I don't own Naruto or anything else from any anime/manga, movie, show, book, or game.

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Bijju/summon"

First of all I want to thank everyone that left a review for the last chapter, I truly appreciate it.

Now I would like to address something that been a concern for several readers. At the beginning of the story I made sure to let everyone that in this story, Naruto would be considerably stronger than he was in the original Manga/Anime. This is what has some readers concerned.

I want to say it again, I don't plan on making Naruto so powerful that he can kick Orochimaru's ass or start killing Akatsuki members when he's twelve. He will however be well above Gennin level. I know that bothers some readers but I can't bring myself to keep him at that level with the amount and quality of training that Naruto receives compared to the Leaf Gennin. Naruto has private, one on one training from some of the strongest captains of the Guardian Core, for hours on a daily basis. While Leaf Gennin spend five years in large classes with only two Chunin level teachers teaching all of them at a time. When Gennin graduate from the ninja academy they know three basic jutsu. Naruto gets special training in all the major ninja arts.

So yes, Naruto will be strong in this story. I don't feel that with his ability and training that it will be unrealistic. In the original story, even with Kakashi being a useless teacher that only showed him how to climb a tree; Naruto mastered high level jutsu in record time. I believe that the Naruto in my story can easily be compared to a young Kakashi or a young Itachi; both were strong for their age, but still were learning and growing as they continued their ninja careers.

Any way I hope that clears some things up for everyone. I hope you all continue to enjoy my story. Please read and review and let me know what you think or like and don't like. Now on to the next chapter!

Chapter 9

It was a very exciting day for Hinata. Today was the first day of the academy; Hinata had been escorted by her mother and father. She had noticed several other parents as they brought their kids to school. Hinata was nervous, but she was looking forward to learning and hopefully also making friends. When Hinata walked in the room that she had been assigned to she noticed some familiar faces. The heirs for the Nara, Akimichi, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans were all there. Hinata noticed that the second son of the Uchiha Clan Head was there as well, there were several children from civilian families there too, including a pink-haired girl that was talking to the Yamanaka Clan heiress. Hinata made her way to the back of the class and took the seat next to the Aburame heir, Shino. Hinata had met him on a few occasions and observed he was a very quiet boy, Hinata thought he was nice enough. Several minutes later two Chunin walked in the room and asked for everyone to quiet down.

"Alright everyone settle down. My name is Iruka Umino, this is Mizuki. We will be your instructors for your time in the academy."

Iruka sensei explained several of the rules of the academy and what he expected of them in the future.

"Ok then, now why don't we get to know each other. I will call each of your names and I would like each of you to stand up and introduce yourselves. Let's start with…"

Hinata watched as Iruka sensei called several names and the children introduced themselves. Nothing too exiting, they would say their name and if they came from a clan they would say as much. Finally it was Hinata's turn.

"Next is… Hinata Hyuuga. Please introduce yourself".

Hinata was a little nervous but tried not to show it as she stood up; she did notice that her name caused several whispers among the students, especially among the children from ninja clans. "My name is Hinata Hyuuga of the Hyuuga Clan, nice to meet all of you." Hinata then gave the class a small bow and took her seat. She had no idea that all kids from the major clans of the village and some of the kids related to members of the civilian council had instructed their children to try and be friends with her. They didn't tell their children why Hinata was so important, and that was the reason why many of the kids were curious about her. After everyone had introduced themselves it was time for a break and everyone was let out of the class.

Once Hinata made her way to the playing ground area (remember they're only seven) she realized that some of the kids would whisper and point, which made Hinata uncomfortable.

"You shouldn't let them get to you, ya know." Hinata turned around to see the Inuzuka heir standing behind her. "They've just heard a lot about you…we all have actually."

"Y-you have?" asked a confused Hinata. How could they have heard a lot about her when she rarely left the Hyuuga compound?

"Yes, we have." A monotone voice was heard to the side of them, Hinata and Kiba turned to see that it was Shino Aburame who spoke. Shino was standing under the shade of a tree looking at some ants.

"What did you hear?" asked Hinata.

Kiba shrugged. "Only that you are somehow important to the village…something about your clan having an important alliance with some other big-shot clan. My mom told me not to do anything that would make your clan angry at my clan. Not that I planned on doing something like that anyway."

"My father also spoke of an important political alliance between the Hyuuga and another clan that was of great importance to the Leaf Village. He said it would be illogical for me to do anything that would cause a conflict between our clan and the Hyuuga." Shino said in his usual tone of voice.

"I…see. Thank you both for telling me." Hinata spent the rest of playtime with Kiba and Shino then the lunch time that they had later that day as well. She didn't tell them about her arranged marriage and they didn't try to ask about it either. The rest of the day went fairly well, kids were still pointing, but overall Hinata enjoyed her first day at the academy. When the class was over she said goodbye to Shino and Kiba and went to meet her parents.

"How was your first day honey?" asked her mother.

Hinata smiled. "I liked it very much! I met several new people too. I think I'm going to enjoy coming here very much".

"Well, we are happy to hear it. Come on Hinata let's go home, you can tell us all about it."

"Ok, I also want to write a letter to Naruto-Kun and tell him all about it".

"I'm sure he would love that."

Unknown to the Hyuuga family another of Hinata's classmates was watching them as they left. "So that's the girl that father mentioned. I don't see what's so special about her. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on her."

"Are you ready to go Sasuke? If we're late mother will be upset".

"Yes brother, let's go".

XxX

A few days after the visitors from the Leaf Village left for home, Naruto sat in front of both his Grandfather and uncle. They were going to discuss his new training with him before he actually got started. Naruto was exited, he looked forward to new and exciting training.

"Naruto, after speaking with your uncle, we both have decided that you are ready to begin your training with a real Uzumaki blade."

Naruto's face lit up with happiness and excitement. Naruto had been waiting for a long time for permission to start training with an actual katana; but his uncle had insisted that he wasn't ready. Now that his uncle felt he was ready, Naruto couldn't wait to get started. "So you're finally going to give me a katana? That's so cool! I can't wait to get started!"

"Naruto! Calm down. Now, the first thing you need to know is that as an Uzumaki you don't just GET a blade handed to you. The Hiten-Mitsurugi requires a special blade to be forged in order to be able to handle the stress that our style places on the sword we use." Kenshin answered in a stern voice.

"So, I have to make a sword for myself? Cool!"

"It's not that simple Naruto. It will take months or even years to be able to forge a sword good enough to be used with the Hiten-Mitsurugi. In the mean time we will continued to use practice swords, only these will be made of steel so that you can get used to the feel of a real blade in your hands."

Hearing from his uncle that they will still use practice swords frustrated Naruto a littler but he got over it rather quickly.

"Before you start your training, your uncle and I believe it's time we take you to see The Garden of Life. Every Uzumaki is allowed to see the grave of our clan's founder and lay eyes on the great Arashi before they begin their advance level of training in the Hiten-Mitsurugi."

Now that got Naruto exited! "Awesome! I've wanted to go there forever! So when can we go grandfather?"

"We will go there now. There is no reason to wait any longer."

"Cool, let's go!" yelled an energetic Naruto as he sprinted out the door.

"He doesn't know where the garden is, does he?" asked Kenshin.

Genryusai sighed. "No, I don't think he does."

"Well, might as well go get him before he gets lost again."

"Good idea".

XxX

The Garden of Life stood at the very center of the People's Palace. It was a place that could only be entered by a member of the Uzumaki Clan. There was a single corridor that led to the only entrance to the garden. That corridor was always under guard by members of the Guardian Core. When the garden was created, it was layered with hundreds of seals created by the Uzumaki Clan. The seals were for everything from climate control to self-cleaning seals; there are seals to protect the stones and rare plants, flowers, and artifacts.

Naruto was speechless the moment he entered the garden. The Garden of Life was set in a perfectly circular pattern with a roof dome of clear glass that let in the bright daylight for the many lush and beautiful plants and trees that inhabited the garden. Around the garden, set in beds along the walls, there were plants of all types, colors, and sizes. Naruto recognized some as different types of roses, tulips, orchids, and many flower species Naruto had never seen or heard of. Along the flower beds there were walkways made of a flawless bright white stone that appeared to be some type of marble; the walkways wound around the entire room giving access to every part of it without the need to step on any of the plants or perfectly kept grass. Beyond the flowers were some exotic trees, short stone walls with vines covering them, and more well-tended plants that complemented the landscape; Naruto noticed many of those plants were plants used for medical purposes; some of them were very rare if he remembered correctly. The garden was certainly a place of beauty and peace.

Naruto was led towards the center of the vast garden. In the center of the garden there was an area of lawn that swept around into a circle towards the middle of the garden, in the very center there was a spacious and extravagant looking pond, filled with crystal-clear water and beautiful Koi fish of different colors and sizes. In the center of the large pond was a small island, which could only be accessed by a bridge made of the same flawless white marble that made up the garden's many walkways. On the island there were two things that drew Naruto's attention. One was an ancient looking white tree that looked a lot like a Sakura Tree, except that the flowers on it were not the usual pink colored flowers that Naruto would have expected. The flowers on this tree were a bright blood-red color that was a breathtaking sight to see. At the center of the island there was what Naruto knew was the tomb of the founder of the Uzumaki Clan. It was a simple, perfectly rectangular shaped tomb made of white marble; it was about three feet high, just low enough for Naruto to be able to see it without problem. The tomb also had intricate carvings of historical scenes on all four sides. The one that drew Naruto's attention most was the carving that depicted the creation of the massive whirlpools that gave their country its name.

"Here lies the founder of our clan, one of the original members of the Roku Kyoshu and student of the Sage of Six Paths. This is the tomb of Takeshi Uzumaki: Lord of Storms, wielder of the legendary sword, Arashi."

The moment that his grandfather mentioned the legendary blade Naruto's eyes shot to the top of the tomb where his grandfather had told him the blade rested. And just as Naruto had been told, the once magnificent blade laid on top of its master's tomb. The Arashi had been broken in three pieces. Naruto looked at the first piece; it was the hilt of the blade. The handle was wrapped in a dark ocean-blue silk that looked almost new, Naruto had expected it to look old and worn. Naruto had been told by his uncle that the material was Ember silk that had been layered with seals to protect in from stains and damage. Still, it didn't look used at all. The Tsuba (hand-guard) was a red circle, and was made in the shape of the Uzumaki crest.

It was the blade itself that took Naruto's breath away. The blade was of average length, about 28 inches and had been broken in two in almost the center of the blade. That however was not really noticed by Naruto. What drew Naruto's attention was that the blade of the sword didn't look like it was made of metal at all! The blade looked almost like it was made of glass or water; it had a color like clear blue water and Naruto could tell that the blade was semi-transparent (think of the color of the Brotherhood sword in FFX and you will get what I was trying to go for). Naruto's hand moved, as though drawn to the sword with a mind of its own, to touch it.

"Be careful Naruto, the blade is…"

"OUCH! It's still sharp!" Naruto whined as he sucked on his now bleeding finger.

Genryusai sighed. "I tried to tell you Naruto. The blade may be hundreds of years old, but it has never grown dull because of the many seals placed on it when Takeshi forged it."

"What's it made off?" asked Naruto. Genryusai was about to answer him when Kenshin spoke.

"Father! Look at the Arashi!" there was more emotion in his uncle's voice than Naruto had ever heard come out of him. Naturally both Uzumaki looked at the sword to see what he was so excited about. When Naruto and his grandfather turned to look at the sword they saw that the blade had begun to glow. It was only faintly at first, but it quickly grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly the ends of the blade, where it had been broken seemed to momentarily liquefy and connect with each other. The glowing slowly stopped, and when it had completed, the Arashi was whole once more! "By Kami, I don't believe my eyes!" said a stunned Kenshin.

Almost as if in a trance, Genryusai spoke; "In the time before the great darkness, the true heir of Whirlpool shall rise. And only then will the sword that was broken, be re-made".

"But… that's impossible! You can't actually beli…"

"You saw with your own eyes Kenshin! Naruto touched the sword and only then did this happen" Genryusai said pointing to the Arashi.

"What are both of you talking about? What's going on?" asked a confused Naruto.

Genryusai looked directly into his grandson's eyes. "When Takeshi Uzumaki was on his deathbed, he spoke of a child of prophecy. The one that would save the world from a great darkness; his last words before he died were the words I spoke. From that time, till this day; every heir of the Uzumaki Clan has been brought here before they start their advanced training and after they have completed said training. I never imagined that I would live to see the day that the Arashi would accept another as its master; far less that it would be my own grandson".

"What does this all mean, exactly?" asked Naruto.

"It means that your training is going to be even more intense than we originally planned. It appears that you will be important not only to Whirlpool but to the entire world in the future. I hope your ready for it Naruto".

Naruto grinned. "Believe it!"

XxX

The sound of clashing steel rang across the Uzumaki private training ground several days later. A frustrated looking Naruto held Arashi firmly with both hands. Unlike his uncle, Naruto was covered in shallow cuts and bruises; some that were already healing thanks to the Uzumaki Bloodline.

"Naruto, don't just react to my attacks. You have to pay attention to my movements. The Hiten-Mitsurugi style relies on our ability read our opponents attacks. Pay attention to my stance, look closely to how I distribute my weight. Every small detail of your opponent's posture can be used to predict what he or she is going to do next. Every movement no matter how small can be what determents whether your fight ends in victory and defeat."

"Yes uncle, I will try harder," answered Naruto.

"Let's take a short brake for now. We can continue after you have rested a little."

"Ok."

"Father said you received a letter from Hinata, did you write her back?"

"Yes, she started the academy and is really happy. She has already made some new friends and is enjoying spending time with kid her own age. I wrote back and told her about the Arashi."

"I see. I'm glad to see that you are getting along with each other. Once we are finished with today's training, father wants to speak to us."

"Is there something wrong?" asked Naruto

"I don't know. We will have to see what he wishes to speak to us about".

Naruto continued his new Kenjutsu training. His uncle was harder on him now that he was wielding a true Uzumaki blade. Naruto was much like Kenshin was in his younger years, a natural for the Hiten-Mitsurugi. Naruto would suck in all information that he was told and learned from his mistakes incredibly quickly. Kenshin had no doubt that if Naruto continued to learn at this pace and with the power that the Arashi already possess; Naruto would one day be wearing the Masters Coat for Kenjutsu.

XxX

Once training was finished both Naruto and Kenshin met with Genryusai to discuss the business that he wished to speak to them about.

"Thank you both for coming, I have news that need to be discussed between the three of us." Said Genryusai in a no-none sense like tone.

"Yes father" said Kenshin. Naruto nodded in acknowledgement.

"Four days ago, there an incident involving a ship in one of our transport companies".

Kenshin frowned. "What kind of incident?" he asked.

"As our ship was traveling towards its destination in the southern continent it was intercepted by a military ship belonging to the Hidden Mist Village. The Mist ninja claimed that they were patrolling for smugglers and demanded to be allowed to search the ship."

"That's ridiculous, Whirlpool would never participate in such a dishonorable act" said Kenshin.

"Something that our captain made sure to tell them; he also told them the fact that even though the ship was near the Land of Water, they were in international waters and Mist Village had no authority to search our vessel."

"So what happed?" asked Naruto who was very interested in the outcome.

"Unfortunately the incident escalated because neither side would back down. The end result was an altercation between the Mist ninja and our samurai. Our escorts cut down several Mist ninja before they retreated back to their ship. Unfortunately they answered with a full military strike against our ship. Our vessel was able to escape but with severe damage. Nearly all the cargo of expensive silks, spices, herbs, and other things trading goods was lost. We also suffered several casualties to the ship's crew."

"I would never have believed that the Fourth Mizukage would be foolish enough to start conflict with us after what happened to the First."

"He claims that it was not his intention to start a conflict, but he is not admitting blame for the altercation. Neither he nor the daimyo is willing to pay for the damages either."

"We are not going to just let this go are we? They hurt some of our people!" Naruto was furious; he was very protective of the people of Whirlpool. They had welcomed him with open arms and had shown nothing but love and respect to him. Anybody hurting his people would find Naruto's rage focused on them.

"No, we certainly cannot let this insult go unanswered. If we did, it would jeopardize the safety of all our ships if other nations thought they could get away with something like this" said Genryusai.

"Not to mention that we would lose many of our transportation contracts if companies didn't think our ships can get their goods to their destinations safely" said Kenshin.

"So what are we going to do about it?" asked Naruto.

Genryusai smirked. "The Water Daimyo and the Mizukage need reminding of why our clan is not to be trifled with. I have decided that both of you will go pay a visit to Water Country and be the ones to remind the Mizukage and Water Daimyo."

"Are you sure father? Naruto is very young. And things might get… complicated. I don't want him to be hurt if any unusual altercations come up" said Kenshin.

Naruto could tell that there was something more to it, his uncle looked bothered. Naruto didn't know if he was ready to be part of a diplomatic envoy, but he would do his best if his grandfather asked it of him.

"Your concerns are noted. You have my permission to do whatever necessary to assure Naruto's safety. He needs to learn what is expected of him once his is the leader of our nation; I think this will be a perfect opportunity for him.

"As you wish father," answered Kenshin.

"Then prepare to depart tomorrow morning, I have ordered a ship prepared. You will take a single samurai squad as an escort. They will be ordered to keep watch over Naruto at all times and to use deadly force if necessary to protect him."

Kenshin and Naruto both nodded and left to get ready for their trip.

XxX

I would like to say that I used much of the description of the Garden of Life from the Sword of Truth Wiki. I just made some changes to fit my story.

Well there you have chapter 9, what do you all think? I know it's a little short but the next one will be a longer chapter. Please review and let me know what you all think.

As always I want to thank my friend JS for the help with the spelling/grammar.

Lord Rahl Master of D'Hara