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Hey everyone, Piro-san here. I was working on the next chapter of Red Eyed Master when I got this idea, and like most of the ideas that cross my twisted and crazy mind, I had to write it out to continue on with the chapter.
The idea comes from Avatar mostly. The idea is born from the thought of what would happen if Naruto could use Blood Bending in conjunction with Jiton. So there's the idea: here we go!
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I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR THE AVATAR SERIES.
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KONOHA'S LORD OF BLOOD – CHAPTER ONE
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"Ramen" – Speech
'Ramen' – Thoughts
"Ramen" – Bijuu/Summon Speech
'Ramen' – Bijuu/Summon Thoughts
"Ramen" – God/Deity Speech
'Ramen' – God/Deity Thoughts
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Naruto watched with a strange sense of detachment as he fell towards the ground – his sensei, and he used the term lightly, had just thrown him down a ravine in order to help him access Kyuubi's power. Naruto could no longer ignore the blind hatred that Konoha's inhabitants showed him every day. Since his childhood they had hated his very existence so he – wanting to fit in, acted like an idiot and after long, it became so natural that he just continued to use that mask to hide his pain. Now the one who had sworn to train him to the best of his ability, and had effortlessly broken through the defences that he'd built to shield himself, had just signed his death certificate. To be fair – it was really his mask's defences, as if he truly portrayed his true skills and intelligence, he knew the villagers would try to kill him – but a part of his true self yearned to be cared for, so he had let Jiraiya try … his mistake.
And he was so very tired of their hate and his pathetic existence. So Naruto embraced the darkness and remained silent as his heart broke and his body hit the ravine's floor.
"Oi, wake up human," a voice spoke to him – it was a voice that he had only heard once before, but it was unmistakable.
"What do you want Kyuubi-san?" Naruto replied blankly. "I'd have thought you would be pleased. You now have your means to escape your prison."
"You are a most curious child, you know that?" Kyuubi responded in an equally curious tone. "Nevertheless, you are mistaken. While my soul will be free to return to my home, my chakra would create an explosion that would level this Village and most of the surrounding land. Furthermore, the land would be contaminated for at least several hundred years – meaning that it would also destroy the eco-system here in the Land of Fire."
Naruto raised an eyebrow but responded after a moment of thought. "You actually care what happens to this village and its inhabitants? I'm surprised – you are assumed to be a creature of hatred and destruction."
"You humans would believe that, wouldn't you?" the Kyuubi sighed. "The truth is that I'm as tired as you are human, though I've been tired for an infinitely longer period of time. I care not for this Village or its people, but I do care for the Land of Fire. I was once a Guardian of this land – keeping balance. It was that abomination called Madara Uchiha that started my reign of hatred and destruction."
"So your escape still leaves death and destruction in its wake," snorted Naruto. "Ironic really, you must see that no?"
The Kyuubi just chuckled, "Yes, I suppose there is irony in your words. Though that brings me to your situation, for you see, if you die, then the pact that I made with the Shinigami would be void and I would have my soul devoured instead of being free. So forgive me when I say screw you – you're going to live."
Naruto stared at the monstrous fox, before merely shrugging. "Meh, no hard feelings then, you do what you must Kyuubi-san."
"In order to save you, you must accept my chakra as your own, and merge your spirit essence to it," the fox continued, just a little unnerved by the child's nonchalant attitude. "In doing so, you will gain control of my erratic chakra – but be warned human; you may expect … changes."
"Changes, can you be specific Kyuubi-san?" Naruto questioned without a delay.
"You are taking this rather well, I sensed your willingness to simply die and pass on," the Kyuubi responded. "Why would you simply accept this extension?"
Naruto stopped to think about his reply – sure, just seconds ago he was ready to embrace death and move on, but now – for some reason there was a part of him that wanted to show the villagers that they were wrong. He no longer yearned for the position of Hokage, if it did happen to be thrown his way then perhaps he'd just go with the flow. He wanted to be free from the stigmata that came with being a Jinchūriki, but his unfulfilled desire to still be seen still lingered in the back of his mind – screaming at him to be free.
The Kyuubi had instantly followed the train of thought that his host was pondering, and nodded solemnly. To be free and seen … such a human thing to want.
"As my soul is freed from this prison, you may feel pain like you have never felt before," the fox continued. "I'll even give a few words as I leave, as repayment for my freedom. You may inherit an ability or two from my chakra as it merges with yours but you'll receive knowledge to control them from my memories. Oh … you may feel a slight headache as knowledge from me and your parents are transferred to you."
"Wait, what?" Naruto asked as his head snapped up to the Kyuubi's. "My parents – how can that be possible?"
"Beats me, I'm not a Fūinjutsu (Sealing Technique) master," Kyuubi shrugged. "By the way … the name is Kurama and I bid you farewell human."
Then pain registered in Naruto's mind – so much pain that he felt his very body like it was being ripped a part. Memories from both his parents and Kurama flooded his mind, destroying it under the assault, but then instantaneously healing and mending itself from the fox's chakra. He learned it all, his parent's knowledge, their skills from their time as Shinobi/Kunoichi, their memories and even their feelings of joy when they found out he was coming into the world. The feelings wrapped around him like a hug – a hug from his parents as the last action they could provide as they too passed on. The memories and skills from Kurama was worse – as he had lived for far longer – but just as earlier, his mind was instantly repaired from the integration process.
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The Village of Konoha was enjoying a peaceful morning as the various inhabitants bustled about. The beautiful cries and chirps of birds created an enjoyable song that had the many foreign Shinobi and Kunoichi relaxing as they paused in their own training for the Chunin Exams.
Then it was broken.
The birds suddenly stopped and an unnatural silence permeated the air. Then a presence that the people of Konoha knew only too well appeared. The monstrous form of the Kyuubi no Kitsune roared as it reappeared right in the middle of the very clearing in which it had been sealed – only a wall blocked the creature from the main shopping district that just happened to be full, the many travelling merchants filled the usually empty spots in said market place. The recognisable form of Jiraiya the Toad Sannin crashed through said wall from the explosion of power.
"Yes, I'm free at last," roared the beast, the many villagers and visitors shaking in terror were hyper aware, and as such – they listened to every word the demon spoke. "Finally free from that wretched Yondaime's spawn, his corpse is no longer my prison Konoha!"
The Kyuubi's malice filled laugh echoed through the streets as its words registered in the hearts and minds of the populace and visitors. "The Yondaime had a son?" "The child was the Yondaime's son – what have we done?"
Similar cries were heard and Kurama decided to go out with a bang – quite pleased with his performance. "To think that he wished for death – and by the wretched Yondaime's own village as well, it's a pity that Uzu was decimated in the war, they'd really get their jollies off of learning that their heir to the throne was killed by its own allies!"
And with that he grinned as evilly as he could before vanishing into the air like a wraith. Meanwhile the Sandaime had just appeared on the scene with his ANBU in tow. He'd heard every single word spoken by the beast and cursed himself – the creature was right. They had done nothing to care for his predecessor's heir and the heir to the still wealthiest Clan in the Elemental Nations. If he was paying attention to his surroundings, he'd have spotted a mop of bright red Uzumaki hair flee the scene.
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Karin Uzumaki had been selected to participate in the Chunin Exams by her sensei in Kusa. What they didn't know was that she had been planted in Kusa as a child – planted by the remnants of the Uzumaki Clan. They had trained her and her infiltration was successful the moment she was granted permission to enter Konoha. She had been tasked with a single mission: Find the Uzumaki Heir and get him home, where his/her people were waiting.
Though she was amazing in her skills to fool everyone, the only traces of the Uzumaki Clan in the whole pathetic village of Konoha, was a blonde haired idiot that bore the Uzumaki name. Oh how she loathed that boy, listening to him as he declared the Uzumaki name so proudly, despite clearly not belonging to their great Clan – was disgusting and it had almost broken her cover. Despite this, she trailed him as the only lead that she had – she'd already made sure that she had been dropped from the Preliminary Round, so now she could focus all of her efforts to trailing the boy and finding the true heir/heiress.
She watched the boy struggle to even learn Water Walking and her disgust only grew as he failed, the boy was ridiculous. She had almost been caught as she watched as Jiraiya of the Sannin had appeared on the scene – his stealth was better than hers and he looked in her direction once or twice as he trained with the fake Uzumaki. Then she saw the Sannin release a Five Pronged Seal from the fake's stomach, so the boy had been fighting while sealed? Her opinion of him went up slightly after that little revelation.
Then she watched as the Sannin had thrown the boy into a ravine … all to control the Kyuubi's power apparently. Was the man a complete idiot? Forcing a Bijuu's power out by force would do irreparable damage to even the strongest of seals. Karin wasn't a Seals Mistress herself, but she was about equal to Kushina Uzumaki in skill – so she knew all about Seals. Kushina herself, stopped learning Seals when Mito Uzumaki passed on, so all her skill in Seals went stagnant as she grew. It was well known that Uzumaki were gifted with Fūinjutsu – what wasn't well known was that they inherited that knowledge from their masters/mistresses on their passing. That knowledge was transferred to their student on their deaths.
Kushina had not let that knowledge merge with her own – if she had then perhaps she and her husband the Yondaime might've lived. Now that knowledge was lost as she was dead before accessing it.
What she didn't know was that her mind still lived in her son's seal, and since her mind lived, so had Mito's knowledge, and since Kushina's mind was absorbed by Naruto – so had that sacred knowledge that Mito had possessed.
Karin then watched as Kyuubi was released by the act of throwing the boy down the ravine. She did take pleasure in watching the Sannin panic as the boy failed to access the beast's chakra, then watching him get thrown through a wall was the icing on the cake. She listened to the Kyuubi's words and she cursed herself – that boy was the one she was looking for. Then the realisation hit her – the boy hadn't been awoken as he should have as a child. Since the Kyuubi's seal was most likely left alone out of fear, they wouldn't have honoured the sanctity of an Uzumaki's Awakening Ceremony … no wonder the boy was an idiot. An Uzumaki's Awakening Ceremony involved accepting the knowledge of their forbearers in a ceremony that was completely safe. It was why their skills in Fūinjutsu were so feared, as they essentially inherited an entire lifetime's knowledge of Seals in an instant. Then it was their responsibility to add to that knowledge and pass that onto their children, and it continued after with their children's children.
The Sandaime then appeared and she hurried to the ravine, at least she could bring back a corpse as proof. She gasped when the very boy she was looking for floated out of the ravine and landed gracefully on the ground. He glanced at her, second stage Sharingan eyes bore into her own for what seemed like an eternity, before his eyes drooped shut and he fell. She managed to use her Kongō Fūsa (Adamantine Chakra Chains) to catch him before he fell back into the ravine that he'd just escaped from.
A sudden thought hit her, if the Sandaime found him after what had just happened then she couldn't guarantee her Lord's safety – so she made a decision that would forever change the Elemental Nations. She slapped a weightless seal on him, picked him up and then fled to the hidden Uzumaki Compound near to the place that the Konoha-nin called 'The Forest of Death'.
She was surprised when the gates opened on their own accord – a sign that the boy really was the heir to the throne. She carefully tucked him into a bed and sat in a nearby chair, she was taking no chances with her newly awakened Clan Head. As she watched over him she bore witness to the boy's body changing before her very eyes.
Naruto's body grew slightly, granting him an extra foot's worth of height. His blonde hair grew longer and eventually became the Blood Red colour that belonged to the Uzumaki Clan's Royal Family. The last change was that his whisker marks vanished, and his skin tone faded from its tanned colour into a smooth creamy colour that was prominent in the Uzumaki Clan. These changes took place over three whole days, and she only ever left his side to replace the water and cloth to wipe away his sweat or to use the bathroom.
It was as she tenderly wiped away his sweat on the third day that he groaned tiredly and slowly opened his eyes; she looked on and was mesmerized by the beautiful, royal blue eyes that met her own red eyes. He smiled tiredly at her before falling back to sleep. Her heart was thumping like crazy, his eyes were as beautiful as they were strong – they radiated power and demanded respect. She did wonder how he could possess the Sharingan though, was his father a genetic anomaly? As far as she knew, the boy's father was a Namikaze and if he had inherited anything from that Clan, it would've been their unnatural ability to control their foe's blood. There were mentions of a few of their Clan use the famed Jiton of Suna, but that was all.
Then she realised the one thing that she forgot – the Kyuubi! There were rumours that some, if not all the Bloodlines were granted to mortals by Bijuu when they were still Guardians. If that was the case, then it stood to reason that the Kyuubi was responsible for the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai. It would further make sense then, that that was why it fell to its power – only a Guardian, or a Guardian's gift could fell a Guardian.
A soft groan startled her out of her ponderings and she glanced to her awakening lord. Quicker than she would have thought possible, he was leaping from the bed and taking a shaky Taijutsu Stance.
"Who are you?" he asked with a raspy voice, probably from not using it for three days.
Karin stood and slowly bowed to Naruto. "I am Karin Uzumaki, my lord. I am at your complete service."
She blinked as she heard Naruto scoff. "Please, you hate me. I may have pretended to be stupid, but the aura of loathing that you were projecting, especially when I declared my name to be Uzumaki was something that one cannot fake."
"I-I freely admit to originally hating you my lord," Karin admitted honestly. "You see, I'm on a mission on behalf of my ... our Clan to locate the last of the Royal Family, and you are he, my lord."
It was Naruto's turn to blink as he absorbed the information just presented. He suddenly hissed in pain as he grasped his head. It felt like it was splitting open as names, places and skills were all forcing themselves to his mind's forefront.
"Kushina Uzumaki, m-my mother … who – who the hell is Mito Uzumaki?" Naruto hissed through clenched teeth. "Get … the … fuck out of my head!"
He snarled savagely as he turned and slammed his head into the closest wall. Karin flinched at the power of the strike and moved to help him, but suddenly gasped as she found herself unable to do so. A wall of metal had suddenly halted her advance, and Karin idly noted that some of the room's metal objects were dissolving into metal sand to join its brethren in stopping her.
"M-My Lord, you must calm your thoughts," Karin stuttered as the sand floated menacingly in front of her face. "Please, just breathe my lord … Naruto."
Her meek calling of his name brought Naruto back to reality and he fell to his knees as he willed his thoughts and memories to calm – doing so calmed the metal sand. Karin wasted no time in rushing to Naruto's side and gently laid his head in her lap on the floor. Naruto's deep, erratic breathing soon calmed and he opened his eyes, staring directly into Karin's own.
"You have beautiful eyes Karin-san," he muttered tiredly as he gently reached up and ran a hand through her brighter red hair. "Your hair is also pretty; it's darker than my mother's was."
With those parting words, Naruto returned to the world of sleep, leaving a furiously blushing Karin who suddenly felt as though the room was too warm.
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When Naruto next awoke, it was to the melodious humming of Karin, who was gently washing his face with a cool damp cloth. She squeaked when she saw his gaze on her, as he'd accidently switched his Sharingan on to forever remember her voice.
"A-Are you feeling better Naruto-sama?" she inquired, slightly stuttering as she remembered Naruto's words earlier.
"Yes, thank you Karin-san," he responded softly. "I was listening to your song, it's beautiful. Where did you learn it?"
"Oh, this is an old Uzumaki Lullaby Naruto-sama," Karin instantly answered. "I learnt it from my grandmother, before I was tasked to infiltrate Konoha to find you."
Naruto hummed in thought but scowled at her formal addressing of him. "You can just call me Naruto, ya know?"
Karin gaped at Naruto – didn't he know that to ask such a thing was essentially requesting to be more familiar with each other? The likely answer was no, but she felt the need to inform him of such.
"I-I cannot do that my lord," she shyly responded, a cute blush on her face. "What you ask of me means that you want to … uh … get to know me better. I mean, it's a basic way of asking for a relationship."
Naruto blinked dumbly, new memories or no, he was mostly ignorant to all things that related to the opposite sex, so it was no surprise that his next answer had the poor Uzumaki girl blushing.
"So, what you're saying is that if I want you to address me less formally," he inquired softly. "I must ask you to engage in a relationship with me?"
Karin blushed and nodded demurely, she wasn't normally like this. Her usual attitude was fiery and bold, but her new lord Naruto made her feel special. She was no stranger to men looking at her in lust, but never had one looked at her so purely. Naruto was different from any man she had ever met.
A sudden flutter of chakra pulsed in her stomach and she gasped – no! No, no, no! It was impossible – was Naruto the one?
An Uzumaki always knew when they'd met the one because of the flutter or chakra. It resonated with their destined partner and only two people in history had felt it for people outside of the Clan: Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki. Any more thought on the matter was interrupted by Naruto.
"Karin-san, are you feeling alright?" he asked, concern overflowing in his tone. "I sensed a pulse of chakra from within you and mine then did the same. Are you well?"
'Well, that answers my question,' Karin thought in shock. 'My destined partner is the new Uzumaki King! The elders won't like this one bit.'
A bell-like sound echoed through the room and Karin perked up. "We have a visitor, one that knows about this place. This place cannot be seen by others unless they're granted permission by the Uzumaki Clan, or are marked as 'friends of the Uzumaki' … please wait here Naruto-sama."
Karin stealthily made her way to the gate and peaked through the spy hole. On the other side of the gate was an elderly woman with her hair in an elaborate bun. Karin recognised her as Koharu Utatane … one of the Sandaime's advisors and an Elder of Konoha.
"Speak and be judged," she demanded through the use of the gate's seals.
"So it is true, when I felt the seal awaken I had to be sure," Koharu muttered. "A new Uzumaki King has awoken!"
Koharu calmly followed protocol and presented herself clearly to the gate, so that Karin could see that she truly meant no harm to her new king. "I am Koharu Utatane, friend to the Uzumaki and invited by Mito-sama as her student."
The seals glowed and Karin could see that Koharu spoke the truth. Still wary of the older Kunoichi, she opened the gates and allowed her entrance. "My lord is resting from the awakening process, please state your business Elder."
"Oh you know of me?" Koharu smirked. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but when the Uzumaki Clan's representative failed to meet me at the rendezvous point … I was concerned. Of course I then felt the Seal of Friendship burn and I knew that you'd found the king."
Karin sighed and nodded tiredly. "Yes, I found him. His own sensei decided to try and kill him by throwing him into the 'Eternal Ravine'."
Koharu bristled at the statement, but it clicked in her mind as she went over the details.
"So the Uzumaki child was the King after all," she spoke with regret.
Koharu had tried to help the Jinchūriki, she really had tried, but her dearest friend and fellow advisor Homura had made the child's life hell. Her inaction in fighting harder for Naruto had caused the brave young man pain. Then his sensei, that idiot Jiraiya had demanded that he be the one to train Naruto.
At first, she was ecstatic that one with ties to the boy would become a part of his life, but after hearing the report – straight from Jiraiya's mouth – that in his attempt to force Naruto to use the Kyuubi's power, he'd killed the boy by throwing him down the 'Eternal Ravine' it took Hiruzen and Homura both to restrain the former Kunoichi from harming the perverted idiot. Homura and Hiruzen both knew of her close ties to the Uzumaki – hell, she was honoured formally by receiving the Seal of Friendship by Mito Uzumaki herself.
Koharu sighed tiredly as she massaged her forehead.
Then there was the fact that the streets were already echoing with the not so subtle whispers regarding how Naruto was related to the Yondaime. Iwa would know by now, their spies would have been frothing at the mouth to make sure their Kage knew as soon as possible. Everyone in Konoha already knew, and the Councils were wailing with complaints on how they weren't notified sooner. Hiruzen had no choice but to officially acknowledge the claims and confirm everything publically. The fallout was devastating. The many civilians that had persecuted the boy had openly renounced themselves and swore to atone for everything they'd done. Others were crying about the injustice, and some were even mourning his 'departure'.
The Shinobi and Kunoichi reaction was worse. Those that suspected were now considering retirement or other drastic measures. Those that didn't know were livid that the boy's identity had been hidden from them, with the Yondaime's Guard, their most Elite Unit even threatening to abdicate their positions – this unit made Kakashi Hatake look like a standard ANBU soldier, as opposed to the 'Elite' Jounin that he was, and their loss would mean that their forces would have their strongest 20 soldiers gone … a loss not easily replaced.
Those that had known truly regretted not doing anything for Naruto. Kakashi was out of the Village training that accursed, spoiled brat Sasuke Uchiha, but his reaction wasn't going to be pretty either. If the Yondaime's Guard was the hidden Kage Level Ninja, then Kakashi was the Village's 'Public' face for their elite.
Koharu glanced to the young Uzumaki still eyeing her warily, a good mindset for one so young – it honestly reminded the elder of her at that age. Though the subtle glances to the Estate made her crack a small smile … so the young lady was infatuated with Naruto? It was sweet and she wondered if there was the fated 'spark' between them. Mito often spoke of it fondly and described the intense feeling of love and belonging that she shared with Hashirama when they both accepted each other.
"Koharu-sama," the tired voice of Naruto sounded. "I had a feeling it'd be you, there was always kindness in your eyes whenever you spoke with me. Even the Sandaime's gaze wasn't as kind as yours."
Karin gasped and abandoned her vigil to race to Naruto's side, instantly supporting him. She shuddered as a jolt of electricity seemed to pass through her at Naruto's touch. If Koharu noticed – and she did – then she didn't comment on the scene but she did smile at Naruto fondly.
"I'm glad you're safe Naruto," she spoke, relief colouring her tone. "I see that you're in good hands."
"You bet, Karin's the best," Naruto instantly replied, causing a blush the same colour as her hair to burst free on her face.
Koharu chuckled, it would be fun to tease these two … especially when Naruto got it into his thick, Uzumaki skull what effect he was having on the poor girl. She sobered up and spoke in a serious tone to Naruto. "I need your permission to reveal that you're in fact alive Naruto."
"I see," was all Naruto replied with as he went into thought. "I see no advantages in waiting to release this information and only you and possibly Kakashi-sensei can enter this estate. Very well, I give you permission to reveal that I'm alive. Koharu-sama … I seem to be able to move metal and I feel your blood pulsing in your veins."
Koharu swallowed a lump in the back of her throat. "I-I see, that means that you've awakened both of the Kekkei Genkai from the Namikaze Clan. Is there anything else you feel – an itching sensation in your shoulders perhaps?"
Naruto shook his head but then perked up. "T-There is one other thing."
"Yes, what is it Naruto?" she nervously asked, before almost fainting as Naruto activated the Sharingan. "H-How do you have the Sharingan?"
This time it was Karin that responded. "From what I've pieced together, I believe that the Sharingan was gifted by the Kyuubi. It's long since been speculated that Dōjutsu, along with other Kekkei Genkai, were gifted to Clans by Bijuu or Guardians."
Naruto stared at Karin in awe. "Wow, you're clever Karin-san that was awesome!"
Koharu watched in amusement as Karin blushed again before nodding seriously again. "You may be right Karin-san. I will leave now Naruto, to inform Hiruzen and the Council that you're alive. They'll expect proof, so be prepared to be summoned. I'll have scrolls on the Namikaze Clan's Kekkei Genkai brought to you as soon as possible."
A playful smirk appeared on her face as she added. "Don't forget to train; you have a Blood Oath to fulfil to Hinata Hyūga of the Hyūga Clan after all."
Naruto paled as he remembered the oath, and that he hadn't trained in days.
"You're right, I have a lot of work to do!" he cried out, before staggering indoors to find his shinobi gear.
"That boy will never change," Koharu mused. "It proves that he's an Uzumaki though."
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I know it's just a teaser, but this idea's been floating about for a while. Another idea may be written down soon as well. It's an idea with an element from Doctor Who of all things. Gods, I love that show.
Anyhow, thanks for reading. :D
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AS ALWAYS: PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
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