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 24: Averted Gaze.
It was dusk, and the sun was setting beautifully on the horizon. Naruto had changed into an orange t-shirt with black trim on the shoulders while wearing a pair of black shorts. He was now at the Inuzuka clan head's door, anxious about what might happen when he entered.
The blonde raised his hand to knock on the door, only to hesitate and refrain from letting someone know he arrived. He wondered what the man that was at his window last night could be like. Could he be a kind-hearted man who wanted to see him after so long? Or was he a cruel man that was only doing his job? For the Human Prince, part of him told him to just walk away from the household and try to make an excuse, but another part of him told him to stay and confront whoever it was that scared him.
Naruto took a deep breath and tried to coach himself into facing his fear. Calm down, El-ahrairah, you're going to be alright. Just ignore your instincts.
The blonde knocked on the door three times and waited, his breath shuddering in anticipation; the deed was done, and there was no going back. A minute passed until the Human Prince heard footsteps by the door. In the matter of a few seconds after, the door opened to reveal Kiba. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and shorts with Akamaru on his shoulder.
"Hey, Naruto, Kaa-san told me you'd be coming over. Didn't think it'd be this early," the feral boy happily greeted. He invited Naruto inside, and the expression on his face shifted to that of realization. "Oh yeah! My parents loved your cookies. I shared them with my sister as well, and she told me she'd pay you to open up a bakery so she can shop there every day."
"Yeah..." Naruto blushed at the compliment as he raised his hand to scratch the back of his head. "Maybe I could have made some before I came over."
Kiba snorted. "No use regretting it now." The feral boy waved his hand. "C'mon, I'll show you around."
"Kiba, who's at the door?" a rough voice called out, getting the Inuzuka heir, his ninken, and the Human Prince's attention. They turned to see a wolf-like dog with both an eyepatch and scar on his right eye. He had a creme muzzle and dark blue fur. It was a talking dog, a prime example of the Inuzuka clan's training of their ninken.
"It's just Naruto, Kuromaru," Kiba answered the wolf-like dog. He turned to look back at his friend while pointing back at Kuromaru with his thumb. "That's Kuromaru, my mother's ninken and partner."
"I can very well introduce myself, Kiba," Kuromaru insisted as he walked towards the blonde. The adult hound's face softened as he looked at Naruto nostalgically. "Naruto-chan, it's been ages since I last saw you. Do you remember me?"
The Human Prince closed his eyes as he tried to remember back to a time when he was in the village only to find nothing in his memory. He reopened his eyes and looked down towards the adult ninken. "Sorry, Kuromaru-san, I don't remember a thing."
"It's okay. You were very young at that time."
Kiba became curious as Kuromaru and Naruto interacted. Wait. Kaa-san told me she knew Naruto. Does that mean I could have met him before he came back to the village?
The feral boy decided to put those thoughts aside for later. "C'mon, Naruto, I gotta introduce you to Hana. She's crazy about your cookies."
The blonde smiled. "Well, I might as well meet my future customer for my bakery," the Human Prince joked.
Kiba began to snicker. Soon after, it turned into full-blown laughter. "Sh-Sh-She's going to kill me when she finds out I told you that!" It was just so funny for the feral boy. As the Inuzuka heir calmed down from his laughter, he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "C'mon, I can't wait to see the look on her face."
The boys were so wrapped in their conversation that they didn't even notice someone had entered the room. They turned as Kiba was about to show his friend around the house only to see a man standing right there in the living room, surprising Naruto and freezing him in place.
The man before them had long, spiky silver hair that went towards his back with only one small bang that went forward. His eyes were gold, but his gaze made them like daggers that could pierce one's soul. He possessed a wolf-like face accompanied by an angry scowl. Another feature he had was a light tan complexion, a result of training in the sun. He wore purple pants that were torn at the seams with a golden martial arts belt and a black tank top. The man was nearly seven feet tall with a muscular and acrobatic body that many shinobi and warriors alike would be jealous of.
The Human Prince was terrified as he knew the person before him was Tsume's husband and Kiba's father. This is the man that was at my window last night?
"From what that woman said earlier, it seems like she was telling the truth," Kurama said. "Her husband's chakra isn't like anything I've sensed before."
"So you're Kiba's new friend?" the silver-haired man said in a deep, gruff voice as he walked forward and held out his hand for the blonde to shake. "My name's Talbain Jon. I'm Kiba's father."
Talbain Jon? Naruto was bewildered by the man's name. That had to be a name from the old world.
"N-Naruto," the blonde returned reluctantly. He then quickly reached out to accept the handshake nervously. As he looked the man in the eyes, the Human Prince's own turned red as his instincts were being set off, and it didn't go unnoticed.
Naruto could sense something primal within Jon as strength was rolling off of him in waves; he had an aura that screamed alpha in a pack hierarchy. However, there was a kind, nurturing look in his eyes; it was as if he would never harm him, yet it felt like it could shift to something cold.
All of a sudden, the man surprised everyone in the room by pulling Naruto into a hug. Everyone who knew Jon knew that he was a strong, stern man that only revealed his soft side to his family and closest friends. "Gee, Tou-san, you never did this with a guest before."
Jon pulled away only to give his son a grin. "I've known your friend since he was an infant, Kiba, but he doesn't know me." He then changed the subject, much to their disappointment. "Now why don't you go show him around the house and introduce him to Hana. We'll talk about this at dinner." He then left the two boys and ninken there as he went into the kitchen.
How do Kaa-san and Tou-san know him? Kiba wondered as he looked towards his friend. Ever since he was born?
The feral boy was knocked out of his thoughts as Naruto spoke, "Kiba, are you alright?"
"O-Oh, sorry about that, Naruto. I'll introduce you to Hana. C'mon," Kiba said as he began to guide Naruto from the kitchen to his sister's room with Akamaru in tow.
Five minutes later...
As soon as the boys left the room, Kuromaru walked into the kitchen to see Jon with his arms crossed deep in thought. "It's been a long time since you've last seen him, hasn't it, Jon?"
Golden eyes shifted towards the hound. "Yeah... to think it's been six years," the silver-haired man said. "Tsume and I could have been the parents he needed, but we failed him."
"It's not too late. Once the Sandaime reveals the boy's heritage, or if you do so yourself, you can try to make it up to him," Kuromaru suggested optimistically.
Jon gave a skeptical look to the ninken. "That's a gamble. Who knows how he'd react?"
"He'll find out sooner or later. You can't hide the truth from Naruto any longer. And the same could be said with Hana and Kiba—"
"Watch your tongue, Kuromaru!" Jon growled and glared at the hound. His fangs elongated, and his body became tense. "I have enough problems to deal with already with my kids, and I certainly don't need you reminding me of them."
Seconds passed, and the silence alone had only solidified the tension in the air.
The wolf-like ninken spoke up once more, "It's a full moon tonight, isn't it, alpha?"
Jon grunted in affirmation as his face softened. He turned to the window by the sink to see the moon's light enveloping the dusk sky. "I'm aware. Ever since I woke up in this world, it's always been like that, even in the day."
With Naruto, Kiba, and Hana...
Naruto and Kiba were now sitting in his sister's room, playing with her ninken as she watched. Apparently, from what Kiba had told Naruto while coming up the stairs, his sister could use utilize not one, but three ninken in battle called the Haimaru brothers. They were cute huskies with grey-colored fur with white on their stomachs and legs going up to their muzzles.
Hana's room was big, to say the least. It had beige walls, a bed with green sheets, and a pillow to match by the window. Her dresser was by her closet on the other side of the room next to her bathroom.
Inuzuka Hana was a young woman 18 years of age. She had long brown hair that was tied a ponytail with two locks of hair framing her face over her pure black eyes. She wore a light shade of lipstick and bore the traditional red-fang markings of her clan on her cheeks. She donned a plain red shirt and blue form-fitting pants. Unlike Kiba, who was excitable, she had a laidback personality yet was fierce, loyal, and loving like all Inuzuka. However, she did have a temper when it came to her brother messing with her.
"So, Naruto-san..." Hana drawled on as she sat crisscross on her bed. "About those cookies you made the other day... how did you make them?"
The Human Prince heard her but was too distracted playing with the Haimaru brothers on the floor to answer her question. They pulled at his shirt and nipped his hair playfully, labeling him their new friend. "W-What was that Hana-san?"
"How did you make those cookies?" she asked again in a much firmer tone. "They were one of the best things I ever tasted. They were better than the sweets I buy at the bakery."
"Oh... well, I was taught how to make them from my mother," Naruto answered with a bit of blush on his face. "My parents taught me how to bake and cook ever since I was young."
"Hmm," Hana hummed in enlightenment.
Meanwhile, Kiba could not contain his grin as opportunity offered itself up to him. "You want Naruto to open a bakery so you can buy them every day, don't you, Hana?"
The eldest of the Inuzuka siblings became enraged. "Oh, I'm gonna kill you!"
Kiba got off the bed and ran out of the room with Hana hot on his heels, leaving Naruto alone in the room with the ninken.
Somewhere in one of Konoha's bars... with Kakashi...
Kakashi was out with his fellow Jōnin at one of Konoha's newest bars. It was a brightly lit place with granite booths that had black leather seating and a finely made wooden foundation.
He sat on the inside of the booth next to Asuma while Kurenai sat on the opposite side. Right now, they were waiting for a few others to show up. There was a tall sake bottle in the middle of the table with little red bowls spread in front of the Jōnin. To pass the time, they talked about their students and what was going on with them.
"Shino's progressing very well. His skill in the Aburame clan techniques has grown in the past month," Kurenai said with pride as she downed a bowl of sake. "Kiba and Hinata have improved as well. And their teamwork is phenomenal."
Asuma huffed from across the table. "You've got the easy kids, Kurenai. Shikamaru is a genius and a great shogi partner, but he's lazy. If he really applied himself, he could become Hokage if he wanted to. Chōji's a heavy hitter, alright, but he's not digging deep enough to find the strength he'll need on the battlefield. Ino's only motivation is her rivalry with Sakura. I'm trying to use that to help her improve."
Kurenai hummed in acknowledgment. She turned to Kakashi. "What of you, Kakashi? What's going on with your Genin?"
Kakashi was silent the entire time the exchange went on. He was embarrassed because of what happened in Nami regarding Sasuke and Sakura's treatment towards Naruto. The only good news was that they just stopped bullying him and began to ignore the blonde at all times.
"Kakashi? Are you okay?" Asuma asked in a concerned tone.
"Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine," Kakashi responded, still stuck in thought.
"Well? Are you gonna tell us about your team? What's going on with them?" Kurenai asked as she poured herself another bowl of sake. At this moment, she was smug. From Kakashi's reaction, he seemed like he was hiding something. "What about Uzumaki-san? How's his growth?"
The silver-haired man tried to play it cool, but he knew it'd fail since Kurenai would just look into the mission reports. "Well, Naruto is my model student. He's followed every order to the best of his abilities and never fails to surprise me; he actually knows several elemental ninjutsu."
"And his teammates—"
"Hey everyone, sorry we're late," a tomboyish voice said, cutting off Kurenai. They all turned to see two of their fellow Jōnin standing behind Kakashi and Asuma's side of the booth.
The first was a woman with violet hair tied up into a short, spiky, fanned-ponytail while donning the village headband on her forehead. She had light brown, pupil-less eyes and fair skin. She bore a mesh bodysuit that went from her neck all the way down to her thighs under a tan overcoat. She also donned a dark orange mini-skirt, a dark blue belt, and pale grey shin guards. There was a playful, daring demeanor about her. This was Mitarashi Anko, a Tokubetsu Jōnin of Konoha.
The next arrival was a tall and well-muscled man. He had fair skin, a strong jawline, a slightly large nose, black eyes and hair to match in a bowl-cut, and... very thick eyebrows. He wore a green jumpsuit, orange striped leg warmers, and the standard Konoha flak jacket that was unzipped. Unlike his fellow Jōnin, he wore a red headband around his waist like a belt. There was a fire in his eyes, it was as if the man wouldn't be shaken by what the world could throw at him. This was Maito Gai, a taijutsu master of Konoha and Kakashi's rival.
"I was stuck in IT helping Ibiki make a few little birdies sing," Anko spoke with bittersweet sadism in her voice as she gave a playful smirk. "Apparently, a few of the suspects were afraid of snakes, and it was a great help to Ibiki.
"The flames of youth burned within me as I underwent 1,000 push-ups as a dedication to my students that I wouldn't let them down! Seeing them push themselves to their limits inspired me to drive myself harder than ever!" Gai flamboyantly announced as he gave a thumbs up and a bright grin that seemed to sparkle.
Everyone sweatdropped at Gai's enthusiasm. They had to admit, Gai was an extraordinary shinobi. At a young age, he did not have the aptitude to utilize chakra like many of his peers, but over time as he grew, he began to develop the skill to use his chakra and convert it into ninjutsu.
Gai sat down next to Kakashi while Anko went over to join Kurenai. Kakashi acted like he didn't notice a thing while turning to his eccentric friend. "You say something?"
"Curse your hip attitude, Kakashi!" Gai retorted.
Meanwhile, Kurenai was getting fed up with this and slammed her hands on the table. "Alright, Kakashi, spill. Why won't you talk about Your team?"
A drop of sweat rolled down Kakashi's face as all of his fellow Jōnin awaited his answer. He knew he had to come clean sooner or later, otherwise, Kurenai would just conduct her own investigation.
The cyclops closed his eye in admittance. "Alright, I-I'll tell you."
Every Jōnin at the table listened as Kakashi told them what was going on with his team. And he even gave the details of what happened during their most recent mission in Nami.
"Kami, Kakashi..." Asuma uttered. He felt like taking out a cigarette. "The Fireball Jutsu on a fellow Genin?"
The cyclops nodded. "Yes. The only way I could get them both to behave was to give them a simple ultimatum: they either learn to get along, or they would learn nothing but teamwork exercises from me."
Gai grimaced. "How unyouthful for comrades to treat one of their own like that."
"Have you reported them to Hokage-sama?" asked Anko.
Kakashi nodded once more. "Yeah, I did. Sasuke now has three strikes and black marks on his record for continuous harassment of a comrade, attacking a comrade with a lethal jutsu, and another one for raising his voice against me, a superior, during our leave. Sakura has two for harassment and general incompetence."
"General incompetence?" Kurenai questioned intensely while Anko poured herself a bowl of sake.
Kakashi raised his hand to rub the bridge of his nose as the purple-haired woman began to down her bowl. "She doesn't train or do anything to support the team. All she does is harass Naruto and try to justify it by saying he's a spoiled brat." This statement made Anko choke.
Kurenai, who sat next to her friend, began patting her back and tried to help her calm down from her coughing fit. As soon as Anko recovered, she looked like she was about to murder someone. "You mean to tell me that little brat of yours doesn't do anything to contribute to the job she signed up for?!"
"Yes," Kakashi answered plainly. For a moment, all the Jōnin sat there, disgusted by the actions of the two Genin of Team Seven. It really looked like Kakashi had his hands full with his squad's antics.
"But what about Naruto-san, Kakashi?" Gai asked in concern. "Surely you can't leave that boy to be punished the same as his teammates. What about his growth?"
"To be honest, I thought about sending him a few scrolls with Lightning and Wind ninjutsu as an extra reward for the mission's success. And I gave him a bingo book earlier today," Kakashi begrudgingly replied. "But that doesn't mean I can't evaluate my student's strength and tell them what needs work."
"Kami, Kakashi, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Asuma asked skeptically.
Kakashi took a deep breath as he prepared his answer. "I hope I am. I'm not treating them as if they were Obito and Rin's legacy. If they can't get it together, then they're only going to suffer in the long run."
Back with Naruto...
After Kiba was chased off by Hana, who was still pursuing him, Naruto came downstairs from Hana's room with the Haimaru brothers and Akamaru in tow. As he entered the kitchen, he found Jon cutting a few vegetables by the sink while his eyes darted up to the window every few seconds to take a good look at the moon.
The Human Prince caught on to that as he grew curious of his friend's father while the hounds went off to play. The blonde took a few steps forward. "T-Talbain-san?"
Jon finished cutting up a carrot before turning to meet his godson's curious gaze. "Yes, Naruto?"
"A-Are you alright?" the blonde asked, concern and hesitation filling his voice as his eyes flashed red. Naruto was okay around crowds and meeting new people because of his upbringing surrounded by his clan, but there was something primal with Jon that made his instincts restless with constant fear.
The golden-eyed man gave a warm smile, which brought a bit of comfort to his godson. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."
There was an uncomfortable pause in the air, not one of them speaking a word to the other as they looked into each other's eyes. Pure instinct was telling Naruto to avert his gaze from Jon but couldn't keep them from looking into the man's eyes.
Jon wasn't an idiot; he caught on to this and knew there had to be something to calm the boy down. That was when he had an idea. "Hey, Naruto," he said to get the boy's attention.
"Y-Yes, J-Jon-san," Naruto responded, trying to look the man in the eyes when his instincts were telling him to submit and stay out of the alpha's way.
"Why don't we go out and have a little sparring session, just you and me?" the silver-haired man eagerly suggested.
The blonde was confused. "W-What?"
"Yeah, just a little sparring session between you and me." Jon walked up to Naruto and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "They say that if two warriors are strong enough, they can read each other's thoughts with a quick exchange of blows. I want to understand you a little more, even if you're not that powerful a shinobi."
The Human Prince inwardly debated on this, wondering what would happen if he accepted. He gave a small smile in hesitation. "I'd like that, Talbain-san."
"Please, call me Jon, or better yet, Oji," insisted the silver-haired man.
"O-Okay." Naruto was a bit weirded out by the request. The man who apparently watched the boy from his very window was the same man who welcomed him into his home and gave the blonde a hug. He wondered what this man would gain from a simple sparring match that could allow him to 'read his thoughts'.
Outside in the backyard of the clan house...
The backyard was a large opening of space. It perfectly suited the Inuzuka clan and their ninken as the massive open space allowed everyone to just run around and frolic without a care in the world. The moon lit the darkness of the backyard, and the grass seemed to have reflected the moon's light; the dirt roads were so bright with moonlight that it almost seemed to glow. Where Jon and Naruto stood, it was in an empty grass plain that was far from the house.
"You ready?" Jon asked as he took a widened stance. One arm was stretched outwards, and the other was close to his body. His claws elongated, much to the blonde's surprise.
"Yeah," Naruto replied. He took a similar stance with his left arm stretched towards Jon in a fist and his right above his head with a widened palm as his own claws emerged.
Jon then made a 'come here' motion with the hand. "Begin."
Naruto's eyes flashed red as he jumped into the air and sent a kick that barreled downwards towards the man. Jon grabbed the boy from out of his mid-air fall and threw him in the other direction. "You're sloppy."
As Naruto heard those words, he rebounded and unsteadily landed on all fours. The Human Prince's eyes were facing the dirt and the grass as he looked up to see Jon watching him in anticipation of his next move.
The blonde once more began his assault on the golden-eyed man and ran to get in close. He went in for a jab with his right fist, which was parried effortlessly, and then his left. Naruto then turned to give a spin kick only for his left leg to be caught by Jon's right hand. With his foot stuck, the boy began to struggle in the man's grasp. "L-Let me go!"
Jon shrugged and gave Naruto a playful grin. "Alright, if that's what you want."
Naruto's eyes widened as Jon gripped his foot even tighter and used his left arm to give a chop to the weak point to the back of the blonde's knees, making it bend and causing the boy to fall to the ground.
The blonde recovered by putting his hands to the ground and jumping off them to deliver an arc kick to the man's head. Jon raised his wrist to block off the blow effortlessly and grabbed the boy's leg once more to slam him on the ground, again.
Naruto tried to recover, but Jon grabbed him by his shirt before he could and reared his clawed fist back. "Do you yield?"
The Human Prince immediately stopped struggling and closed his eyes in acceptance. "I yield."
"Hmm, smart boy," Jon complimented as he relaxed his fist and let go of the blonde's shirt. He then helped the boy get up from the grass. "It was a short match, but you started off quite strong."
"Yeah..." The Human Prince looked the man in the eyes curiously. "So, were you able to read my thoughts from our spar?"
"I could feel your drive to push yourself and grow strong, but that wasn't much," Jon responded. He put his hands on the boy's shoulders and looked at him analytically.
Seconds passed, not one of them saying a word as godfather and godson looked into each other's eyes; in that short time, it felt like hours had passed.
Meanwhile, Naruto felt uncomfortable. He couldn't avert his gaze away from Jon's. He didn't like this; it felt like Jon was stripping him down as he tried to read him. He then realized that the look in the man's eyes... was one of approval.
Jon, on the other hand, was trying to look at every detail of the boy. He has soft eyes. He knows the dark truth of the world, but still holds his innocence. He's eager to please, has a good heart, and has the will to fight burning within him.
The golden-eyed man finally took his hands off of Naruto's shoulders and observed the blonde's body language. He noticed that Naruto's right hand was on his left elbow. He has insecurities and is unsure of himself but pushes onward and does what he can in confidence. Has a good balance between acrobatic and athletic in his training. I really have to thank that summon for taking care of him.
"J-Jon-san," Naruto stuttered, interrupting the man's mental deductions. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to get a good look at you. It's been years since I last saw you," Jon answered, making the blonde's eyes widen.
"What do you mean? Do I know you?"
"I watched over you as Anbu Captain Wolf," the tall man answered. "Do you remember?"
Naruto closed his eyes and remembered back to his darkest days. Yeah... I remember. An Anbu that had a customized wolf mask with an elongated snout and blue markings under the eyes... he also had... long silver hair... The Human Prince opened his eyes in realization as he looked at the man before him. "W-Wolf?!"
Jon's gaze softened as he bent down to his godson's level. "Yeah... it's me, Naruto."
Naruto was shocked. One of the Anbu that cared for him was standing before him. A raging storm of emotions went through the boy, but he was in so much dismay that he couldn't even channel them.
Jon put his hands on the boy's shoulders once more. "I'm so sorry for not protecting you when you needed me the most."
The crossover has officially begun. Jon Talbain has been a part of Darkstalkers and fits a pretty cool monster archetype.
There's so much to say, but the story has just begun.
I'd like to thank my beta for all her help and guidance.