsheathed one claw and held it out to the boy to shake. Naruto looked at it hesitantly before he reached out a tiny hand and grasped on the tip of the claw before both males bobbed their appendages up and down once.
FLASHBACK (KAI!)
…
Naruto's eyes narrowed at the mysterious man that Kurama had mentioned long ago. Kurama was the name of Kyuubi no Yoko. How did he know you ask? Well, ever since that day three years ago, Naruto has been frequently visiting Kurama through his mindscape that steadily built up their trust in each other. Most of the times Naruto would go see Kurama through the meditation room, but there were a few times that he would be pulled into his mindscape at random—no matter where he was—to go speak to the fox.
The reason why this was done very little was because of the boy's tetragrammed seal putting a heavy strain on the Kyuubi's influence on the whiskered Jinchuriki. But they both found another way to stay in touch by communicating through the young prince's thoughts.
But anyway, let's go back to the matters at hand.
I wonder what really happened that night… The boy thought curiously as he stared into the darkness of the meditation room. I feel as though something's not right with this whole situation… He blinked and suddenly found himself in the dimly light hallways of his imagination. He shrugged off his curiosity—figuring that it was no use dwelling on it when he could find out himself—and proceeded leisurely down the hallways of his mindscape.
After a few minutes of wandering, Naruto stood in front of the doors that led to the powerful nine-tailed Biju. The young prince pushed open the heavy chamber doors, and was greeted by the sight of beautiful grassy fields with rivers, lakes, and frolicking woodland creatures.
Naruto took in a deep breath before he grinned. "This is way better than it used to be." The boy said aloud and walked over to a riverbed where a beautifully handcrafted rowboat—decorated with maelstroms, orange, yellow, and red paint, with golden chiming bells—waited for him. The blonde carefully stepped inside before snapping his fingers which made the rowboat float down the stream on command, needing no one to navigate it.
The boat took him through rivers, big or small, which housed ecosystems of woodland and marine life. The animals would sometimes approach the boy in his boat before scurrying away to do what they were born (or imagined) to do. The little rowboat then took him through a giant lake that seemed to have no beginning or end, but beautifully glistened under the high noon sun. Fish of every kind: flying fish, carp, black basses, bass, even dolphin were housed in this giant lake, and many would hop out of the water to greet the boy with a splash or a chitter.
Naruto seemed to smile at this but suddenly perked up once he noticed a small port approaching him at a steady pace. "Port Kitsune is now approaching, Port Kitsune is now approaching. Please keep all hands and feet inside of the boat until we reach our destination." The rowboat said soothingly in a feminine voice. Yes, said. It is Naruto's mind people, he can dream up whatever he wants. Enough said.
Naruto grinned as the boat slid into port before it dinged twice to signify their arrival. "Thank you for riding the Bōto no Hanashi [6] and have a wonderful visit Naruto-sama." The rowboat said as the boy slowly climbed out of it.
"Thanks a bunch Bōto-chan, and I will." Naruto smiled causing the boat to giggle before it dinged once and slowly floated back into the endless lake. The whiskered boy chuckled before he ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair. He couldn't explain how his mind worked, it just does whatever it wants to do (A/N: Again, it's Naruto people. Whatever are we gonna do with our loveable idiot? n_n).
The prince turned towards the large forestry that held humongous trees that reached to the normal height of reality or reached thirty-stories high and above. As he stepped towards the dense forest, stones began to erupt from under the ground that would help lead the boy to where he wanted to go. And after a few minutes of hopping from stone to stone, Naruto finally made it to the enclosure that housed Kurama.
The enormous crimson fox was lying on a large bed of hay with his head resting on his crossed paws. But that wasn't all, there were six giant-stoned foxes about three stories high, which all held an orb and were positioned in an octahedron shape around the snoozing fox. It looked as if he was in the middle of a seal.
Naruto sighed at his lazy partner before he went right up to the fox's face and patted his giant black nose. "Oi, Kurama! Wake up! C'mon wake up I gotta talk to ya!" The giant fox sniffed before he slowly opened his enormous eyes and peered down his jailer with annoyance written all over his features.
"What is it boy, can't you see that I was enjoying my slumber? I swear, you interrupt at the best times…" Kurama grumbled grumpily and huffed through his nose causing Naruto's hair to whip back at the sudden gust of breeze.
"Gross Kurama!" Naruto yelled as he coughed from the sudden gust of air. "My mouth was open and everything! Now I've got fox snot in my throat!" The boy suddenly started to dry heave as if trying to empty his body from the nasty experience.
The fox laughed heartily at the boy's expense, his laugh making the ground rumble. "Ha ha ha! That's what you get you brat!" His laughs slowly diminished before his gaze turned serious. "So what is it that you want exactly? I know you're not here to pick a bone with me, I can sense your apprehensiveness in your chakra."
The prince scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Heh heh. You noticed that huh?" Naruto folded his arms before he began to explain. "Well then, all pleasantries aside, I need to talk to you about what we discussed on the day we first met three years ago."
"Ah yes, the incident that happened on the day of your birth." The Kyuubi shifted his position to make himself comfortable and grumbled when Naruto climbed up his nose and sat in the space in between his eyes, making himself comfortable for the long story. "Well on that day, I wasn't… in control of myself. A man by the name of Madara Uchiha interfered with your birth and used me to cause the destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village…"
…
FLASHBACK (HAJIME!)
Kurama was put on edge as he could hear loud explosions happening outside of his jailer's seal. He writhed around on the table that he was chained to, desperately trying to break free. "Kushina!" He cried hoarsely, still weak from the earlier sealing process that was required of a female jinchuriki giving birth. "What's going on out there?! What's happened to the birthing process?! Where's Minato?!"
The fox's ears perked up as he heard chuckling and heavy footsteps approaching him. Kurama groaned as he struggled to get his head up to look at the intruder. It was a man in a black cloak with a yellow mask that had jagged black stripes across it. He could see red eyes with three tomoe, a telltale sign that this person was an Uchiha, flashing dimly in the darkness of the mindscape.
"Who the hell are you?!" The Biju yelled harshly at the figure, leaking large amounts of killer intent at the loan man. "What are you doing here?!"
The Uchiha chuckled yet again, ticking off the great fox. "My, you truly are a magnificent creature as they say." The man praised in a disturbingly cool voice. "As for who I am Kyuubi, you can call me Madara Uchiha… And as for why I am here, that's simple really. I am here for you."
Before Kurama could do anything else, he suddenly found his eyes locked with the Uchiha's Sharingan and was sucked into a world of eternal darkness…
FLASHBACK (KAI!)
…
"…and after I came to, the village was in shambles and I had already pierced your parents with my claw and was sealed into you by Minato's Fuuinjutsu: Shiki Fūjin (Sealing Technique: Reaper Death Seal)..." Kurama sighed and closed his eyes. "I am truly sorry Naruto."
Throughout the whole story, Naruto had been silent as he contemplated the Biju's horrific memories and his frown deppened more and more of the almightly fox's captor's wrongdoings. The boy sighed before he propped himself up from his comfortable position. "It's okay Kurama. I know it wasn't your fault." The blonde narrowed his eyes as his face contorted into a dangerous look. "But what this guy did to my parents and the village was unforgivable and I will help you beat this guy even if it's the last thing I do. That's a promise –ttebayo!"
The gargantuan fox smiled at the boy's antics with his nine tails swishing appreciatively behind him. "I'll keep you to that brat. Now get out of here, I hear your annoying uncle calling for you."
The boy just grinned before he hopped off of the fox and waved goodbye. "See ya Kurama!" And the fox watched as the boy faded into nothingness before he yawned and resumed his mid-afternoon nap.
Naruto blinked and found himself back in the meditation chamber with his uncle Akihiko waving to him from the beginning of the large seal. The whiskered child slowly stood up, ending the seal's whitish glow, and stretched his back before he quickly made his way over to the redhead.
Akihiko was strangely wearing a mesh shirt that was covered by a black shirt, black expendable pants, and black sandals. The reason for the man's choice of wear being so unorthodox was because it wasn't traditional samurai wear.
"Hey kiddo! Finished talking to that lazy ass lump of fur?" Akihiko grinned as he ruffled up his nephew's already spiky hair.
Naruto laughed and heard Kurama growl in annoyance. "Yeah, though you really shouldn't call him that. He doesn't like it ya know?"
The man rolled his eyes before taking out a cigar and putting it in his mouth. "Whatever, it's not like he can get me in the state that he's in now." Akihiko took out a liter and lit his cigar and took in a deep breath before he spoke. "C'mon kiddo, we've got a meeting with Ma and Pa in the Royal Council room."
"One of these days Akihiko, one of these days!" Kurama screamed in the boy's mind but Naruto ignored it as he raised a brow at his uncle.
"What for Akihiko-ojisan?" The blonde asked curiously. He saw the ginger hesitate for a moment which raised the boy's suspicion even higher. Akihiko Uzumaki? Hesitate? Those two words sounded so foreign together that it made the blonde blink owlishly before he finally recognized the man's expression.
What the hell's going on with Akihiko-ojisan…? Naruto thought as he peered at the Battousai with narrowed blue eyes, further unnerving the man. I've never seen him so uncomfortable before! The only time I've ever seen him like this was when he pissed off Manami-neechan! Before the boy could further question the samurai, they had already arrived at the esteemed council room.
Wordlessly, Akihiko pushed slid open the door and walked inside with Naruto hot on his heels. They both stood in front of the large desk constructed out of cement with a banner with the uzumaki Clan's crest hanged proudly in the center of it. Ryuu and Harumi were sitting in the two fanciest chairs with seven other empty chairs on their either sides. They both looked at each other before they turned their attention to the young boy, their violet eyes somber.
"Naruto-kun," Ryuu said gravely with his wife squeezing his hand reassuringly, "we need to talk."
The final bell rung in Konoha's Ninja Academy, signaling the end of the school day for all students. Children flooded out of the front doors and were greeted by their parents and listened as their kids excitedly told them about their day at school. One girl by the name of Hinata Hyuuga was waiting patiently for her escort to come and pick her up from the gate. She was in casual wear that consisted of brown capri pants, brown sandals, and a dark green, hood-less jacket with a fire symbol on the upper-right side of her chest. The cuffs of the jacket were rolled up to the middle of her forearms, and the inside of the jacket was cream-coloured. She also had a light lavender blouse underneath.
"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan!" A strangely feminine voice called out to her instead of the male voice that the little bluenette was expecting. Hinata smiled happily as she saw her mother wave over to her with two escort guards accompanying her flanks. She was wearing a beautiful loose turquoise kimono with golden trims and edges and had beautifully intricate waves that designed the outsides of the kimono. She also had quite the bulging belly hence her slow movements and loose kimono.
"Okāsan! Okāsan!" Hinata beamed as she quickly ran up to the fairly plump woman and gave her gentle hug so as to not harm the delicate new life that was residing in the woman's womb. "H-How was your day? Did you get p-plenty of rest? Is H-Hanabi-chan okay? D-Did you get plenty of f-food? H-Have you—?"
"Hinata-chan, slow down slow down!" Hitomi giggled at her daughter's worry. "I'm fine; in fact I should be asking you these questions my little Usagi-chan."
Hinata just pouted cutely and rubbed her mother's belly in a very possessive manner. "I-I know but you're going to b-be due to the hospital any moment now and it's my job to m-make sure that you and Hanabi-chan are well taken c-care of." The shy heiress blinked as she felt a kick from within her mother's belly. "A-Ah! H-Hanabi-chan just kicked! Wh-What do we do?! Do y-you need a doctor Okāsan?!"
Hitomi just giggled in amusement as he eldest daughter started fret exaggeratedly over her mother's health and the escorts desperately trying to calm the little bluenette down. She winced as she felt her youngest daughter kick in her womb once more which made the matriarch beam with happiness.
I can tell that you will be a strong fighter just like your father, Hanabi-chan… Hitomi thought before she finally calmed Hinata down and guided her back to the safety of the Hyuuga Compound. Hitomi watched her daughter whistle a happy little tune before she turned her attention the sky by a suddenly squawk. A hawk squawked loudly with a little white note attached to its leg and the woman frowned as it flew towards the same direction that the Hyuuga were headed.
The woman sighed before her eyes steeled with resolve. It's time…
…
Hinata huffed heavily before she regained the Hyuuga's Jūken (Gentle Fist) stance and eyed her father wearily; looking for any openings that he may have let show. Hiashi narrowed his pale eyes with his veins becoming more pronounced, the telltale sign of the Byakugan being active, before he quickly went on the offensive.
Hiashi sent multiple quick jabs only for the girl to expertly block them all before she sent two jabs at her father's abdomen. They weren't using any chakra for they were only having sparring match. Hiashi winced at the contact but was very good at hiding his discomfort. In retaliation of his daughter's attacks, he caught her arm that was trying to send an open palm to his chest and sent multiple jabs along her sternum and pectoral muscle. Hinata wheezed and slumped to the ground, groaning as she tried to get back up.
Seeing his daughter struggle, Hiashi let his guard down and slipped his hands into his sleeves. "That's enough training for today Hinata," the man deactivated his bloodline before sending his daughter a proud smile. "Despite having multiple flaws in your stance and leaving me many openings to take advantage of, you did fairly well today. Good work."
The shy heiress was discouraged at first but instantly brightened at her father's praise. With determination spurring her on, Hinata forced herself on her feet—greatly surprising her father—and gave the Hyuuga Clan Head a humble bow. "Th-Thank you very m-much for you kindness O-Otōusan!" Hinata replied.
Hiashi smiled and nodded before guiding his now confused daughter out of the dojo. "Come now Hinata-chan, your mother and I have much to discuss with you this day."
…
"I-I'm getting m-m-married…?" Hinata squeaked in a quiet and very distraught voice. Her father had led her to his office where her mother was currently seating in the leather rolling chair that Hiashi usually occupied. The office was very western looking with bookshelf filled to the brim with books and scrolls about the Hyuuga's ancestry and secret jutsu and katas. The desk was crafted out of dark oak and had paperwork neatly stacked at the top right corner of it.
Hitomi and Hiashi exchanged a look of worry before they turned their attention back to their unhappy and heart-broken daughter. Hitomi slowly stood up from the seat and with the help of Hiashi, waddled over to the smaller bluenette and knelt in front of her.
The temporarily plump woman used her slender fingers to caress her daughter's cheek fondly. "Hinata-chan I know that you're young, so very young, to be in this situation but you must understand that we did this for the good of the clan and most importantly, for your safety." Hitomi saw tears stray away from the heiress's lavender pools and it made the woman's heart ache at the sight. She wiped them away with her thumbs before she spoke once again. "Years ago we signed a contract with the newly reformed Uzumaki Clan of your betrothal to the youngest heir, Naruto Uzumaki. This wedding between you and him will still a war that was soon going to break out between Konohagakure no Sato and Uzushiogakure no Sato."
Hinata tried to hold back her sobs but couldn't. She wiped her eyes furiously as if it would stop her constant streams of tears flowing from her eyes. "I-It's not fair!" The hurt girl wailed. "I-It's just not f-fair! I-I really w-wanted to b-be the Clan Head o-one day and now I-I w-won't! I-It's not fair!"
Hiashi too felt his heart ache at the sight of his eldest daughter's suffering, but he learned how to control his emotions much better than his wife did. Hiashi took one of the small girl's hands into his own as he gazed at her softly, tenderly. "I know that it's not fair Hinata-chan but you must understand that your sacrifice will bring much more happiness to others." When the man saw that his words weren't quite getting to her, he tried a different approach. "Think about what you're doing for Hanabi… you do love your sister yes?"
The small bluenette nodded vigorously and looked up at the man with puffy lavender eyes. "Well," Hiashi began, "if you marry this boy then you will be saving her from being marked by the Caged Bird Seal. Your sacrifice will give Hanabi immense happiness, think about it."
The former heiress's sobs slowly diminished as she thought about the pros of her betrothal to this Naruto boy. She wiped her nose before she smiled at the thought of Hanabi being born into the world without having to be cursed by that atrocious seal that had befallen amongst many Hyuuga in the clan.
She gave her parents a weak smile with her mind made up. "O-Okay… I-I'll do it for H-Hanabi-chan and f-for the g-good of the clan…" And with that, she slowly stood up and gently twisted her hands from her mother's and father's grasps before wordlessly leaving the office and staggered in silence to her room.
Hitomi shakily stood up to follow her but was held back by her husband. She was about to protest but fell silent when he shook his head. "Give her time to heal Hitomi-chan," the Head said somberly, "taking in a very heavy responsible such as this demands time to contemplate on what must be done."
Hitomi sighed and looked back to where her daughter once sat. "I hope you're right Hiashi-kun… I really hope so…"
Back in the Land of Eddy (A/N: It's Whirlpool/ Uzushiogakure no Sato guys. Sometimes I'll alternate between the three. Sorry if you become confused! n/n), Naruto had also received the news that he was being betrothed to Hinata and was in the Uzumaki Royal Stables brushing his horse Akira with anger and betrayal clouding his mind.
"I can't believe they did this to me!" Naruto screamed and brushed a particularly rough stroke across the orange horse's fur, causing him to neigh in protest and buck at his master's harsh ministrations. Akira had grown significantly in the last four years and was now one-hundred forty-seven meters tall (A/N: He's 4"8 now) and his mane had grown longer as well as his tail. Over the years, Naruto and Akira had forged a close bond with each other and the boy would always ride the horse whenever he felt trouble, frustrated, angered, or confused about things.
"Oh, sorry boy," the blonde prince apologized by giving the oddly orange horse a pat on his hind to show his regret of his anger overtaking him. Akira grunted and Naruto resumed his brushing and his rant. "I mean, they could've told me this before they signed that marriage contract with the Hyuuga Clan, but what do they do instead? They sign it anyway and leave me with a huge burden of marrying some girl that I don't know in order to stop a feuding war between us and Konoha!"
Akira just sent him a look that clearly said: "If they did tell you, you wouldn't have agreed anyway."
"Of course I wouldn't have!" Naruto screamed at his animal companion, completely stopping his brushing so as to dramatically wave his arms around. "I'm too freaking young to be married! I'm only eight years old for Kami's sake! Ryuu-jiji and Harumi-obāchan and Akihiko-ojisan are being unfair!"
Akira had one eye that was narrowed as if he was raising an imaginary brow at his master. "Are you seriously complaining about this?" He seemed to say. "You're the next in line to become the Daimyo of Uzushiogakure no Sato, Naruto. You will have to make sacrifices for the greater good of the people."
Naruto sighed and started to brush Akira's coat softly. "I guess you're right Akira. After all that is my Takeshidō, my samurai way… it's just," the blonde ran his fingers through his spiky hair as he sighed again, "I just don't know what to do when she comes here in three days. I'm praying to Kami-sama that she isn't those snobby rich girls because I really dislike people like them. I don't want to be in a loveless marriage; even I have standards if my choices ever came around girls."
Akira snorted and shook his mane out before giving Naruto a glance. "Don't worry," His look seemed to say, "your grandparents may be old, but they are most definitely not senile. They know what they're doing with this marriage and only want the best for you." He then gave the distraught boy a lick that brought a grin to the blonde's face.
"Alright, alright Akira!" The boy laughed as he pushed about the horse's snout away from his whiskered face. "Thanks for cheering me up. And even though I may not like this whole marriage thing, I might as well give it a shot. Who knows, maybe my soon-to-be wife will be nice." Naruto picked up Akira's saddle that was hanging on his stable's door and firmly secured it on the horse's back and stuck in the cylinder part of his reigns in his mouth.
The blonde grunted as he heaved himself up on the orange stallion's back and took a hold of his reigns. "How about a ride around Uzushio, ne Akira?" The horse just neighed before rearing up in excitement. The Jinchuriki just laughed in response. "I'll take that as a yes. Hyaah!" And the boy snapped the reigns, causing the horse to take off towards the village with his hooves thundering loudly as he did so.
Hinata stared at herself in the mirror with a stern expression on her face as she finished applying her Kanzashi (traditional Japanese hair ornaments) [7] into her hair. She was wearing a beautiful amber kimono that was made entirely out of pure silk and was a gift from the Uzumaki Clan. Small orange maelstroms decorated it with orange petals imprinted on the dark red sash and fringes. The Hyuuga Clan's insignia was sewn on the left shoulder while the Uzumaki Clan's was on the right and also wore pristine white socks with her new stylish wooden sandals.
The bluenette sighed before she brushed a hand atop of her Kanzashi. The Kanzashi was decorated with marigold flowers that made the eight year old giggle. "W-Well whoever this Na-Naruto character is, he m-must really like o-orange." She suddenly jumped when she heard a light rapping on her door. It took a moment for her to calm her heart before she addressed the person. "C-Come in!"
The door slowly slid open and there appeared was a man with short brown hair in backwards spikes sitting respectfully on his knees. He had featureless white eyes like the other Hyuuga in the compound, with the exception of Hinata and Hitomi, and his nose was broad and well-defined. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi uniform which included a green flak jacket, dark pants, and a forehead protector that he wore like a bandanna.
His name was Kō Hyuuga and he was Hinata's personal escort. Most of the times the former heiress viewed the Chūnin as an older brother that she never had and would often call him "Kō-niisan", though she would have to refer to him as so in secrecy so as to not let the Hyuuga Elders punish the man with the Caged Bird Seal.
"Lady Hinata-sama," Kō addressed humbly and bowed low to the girl with his forehead touching the floor, "it is time for us to depart for Uzushiogakure no Sato. Are you ready?"
Hinata inhaled and looked at the mirror one last time before a determined expression adored her face. She looked at Kō and gave him a nod. "H-Hai Kō-niisan, l-let's go."
…
Hinata sat on her knees daintily in the carriage that she was currently being escorted in. Her poise was straight, her hands folded neatly in her lap, and her face was written with nervousness. Her mind kept buzzing a million miles a minute as she thought of her betrothed. Would he like her? Would she like him? What was his family like? Was his family a ninja clan If they weren't, did they have an off chance of practicing jutsu as well?
Hinata sighed and squeaked in surprise went the carriage suddenly jerked to a stop, signaling their arrival. The young bluenette reached out a tentative hand towards the curtains and pulled it wide enough to poke her head through as she felt the carriage being lowered. "A-Ano, i-is everything alright out th-there?" She asked softly to a guard that was stationed to carry her carriage.
"Oh, do not worry Lady Hinata-sama," the branch member assured, "we are at a temporary stop until the Captain of the vessel says that it is clear to board. Until then, please remain in your carriage."
The mouse sighed in relief with a hand pressed tenaciously to her chest, but then perked up in curiosity. "U-Um… i-is it alright for me to have a l-look at the ship?" She asked.
The guard smiled before giving her a nod. "Of course, but please look from inside the carriage. Your safety comes first Hinata-sama so please bear with it a little longer."
The small girl just nodded and pushed back the red, thickly woven curtain as far back as she could. She gasped in awe at the large vessel that would be taking her across vast seas to Uzushiogakure no Sato. It was vastly great in size and was built with softwood with multiple internal compartments that was accessed by separate hatches and ladders. Its hull was horseshoe-shaped with the stern supporting the high poop deck; the bottom was flat with no keel and had a very large rudder that seemed to help prevent the boat from slipping sideways in the water. The sails puffed out proudly as the wind barreled against it, making the Uzumaki crest expand out larger than it ever was.
"A-Amazing…" Hinata breathed, her pale lavender eyes sparkling with awe.
"The Uzumaki Clan truly is amazing ne?" The guard from earlier said as he noted the former heiress's awe. "They are the most influential clan in the elemental nations and hold great power over even some Daimyo in other lands. They are not only famous in the political and economic arts, but they also specialize in fighting attributes of both shinobi and samurai ways. Though they quite frankly prefer the traditional samurai ways than we shinobi."
Hinata smiled widely in relief. She could still have a chance of continuing her ninja career! And maybe, just maybe, she could help out the Hyuuga Clan from their corrupted ways even though she would be marrying out of the family soon.
"All aboard! All aboard! The passengers going to Uzushiogakure no Sato please board now! The ship will be leaving momentarily!" A sailor called before he quickly bounded down the walkway and helped the other sailors load the provisions for the long trip ahead.
"Lady Hinata-sama," the branch member called, "please return inside. We are about to board the boat." The girl just nodded and quickly closed the curtains as the carriage was once again hoisted up. The Hyuugas boarded the ship and the vessel soon took off not too long after, leaving the bluenette to ponder what awaited her in the Land of Eddy.
Next time on The Lost Clan of Whirlpool: Husband and Wife Meet At Last, The Lost Sword of The Rikudō Sennin?!
WHOOO! I am finally finished with this chapter! Spring Break really helped because yesterday I was almost finished with this chappie but I passed out and when I came to, it was already 10:30 at night! So I had to pack it up and high tail it to bed, GOMENASI!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Ja ne minna-san~ ! n/n
[1] Jiji – Grandfather
[2] Obāchan – Grandmother
[3] Ojisan – Uncle
[4] Biju – Tailed Beast
[5] Takeshidō – It literally means "samurai way".
[6] Bōto no Hanashi – It literally means "rowboat".
[7] Kanzashi - Traditional Japanese hair ornaments that was used in the Edo Period and still used in modern day Japan.