Underverse
"Hello Kyuubi."
Naruto went into a defensive stance and regretted not having a sword. After two years with a longer blade, he felt naked without one.
Kyu chuckled. "Miss me?" the fox shade asked.
The man stepped out of the shadows. Naruto gasped. The man was nearly seven feet tall, had hair as white as snow. It was the pure blood red eyes that caught his attention. There were no pupils. Just pools of red that seemed to take in everything.
"Like a rash. You don't have a body, yet you don't register as dead." The man said.
"Ihtan'Dygan. Still the guardian of the dead." Kyu said.
"Kyuubi no Kitsune…and…" the big man's head tilted to the side and his blood red eyes studied Naruto. "He has your chakra, and marks…son?"
"(chuckles) Close enough. Naruto Uzumaki. He is my jinchuriki, and my byty."
Ithan'Dygan raised a white eyebrow. "You were foolish enough to get caught on the earth plane?" the big man shook his head and walked past the pair. Naruto saw a scythe and chain on the big man's back.
"Um…K, Master Kyu…who is this guy?" Naruto asked watching as the big man took up a position before the stone circle in the middle of the room.
"Ihtan'Dygan. He is the undertaker here in the Demon's Graveyard. I thought he'd have died years ago." Kyu said watching as the big man paused before a statue and bowed. "But then immortals only pass on when they wish. And being here…" Kyu's shade shrugged.
"Do I have to fight him or something?" Naruto asked nervously. He was tired from digging, and he wasn't armed except for a few kunai.
"Not yet." Kyu answered. "Ihtan'Dygan." Kyu called out getting the big man's attention.
"What is it Kyuubi. You aren't dead, and your container isn't near death, what do you want?"
"I am here to allow my Byty to gain the materials needed to create his Mekrd'aypan and take the trials to become a Zate Ghekrd." Kyu said standing slighting behind Naruto, his ghost hands hovering over the blonds shoulders.
The guardian of the tomb paused and looked at Naruto. "Hm. Strong with vunla. How long has he been training?"
"Two years."
The white haired behemoth snorted. "And you think he's ready for the trials. I'll allow him access to make his Mekrd'aypan, but the trials…he's not ready."
"I-I am ready. Kyu tell him…" Naruto said looking at the stranger and not liking that this man judged him with just looking at him. He was sick of people doing that to him.
"Are you?" the big man said. his red eyes staring at Naruto and he felt exposed, as if he stood before Kami and was being weighed for his life deeds.
"Hmm. He's strong. His aura, despite housing your youkai has remained pure. Fascinating…" the big man said as he continued to look at Naruto. "He allows his emotions to rule him."
Kyu remained silent while the undertaker judged his apprentice. He could say nothing to sway the tombs guardian opinion. He at least is allowing us to make a Mekrd'aypan.
"Make your weapon. But you aren't ready for the trials. You must learn to control yourself. You must learn to master your emotions, and your power." Ihtan'Dygan said. "Until you do, you will never make Zate Ghekrd."
Naruto snorted. "I don't know what Ghekrd means. I'm a ninja."
Ihtan'Dygan paused. "Ninja you say?" he asked looking at Kyuubi who nodded. "Ghekrd is y'mprat for knight." The big man explained after several moments. "You want to be a Zate Hehzy." The big man stroked his chin in thought.
"Gather your supplies. I have much to think about." The big man seemed to shimmer and then vanished.
"What the hell?" Naruto asked rounding on Kyu who looked surprised as well.
"Come kit. We don't have much time." Kyu said floating into the stone circle. "Now focus both chakra, mine and yours and use these hand signs." Kyu said demonstrating several seals.
"Wait…what was that one?" Naruto asked.
"Demon, and the one after that was dead." Kyu explained and watched as Naruto pulled on both chakra's. it had taken then a lot of time, but Naruto had phenomenal chakra control now that he could pull up to five tails of power without side effects. I can't wait for him to be able to use all nine tails. But that will be years away yet. He's made great progress with the five he awakened. Kyu thought watching as Naruto went over the hand signs slowly before connecting them faster.
You are my heir Naruto. Both of us were robbed of our paths in life. But I swear kit, you will be king of demons in the end, and you will be stronger than I ever was.
Naruto sure of the hand signs went thru them using the red-blue chakra to connect with them and in a flash the pair vanished.
A pair of red eyes had watched from atop the giant doorway. "Hm. Uzumaki Naruto. You will do great things. For good or evil, you will do great things."
Otogakure
Sakura was pissed. She'd just been delivered news that her whole clan had been taken in and her mother was a lifeless husk. "DAMN THAT HYUGA WHORE!" she ranted and kicked a chair across the room. "I WILL KILL THAT PALE EYED BITCH!"
Danzo and Sai watched their deep cover operative. "Lord Danzo?" Sai asked.
"Do not concern yourself Sai. Sakura just found out Konoha has her clan in prison. Sadly our network was discovered and we do not have an informant in Konoha any longer."
"What does Orochimaru say?" the strange Root operative asked.
"He says its no concern. The Uchiha is going through jutsu's and we'll be able to attack and wipe out leaf soon."
Danzo watched as Sakura destroyed some more furniture. "That is enough Sakura."
The pink haired kunoichi froze in mid throw and turned to look at Danzo. Her sickly yellow-green eyes looked at him. "When the time come that Hyuga whore is mine."
"But of course my dear. Now, study the scrolls you gained for us. Learn all you can. If you need help, Sai will aid you."
The ink using nin looked at his master in surprise but it didn't reach his face.
"And where is Sauske?" she asked.
"The Uchiha is being taken care of, and undergoing special training. You won't see him till he's done." Danzo said, his voice taking on a hint of steel.
"Very well." Sakura said and spinning picked up the pack with the stolen scrolls and went towards her room.
"Heel Sai." She called out mockingly and the Root operative wondered if he could get away with smothering her while she slept.
Konoha
Tsunade looked at the maps on her desk then at Shikamaru. "Give me your best estimate." She ordered.
"(sigh) We figure two, maybe three more months. Jiraiya-sama's informants are being assassinated and information is becoming harder to come by."
Tsunade looked at the elder Nara. "Recommendations?"
Shikaku Nara sighed exactly in the same way as his son. "Suna was decimated heavily by Akatsuki. Many of their nin that we were expecting for back up were wiped out." He pointed at the map as he continued. "Best bet would be to have Suna abandon their city and booby trap it and retreat behind our walls. That way we have only one city to defend."
Tsunade rubbed her temples. "Snow and Water have sent more supplies, but the lines are becoming too dangerous for them to cross, and their ninja forces aren't up to standards."
Shikamaru spoke up. "We've had the academy students of both Suna and Konoha acting as messengers as well as many civilians building the oasis."
The Oasis was a desert trap that they were counting on Gaara's aid to use and spring.
"Have you mentioned the move to the Kazekage?" she asked the two Nara's.
"Hai. He was reluctant to abandon the village, but he realizes that his forces were decimated by just two S-Class nuke nin's. he's evacuating the civilians and academy students first." Shikamaru said.
"The Kazekage believes it best to use Suna as a trap itself. He and a volunteer group will use Suna to delay the invading villages. They will use guerilla tactics as they fall back to Konoha."
Shikaku points at the map. "This passage here we can rig to collapse. They will either need to dig out or take several days journey. But that will route them into some of the smaller fishing villages."
Tsunade didn't like that. "What about trapping them?" she asked.
"We could trap some, but with the amount of ninja they will have…" Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome as it is, we're going to get our asses kicked."
Tsunade did not like that. "I don't care what you have to do, but come up with a winning solution…" she paused. "Shikaku, pull all nin out of retirement. If they can stand, they can fight."
"Lady Tsunade…"
"Orochimaru is putting together forces to wipe us out of existence. Plan traps, use the civilian militia. Press gang academy students from the final years. Konoha will not fall. We'll use the time we have in the next two months…"
"Or three." Shikamaru mumbled but fell silent seeing the Hokage's eyes harden. "We'll use our time as best as possible. Hell, use some of Naruto's old prank ideas to set traps. Get Iruka Umino and Konohamaru Sarutobi in on it."
Shikamaru looked up. "What about Naruto?" he asked.
"He's not available. Best thing to do is plan that he's still exiled."
"Troublesome." Shikamaru said rising and walking out the door, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slumped.
"And if we did have Naruto?" Shikaku asked after his son had left to work on a plan.
"(sigh) As always, he's Konoha's number one unpredictable knucklehead ninja. He's a wildcard into any situation, as I'm sure you boy knows. I've got slugs out looking for a way to contact him."
Crunch time is coming. Where the hell are you Naruto?
AN:
Okay. Yes I spelled the Uchiha's name wrong. Funny thing in my notes its spelled right, I just guess my fingers are dyslexic with the TEME's name. Yes, I know I said romance, but I'm building to it. PATIENCE! Coming chapters there will be a Naruto-Hinata moment. Shukaku will also be explained. It wasn't a mistake that I called him/her as I did. Thanks for reading.
