Naruto: The Rabbit Prince.
This Fanfiction is a crossover with The Naruto series, Darkstalkers, Summer Wars featuring: King Kazma, with elements of Watership Down.
Rated: M for violence, blood, swearing, physical combat, mentions of sexual content, murder, and death.
Fair warning, this fanfiction contains the following tags/clichés: Competent Naruto, Fūinjutsu (not master level) Naruto, Kekkei Genkai (with conditions) Naruto, Potent Chakra Naruto, Rabbit Summons Naruto, Animalistic Naruto, and Good Kaguya. Antagonist Sasuke and Sakura within.
Pairings: None unless they are adults because the plot doesn't revolve around romance.
Summary: What if Kaguya wasn't as evil as everyone perceived her to be the Chakra Fruit drove her mad? What if she had another son that turned out to be her official firstborn that was to be the King of the Rabbit Summons? What if her son adopted Naruto and cared for him as if he was one of their own? And what If Naruto had another Godfather? As Naruto grows into a fine shinobi, he must face the many trials that come with his growth.
Disclaimer: I do not own the following Anime, Books, and Games. Naruto is rightfully owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Darkstalkers is rightfully owned by Capcom. Summer Wars and King Kazma are rightfully owned by Madhouse. Watership Down is rightfully owned by Richard Adams.
Chapter 23: A Mysterious Visitor.
Not more than a few hours ago, Naruto had sent his friends off home with sweets in tow. It was now evening, the time for some dinner before bed. He had dressed in his home attire, which consisted of the same black shirt of his clan with the Osiria Rose and the rabbit in the crescent moon accompanied by black gym shorts.
The Human Prince was sitting at the kitchen table, eating instant ramen since it was quick. Right now, he was deep in thought about Hinata's situation. For her own family to simply treat her as if she was the cause of all their problems was heinous. It was disturbing to think that a family could do such a thing to one of their own, but it wasn't a kind of world where everyone's houses lined up perfectly. The only thing Naruto could do was try to offer Hinata solace.
When Naruto finished, he looked up, still deep in thought about what the Hyūga were doing to Hinata. It doesn't seem like she's being physically abused, but it's more emotional. Since she's on a team, they're more likely to be used as a getaway from the mistreatment. Hinata, I hope you're alright, and I hope you'll come over to talk again.
"Enough lamenting, kit. You can't do anything about her," Kurama snapped from his mind, impatient with his cousin's ramblings.
What else am I supposed to do? Just watch her get hurt? Naruto retorted.
"That is her concern alone, not yours. What you did right earlier was offer her a place where she could express herself and escape from her responsibilities as a clan heiress; that's the only thing you can do at the moment until she lets you in," the beast advised.
Then that's how it is. That's the only thing I can do at the moment, Naruto concluded. In all honesty, he was surprised that his cousin was willing to talk to him and advise him, nonetheless.
Kurama hummed in approval. "Good, I don't need a bleeding heart for a Jinchūriki. If I'm going to be your prisoner, I'm at least going to have a warden I can respect."
What do you mean? What are you getting at?
In the mindscape, the fox brought his human-like paw up to rub the bridge of his snout in irritation. "You cannot be this feeble-minded; your ignorance is just astounding." The beast was trying to hold back his annoyance. "If you're going to be a shinobi, then you need to turn your heart to steel. What happened in that cesspit of a nation you visited was a result of your compassion, not your resolve as a ninja; your enemy will never feel for you, they will not care if you're dead and will only see it as necessary for their cause."
It was a harsh reality to Naruto, but what the fox said was true. There was no room for argument, and Naruto had to accept it. Despite his cousin regularly looking down on him, he was genuine with his advice as Naruto felt out his emotions. With all that said, it was time to head off to bed.
Naruto slurped up the last of his ramen and decided to grab a book before he hit the hay. It looked like he had enough with reading Watership Down, but he still kept it by his bedside. He turned off the light in the kitchen as he went towards his bed.
Half an hour passed, and Naruto was beginning to feel tired. He then placed the book on the desk right next to the bed and was slowly becoming drowsy as time passed. Soon after, he closed his eyes, letting sleep take him while he lied face down.
A few minutes later...
For a few moments, it was quiet, and Naruto couldn't hear a thing. All the sound in the world seemed to have faded away due to the embrace of sleep. The Human Prince wrapped his arms around his pillow as he snuggled into it comfortably.
"Brat, get up!" Kurama shouted.
What is it? Naruto whined, wanting to go back to sleep.
"Someone's watching you from the window, get up now!" the fox shouted in alarm.
Naruto was alarmed by the warning but kept his eyes closed and stayed in the same position. He began to feel a pair of eyes watching him.
If whoever was at the window was a threat, then he needed to sense how strong they were. By that point, Naruto sensed a presence that seemed to be suppressing their strength, and they were capable of suppressing their emotions. Despite all that, the blonde could feel that they had reserves of chakra that seemed to surpass his; they were a fully trained warrior compared to him. And their chakra was dark as the night for some reason.
"Take caution," the Kyūbi advised. "If your life is truly at risk, I'll let you use my chakra."
R-Really? Naruto was now truly awake. He didn't know what to do as he clutched his bedsheets under the pillow while his eyes turned red. If this intruder was dangerous, then there was no telling what they could do. His base rabbit instincts were telling him to hide while another part of him was berating himself for not closing the shades. The feeling of dread was overwhelming as it weighed down on his heart. K-Kyūbi, I-I'm scared.
For the first time in a long time, the Human Prince felt helpless. This wasn't anything like Zabuza. Perhaps it was the thought that death was mere moments away, or maybe it was the fact that the person that was gazing at him from his window was suppressing their power; either way, the pressure was too much. His breathing began to increase significantly in a panic.
Naruto felt weak, and he hated being weak; the mere thought of it alone was enough to bring a tear to his eye as he remembered the words he said to his father.
"I want to be strong like you. I-I don't want to be scared anymore."
Meanwhile, the fox began to soften at his cousin's despair. He didn't know the blonde desired strength to escape his fear. "You may be a weakling for cousin, but there are some battles you can't win. But if you want to survive in this cruel world, you either fight or flee."
That was a blow to the blonde's confidence as the reality of it truly set in. Time passed, and Naruto could still feel the eyes of his spectator on him. The blonde looked towards the window with his left eye slightly open, which also didn't help.
Naruto gave in and accepted whatever danger he may be in. At this moment, he decided to reject his instincts and confront whoever was there. He quickly got up and glared at the window only to see a shadow-like figure move from the balcony like a demon in the night, much to the boy's dismay.
As the Human Prince regained his composure and tried to resist his prey instincts telling him to hide and be safe, he immediately rushed towards the door under the attempt to pursue the dark stalker. His instincts were screaming at him to stay put in the safety of his home while part of him that had mustered up the courage wanted to confront the mysterious spectator. He wanted to know who they were and what were they after.
Naruto abruptly exited his apartment and began to look all over with his sensory abilities to track down the intruder, his red eyes now glowing in their active Lapine form. He then found his suspect hidden within the cloak of night, disappearing off into the distance.
The chase was on, and the blonde was now in pursuit of the suspect at hand. They jumped from buildings to dark alleys, the white light of the moon the only source of light amid this twilight. Naruto could see that the trespasser was wearing a cloak that covered their body to ensure that they wouldn't be identified.
As time passed during the chase, they found themselves somewhere near the Inuzuka compound. One could hear dogs barking and howling unto the night as if it were a melody. The figure stopped somewhere near the end of an alley while Naruto stayed on the rooftop from the stranger's left.
The Human Prince's heart was pounding not from the chase, but from the anticipation of what might happen.
Meanwhile, his cousin was growling in suspicion. "Be careful; you don't know what they might do."
Yeah... But if this person wanted to hurt me, they would have done it right when you woke me up or earlier than that. I-I need to find out what I can.
Jinchūriki tried to get closer to the figure. However, his instincts kept him from moving. They screamed imminent death as they locked Naruto in place. For the first time, the blonde's instincts were running wild and trying to regress his mind to that of an animal. Images of being torn open and killed in an instant were flashing before his eyes. The blonde began to tear up and whine like an animal that had been hurt, making himself known to the cloaked individual.
To Naruto's surprise, the dark figure began to melt into the shadows, disappearing completely. He could no longer feel his presence; it was as if it was never there to begin with. His thoughts were trying to piece everything together. What?! They-They just vanished!
"Throughout the entire time they were watching you, I didn't sense any malice directed towards you," the fox informed. "If they were an enemy, they would have killed you on the spot. Head home, we'll find out more in the morning."
The blonde nodded in agreement as he got up and wiped a tear that fell from his eye. Daisuke, Da, and Damu taught me better than this. I-I wanted to overcome my fear. I didn't want to feel weak anymore...
Naruto returned home for the night, but he wasn't sure he could sleep now that he found out that someone could watch him from his window. That night, Naruto made sure to keep his shades closed at all times and to not let his guard down, even in his own home.
The next day... In the streets of Konoha...
It was day, and with the sun-drenched sky above him, Naruto walked towards the Hokage tower in hopes of getting in contact with the Sandaime. He had to tell his Hokage what had happened last night.
The nerve-wracking stress was so much for him that he passed out while hiding under his bed. However, Naruto was still shaken up due to the events of last night. One could tell from his tense body language that something went wrong. He wore his black and orange trim attire with the Osiria Rose on the back but did not don his headband.
He tried to keep his mind busy, but that was all interrupted as the blonde heard a voice call out to him, "Naruto?"
The Human Prince turned to see Kakashi giving him a concerned look. Naruto happily responded, "Hey, sensei."
The cyclops knew the Naruto's joy was fake. Just by reading his body language, he could tell that his student was shaken up by something. "Naruto, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," the blonde said as if it were an obvious answer. "I just need to see the Sandaime for something."
"Is something wrong?"
"Well..." Naruto drawled on as he slowly came to the decision to tell the cyclops what went on last night. "Someone was watching me from my window—"
The blonde was cut off as an Anbu with a bear mask suddenly appeared and interrupted his confession. "Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi, you both have been summoned by the Hokage and the council in regards to your most recent mission."
Naruto turned to his teacher, confused. "Sensei, what's going on? Why would the council need us at this time?"
The cyclops scratched the back of his head and closed his one eye in guilt. "It might be the fact that I had to report on 'certain things' that happened on the mission. C'mon, let's go."
Orders were orders. Naruto and Kakashi walked towards the Hokage tower to deal with whatever the council wanted with them.
At the Hokage tower...
Kakashi and Naruto were right outside the doors that lead to the council meeting. The council had no power, but they did have the ability to persuade and converse over a variety of topics when it came to Konoha and its shinobi. This shouldn't be surprising; a good leader took information from multiple sources so they could make the best decisions.
Kakashi looked towards Naruto, who seemed to be trying to collect himself before he went in. "Naruto, it's going to be alright. I think all that they're going to do is ask some questions," the cyclops assured.
"I-I know, I'm just a little nervous. These are council members that are more politically versed than me," the blonde admitted honestly.
Kakashi put his hand on his student's shoulder. "It'll be fine. We'll just go in, talk for a bit, and before you know it, we'll be walking out of there in no time."
Naruto took a deep breath before finally pulling himself together and looked Kakashi in the eye. "Okay, let's go in."
Both Jōnin and Genin walked into the council's chamber to be met with the immediate attention of the Hokage, the clan heads, and the elders. The only one who wasn't there was the old Warhawk known as Danzō.
There was nothing but a pregnant pause in the air that seemed to last for what could be an eternity. All the clan heads looked at the boy with interest, a bit of skepticism, and some with regret they didn't show. The silence was too much; it really did seem like there was so much to say, but nothing could be said.
A few seconds passed before the Sandaime finally broke the silence. "Kakashi, Naruto, thank you two for attending this meeting. There's something we wish to talk about."
"And what is the matter of which we speak, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.
A man with long black hair and featureless white eyes wearing traditional, loose-fitting robes with a long-sleeved, brown haori began to take a stand. This was Hyūga Hiashi, head of the Hyūga clan, and Hinata's father. He spoke in a firm, regal voice that demanded respect. "We're here to talk about your report on Uzumaki Naruto's actions in Nami no Kuni. In your report, you stated that he possesses the Crystal Style kekkei genkai. Is what you say true, Kakashi?
Kakashi was about to speak until Naruto jumped in. "I'll take it from here."
The blonde stepped forward with his hands held behind his back, now brave enough to speak for himself. "Yes, Hyūga-san. It is true that I possess the Crystal Style."
Everyone sitting in the seats of the council's chamber fell silent and looked at the blonde doubtfully. The Sandaime had his hands folded and his eyes closed as he knew all from the Rabbit King himself. "Your father told me all that had happened in Usagi no Kuni. It is amazing to think summons like those actually exist in this world."
A man with blonde hair tied up into a ponytail, fair skin, teal eyes, and Jōnin attire had decided to question what was going on here. "Hokage-sama, what is it about those summons that makes them so special?" This was Yamanaka Inoichi, head of the Yamanaka clan, and Ino's father.
"That is a secret only Usagigetsu-san can answer for you," Hiruzen answered as he looked to Naruto confidently.
The blonde smiled as he went on to tell the story to his superiors about the Tree of Blood Ceremony and his place with the rabbit summons.
Not everyone was content with the boy's answer. Inoichi stepped up in protest. "What about CRA, Usagigetsu-san? What would it take for you to benefit the village with your bloodline?"
The blonde took a deep breath, ready to tell the truth of his conditional bloodline, only for Kakashi to step in on the boy's behalf to solidify his student's claim. "Inoichi-san, Naruto's kekkei genkai isn't capable of being passed down to his children. No matter what, you'll just be trying to milk a cow that has no milk to give."
There wasn't much to be said regarding the Human Prince's bloodline; it was his and his alone. After a few minutes of questions being asked and answered, Hiruzen decided to end the meeting since it looked like everything had been settled.
Outside in the courtyard of the Hokage tower...
It was now afternoon as Naruto and Kakashi walked out into the courtyard of the tower. It was nothing more than a dirt road that surrounded the facility until it met a red wall that circled around. There was a garden with lush grass, bushes, and flowers that gave the building a comfortable look and a few benches in the sun and in the shade by the walls, giving it a park-like feel.
Naruto began to walk towards an empty bench in the shade when Kakashi stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, wait."
"Yes, sensei?" the blonde responded.
"Before the Anbu interrupted, you were about to ask me something, weren't you?"
"I-I'll tell you later..." Naruto's mind was flustered as he focused on the events from last night.
Kakashi increased his grip on the boy's shoulder. "I don't want any of my students to leave anything out, okay? So if you have a problem, just tell me."
The Human Prince nodded as he gave a small smile. "Okay, Kakashi-sensei, I will."
The cyclops took his hand off his Genin's shoulder and gave an eye-smile. "Good. I have a gift for you. It's for our success in Nami." Kakashi pulled out a small booklet. "This is a bingo book; it has information on infamous shinobi across the elemental nations."
The Jōnin handed his student the booklet, who took it hesitantly. The blonde looked over it, unsure if he was deserving of such a gift. "A-Are you sure, sensei? I mean, all I did was talk to Haku and convince her to talk to Zabuza. I don't think I should have this."
Once more, Kakashi put his hand on the Human Prince's shoulder in reassurance. "Naruto, out of anyone on Team Seven, you were the most prepared and capable of handling Haku in battle. You're too modest; have a little bit more pride in yourself."
Naruto nodded as the cyclops said his farewells, leaving the blonde alone in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, the Inuzuka matriarch walked up to the Jinchūriki. She was hesitant to talk to the godson that didn't even know her. "Naruto?"
The blonde turned his head to meet the clan head's gaze. "Oh, hello there, Inuzuka-sama."
"Please, just Tsume," the Inuzuka matriarch insisted. "I knew you when you were a baby."
Naruto raised his right arm around to scratch the back of his head. He really didn't want to bring up his past around people he didn't know. "Yeah..."
Tsume picked up on the boy's hesitation. It seemed like she had to cut to the chase, or else she would lose whatever ground she was trying to gain. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, "Naruto, I'd like you to come over to the compound this evening. "
Naruto hummed in acknowledgment. "I see... but... I'm not sure if I can. I have a bunch of things I need to attend to."
Tsume's eyes squinted at her godson's hesitation, but she knew what was going on. "Was it a cloaked figure that appeared by your window last night?"
The Human Prince became wide-eyed with fear. "H-How did you—"
"It was my husband. He was one of the few who watched over you as a child."
"Then why did he—"
"It's because you've been a part of our lives since you were young," the Inuzuka matriarch interrupted him once more. "If you come over, you can find whatever answers you draw from it; I just want you to meet him face to face."
She walked off from the courtyard, hoping that her godson would come over to the compound to see his godfather personally. After so long, they would at least be able to make things right.
Naruto was left there dumbfounded. The person who was by his window was the Inuzuka matriarch's husband. The most shocking part about it was that he had been under their care in the past.
There's not much to say, but I really wanted to do more with Naruto's instincts.
I'd like to thank my Beta for all her help and guidance.