Hello everyone sorry for such a long wait life has been very busy with me lately. Also I would like to put out a call to sketch pads for anyone with any form of artistic talent. If you would like to draw the characters from my story, Return of the Spiral. I am looking for Zanichi, Rikimaru, Ikkaku, Tokichi, Uryuu, and Naruto in his hunting outfit and his new version of his old one as described in this chapter when he meets Iruka for the first time Sorry little but of a spoiler there and Hinata in her new outfit. If I pick your drawing I will make you into a member of the Uzumaki clan either from the Iron Uzumaki or one of the other scattered clans that will be found later in the story. Whichever one, it's completely up to you. PM me if you are interested. So that is eight artists that will be made into members of one of the most powerful clans ever. I will only pick one artist per character to be fair. Can't wait to see what you all can come up with. Thanks for reading! :)
It's been three days since the signing of the alliance between the Land of Fire and the Land of Iron. The samurai have settled into their new home for the next year. Anko and Zanichi have been all but inseparable. Often they are seen together throughout the village unless work forces them apart. Naruto on the other hand has been gone since that night. After the Hyúga left so did Naruto not to be seen by anyone. Some thought that he might have finally fled the village. But those that knew him best knew he was only a day away at most and would be back by the time the academy started on the following day. Although that wasn't something that a certain heiress took comfort in. Hinata sat with her mother in the family room with her baby sister and vocalized her miss giving's.
"But mother I don't understand why does he still go out into the woods alone like this. He doesn't have to anymore, with both Zanichi-san and Anko-nee he has people that can get him the things he needs and then there is us. I am sure stores here owned by members of the clan would sell to him fairly."
Hikare smiles at her daughter as she frets over her friend.
"It's not about that. Naruto has been taking care of himself for a long time even before he was thrown out of the orphanage I am sure. From what I can tell he is a very independent person, just like his mother I might add. Your right all he has to do is ask but the thought of asking isn't an easy one for him to consider."
"Then how do we get him to consider it?"
Hikare chuckles at her stubborn daughter sometimes she could be so much like her father, especially recently.
"It's not something we can force on him Hinata. He trusts us and that means we have to trust him too. Just be his friend and he will come around. It's not like he can take off for weeks at a time to go into the woods and attend the academy. He will not have the time to do that."
Hinata sits next to her mother pouting.
"Fine. I wonder how he learned to hunt anyway?"
She thought aloud.
"I am sure Zanichi-san taught him."
"It was not."
Says Hiashi has he walks into the room. Hikare looks at her husband.
"Then who taught him?"
"From my understanding it was a pair of Anbu who took a liking to him. After Hinata's eyes awoke I spoke to Zanichi-san about Naruto's skills and he told me about them. Shortly after Naruto was thrown out of the orphanage he asked them to teach him to hunt and forage in the forest around the village. They showed him the basics and he taught himself the rest."
"That is impressive for a boy his age."
"Impressive is an understatement you have not been inside his apartment. On the floor of his sitting room is a small lightning liger pelt and on the floor of his bedroom is a stone cave bear. Both of which he killed and skinned himself."
Hikare stares at Hiashi is disbelief.
"You're cant serious are you? Those are both A-class predators."
"I am very serious. I was shocked myself when I saw it. Naruto is extremely skilled and if a career as a shinobi proves impossible then he certainly has one as a fur trader."
"That's not funny Hiashi. Naruto will make an excellent shinobi just like his mother was."
"I am sure your right like always."
Hikare blushes at the complement. Hiashi sits beside his wife on the matted floor and rubs his finger across the cheek of his infant daughter. Hanabi cries out and grabs his finger. Hiashi smiles softly at his daughter, letting her tug and pull on it. She pulls his finger into her mouth gumming him a little until letting him go. Hikare shakes her head.
"She is so greedy I just finish feeding her and now she is trying to eat again."
She holds her daughter up so she is eye to eye with the infant and with a sweet voice she scolds her.
"If you eat so much you are going to turn into an Akimichi you my greedy baby girl."
She then pulls her daughter close and holds her so they are cheek to cheek.
"And you're my baby and I don't want to have to give you up."
Hanabi cries out again and starts giggling. Hinata watches her mother and sister. A ping of jealously rushes through her but she shakes her head as if to physically remove it from her mind.
"Father I was wondering since I am starting the academy tomorrow will I start training more?"
Her father looks at her, seeing the determined look in her eye. He nods.
"We will train in the mornings before breakfast then again in the evening before supper. The afternoons you will be studying with the Uzumaki triplets working on your knowledge of first aid and chakra control. Medics have some of the best chakra control and for Jyuken you will need excellent control."
Hinata stares at her father not believing what she just heard. Not only did he know that she had been learning medic skills without his permission with the samurai but now he was setting up lessons for her.
"Hinata don't stare at your father it's rude."
Says Hikare with a smile on her face.
"I-I apologize father I wa-um."
She dives at him and hugs her sitting father surprising him. Hikare covers her mouth to try and stifle her laugh.
"Thank you daddy."
Hiashi looks down at her. She hadn't called him 'daddy' since Neji had been sealed and Hizaishi had sacrificed himself. Slowly he returns his daughter's hug.
"I can't let you become a medic of the village but those three women have agreed to teach you until they return the Land of Iron in the next year or so."
Hinata nods her head against his chest. She then stands up and bows to her parents, leaving them alone with Hanabi. On the other side of the door they can see her silhouette as she jumps up and down in excitement and happiness.
"You have made our daughter very happy Hiashi. I would like to ask what changed your mind about letting her train as a medic?"
"She isn't she is only learning advanced first aid and chakra control nothing more. She will not be a medic."
Hikare smiles at her husband.
"You're just being overprotective."
Hiashi looks at his wife like she has three heads.
"I am not."
"Ever since the attack you and Naruto have been letting out killer intent anytime someone who isn't a Hyúga or Uzumaki comes with in five feet of her. Both of you are extremely overprotective of my daughter. Who mind you is like a little sister to the one and only Mitarashi Anko. After whatever Naruto did to those men, which you still haven't told me. Then what Anko did which was make them suffer a living death not a soul in this village is going to hurt her. They are all too scared of what will happen to them if they did."
Hiashi sighs.
"I guess you are correct about that. I have seen some of the villagers move out of her way when walking with Naruto without taking their eyes off him. After word of what Naruto did got out I thought all the hospital staff was going to flee on sight of him."
"Hiashi what did he do?"
Hiashi takes Hanabi from her mother so Hikare could adjust her kimono after feeding the infant. He begins to rocking Hanabi in his arms to but her to sleep for her midday nap. After a moment of thought he speaks.
"After a week of searching for him I returned to the hospital to find five men piled up outside the hospital. They were all missing large portions of their skin. They had been flayed mostly on their upper body and face. They were also pierced through the knees and ankles by arrows. They didn't know what was coming and they never had the chance to escape. When I finally found Naruto he was standing by Hinata's bed in her hospital room. I asked him where he had been, he said he had been hunting. He stood there watching her still covered in their blood."
Hikare gasps and covers her mouth with her hand.
"You can't be serious there is no way our sweet little Naruto could do that."
With a grim face Hiashi holds his daughter closer, kissing her on the forehead as he rocks her to sleep.
"The damage to his heart and mind caused by the way the villagers treat him. Then what little influence the Kyuubi's chakra might on him, Minato made the seal so it would leak the beast's chakra into his system so his body could build a tolerance to its poisonous quality. Then not to forget Anko's effect in his upbringing, she cares deeply for him but she is not known for her mercy. She taught him how do send a message with pain and that is what it was. A message of what will happen to those that would hurt Hinata. You add those three things and Naruto is capable of some very savage acts if pushed far enough even as a child. When he saw his first real friend he has ever had and seeing her so hurt. Hikare he knew it was because of him. I saw him without his mask and without the whimsical tone that he normally has. His voice was dead, his expression was dead, and he is souls was dying. He tried to swear that he would never come near Hinata again so she could be safe, it was killing him as he said it."
Hikare just stares at Hiashi with tears in her eyes. Resisting the powerful urge to find Naruto and smother her adopted son with motherly affection. With a pause she looks at Hiashi.
"But he is still with her, with us."
Hiashi looks up from the now sleeping Hanabi. Hikare sees the look that she has only seen once before. It was the same look he had after he killed Hinata's kidnapper, it was a look of total resolve and determination. It was the kind of look that someone has when they know that what they are doing is right but the repercussions will be dire.
"I would not let him make that sort of oath no matter what the Elders, the villagers or anyone else has to say about it, I would not let my best friend's son sink anymore into despair. I told him that Hinata will need someone who is willing to go that far to protect her. That she will have enemies as a clan head and she will need his friendship and support. I asked him to be her sword and shield and always be there for her no matter what I made him swear it."
Hikare stands up and takes Hanabi from Hiashi so he can stand as well. She kisses Hiashi after he stands.
"I have never been so proud to call you my husband. The girls outside Naruto's apartment are right I am so very lucky to have you."
"I am the lucky one Hikare."
Hiashi opens the sliding door into their bedroom and walks in followed by Hikare with Hanabi. Hikare walks over to the crib next to their bed and sets Hanabi inside. She then gently places a baby blanket over her daughter. Who grabs the blanket with her little hand.
"So you came to the same conclusion as I did."
"Yes I can't for the life of me figure out how I missed it before he looks just like him."
Hikare smiles.
"Don't blame yourself we didn't know about him. Plus he acts just like Kushina-chan. Even that apartment of his, it's the same one she lived in after Lady Mito passed on and had the Kyuubi placed inside her."
Hiashi looks at her surprise etched on his face.
"Really she lived in the red light district? I never knew."
"Really in the very same apartment, I remember my mother forbidding me from ever going over there once."
Hikare blushes and smiles at the memories of her childhood friend..
"Not like it ever stopped me, I was such a bad little girl. Again Kushina's influence my mother tried so hard to keep us apart until we were put on the same team. She gave in a huff, though I understand her reasons better now I have the same worries about Hinata visiting Naruto. Hiashi did Zanichi-san explain about the Uzumaki learning curve?"
Hiashi choices not to address the topic of his daughter visiting Naruto in the red light district again. They had already had that argument and he had lost.
"No what is that?"
Hikare blushes again but a deeper shade of red this time. One Hiashi hadn't seen since their honeymoon.
"Well the Uzumaki learn at a much faster rate than most people do and let's say that Kushina-chan was very well versed in her neighbor's trade."
Hiashi's eyes go wide.
"Did she?"
"No, no she never but she knew exactly what was going on and she didn't have any problems with asking for advice or pointed questions. She was so blunt and straight forward about everything, she could be so embarrassing and not even know it."
She says with a smile.
"She didn't really start sharing until we were teenagers though. She taught Mikoto-chan, Tsunade-sensei and I a lot about the bedroom. I remember this look on Tsunade-sensei's face this one time she was so into it like a student listen to their favorite teacher. She had such a crocked grin, like am old lecher, plain lust on display. She had just started dating Dan then too. Now that I think about it Kushina didn't really talk about thing like that until the time she started vanishing out of thin air just before and at the beginning of the third war. Minato-kun must have been using his Hiraishin so they could get away with being seen."
Hikare then sits on their bed with a wicked grin.
"She taught me the position both of our daughters were conceived in."
Now the Hyúga are not known for being easy stupefied but at this point it can be said that Hyúga Hiashi was stupefied. Hiashi stares at his wife in stunned shock. Mouth agape and chin on the floor. Hikare smiles at her stunned husband.
"Before you get any ideas my dear husband I didn't bring this up because of any funny business. I brought this up because Naruto is going to need you as a man. If he is anything like his mother and he is, he knows exactly what's going on around him in that neighborhood and is a very confused little boy. In his head he is much older but his body doesn't match. This had led Kushina-chan to be very self-conscious about her body. Remember what she would do to boys that made fun of her?"
Hiashi involuntarily shivers.
"Yes I do."
Hikare smirks.
"Well I am not sure how this will effect Naruto but he is going to need you to step in on Minato's behave."
After a pause she adds.
"If Zanichi-san hasn't already."
In the middle of the woods outside Konoha in a small clearing sits a cloaked figure besides a fire. A deer hangs inverted off to the side, blood draining from a cut on the neck into a small pit beneath it. The cloaked figure stirs the pot sitting above the fire. He takes the spoon and blows softly. After tasting the stew the white gleam of a smile can be seen from the shadowed hood. The figure looks over his shoulder into a tree behind him.
"Hey, Anbu-san you want some dinner? It's depressing to eat alone."
He calls out, the Anbu in the tree stares wide eyed behind her mask. After a moment the Anbu's stomach gets the better of her and she jumps down to the small camp site. She walks up behind the cloaked hunter and around the fire using as a barrier between them. She sits down and watches him.
"Well if you are going to sit so far away you are serving yourself. I am not getting up."
He tosses her a wooden bowl and spoon, and then begins serving himself from the pot. He blows on the bowl of stew to cool it faster as the Anbu serves herself. They sit in silence as they eat the Anbu paying close attention to the cloaked hunter. The hunter in contrast ignores the Anbu much like he has learned to ignore most people.
"How did you know I was there? Your just a kid your shouldn't have the skill to notice me. I am the best stalker in the Anbu."
The hunter looks up from serving himself a second bowl. The Anbu is unnerved by the action, his eyes are hidden in the darkness of the hood but she could feel his eyes on her. The pause only lasts a moment until he finishes getting his second helping.
"I have been hunted my entire life. I know what it feels like to be watch by one who means me harm. You need to do better at masking your distaste of your prey."
"What are you talking about hunted your whole life?"
Without looking up from his food the hunter answers her question with a question.
"What am I, Lady Anbu? That should give you all the answer you need."
"Hell if I know kid. I was woken up and told to follow you around until you return to the village. It was supposed to be my weekend off but instead of spending time with my boyfriend I am stuck out here with you."
There is silence after she finishes. For a long minute both the Anbu and the hunter say nothing. Then the hunter starts laughing but it not a happy laugh. No its one of pain and resentment. The hard cold edge to it freaks the Anbu out causing her skin to crawl. She had only heard that kind of laugh from the veterans of the last shinobi war.
"They sent you out here without telling you? That's hilarious. Explains why I didn't notice you until now. You were just pissed because I am warm by the fire and eating a good meal, but you're stuck in the cold with nothing but protein bars."
"What are you talking about?"
The Anbu says thoroughly freaked out, this was just not normal. The hunter reaches up to his hood and pulls it off revealing a head of messy blonde hair. The hunter looks at the Anbu his crystal blue eye sparkle with the last of the setting sun. The whisker marks on his face stand out against the tanned skin. The Anbu stares at Naruto in wide eyed shock. Naruto having spent so much time with Dog and Weasel knew what a surprised Anbu looks like even with the mask covering their faces. He smirks at the Anbu across from him and continues eating. The Anbu takes a moment to calm down and looks at the boy again.
"I thought you would not be allowed outside of the village."
"Why is that Lady Anbu, why wouldn't I be allowed outside of the village?"
"You know exactly why. You hinted at it remember, you said 'what am I'. I might not be a Nara but I'm not stupid. You know the answer to that question, surprisingly."
She says accusingly adding.
"If I had answered I would be killed you know that."
"No you wouldn't, if you had tried to hurt me with that information you would have given to Anko-nee to play with never to be seen again. That is the punishment now something far worse than death if you ask me. She takes the whole protective big sister thing very seriously."
The calm tone he uses to describe the worse punishment imaginable by anyone in the Anbu causes chills to run through her causing her to visibly shiver. She remembers the last time someone had pissed off Anko. A group of men had attacked the Hyúga heiress, they had already been seen to by someone but that didn't stop her. She spent a week filling the T&I department with their screams and when she left for the day Ibiki would take over during the night. It had been personal for them and those men suffered before their execution.
"If you don't eat your stew will get cold."
Says Naruto, using his spoon to point at her bowl, she looks down having forgotten the bowl of stew on the ground where she set it to cool. She picks it up, with her free hand she tilts her mask a little to eat and still have her face hidden. They finish eating in silence once done with his third bowl Naruto stands up and removes his cloak. He sets it on top of his bed roll. He opens the pack next to it and pulls out a knife with a short curved blade and walks over to the deer and begins skinning the animal. His slow careful strokes showcase his skill. Impressing the Anbu, who having been found out she feels no reason to leave the warm fire and the good stew. So she stays, eats and watches him work, 'Who knew the kid can cook,' she thought as she eats another spoon full.
"So when do you start at the academy kid?"
"What makes you think I am going to the academy?"
"Because the village elders, you know the Hokage's advisors. They wouldn't give you any other choice even if you didn't want to."
Naruto stops and turns around to look at the Anbu.
"Seriously even if I didn't want to and instead say wanted to be just a fur trader or something they would force me to be a shinobi?"
"Yup, you're not normal kid sorry that's your life. So when do you start?"
Naruto huffs mumbling about old washed up shinobi and goes back to work on the deer before answering.
"Tomorrow, once I finish this I will seal up the carcass and finish up later. Want to get the bloody part done out here."
"You're not going to make it time for the entrance ceremony."
"Like I care, I am an orphan remember. There isn't much of a reason for someone without a family to go to the ceremony anyway. Though I will make it in time anyway don't want to get to big a scene on my first day. Already got a big enough of a target on me with the elders apparently."
"Not going to sleep?"
"It might have taken me three days but I did notice an Anbu when she was trying not to be noticed. I think I can sleep through the first day don't you. Plus I don't think the teachers are going to care if I pay attention or not."
"Oh, you might be right."
She says quietly sounding a little ashamed of her fellow shinobi. Naruto rolls his eyes as he finishes the main body and begins on the animal's legs. The Anbu finishes the last of the stew and fixes her mask. She keeps watching him until a thought pops in her head. 'He is really good at that I wonder if Anko taught him, wait a minute those guys that Anko had months ago they came in partially skinned.'
"Kid did you skin those guys that attacked the Hyúga heiress?"
"No one hurts my friends."
He says without look at her and keeps working on finishing up the deer. His callous tone speaks causes her to frown behind her mask. After half an hour Naruto finishes skinning the deer and wipes his hands on a rag. He walks over to his bag and pulls out a scroll. Returning to the deer he lays it on the ground in front of the deer. Claps his hands together and the scroll expands in a puff of smoke. He unrolls it revealing a seal matrix written on the paper with a large blank place left in the center. Naruto positions the scroll so the blank place is under the deer carcass. Naruto walks over to the rope securing the hanging deer to a tree. He loosens the knot and eases the deer to the ground until it lies on the scroll, directly in the center of the blank section. He removes the rope from the deer. After running through a series of hand signs he says.
"Uzumaki Style: King's Freezer"
The seal comes to life, the intricate jutsu shiki glow. Before their eyes the glowing calligraphy slowly creeps off the paper moving across the deer until the lines meet and form a spiral in the center.
"Seal"
Naruto commands from his place in front of the scroll. At his order the deer starts to sink into the paper. When the deer finishes sinking a large kanji appears in the center where the deer once was. Naruto rolls up the scroll and claps his hands again. In a puff of smoke it shrinks again. He picks it up and places it back into his pack. He then begins to clean up the camp site. Lastly he cleans out the stew pot in a nearby stream. After he cleans it he walks over to a large stone and rolls it to the side surprising the watching Anbu. He places the pot, bowls and spoons into the void beneath the stone along with his bedroll. He rolls the stone back over the hiding place.
He walks over to the fire and puts it out with a pile of dirt left over from when he dug out the fire pit. After insuring that it was extinguished he stands up and begins to leave. The Anbu stands up and falls in step next to him. They walk in silence through the forest towards the village several hours away.
"That is your normal campsite?"
She asks. He looks up at her and nods.
"How long have you been using that spot?"
"Almost a year it's a good spot, stream nearby and a cave hidden behind the ivy in case it rains. I make the stone hiding place about a month ago."
"A very good spot then if it's got all that. Worried that the hiding spot beneath the stone will collapse in on itself with the weather?"
"No I used fuinjutsu to keep the inside of it from collapsing. Plus it locks the stone in place I am the only one who can move it."
"Quite the achievement to be so good at fuinjutsu at your age, that and what you did with the deer. Kid you should be proud."
Naruto smiles sheepishly and blushes at the praise.
"No it's nothing really. I am an Uzumaki it just comes naturally for us it's kind of a kekkei genkai."
"Didn't know that there was a kekkei genkai like that, you learn something new every day. You should still be proud, kid. Not everyone with a kekkei genkai is that good with it at your age."
They walk in silence for the next hour. As they get closer to the village the night claims the sky. One by one the stars start coming out and the moon illuminates the forest around them. The noise of the bird's quiet, as they begin roosting for the night. Leaving the forest to the chorus of insects as they chirp into the night. A rush of wind causes Naruto to pull his hood over his head. Just then a group of blank masked Anbu falls out of the trees. They stand in front of them some feet away, silently across from Naruto and his Anbu companion blocking their way until one in a white cloak steps forward.
"Chameleon we are here to escort the boy back to the village the Hokage wants to make sure he is not late for his first day at the academy."
The Anbu next to Naruto narrows her eyes at the blank mask the others are wearing. The Hokage didn't care if Naruto was on time jus that he got back to the village safely. He had told her as much himself, only the elders cared about that kind of thing. She looked at the blanch masks of the Anbu across from her and remembered what her sempai has told her about one of the councilmembers.
"Then why are Danzó's pets here? Hokage-sama would never let your kind anywhere near Naruto. I will make sure Naruto makes it back to the village without any problems."
The white clocked Anbu takes another step forward.
"We don't want to fight you Chameleon you are a valued asset to the village having you injured would be counterproductive."
"Then get out of our way."
"Give us the boy."
"Fuck you."
At that the blank masked Anbu tense up and prepare for a fight. They stare each other down. Finally one of the Anbu in the back of the group leaps into the air toward Chameleon. It pulls out a kunai but before it can throw the knife an arrow appears through the Anbu's hand dropping the kunai and yells in pain. The Anbu lands between Chameleon and their leader. It grabs the arrow with its unpierced hand and pulls it out, it's mask hiding the pain filled expression on its face. Slowly the arrow is freed from its hand. All the Anbu look at Naruto and see him still next to Chameleon with a white bow in his hands where it wasn't a moment ago. A other of his black arrows already on the string ready to fire.
"I will be returning with her if you don't mind. Send Lord Danzó my regrets but I will not join him ever and if you try again I will tell my cousin and my aunt about this. Frankly I doubt his ability to survive their combined wrath. There are very few things they agree on and protecting a member of the clan is one of those rare things. Myself in particular."
The Anbu look at their leader, who watches the boy through its mask.
"Is that a threat boy?"
"Only if you think my clan is threating."
They all stand there not moving glaring at each other.
"Well well what do we have here? I go for a walk in my clan woods to find one of our deer missing and when I go looking for the poacher I find a young hunter and his Anbu guardian facing a Root unit in the said clan woods. Now whatever could be happening? Nothing troublesome I hope."
Everyone but Naruto looks over at the new comer. Standing there leaning lazily against a tree stands Nara Shikaku head of the Nara clan and the Anbu commander second only to the Hokage in authority. The Root Anbu look at him then all leap back into the trees just as a dark line jets out at them from Shikaku's shadow. He sighs at his failed attempt to catch the Root members.
"Troublesome, Naruto how many times do I have to tell you to not to take my deer?"
Naruto looks at the clan head underneath his hood his face hidden. Silently he returns his bow and arrow to the seals on the inside of his cloak. He walks over to the arrow left on the ground by the Anbu he shot. He reaches down and picks it up. After inspecting the arrow head he then returns it to the seal and keeps walking away. Chameleon looks from the Nara to the boy, not knowing what to do. On one side she had her commanding officer and on the other her charge given to her by the Hokage himself.
"Sorry Nara-sama I didn't know it was one of the Nara deer. I would have stopped him if I had."
"I find that hard to believe Chameleon Naruto can be a very stubborn hunter. Naruto where are you going I want that carcass back."
Naruto stops walking and turns to face the clan head.
"No."
"Naruto don't be troublesome. Now give me back the deer."
Naruto doesn't move then is an explosion of motion. His hand shoots out of his cloak and into the air. He brings it down. Before Shikaku can move the flash seal ignites and blinds him and Chameleon. Their eyes used to the dark of night burns from the flash. After minutes of blinding and rubbing their eyes they can see again and find that Naruto gone. Shikaku stares wide eyed at the spot Naruto had stood staring at a crudely drawn smiley face with its tongue out at him.
"Damn troublesome gaki. I was going to give it back just wanted to lecture him a little. All he had to do was ask I would have given him one. He is getting more hustle towards anyone not a samurai or Hyúga too."
Not realizing that he had spoken out loud is his startled by Chameleon's response.
"Can you really blame him? His entire life as it is the nicest way to describe it has sucked until that samurai came and took him in. I can't believe that he is even still in the village he can easy make it in the wild on his own. I never knew anything about how bad it really is for him until he started laughing like Kakashi when has too much to drink."
"I know that it's something we will all have to life with. We were all cowards so worried about ourselves we abandoned him."
The way he says it leads Chameleon to believe there is a deeper meaning to what he said but before she can ask he turns away.
"You should catch up you're still responsible for him making it back."
Chameleon comes up short.
"Damn gaki. Get back here!"
She yells as she starts running in the direction she thought Naruto went.
Shikaku sits down at the bar of the Long Fall. He orders a whiskey and downs it in one swallow. He orders another and drinks this one as he did the first. He orders a third but this time before he can down the harsh western drink he is stopped by a tall blonde man and a massive red haired one, one on either side.
"You didn't come home for dinner so your wife asked us to find you. Shikaku, why are you drinking like this?"
"The same reasons as always, when I drink like this Chóza, shame and guilty."
He downs her third glass. The two man look at each other and then at him, they each pull out a stool next to Shikaku and sit down. They both order a drink.
"What happened?"
"Inoichi can I please just get drunk and not talk about my feelings with you. I don't need you acting like a troublesome woman right now."
"Well you have a very high tolerance for alcohol so this is going to take a while so you might as well talk about it."
He says. Shikaku sighs again and mumbles his clan's catch phrase.
"Fine I went out to check on the deer today and found one of the older ones missing so I go looking for it. A little bit after dusk I find a group of Root Anbu and Chameleon staring each other down with Naruto at her side. They had come to try and take him. It was a little more frontal then normal but I think it's because Danzó is getting desperate. All the samurai and everything he is losing his grip on the village."
"Well I could see as that as troubling but not as to why you are on your fourth glass of bourbon in the span of ten minutes."
"It was Naruto."
Shikaku stops to take another drink, leaving some of the liquor in the glass this time.
"We failed him we have failed him and his parents. Who were our friends and comrades. Remember that night we all went out for Hiashi's bachelor party, he and Hikare where the first to get married. Pale eyed bastard forcing the rest of us to commit."
Chóza takes a drink, as does Inoichi.
"We remember Shikaku."
Chóza says quietly.
"Do you remember the promise we all made that night?"
"Yes."
Says Inoichi.
"Well we broke it we broke it and there is no way to make up for it. Kami I just don't know how I can face Minato in the next life. He saved us all of us and our families and we abandoned his son out of fear of a stupid fox and stupider villagers."
The other men both sit silently and finish their drink and order another.
"We didn't know Shikaku the Hokage kept it from us, all of us. Hikare and Mikoto, Hiashi and Fugaku even they didn't know and they were their teammates."
Shikaku downs his drink and orders his fifth. When he gets it he downs that one too. Inoichi stops him from ordering his sixth.
"Inoichi don't stop me."
The tone was angry but not really directed at anyone.
"Tell me what you're not saying and I might not."
Shikaku looked at him, his teammate, his friend, the godfather of his son and his brother in all but blood. The look is intense but Inoichi held it firmly. Shamefully he whispers.
"I knew."
Chóza's eyes go wide.
"What? What did you just say?"
Shikaku looks over at his other teammate, his other friend, his other brother in all but blood and the man he too trusted with his family if he should ever fall in battle.
"I knew who he was Chóza."
Both men look at him like he had slapped them. Inoichi removes his hand and lets Shikaku order his drink.
"How long?"
Shikaku downs his sixth glass.
"I am the Anbu Commander I have always known."
At hearing that Chóza's face contorts in anger.
"You knew and you did nothing not even tell us? What were you thinking we swore to each other to take care of each other's families incase anything happened. From any foe, from any threat even the shinagami himself. You knew who he was and did nothing!"
Chóza is a man that rarely raises his voice but when he did it was a booming bass that shook the very air. The others at the bar all look over at them and see the legendary Ino-Shika-Chó trio. Together but not celebrating like they normally did when seen together. Inoichi looked around.
"Chóza sit down. We don't need a scene right now."
Chóza sits and finishes his drink and this time he orders a bottle. After a long pull on the bottle he calms down as the liquor works its way through his system.
"I watched the village turn on the Uchiha. Blaming them for the attack, it turned most against the village. I didn't want to turn that on to my clan or yours. We have been allies for a long time even before the village was founded."
"That's not much of an argument Shikaku. Even with all the hatred directed at them the Uchiha didn't act on it. Fugaku is no traitor."
Says Chóza.
"The Uchiha planned a coup."
Shikaku says quietly so only they could hear him. It stops them both cold. Inoichi is the first to regain he voice.
"What?"
"Many blamed the attack on them most especially the elders remembered that the only one who could control the Kyuubi was Madara and they blamed the Uchicha clan for it. I had to make plans in case they went through with it plans to eliminate them all. To wipe out the entire clan to kill every man, woman and child everyone, I spend days, days planning genocide. I figured out that the only way to stop a civil war from happening was to kill them all in a preemptive strike. That is until Itachi betrayed his clan for the village and delayed them. But still it was too much the hate the anger it was all too much. If the Uzumaki had not arrived when he did the Uchiha clan would be no more. Only Itachi would have been left with the blood of his entire clan on his hands. Zanichi secretly negotiated a truce between the village and the Uchiha clan. Acting as mediator he saved us all. It makes sense really if you think about it. It was the Uzumaki who mediated the alliance between the Senju and Uchiha in the first place. "
Both men stare at him then both take a long drink. Inoichi orders another stronger this time. Chóza puts his bottle back on the bar.
"So to protect us from the wrath that drove the Uchiha mad you broke our promise?"
"It wasn't the only thing that drove them but yes and I have hated myself every day for it."
"Well the only thing to do is to make it right then. Shikaku it's the only thing you can do."
"And by kami am I supposed to do that. It's not like I haven't thought about it. I let him take the deer from my clan's herd and I let him camp out in our woods for days at a time. Whenever anyone from the clan brings is up I bury it. So it's like it never happened it's the only thing I can think of and if anyone does talk to him I make sure I am the one who does. I made it so Kakashi or Itachi are in the village at any time. They look out for him a lot. Now there is Anko and Zanichi and his clan and the other samurai. Over the last week the samurai have accepted him as one of their own. Many have figured out what he is and what the villagers think of him. They closed ranks around him protectively as if he was just a normal little kid. They are so much better than us it's embarrassing. More than one fight was started last week because of a villager talking badly about Naruto in front of a samurai."
Chóza looks over his bottle at Shikaku.
"Really are you serious about the samurai?"
"If you don't believe me ask Fugaku he has had his hands full trying to keep the peace. And after hearing why they started those fights he can't help himself and lets them go free without a word."
"I never thought that the samurai from the Land of Iron would be so accepting of an outsider."
"They are a lot more accepting them you think. They took in the Uzumaki that fled Uzushio and they have taken in many refugees from the various kekkei genkai purges around the continent."
They sit at the bar in silence.
"So what are we going to do?"
Asks Chóza, surprisingly it was Inoichi who spoke.
"For now we drink and tomorrow we get everyone together after our children enter the academy and we figure that out."
"That sounds like a good plan."
Replies Shikaku. They sit in silence again until Chóza stands up with his bottle high.
"To the Yondaime may he rest in peace and may the generations who follow inherit his Will of Fire, may it burn as bright as his."
He says loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear him. Many of the older shinobi in the bar stand up and they too hold up their drinks. Inoichi and Shikaku stand next to him and lead the cheers.
"To the Yondaime."
"To the Yondaime."
The entire bar choruses.
At the Uchiha head family residence Sasuke sits on the edge of his bed nervous energy running through him keeping him from sleeping. He hears a noise from his window and walks over to it to see what it is. Staring out his window he sees his father and brother sitting together passing a bottle back and forth. Straining his ears he can just make out what they are saying.
"So tomorrow your brother starts at the academy."
"Yes he will and he will face the nightmare of all Uchiha men, fan girls."
Says Itachi shivering as he does. His father chuckles and shakes his head passing his son the bottle.
"Very true I remember my time in the academy before your mother and I started dating. I had it bad but not as bad as you or Shisui but most of the girls in my class where from shinobi clans with very few civilian children with us. It was a different time then. I think Hikare and Yoshino were the only ones."
Itachi passes him the bottle.
"Naruto is going to be in his class. I hope they become friends he needs friends his own age."
Fugaku takes a pull of the bottle.
"Who your brother or Naruto?"
"Both but I am more worried about Naruto though. His anger is great and the only thing keeping him here is the Hinata-chan."
"Hinata-chan is the only thing keeping him in the village?"
"Yes I think so I can't really think of anything else. He has a clan from a different country and they accept him for who he is even with It in him."
He takes the bottle from his father and drinks from it. They sit in silence for a few moments enjoying the feeling of the potent alcohol in their system.
"I ever tell you about my time on the Yondaime's team under Jiraiya?"
"No it has never come up."
Fugaku sighs but it is a pleasant noise, one that spoke of good times and fond memories.
"Those were some of the best times of my life. No pressure as the clan head no worries just missions and training and competing with Hiashi to see whose eyes where stronger. Hang out together, chasing after your mother all the time, care free. Then the war broke out and everything changed. We were all nearly jonin by then and because of the need for more officers we all got promoted. Minato took on a team of genin and since the rest of us were clan heirs we didn't get to. It was always a dream of your mothers to have a team of genin of her own but she was pregnant with you and we were to get married."
"Wait you mean you and mother were not married when I was born?"
"We were but you were born six months later."
Fugaku says with a smile.
"Don't misunderstand I have always loved your mother. I had been afraid of dying and not telling her how I felt. So I got a little drunk and confessed my feelings to her and about a week later we found out you were on the way. It was not something we had planned but it's not something I nor your mother has ever regretted. I think she has never gotten over it not being able to have a genin team of her own. It's why she loves training you and your brother so much. Hiashi and Hikare had already been married so we figured why not though they had decided to wait out the war to have children."
Fugaku took back the bottle and took a long drink.
"Then it happened Iwa's assault it was like a land slide unstoppable and all consuming. Minato, he stood against them alone. With only a few shinobi throwing his special kunai to cover the battle field then they fled under his order. He stopped their advance and turned the tide of the entire war. I arrived with the relief troops to find Minato standing alone in the field of corpses. No one move towards him every one was too afraid even me. Everyone except Kushina she had snuck out of the village and followed us. She rushed past us all and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around him. In that sea of bodies she was an island of sanctuary for him. He then vanished, flashing away somewhere. I learned later that your mother's younger cousin Obito had died in battle. Minato was never the same after that except with Kushina it was the only time he was the happy joyous man from our youth. I should have known they would have a child together but I was too worried about you and your mother I forgot about my friends and focused only on the clan."
"Are you saying?"
"Yes I am and it is my greatest shame to have abandoned him like this."
"Maybe you can still fix it make it right."
Fugaku looks over at his son.
"I hope so."
Sasuke falls way from the window not fully understanding what he just heard. It had been like listening to a whisper in a strong wind, but he did know this, his brother was worried about the Dope and he wanted him and Sasuke to be friends. 'But I can't be friends with him if his my rival can I,' thought Sasuke.
Naruto walks up the stairs to his apartment followed by Chameleon. It took a while but she found him and walked with him all the way back to the village and now to his apartment. She followed silently feeling that he didn't want to speak. Once they get to the door to his apartment he unlocks the seals and opens the door.
"Thanks for sticking with me back there with those other Anbu. It means a lot. Most wouldn't do that because of what I am."
"What you are is an annoying little gaki who got me in trouble with my boss and made me miss a weekend with my boyfriend. Nothing else you got that! So don't get all sappy on me go take a shower and wash behind your ears and don't be late to the entrance ceremony otherwise I am going to kick your ass, kid."
Naruto smiles up at her.
"Ok, Chameleon-nee. Good night, I will see you around."
"Night kid, see you later."
Naruto closes the door and Chameleon walks away. Moving through the village silently she avoids everyone until she comes up to an apartment building. She walks up the stairs to one of the apartments and lets herself in. Once the door closes she takes off her mask. Throwing it on the table and begins taking off her armor and weapons leaving a trail to the bedroom with her discarded gear. Wearing only a skin tight black leotard she walks into the bedroom. She sees a shape in the bed and smiles. She walks over to the bed and crawls under the covers next to the person in the bed. The arms of the man in the bed wrap around her in his sleep and pull her close.
"Did I wake you Iruka?"
No response, she chuckles to herself.
"So desperate for affection, Iruka. I met your nightmare today he isn't as scary as you might think. I hope you can overcome your fears for the kid's sake and yours."
With that she lays her head against his chest and falls asleep.
Naruto strips off his hunting clothes and throws them in the dirty clothes bin in his bathroom. He walks into the shower which was already running so the water is already hot. Just the way he likes it. He washes the earthly scent from his skin from being in the forest for the last three days. He feels a lot better, fresh, recharge and ready for the next few weeks in the village ahead of him. Wondering what would happen tomorrow he leaned against the wall of the shower and let the water cascade over his body. He was fairly certain of how the other kids his age would act towards him with the exception of Hinata. He hoped they were in the same class it would a lot easier that way.
He leaves the shower and dries off. After checking the time he realized that he had about five hours until the ceremony and the entrance into the academy. Grabbing his sword, he walks out onto the balcony and sat in the meditative pose that Zanichi had taught him. He sat like that in the night air with his sword across his lap slowing his breathing until he was almost a statue. Slowly he let his consciousness sink inward focusing on his sword he fell.
Inside his subconscious Naruto stood before the gate that held Kurama. Naruto looked through the bars but could not see the demon fox so he left shrugging. He walked away from the gate and back into the tunnels that lead thought his soul. After wandering aimlessly for what seemed like a long time he felt a light tug. He stopped at the junction of three tunnels and felt the tug again. This time it led him to the left tunnel and he followed it curious as to what he would find at the end of it.
Walking again following the slowly growing strength of the tug pulling on him as a guide he sees that the water was becoming shallower and the air less stall. He picks up the pace hoping that he would find the way out the tunnels. But to his surprise it wasn't a way out instead he found a raised platform. Above the platform was a crack in the ceiling that let in fresh air and light. White light not polluted the yellow that spread out from Kurama's cage into the tunnels. The light bathed the platform in clean clear light and as Naruto walked closer he found himself walking up a set of steps onto the platform. The platform turned out to be the floor of a dojo. Neat, clean tatami mats covered its floor. Near the center sat a samurai in black, crimson and golden armor he wore a mask on his face that looked like a fox. His right arm was naked of armor an elaborate sealing matrix marking it in its entirety down to each of his fingers.
The rest of his armor was very simple but at the same time elegant. Golden seals wrapped each piece of steel plate. On the breastplate against the black steel was his families crests both of them one on either side of his chest. On his abdomen a much larger version of his on crest the one he made to look like a spiral sun. Naruto walked up to the samurai and sat across from him. The samurai looks up at Naruto. Showing Naruto that his eyes although the same color as his, the pupils were slits like Kurama's. The samurai sat silently studying Naruto for many moments until at last it stood. It towered over Naruto and slowly it draws its blade. It was the exact copy of Naruto's Kitsune Hirameki no Ken. Naruto stands and mimics the samurai's actions they stand opposite of each other.
Then with a flash of speed the samurai attacks. He slashes at Naruto's throat but Naruto steps back out of his reach. The samurai step forward pressing the attack. Forcing Naruto back, to the edge of the platform where Naruto can feel the edge with his back foot. Clenching his teeth Naruto duck under the samurai's next slash and comes up with one of his own. The samurai leaps back out of reach but Naruto doesn't stop. Rushing forward he attacks again. The samurai deflects Naruto's attack with his sword and reaches in with his non-sword hand punching Naruto hard in the chest throwing him back so they are separated again. Naruto rubs his chest and tries to send his healing chakra to the already forming bruise. With a startled look on his face he realizes that he can't feel the healing chakra like normal. He frowns then looks at the samurai again seeing it had returned to sitting in the center of the mats.
Naruto sheaths his sword and walks over to the samurai again but this time he remains standing. Watching the samurai he speaks up and asks the question on his mind.
"Who are you?"
The samurai does not move nor does he speak.
"I asked who you are. Are you going to tell me why you are inside my mind? Did my father seal you in here too?"
Still no answer, Naruto sits again and again the samurai stands up. Naruto stands but this time he is weary of the samurai so when he attacks Naruto can dodge and attack. This time from he is in a stronger position, slashing at the samurai in the open stance of the Iaidó. The samurai effortlessly evades and attacks again pushing Naruto. Naruto jumps back giving him some space. The samurai doesn't give him a chance to try anything as he charges Naruto with his sword up ready to cut him in half. Naruto squares up and prepares for the attack and as the cut comes down on his head he parries it so the slash slides across his sword and hit the matting. Not to be denied the samurai kicks Naruto with enough force to throw him from the ring.
Naruto picks himself up off the floor and stands in the water. He walks back up the stairs to the ring and faces the samurai. Who again has seated himself on the floor near the center of the ring. Naruto runs at the samurai sword at the ready. The samurai does not move an inch as Naruto charges at him and strikes. At the last second Naruto cancels the attack with his sword blade only a hair's breath away from the samurai's helmeted cranium. Not once has the samurai moved an inch. Naruto takes a step back and looks at the samurai.
"What do you want from me?!"
Naruto yells at the samurai, to be replied with silence. Naruto walks around the samurai circling him like a hungry shark. Every few minutes he attacks the samurai only to stop his slash just before connecting. After several minutes he sheathes his sword and stands in front of the samurai. Slowly he sits but before he can even blink the samurai draws from a sitted position. He holds his sword against Naruto's throat just under the chin. Naruto is so surprised by the attack that he is thrown from his mindscape. After a moment of silently holding his position as if Naruto was still sitting in front of him, the samurai sheaths his sword. Once the blade clicks home into its sheath the booming laughter of the Kyuubi can be heard throughout the tunnels.
"Well that was an excellent show I can't wait for the next time he comes in here."
Kurama laughter resonates through the tunnels causing the water to ripple. The samurai looks up into the tunnel that leads into his chamber.
"Silence"
The water stops rippling, Kurama's laughter stops as if his mouth had been physically shut.
"Guess you didn't inherit my sense of humor then."
Naruto eyes snap open to see the sun low on the horizon. He stands up and walking back into his apartment in a cold nervous sweat. Looking at the clock he sees that it has been four hours since he entered his inner world. Shaking slightly he walks over to his room and changes into the clothes he will wear for the academy. He then makes a clone to make him a simple breakfast. The clone pops into existence then imminently dispels. Naruto frowns, taking a steadying breath he makes another clone which remains this time. As his clone makes him food Naruto stands in front of the mirror of his bathroom having wiped the sweat off his skin and washed his face.
Taking his time he fastens the pair of goggles that Hinata get him for his birthday. After making sure that his goggles are on straight he walks to the kitchen. Sitting on the counter is a cup of instant ramen that his clone made for breakfast. He stands in his kitchen as his eats his food. He wonders if he should bring his sword with him but after a lot of thought he decides not to. Kenjutsu is not something that will be taught at the academy so there wasn't much reason to be carrying it around with him if all he is going to be doing is leaving around unprotected for what little practical lessons they would have. True fully it was more of an excuse not to carry the Kitsune Hiramek no Ken because he just could not shake the thought that his sword just tried to kill him. At the last minute he stops at the door. Pausing for a moment he turns around and stomps over to the Kitsune Hirameki no Ken. He stanches it and slams it against his back and turns back to the door.
He throws the cup away and walks out the door and walks down to the street. Walking through the red light district he meets some of the girls he knows and some he didn't. They wish him a good first day at the academy. He returns thanks them as he goes not stopping as not to be late. Walking through the village the streets become more and more crowded as he nears the academy with all the families and clans out to attend the entrance ceremony for their children that were entering. Naruto finding it difficult to make his way jumps up to one of the buildings and moves along the roof tops the last few blocks to the academy. Once he reaches the academy grounds he looks out over all the gathered families and sighs. He sees one of the chunin instructors, running across the roofs that border the grounds to get closer to the instructor. Once he gets close enough he jumps off the roof and lands in front of the chunin. The chunin a young man with black hair in a short pony tail, tan skin and a scar across his nose looks down at Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto checking in, what class do I stand with?"
He asks, the chunin looks him over. Noting the oversized unzipped orange jacket and the mesh t-shirt underneath, black pants with his shuriken pouch on his left leg, clashing green goggles and one of the nicest swords he has ever seen strapped to his back. The chunin shakes his head at the throw together appearance of his new student. He looks at the class roster in his hands and sighs loudly.
"I am Umino Iruka, you can call me Iruka-sensei and I will be your instructor for the next few years. You are in class 2-A and you will form up with the rest of your class behind the class marker at the end of the training field."
Naruto nods his head taking in what Iruka says.
"Hai, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto turns around and walks away. Iruka watches him as he goes remembering what his girlfriend said that morning.
"I met him Uzumaki Naruto over the weekend, you know the jinchúriki kid. I know you still have a hard time cause of what happened to your parents just try to remember that he is just a kid and not that monster. He has got a lot riding against him and he doesn't need his teacher against him too, ok."
After they had spoken more he decided to reserve judgment until meeting him and as first impressions go that hadn't been too bad. Naruto walks passed the other classes and can feel the stares of the parents and other adults on him as he passes. More than once he can hear a parent telling their child to stay away from him. Naruto pulls the goggles down to cover most of his face. When he reaches his class he finds the most of his class already there with their families. Many of the parents or other adult family members pull their children away. Naruto ignores them and walks over to the single swing behind his class' place for the ceremony. Naruto sits alone on the swing waiting for Iruka to come over and arrange the class for the ceremony. After several minutes one of the parents of his classmates walks over and stands over him.
"What are you doing here?"
Naruto doesn't say anything hoping the man will leave him alone if he just ignores him.
"I asked you a question scum. What are you doing here?"
Naruto's grips on the rope holding the swing tightening until his knuckles turn white.
"This is where I was told to be. This is my class."
"O no, it is not you will not be in the same class as my daughter. You better leave now before I remove you."
Naruto pushes his goggles back up onto his forehead and looks up at the man.
"Look this is where I was told to be mister I am just doing what I was told by the teacher."
"I don't care what you think you were doing. I am telling you what you are doing and what you are doing is getting the hell away from my daughter you monster."
The man reaches for Naruto, but before Naruto can act like he has been trained a kunai comes flying out of nowhere and imbeds itself in the tree next to Naruto. The man curses and puts a hand to his face. Pulling it away he can see blood on his hand. Naruto who is still looking at the man sees the cut across his cheek. The man whips around to see who throw the kunai and calling out as he does.
"Who dares throw-"
But before he can finish four sword blades are at his throat. The man yelps in surprise, his eyes going wide, his entire body stiffens in fear. Naruto not able to see what is happening with the man in the way gets off the swing and walks around him. Once he gets past the man he sees Zanichi, Rikimaru, Ikkaku, and Tokichi with their swords against the man's throat each competing for space. Behind them is Anko, Uryuu and the triplets all releasing noticeable killer intents. Anko walks over to Naruto and places her hand on the top of his head, pulling him against her hip.
"You shithead you dare fuck with my little bro on the day of his entrance into the academy and you think, what you're just going to get away with it. O think again asshole cause now me, my man and his teammates here are all going to take turns beating the living piss shit out of you. And don't you worry, see those three cute red heads over there."
She points her thumb at the triplets, who all give the man wicked grins.
"Well they're going to heal you up good as new after each of our turns so we can all enjoy ourselves all day long until my little bro gets out of class and we go celebrate his first day."
Uryuu cocks an eyebrow.
"What about me?"
"Sorry Uryuu but someone has to represent the gaki's clan at the ceremony. So you will have to put up with leftovers."
Uryuu frowns.
"Well that will not do."
She takes her naginata off her back.
"I'll make it quick."
Anko smiles and shrugs.
"Ok whatever you say you are the clan head."
Uryuu chuckles as she walks over to the man.
"See Zanichi at least she understands what my rank warrants. You could learn a thing or two from her."
The men standing next to Zanichi snicker as he rolls his eyes. Before Uryuu can make it over to the man Hinata and her family as well as the rest of the clan heirs and their families arrive. The man relaxes believing he is saved from the crazy samurai and snake whore. But when he hears the overly cheery tone used by Hikare as she hicks Hanabi up higher in her arms as she speaks he begins sweating profusely.
"Anko what's going on?"
"Hi Hikare, this asshole was messing with Naruto. So we are going to teach him a very important lesson about picking on someone his own size."
"O, I see."
She turns her head to look at her husband.
"Hiashi would you be a dear and assist Anko and Zanichi in disciplining this foolish man."
Hiashi activates his Byakugan.
"Of course."
Hinata runs over to Naruto who is still standing next to Anko and grabs hold of him activating her own Byakugan and stares at the man as menacing as she could. And after being around Anko as much as she has for the last few months she could look pretty damn menacing. After hearing what Anko said to Hikare the entire Uchiha family activate their Sharingan and stare at the man. The glowing red of their eyes causes many of the other civilian families with children in Naruto's class to back up. Separating themselves from the man this whole chain of events was caused by.
By this time the entire crowd assembled for the entrance ceremony is silenced by the air quaking volume of killer intents. Everyone gathered to watch as their children take their first steps into becoming shinobi of Konoha turn their attention to the now public lynching of one man by some of the most powerful people in the village. Iruka pushes his way through the crowd trying to get to the case of all the commotion. As he gets passed the last of the bystanders the other clan heir's parents have involved themselves. The Aburame are all audibly buzzing, the Inuzuka hounds are growling as well as some of the Inuzuka themselves, the shadows around the Nara kept shifting, the Akimichi were starting to swell and the Yamanaka well you couldn't really tell what they were doing but you just knew they were doing something by the whispering voices in your head. The man responsible for this activity is on the brink of collapse if not for the steady blades against his throat keeping him on his feet.
Iruka stands staring at the assembled executioners not having a clue on what to do to stop what was about to happen. Just then the crowd surrounding class 2-A's place part forming a corridor. Iruka notices the movement and looks to see who is coming. Walking out of the path in the crowd comes the Hokage and his two advisors. Iruka quickly walks over to them.
"Hokage-sama you are early."
"Yes well I was hoping to get here before something like this happened."
"You knew something like these would happen?"
The Hokage sighs.
"I had hoped that the villagers would be more focused on their own children and not make a scene but once again I overestimated them."
Iruka stunned silent by what the Hokage just said silently falls in step with the older man as he walks over to the samurai and Anko. Anko seeing the Hokage walking over to her ignores him. She is too pissed to care about consequences at this point. She hugs Naruto tighter and prepares for whatever was about to happen, not knowing how Uryuu would react to the Hokage's presence. Zanichi had told her about what had happened outside the hospital with his mother and the Hokage. Anko had been furious after hearing what had the Nidaime had done and for the first time in years she felt just the smallest bit of pride at being the student of one of the few Konoha shinobi that had honored their word to help Uzushio, if only for a moment.
"Excuse me Zanichi-san but could you please release that man."
Says the Hokage.
"Sorry but this man was harassing my cousin and student. I just can't let that go and to be very frank I don't want to. I am sick and tired of these villagers; again and again they attack or harass someone I care about. I have given many warnings I have beaten people into the ground to even get my point across. But still they do not learn. If this were the Land of Iron after the third time I would be free to execute anyone of these fools."
"Well you are not in the Land of Iron you are in the Land of Fire and we do not publicly execute civilians here."
"Maybe you should rethink your policy. You might find that they will remember who has the power and who do not. I have lived here for nearly half a year now and I have observed that the warriors of this country are not respected like they should. I have personally had to intervene to stop what could have been a genocidal massacre at best a civil war at worst due to the way your civilians act towards some of your shinobi."
The Hokage tenses he had not thought that Zanichi would be so quick to throw that at him in such a public venue.
"I would like to remind you Zanichi that you agreed not to talk about that."
"Yes I remember but I also remember who it was who took care of my cousin before I arrived here and discovered him and it was not you or any of your civilians. Those men and their families will have my loyalty and gratitude until the day I die and as I will one day be the head of the Uzumaki clan that means that they will have the entire force and support of the Uzumaki clan."
Itachi, who is standing with his family stares wide eyed at the samurai in surprise at what the man just said and the underlining threat.
"I see."
Is all the Hokage says. This is when a new voice sounds out.
"I think we can all agree that Dai has acted rashly and I personally think that he is deeply regretful for his actions and if you good men would move your blades from his throat, he would love to stretch his vocal chords with an apology."
The Zanichi and the Hokage turn to look at the source of the voice and see Councilwoman Haruno Mebuki with a young girl with pink hair. The way the girl is clinging onto the skirt of Mebuki's dress would lead anyone to believe that she was the woman's daughter. The man who comes up to stand behind her looking to be in his mid-thirties like Mebuki herself and his own pink hair matching the girl's meaning that they must father and daughter meaning he was also Mebuki's husband.
"I am sorry to say Councilwoman Haruno that since this man was about to strike Naruto that I cannot accept a simple apology. There was a time when I first arrived that I would but now I fear not."
"Well how about I put it in a different light for you. Dai here is the single father of one of the girls who will be in your cousin's class. If you were to punish him here and now then not only will he not be able to take care of his daughter but you will also be forcing his daughter to witness her father's death after watching her mother die slowly from disease. And make her an orphan much like your young cousin."
Zanichi makes eye contact with the woman then looks over at Anko and Naruto who was still standing with her. Naruto looks up at his cousin and surprises the young man by shaking his head just slightly. Zanichi cocks a questioning eyebrow as to ask 'are you sure' to which Naruto answers with a nod. Zanichi looks over at Shikaku and they make eye contact. Shikaku nods the movement being missed by everyone around him. Zanichi sighs and lowers his sword. Surprising everyone present especially those that know him, Naruto looks up with a smile. Rikimaru, Ikkaku and Tokichi follow suit and lower their swords. Then with a signal from Zanichi they sheath them but he keeps his sword out.
Dai relieved to have the swords away from his neck tries to relax but finds that he can't. Moving his eyes alone he looks to the ground to see a dark line on the ground linked to his shadow. He follows the line back to Shikaku who in turn gives the man a cruel smile. Then Zanichi speaks forcing Dai's attention back to him.
"You are a lucky man Dai. My cousin with a wisdom far more advanced than his years has decided that an apology is all he wants from you."
There is a slight pause as Zanichi walks up closer to Dai and whispers to the man.
"Seriously, you are very lucky Naruto doesn't want to make your daughter an orphan or I would behead you here in front of her. Personally I couldn't be bothered I am not a good person. It's why Anko and I get along so well."
He steps away from the man. He nods to Shikaku and he releases Dai. Who promptly fall on his ass. Zanichi stands over the man with his Ókami Kami no Ken still unsheathed and in full view. The black blade seeming absorbing the light near it, leaving the world a little darker in its wake as Zanichi moves it around him. The strange saw pattern on the sword's back gives the sword a terrifying silhouette.
"We are waiting for this stretching of vocal cords that Councilwoman Haruno informs us that you so desperately wish to perform."
Dai moves, slowly so not to antagonize the angry samurai, into a kneeling position. As he does he looks angrily at Mebuki, but as he sees his daughter who has been watching him the entire time with tears in her eyes his look softens. He bows he head to the ground touching his forehead to it and speaks.
"I apologize Uzumaki-dono"
Zanichi interrupts him
"Not to me, to Naruto."
Dai clenches his jaw stubbornly then remembers what Zanichi said that he was only being spared because Naruto wished it. He relaxes his jaw and starts again.
"I apologize to you Uzumaki Naruto for my rude behavior on this your first day at the academy."
Naruto watches Dai as he is bowing on the ground his forehead pressed against the dirt. He walks away from Anko with Hinata still by his side and stands over the man.
"I don't want an apology you don't mean. Get up and go be with your daughter, I know what it is like without having anyone being there to care wither you're alive or not and don't wish that on anyone. Just get up and leave me alone so I can enjoy the rest of today with my family. I finally have one and I want to enjoy it despite all you bastards."
He turns around and walks back to Anko, who puts hand on his head again. Together they walk away into the group of clan heads and their families with Zanichi and the rest that came to support Naruto on his first step toward becoming joining their warrior caste.