-1Chapter 10- Origins. Sorry for the delay. This was a really difficult chapter to write.
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(Kakashi's point of view at the end of Chapter 8)
"Shit! I don't know how much longer I can hold this guy off." Kakashi thought as he hugged his right side with his arm. His ribs on his right side hurt from the previous blow from the tree branch that was thrown by the large man standing in front of him now. His right arm was bleeding from a glancing blow that he had barely avoided in the ensuing conflict. He had also taken a glancing blow to the face which left a small trail of blood running from his cheek. He was barely able to stand in front of the large man that was wielding a large tree branch, ready to swing. Kakashi held tight to the kunai in his left hand, knowing full-well that he would not be able to defend against another blow from this giant of a man. His mouth hung open as he forced his breathes through a bleeding lip. "Where are you dad?" Was the last thought that entered his mind before he heard that sound.
"KAKASHI!"
With that sound, came an overwhelmingly horrific feeling. "What the hell! Are there more of them? What is this terrible… feeling?" Kakashi thought as he felt a sensation that could only be described as pure rage. His eyes opened wide with terror at this sensation that seemed to be getting closer. Despite this feeling, he held his kunai tight while he stood in a defensive stance, ready to try to dodge the impending attack.
"Huh?" Spoke the large man as he halted his swing with the branch in his hand. He turned his head toward his back, but once again focused his attention on the child before him. "It's too late for you kid." He spoke as he strengthened his grip on the branch in his hands that he held over his head. "You are coming with me." He spoke with a sinister grin on his face as he readied his downward swing.
Just before the man started his swing, that 'feeling' turned into a distant image in Kakashi's Byakugan. It started as a faint glow of red chakra, before in a moment; it turned into a dark red raging inferno of chakra! Whatever it was, it was moving fast in his direction. Very fast! In a second, that evil dark-red glow enveloped almost his entire field of view behind the man in front of him! It was like a raging fire of purely evil red chakra, though he still couldn't focus on the source! Through the man, he could see what appeared to be a giant monster of chakra! His eyes opened wide with terror as he lost grip on his kunai and fell to the ground!
"KAKASHI!" That terrible voice thundered again, only this time, it came from a much closer source! It was a terrible sound; like the sound of a man's screaming being overshadowed by the howl of a monstrous demon! Kakashi could feel the air around him suddenly become hot as if he were standing at the edge of a massive forest fire.
Seemingly unaware of what was going on behind him, the massive man began his downward swing before being stopped, as if something had grabbed the branch in his hands! "What the…" The man growled as his hands nearly lost grip of the branch from the force of his blow.
While he scrambled on his back to put distance between himself and the man, Kakashi saw what was going on. Out of nowhere, a giant dark-red hand grabbed hold of the branch in the man's hands, stopping it mid-swing! He tried to shield his eyes from the torrent of hot air that was blowing all around him while he continued to crawl on his back to get away from his opponent.
Almost effortlessly, the giant red hand crushed the branch in its grasp, reducing it to nothing more than a shower of splinters.
Finally, Kakashi was able to focus on the sight before him through the dense cloud of burning chakra. What he saw was most definitely a monster. It must have stood nearly ten feet tall. Surrounded by a cloud of chakra that radiated like the flames of a massive fire, was a being. It was not human at all, but it stood on two legs! It looked like a massive demonic fox in a humanoid form! Its eyes burned red with rage and its red fur seemed to stand entirely on end as its form seemed to make its size look greater than it's mass. The fur itself seemed to be wispy, like licks of flame! It had extremely broad shoulders and what appeared to be a mane of thick red fur. He could see large gaping jaws that hung open, revealing a mouth full of massive fangs as well as a huge black-clawed hand at its side. The other arm was reaching toward the man in front of him, but its arm seemed to disappear just past the elbow before ending where the clawed hand grasped the treebranch. It was as if this creature had separated its hand and sent it forward separately. It stood straight up on its rear legs which were shaped like those of a fox or a wolf. The entire figure seemed to center around a black silhouette of a human being standing in the core of the massive beast. Most of all were the nine red, flailing tails that swung from its hind end, each with a white tip.
Suddenly, he saw all nine tails swing forward, as nine tendrils shot forth from the great burning field of dark-red chakra! Each tendril wrapped tightly around the wrists, elbows, ankles, knees, and neck of his assailant, and lifting him off the ground!
"What the hell?" The man shouted as he was hoisted several feet off of the ground!
His shout of confusion quickly turned into a scream of pain as the tendrils seemed to erupt into flame!
"You would dare to cause harm to HIM? TO MY OWN SON?!" Thundered the voice from the gaping jaws of the massive beast! The tendrils turned the man around to face the terrible horror that held him in its grasp.
Kakashi froze in shock at that word. "Son?" Kakashi could hardly grasp the meaning of the word coming from the jaws of this terrible monster.
The great flaming red eyes of the beast flared as the tendrils that had wrapped around the man's elbows pulled with a violent jerk. With a sickening pop and crackling sound, the man's elbows had been broken and shattered. The tendrils at the elbows dissipated as the man's limp elbows hung limp! The man screamed from the unimaginable pain!
"Open your eyes fiend!" Thundered that same wretched voice! "Prepare to face the consequences of your poorly made choices!"
The man forced open his eyes while he continued screaming. The pain was absolutely unbearable, but he forced himself to look into the eyes of the monster. "I will tear you limb from limb from limb if that is what it takes to make me think that you have paid for your ways. You have yet to experience pain human."
The beast looked down at the man's legs before returning its gaze to its victim. With a sickening smile, the beast's eyes flared up once again as the tendrils that had been wrapped around the man's knees jerked violently shattering the man's knees with that same disgusting popping and crackling sound. The man's screams only seemed to make the smile on the face of the demon grow wider. It was as if those screams were driving the demon to the point of ecstasy!
The scene only filled poor Kakashi with absolute fear at the scene that was occurring before him. He scrambled to put more distance between himself and this monster.
The monster then grabbed the man by its giant clawed hand that actually grew to a size large enough to wrap entirely around the man's torso. The monster pulled the man closer holding him right in front of itself with its gaze fixed directly upon its victim's closed eyes. I said open your eyes fiend!" The monster screamed with that same terrifying howl. The man slowly opened his eyes between gasps of breathe that seemed to grow more and more shallow as the monster's grip tightened. The demon opened its jaws wide and let out an absolutely deafening roar straight at the man's face. As the demon roared, it seemed almost like the wind from its bellow was actually burning the skin from the man's face and upper torso. By now, the man's clothing had been burned away completely by the fiery grip of the demon's hand. His skin seemed to sizzle and darken as the roar intensified! It looked as if the demon was cooking its prey like it was preparing a meal! Slowly, the man's skin grew completely dark as it was burned to a crisp before the demon let off its roar. The man's eyelids had been burned completely off, revealing his bare terrified eyeballs as if the demon had spared them the burning fate of the rest of his body.
"Father?" Kakashi thought in horror as he looked closely at the demon before his eyes. He tried to focus on the dark human form inside of the great beast. Once he was able to focus through the raging chakra surrounding it, he saw the figure of his father inside. "Father?" His eyes filled with tears that were immediately blown away by the raging torrent of hot chakra that surrounded the area around him. Even the leaves on the trees around him were erupting in flames as the scene unfolded.
"So I finally got you to keep your eyes open." The great monster growled with that twisted smile, revealing it's dripping fangs. The monster reached for the man's head with its other clawed hand, and wrapped around, completely erasing the man's head from view. With a terrible motion, the hand twisted and ripped the man's head from his shoulders, bringing the man's muffled screams to an immediate halt.
"FATHER!" Kakashi screamed as the blood spurted forth from the decapitated body, covering Kakashi's face with its crimson spray.
The demon turned its attention toward Kakashi as its own face was sprayed with the blood of its victim.
"Father! Stop!" The little child screamed again.
The fire in the demon's eyes started to fade slightly as it stared at the child before it as it threw the lifeless body to the side.
"Kakashi?" Came a slightly different tone of that evil echoed voice of the demon. Suddenly, the look in the demon's eyes reduced to a strange look of worry, then to a look of sadness.
"Kakashi… My… son." Echoed the voice of the demon once more as it extended it open clawed hands toward Kakashi.
Kakashi struggled to his feet against the fading winds of burning chakra. "You are not my father." He muttered as he hugged his right side with his bleeding arm. A confused look of sorrow and anger spread across his face as he took up a defensive stance. He held his fingers straight as he formed a simple short blade of chakra in his left hand, and took hold of it.
"My… son" Came the voice of the demon once again as it started to walk toward Kakashi with its clawed hands held wide. Kakashi could see the figure inside holding his own arms outstretched.
Kakashi pulled his chakra blade tight as he readied himself to try and defend against or attack this horrific beast before him. Suddenly, everything in sight began to waver as his limbs grew numb. The blade in his hand dissipated as his hand fell to his side. Everything in his view started to become blurry as he felt his strength fade from his body. His eyes slowly closed as his body fell to the ground below. "Not… my… father" were his last words before his world faded to black and his body collapsed to the ground.
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Kakashi slowly started to regain his consciousness. His head felt like he had been repeatedly slammed it into a tree. His ribs throbbed with pain and he hadn't even opened his eyes yet. He could hear the crackle of a fire nearby when finally, he stirred slightly with a quiet groan.
"Kakashi?" He heard the voice of his father speak with a gentle tone.
Kakashi muttered, "Father?" He was still barely conscious when he spoke the word. Suddenly, an image of that monster flashed through his mind as he snapped his eyes open and jumped back against a tree. He scrambled to reach for a kunai in a blind panic, but his pouch wasn't there. He looked in front of him to see Naruto on his knees. "What are you?" Kakashi demanded with a vicious scowl on his face.
Naruto lowered and shook his head, before looking up at his son with tear-filled eyes. He still had the massive waist-length yellow braids hanging from his head, as well as the tufts of yellow hair sticking up from the rest of his hairline. His face was otherwise unaltered aside from the small trail of blood running down from his lips. His eyes were filled with an unusual look of sadness and sincere regret. "Kakashi, there is a lot about me that you don't know." He finished speaking before his eyes fell to the ground once again.
"You mean like turning into a monster?" Kakashi replied as he continued to scowl at his father. Naruto gave no response. "Answer me!!" Kakashi demanded with a shout.
A few seconds later, Naruto answered his son's question. "No.. my son. I mean more like being a monster." Naruto lifted his head and looked directly into his son's angry gaze with his own tear-filled eyes.
Kakashi looked deeply into his father's deep-blue eyes, and knew that this was indeed his father in every sense of the word. "What do you mean?"
Naruto lifted himself to a single knee and sat back up on the nearby log. "Please sit down Kakashi." Kakashi obeyed and took a seat on a nearby tree stump next to the fire. "How badly are you hurt? I can tell that you took a little bit of a beating back there."
"I'll be fine. Just some bruising and a scratch or two." Kakashi answered with an irritated tone in his voice.
"I'm very proud of you son. You did extremely well against those guys." Naruto responded while he kept his eyes focused on the fire before him. The tears falling down his cheek betrayed his otherwise blank expression. It was as if he had a hundred things on his mind that he wanted to tell his son, but each single thought scared him too much to share. It had seemed that the time for him to tell his son about the demons in his own closet had finally come.
He grabbed hold of the ends of a couple of the long braids that hung from his head and worked the hairs between his fingertips as he looked up at his son. He could tell from his expression that Kakashi was waiting for Naruto to explain the situation.
Kakashi got up from his stump, walked over and sat next to his father on the log as he broke the uncomfortable silence. "It's ok dad. No matter what it is, you are my father. No matter what." Kakashi stared deeply into Naruto's deep-blue tear-filled eyes with the kind of look that only a loving son can give to his father.
Naruto forced a smile on his face before returning to his blank expression. He rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a small somewhat linear seal with a ring of Kanji around the center. Naruto bit the end of his thumb, and placed it on his arm, smearing the blood along the seal. He made a single handed seal, closed his eyes, and muttered the words, "Summoning Jutsu: Blade of Purification". Upon speaking these words, he placed his right hand on his arm and with a small puff of smoke; a small blade appeared in his hand. It was a simple blade with a short polished blade that was inscribed with a great many Kanji and seal markings. The handle was a simple gold chord that wrapped around the solid piece of steel that ran from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle.
Then he spoke in a very somber tone. "You see these braids Kakashi? They are sort of a remnant of something that I took into myself many years ago. When I call upon its powers too heavily, that power manifests itself physically in these braids. However unlike my eyes, or my whisker-scars, they don't disappear on their own."
"Uuhh… You are talking about the Kyuubi right? I already know about how it was sealed within you when you were a newborn baby." Kakashi quietly interrupted.
Naruto simply nodded as he wrapped the end of one of the braids around his left hand and pulled it tight, bringing the simple blade to the base. "But, there's more to it than what you know. More than most people know." Kakashi's eyes opened wide as the edge of the blade began to glow a faint white before Naruto began to cut the braid free from his head. Naruto pulled it free and bundled it up in his hand while what was left of the base of the braid shrunk back into the rest of his hair. He tossed the bundled up braid into the fire where a couple of seconds later, it flared up with red flames, nearly tripling in size and intensity for a few seconds. The flash made Kakashi jump back and shield his eyes momentarily from the heat. Naruto however, was completely unphazed as he just continued staring into the blazing fire as it dwindled.
As Naruto wrapped another braid in his left hand, he spoke once again with a somber tone. "Kakashi, it is time that I told you the entire truth. This is something that very few people know about, even among the Konoha elders." Naruto proceeded to cut the second braid and throw it into the fire with another great red flash.
With the flash, Kakashi noticed something. "That chakra! That WAS him! That is the demon's chakra!"
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(Scene changes to the Myouboku Mountain cave, inside Gamabunta's study.)
It was now almost two and a half years since Naruto had left his team in the forest to train with the toads. We are now joining Gamabunta talking with the Toadscroll.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Shouted the Toadscroll! "I already had this argument with Jiraiya and I would have hoped that you would have had your mind in a better place! Do you even know what happened when he unleashed four tails?"
"Yes, of course I know. Jiraiya told me all about it." Gamabunta replied as he puffed on his pipe showing no concern as to the Toadscroll's warning.
"Well then why are you even considering this? You know what is contained inside of me!" The scroll shouted.
"Of course I know. I was there when Minato made the seal, and I helped him make that seal that is inside of you. Don't speak as if I don't know what is going on here." Gamabunta snapped back at the sacred scroll with a glare in his eyes. "I've also seen him control those four tails and channel its entirety into his swords. His control now is leagues beyond what it was when he was training under Jiraiya and with that Kage Bunshin training of his, he has amassed more than a couple-hundred years worth of training experience. Besides, we have run out of options. The longer we wait, the stronger Uchiha Madara grows. You know the kind of power that he commands with those blasted Sharingan eyes of his. Naruto is without a doubt, the destined child. If he is to stand a chance, then this needs to be done."
The Toadscroll, knowing that Gamabunta spoke only the hard truth, nodded slightly at those words. "Well that doesn't mean that I need to like it. I hope for all our sakes, that you are right."
Gamabunta solemnly replied. "So do I."
Later that day, Naruto joined Gamabunta near the peak of Myouboku Mountain. Gamabunta sat there on a massive ledge, silently puffing on his pipe and staring into the impending sunset.
Naruto reached the edge of the ledge as he leaned over, panting in an effort to catch his breathe. "Couldn't we do this somewhere else? Like someplace that didn't involve me having to climb this mountain? The jacket of his gi was wrapped around his waist as the sweat on his body glistened in the sunlight, revealing his lean and muscular figure. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees, holding up his weight and revealing markings on his hands and arms. They were summoning seals that had been tattooed into his skin. The one on the back of his left hand was the seal that kept his Uzumaki Demon Fangs hidden. His sweat-soaked long shaggy hair stuck to his face as he wiped it out of his eyes. "So what's the meaning of all this anyway sensei?"
Gamabunta motioned with his head to the ledge next to him. Naruto sat down on the ledge next to his imposing sensei. A couple minutes had passed since Naruto sat down next to Gamabunta when finally, Naruto broke the silence. "So, why are we here? I've seen many sunsets before. There has to be a real reason why you had me meet you here."
Gamabunta only puffed on his pipe, seemingly not even hearing his student's words.
"I said…" Naruto started again before being cut off.
"I heard you Naruto!" Gamabunta snapped, cutting his student's repeated question off. "It's finally time to tell you what I promised."
"You mean about my family history?" Naruto replied with inquisitive eyes.
Gamabunta answered with a simple nod.
"So why haven't I ever heard or read anything about them?" Naruto asked. His eyes resembled the look he had as a child, ready and willing to learn. Finally something that has evaded him his entire life was about to be revealed.
"That's because it doesn't exist anymore." Gamabunta replied as he packed his pipe again and set it ablaze. He looked at Naruto to read his response. Naruto's eyes quivered as he had no words to reply with. Gamabunta only saw a single tear well up and fall from his left eye as Naruto lowered his head and stared down the mountainside.
"It's as I'm sure you may have suspected." Started the toad-boss. "As far as we know, your mother was, and now you are the last descendants of the Uzumaki clan. The story of your clan is one that goes back a long ways; many generations before the founding of Konoha. It was shortly after the time of the Sage of Six Paths and the foundations of what we know as the modern shinobi world. It was also shortly after people became aware of the demon-world. Already eight demons had been summoned by a variety of clans throughout the chaotic world."
Gamabunta looked down to his student to check that he was listening. "I'm listening sensei." Naruto spoke quietly. "Please continue." His head still hung low while the fact that he was alone once again was driven into his mind by the confirmation that he had no family left in this world.
"Very well." Gamabunta replied. "This was around the time that three upstart clans decided to summon the ninth and most powerful demon for their own purposes. They had intended to harness the power of the legendary Nine-tailed Demon-fox Kyuubi in order to found their own country. The first of these clans were the descendants of the Uchiha clan."
"Uchiha?" Naruto looked up at his sensei at the mention of this word with a strange look in his eyes. "You mean like Sasuke's clan?"
"Yes Naruto." Gamabunta answered. "But these were the original Uchiha's that even predated the Sharingan. At this time, they were actually Hyuuga clan members. The man that conducted the summoning ritual had a special ability that allowed him to see patterns in chakra and to a certain extend, exert his own chakra to redirect its original motion. Second, was the Senju clan who at that time had the ability to suppress certain kinds of chakra. Knowing that what they were about to attempt was an unfathomable task, they had hoped that with their talents combined, they would be able to direct the enormous energies of the demon into a chosen vessel. The third and most important member was from the original Uzumaki clan. This clan exhibited an extremely resilient and bountiful amount of chakra that was natural to their clan. Very much like your own chakra."
"You mean like a Kekki-Genkai?" Interrupted Naruto.
"Not so much a Kekki-Genkai as much as a hereditary trait that had been passed down through its lineage. Anyway, your ancestor was chosen to be the first Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi because of this trait. It was believed that with their unique chakra, they would be able to contain the massive power of the Kyuubi. Unfortunately, their names have been lost to the ages so we have no way of knowing exactly who they were or even exactly when this happened. But we do know how it happened."
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(Scene changes to the time of the summoning of the Kyuubi)
Laid out on the altar with his bare chest exposed, was the unnamed Uzumaki. The altar was built of stone and sat on a site near the edge a small lake near the center of what would become the Whirlpool Country. Covering his entire chest and most of his body and face, were drawn a great series of seals. At the center of the seal on his chest was drawn a spiral pattern. Surrounding that spiral, were a series of ancient Kanji symbols representing Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Light, Dark, Death, and Life. Around these Kanji, were a series of lines and symbols whose meaning has long since been forgotten. These symbols continued to wrap all around his body including his appendages and his head.
The altar was a simple stone slab that sat on top of two stones, one under each end. At one end of the slab, was a vertical stone that had a series of seals and Kanji at its center. Around the altar, was yet another series of complex seals. These seals also made references to the nine elements. Each of these nine elements represented a portion of the power that comprised the strength of the Kyuubi. The seals were drawn in a mixture of human and fox blood and mixed with a special mixture of ink.
Once the site preparations were completed, the three men proceeded with the summoning. More members of their clans were standing at a distance around the site to witness the event.
The Hyuuga placed one hand on the seal on the vertical stone, and the other on the Uzumaki man's chest, centered on the spiral seal.
The Senju man placed his hands over the Hyuuga's hands as they began the summoning. With one last confirmation that the Uzumaki man was ready, the Hyuuga began to speak a long series of cryptic chants. After the sequence of chants, a red glow began to emanate from the seal markings on the vertical stone as well as the seal markings that had been laid out around the altar. As the glow on the vertical stone became more intense, the Hyuuga looked as if he was in pain; almost as if the stone was becoming increasingly hot to the touch. The look was shared by the Senju man as well as both men gritted their teeth.
Suddenly, a burst of energy erupted from the stone and flowed through the Hyuuga that was channeling the energies. The glow grew in intensity enveloping the entire party in a red haze as the energies that were being channeled grew in potency. The Senju man stepped up his efforts as he channeled more suppressive chakra into his hands in an effort to keep the energies in check. As the chakra worked its way though the Hyuuga man and toward the Uzumaki, the seal markings on the Uzumaki man began to glow red and move throughout the man's body.
The only nonmoving signs were the series of nine elemental seal markings that glowed brighter than the rest of the markings. As the haze grew thicker, the bystanders could see images of a roaring fox's head in the dark red mist of demonic chakra. Both the Senju and the Hyuuga tried harder to control the massive waves of chakra that came from the vertical stone. The Hyuuga directed the chakra into the Uzumaki man as the spiral seal began to swirl on the man's chest.
After an extended battle of wills came to an end, a final blast wave of chakra exploded from the vertical stone, knocking all bystanders to the ground. It seemed that the connection with the stone kept the Hyuuga and Senju man standing as if they were stuck in their positions. With a final push, the Hyuuga with the Senju's help forced the remaining chakra into the Uzumaki's chest. The Uzumaki man gritted his teeth as the pain was quite evident by the expression on his face. However, he did not cry out. He had been preparing for this moment for quite some time and was ready to bare the brunt of the expected pain to follow.
Finally, as the glow from the stone subsided, the Hyuuga and Senju men collapsed to the ground. The seal markings on the ground began to migrate toward the Uzumaki man on the slab and merge into the spinning spiral seal on his chest. The Uzumaki still made no sound as he gritted his teeth at the burning chakra that was infecting his body. Finally, all the remaining seal and ancient Kanji markings were consumed by the spiraling seal on the man's chest until only the spiral and nine elemental markings remained. With a rather unimpressive display, the spiral seal slowed its spinning motion as the nine elemental markings set in place around it. As the markings came to a halt, the Uzumaki man relaxed and seemingly passed out.
The three men were taken to a makeshift medical facility in which they all came back to consciousness a couple of days later. When the Hyuuga man came to, it was noticed that his eyes had changed as a result of the demonic channeling process. Instead of the blank white eyes of the Hyuuga clan, there was a red eye with a black pupil. It was surrounded by three back tomoe markings resembling the Sharingan of modern day. Ostracized by his clan for this demonic taint on the pride of their clan, the former Hyuuga member started his own clan under the name of Uchiha.
Another side affect was the newfound ability to totally suppress demonic chakra by the Senju man. It was figured that their "transformations" were a result of their direct contact with the Kyuubi summoning.
Together, the now Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki men founded their own country that was later to be known as the Whirlpool Country.
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(Back to Gamabunta and Naruto on the ledge as the sunset neared its finale)
"But what happened to the Uzumaki man? The Jinchuuriki." Naruto asked.
"Well.. That's a bit more complicated." Gamabunta replied as he puffed on his pipe. "Whereas the changes to the Senju man and the Hyuuga turned Uchiha were evident, what happened to the Uzumaki vessel was a bit different. The extent of his holding the Kyuubi aren't exactly known for sure, but there is a lot of speculation about the extent of the impact to his body and bloodline. What is known about him is that he was able to control the Kyuubi's chakra completely, almost as if it were his own. It is suspected that as a result of his very resilient and extremely high chakra capacity, that his own chakra adapted to the sudden change as the Kyuubi was channeled into his system. You see, the way that the Kyuubi was introduced and sealed within him, was extremely different from the way that they Kyuubi was sealed within yourself as an infant."
"How so?" Asked Naruto with an inquisitive look on his face.
"Well, Your father and I.." Gamabunta started before being cut off.
"My father?" Naruto interrupted with an expression of shock in his eyes. "You knew my father?
"Of course I did! We worked together to create the Reaper Seal that is what allowed him to seal the Kyuubi within you in the first place." Gamabunta replied with a somewhat surprised look on his face. "I was at his side as he fought and sealed the Kyuubi within you. Didn't Jiraiya tell you?"
"You mean to tell me…" Naruto tried to gather his thoughts, but this new information left him in a state of confusion.
"Of course." Gamabunta answered as he saw the confused look on Naruto's face. "Your father was the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Your mother was Uzumaki Kushina. I can't believe that you didn't already know this."
Naruto was left completely speechless for a moment. Finally, he pulled himself together enough to make words again. "My father was a legend, and I never got the chance to know him. Never even knew who he was. Why wouldn't they tell me sensei?"
Gamabunta sighed and shook his head. "I can't say Naruto. Your father wanted you to be seen as a hero for involuntarily taking into yourself something like the Kyuubi for the good of Konoha. I can't say that I agree with their choice, but the elder's of Konoha thought it was a good idea to have your family kept a secret. Perhaps they thought it best that it be kept a secret to protect your identity as a Jinchuuriki. I have heard word that they considered raising you as a living weapon similar to the way your friend Gaara was raised, but Sarutobi wouldn't allow that."
"A living weapon?" Naruto responded solemnly. "How could they have even thought of such a thing?" Naruto balled up his fist in anger as he contemplated a life as a machine of the elders like Gaara was raised to become. "They have no idea what it's like… to be a Jinchuuriki like we are. When I'm Hokage…"
"Put your ambitions and hostilities aside Naruto." Gamabunta interrupted as Naruto looked up at him with a face filled with aggression. "I know that you are just now finding out some details about your life that up until now, have been kept secret, but you need to focus for the time being. For your own sake, you need to understand a few things about what is going to happen in the next few days if you so choose. There was a cost to becoming the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi that your ancestor's were not aware of. First of all, every member of the first vessel's direct bloodline was cursed to bare only one child in their lifetime. For generations afterward, every new vessel of the Kyuubi was a direct member of the first Uzumaki vessel's bloodline for fear that any other vessel would not be able to handle the raw power of the Kyuubi. You are a direct member of his bloodline."
Naruto sat silently absorbing the words of the great Toad-boss. Gamabunta could see that he was following his words by Naruto's nods. "From the time that I learned about the sealing, I've wondered about why I was chosen. Now I know….It was my destiny. It seems that Neji was right after-all."
"Neji? What Neji?" Gamabunta asked with a raised eye. "You mean the Hyuuga boy?"
"Ah, never mind sensei. Please continue." Naruto replied as he replayed Neji's words about fate and destiny at the Chuunin exams in his mind.
"Anyways, for several generations, the trio of clans held power in the Whirlpool country. Eventually, a matter of internal strife struck the three clans and the Uchiha were banished from the Whirlpool country. The Senju clan was soon to follow. For a few years, the Uzumaki had complete control over the Whirlpool Country. That was, until Uchiha Madara arrived. Somehow, his Sharingan had evolved to the point that he was able to control and suppress the Kyuubi almost completely. Unable to utilize their greatest weapon in their Jinchuuriki, the Uzumaki clan fell quickly before Madara's army. He released the Kyuubi and virtually wiped the Whirlpool Country from the face of the map. Not long afterward, he allied himself with the Senju clan and helped to found Konoha and the Fire Country. Almost inevitably, this alliance fell apart and conflict arose between Madara and the First Hokage. He tried to use the Kyuubi as a weapon, but the power of the Senju allowed the First Hokage to suppress the Kyuubi rendering it useless. Madara was thought destroyed in the conflict, but we know now that he survived somehow."
Naruto nodded in response and asked, "But what about the appearance of the Kyuubi during my father's time as Hokage? And if Madara wiped out the Whirlpool Country, what happened to my mother?"
"It is suspected that your grandmother escaped with your mother at the time of the massacre. Your grandfather was killed in the massacre. He was the last Kyuubi Jinchuuriki before you. Your mother was next in line to become the next Jinchuuriki but Madara's attack came before she was of age to receive the Kyuubi. To protect the bloodline, your grandmother sought refuge in Konoha under an assumed identity. In time, your mother and father met and fell in love. Even though the Third Hokage vehemently disagreed with his decision, Minato chose to give you the name of your ancestor's, Uzumaki. He said that it was wrong that the legacy of your ancestors fade out completely."
"What about the Kyuubi attack when I was born?" Naruto asked impatiently.
Gamabunta was surprised how Naruto wasn't having a hard time coping with the news that the Fourth Hokage had been his father. He had expected the blond to get all fired up and make a big scene, ask a bunch of questions and such. Instead, he was rather complacent and very focused. "Tell me something Naruto, why aren't you more upset about your family? I just told you that half of your entire bloodline was nearly wiped out and you just learned who your parents were. Why aren't you.."
"I don't have that kind of time to worry about all that stuff anymore sensei." Naruto interrupted Gamabunta with a sharp but silent tone. "History is just that, history."
"Don't be so naïve Naruto." Gamabunta answered with a sharp tone of his own.
"Call it what you will." Naruto responded with that same sharp tone again. "Tell me what I need to know so I can make sure that this doesn't happen again. "
No longer was Gamabunta giving instruction to the happy and eager-to-learn child that he once knew. That child was gone, replaced by a man with a mission. Gamabunta hesitated to answer as he stared into Naruto's demanding blue eyes. He thought, "Poor kid. Both of his sensei's dead now; one right in front of him. He doesn't stand a chance of becoming the kind of person that he could have been anymore."
"Well I've already met this Madara so I already know that he's alive. Was he behind the Kyuubi attack against Konoha when I was a baby?"
"We think so." Gamabunta finally replied with a sigh. "Jiraiya had thought that for some time."
"Then how can I kill him?" Naruto asked as he lowered his head. Gamabunta could see Naruto's jaw clench tight.
Gamabunta hesitated to respond after seeing the anger in Naruto's face. After a puff on his pipe and a sigh, he started his response before being cut off. "Naruto.."
"Just tell me sensei." Naruto could tell from his tone that Gamabunta was only gonna try to change his mind in some way or calm him down. "You and I both know that it's the only way that I can make sure this won't happen anymore so please just get to the point. What am I gonna have to do to kill Uchiha Madara?"
Gamabunta sighed and lit his pipe with another fresh packing. He recalled the discussion that he had with the Toadscroll and wondered if what he had in mind for Naruto was actually their only course of action. Finally, he replied. "Naruto, I want you to focus on your training to control the Kyuubi's chakra for the next few days. I still have a lot of preparations and research to do yet. I have an idea that I think will help give you an edge against someone like Madara."
Naruto simply nodded, stood up, and looked over the moonlit panoramic view from the peak of the mountain. By now, the sun had fallen completely below the horizon as Naruto's stretched his chiseled body in the pale-blue light of the moon. He turned his head slightly to his side toward Gamabunta who was sitting behind him. "Will five days be enough sensei?" Gamabunta nodded with a puff on his pipe. "Then I will see you in five days sensei." He turned back toward the mountain lying before him and jumped off the ledge into the darkness of the moonlit mountain forest.
Gamabunta puffed on his pipe again and the amber glow lit up his eyes, revealing a look of sincere worry. "I hope for all of our sakes, that I am right on this one."
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Author's Notes: First of all, I need to apologize for seemingly rushing certain aspects of this chapter. I had a lot of difficulty trying to make the origin and summoning portion of this chapter fit with the manga's own history. Initially, I had a much more detailed version I mind, but there were too many conflicts that arose to include. I'm too much of a stickler to fitting the existing manga to just say "It's my story now, so I'll do whatever I want." Anyway, the next chapter shouldn't take so long to release. So, please stay tuned for Chapter11. Title is still pending.