AUTHOR NOTE: Hey all, and welcome to my first fanfiction! To start things off, this took me quite a while to get right. A lot of rewrites went on for this chapter (mostly because paragraphs were too chunky, or they just didn't flow too well). I did delete the old story that had the first chapter up (uploaded on the 4th of January, 2020) because I wanted to reupload with a cleaner format. Anyhow, chapter release dates. So far I don't have any scheduled dates for chapter releases. However, I should have a schedule by the time I have finished the first arc of the story (which will encompass at least four or five chapters). The pairing has already been decided as Naruto and Karin, and no, I will not change said pair nor will I make the story a harem. Well then, I hope you all enjoy what is to come in the future chapters!
DISCLAIMER: I, Uzu no Mai, do not own the Naruto manga and anime series, Kishimoto Masashi owns the Naruto manga and anime series.
"Compared to the vastness of the world, man's existence is very insignificant," Uzumaki Naruto remembered the old man saying, with the two of them seated around the campfire Naruto himself had built earlier. He remembers staring up at the night sky wondering about the true vastness of the world as the old man had mentioned. "The number of them is quite awe-inspiring, isn't it?" The old man had said, with a faint smile adorning his old features.
Naruto had nodded at the old man's words while watching as a shooting star sailed across the night sky, he had reached his hand out trying a futile attempt at catching the shooting star while ending up with a look of disappointment at his failure.
The old man had laughed kindly at him, with a fond smile upon his lips, "Unfortunately, my boy, such an object is too far away for us," the old man had told him. "Something far more attainable for us, though, are bonds," Naruto had looked up at the old man with a ray of hope shining in his dark-violet eyes. "But, the greatest bond of all is the bond between a family," Naruto had looked downtrodden when the old man had finished his thought, as he did not have a family to call his own to create the bonds the old man had mentioned.
"Ah—do not feel down just yet, my boy. A familial bond is still attainable"—Naruto had stared disbelievingly at the old man, which he had seemingly caught onto—"as you can form your own, one day," the old man had explained to him with a look of understanding directed at Naruto.
Naruto had stared down at the campfire, eyes scrunched in concentration. "Then—then I'll explore the world! Make my own family, believe it!" Naruto remembered himself shouting to the four winds, having stood up from his sitting position to bellow out his new dream for all to hear.
The old man had stared with a look of fond remembrance and of melancholy etched into his features. He sighed then, looking up at the night sky as Naruto had gone to eating the rest of the fish. The two of them had sat like that for a good while, with Naruto remembering having awoken in his apartment the next day; the one that was given to him by the old man.
Squinting his eyes at the sun's rays shining down from the sky above, the eleven-year-old Naruto covered his eyes with his right palm. As the sun's rays passed overhead Naruto sighed fondly at the memory. Seeing a golden eagle enter his field of vision, Naruto lets a small smile spread across his lips as the bird flies freely in the sky.
"A family, huh," Naruto says with a strained smile, watching as a lone golden eagle flies off in the distance. The majestic bird is soon joined by another of its kind as the two continue on their journey to avoid the fast-approaching winter. "Heh," Naruto snickers as he jumps up from his laying down position, now standing up and able to see the daily happenings of the village below him. "Can't make a family here, that's for damn sure, old man," Naruto mumbles to himself, scornful eyes directed to the folks going about their daily lives below the mountain with the Hokage's faces carved into it.
Sighing, Naruto continues to stare downwards—watching with a keen eye—as the people chat in the streets, Shinobi go about doing their in-village missions, and merchants come and go selling their wares to make a profit. He shakes his head harshly in an attempt to clear his head of negative thoughts. He's learned over the years, that having such thoughts doesn't help his psyche or his decision-making abilities.
Suddenly, Naruto starts to heat up as the Kyūbi's chakra starts to leak out of the seal upon his stomach. Panicking slightly, he starts to think calming thoughts; thoughts of forming his own family, having a son or daughter to dote on, and a wife to love and be loved by. The Kyūbi's chakra starts to recede back into the seal, allowing Naruto to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Too close, hehe, hah," Naruto laughs nervously to himself as he collapses to the ground, his body completely worn out from the strain the powerful chakra of the Kyūbi puts on him. Feeling his muscles pop themselves back into place, thanks to his healing factor, Naruto releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. Sweating heavily and worn out, Naruto grouses to himself, "Guess I'll just rest here, for a while."
Two and a half weeks have passed by since the Kyūbi's chakra leakage event, with only Naruto himself knowing about it. He now sits in a classroom located in the Konoha Academy with a class of roughly nineteen students. Seated up the back next to the window of the classroom, Naruto has a full view of the courtyard outside the back of the school. Suddenly, completely out of reflex and nothing else, Naruto catches a piece of chalk thrown in his direction by his classes Chūnin teacher, Umino Iruka.
"You know, it isn't good to dose off in class, Uzumaki-san," Iruka complains, staring pointedly at Naruto who is now staring at the piece of chalk held between his pointy finger and thumb. Sighing at the red-heads lack of attention Iruka proceeds to shout, cowering the rest of the class, "Uzumaki Naruto!"
Jolting to attention at the sudden call of his name Naruto turns his gaze towards Iruka. Looking expectantly at the man, Naruto awaits his reply. The rest of the class groans knowing what is about to transpire between the two, with this event not being a one-off thing. A staring match starts off between the two with Naruto's eyes awaiting a reply from Iruka, while Iruka's eyes are searching Naruto for any form of an apology for dosing off in his class.
Mizuki looked between both Iruka and Naruto, laughing quietly to himself, "All right, all right, you two. Naruto-san, step out into the hallway for the rest of class, Iruka will talk to you during lunch break."
Nodding towards Mizuki after he had addressed him Naruto got up from his seat and walked out of the classroom. Knowing that the two really wouldn't check on him, he walked down the hallway and out the building into the villages' busy streets. Running along to his apartment Naruto passed by several people giving him barely contained glares whilst others talked behind his back. Sighing tiredly at the people's incessant blabbering about him and confusing him for his tenant, Naruto made to his apartment near the villages academy.
Unlocking the door to his apartment, Naruto walked in, taking off his shoes at the doorway near the elevated part of his floor leading into his living room. Walking up to the kitchen Naruto prepares himself some of his favourite cup ramen. While waiting for his ramen to finish cooking in the microwave, Naruto kicks back and relaxes on his couch while opening the book he has been reading for a while. A book about geography to be exact. Ever since he was young he had wanted to explore the world, make friends as he did so, and eventually; create a family of his own.
Hearing the ding sound coming from his microwave indicating that the instant ramen was done, Naruto put the book down on the table next to his couch and retrieved the ramen from the microwave. Sitting down at the table Naruto ate his ramen in silence, alone, as it has always been. Suddenly Naruto's field of vision shifted to reveal a sewer-like place. Groaning at the forced loss of consciousness that he needs to be brought to this place Naruto walks on, slowly, to where the caged beast rested.
"Heh, you weren't answering my calls, boy," Naruto hears the beast grouse out, "I feel a, great disturbance. An unrest, if you will." Since its container gave it an annoyed stare, the beast growled, "The Gedō Mazō has been summoned from the moon, by a mere mortal with the Rinnegan."
Naruto continued to stare at the beast and then sighed. "The Rinnegan?" Naruto asks, though, he proceeds to answer his own question, "You mean the eye of legends? One of the three great Dōjutsu? With the Byakugan and the Sharingan?"
Letting out a low growl of frustration, the beast answers Naruto's masked questions, "Yes, boy. The Rinnegan is regarded by you mortals as an eye of legends." Pushing its upper body up from its lying down position within its cage allowed for the great beast to tower over Naruto, nearly reaching the top of the gates sealing the great beast inside. "For that eye to be in the sockets of a mere mortal, is, greatly disturbing," the beast's growl's caused the room to rumble, showing its displeasure at the recent turn of events. "That, eye, must be destroyed. For it is the one thing that can truly destroy me," the beast growled, it was truly terrified of that eye.
Naruto looked up at the beast, eyeing it for any possible lies. But the beast is a fox that has lived a long life and any lies it may have given would be hidden impossibly well. "Hah, 'Kay," Naruto finally replies after a while, "If you want me to destroy the eye, I'll need your help." Receiving a slow nod from the beast within his cage Naruto walked forward and held out an enclosed fist toward the beast.
The beast raised an eyebrow, staring down at the raised fist. Before it hesitantly raising its own fist and bumping fists with Naruto's own. "We're friends now, 'kay!" Naruto shouts, a tone of excitement lacing it.
The beast squinted its eyes at Naruto, replying to his sudden outburst, "No, boy. We are not friends. Merely working together to stop a greater power." The beast itself couldn't understand the concept of friends, as it had never had any itself, but knew the meaning behind the word; it had lived a long life, after all. "I will work together with you when it involves the eye, but for nothing else, do you understand?"
Naruto nodded, a flash of fear, unadulterated fear spreading across his face as the killing intent of the Kyūbi no Yōko came out in full force. The beast glared down at Naruto, who to it, was nothing but a mere pest in its eyes.
"Do not test me, boy. Now leave."
After the beast spoke its final message to him Naruto felt the world around him once again shift as his consciousness returned to himself. Naruto awoke with a jolt, sweat pouring down his body like a flood. Pinching the top his shirt and pulling it up and down to let some airflow in Naruto took calming breaths. After finally calming down from the scare the beast had given him Naruto looked down at the table to see what he hadn't finished from the cup ramen had been spilled all over the table. Sighing at the unfairness of life Naruto got from his spot and went over to his kitchen, procuring his cleaning supplies to clean up the mess that incident had created.
Fifteen minutes had passed since Naruto had cleaned the mess on the table. He was lying in his bed and reading his book about the lands when he heard a knock on his door. Sighing, Naruto puts his book down on his bedside table to go and answer the door. Walking through his apartment as slow as possible Naruto drags out the time it takes to get there.
"Open up, my boy. I know you're here," the old man behind it says, obvious frustration at his tardiness lacing his usual grandfatherly tone.
Naruto sighs tiredly at the situation while opening the door for the old Hokage. Said man walks in with a warm smile plastered across his features and proceeds to envelop Naruto in a tight hug, weirding Naruto out at the sudden and totally unexpected action.
"Uh—sir?" Naruto asks unsurely as the Sandaime Hokage finally releases Naruto from the awkward hug he was put in by the old man. "What's the visit for?" Naruto enquires nervously, fidgeting in his spot.
"Ah, no need for nervousness, now," Hiruzen starts, after noticing Naruto's nervousness, "I'm simply here to give you the next three months worth of your stipend"—Hiruzen hands over an envelope to Naruto—"as I will be very busy for the next three months," finished Hiruzen while looking around Naruto's apartment from where he stood.
Nodding to the hidden agents located around Naruto's apartment premise—though, to Naruto, it looked like the old man was nodding to himself—as Hiruzen retreats to the entrance in which he came.
"Now, please do keep up with your studies, Naruto-kun. Iruka-san has expressed to me, his discontent with you not paying attention in class. I will be paying attention to the feedback about your progress in the academy as well, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen says his final piece, locking the door behind him as he exits Naruto's apartment.
Just outside of Naruto's apartment, while Hiruzen is walking to the apartment blocks staircase he is joined by one of his agents, the Anbu Hare. "Hmm, Nousagi-san, was there anyone on the premise that is unaccounted for?"
Straightening herself at the question, Hare replies, "Yes, sir. All residents within the block are registered civilians." While matching her leaders' pace down the stairwell, she continues her report, "Sir, there was one ninja on the premise; but he left before I could question him about what he was doing."
Stroking his chin in thought, the Sandaime asks, "Was the Shinobi masked? His type of mask?"
The Hare Anbu agent shakes her head at her leaders' question, "I couldn't see his face, Sir. It was obscured by the cloak he was wearing."
Reaching the bottom of the stair and walking onto the street the elder Sarutobi sighed. Hiruzen waved his hand dismissing the Anbu agent beside him, who disappeared via a smokeless Shunshin no Jutsu. Continuing on through the streets of his village Hiruzen smiled kindly at the passerby's and stoping for small talk with a few villagers along his way to the Hokage Residence; which was where he lived.
It was snowing heavily as the people of the village rushed about to avoid being snowed in. Young Naruto trotted on through the snow, on his way home from the library studying a technique he wished to learn. The sun was going down at this time, with it being around eight thirty-six pm, with dark clouds rolling in with the westerly winds. It was currently the month of January within Hi no Kuni and the lands surrounding it.
Naruto had become a bit of a regular at the Konoha's Library. Though, the elderly woman at the front desk there barely talked to him; Naruto guessed it was because he was a container, for the Kyūbi. Knowing why he was ostracized really helped his psych and keep himself calm which was a far cry from when was young which was when he had all his emotional outbursts. He blamed the old man for not telling him sooner, meaning that he had to find out about the beast on his own.
It was a terrifying experience meeting the Kyūbi no Yōko for the first time. He had been in the wilderness at the time, training his stamina. Naruto didn't know how but he must have lost consciousness at some point, enough to take his mind to the representation of the seal that held the fox within his gut.
"Hahahaha! You can't catch me!" A little boy off in the distance shouts out to his chaser, a young girl, who looked to be the same age as the boy. With the parents of the aforementioned children walking along not too far behind the pair of kids.
Naruto looks on from his spot, a sad smile denoting his young-looking features. He sighs moving on from what he can only call a happy scene. That is his dream, to create his own family much like the one that just passed by. Looking down at the ground as he walked along the street to his apartment Naruto started to get a chilling feel run up and down his spine. Pulling his winter coat around him tightly at the sudden chill, barely pulling out of the way as a sudden rush of Kunai and Shuriken fly towards him.
Falling to the ground from the impact of the weapons hitting him, Naruto grabs his ankle where a Kunai had lodged itself in. Breathing heavily from the sudden rush of adrenaline Naruto goes to dig himself into the pile of snow he landed in. Not knowing what was going on or why he was attacked didn't allow Naruto much time to think clearly.
Suddenly sounds of metal clashing against metal were heard with a thud following soon after. Naruto felt a pair of arms reach into the snow to pull him out, but he resisted with all the force he could muster without exasperating his wounds any further. Though his resistance didn't amount to much as he was eventually pulled out from his hiding spot within the snow. He relaxed slightly at the sight of a masked woman who he knew worked for the Hokage.
"We need to move, now," the masked woman says urgently getting a stiff nod out of Naruto. "You are being targeted, we don't officially know who, but it is presumed to be the Foundation," the woman explained as she carried Naruto with her along the top of the rooftops.
After fifteen minutes of non-stop running the duo made to Naruto's apartment.
"Pack your most important things. You can't stay here any longer," the woman commands while her body's on alert for the slightest of movements.
Nodding swiftly at the woman Naruto grabs a bag and starts shoving his things inside, including his technique scrolls and books on the geography of the lands. "Who's the Foundation?" Naruto asks as he packs while noting the woman's stiff appearance.
"The Foundation is a faction within the Anbu loyal to Shimura Danzō," the woman explains, her anxious expression hidden behind her Hare-like mask. "I assume Shimura wishes to acquire you for the Bijū within you."
If the woman was unnerved by Naruto's lack of a reaction then she didn't show it. Though, the current situation really couldn't be called a calm one. "Finished?" The woman asks after a few moments of her explanation about his current situation.
"Yeah, good to go," Naruto replies while swinging the back around his shoulder. A short while after Naruto finishes his sentence the masked woman grabs him and they disappear from his apartment via a Shunshin no Jutsu. Just after they leave the apartment an explosion of a great proportion lights up the night sky. Naruto stares out from behind him to see his apartment building up in flames, allowing a sad expression to etch itself upon his face.
"How are your wounds?" The woman carrying him suddenly asks, looking forward to see where she is moving to.
"Uh—fine, they're fine. The fox heals them pretty quickly," Naruto replies to the woman who simply nods in reply. Moving along the rooftops, the duo quickly moves down from roofs into a side street and through a door into what Naruto can only assume to be a safe house. Feeling himself being carried through the hallway of the building Naruto looks up to see a rather bulky looking figure seated at the door at the end of the hallway.
"Ah! Kagura, you're back," the bulky man exclaims after sitting up from his seat, his bored expression morphing into that of excitement then to worry. "You brought your charge with you?"
Nodding as she moves past him with Naruto still in her arms, she replies, "Yes. We need to leave." Placing Naruto down on a seat—who grumbles about being manhandled—she moves to her stash of weapons for the three of them.
Coming in through the open door, the man sees the woman—Kagura—packing weapons and food rations. "So kid, tough day, huh?" The man suddenly asks causing Naruto to jolt upright. Naruto nods his head stiffly.
"Mhmm," Naruto hum's in response, "Yep, got this thing called the Foundation, or whatever, after the thing sealed in my gut." Naruto sees the man nod to him at his answer before he walks over to Kagura to help her pack.
After about thirty minutes of the duo rummaging through their supplies, a sudden knock is heard at the door. "Bandō?" Kagura asks the bulky man with a look, which the man nods to. Moving down the room to its entrance Bandō moves across the panel hiding the little hole to look through.
"When the sun sets?" Bandō asks to the unknown on the other side and awaits their answer.
"The darkness comes out to play," a male voice answers electing a sigh from Kagura who had moved herself to cover Naruto's quiet form. Bandō opens the door allowing the man in who stumbles across the floor a plops himself down on the closest seat.
Huffing and puffing, the man mumbles out, "Water," as he breaths in and out. Moving to the kitchen area, Kagura grabs a glass and pours a cup for the man.
"Happa, man, what happened?" Bandō asks, looking pointedly as the man accepts the glass of water from Kagura. Naruto just stares on, confused as to what is going on at the moment.
"Ugh," the man, Happa, grouses out, "Some asshats in masks decided to attack me out'a the blue"—Happa laughs irritably—"strong shits, they were," Happa finishes his explanation by taking a large gulp of water, finishing the glass.
Happa's explanation makes Kagura sigh, "Damn it. They've really planned this out, then." Looking between the four—including Kagura herself—of them present she looks over to Bandō, "Your Concussive Cannon, do you still have it?" Receiving a nod from the man, she continues, "We'll need it to bash down the village gates which are more than likely to be shut at this time, plus, we'll need to take out the guards guarding the damn thing."
Nodding in response to the start of Kagura's plan, Bandō asks, "What's the objective?"
Kagura points her finger toward Naruto, explaining, "This kid, here. He must be protected at all costs, Hokage's orders." The room of three nods, though, Happa's nod is far more reserved than the other two's nods which Naruto catches onto and narrows his eyes slightly. "We need to leave the village, isn't safe here for him."
"So, we gotta get from here to the gates without being spotted?" Happa asks, leaning forward in his seat, "Tall fuckin' order, Kagura." Holding his hands into a fist, Happa continues, "We got a village full of fuckin' Shinobi in panic mode after that damn explosion in the brats apartment and they're gonna be after us thinkin' we kidnap him or something."
Nodding at the man's valid concerns Bandō asks, "Yeah, how are going to deal with those ninjas?"
"That's why we stick to the darkness, or have you forgotten? We're Shinobi as well," Kagura alleviates their concerns with a small stare at the both of them. "Now, you ready to act like one?" She asks both of them, her eyes narrowing at the duo. Both men look to each other and nod their heads in the affirmative allowing Kagura to continue with her plan. "Happa, you will distract the Shinobi with fake orders from the Hokage"—Happa nods in response to Kagura as she hands him a small scroll—"while Bandō, you will make your way to the gates to bash them down with your Concussive Cannon."
Seeing the men agree to her plan she nods towards them and picks up her pack. Grabbing Naruto's hand and walking to the door with both Bandō and Happa falling in behind her, walking down the hallway Kagura picks Naruto up and puts him under her arms. "Move out…!" Kagura exclaims with the duo behind her disappearing in bursts of speed.