Naruto
ONI
New Beginnings
(Oni no Kuni)
It was morning back on Earth and, just like the start of most days on this small ball of earth and water, the weather was calm and welcoming. The glow of the rising sun set against the rice fields and valleys of one of the many farmlands of the Land of Demons made for a very gorgeous and peaceful scene. With the telltale signs of morning dew glistening against the grass blades and the sound of birds waking to the rays of light peeking over the horizon, there at first didn't appear to be a single thing that could ruin such a moment.
However, over one of the lakes of a nearby farm, beside a hill overlooking a greater part of the valley, there was a blinding flash of light followed by a big splash- as a dimensional rip the size of an ordinary door suddenly deposited two small bodies right in the middle of the pond. As soon as the pair were deposited from the wormhole into the water, the portal closed and vanished, leaving no trace of it behind.
The waves from the pair's landing in the loch took a few moments to settle. But once they did a few seconds later, the heads of both Naruto and Shion popped to the surface. Both gasping for breath, the former quickly wrapped his arms around the latter when he saw her flailing about- clearly unable to swim. Once he had her head above the water, he quickly began paddling his way towards the shore, which the pair eventually clambered onto after only being in the water for about two minutes.
Crawling up the rocks and onto the grass, the pair soon collapsed halfway up the hill, breathing heavily and soaking wet. After regaining their senses and making sure both of them were still alive, Naruto then helped Shion to her feet and walked with her up to the top of the hill. When they arrived there and looked out over the landscape that stood before them, they quickly realized that they were back on Earth and out of harm's way.
"We're… home?" Naruto murmured, looking about the rice fields covering the landscape. Well, technically they were back in the elemental nations. As to exactly where they were, he had no idea, but he could venture a guess that it wasn't Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire). The trees were all wrong.
"Yes," Shion answered with a nod, at the same time recognizing the hills in the distance. "We're back in Oni no Kuni… out in the farmlands."
Informed of where they were, Naruto's mood was quickly put at ease. But then, a few seconds later, the blonde suddenly heard Shion begin to sob and, when he looked across at her, he saw the girl was curled over, gritting her teeth, and trembling on the spot. He also noticed the tears that'd started to leave her eyes, leaving sad, glistening trails down her cheeks as she allowed her emotions to come forth.
"K-Kaa-san… and papa… th-they're… both… gone," the girl sniffled, her heavy breathing and sobbing prompting her to lift her arm up to her face and rub her eyes into her sleeve. Her robe quickly grew wet with her tears as she cried into her arm and did her best to keep from wailing. "Th-They… *sob*… they…"
Hearing her stammer and whimper openly into her arm immediately filled Naruto with a sense of sadness. His heart wrenching at the sight of the girl breaking down in front of him, the spiky haired young hero quickly moved over to her and wrapped his arm around her. The moment he made contact, the girl quickly turned into his embrace and started weeping into his jacket- not caring that her dignity as a young priestess was being effected or that she was staining his shirt. She let her feelings be heard and Naruto, being the kindhearted young man that he was, did his best to comfort her.
The two stood there, locked in one another's arms, doing their best to steer themselves through this moment. After the shocking, planet-busting events that'd transpired in the wake of the last few hours, the pair were obviously still shaken up by what they'd just witnessed. They had just observed a battle between a group of God-like beings, all of whom had the power to rip an entire world asunder, and literally send that world collapsing into the sun itself. The battle, though trivial in the eyes of the main participants, had extended beyond the human perceptions of what was normal, and ascended to the heights of the impossible.
In simple terms, Naruto and Shion had born witness to judgement day. A literal cataclysmic even that'd brought an end to an empty and desolate world, which had already played host to multiple wars and conflicts. Needless to say, the two children were more than a little bit distraught by everything that'd taken place, especially since they'd been the sole targets of the beings responsible for causing so much damage.
After standing there for a few minutes- with one of them crying and the other one doing his best to stop himself from falling into tears as well- the two eventually calmed down a little. However, just before any of them could decide on anything else or figure out what to do, the pair suddenly heard a voice call out their names.
"Naruto-kun… Shion-chan…"
Eyes widening, the young priestess quickly looked up and behind them. There, standing on the same hill as them beside a fallen tree log, Shion saw to her disbelief the forms of Miroku and Moryu- the former dressed in her shrine robes and the latter his shirt, eboshi and pants- standing beside one another and smiling at them. If that weren't surprising enough, Naruto also glimpsed two more figures beside them- that of his father and mother.
The four parents were standing in no particular form or way, but were gazing across at the children with expressions of warmth and joy.
It took a few moments, but the same emotion quickly filled Shion and Naruto as well, with the former wiping her cheeks clear before rushing towards her parents with a laugh. "Kaa-san! Papa! You're here!" she shouted, throwing herself into her mother's arms when she knelt down to catch her. "You're here! I can't believe it!" The moment her limbs clapped around her parent's neck, the girl hugged her for all she was worth, with Miroku happily returning the child's show of affection.
"Hello, Shion-chan," the priestess whispered, closing her eyes as she felt her daughter sink her face into her collar. All the while Moryu stood beside her, beaming down at the mother and daughter. "Heh. Did you miss us?"
"Yes," Shion squeaked, a wide smile on her face as she happily embraced her mother. "Yes… I did…"
Naruto meanwhile walked over to where his father and mother were, partially in a daze, yet still managing to consciously smile when he stopped in front of them. "H-Hey, guys? When did you… how did-?" the jinchuriki asked, completely baffled by what he was seeing right now, as he thought for sure his parents were still sealed up inside of him.
Kushina simply smiled at him before then looking towards where Shion and her parents were. "Your priestess friend over there… you can thank her for doing this for us. She may not look like much on the outside in her priestess robes, but she's got some pretty crazy sealing abilities. Heck, her binding and marking techniques are even more advanced than mine."
"Well… that's not surprising, considering she's an actual Goddess and all," Minato also commented with a slight laugh. "There's no way a couple of ordinary humans like us can ever compete with the likes of her."
"Yeah. I guess," Naruto chuckled, before turning to them and grinning broadly. "But the two of you got pretty close, y'know." After seeing them both smile down at him, the spiky-haired child wasted no more time and quickly walked up to Kushina, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. The woman responded by hugging him back, at the same time running her hand gently through his hair.
After separating from her parent a full minute later, Shion blinked as she then took a moment to look her mother over. "W-What happened? I thought that you and papa flew into the sun." Sniffling and rubbing her nose on her sleeve, the obviously confused young girl looked her the woman in the eyes. "I thought you were both dead."
It was then a sad look came upon Miroku, who shared a momentary look with Moryu before turning back to her child. "Oh, sweetheart…" Reaching up to tentatively run her hands down her little girl's silky locks, the priestess was unable to stop the shimmer of unshed tears from coming to her eyes as she used every second of that moment to burn the memory of her daughter's face into the back of her mind. "I know that you don't want to hear this… and that it's completely unfair. But… your father and I… we're no longer in this world anymore."
Shion blinked in confusion. "W-What do you mean?"
"We're dead, Shion-chan," Moryu spoke, stepping over to his daughter and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up at him, the white-haired male smiled sadly at her. "Your mother and I… we gave our lives to defeat the Otsutsuki by forcing him into the star. Because of how powerful the three of them were together, in order to make sure none of them ever interfere with future generations or events, your mother imprinted a seal onto them that bound their spirits to ours. That meant when we died, the two of us would be able to pull their souls into the afterlife, and ensure they never harm anyone again."
Miroku nodded at her partner's words, while at the same time watching Shion's shocked face look between them. "We had no other choice, sweetheart. The moment the two of us started using our powers in battle, our bodies started to collapse from the inside out. Whatever life force we had was burned up when we used our celestial chakra to defeat those monsters… a steep price we had to pay after giving up our lives as Gods to become human." The priestess then searched her daughter's eyes sadly, before gently reaching up to cup her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Shion-chan… but we won't be able to stay here for much longer. Your father and I will have to eventually move on."
The news of this hit Shion hard, but not as hard as it initially did when she thought for sure her parents had just disappeared without saying a word. Instead, the girl once again felt tears come to her as she clenched her fists and closed her eyes. After a few moments of feeling her mother's warm touch against her face, the little girl looked up and gave a stiff nod.
"I… I understand."
Beaming, Miroku then looked up to where Naruto was standing by his parents, and nodded considerately towards them. "This technique will last for just over an hour. That means you and your family have roughly that long to spend with each other and catch up. Since we'll be disappearing after that, I recommend you make every second you have count."
"Will do," Minato bowed his head, while Kushina looked down at her son and grinned.
"It seems that fate has been kind enough to give us a chance to be together," Kushina chirped, before then giving a joyful grin a second later. "Even if it is for a short time, I'm sure we can make the most of it. Are you… okay with that, Naruto-kun?"
The jinchuriki, having never expected to have a chance like this, practically jumped on the spot with excitement. "Yeah! Of course, dattebayo! I'll take every millisecond I can get to talk to my mum and dad!"
And so from there, the two families moved to the fallen tree lying nearby on the same hill where, upon sitting themselves on different sides of the trunk and getting comfortable, started using that one hour given to them to talk and catch up with their respective children.
For Shion, while she spent much of her time cozied up to her mother and allowing the woman to stroke her head, she used the first half of that cycle to talk to her estranged father. This being the first time she'd really met with her other parent and first time she was able to speak with him during a normal situation, it made sense that there were a lot of questions that needed to be asked and a lot of lost time that needed to be regained. But after moving past the initial series of questions as to "where he'd been" and "what did he do", Moryu started asking his daughter about all the little things he'd missed in her life up until that point.
Excited to be able to share all her happiest memories with her father, Shion talked about her little adventures around their family's estate, the many guards she hung out with, the times her mother surprised her on her birthdays with presents, the trips they went on to other temples and places of interest, and of course her most recent meeting with Naruto- and how the two of them became fast friends. It was that last bit of information that really drove the nail home for Miroku and Moryu both, as they could see their child was obviously really happy to have met the young shinobi-in-training and spend time with someone her own age. Thanks to her powers being problematic for her amongst the rest of the villagers, it was a real relief for them to hear she was at least able to meet someone during her childhood who could fill in that void of loneliness for her.
On Naruto's end, it was pretty much the same thing between him and his parents. Having never met them or even heard their names before, the spiky haired blond used his time asking them about who they were and where they came from. While Minato explained he came from a small, little-known shinobi family, Kushina explained to her son how she came from what was once regarded as one of the most powerful clans in the world- the Uzumaki Clan- and how they were related to the Senju Clan. She also explained how her family had been forced to migrate to Konohagakure after their village ended up wiped out in an attack by an unknown enemy force, which scattered any and all survivors of their people to the far corners of the world.
Naruto was very intrigued to hear all of this and was even surprised to hear how the book he'd been learning ninjutsu from- the Omni-Dimensional Ninjutsu Implementation encyclopedia- was actually a secret tome that originated from his family.
"So… you're saying… my book really came from our clan?" Naruto asked in surprise as he looked across at his mother.
The beaming Kushina nodded briskly. "Uh-huh. That journal you've been using has been passed down through members of the main family for generations, and is the tome where most of our clan's most powerful techniques were ever recorded. The book itself was specially inscribed with a blood seal, which means only members of the Uzumaki Clan are capable of reading the jutsu listed in those pages… making it exclusively an Uzumaki Hiden (Secret Technique) encyclopedia. If anybody else attempts to read from it, the writing would be completely illegible to them, so you don't have to worry about it being stolen." She then tilted her head and looked up thoughtfully. "If I remember correctly, members of the main family who were being trained to become part of the Uzukage's elite guard exclusively used the jutsu from that book."
"Then… that means," Naruto began as his mind thought back to the day he first received that book, "Haruka-baachan… she was… an Uzumaki too? A member of our clan?"
Kushina smiled sadly. "She and I came to Konoha together with some of the other surviving families. Though I didn't know her personally, she was a relative and a member of one of the main branches of the Uzumaki Clan, as well as a high-ranking member of the Uzukage's Elite Guard. From what I heard, she was a fiercely powerful kunoichi in her prime… possessing fuinjutsu and ninjutsu skills that made her one of the most dangerous ninja in our old village."
"Whoa," Naruto murmured, immediately feeling a renewed sense of respect and reverence towards the old woman who he'd helped all those months ago, and who helped him by giving him the book in the first place. He then beamed warmly as he looked down at his feet contemplatively. "I guess I should be feeling pretty lucky that I was able to meet her when I did."
"Indeed," Kushina spoke up, at the same time wrapping an arm around the child tentatively. "You were able to speak with one of the last living members of the Uzumaki Clan in Konohagakure before she passed away. An encounter like that is not something many children your age often get, especially during a time when a lot of the once great families and clans of the world have started to disappear."
"Well… I know one thing's for sure," Naruto began again, looking up at his mother and father brightly as his legs swung back and forth on their seat, "I'm going to do right by Haruka-baachan and our family, and learn every last technique recorded in that journal! I want to become a strong and capable shinobi just like you and dad someday… and I'm not going to stop until my own face is carved into our village's mountain!" He said this while bringing up his hand and making a fist. "I'm going to help the world and become a shinobi that everyone will remember, dattebayo!"
While Kushina was practically smiling from ear to ear, Minato couldn't help but give a laugh as he reached over and ruffled the boy's hair. "And that's exactly why you are our son," the Fourth chuckled.
The two groups talked a lot about all sorts of stuff- from mundane material of everyday life to the more essential things, including how to take care of themselves. Minato and Kushina specifically emphasized a lot of these points to Naruto, as they knew their son lived alone and needed to learn a lot of these things on his own. They told him to keep an eye on the expiration dates for foods and drinks, to not spend money on junk, to practice his ninjutsu and taijutsu regularly, to bathe every day, and to sleep plenty. They also gave him a few tips to help him with his studying, including how to problem solve, and to use these techniques to improve his speaking, literacy and language skills.
Then, when all was said and done, it soon came time for the parents to wrap up. This became apparent when Minato and Miroku noticed their glowing bodies starting to pulse and fade slightly, indicating that they were reaching their respective time limits.
Standing up after realizing their chakra was waning, the two pairs of parents then moved in front of their children for one last farewell. Shion took this especially hard, as the young girl stood up and grabbed her mother by the hands when she knelt down in front of her.
"It's almost time, Shion-chan," Miroku said, at the same time gazing into her child's eyes. "We have to move on."
"I…" the young priestess sniffled, "I don't want you to go. You or papa. I…"
Sensing her daughter's fear growing, the glowing mother smiled comfortingly. "I know you don't, sweetheart… and neither do I. But I'm afraid this is how it must be." She then gently reached up with her hand and ran it down her child's long hair. "My destiny… my future extends into the next life, beyond this one. But yours… your destiny is here… and it is just beginning."
"B-But I… I don't want to face my future all by myself…" Shion whimpered, shaking her head as her eyes shone with hurt and sadness. "I want you to be there with me… by my side."
"You're not alone," Miroku whispered while shaking her head and bowing it to her daughter. "You'll never be alone. Your father and I… we'll always be with you… right here." She then raised her hand and placed her finger in the center of her daughter's chest. Though her heart wasn't there, Shion knew right away the exact meaning of the gesture, and looked into her mother's face forlornly. "You'll always carry a part of us wherever you go."
"And remember… no matter what you choose to do with your life… and no matter who you want to become… we will always love you," Moryu spoke up, drawing his daughter's attention to him and up to his face. When he saw her gaze at him, the man put on a brave and happy grin. "You're a strong girl, Shion-chan. So whether you want to become a priestess, a farmer, a worker, a leader, or a teacher… we know you will be great at it."
Sniffing a couple of times, Shion suddenly moved away from her mother and rushed over to her dad, upon which she then wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. The father knelt down to return it- bracing his child against him while taking a deep breath to compose himself. Once he was sure he'd returned her gesture to the best of his abilities, he then let her go and gently poked her in the nose- prompting her to giggle from the little tickle it caused.
In that moment, Shion then looked across at Naruto. When she saw the boy giggle when his father ruffled his hair to the point it got messy beyond belief and then saw his mother wipe his cheek off, the little priestess felt her heartbeat quicken and her face glow with warmth. Despite knowing his parents were leaving him too, the young ruffian from Konoha still managed to muster a smile, and face them with the same energy and bravado as he did everything else. Though she'd only known him for a short while, she knew right away that he was someone far different from anybody else she'd met.
He approached her when everybody else kept their distance. He played with her when everybody else was too afraid to look at her. He spoke with her and gave her company when she was all alone. She was a priestess, yet he treated her and spoke to her like she was a normal person. And even more, he protected her and risked his own life for her when the world was literally crashing down around them. Through the best and worst moments of the last two days alone, he showed a strength and character that went above and beyond anything Shion had ever seen in another person, and more. In a way, his spirit radiated with the same strength and compassion as her mother's, and it was an observation that she just could not ignore.
His strength was awe-inspiring and his life force was captivating in all its vivacity. Shion admired these traits about him. Not only did his presence resonate with her own in a very prevailing way, but simply gazing upon his air lit a fire in her heart that washed away all of her insecurities and woes. Even right now, when she was saying goodbye to her parents and Naruto his, there was a speck of warm light beckoning her… and that light was coming from the blond haired youngster.
Whether she understood these feelings or comprehended their significance at all was beyond anyone's knowledge. But one thing was for sure, Shion didn't want to let these sensations go. So, in that moment of clarity, the child steeled her heart and tightened her jaw, before facing her parents with a clear expression of assertiveness.
"I… I want to be with Naruto-kun," Shion said, causing Miroku and Moryu to balk slightly at her response. "I want to go with him to Konoha, learn ninjutsu… and become a strong shinobi… just like him."
Quickly looking at one another and processing their child's words, the two celestial parents then shared a smile, before Miroku quickly looked back at Shion and nodded. "Alright. If that's what you want." She then calmly took her daughter's hand in hers and, after opening up her fingers, lifted her finger and gently drew across it. As she did, a golden light shone from the area her nail traced over, leaving the child with an intricate, kanji seal of an unknown origin. As the child watched her mother draw it, Miroku spoke. "This seal holds everything you'll ever need to know about your powers and how to master them. If you are going to be learning the techniques from the warriors of this world, the light of this mark will guide you through them." Assured that the seal was complete, the woman then gently closed her daughter's fingers. "The strength of your father's and my blood flows through your veins."
"As long as you believe in yourself, stay true to your heart, and not be led astray, you will be able to accomplish anything," Moryu concluded, watching as Miroku released her daughter's hand and watched Shion look down at the seal she'd drawn.
While Shion admired the seal her mother had drawn on her palm and then moved in to hug her for what would be the last time, Naruto also shared his last moments with his parents. On their part of the hill, his red-haired beauty of a mother stood before him and his father stood beside her, speaking his parting words to his boy. Everything they'd had to say had been relevant to the boy and his future, right up to the very last minutes of their time on Earth.
"We'll see you around, son," Minato spoke, at the same time feeling his body start to shimmer on the wind, as the projection of his remaining chakra from his son's body through Miroku's power started to fade. "Remember everything we told you. Stay safe, eat well, study your jutsu-"
"And always keep being the same, kind, sweet boy that you always are," Kushina chimed in, also looking happy as she gazed back at her child, who was still smiling up at her. "The world will be a much better place for it. But… just don't be too nice to everyone. Be tough as well… and smart… otherwise people will take advantage of you."
"Don't worry mum… I'll be alright," Naruto whispered back, at the same time nodding towards the two adults standing in front of him- their forms slowly but surely growing transparent in the light of the sun. "Now that I know where I come from and who my parents are, I have a pretty good idea of who to live up to… and… y'know… who I'm going to surpass." The cheeky grin he gave afterwards caused Minato to snicker, while the mother chuckled and, reaching up, pinched his cheek.
"And don't act too cocky either," Kushina said with a smirk. "Girls won't like it if you try to act like a bigshot. Be cool and indifferent about it… and suave. Trust me. It'll be worth it." When she saw Naruto settle down a bit from his little jab, the woman's warmth returned to her expression as she then took his hand and turned it over. Finding his wrist, she then traced her thumb over it, leaving a trail of black seal marks along it. When the small kanji formed into a few tiny rows, the jinchuriki quickly took notice of it, which then led to his mother telling him what they are. "Some extra seals, just in case."
After checking them out for a moment, Naruto then tilted his head up at his mother and father. "What are they?"
"Just a couple of things- notes, techniques, hints… and a small message for Hiruzen from your father and I. That one is really important, so make sure to give it to him as soon as you get home," Kushina said, before then suddenly remembering something that had her lean towards her boy seriously. "Oh, and if you happen to come across him one of these days… and I'm pretty sure you will… watch out for Jiraiya-sensei."
Upon seeing the look in the kunoichi's eyes, Naruto gave a brisk nod of understanding- figuring he shouldn't ask her that right away. Once he had this information in hand, the youngster then moved forward and threw his arms around his mother in one last hug. When Kushina gladly returned it and kissed him on the side of the head, the child allowed the few tears he'd been holding back to roll free. It was something that his mother sensed as she held him close to her, which in turn also had her own tears roll free.
"Remember Naruto… never forget who you are. Aim for your goals… hold onto your dreams… and never stop trying to make them come true," Kushina whispered as she rubbed the boy's head, her body fading away just a little bit more as she held him close to her. "There's so much more I want to say to you… so much more I want to teach you. I… I love you… so much."
Naruto sniffed as he rubbed his cheek into his mother's hair and breathed deeply. "I love you too, mum." He then cracked open his eyes and looked up at his father, whom he saw step in and, bending over, moved in to hug him too. "You too, dad."
"Never forget, son," Minato whispered as well, rubbing his child's back as he was embraced by his mother. "We'll always be watching over you." Feeling his chakra fading, the male closed his eyes and smiled, allowing the last wisps of energy to envelop their son, right down to the last millisecond.
The blond youngster didn't open his eyes. Instead he savored every last moment of his hug with his parents- embracing their warmth and cherishing the words they'd left with him. After about a minute, he soon felt their physical forms leave him, and when he opened his eyes, he saw their smiling faces fade away and get taken on the wind in the form of a cloud of glowing dust.
Shion saw her parents get whisked away in the same manner, both of whom held onto her till their forms vanished and were taken into the wind. The sparkling dust that their bodies turned into joined with Minato and Kushina's, with the young priestess following after them across the hill.
Both children chased the dust to the edge of the rise, ending with them standing side by side, and gazing out across the landscape as the spirits of their parents took to the clouds. Their eyes didn't stray, nor did they blink, as they traced the path of the embers, which sailed away over the horizon and into the clouds.
Moments later, they were gone, leaving Naruto and Shion standing together and staring out over the rice fields of the Land of Demon's pristine landscape. With their emotions still stirring, both blondes then shared a glance with one another, with the young girl gently taking the hand of her friend and clutching it tightly in hers. The boy smiled back at her in response, before the two of them returned to gazing out across the countryside, and watching as the sun continued to rise higher into the sky.
XXX
(A month later)
Naruto's little side-adventure to Oni no Kuni had seen him go through some of the craziest and most ridiculous events the child had ever lived through. Any normal person would've easily been driven made by all the world-ending, physics defying, moments that'd taken place in and around that region, and the chaos that unfolded between the parties involved. From the very start of his quest, the jinchuriki had served as a victim, a witness, and a participant to everything that'd taken place. More so the former than the latter, due to the fact that he'd been so completely an utterly out of his depth that he was surprised he didn't come out the other end with a few screws shaken loose.
However, despite all the insanity that'd taken place, Naruto walked away feeling more enlightened, fulfilled, and fired-up. If what he had just witnessed had been just one shot at an end-game moment, then he knew he had a long way to go in life before he was even close to reaching the scale demonstrated by the warriors that'd used an entire planet as a veritable boxing ring.
Once all had been said and done of course, Naruto had been left with one last chore to complete, and that was getting home safe and sound. The journey back to Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire) had been no big deal. After managing to get Shion home, return her in the care of her palace's guardsmen, and informing them of the events that'd transpired in the wake of their kidnapping, the then organized for his safe passage back home. Apparently all of the staff at the palace's estate were all very grateful to the youngster for returning their beloved little priestess to them, and wanted to reward the boy for his bravery and service. A bath and a patch up of his arm were his immediate treatments, followed by a cart and horse were drawn for him from the stables.
Before Naruto left with the escort assigned to him, he bid his farewells to Shion and expressed his desires to see her again in the foreseeable future. The girl of course rather stubbornly refused to let him leave her sight so easily- not without first making him leave her his contact and postal details, and the name of the village he originated from. Upon being strong-armed for this information, Naruto hopped into the cart that'd been readied for him, and headed straight home.
It took roughly three days before the child set foot on familiar territory. When the cart eventually rolled up to Konoha's front gates and Naruto disembarked at the checkpoint, he was quickly patted down and taken to the Hokage's office by a squad of Chunin. During the time he'd been away, Hiruzen had apparently become very worried about the child's condition and well-being, due to him being absent from class as well as his apartment for several days. As a result, the Hokage had sent out several squads of shinobi to search for him around the village, but when they weren't able to locate any traces of him, they started to widen their search parameters beyond the borders of their community.
When Naruto eventually turned up just short of a week following his mysterious disappearance, the Third Hokage was understandably relieved, upset, and annoyed all at once. The jinchuriki, deciding tact was the best approach for this situation, apologized repeatedly for causing the elder so much trouble, and did his best to explain the reasons for his absence.
Understandably Hiruzen didn't believe him at first, especially when he told him about the Otsutsuki and the battle they'd waged on another planet across the stars. The elder even had half a mind for smacking the child over the head for talking such nonsense, as evident by his peeved expression. That was until Naruto transferred the message his mother had imprinted on his forearm onto an empty scroll and handed it over to the village's leader to read.
Though the blond managed to glimpse only a portion of the message, which mentioned something about the Otsutsuki, the Uchiha Clan and some other political nonsense, he didn't pick up anything else. However, even though most of what his parents had written down went completely over his head, Hiruzen was noticeably shaken up by the message written on it, but also satisfied to have read it. After going through it at least twice, the Third soon found Naruto's rather baffling story much easier to believe now and, after expressing his gratitude to the boy for bringing it to him and seeing he was alright, he promptly dismissed him.
The blond immediately figured the Third now had a lot of things on his mind to sort out after reading that letter from his parents. So rather than raise a fuss over it, Naruto decided to go straight home to clean himself up and asleep- as it'd felt like ages since he'd last slept in the comforts of his own bed.
The next day, after a good, long night of dreams and snuggling up to his pillow, Naruto punctually returned to his rigorous training schedule. With a renewed sense of purpose and vigor helping to spur him on, after making sure he was dressed and had brushed his teeth, the child went right over to his regular training spot and hit the field, determined to get a handle on the fuinjutsu he'd still yet to master. After a quality morning of training, he went home, had a quick rinse, breakfast, and then went to school.
Surprisingly, Naruto found that a couple of the kids from his class had missed him quite a bit in his absence- most notably Sakura and Ino. As it turns out, the two girls had come over to his place a few times over the week to see if he was alright, as he hadn't been showing up for classes. They actually grew so worried that they even asked their teacher if he'd heard anything from the boy, but to no avail. Needless to say, both of them were really thrilled to see the cool young blond back in his usual seat, and wasted no time in hovering around him and shooting him with a million questions at once.
While Naruto answered them as best as he could, he still kept the more exciting and unbelievable aspects of his adventure out of the equation- just in case. The last thing he wanted to do was chase away two potential best friends over a farfetched story, even if it was a hundred percent true.
Aside from Sakura and Ino, who were very delighted to have him back, Choji and Shikamaru were also pleased to have their friend rejoin the folds of their class. The boys even approached him to see how he was, just like how their fellow girl classmates had, though with a little less enthusiasm. Naruto of course was more than happy to accommodate them and made up for lost time by hanging out with them at recess and lunch chatting over a couple of rice balls.
Overall, Naruto's transition back into school life was smooth and uneventful. Even his teacher was uncharacteristically lenient with him and forgiving of his absence, though for some reason the blond suspected the Third Hokage might have had a hand in this. Either way, now that he was back in Konohagakure and back at the academy, the whisker-marked boy wonder was eager to return to something normal for a change. He definitely deserved it after all the superhuman cataclysms that'd transpired earlier that week.
Before he knew it, an entire month had come and gone, and Naruto was living the life he wanted. On one particular morning, he found himself sitting in his usual spot, in the center row, in the middle of his classroom- bathed in the light of the rising sun outside and in the company of his closest friends. Sakura had come in earlier that day and immediately migrated over to where he was sitting, where she proceeded to chat with him and play him in a spirited game of checkers.
Shikamaru had also migrated over- clearly finding an interest in the little game they were playing and silently giving it a go in his head while he watched from the seats directly behind the pair. The last to join their circle was Ino. The moment she entered the class and spotted them, the tomboyish blonde made a B-line for them, crawled up onto the desk they were using, and laid herself down right beside Naruto, who was doing his best to try and beat Sakura at her own game.
Even though he was losing quite badly at it- as he had to watch as Sakura stole one of his pieces after another- Naruto was still having a great time.
As the jinchuriki and the girls snickered together, and Shikamaru just smiled tiredly, towards the back of the room the group were being watched by a couple of individuals. Two of which were Kiba and Shino, both of whom were wearing their regular clothes, and had earlier been talking with one another over a comic they'd both been reading. Near them, just a few seats down and across the class, there was another girl watching the group closely from a safe distance. Wearing a purple shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back, a khaki skirt and red sandals, with her black hair tied back into a ponytail, a quiet young girl was sitting silently and observing Naruto with interest.
Aside from those mentioned, the rest of the class kept to their own business, and went about their morning as usual. As the minutes drew towards the start of the school day and the first lesson, Sakura eventually made another move on the checkers board which took one of the last of Naruto's pieces.
"And… that's another one for me," the pinkette chirped happily.
"Ah, man! Again?" Naruto exclaimed, reaching up with his hand to scrub his hair. "How are you so good at this game, Sakura-chan?"
The young girl giggled and winked at him, "Easy. I just am."
Ino shook her head when she saw her friend hand the boy another loss. "You really need to start thinking a few steps ahead if you want to have a chance at beating Sakura, Naruto-kun."
"Yeah. I think I'm going to have to start doing that," Naruto groaned, all the while looking down at the board and his multitude of missing pieces- which had been taken by his opponent.
Before the group could get the chance to play another game, the door to their classroom opened, and in strolled their instructor for the first lesson- Suzume. The kunoichi looked just like how she did every other day, sporting her pink kimono-style robe, fishnet uniform, and square-rimmed glasses. As soon as she entered the classroom, her presence immediately prompted all of the children to scatter from their groups and find their seats. By the time she'd arrived at her desk, Naruto and Sakura had packed up all their pieces, and were now sitting quietly beside one another.
The other person sharing their row was Sasuke, who'd remained pretty much silent throughout the entire time the rest of the class were mingling.
"Good morning, class," Suzume spoke, which resulted in the entire group greeting her with a loud and clear 'good morning' in kind. Adjusting her glasses so that the lenses flashed, the dark haired academy instructor then started off with her announcements. "I'm sure you're all eager to begin your lessons today. But before I start the roll and move on to our regular announcements, we have a new student joining us today."
This news immediately had the boys and girls in the rows clamoring with excitement, which immediately had many of the friends turning to each other and wondering out loud who it could be. The boys thought it was going to be another male student moving in from another village, while the girls thought it was somebody that they could invite over for fun and games.
Quickly settling the group down with a prompt hand wave, Suzume continued where she left off. "She and her caretakers arrived in Konohagakure from Oni no Kuni (Land of Demons) a few days ago, and have just finished settling into their new estate. The building they are currently staying at rests on the edge of the administration district, which the Hokage recently appointed as their country's new embassy. Considering the Land of Demons is one of our many important allies and trading partners, anyone coming into our village from that country is considered our friend. And they should be treated as such." Raising her head when she saw the understanding looks come upon her students' faces, the Chunin continued. "Now, since our new student is a guest here and is new to our school's system, I would like all of you to do your very best to welcome her into our class and make her feel part of our community."
Naruto's head perked up when he heard the name of the country that this new student was coming from. "The Land of… oh…" the jinchuriki murmured, his eyes quickly darting towards the door just like the rest of his class. "Could it be?"
"You can come in now," Suzume called towards the door, a few seconds before the entrance slid open. The entire class immediately went quiet the moment they saw a young girl around their age stroll through the arch and make her way to the front. When she stopped beside the teacher, she turned and faced the class. "Please introduce yourself."
The moment all eyes landed on her, the entire class found themselves a little loss for words. Unlike the majority of them, who were wearing very casual attires for their generation, consisting of mostly shirts, shorts, skirts, jumpers, jackets and outdoor slippers, this newcomer had adopted a much more formal look. Appearing very much as a shrine maiden, the girl was wearing a yellow haori (kimono jacket) with a tiny pink bell attached to the collar, and red hakama pants over white socks and sandals. This ensemble complimented her elegant appearance, as the girl had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail, pale white skin, and a pair of striking pink eyes.
She almost looked like a princess taken straight out of one of the fairy tales that they read as part of their literature classes- someone who was mysterious and magical.
Placing her hands in front of her- one on top of the other- the blonde youngster straightened up before bowing politely to the class. "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Shion Hirakawa from the Land of Demons- daughter of the High Priestess. I really look forward to working with all of you," she said this all with a strong and calm tone, and when she straightened up, her expression did not falter in the slightest.
As the rest of the class whispered to one another excitedly, Sakura leaned over to Naruto and nudged him in the arm. "She's so pretty... and her eyes are so bright. She almost looks just like a doll."
"Y-Yeah," Naruto stuttered, watching as Shion's eyes scanned the classroom in front of her thoroughly. When her eyes eventually landed on him and their gazes met, the two of them felt their breaths stop for but a moment.
Immediately recognizing the blonde with whiskers staring back at her, the long-haired girl then felt her heart start to beat faster and her body lift up off the ground with excitement. In that moment, a bright smile filled her face and her eyes lit up with happiness. The moment her expression changed, so did Naruto's, who returned her joyful look with one of his own. As a result, his characteristic, Uzumaki grin stretched across his lips at full force.
Seeing Shion smiling up at the class and seeing that it was Naruto she was focusing on, the slightly surprised Suzume cleared her throat and spoke to her new transfer student. "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
Positively beaming at this point, the radiant young priestess from the Land of Demons turned to the teacher next to her, grinned, and then looked back at the class just as eagerly. "When I grow up, I want to become a strong shinobi."
It was a precious and powerful moment, one that both Naruto and Shion would burn into their memories.
While all this was going on, inside the confines of the Eight Trigrams seal imprinted on Naruto where the pocket dimension dwelt, the enormous, towering for of the Kyuubi- no longer constrained by the bars of his previous cell- could be seen lying peacefully in his chamber with his arms crossed and his head lying atop his forearms.
Having observed the moment for himself through his connection with his host, the giant orange fox with nine tails cracked open one of his deep red eyes, and allowed a small smile to appear. Seconds later, he shut his gaze and went back to sleep.
Though nothing else was said in that moment- and though he had no idea what the future held for them- the kitsune had a feeling that things were going to get interesting.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: Aaaand… time skip next to graduation!
I'm going to do a flash forward to gloss over the parts that I initially wanted to cover. But I'm going to approach this story a little bit differently from the others I've done. Let's see how it goes.
