AN: I haven't put a disclaimer in a while and thought maybe I should. I don't own Naruto or anything to do with it sadly. Oh well at least I can write my fanfic all I want muhahaha!
Chapter Ten The Tides of Change
The Gold and Silver brothers glared at Naruto. They were mad that they couldn't move because the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki told them not to. And now he was taking the Kyuubi's chakra from them. Although they had to admit that the Jinchuriki had played his cards well. To them he was only trying to get more power. But they were wrong. Naruto was doing this for the whole world. To prevent anyone from raising up the Jubi once again.
Naruto had taken his time to learn the Edo Tensei. With the help of Bee and A he had gotten the DNA for his targets. He felt horrible about sacrificing two lives but it had to be done. Luckily they had taken two criminals who were waiting to be executed anyway.
He carefully extracted the chakra from them and sealed it within himself. The Kyuubi gladly took in his lost chakra and started converting it. It would be a long proses but he knew how to do it and a lot better this time. They had already visited the monastery and gotten the chakra from Sora. He had been happy to get rid of it.
Naruto had had a busy two years since the Chunin exams. Not much had happened after the second exam. Orochimaru mist have been too nervous to complete his own plans. As for the scroll he had given the Kazekage, apparently it had been a business proposition. One that would help boost both the economies of Konoha and Suna. Each village would conduct joint missions and split the pay. It had turned out very effective.
Naruto had spent the last two years training and tracking the Akatsuki. He had managed to somewhat relearn Sage Mode but still had a ways to go. He and Kurama had reopened his seal a month back and were working on their synchronizing their chakra and skills. So far it had proved to be working very well. Naruto had also used his clones to speed up his elemental training. He had improved his wind manipulation far beyond mastery.
He was proud of how far he had gotten. Even his sealing had improved tenfold. He and Jiraiya had studied and reconstructed the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. There were only a few more things they needed to do before they connected his seal to the Shinigami.
"Kit don't get distracted this is important stuff." Kurama chided him.
"Sorry I was just thinking about the Seal." Naruto's brow scrunched up as he pulled the last bit of chakra from the Gold and Silver brothers. He was sweating and it felt like his own energy was leaving him.
"Just a bit more Kit. It's almost all out." Kurama spurred him on. "Almost…. There!" Naruto stumbled back and panted. His golden hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. He felt Bee slap his back.
"Good job my Nine Tailed Brother. Fool, ya fool." Naruto couldn't help but laugh a little. With his hands on his knees he forced himself up right. He turned towards A and nodded towards the special weapons.
"Take them A… I'm sure they'll come in handy…. Plus you deserve it for helping me out…." He said in between pants.
A smiled and happily took the weapons. "They will be useful. And don't worry they will only be used against the Akatsuki. Anything that could prevent my brother from being taken is greatly appreciated."
"I agree." Naruto replied. He took a few more deep breaths then sighed. He turned towards his captives and sealed their souls away. He didn't want to risk them being used by anybody else. "What a hassle. At least it's over with now." 'Now all we have to do is complete the seal.' He added to Kurama mentally.
Naruto stretched his arms and back before whipping away his long bangs. His hair resembled his father's more now. He had let his hair grow out so he could use some of Jiraiya's jutsus more effectively. He had also grown a lot. He figured his body was trying to catch up to his mental age. Even though he was technically only fifteen he looked like he was in his twenties. Not that he minded though. He much rather look older than his current physical age.
He was tall, the exact height his father was when he was alive. His muscles had also developed well. He was glad that he was starting to resemble his old Sixth Hokage self. He even adopted a similar look to the one he had had during the war. He had on light armor that would allow him to move freely but still protect him well. On the front of the black chest armor was an orange and red Kyuubi. He had taken great pride in the chest piece. He was proud to be the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki and wanted people to know that he was proud.
He wore black shinobi style pants and sandals. On his back he wore the same short sleeved red coat with black flames he had during his fight with Pain. Although now, on the back in the center, was the Mount Myoboku symbol. He had also changed his head band to the same one he had before the war.
"Are we ready to go?" Kurama asked.
"Yeah, let's get out of here." Naruto hummed. With that the four ninja left the clearing.
At the edge of the clearing a white and black Aloe Vera guy watching the four ninja leave. "Interesting, what do you think that jutsu was?" the white side asked.
"I don't know but it seems powerful." The black answered.
"We will have to tell Tobi about this."
"Indeed. The Kyuubi's Jinchuriki is becoming more powerful. And what's more he knows we are after him and the other tailed beast. He may have warned them all. He needs to be dealt with."
The shinobi world was cruel, that was something Naruto knew well. And it was something he refused to forget. He had been born into a cursed life and he knew it was up to him to change the tides. He was determined to change the world, to bring peace and end the cycle of hatred. He would do it even if it cost him his life. He would prove the non-believers wrong. He would defy every law of nature if he had to.
He believed in the Will of Fire above all else. It burned brightly in his heart. He loved his home and he would do anything to protect it. That was why he kept a close eye on everything that went on in his village. He may not be the Hokage anymore but that didn't mean he wouldn't watch after his home like a Kage would. He was glad that the old man allowed him to do just that.
He had many means of protecting his home. Like his foxes and toads. They would travel through the village secretly and gather information no matter how meaningless it seemed. Every word could be valuable. He also had his own personal ANBU squad under his control. They were the most loyal to the village and the Hokage. They had learned over the years to be utterly loyal to him as well. They knew who he was, maybe not the full truth, but enough so they could trust him fully.
Among those shinobi were Itachi and Shisui Uchiha. They were the only two who knew the full truth. Over the past two years they had proved extremely loyal and trustworthy. They believed in Naruto and would stand by his side till the bitter end. They were excellent spies as well. With their permanent connection to Naruto they had been able to keep him updated to everything that went on in the village.
Their main reports were on the Konoha 12 and their progress. The other most frequent report was on Danzo's movements. So far the Konoha 12 had improved drastically and were on their way to greatness. Danzo on the other hand was still a mystery. He had stayed low an inactive for years. Even so Naruto had never ceased to expect something crazy from the old war hawk. He wouldn't out it past him to start a civil war just to get what he wanted.
Naruto walked a path of uncertainty these days. He did not know what to expect from the future he now faced. He did not know if it was for the better or for the worst. He was beginning to feel that he would never know. What he did know though was that he would try his best to build a better future for the world.
It was with that in mind that he and his godfather Jiraiya finished the seal. He felt the tug of the Shinigami and it was terrifying. But that was all it was, a small tug. It was cold and felt ominous. He figured that was what he had to deal with though. He didn't like it however. He shuddered at the thought of actually being sealed within the Death God. It must be horrible. He felt bad for his father and the other half of Kurama.
He shook off the cold feeling and turned towards his master and last family member. "Thank you Pervy Sage."
"No problem Gaki!" Jiraiya replied and ruffled his hair. "I'm just glad we finally finished it. I hope it never has to activate though."
"Me too, Pervy Sage, me too." Naruto said absently while he rubbed his stomach. His torso was bare and the seal showed brightly around his navel. The cold tendrils of Death were surrounding him. His body convulsed and he collapsed in a heap.
Alarmed from the sudden reaction Jiraiya lifted Naruto up. "Gaki are you alright?" Naruto continued to shake violently for several of minutes. It slowly faded away till he was only shivering slightly.
"It feels horrible…" he let out an agonizing moan before he passed out.
He awoke to the warm feeling of soft red fur and all nine tails surrounding him. He welcomed the warmth gratefully and sunk deeper into the comforting fur. He could still feel the cold tug of the Shinigami but its influence had waned. He felt sick to his stomach and weak. His chakra was out of whack as if half of it was somewhere else…
"It is somewhere else Kit." Kurama answered him. The fox must have heard his thoughts.
"What do you mean Kurama?" he groaned past his dry throat.
"Most of your Yin half has joined my Yin half within the Shinigami. It appears he wants payment for allowing you to bind him to you. He will keep a part of your Yin chakra at all times till you are either completely sealed into him or you break the connection." Kurama gazed at his Jinchuriki with worried eyes. "We had not expected this to happen. This could be a major handicap. You may be unable to use senjutsu now. I guess we will just have to see."
"Shit…" the blond Jinchuriki moaned. "Right when I really started to get it, too." He sighed deeply and tried to sit up. Pain shot through him and he fell back and gasped. He faintly felt Kurama tighten his tails around him but his pain outweighed the comfort. A few tears escaped his eyes and he let out another agonized scream. His breath picked up, his vision blurred, he could see darkness creeping in on him once again. He tried to fight it off but it was too strong. He was pulled into the darkness and blacked out.
Kurama watched helplessly as his Jinchuriki passed out again. He couldn't imagine the pain he must be going through. He had felt a similar pain once when he was split in two but it had only lasted an instant. From hat he had seen it seemed that Naruto was in constant pain. And now he had a sizable portion of his chakra missing.
He was beginning to think that maybe this seal thing was a bad idea. He shook his head. Naruto would never allow him to think like that. He knew his Jinchuriki would go through any amount of pain if it meant saving those who were important to him. Such was the character of his beloved host.
He sighed sadly and pumped his chakra through Naruto in hopes the pain would lessen. He could feel the same tug as Naruto but it was on a much lighter and painless scale than his. He watched as Naruto's muscles tensed and relaxed constantly as if he was being shocked by a lightning jutsu constantly.
"I will always watch after you Kit." He ruffled Naruto's hair with his nose in an affectionate manner.
In the depth of Konoha, where the 'Roots' buried themselves deep in the soil, Danzo sat at his old oak desk. He had a cane in his hand and a deep scowl on his brooding face. He knew he was being watched constantly and that pissed him off beyond belief. He had plans that he could not set into motion till he knew he was safe from the prying eyes of Kitsune's spies.
He knew Kitsune didn't like him one bit. The fox masked ANBU, 'Commander' now, was relentless and thorough. Danzo had figured that if he had laid low for a few years that Kitsune would get tired and leave him alone but that was not the case. He was lucky he hadn't lost control of his Root already.
He had gone to the Hokage and asked him to pull his little fox back. He had even listened to the Third tell Kitsune to back off but it seemed he did not listen. It irked him to no end that the ANBU was not being punished for deliberately disobeying his Hokage. It only gave Danzo more reason to believe that his old teammate was losing his edge and did not deserve to be the Hokage. If Hiruzen couldn't even keep a rein on his own personal ANBU Commander how was he supposed to run the whole village?
He gritted his teeth. Kitsune had made a personal enemy of himself. Danzo couldn't wait to see the fox brought down once and for all. He wanted his title as Hokage and he wanted to take control of the village. But first Kitsune had to go. He was powerful and had enough influence in Konoha to even undermine the Hokage's direct orders. He had the whole ANBU practically bowing to him.
And what was more Kitsune had even stolen the loyalty of Shisui who was his to begin with! Now Kitsune had a powerful ninja with an impossibly unique sharingan at his disposal. At this point Danzo was willing to sell his soul to hell if it meant he could bring Kitsune to his knees and beg for how he would love to see that. He would bask in the glory of killing that damn fox.
He slammed his fist onto his desk and growled. When he got his hands on Kitsune he would not show him any mercy. Unfortunately he did not have the means to take on such a powerful ninja. If the fox hadn't come in and screwed up his plans for the Uchiha he could have been the most powerful ninja out there. But no, the ANBU member had come out of nowhere and changed the Uchiha's minds. He had taken his influence for his own and gained the trust of the entire Uchiha clan. Even the Hokage turned a blind eye for him. Danzo was beginning to wonder who was truly in charge here. Kitsune or Hiruzen?
Suddenly he heard a loud squeal of an animal as it took its dying breath. He shot out of his chair and called for his guards. Even if he knew the animal had been Kitsune's, if it had been killed there was danger. He had refrained from killing any of Kitsune's puppets just on case he retaliated violently.
He got really nervous when neither of his guards showed up. He forced his chakra to calm itself and waited for the intruder. It was only a moment later that a swirling mass of energy presented itself before him. Slowly a masked man appeared. The man threw down his two unconscious guards. Danzo stayed calm as he could and stared down the intruder.
"Danzo I presume?" the masked man asked.
"The one and only," he answered stoically. He knew it was a lame answer but how else was he supposed to answer such an obvious question?
The mask man chuckled. "Very well. Come with me I have a business proposition for you." He didn't give Danzo time to answer before he pulled them both into his jutsu.
Danzo stumbled forward rather ungracefully when they entered the alternate space. Obito on the other hand stood straight and menacingly. Danzo straightened up and brushed himself off needlessly. "What is this all about? If you had a proposition why bring me here in such a distasteful manner?"
"If you weren't aware of it you were being very carefully watched." Obito deadpanned.
"I was aware." Danzo replied in exactly the same way.
"Then you have your answer. I couldn't tell you what I have to say with ears and eyes watching and hearing." Obito took a seat on a chair he had summoned. He motioned for Danzo to do the same. "This may be a long talk and you are an old man."
Danzo did not reply but sat down. "Tell me what you have to say."
"Straight to the point then eh? I like that, it is a lot easier than beating around the bush." Obito folded his arms across his chest. "I will begin with saying I am well aware of your predicate. This Kitsune sure is a problem, and not just for you. It took me and my people a while to figure it out but I am glad to say I have finally found out who this 'Kitsune' is."
"And?"
"And it is in both of our interest to take him out. He has been foiling both of our plans for far to long."
"You're beating around the bush." Danzo interrupted, he expertly hid his express amusement.
"Oh? It seems I am. My bad. To the point then. I want to help you bring Kitsune down. You see I have reason to believe that Kitsune is in fact Naruto Uzumaki. He has something that I want and he is preventing you from getting what you want."
Danzo narrowed his eyes. How had he missed that? Now that he thought back it made sense. "You want the Kyuubi. The question is why should I allow you to gain such a powerful weapon?"
"Because I can give you what you want. I can give you Konoha and the sharingan with it. I will also promise not to use the Kyuubi against Konoha as long as you hold up your side of the deal." Obito uncrossed his arms and stared straight into Danzo's eye.
"Hmm, I'm listening… what is this deal."
"It is simple. You see Naruto, somehow, has known about all my plans and has been foiling them for years. He has been doing the same to you. I need him out of the way if I am to progress with any of my plans and so do you. My plan is to combine our forces and take him out. Of course we will extract the Kyuubi from him first. If you help me I will offer my services and swear not to go against Konoha. I will also help deliver the Uchiha to you. In return I ask that you allow the Akatsuki to work within Konoha. The way I see it, it is a win-win situation. So what do you say Danzo?"
Danzo remained silent for a long while. "I see no reason why not. I agree."
Obito smiled behind his orange mask. 'Perfect'.
Kurama awoke to face a distressed and very worried fox Kit. Naruto was still nestled close to his body his muscles still convulsing. He looked down at the Kit and hushed it. "What is wrong little one?"
"One of our brothers has died boss! One who was watching the 'Hawk'!" the Kit almost yelled.
Kurama stiffened. The 'Hawk' was Danzo. Would he really have killed one of the Kits? He had never bothered with them before… unless he was up to something. "Thank you little one. Return home and rest. I will take it from here." The Kit visibly relaxed before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kurama tightened his tails around Naruto. He had a bad feeling about this.
He secured his tails around Naruto and lifted him up gently. He walked through the halls of the old building they were currently staying at. He felt the Kumo guards outside protecting the building on the Raikage's orders. He ignored them and found Jiraiya. The old pervert was writing his porn.
Kurama cleared his throat and settled in front of him. He waited patiently for Jiraiya to look up at him. When his host's godfather did he spoke. "We have a problem." He said.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Besides Naruto being in incredible pain an immobile?"
"Yes and this one could be far worse. Naruto will get better but I'm afraid this one could only get worse."
Jiraiya straightened up his attention completely undivided. "What happened?"
"One of the Kits watching Danzo was killed recently by the sound of it. Another Kit had told me just moments ago." Kurama's deep voice was troubled.
"This isn't good, especially with Naruto being out like this…. If Danzo acts now, on whatever he has planned, it could be bad, really bad."
"I don't think he will act for a while. Either way we need Naruto back on his feet. Whatever that seal did it really fucked him up." Kurama shook his large head and gazed down at his host. He sighed and nuzzled him again.
"I think we should be getting back to Konoha." Jiraiya blurted out.
"I agree, but it is best if we let the Kit heal first. I don't want him in Konoha if he is this venerable." Jiraiya only nodded. They both looked at Naruto fondly.
AN: oooh it's getting intense! Naruto sure is a pest to his enemies isn't he! I will say no more because I am evil like that.
Now as for the seal… it's a bitch isn't it? Poor Naruto. I sure am a jerk xD
Things are really going to get crazy here soon. Let me know what you guys think!
PS: for the question with the sharingan Shisui already had his before Naruto convinced the Uchiha to side with the village once more. And I have a plan for Itachi and Sasuke both so just be patient.