Chapter 6: A Bijuu and his Jinchuriki
Last Time:
"Oji-san," Naruto started "There's something wrong with my chakra."
The Sandaime and Jiraiya both tensed at this
"What's wrong Naruto?"
"Anytime I reach into my chakra coils for chakra, I get more than I need. It feels as if my chakra is too powerful to control."
Jiraiya and Sarutobi glanced nervously at each other.
"I knew this day would come." Jiraiya muttered.
Konohagakure no Sato, the "Village Hidden in the Leaves," is one of the five great ninja villages. Although Konoha has been peaceful for the past decade, it continues to be one of the most powerful villages in existence, with an overall ninja population much greater than that of any other village, and therefore has vast military power and prestige. As such, it is one of five villages with a kage as its leader, Konoha's kage is known as the Hokage. On a rock mountain overlooking the villages, the faces of every Hokage are carved into the precipice. Konoha has had five Hokages since the Shodaime Hokage founded the village 60 years before Naruto was born. The Hokages are the strongest shinobi of Konoha, and they also act as the leaders of the village.
Of Konoha's Hokage, The Sandaime Hokage was one of the most skillful in terms of ninjutsu. The Third was called "The Professor" due to his vast knowledge of ninjutsu, reported to knowing all the jutsu within Konoha. Due to the long life he has lived, the Third serves as a fount of wisdom for all, passing on the experience he has learned to the next generation. As Hokage he has also acquired a habit of attempting to end things peacefully, and does what he can to avoid bloodshed amongst his allies and his enemies. The Third is one of the few people who see Naruto Uzumaki as more than the container of the demon fox, and as such becomes someone that Naruto truly admires.
At the present, all of that seemed useless to Sarutobi. Even though the Sandaime was overflowing with knowledge and experience, he struggled to find way to tell Naruto what was in his mind. With a methodical and drawn-out start he explained to Naruto why his chakra control was problematic. After he sealed the sound to stay within the office, he started with a description of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.
"Through out the history of the hidden shinobi villages, nothing struck more terror or panic as the nine elemental biju."
"The nine biju or tailed beasts are massive demons, each of which was of similar size to Gamabunta, who has a height of at least 100 meters. They each have a different number of tails, with one being the weakest, nine being the strongest, and each is a different type of creature. Compared to humans, the tailed beasts possess a massive amount of chakra, and with their chakra alone they could kill. The weakest of biju, Shukaku, the one tailed tanuki, possessed a chakra level several times that of any human.
But one biju had the most. In fact, this being had more chakra than the eight under it combined. The nine-tailed fox's chakra was practically limitless. With its colossal killing intent, it put fear in both humans and demons alike. No one in the elementals was as powerful or dreaded as the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The nine-tailed demon fox was a truly powerful beast; a single swipe of one of its nine tails could raise tsunamis and crush mountains.
One day the demon fox attacked Konohagakure. No one in the village knew why it attacked our peaceful village. But our ninja knew only one thing, their home and families were being threatened, and they rushed to protect the village. It was all for naught however. The demon had near-immeasurable chakra and incredible strength. Most of the shinobi who defended the village against the fox were annihilated. But there was still hope. The Yondaime Hokage, Konoha's Yellow Flash had a plan. The Fourth defeated the demon away, saving Konoha from imminent destruction. But such heroics weren't without a price and the Yondaime sacrificed his own life to do so."
Naruto looked at the Sandaime, very confused.
"I, I don't understand Oji-san, I've already heard this from Iruka-sensei."
"I know you have Naruto, I was the one who made that story up."
"Made it up? What do you mean Oji-san?"
"Exactly what I said Naruto, the tale you know now is a fabrication, a lie."
"A lie?"
"Yes Naruto, Do you really think a demon like the Kyuubi no Kitsune, one with almost limitless chakra and godly strength, could be conquered by one man, no matter how strong?
"Well, not really." Naruto started "But why would you lie Oji-san?"
"I lied for a certain someone, a jinchuriki" Sarutobi paused at this statement looking hard at Naruto.
"Heh?" Naruto balked "what's a jinchuriki?"
Jiraiya chose to interrupt their dialogue with a rumbling but kind voice.
"Those within whom a tailed beast has been sealed within are called jinchūriki or simply hosts, and they demonstrate exceptional powers. During the Great Shinobi Wars, each country's Hidden Village tried to make use of the tailed beasts for military purposes, and competed for them. However, no one was ever able to truly bring the tailed beasts under control, with the jinchūriki being only a marginal success."
Naruto exchanged glances between Jiraiya and the Sandaime.
"Wh… Why are you telling me all this? What does it have to do with my chakra?
"It has almost everything to do with your chakra," said Jiraiya.
Jiraiya gazed intently into Naruto's eyes. "When the Yondaime faced Kyuubi atop Gamabunta he defeated Kyuubi, yes, but he did not destroy it like most people in Konoha believe. He instead did the only thing he could. He sealed the demon away in a host a newborn child."
At first Naruto had wanted to ask who that child was, but he already knew the answer. As soon as Jiraiya had started about jinchuriki and demon sealing he already had an inkling of what Sarutobi was trying to get across to him. To say that Naruto's world was crashing down upon him would be like saying Gai was weird. As he reflected back on his past, he realized that what Oji-san was saying was the truth.
'So,' Naruto angrily thought to himself. 'I am the host of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.'
Naruto laid sprawled on his futon, he struggling to sleep, but it didn't seem to be coming easily. It was to be expected, bearing in mind the events that had taken place in the Sandaime's office. It wasn't every day that you learned that you had the Kyuubi no Kitsune trapped inside your chakra coils.
In a way, it wasn't as surprising as it should have been, at least to most other people. In fact, it almost made him relieved. It explained so much about the cruelty and mistreatment he received from the villagers, the living hell that was his miserable existence. All the glares and torment. Sure Naruto was relieved, he now knew what the villager's were thinking when they sought destroy the psyche of a young child. But that did not mean he wasn't angry either. In fact, his brain was overflowing with so many emotions he almost couldn't breathe. He sighed.
Naruto stared out his window at the mountain precipice chiseled with the Hokage's faces. It was already almost sun up the next day, and he let out yet another sigh. He had lain on his futon thinking for almost ten hours. The more he contemplated what Sarutobi had told him, the more he became irritated, and actually more murderously incensed with the village. It wasn't a good train of thought for someone who was a shinobi.
But he was angry, damn it! Seething, fuming, and gnashing his teeth so angry. He couldn't believe the village knew that he was the Kyuubi's vessel. They knew that the Kyuubi was sealed into Naruto, that he wasn't the kitsune reincarnated. Yet they still treated him like trash. No, they treated him worse than trash. When people take out the garbage they wrap it up and process it, and some time's it's recycled! What Konoha did was worse. They would spit on him as they hammered him to the ground.
Thrusting away that train of thought, Naruto focused on the conversation he had with Oji-san. The meeting with Sarutobi and Jiraiya hadn't been all that bad, at least after he had grudgingly accepted what they told him.
Flashback:
Jiraiya and the Sandaime stared long and hard at Naruto. Sarutobi walked up and gave Naruto a hug. It seemed like the best thing to do when he saw Naruto's eyes filling up.
"Oji-san," Naruto sobbed out. "Is it true? Am I really a jinchuriki?
"Yes, Naruto. But know one thing, me, Iruka and Jiraiya see you as Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And don't you ever forget that. Sarutobi looked down at Naruto. "Do you understand?"
Naruto's damp eyes widened. He hadn't realized that Iruka-sensei was an adult and there fore knew the truth about Kyubi. But then, an emotional smile graced his face. Iruka-sensei knew but didn't care!
Sarutobi saw that his consoling had worked.
"Naruto, you said you had a problem with your chakra. I want you to meet Jiraiya at Training Field 7 tomorrow morning at eight thirty; he'll know how to best fix you up."
Naruto looked up at his Oji-san, "Can I trust Jiraiya-san?"
Jiraiya had a smile on his face. "Am I trustworthy?" "Gaki, I'm one of the old man's students!"
When Naruto looked questioningly at the Hokage, Sarutobi nodded reassuringly.
"I would trust him with both our lives."
Naruto sighed again. The more and more he thought about it, the fewer reasons there were for him to even be in Konoha, let alone being a shinobi, except for what Oji-san had reminded him of. But he knew he wouldn't leave even if he hadn't been reminded. First of all, he couldn't leave Iruka-sensei; his bond with the pineapple headed chunin was almost relational. What's more, his training with Gai was too good to pass up, even if Gai was strange. Although he wouldn't leave the village and would remain a ninja, that didn't necessarily mean that he would fight to protect the village though. There was no real reason for him to protect any one older than eighteen in Konoha. No, instead he would become a ninja to protect his precious people or kids of his generation. His precious people included the Sandaime, followed closely by old man Ichiraku and his daughter, Iruka and followed very, very distantly by Gai and Lee. They were just too strange.
Naruto glanced at his alarm clock, it was almost five in the morning now, and in three and a half hours he would be with Jiraiya at the training fields. He needed sleep, and he needed it badly. He had to be clear headed enough to mold his chakra for Jiraiya when he asked. Naruto thought about the meeting he would have with the sannin later. He tried to think of what Jiraiya would ask him to do and how he'd fix him up, but drew blank.
He also tried to sleep again but that didn't work either.
Naruto remembered once something Iruka-sensei had said about meditating at Ichiraku Ramen. "I find that if I can't sleep, meditating usually does the trick." If he couldn't find sleep then maybe meditation would. He sat up, and positioned himself with his legs tucked into each other. He shut his eyelids, and began to breathe in and out. All he knew was that you had to close your eyes, and do something like centering yourself, or calming yourself, or whatever. Naruto had absolutely no idea what the hell that meant, Iruka-sensei hadn't really explained meditation well.
For about thirty minutes Naruto sat there trying to find his center. He tried humming, he had see monks do the same on TV. But he ended up just feeling like an idiot. Than Naruto had an idea. Maybe he could push his chakra through his tenketsu, not mold it but circulate it through his coils. As he felt the chakra flow through his system, he started to feel calmer and his turmoiled mind became more tranquil.
His train of thought was interrupted with a flash of red chakra coming from his stomach. Before he could even shout out in surprise, a burst of pain like he had never felt before erupted from his brain. And Naruto was used to pain, either from the villagers or Gai. But it felt like someone had implanted a magnet in his brain and thousands of searing hot metal senbon needles were trying to penetrate it. With a whimper, Naruto passed out on his futon and into blessed comatose.
Terms & Jutsu:
Shodaime Hokage: First Fire Shadow, founder of Konoha.
Sannin: Sannin are the three S-class ninja who have gained power far beyond an average Jonin and earned a legendary status. This title is merely a unofficial name rather than an actual rank; the ninja's official rank with a village will still be Jonin. These ninja are often highly revered and usually signified by nicknames allies or enemies give them. The group of ninja who have gained this special status are the "Legendary Three Ninja" of Konoha: Jiraiya the "Toad Hermit", Orochimaru, and Tsunade the "Legendary Sucker." The allegiances of these ninja range from being part of the village's own ninja to being wandering ninja who are still loyal to their village, like Jiraiya.
Authors's Note: Please Review
