AN: ...
On with the story
Chapter 25: What will you do?
Gilgamesh watched in horror as his student fell backwards. "SHINKUMARU!!"
The Shinobi present were shocked to say the least when they saw an 8 foot tall six armed oddly dressed...person rush toward the fallen shinobi.
Kakashi's eyes widened considerably "Gilgamesh-sama?"
Most of the people present stared at the giant when they heard the name "Gilgamesh? The hero Gilgamesh? The man who fought against the Kyuubi alongside the Yondaime?"
"Be quiet." Gai said looking serious "The man has lost one of his students, who sacrificed his life to save our comrades." Gai glared at the people making them flinch "Show some respect."
They calmed down and bowed their heads.
Gilgamesh kneeled down next to Shinkumaru. He put two fingers on Shinkumaru's neck trying to feel a pulse. He felt his heart drop when he couldn't find it. "Damn it my faithful student you were to hasty."
Anko looked at the body of Shinkumaru. "He saved the man I love, but he shouldn't have to die for it."
Gilgamesh didn't look at her. "He gave his life because he thought he had fulfilled his duty."
Iruka blinked "Duty?"
"My faithful student promised he would destroy Akatsuki. He died believing he had succeeded."
"What the hell do you mean?" Dante asked appearing on the scene.
Gilgamesh clenched his fist "Akatsuki were using fake bodies. They are still alive."
Miles away
Itachi opened his eyes and looked over the forest of Konoha and got up on his feet, he looked to his left at Kisame.
"So they got you?" the shark man asked.
Itachi turned to the forest in front of him. "So who else is here?"
"Everyone is here except the blond idiot and the fucking puppet." Hidan answered appearing next to the two.
"Because of his puppet body he couldn't use leader's Kinjutsu so he had to go there himself, it cost him his life. Deidara had failed one time too many." Itachi said in a monotone voice.
Pein and Konan appeared followed by the rest of Akatsuki including Madara aka Tobi.
"So the mission failed?" Kakuzu asked.
Pein let a rare smile appear on his face "No it was a success." He turned to Zetsu.
The plant man held up a box and opened it. "We got it." "No problem 10 of them in total."
The rest of the Akatsuki looked confused "I will explain once we reach our base." Pein said and the Akatsuki took off.
Konan hung back and talked with Tobi "You let him kill you I assume?"
Tobi smiled behind his mask "Of course."
Konoha 5 days later
Hinata sat next to Naruto's bed. The blonde Jinchuuriki had yet to open his eyes after the battle. Asa jumped off Hinata's lap and onto the bed. The little fox started licking Naruto's face.
Hinata giggled at her pet "Asa I don't think that will help."
Suddenly Naruto groaned and rolled to the right.
Hinata's eyes widened "Naruto-kun!" she said.
Naruto rolled back and blinked "Hinata-chan why are you in my bed?" he asked.
Hinata didn't even blush at the comment and pulled Naruto into a hug "Naruto-kun!"
Naruto was surprised but returned the embrace. "I am happy to see you to Hinata-chan but did you have to break into my home?"
Hinata pulled away and looked him in the eyes "Naruto-kun don't you remember what happened?" she asked sounding a little worried.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to ask her what she meant when his memories came flooding back. "I fought against Sasori." He said and he looked down onto is bed sheet "He killed Iruka, Konohamaru, Mogei and Udon."Naruto clenched his fists "He killed them just because he wanted more puppets."
Hinata cupped his face in her hands and made him look at her. "Naruto-kun, Iruka, Konohamaru and his friends are alive."
Naruto's eyes widened "Bu-But how?"
Hinata looked a little hesitant "Shinkumaru used some sort of resurrection technique. He brought them back to life."
Naruto paled slightly "But such a technique requires a life in exchange. What happened to Shinkumaru?"
Hinata looked down for a moment "He died."
Flashback
Gilgamesh clenched his fist "Akatsuki were using fake bodies. They are still alive."
Everyone present paled "How is it possible to do something like that?" Hinata asked.
Gilgamesh was about to answer but a sudden pulse of chakra interrupted him. His eyes widened and he looked at his student. "Impossible.
Shinkumaru's eyes snapped open and he let out a deafening roar as white chakra poured from his body. "DAMN YOU!! I WON'T DIE YET!!"
Gilgamesh raised his hand to shield himself from the chakra.
The eruption stopped and Shinkumaru lied there panting. "My (pant) life won't end until Aka (pant) tsuki is gone." He said and fell unconscious.
Fenrir stood next to Shinkumaru and sighed "This kid is incredible."
Flashback end
"But he somehow returned to life." Hinata said smiling "I think the Bijuu inside of him had something to do with it."
Naruto couldn't help but smile in relief. "That's good."
Hinata smiled at her boyfriend but she was unconsciously pocking her fingers together.
Naruto however noticed. "Is something wrong Hinata-chan?" he asked.
Hinata noticed what she was doing and stopped. "N-No Naruto-kun nothing's wrong but..."
"But?" Naruto asked.
Hinata blushed slightly; she grabbed a mirror from the table next to Naruto's bed. She held it up in front of him so he could look at himself.
At first Naruto only looked, but slowly his eyes and mouth widened. He reached onto his head to check and, he did indeed have a pair of yellow white tiped fox ears on his head.
Shinkumaru was not in a good mode. He walked down a street in Konoha; he was wearing black pants and a black vest exposing his muscular arms.
The people of Konoha were sure to give him space as he walked down the street. If he had been more focused he would probably had noticed that he was getting some hungry looks from the female population.
He stopped when a scream of "WHAT THE HELL!!" echoed through the village. He looked up slightly confused, until a smirk appeared on his lips. "So the brat is awake." He said feeling slightly better. He continued onwards towards the hospital. Suddenly a little girl rushed out from around the corner carrying an ice cream. She didn't have time to stop and ran into him, her ice cream leaving a large stain on his pants.
An instant hush fell over the crowd.
The little girl looked at her ice cream and sniffed "My ice cream."
Shinkumaru looked at her before bending down to her level. Some of the Shinobi in the crowd moved to stop him.
He put a hand on her head and held out some money in his other. "Sorry kiddo looks like my pants ate your ice cream. Here buy yourself another one with this money." He said smiling.
The crowd were shocked. Shinkumaru ignored them and continued towards the hospital.
The little girl smiled happily and waved after him "Thank you mister!"
Hospital Naruto's room
"Don't worry Naruto-kun." Hinata said trying to calm him down.
"CALM DOWN?! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY CALM DOWN?!"
"Naruto you need to stop screaming you're in a hospital."
Naruto took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Ok I'm cool."
Hinata smiled and moved onto the bed. "I think you look cute."
Naruto blinked. "You think I look cute?"
Hinata giggled and reached for his ears and started scratching.
Naruto was surprised at first but closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation.
Hinata giggled again and stopped scratching.
Naruto opened his eyes and looked at her with a disappointed expression. "Why did you stop Hinata-chan it felt nice?"
Hinata smiled at him and lifted his covers "You will see."
Shinkumaru was just outside Naruto's room when he heard the two talking.
"Hey Hinata-chan what are you doing?" Naruto said sounding embarrassed.
Shinkumaru raised an eyebrow and decided to listen.
Hinata giggled but gasped a second later "Oh wow it's bigger than I thought."
"W-wait Hinata-chan don't touch that." Naruto said panicky.
Shinkumaru stared at the door "No way."
"I'm telling you Jiraiya you..." a voice said but stopped when she saw Shinkumaru. "Oh Shinkumaru.kun was it?"
Said red head turned and saw Tsunade followed by Jiraiya.
Before he could answer a groan came from Naruto's room, making all of them stare.
Hinata giggled "You really like that don't you?" she said sounding amused.
"Hinata-chaaaan you have to stop." Naruto said followed by a purring noise.
"Oh it is so big; I bet I could wrap it around me on a cold night." Hinata said.
"Oh Hinata-chan you should stop but it feels so nice." Naruto said purring loudly.
Shinkumaru and Tsunade were blushing like crazy while Jiraiya had a big perverted grin while he wrote ferociously in his little note pad.
Tsunade couldn't take it and slammed the door open. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO...doing." she screamed.
Hinata was holding a large fluffy yellow fox tail in her hands which she had no doubt been petting until Tsunade busted in.
Hinata and Naruto had a sudden realisation what it must have sounded like from the other side of the door. Hinata let out an eep and let go of Naruto's tail, both of them were blushing like crazy.
Shinkumaru and Jiraiya entered the room. Shinkumaru saw Naruto's tail and drew a conclusion, while Jiraiya was still scribbling in his little note pad.
"Oh THAT's what you were doing." The red head said.
Hinata was still blushing and looked at the floor.
Naruto however looked at Shinkumaru. "I heard that you saved Iruka and my fan club."
Shinkumaru looked at Naruto "Yeah I guess."
"Why did you do it? I thought you hated Konoha." Naruto asked.
Shinkumaru sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I thought Akatsuki was finished, I thought I could finally rest." He shrugged "I just figured I could use my life for one more good deed."
Naruto looked at his cousin and bowed his head. "Thank you."
Shinkumaru smiled and looked at Naruto "No problem, what's family for anyway."
Naruto couldn't help but smile slightly, but his expression turned serious and he looked back up. "I have some questions I would like to ask you."
Shinkumaru walked over to the wall and leaned against it. "I figured you would."
"You said that your parents died when you were three, so how do you know so much about our families?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at Shinkumaru; they were also interested in the answer.
"I mean no offence to my uncle, but he was an idiot." Shinkumaru said.
Jiraiya glared at him but said nothing.
"He believed that this village would actually respect his request and view you as a hero. He thought the village would protect you, so he made the old fool Sarutobi and the useless pervert over there promise to only tell you after you were of the appropriate age." Shinkumaru glared at Jiraiya
Jiraiya meet Shinkumaru's glare. "It was to protect him."
Shinkumaru laughed bitterly. "Yes because it's not like Konoha should protect its people. Konoha should have protected him but they just felt it would be easier to just kill him."
Jiraiya clenched his fist "You have no idea what Iwa are capable of. Konoha couldn't handle an all out war at that time."
Shinkumaru's glare intensified. "And you let Naruto suffer because you felt it was easier."
Naruto listened to their bickering; he couldn't help but feel like there was something else they were talking about.
"I don't believe Naruto would wish that this entire village burned down only so he could be happy." Jiraiya said.
Naruto looked at Shinkumaru "He is right."
Shinkumaru turned back to the blond. "Yeah I can see the logic, but that doesn't excuse the way they treated you."
Naruto shrugged. "Yeah that's true. But I can't justify the death of an entire village for my sake alone."
Shinkumaru sighed "You're a better person than me."
"Maybe, but can we get back to the topic?" Naruto asked.
Shinkumaru nodded. "So anyway, my parents were smart enough to leave behind scrolls for me. They contained a lot of information on both the clans and themselves. There was also info about your parents."
Naruto's eyes widened "Do you have that scroll?"
Shinkumaru smiled "Yeah I'll give it to you later."
"Why later?" Naruto asked.
"Because I bet you have more questions, and I don't carry it on me all the time." Shinkumaru replied.
Naruto looked a little sad. "Yeah...how did your parents...you know."
Shinkumaru's face fell "When we came to Konoha... we were attacked by Shinobi from the village."
Hinata gasped quietly.
Naruto looked anxious "They were from this village?" Shinkumaru nodded and Naruto swallowed "They were from the Uchiha clan weren't they?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade stared at Shinkumaru who clenched his fists. "Yeah, they said they needed to blow off some steam." He gritted his teeth and killer intent started to leak from him "My Otousan could have killed them, but they took me hostage and then...they forced me to watch as they tortured my parents to death."
The people present were shocked and disgusted.
"Then they let me go. They said I was worth nothing." Shinkumaru calmed down slightly. "So I ran, I ran away crying. I swore that I would kill them all. I dedicated my entire being to revenge. For the next seven years I trained and trained, I tried to gain enough power."
Shinkumaru let a small smile appear on his lips. "That's when I meet Gil-sensei. I didn't trust him at all so I attacked him. He subdued me easily; he asked me why I attacked him. I told him that everyone was my enemy so I had to."
Shinkumaru smiled "He told me to have faith; there are good people in the world. He told me he would take me as his apprentice and show me the world." Shinkumaru looked up again "I meet both Topaz and Renko; they were like you, hated for being Jinchuuriki. So Gil-sensei took them in like he did with me. For these last five years I have trained under him and Gobi to gain enough power to realise my dream."
"What is your dream Shinkumaru-san?" Hinata asked.
Shinkumaru gave them a toothy grin "To create a world where Jinchuuriki are welcome."
The group were silent for awhile. Naruto smiled "That is a great dream."
Shinkumaru smiled "Yeah just like me."
Tsunade smiled at the red head "You might not know this, but you and Naruto have changed the way of most Shinobi in this village."
Shinkumaru and Naruto looked at her with surprised expressions. "What the hell are you talking about?" Shinkumaru asked.
Tsunade chuckled "Did you know that the Shinobi refers to you both as heroes?"
Jiraiya smiled as well. "I was at the bar the other night, some guy started calling you names talking about how you needed to be killed. It didn't take long for him to be clobbered and thrown out."
Naruto looked at the pervert with awe "You mean?"
"Congratulations kid, you finally won them over." Kakashi said as he stepped into the room.
"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said he suddenly remembered his new look. "But what about these?" he said gesturing at his fox features.
Kakashi's eyes turned into an upside down U shape. "I heard some girls talking about how cute they are."
Naruto blushed but Hinata's face darkened "Really?" she said.
Naruto smiled at his girlfriend "Don't worry Hinata-chan you're the only girl for me."
Hinata calmed down and scratched his ears earning a purr from her boyfriend "So cute."
Shinkumaru looked at the two and chuckled "Well then Naruto I guess that means you will be staying in Konoha?"
Naruto looked at his cousin "Yeah this is my home after all."
Shinkumaru nodded. "I figured." He pushed himself away from the wall and walked towards the door. "Well I need to go make up with my siblings; they are still pissed at me."
Naruto shot up from his bed "How did you come back to life? And how did you resurrect-"
"Gobi." Was all Shinkumaru said and walked out.
"But the resurrection technique is only supposed to work on one person."
Shinkumaru turned around "I found a way to connect several people to one resurrection technique." He said and closed the door.
"He sure was in a hurry." Tsunade said.
Jiraiya looked at the door for a second before grinning well then I'll be off to." He said and walked over to the window.
Tsunade glared at his back. "Did you forget why we came here?"
Jiraiya froze and bit his lip. "Sorry." He said and looked at Naruto. "Kid we got some bad news."
Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a confused expression. "What is it?"
Tsunade stepped forward. "As of yesterday I am the Godaime Hokage."
Shinkumaru stood on top of a building in the less busy area of Konoha. He stood gazing over the village like he was deep in thought "So you came." He said.
A woman emerged from the shadow of the building. "I need to speak with you."
Shinkumaru didn't turn around "As you wish Kyuubi-sama."
Kyuubi walked up and stood next to him. She was wearing a plain black kimono and her tails were mysteriously absent. "Gobi." She said.
Shinkumaru got a somewhat sad look on his face. "He is dead."
Kyuubi lowered her head. "He gave his life to bring you back."
Shinkumaru clenched his fist "Why? My Otousan designed the seal so that the Gobi could escape if I died. Why did he give his life to save me?"
Kyuubi looked at him with a small smile. "I think he cared about you." She said "I know I would give my life for Naruto without a second thought."
Shinkumaru looked at her with a surprised expression. "What is Naruto to you?"
Kyuubi's smile got broader. "He is my son."
Shinkumaru blinked. "So he really is a demon now?"
Kyuubi nodded "Yes but I have thought of him as my son since the first time we met." She looked up into the sky "When he tried to use my chakra he lost control and it suppressed most of his human chakra. The consequence is that his body is now producing demonic chakra instead of human chakra."
"Turning him into a demon." Shinkumaru said and received another nod from Kyuubi. "Have you told him?"
Kyuubi shook her head. "I will tell him later." She turned back to Shinkumaru. "Do you think ill of him?"
Shinkumaru snorted "Don't be stupid Kyuubi-sama; I have no reason to hate demons." He turned and looked her in the eyes "Do you hate me for living while Gobi died?" he asked.
Kyuubi stared at him for a moment before huffing "Don't be an idiot Shinkumaru-kun."
Shinkumaru couldn't help but chuckle "Sorry."
Kyuubi's expression suddenly became very serious. "Shinkumaru did you know if Gobi...?"
Shinkumaru's smile disappeared "No he didn't hate you anymore."
Kyuubi looked down "I betrayed him for that stupid sword."
Shinkumaru looked like he was debating with himself before he spoke. "I think he hated himself more then anything."
Kyuubi's head snapped up. "What are you talking about?"
Shinkumaru looked her in the eyes. "Kyuubi-sama, I know that the Sharingan is capable of controlling you." Kyuubi narrowed her eyes. "Kyuubi-sama...Gobi was the one who created the Sharingan by modifying the Uchiha genes."
Kyuubi's eyes widened in horror "You can't be serious."
"He told me he wanted revenge, but things didn't go as planned. The Sharingan's original abilities were to cast Genjutsu just by looking the victim in the eye, and to control you. But somehow it mutated, now it could copy every technique it witnessed. But when they discovered the Mangenkyou Sharingan things went really bad."
"Madara." Kyuubi said quietly.
"Yeah, he gained powers no other Uchiha could match. But it was still not perfect, he eventually turned blind."
"But then the bastard found a way to regain his eyesight." Kyuubi said through clenched teeth. "I don't know how but he did and he used me to attack Konoha."
"How could he heal his eyes? I don't get it and neither did Gobi." Shinkumaru said.
"That's not important now." Kyuubi said "He needs to be stopped. I don't know why Akatsuki would want all of the Bijuu but that kind of power cannot be controlled."
Shinkumaru nodded. "Even if Gobi is gone that is no reason to relax, they will probably continue to hunt down Jinchuuriki."
Kyuubi sighed "All that we can do is take them out when they appear." She looked up into Shinkumaru's face. "What will you do?"
Shinkumaru looked towards the Hokage monument "I will try to discover the secret of Madara's abilities. I will gain as much power as possible; I just hope it will be enough."
Kyuubi nodded. "Are you sure your body can handle it?" she asked and noticed that Shinkumaru stiffened "You pushed yourself too far, and you used a resurrection technique of extremely high level."
Shinkumaru sighed "I don't have a choice."
Kyuubi placed her hand on his shoulder "Be careful okay Shinkumaru, if you died Naruto, and your siblings no doubt would be devastated."
Shinkumaru looked down at her. "Naruto just meet me, I doubt he would be more than a little sad."
Kyuubi gave him a soft smile. "You don't know Naruto Shinkumaru-kun. So much have happened these last few days; just give him some time let him sort everything out. Family is very important."
Shinkumaru groaned "Dear kami-sama it sounds like your giving me advice about my significant other."
Kyuubi couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Don't be silly Shinkumaru-kun I wouldn't do that." She said with a smile that left said red head a little uneasy.
Shinkumaru blinked and looked at Kyuubi with a slightly mischievous smile "Say I just thought about something." Kyuubi looked at him curiously. "If Naruto is your son and my cousin, then doesn't that make you my aunt?"
Kyuubi giggled and ruffled his hair with her hand "I guess it does, so promise auntie Kyuubi that you'll be a good boy."
Shinkumaru couldn't help but laugh "Sure auntie I promise, now I bet Naruto is wondering where you are."
Kyuubi nodded and disappeared in a swirl of chakra.
Shinkumaru stopped smiling and looked at the water tank on the other end of the roof. "What the hell do you want pervert."
Jiraiya stepped out from behind the water tank "It's a miracle you're alive after the stunt you pulled, but it's just unbelievable that you can even move."
Shinkumaru scoffed "You don't need to remind me." He raised his hand "When I used Yomi no Mai I forced open three of the gates, busting my chakra network and muscles. I had also ingested two soldier pills and spent that chakra in one go, killed my already damaged body with a resurrection technique and my brain didn't receive oxygen for over a minute. So yeah I am awesome." He said ticking of one finger after each statement.
"Not to mention recovering from all that in just four days." Jiraiya added.
Shinkumaru shrugged "Gobi left me with some of his power. It won't let me walk away from being skewered on an earth spike, but cuts, bruises and poisons are no problem." He said and turned away from the self proclaimed super pervert.
Jiraiya looked at Shinkumaru's back for a moment before speaking "You know why I came to speak with you?"
"You're worried there might be something in the scrolls that you don't want Naruto to read?" Shinkumaru said not looking at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya sighed "No not really, but in another scroll your Otousan left behind."
Shinkumaru looked over his shoulder at Jiraiya with a smug smile "He left a lot behind; you need to be more specific."
"Hiraishin no Jutsu." (Flying thunder god technique)
Shinkumaru's eyes widened "Why do you think I would have that?"
"Minato once told me that he split the secret of his most powerful technique, the Hiraishin into two scrolls to hide it from his enemies."
Shinkumaru glared at Jiraiya "So what?"
Jiraiya returned the glare "He gave half of it to his Otouto, your Otousan."
Shinkumaru turned away from Jiraiya "I don't see any reason to tell you."
Jiraiya growled at Shinkumaru "If that scroll feel into the wrong hands it could spell disaster."
"I burned it."
Jiraiya stared at him "What?"
"I said I burned it, it's too dangerous to keep around." Shinkumaru said turning around.
Jiraiya sighed "Yeah maybe, but now it's lost forever."
Shinkumaru smirked "Who said that it is gone?" Shinkumaru tapped the side of his head "It's all in here."
Jiraiya's eyes widened "You memorised it?"
Shinkumaru scoffed "Of course you fucking idiot, who in their right mind would throw that away?" Shinkumaru narrowed his eyes "But why do you want it?"
Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest "I have a feeling that Naruto is going to need it if he is going to defeat Akatsuki."
Shinkumaru glared at Jiraiya "Yeah, probably. But where is the other part?"
Jiraiya shrugged "Hidden somewhere in Konoha."
"And my uncle left the location in Naruto's heritage?"
Jiraiya nodded "It would be the most logical solution."
Shinkumaru tilted his head back "So you want me to give you the other part so you can help Naruto master it no?"
"That was my plan."
"I will obviously be given access to it as well?" Shinkumaru asked.
Jiraiya smiled "I doubt Naruto would keep it from you."
Shinkumaru closed his eyes and turned away again. "Then I see no problem with it. Because Naruto is going to get it the second he's out of the hospital."
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes "Naruto will no doubt need to work on controlling his new chakra before even thinking about mastering that jutsu."
Shinkumaru snapped around and glared Jiraiya dead in the eyes his Akagan blazing. "Don't you dare tell me some bullshit that you need to keep your promise to Minato. Naruto deserves to receive his heritance."
Jiraiya returned the glare and stepped forward "You obviously have no idea how dangerous the Hiraishin really is. One wrong move and your entire body could blow up into tiny pieces."
That seemed to calm down Shinkumaru somewhat "Fine, if what you say is true then I obviously need to improve my chakra control as well." Shinkumaru took one step forward "Somehow I get the feeling you don't like me very much Jiraiya."
Jiraiya snorted "You got that right, you openly talked about your hatred for this village, and as far as I am concerned you are a threat."
"Oh really? You don't believe I have the right to hate this village?" Shinkumaru said
"No you have every right, I just don't like hypocrites."
Shinkumaru's eyes flashed "What did you call me?"
"You heard me. You say that you value your siblings and Naruto, but you still seek power and you seek vengeance on the Uchiha. I get the feeling you would betray them all just to kill Akatsuki."
Jiraiya was not prepared for Shinkumaru to lunge at him and slam him into the water tank. Shinkumaru was releasing enough killer intent foe even the civilians to notice. "Don't. You. Dare. Accuse me of ever doing something like that. True I hate the Uchiha, true I seek power. But I want to attain power to protect, not destroy, I turned away from that path long ago."
Jiraiya pushed himself off the buckled water tank and wiped some blood off his face. "Really you could have fooled me."
Shinkumaru calmed down and stopped releasing killer intent. "You have no right to call me a hypocrite. You are a coward and a liar."
Jiraiya smirked "Bold statements."
Shinkumaru narrowed his eyes "I told you to not bullshit me Jiraiya. You think I don't know that you are Naruto's godfather?"
The confidence Jiraiya had a moment ago vanished instantly. "How the hell do you know that?"
The killer intent returned with even greater force. "I took a wild guess, and I was right."
Jiraiya cursed himself.
"If I am not mistaken, it is the law that should a child become an orphan his or her godfather or godmother will become the new caretaker." Shinkumaru glared at Jiraiya. "So where have you been his entire life?"
Jiraiya gritted his teeth "I had other duties beside Naruto I had to."
"Keep an eye on Orochimaru?" Shinkumaru interrupted. "You didn't have to keep an eye on him that is the point of a spy network; they get the information for you so you would only have to leave from time to time."
"You don't know anything." Jiraiya snapped.
"I knew that you cared deeply about Minato, it stood in the scrolls my Otousan left behind. He was like a son to you, but I guess that was a lie."
"Shut up."
"You didn't keep tabs on Orochimaru because you needed to. You ran away from your responsibilities, and it cost me my parents and Naruto a childhood of suffering."
"Shut up! It's not my fault they died!" Jiraiya shouted.
"BULLSHIT!!" Shinkumaru screamed "If you had taken your responsibility my parent wouldn't have had to come to Konoha." Shinkumaru clenched his fists "We came because we hear that Kyuubi attacked and that all of the sannin had left Konoha. My Otousan realised that if you left that meant Naruto was alone and in danger."
"I COULD HAVE TAKEN HIM WITH ME!! YOU COULD'T HAVE KNOWN THAT!!" Jiraiya screamed.
"DID YOU TAKE HIM WITH YOU?!" Shinkumaru screamed back "Stop taking your anger out on me and admit it!"
Jiraiya was clenching his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms "It's not true, Minato..."
"Would never forgive you." Shinkumaru finished.
Jiraiya wanted to deny it, he had told himself so many times it was his duty to help Konoha. He remembered something he had long since forgotten
"You're a man of true skill, an example we should all follow. I can't think of a finer shinobi then you." Minato's words echoed in his head.
Jiraiya felt his strength leave him; he sunk onto his knees "You're right, I ran away because it was easier. I just hid behind Orochimaru's betrayal. I am a coward."
Shinkumaru was slightly taken back by the sight of the legendary toad sage looking so...broken. He didn't feel any satisfaction having accomplished this. He bit his lip "I got a second chance, so why shouldn't he?" he sighed loudly. "Get a grip you fucking coward."
Jiraiya looked up at the youth and barely held back a flinch; it was easy to picture Minato in his place.
"I promise I will let you tell Naruto about this, and give you a chance to fix this. But remember that Minato no doubt wrote in his scrolls that you are Naruto's godfather." His Akagan blazed "And if you fuck up again I'll kill you myself." With that Shinkumaru turned to leave but froze mid step "My arm?"
Jiraiya looked at him with a confused expression "Your arm? What the hell does that have to do with anuthing?"
"MY ARM THAT MADARA CUT OFF!!" Shinkumaru roared making Jiraiya flinch. "What happened to it after I blacked out?"
"You already got a new one so what is the problem?"
Shinkumaru groaned and slapped his hand over his face "I think all that porn ruined your brain, my arm still contain my DNA."
Jiraiya's eyes widened in understanding "Shit."
Shinkumaru nodded "Exactly, if they have my DNA they have my Kekkei Genkai, my Houka no Reikon at least."
Jiraiya looked at the Hokage monument "I just had this horrible feeling."
Shinkumaru followed his gaze and saw black clouds on the horizon "Yeah, me to."
Unknown location in the Konoha hospital
"Incredible." A man said.
"Indeed." Another agreed "The limb altered into a perfect match just like that."
"I can't tell the difference between this and his original." The first man said and laughed. "Orochimaru will be pleased.
"And it is all thanks to this blood sample. A shame we had to use the entire thing." A third voice said. "Now we must transport his body to AARGH!!" the man screamed as his heart was pierced by a Katana.
The two other men looked at their companion in horror "Who the hell are?"
He didn't finish as his head left his shoulders courtesy of the same blade. The last one didn't have time to say anything as he too was struck down.
The intruder sheathed his Katana and looked down on the patient on the table "You seem to get into trouble quite a lot my student." The man said and lifted him off the table "But your mission is almost over now Sasuke." He said and disappeared.
The next day the Sandaime's funeral
Naruto stared at the picture of the Sandaime as the rain feel from the heavens, he had chosen to wear a black suit with his tails and ears exposed. "I won't hide what I am anymore." He said when his friends asked.
He was overjoyed when he heard that none of his friends were hurt or worse, killed. He also meets up with Gaara and his siblings on his way to the funeral.
Flashback
"Gaara." Naruto said looking at his fellow demon and friend. "I thought you went back to Suna."
Gaara had his tanuki ears exposed as well and wore a black suit. "Suna left some of its forces behind to help rebuild Konoha." Gaara looked at Naruto's new features "So you're a demon now as well?" he asked.
Naruto scratched the back of his head "Yeah, so I guess were similar in one more way."
Temari and Kankurou looked at the blond and suddenly Temari walked forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you." She said.
Naruto was more than a little surprised "Uh, you're welcome."
"Thank you for giving me back my Otouto. Thank you so much." She said trying to hold back her tears.
Naruto smiled softly and gently pushed he away "You don't need to thank me."
Temari smiled at him and walked towards her siblings "So where is your girlfriend?" she asked and winked at him.
Naruto blushed slightly "She went with her family."
"What about your other friends?" Kankurou asked
"Same thing, and Sasuke is still unconscious and I haven't seen Sakura." He said.
"Would you like to accompany us Naruto?" Gaara asked.
"Yeah sure." Naruto replied and they were off.
Flashback end
Naruto meet up with the rest of his friends minus Sasuke when they arrived at the funerals. The sand siblings meet their Sensei who had his arm in a sling.
He was surprised to see Shinkumaru, his siblings and their sensei there as well. Shinkumaru pointed out he was there out of respect for his sensei and nothing else.
Sakura had been casting glares at Shinkumaru through the whole time they had been there.
"We will now begin the ceremony." Homura said. Normally the Hokage was supposed to handle the ceremony, but Tsunade would not officially be the Hokage until her integration ceremony.
One by one they placed a white rose in front of the picture on display. All except Shinkumaru.
Sakura glared at him "You're not going to pay your respect?"
Shinkumaru was wearing his cloak and had his hood up, his eyes cast an unsettling glow shining through the darkness "I am here because Sarutobi was a friend of Gil-sensei, that's it."
"Well you came you can leave now." Sakura said a little louder then she intended.
Shinkumaru smirked "Still pissed that I almost killed your boyfriend?"
Sakura gritted her teeth and was about to say something when Tsunade stopped her "That's enough out of both of you. Show some respect."
The ceremony passed without any more trouble. Naruto looked down at Konohamaru, the poor boy was crying. Naruto bent down and placed a hand on his head. "Konohamaru."
The boy looked at him with big tear filled eyes "N-Naruto-niichan why did Ojiisan have to die?" he asked
Naruto gave him a sad smile "The old man did what he had to do. He was the Hokage; he gave his life to protect what was most precious to him."
Konohamaru sniffed and wiped his tears "But it still hurts."
"Good." Shinkumaru said.
Konohamaru stared at the hood wearing ninja "What?"
"If you don't feel hurt when a loved one dies then you might as well be dead." He finished and stood up.
"You're right Shinkumaru but try to put it in a nicer way." Naruto said.
Shinkumaru nodded "I'll keep that in mind."
Konohamaru looked at Shinkumaru in silence for a moment before bowing slightly "Thanks for saving me and my friend Shinkumaru-sama."
Iruka smiled at the red head as well "Yes thank you, we owe you one."
Shinkumaru sighed and jumped onto the railing. "No problem I did it because it felt right. If you want to repay me make sure the village give Naruto the respect he deserves."
"Are you going Shinkumaru?" Naruto asked.
Shinkumaru turned around and smiled "I'm going to get the scroll you wanted. He turned away and gave a wave with his hand "See ya." And he leapt of the railing.
Gil and his other students walked away "We must also be off."
"Will you not stay in the village? Konoha could always use your help." Koharu said.
Gil shook his head. "I must leave, travelling is my forte." He said and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Renko and Topaz waved at Naruto before disappearing as well.
"This ceremony is now over." Homura said and slowly the crowd walked away.
Naruto stayed behind looking in the direction his cousin took off. A hand settled on his shoulder, he looked around and saw Hinata looking at him with her beautiful white eyes "Come on Naruto-kun, Chouji is treating us to a BBQ remember?"
Naruto looked past Hinata and saw his other friends waiting for him. He smiled and took her hand in his and they walked towards their friends. He cast a glance onto the horizon. "See you later Aniki." He said as the rain ceased to fall.
End chapter no jutsu.
AN: There you go.