Alright, new story! People seemed to like the idea, so here we are!
Before we begin, I just wanna make one thing clear... Yes, Minato and Kushina are alive in this story. No, it is not a neglect fic. Okay, everyone got that? Alright...
Just a few housekeeping things to make clear, Naruto will be leaving the village around the time when the Konoha 12 graduate and will arrive in the bleach world after the final battle with Aizen, so most of the training can be done over the timeskip. I might have Naruto be there for the Fullbringer arc, but I probably won't do much more than touch on it if he is. Also if I end up doing the Thousand Year Blood War after it comes out, then I'll just push it back a year or two so Naruto can be there at full power for it after he finishes in the Nations.
Naruto is also going to be a couple years older than the rest of the Konoha 12, who will be 13 when they graduate instead of 12, and mostly be doing his own thing. I do want him to interact with the canon plot, but I really don't want him to 'just so happen to be there' whenever something important happens. There's also gonna be a training timeskip after the first few chapters before we get into the real story, which starts at Shippuden. The only real part of Naruto Part 1 that he's gonna be a part of would be the Wave arc, just because I love it so damn much. I might also have him do movie stuff just for fun and to give him more missions.
As for a pairing, it's gonna be Naruhina. I don't care if you don't like it, that's what it's gonna be. I'm also not gonna describe what people look like if I can help it because I suck at it.
Now, a basic rundown of Naruto's powers... If you read the description I had on my other story to see if people liked it, I said that Naruto would have fullbring while he's in his body, and Hollow powers and his Zanpakuto while he's out of his body in spirit form. I realized that this didn't make sense... Since the whole point of the story is that he's a living hollow, not being able to use his hollow powers while in his body kinda defeats the point. So fullbring is nixed, at least for now, and only the use of Naruto's Zanpakuto will be limited to spirit form.
Speaking of his Zanpakuto, I might need a bit of help with it... I thought I had it figured out, but now I'm not sure. I have a couple ideas and if anyone would be willing to shoot me a PM to hear them and give me some feedback then that would be awesome. I have three possible versions, some more fleshed out than others, so I'd like people to give me their thoughts on all of them and how they could be improved/which is coolest. Also the reason I'm not just putting them here is because I don't wanna spoil the surprise if some people don't want to know what it does until it's revealed.
Also I'm just gonna skip over the Kyuubi attack, it happened pretty much the same as canon except for one thing, which I will touch on.
This chapter might have some rough bits, I'm trying to take more time with my stories and not rush through things, so sorry if there are some awkward parts.
Well, without further adieu, let's get this started!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Bleach, or any other media that may appear in this story.
Chapter 1: A Beginning within an End.
- Konoha outskirts -
Konohagakure no Sato, more simply known as Konoha, was a sprawling Shinobi Village. Contained within it's walls was not only the village proper, but also large swaths of nature around the outskirts. These areas contained both training grounds as well as untouched nature, and it's in one of these areas that our story begins. It was sunset, and we find a woman with pale skin, long red hair, and violet eyes relaxing against a tree near the bank of a river, wearing a white and green dress. This was Kushina Namikaze, formerly Uzumaki, the current Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko. She sighed as she sat against a tree, listening to the sounds of nature. A waterfall crashing somewhere upriver, the leaves rustling as the wind blew through them, and all the other little things as the sunset cast a warm glow on the area. "This is always a nice place to come and relax..." She thought to herself as she let a hand rest on her pregnant belly. It was a bit out of the way, but she'd be fine, and she needed this. There had been some security concerns lately, and Minato had assigned a few ANBU to watch her. It probably didn't hurt, since her seal was going to weaken when she gave birth, but it got so annoying to have people watching you all the time! So she'd given them the slip and decided to take a quick trip out here for some peace and quiet.
"Heh, they always fall for the camo sheet!" All she had to do was turn a corner, throw up the sheet against a fence, and wait for them to leave. Worked every time... "I'm gonna have to show you that trick someday, Naruto." She said as she looked down at her stomach. She couldn't wait for her little boy to arrive, and neither could Minato! Her husband was like an excited little kid, rambling on about all the things he was going to teach their son. He even said he was looking forward to helping Naruto with the ladies, to which Kushina could only suppress a laugh. He'd been as smooth as sandpaper when they were dating, but lucky for him she already liked him. She was almost ready to pop as well, so the wait was almost over.
She sat there enjoying the quiet for a few minutes before deciding that it was probably time to get started back to the village. It was getting late and she didn't want to make Minato worry too much. As she got onto her feet and started the walk back, she started to feel... uneasy. She didn't know what it was, but all of a sudden she just got a bad feeling. A shiver ran down her body as a chill swept through the area, that was weird... It was June, it shouldn't suddenly get cold like that... The bad feeling only intensified, and Kushina's instincts were screaming at her that something was very wrong. Maybe it was an animal or something? As goosebumps started to creep along her skin, she realized why it was so eerie. There was no sound.
The wind had stopped blowing. There were no birds chirping in the evening light, no bushes rustling, nothing. The unnatural quiet settled on her like a heavy, uncomfortable blanket, and she decided that she needed to get out of there, now. So she started moving as fast as her body would allow, which wasn't very fast, unfortunately for her. All of a sudden, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's ability to sense negative emotions activated, and Kushina felt something terrifying. It was right behind her. Kushina ducked, and felt something pass over her head with a rush of air. Kushina moved forward and turned around to find... Nothing. She was sure something was there! She reached out with her senses, using Kyuubi's ability again. Her breath hitched as she sensed it again, a massive wall of... emptiness, pain, and hunger. It was right in front of her, and getting closer, it was invisible!?
Well, whatever it was, Kushina didn't waste any time, she quickly summoned her chains and threw then forward. She watched them carefully, and the second one looked like it hit something that wasn't there, she commanded them to wrap around and capture it, and they did. Whatever it was, it was tall, but only a bit bigger than her. Kushina was evaluating her next move, when a snapping sound entered her ears. It was breaking her chains! She needed to do something fast, so she used her chains to throw her attacker as far away as she could, "Get the fuck away from me you creepy asshole!" After it got thrown, she touched a seal on her arm and removed a kunai with a special paper bomb attached. She tossed it into the air and set it off as she turned to keep moving back to the village. The one damn time she'd forgotten Minato's kunai!
- Minato's office -
Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage sighed to himself as he leaned back in his chair. He'd finally managed to get all his paperwork done, and now it was time to head home. He'd been worried when Kushina lost her protection detail, but what could he do? She was always good at losing a tail. Something he would guiltily admit to knowing from experience... In his defense, he was just to nervous to approach her when he was younger. Speaking of Kushina, a deafening explosion sounded as a crimson red cloud of fire appeared over the village outskirts. He knew what that explosion was, an attack signal, and there was only one person who made them that shade of red.
"Kushina!? ANBU on me, now! Saru, get the village secure then get the rest of the ANBU to that signal!"
"Hai!"
Kushina was taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself down. Hopefully that would get this thing off her trail long enough for her to escape, or at least long enough for reinforcements to arrive. She leaned back against a tree, stretching the Kyuubi's sensing ability to it's limits. Soon enough, she felt it. Whatever it was, it was following her. She held her breath, hoping it would give up and leave... It was moving slowly, probably trying to pick up her trail, but it wouldn't. Kushina may have been pregnant, but she was still able to hide without leaving evidence as to where she was. Now all she had to do was wait for it to move on, "Just stay calm Kushina, it has no idea where you a-" Kushina didn't even have time to react as it suddenly appeared on the other side of the tree, and her blood ran cold as a sudden wooden snap rang out. A drop of sweat ran down her face as the tree behind her fell over, crashing into the ground. She got ready to run, only to freeze. All of a sudden, it felt like this... insane weight was dropped on top of her. She nearly blacked out just from feeling it, it was like something was gripping her very soul. Kushina slowly placed a hand on her stomach, "I-it's okay Naruto... We'll make it through this. Kaa-chan will keep you safe..."
Kushina shook with fear as she slowly turned her head, and she saw it. Well, not completely. All she saw was the foggy image of something standing there. It looked like it was vaguely human shaped, with what looked like an extremely long tail. Kushina turned to face it and slowly backed away, "Wh-what are you?" She asked, her voice shaking.
It let out a haunting laugh, it's voice sounding like it was coming from behind a wall, "Hm... You can see me already? Usually it takes longer... Oh well, this just makes it more fun!" It's voice was filled with sick amusement. Suddenly it moved forward, it's tail lashing forward and carving a rut in the ground right next to Kushina's foot. She jumped away only for it to make another one on the other side. Kushina backed up as it continued forward, continuing it's little game of terrorizing Kushina. The redhead grit her teeth and once again summoned her chains, only for it to grab one and use it to toss Kushina to the side, "Ah, ah, ah, that's not going to work again! I've never come across a human with a power like that before, you're going to be fun!"
Kushina pushed herself to her feet, now even more scared than before. She'd thought that this was an attack by another village, but it was clear now that this thing just wanted to kill, and it was playing with her. Thinking quickly, Kushina crawled over to a clear patch of ground and bit into her finger, scrawling something on the ground.
It watched her, amused, "Oh? What're you working on down there? Trying to scrawl a dying message, human? Go right ahead, I won't stop you..." Kushina finished her work and lunged forward as best as she could, getting onto her feet and continuing toward the village. It sighed and went after her, intending to step on her message. Then once it did, a bunch of lines spread out and worked their way up it's body. It tried to move, only to find that whatever this was paralyzed him, "You're full of surprises, go ahead and run! I'll hunt you down, and I'll tear you apart before swallowing that baby whole! Ehahahahaha!" It laughed, taunting Kushina as she ran.
Kushina tried her best ti ignore it's taunting, but the haunting voice filled her mind. She didn't know how long she'd been running, but she knew that she had to keep moving, "It's alright sweetie, we'll be safe soon!" That seal might have been made quickly, but it was strong! It should hold long enough for her to-
"You know... I love this." Kushina's eyes went wide as something tripped her. She fell onto her hands and knees and looked back to see it once again standing over her, "The chase, the fear, the look on your face as my reiatsu crushes you... It's killing you inside isn't it? Knowing that you and your baby will die, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's okay to tell me, I know exactly how you feel, after all..." Then, two things became clear enough to make out, a hole and a mask. The hole was a clean circle, right where it's stomach would be, and it went clean through, though the mask was what really caught her attention. It looked like it was made out of bone, and had a mouth of razor sharp teeth. Though nothing else caught her attention after she saw the eyes. Horrible yellow eyes with black sclera gazing at her with a sick and twisted light to them, "I used to be human too..."
Kushina tried to get up, but her legs just wouldn't move... It was all too much, it felt like her soul was being crushed. But she couldn't give up, she had to keep going, this thing was NOT touching her child! "You aren't going to lay a finger on my baby you wannabee boogeyman!" Kushina dug deep and brought as much of her chakra as she could to the surface, chains exploding from almost every bit of her body. They wrapped around every bit of the monster, who just seemed to be observing the chains this time. It let out a little chuckle as one of her chains wrapped around it's head, trying to crush it, "How's this for fun!?" She yelled out as the blade on the end of the chain around it's head stabbed through the eye hole.
"GYAAAAAAH!" It roared out as blood flew from the socket. With another roar of rage, it opened it's mouth, some kind of red ball of energy forming in front of it, "CERO!" It screamed as Kushina dropped to the ground. A beam of energy flew over her, carving a trench into the ground before finally colliding with something and exploding, briefly lighting up the darkness of dusk. Kushina looked up, her eyes wide with fear at the damage this thing had caused with one attack. Then the pressure on her doubled, she couldn't move a muscle, it felt like someone had dumped a bucket of freezing cold water on her very soul. "You... I was going to play with you a little longer, but now you've made me angry! I'll make you watch while I tear that pathetic thing out of your stomach and rip it apart LIMB BY LIMB!"
Before Kushina could react, it gripped her by the throat, lifting her into the air. Kushina tried kicking it and prying it's fingers off, but to no avail, "No!" She cried in her mind as it's grip cut off her breathing. Kushina summoned more of her chakra and wrapped her chains around it's arm, trying to snap it, or at least move it. The creature completely ignored them, and instead raised the pressure even higher. Spots swam in Kushina's vision, it's very presence threatening to suffocate her, "P-please, don't h-hurt him!" She managed to get out.
"Oh no, no no... You lost the right to beg when you stabbed me in the fucking eye! Not that I would've spared you if you'd begged before." It raised it's arm to make good on it's threat, only to hesitate as a lot of signatures entered it's sensory range. All of them had powerful signatures like the woman... It growled. As much as it wanted to take it's time and torture her, if all of them had abilities like hers and weren't weighed down by pregnancy, then it might actually die. She clearly knew they were coming too, if the hope in her eyes was any indication, "What's with that look?" She looked back at it, startled, "You think you're safe?" It would be a shame to ruin the fun, but killing her quickly would have to do... Then, an evil thought came to it, "You know what? I think I'll leave you with something to remember me by... I'm just sad I won't get to be here and watch you suffer while your child dies!" It's arm came down, pointed at her stomach, before all it's pressure settled on her, or more specifically, something inside her.
Kushina's eyes widened in terror as it let go, dropping her to the ground, "No, no! What did you do!?" She screamed as it started to disappear.
"Hehahaha... You may have escaped me, but I'll make sure you never forget me..." It said maniacally as it completely disappeared.
Kushina struggled to her feet, and managed to get up just as Minato and a full squad of ANBU appeared. Minato rushed to her, "Are you alright, what happened?" She then took a second to look around at the destruction, particularly the giant trench and crater, "W-What did this?"
"No time! Hospital, now! It did something to Naruto!"
Minato nodded, picking her up, "Search the village, I want whoever or whatever did this dead by morning!"
- Konoha Hospital -
"Get me Tsunade, now!" Minato yelled out as he carried Kushina into the hospital. Kushina was practically hyperventilating. The stress of the last few hours was taking it's toll, "Kushina, you need to calm down, just take deep breaths..." Kushina seemed to heed his words as her breathing slowed.
"I'm already here!" A busty blonde woman asked as she entered the lobby with a teenage dark haired girl, "I want two of our best to assist me, yesterday! You too Shizune, we might need you." She then motioned for Minato to follow her, they headed to the nearest empty room and got Kushina onto a bed, Tsunade started checking her over, "Kushina, what happened, where are you injured?"
Kushina pushed Tsunade's hand away, "Forget me, check on Naruto! It did something to him!" At her insistence, Tsunade moved to checking on the baby. She couldn't sense anything wrong, but something felt off. She switched between different diagnostic jutsu until something made her gasp, "What? What's happening!?"
"His soul is dying." She said before turning to the door as two other doctors fully prepped for surgery came in. They both jumped as Tsunade immediately got them working, "Get the hell over here, we've got a baby with a degrading soul!" They both scrambled over to her, "We can't fix it while he's in the womb, we'll have to do a C-section and help him after he's out." She started barking orders, "You two, start using Tamashi no hozon, keep his soul intact while I help Kushina. Shizune, you'll be my nurse."
"Y-yes Tsunade-sensei!" Shizune said as she quickly got ready. She was still relatively new to emergency operations, and what better way to ease someone into it than a C-section on a pregnant Jinchuuriki to save a dying baby... Of course she didn't dare say this out loud, or Tsunade would probably kill her. Speaking of Tsunade, the Slug Princess was in deep thought. Techniques that attacked the soul directly were rare, but there were ways to counter them... However, she couldn't use them on an unborn baby. Kushina was close enough to the due date that Naruto should be healthy, but the timing on getting him out and healing his soul would be close.
As they got Kushina set up for the C-section, Minato couldn't stop himself from asking, "What do you mean his soul is dying? I-Is he gonna be alright?" He watched as the two assistants' hands glowed pure white against Kushina's stomach.
"It'll be close, but if we can get him out then we can help him... Shizune, go to the front desk and tell the nurse we need a surgery room prepped for an emergency C-section."
Shizune was about to get to it when Kushina spoke up, "No!" Everyone looked to her in surprise, "I don't care about anesthetic, I don't care about the procedure or any of that other shit! Cut me open, get Naruto out, and help him!" She said, looking Tsunade directly in the eye.
"Fine... Alright Shizune change of plans, you'll be on suction duty, tell the nurse we need a pump for amniotic fluid. Also give Kushina that towel, she's gonna need something to bite on." What followed was a hasty and painful experience for Kushina. They even had to try some unorthodox cutting to keep from disturbing the Kyuubi's seal. Nobody had ever tried a C-section on a Jinchuuriki, and they really didn't want to take any chances with the first one. Normally there would be a lot more cleanliness and preparation involved in a C-section, but they didn't have the luxury of time. Kushina spent most of the operation gripping the sheets and screaming into the towel. It only took about 30 minutes, but it felt like hours knowing that every second counted. It was made even worse by the assistants commenting that they couldn't keep Naruto's soul intact, it was wasting away too fast for them to keep up. Thankfully, Naruto was brought into the world not long after that. Tsunade idly realized that he looked just like a miniature Minato.
Tsunade immediately moved him to aside table while Minato comforted Kushina, "Shizune, stitch her up! You two, keep using the jutsu while I heal him." Once she started working on fixing Naruto's soul, she realized that it was much worse than she thought... His soul was dying quickly, and she didn't know if she could help him in time. Tsunade shook her head, she couldn't think like that! This would work, she knew it. It was a race against the clock as Tsunade worked tirelessly to help the newborn Naruto, and it was a race Naruto was losing. His skin was pale, he wasn't making a sound, and he was barely moving.
"Come on, come on! I'm almost there!" It was going to be even closer than she thought, but she had to do this! The taint was almost purged, but Naruto's soul was almost completely lost. Tsunade raised her hand, glowing and covered with blinding white chakra, and pushed it all inside Naruto at the exact instant that the last bit of his soul was snuffed out. Everyone watched as little Naruto stopped moving completely, the life leaving his eyes.
All was silent, before Tsunade sensed his soul spring back to life. Naruto let out a loud cry, the color slowly returning to his skin as he wiggled around. Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief, picking Naruto up and looking him over. It didn't look like there were any immediate problems... Did he always have those whisker marks? Whatever, it didn't matter... Tsunade handed him off to his mother before collapsing into a chair next to the bed. Kushina held Naruto close, his crying slowly subsiding now that he was safely with his parents. They both watched as his eyes opened up, showing that they were a vibrant blue. Kushina looked up at Minato, "I suppose you want a report on what happened?"
Minato shook his head with a smile, reaching down to brush a hand over Naruto's hair, "It can wait... For now let's get you two cleaned up and just relax, okay?" As the assistants got ready to move Kushina and clean Naruto up, Minato looked back down at his son, "Well, you certainly didn't come into the world the way we expected, but you're here now and we're all safe."
Kushina nodded, "See? I told you I'd protect you..." Once they were moved and cleaned up, Kushina spent the rest of the night holding onto Naruto, as if she were afraid he would disappear if she let go. Little did she or Minato know, that this event would send Naruto's life down a path none of them could've predicted.
It was the next morning, Minato and Kushina were alone in the room, as Tsunade had taken Naruto to get examined and make sure there weren't any lingering problems. "So, this invisible monster is what caused all that destruction?" Minato asked, getting Kushina's report. His wife had clearly been shaken by the incident, but she was still able to get through what happened. As she spoke it became clear that the incident had left scars with Kushina, and why wouldn't it? The only reason she'd survived as long as she had was because it was taking pleasure in toying with her.
Kushina nodded, her breathing shaky, "So, did they find the thing?" She asked, before another question came to mind, "You really didn't see that beam? It was clear as day to me."
Minato shook his head, "No to both... We searched the entire village and didn't find anything. We're pretty sure it left. Apparently everything got quiet for one of the guards on the wall, then a portion of the wall was blasted outward, seemingly by nothing. As for the beam, it was weird... We could see and hear the destruction, but not the beam itself." The two sat in silence for a minute, trying to think of a reason for it. Then Minato got an idea, "Didn't it say 'You can already see me? Usually it takes longer?'" At Kushina's nod he continued, "Maybe the longer you stay near it the less its invisibility affects you? That would explain why you could see it and the beam but the rest of us couldn't."
"Hm... That makes sense." She shivered, "I just hope that it never comes back..."
"Well, like you said, it's gone and we're all safe now..." Kushina gave a warm smile in response. Their tender moment was then interrupted by a knocking on the window. They both turned to see a familiar figure with long white hair giving them a goofy grin and a thumbs up. Minato gave an amused smile, opening the window, "You know, it wouldn't kill you to use the door, sensei."
Jiraiya shrugged, "I was going to, but the nurse at the register wouldn't tell me what room you were in. Apparently Tsunade told everyone that your room was off-limits... Though she may have been annoyed that I appreciated her figure." He looked around with a smile, "So, where is the little guy?"
Kushina crossed her arms, "Tsunade took him to check up on him, I don't understand why she couldn't just do it here... Oh, and Jiraiya, we've got something for you to be on the lookout for."
"I heard, some invisible beast, right?" Minato and Kushina spent the next few minutes regaling Jiraiya with all the events of the previous night, and by the end the Toad Sage was shaking his head in disbelief, "Damn... Well it's a good thing I was close to the village when you contacted me, now I can get started on finding out about this thing quickly." His face then relaxed, "But first I'd like to meet my godson!" As if the universe was listening, the door to the room slid open, and Tsunade stepped in holding a giggling Naruto, "Hey there, Princess! How is he?" Tsunade looked up at him, and he immediately knew that something was wrong, "Tsunade?"
Everyone looked over to her as the blonde woman walked over to Kushina and handed Naruto to her, "I.. Naruto is-" She stopped, seeming to not know what to say.
Kushina looked up at her, holding Naruto close, "What is it? Is he alright!?"
Tsunade sighed, before massaging her temples, "Physically speaking, he's fine. I couldn't find anything wrong with him, except... Goddammit, I don't know how else to say it, he doesn't have any chakra."
Her words didn't register with them at first, but when they did, a chill ran through everyone. Minato looked down at Naruto's gurgling little form, "W-What? That should be impossible, right? I-I mean we were taught that every living thing has chakra, no matter how little, how can Naruto not have any!?" He asked
"I don't know! I checked, double checked, and triple checked, then I had a Hyuga nurse take a look at him with the Byakugan. His chakra core and coils are completely empty, no matter how impossible it may seem." She sat down on a chair and heaved a tired sigh, "Last night, I managed to get rid of whatever was killing his soul, but it was a close call. I managed to fix his soul right as it died, I'd thought that I managed to completely save it, but there were a few seconds where Naruto was... dead. Your chakra only leaves you when you die, so Naruto must've lost his chakra then." She looked over at Kushina, "I'm so sorry... If I'd been faster, if I'd wasted less time..."
Kushina just gave her a small smile, "Stop it, Tsunade. You saved Naruto's life!" She looked down at him, brushing a hand over his blonde hair, "I'll admit, I'm sad that he can't use chakra... But him just so thankful that he's alive, losing his chakra seems like a small price to pay." A small tear slipped down her cheek, "If anyone's to blame it's me. I lost my ANBU guard and went out alone, after all."
Jiraiya came over and put a hand on her shoulder, "Come on now, neither of you are to blame for this. If anyone is it's the spooky bastard that attacked you."
Minato nodded, "Sensei's right, and we'll do everything we can to find that thing and teach it a lesson."
There was a knock on the door, and after being called in, an ANBU with a monkey mask stepped inside, "Hokage-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the council members are asking for a meeting do discuss what happened."
A groan escaped Minato's mouth, and Kushina giggled, "Go ahead Minato, we'll be here. At least until... When can I go home, Tsunade?"
"Well, I know how much you hate the hospital, but I want to keep you two here for a few days, just to make sure everything's alright." Tsunade said, before giving Kushina a glare when the redhead looked ready to argue.
Kushina frowned and pouted, "Fine... We'll stay for a while..."
Jiraiya stretched as he headed toward the window, "Well alright then, since everyone's going about their business I should probably get back to mine..."
He then shivered as he felt two sets of eyes start burning holes in his head, "Spying or... 'research'?" Kushina asked with a deadly tone to her voice.
"Spying of course! Come on, what do you take me for!?" Jiraiya asked.
Tsunade gave him a deadpan look, "You don't want us to answer that question."
After watching a grumbling Jiraiya jump out the window, Kushina kissed Naruto's head and looked down into his bright, blue eyes, "Are you excited to go home? I know I am!" She cooed to him, smiling as Naruto tried to grip her red locks, "You know what? Even if you can't use chakra, I know you'll go amazing things, my little maelstrom..."
- Eight Years Later, Uzumaki Compound -
"Ha!" Came Naruto's cry, throwing a punch at his father. The blonde had grown normally over the past eight years, something that his parents were grateful for. His hair had grown a bit longer, now hanging over his forehead, and he was wearing a blue t-shirt with an orange spiral on it and black shorts with blue shinobi sandals. He threw another punch, hitting Minato's hand, before transitioning into a side kick. However, just after the kick hit, Minato grabbed his foot and gave it a light shove, making Naruto fall back, "Wha- Hey!"
As he fell back, Minato stood up and offered a hand, "Remember Naruto, draw your leg back right after the kick connects. Otherwise your opponent will do that." He always enjoyed these spars with Naruto, and even if he didn't have chakra, they wanted him to be able to defend himself.
Naruto grumbled, but grabbed his father's hand, "Yeah, I know Tou-san... So, are we gonna go again?"
Minato let out a chuckle, "Not this time, it's almost time for lunch, and we don't want Kaa-san mad at us for letting our food get cold." He said with a shiver, which Naruto matched.
The two of them were currently in the courtyard of the Uzumaki clan's Konoha compound. It was traditionally designed like the Hyuga's, though nowhere near as big. It just had the main house with a few smaller guesthouses. It was originally meant as a house for visiting Uzumaki back in the days when Uzushiogakure was around, however Kushina had moved in when she got to Konoha, with Minato joining her after they'd started dating.
The two made their way into the dinning room to see what looked like a miniature Kushina already sat at the table. She had the same skin, hair, and eyes, but the hair was done up into a pair of twintails. She turned to them and gave a megawatt grin, bouncing over to them and grabbing Naruto's hand, "Nii-san! Come sit next to me, I wanna show you something!"
Naruto nodded, before his sister yaked him forward, "Okay Yui! Stop pulling me, I'm coming!"
Yui Namikaze was the newest addition to the Namikaze family, and undeniable proof that when Kushina had children, bad things happened. Not that it was her fault a long thought to be dead Shinobi showed up in the village while she was giving birth to Yui and ripped the Kyuubi out of her. This time they'd gone the whole nine yards that they usually go to when a Jinchuuriki gives birth, a sealed chamber in a secret location where nothing could go wrong. Well, almost nothing. Just after Kushina had given birth to Yui, a masked man who Minato believed to be Madara Uchiha had appeared and taken Kushina, then unleashed the Kyuubi upon the village. Tsunade had been there and had tried to stop him, but Madara had used Yui as a shield to keep her and Minato from doing anything until he'd gotten away with Kushina. After that Minato had gone after him and Tsunade had gone to help defend the village from the angry Bijuu.
Naruto was only two when the attack happened, but he had a very clear memory of catching a glimpse of the beast while he was being take to one of the village's shelters by Shizune. His parents hadn't shared all the details with him, but apparently Minato had managed to fight off Madara while Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the Sandamie fought the Kyuubi. They'd managed to keep it more or less contained in one part of the village, but it had still caused a fuckton of damage. Then, to get rid of it, Minato was forced to use an extremely powerful seal which would cost him his life.
What Minato had intended to do was split the Kyuubi in half, part going to Yui, and the other part going into himself. He'd believed that Yui would need to control the Kyuubi someday and wanted to take half of the Kyuubi with him to keep the full Kyuubi from overwhelming her. However, this wasn't how it ended up working out...
- Flashback, night of the Kyuubi attack -
The Shinigami was a bit annoyed at the moment. He had a very busy schedule, collect the souls of the dead, watch the barrier sealing this world off from the other one... Well actually that was it, but it was a very time-consuming job! Not to mention there was a Hollow running around doing who knows what... In all the years since the Soul King had created him, he'd never once allowed a Hollow to get past him, then this one somehow shows up. Thankfully it seemed to just be biding it's time right now, which was good because it gave him enough time to find the little fucker.
Anyway, the Shinigami was annoyed because his work had gotten interrupted by the humans who summoned him. Apparently this human had developed a seal that summoned him to seal things away, and he was being asked to seal half a Bijuu into a newborn and half into the man who summoned him... Well, he'd done stranger things. He cracked his fingers and prepared to work, before something caught his attention. The woman, her reiatsu was much higher than it should be... The only reason it would be was if she'd been in contact with a spiritual being. He certainly hadn't been the one, so who-
Ah, the Hollow.
Hm... Speaking of Hollows, what was that he was sensing from the village? It was definitely a Hollow but it felt... strange. The Shinigami focused on it, and before his eyes appeared a toddler, crying in the arms of an older girl. Well that was unexpected... Then, the more he focused on this boy, examining his reiatsu, the more interested the Shinigami became, he was certainly an interesting case... It looked like his soul had completely Hollowfied, but was somehow resuscitated, creating a... Living Hollow.
It would appear... That the woman was attacked by a hollow, with the child being killed in some fashion, but brought back to life with a Hollowfied soul. Interesting! Though this would require a bit of observation. The boy was the first of his kind after all, if he couldn't control his powers then he'd become a big problem. Of course... If he could learn to control it, then he could be an incredibly valuable asset. He was getting off track, before any of that he needed to get this contract sorted out... Speaking of, maybe he could use this to his advantage? If he let the boy's family live, then he could already have a debt to hold over him if he ever needed something from the boy. Plus, he would be lying if he felt like he didn't owe the woman something... He'd allowed a Hollow to slip past him, by accident or not didn't matter, and this woman was attacked as a result. Plus she must've made it fire the Cero, which alerted the Shinigami to it's presence.
'...Count yourselves lucky humans, none of you are dying today.' He thought to himself, 'Now, let's take the yang portion and put it in the baby... Then we'll take the Yin portion and put it in the woman... Oh right, she's dying... Well let's just give her a little more life energy...' Normally he wasn't allowed to do his own thing like this, but he felt he'd earned a little right to bend the rules, he finished by snapping his fingers and fixing the holes in their chests from, Kyuubi's claw. The Shinigami took a few minutes to admire his work, before taking one last look at Naruto's reiatsu and fading away, the sealing contract complete.
Meanwhile, Minato now knelt by Yui's crib, an unconscious Kushina next to him, and a look of utter confusion on his face. The Shinigami had seemed like it was ready to do it's thing, then it just stopped, looked around and thought for a while... Next thing Minato knew, half the Kyuubi was in Yui, the other half was back in Kushina, and he was still alive! He honestly had no idea what just happened! Had someone interfered with the sealing? Minato quickly looked over both Yui and Kushina, Yui was fine, and her seal was working perfectly. Kushina was a little worse for wear, but it looked like her seal was fine as well.
"W-What the hell happened?"
- Flashback End -
Minato still had no idea what had happened that night. He'd thought maybe the seal had an error that made it function differently than intended, but nope. The formula was completely correct, it should've sealed half into Yui and half into himself, taking part of the Kyuubi with him when Minato died. Instead Kushina had gotten the other half, and the both of them were alive! Minato wasn't usually one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but he knew there was a reason, he just couldn't think of what it might be...
"I should just forget about it... Whatever happened, I should be grateful. Kushina and I are alive, and so are our kids."
Speaking of, Yui seemed to be staring at him with suspicion, "Tou-chan, I wanna show Nii-san first..." She said with a little pout.
Oh, right. She wanted to show Naruto something, "Alright, alright... I'll go help Kaa-san bring lunch out." He headed into the kitchen, seeing Kushina stirring a pot of ramen, "You know, if we eat too much ramen we'll be in trouble..."
Kushina turned and gave him a smirk, "Sacrilege! Nothing bad can happen from enjoying the food of the gods! We don't even have it that much... At least, this is the first time this week..."
"Right... Well I suppose we shouldn't keep the kids waiting, you know how Yui gets when she has to sit still for too long."
"Sure, I'll get the bowls and chopsticks, would you bring the pot?" The two of them gathered everything up and headed back into the dinning room. As they walked in, they saw something that they certainly weren't expecting. Naruto and Yui were watching as a small golden chain stood straight up in Yui's hand.
Yui looked like she was concentrating hard, but when she noticed Minato and Kushina, she quickly turned and beamed at them, "Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, look! I can make the chains too!" She daid happily, before the chain dissipated due to Yui losing focus.
A bright grin blossomed on Kushina's face as well as she put the bowls on the table and sat on Yui's other side, "That's great, Yui! You even figured out how to make them appear all on your own?" At Yui's nod, Kushina gave her a hug, "You're a natural! I'll have to teach you how to use those sometime." Kushina had been worried that the chains would die with her, since they were rare even among the Uzumaki clan. But it looked like she didn't have to worry any more. However, the smile dropped a bit as she looked over to Naruto, he was smiling. It was a big grin that went from ear to ear, filled with happiness.
It was also completely fake.
Minato and Kushina had told Naruto about his... condition a few years prior. They'd originally wanted to wait, but after Naruto got his heart set on going to the academy they decided that waiting longer would just be cruel. It was a hard thing to do, but at least it was out of the way now.
- Three years prior - Midday -
Minato leaned back against his desk, one hand on his head and the other drumming against his desk. He was having a bit of a dilemma and had asked his predecessor, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to help him work it out, "I mean... Is there any way that Naruto could become a Shinobi without chakra?"
"Minato, I know Naruto has his heart set on it, but it just won't work out." The elderly Shinobi told Minato with a stern look.
"You don't know that, there have been special cases where kids haven't been able to properly mold chakra and still been made Shinobi. Naruto could still work his way through the academy..."
Hiruzen shook his head, "In all those cases those kids have been able to at least use chakra to enhance their physical abilities and activate items which require chakra to use. I know Naruto is a strong child, but he doesn't have any chakra to work with. Not only that, but think of his safety." At Minato's raised eyebrow, Hiruzen elaborated, "Even a Gennin could beat highly trained opponent who can't use chakra, Naruto just wouldn't be able to keep up with a Shinobi's strength and speed. He'd be a sitting duck on the battlefield and get himself killed."
Minato looked down at his desk, "I know that... It's just, when he looks at me with those bright eyes, telling me he's going to be the strongest Ninja in the world, I just want to help him get there."
Hiruzen placed a hand on Minato's shoulder, a fatherly smile on his face, "That's because you're a good father, Minato. You believe in your son and you want him to succeed in whatever he wants to do, but part of being a parent is telling your children the truth. Even if it hurts."
The office was quiet for a few minutes, before Minato let out a long-suffering sigh, "Alright, I get it... Thanks, Hiruzen-sama." He turned and looked out the window, he really hated having to do this, but the old man was right, "I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off, Naruto will probably need some family time after this..."
Hiruzen nodded, "Go ahead, I'll finish up here." He gave a joking smile, "Just don't make a habit out of it, I retired to get away from the paperwork!"
"So, what should we have for dinner, Naruto?" Kushina asked her son with a smile, "And don't say ramen, we already had it yesterday." She was in the living room of the Uzumaki estate, sitting on the couch, with her two children on the floor. They were both drawing in some coloring books she'd gotten them. Well, Naruto was still coloring, Yui looked like she was ready for a nap.
Naruto shrugged, "I don't know, maybe pork chops then?" He said, before looking up at Kushina questioningly, "Hey, Kaa-san? Can you teach me how to make those chains?"
Kushina blinked in surprise, not expecting that, "U-um... I don't know, Naruto... It's not really something you can teach, either you're born with it or you're not." She said, trying to skirt around the fact that he didn't have any chakra. She hated hiding it from him, maybe it was time for she and Minato to come clean...
He looked like he wanted to say something else, before something caught his attention, "Tou-san's home!" He got up off the floor and raced toward the front door. Kushina gave a little huff and watched him go, she had no idea how he did that... Naruto was somehow able to tell when people were getting near him before anyone else. Obviously he wasn't a sensor... Kushina was brought out of her thoughts by Naruto coming back into the room with Minato, trying and failing to whisper conspiratorially, "Tou-san, help me convince Kaa-san that we should have ramen again!"
Minato let out a chuckle, "Careful, Naruto. You wouldn't want Kaa-san to get the boken out, right?" His smile widened as Naruto shivered, before it dropped a bit, "Hey Naruto, It looks like Yui is pretty wiped out, would you put her crayons and coloring book away while Kaa-san and I take her to her room?"
Kushina raised an eyebrow as Naruto nodded, gathering up his sister's crayons. Minato picked Yui up off the floor and gestured to Kushina to follow him, which she did, though she was a bit confused. Once they got to Yui's room, Kushina waited outside while Minato set her on her futon and headed out, sliding the door closed. Minato turned to her and gave her a somber look, "...I think we should tell Naruto about his chakra."
"What? I thought we were going to wait!" She exclaimed, not liking that this came out of nowhere.
"I just got to thinking about it today... I don't want to take away his dreams any more than you do, but the longer we wait the worse it's going to be on him. We have to tell him sometime, and I think that getting it out of the way as soon as we can is the best option."
"But it'll crush him! We wanted to wait until he was older so he'd understand, and he's only five! Just imagine how upset this will make him..."
Minato looked her in the eye, "Imagine how upset he'll be when he gets old enough to enter the academy, and learns then. We let him wait until just before he got started and then just rip it all away from him, that would be even worse!" He took Kushina's hand, "I know you don't want to hurt him, but he has to be told."
Kushina was silent for a minute. She started to say something a few times, but her words always died in her throat. Finally she sighed, and nodded her head, "...Right, you're right... The longer we wait, the worse it will be..." She took a few breaths to steady herself before they went back to the living room, seeing Naruto still flipping through his coloring book, "Naruto, could you come here? We need to talk to you about something." She said as they both got sat down on the couch, patting the spot between her and Minato.
Naruto looked a bit confused, but shrugged and hopped up onto the couch with them, "What's up?"
Minato looked down at the floor, this was going to be harder than he thought... Well, he supposed that the best thing to do was to just come out and say it, "Well, it's about your chakra, you see Naru-"
"Oh! Are you guys finally gonna start teaching me stuff? Awesome, come on, let's go outside and see if I can use Mom's awesome chains!" before he could leave, Kushina stopped him.
"Naruto, please listen to me, it's important. Okay? The night you were born, something happened. I was attacked by... by a monster." She shook as she remembered that night.
"A monster?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening.
Seeing that Kushina was struggling a bit, Minato took over, "We managed to chase it off, but it did something to you while you were still inside your Kaa-san. We still don't fully understand how, but it was trying to kill your soul." Naruto put a hand to his chest, "We had to get you out early so Tsunade could save you, and she did, but... Because of what it did to you, your chakra was gone."
Naruto looked between the two of them, eyes holding a twinge of fear, "W-well, it came back right? ...Right?"
Kushina wrapped her arms around him, "We're so sorry, Naruto... But your chakra is lost, and it can't come back."
"But, but I can still be a Ninja, can't I?" He asked desperately, looking up at Minato.
It broke Minato's heart to look into those pleading eyes, but he couldn't run away from this, Naruto deserved to know the absolute truth, "I'm so, so sorry Naruto. But it's just not possible... Without chakra, you would be killed."
Naruto looked down at the ground, "So... What do I do? What can I do?"
Kushina hugged him closer, "You can do anything else you want to... If you really want to be involved with the Shinobi world then you can join the Research and development team, or the Fuinjutsu corps, you don't need chakra to learn to draw seals. Plus, don't forget that when you get older, you'll take over as head of the Uzumaki clan. You may not have chakra, but I know you'll do great at whatever you want to do!"
Naruto just nodded quietly, and Minato put a hand on his shoulder, "Naruto, I know this is hard, and I wish that there was something we could do to give you chakra or make it possible for you to be a Shinobi, or tell you that your chakra will come back someday, but we just don't know... Though, there is one thing we do know." He then lifted Naruto's head to look him in the eye, giving him a warm smile, "Even without chakra, you're kind, you're smart, you're strong, and I know you'll do amazing things."
Naruto nodded, wiping his eyes as Kushina spoke up, "That's right, and no matter what you decide to do, we'll be right there beside you! We love you, Naruto, and we always will, no matter what."
"...Okay..." he said after a bit, clearly trying to hold back tears. They sat there holding him for a few minutes, little sniffles coming from him every now and then, before he wiped his eyes and looked up at Kushina, "Hey Kaa-san, can we go to Ichiraku for dinner tonight?" He asked, a small smile working it's way onto his face.
Kushina returned the smile, "Of course we can, sweetie."
- Flashback End -
It had seemed that Naruto took it well, all things considered. But they quickly realized that it still bothered him, and even after two years he still hadn't completely moved on from his dream of being a Shinobi. Though he had taken Kushina's advice and decided to look into joining the Fuinjutsu corps, they did accept civilians into their ranks, but Naruto would have to graduate from a civilian school first, which he was due to start in a few weeks. They had no doubt that he'd do fine, Naruto was very smart. In the mean time, Naruto had started learning the basics of Fuinjutsu from his parents, and was a natural at it.
They knew that losing his chakra was still a sore spot for Naruto, but he kept trying to play it off like he didn't care anymore. It was usually enough to fool the people who didn't know him, but his family, their close friends, and especially Yui, could tell it still hurt.
Speaking of, Yui realized what her mother was looking at and turned to Naruto, a look of guilt on her face, "Oh... S-Sorry Nii-san..."
Naruto's smile dropped, but became more genuine, "It's okay Yui, you don't have to apologize... It's great that you can use the chains, and I really am happy for you!" He said, and he did mean it. Naruto would admit that he'd felt jealous of Yui at first, but that had gone away a long time ago. She was the apple of his eye, and he couldn't stay jealous of her or angry with her if he tried.
Minato, wanting to get everyone off the sad subject, held up the steaming hot pot of ramen, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving! How about we get started on cleaning this big sucker out?"
As Minato started dishing out the ramen and getting himself sat down, Yui turned to Kushina with strategically adorable puppy-dog eyes, "Kaa-chan, can we go to the park after lunch? Hinata told me her and her Kaa-san would be there today!"
"Well, I don't see why not... But let's think about that after we eat, we can't let my amazing ramen go to waste, can we?" She asked with an eager smile, which was shared by her children. With the somber air all but completely gone, Minato finished getting everyone their bowls, and the Namikaze family got to work on demolishing as much ramen as they could.
- Konoha Main Park - Two hours later -
Naruto had a bit of a hard time interacting with other kids. Kids from the shinobi clans were always talking about their family jutsu or the academy, which he couldn't do or go to. Civilian kids, on the other hand, always acted like they were afraid of him or something... He was the Hokage's son, but it wasn't like he'd tell his Dad to execute them if they did something he didn't like.
Most of the time he just played with Yui or her friends, one of whom was Hinata Hyuuga. She was a nice girl, if unbelievably shy. From the moment she and Yui had met, the boisterous redhead had declared them best friends, and frequently dragged the more reserved girl off on her adventures. To most people it looked like Hinata was just getting dragged around, but Kushina and Hitomi, Hinata's mother, knew that she did enjoy playing with the little Jinchuuriki. Which was good because not a lot of other kids did. Unfortunately, Yui's status had been leaked the very same night the attack happened. Minato had assured the village that Yui wasn't a threat, but there were still a good number of civilians and a few shinobi who didn't believe it. They'd even gone so far as to tell their kids not to associate with Yui.
Now back to the park. Naruto, Yui, and Hinata had been running around playing games for a few hours, and now the girls had decided that they wanted to play hide and seek. Yui and Hinata were currently running around the park, looking for a place to hide while Naruto counted, facing a random tree. Of course, no matter how well they hid themselves, he'd always be able to find them. He really didn't know how he did it, but he could just... tell where people were. He didn't have chakra, so he must just have good instincts?
Anyway, it was time to go look for Yui and Hinata. The park's main playground was right next to one of Konoha's main streets, with a few trees here and there to provide some shade. Around the edges were some benches, one of which had his and Hinata's mother sitting on it, with Hitomi carrying her second daughter, Hanabi in her arms. A quick glance of the playground and the surrounding area confirmed that they weren't there, so he decided to head into the more forested areas. Farther back from the street was pretty much a miniature forest. The trees were thick, but the area wasn't big enough for a kid to actually get lost in, so nobody really cared. Now, if Naruto were a betting boy, he'd bet that the two girls hid in there somewhere, so into the trees he went. After walking around for a minute, he did indeed find the girls, though they weren't alone.
Yui had her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face as she stared down an older boy, one with a Konoha headband on. He also had a couple other boys with him, they all appeared to be newly graduated Genin. It also appeared that they were picking on his sister. Yui glared up at who Naruto assumed was the leader, while Hinata hid behind her, "Look, just leave us alone!"
The three of them didn't look like anything special, one wore a black hoodie and shorts, with spiky brown hair and a bandage on his nose. The second had black hair and glasses, and the last had sandy brown hair and... that was it, nothing else really... The sandy haired one smirked, "Oh look, she thinks that since her Tou-san's the Hokage, she can tell us what to do!"
Yui growled and was about to say something, no doubt an insult, but Hinata spoke up first, "P-Please, we don't mean to be r-rude, but we should g-get back..." She tried to pull Yui away back toward the playground, but one of the boys, the one with glasses, stepped around and blocked her.
"Oh I don't think so, you see, we're tired of you clan kids getting treated like you're so much better than us!" He sneered as his friends closed in around the girls, "So we thought we'd teach you a lesson!"
However, he was interrupted as Naruto walked up and shoved him to the side, "Yui, Hinata, come on. We're going back to the playground." He said, surprisingly serious for an eight year old. The two were surprised to see him, but quickly walked over and got behind him.
Naruto was about to leave before one of the boys shoved him a bit, "Excuse you, kid! We have some business to settle with those two, so out of the way! Unless you want us to teach you a lesson too..." He said, tapping his headband.
Naruto just scoffed, "Three guys that waited for a couple little girls to be alone before going to bully them? I'm shaking in my boots." He said, making them angry, "Let's go." He told the girls.
"Oh, I remember you now..." The one in the hoodie said, a nasty smirk on his face, "You're the Hokage's other kid, the one who can't use chakra, right?" Unfortunately, like Yui's jinchuuriki status, Naruto's lack of chakra didn't stay secret for long thanks to Konoha's rumor mill. Thankfully nobody seemed to think anything less of him for it, aside from jackasses like these three. Though Naruto did get annoyed when people acted like him not having chakra was some kind of handicap.
Naruto's eye twitched, "Yeah, that's me."
The one with glasses chuckled a bit, "Oh we're so sorry, you must have it bad enough being so useless!" He said with a laugh.
Naruto grit his teeth, but turned around and waved for Yui and Hinata to follow him, "If having chakra meant that I'd have to work with morons like you three, then I'm glad I don't have it. You're mad at people being stronger than you, and you decide to pick on kids instead of getting better. You're all a waste of time."
With that, Naruto turned around and started back to the playground, only for one of them to put a hand on his shoulder, "Oh you wanna see better, kid? Well let me show you what chakra helps me do better than you!" He yanked Naruto around and sent a punch into the blonde's face, sending him stumbling back.
"N-Naruto, are you okay?" Hinata asked. Yui looked ready to fight, but Naruto put a hand up.
Okay... That did it. Naruto's hands balled up into fists as rage started to sweep through his young body. Though, something else accompanied it. Everyone felt a slight chill overtake them for a second, and none of them noticed as a bit of black started to creep into Naruto's sclera from the corner of his eye, "You know, it's a good thing you've got that bandage on your face." Naruto said conversationally. The boy was confused for a second, before Naruto threw his own punch. He tumbled back, his friends catching him. Naruto's lips peeled back in a snarl as he charged toward them, idly sensing Yui and Hinata running back to the playground.
The two girls quickly ran back, and made a B-line straight for the bench their mothers were sitting on. Kushina and Hitomi quickly realized something was wrong as their daughters scrambled up to them, Yui being the first to speak, "Nii-san is in trouble!"
Kushina jumped up, "What!? Where is he, what happened!?"
Hitomi also stood, putting a hand on Hinata's head as the bluenette clung to her mother's kimono, "What's going on, Hinata?"
Hinata looked up, a few stray tears in her eyes, "A-A few older boys w-were picking on us... N-Naruto came and h-helped, but they p-punched him and now t-they're fighting!"
Yui nodded, grabbing Kushina's hand and pulling her, "Come on! This way!" Kushina wasted no time in following Yui and heading into the trees, ears quickly picking up on what sounded like a fight.
Hitomi joined her, trying not to jostle Hanabi around too much. She activated her Byakugan and her eyes quickly widened, "I see them, they're Genin!" She said, already memorizing their faces.
Soon enough, they came upon the scene to find something interesting... As much as Kushina didn't want to admit it, she had expected to see the Genin beating Naruto to a pulp, not him manhandling the three of them. Naruto threw a punch at one, sending him back into a tree. Then as another came up behind him, Naruto sent a back kick right into his stomach, before spinning and backhanding him, sending him flying. One of them saw the two women standing there, "Oh no... Run!" He called to his friends as they high-tailed it away.
Naruto watched them run, and got ready to go after them before Kushina stopped him, "Naruto!" He turned around and saw her, anger still in his eyes. Then Kushina felt it, just for a second. Just for that one fleeting moment, she could've sworn that she felt the same type of pressure that monster used. Except it was coming from Naruto. However, just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Naruto's eyes widened, and Kushina could've sworn she saw something black in his eyes, "...Naruto?"
He put a hand to his head, shaking it, "...Sorry Kaa-san, I didn't mean to glare at you."
Kushina knelt down next to him, hands on his shoulders, "I-It's okay, Naruto." Naruto wasn't a monster, she was sure of it, but... She was also sure that she felt it, there was no mistake, "Are you okay?"
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little light-headed..."
Yui then barreled into Naruto, squeezing him in a hug while Hinata came up to him, blushing a bit, "T-thank you for s-saving us, N-naruto..."
"No problem! I'm just glad I was able to fight them off..." He said, pulling Hinata into a side-hug, eliciting an 'Eep!' from the girl.
Hitomi smiled, before something came to mind, "Actually Naruto... How did you fight them off? They were Genin, and you don't look like you have a single injury."
Naruto blinked a bit, before looking down at himself, "Huh... I don't know, I guess I'm a better fighter than I thought." He said with a grin.
Yui beamed up at him, "You're awesome Nii-san! You beat all three of 'em up, good!"
The Hyuga matriarch gave a slight giggle and smile, with Hanabi also letting out a happy sound, "It looks like it! Well, I think we might have to cut this park time short, Kushina... Kushina?" She asked, looking over to her friend.
Kushina looked to be deep in thought, staring at Naruto. Hitomi touched her arm, making the redhead jump, "W-what? Oh! Y-yeah, looks like it... I think this is enough excitement for one day. Okay you two, say goodbye to Hitomi and Hinata and let's go home." She said with a little smile. The children all said their goodbyes and they went their separate ways, but Kushina was left with a lingering worry in her head. She was certain that she sensed that! Naruto was emitting the same pressure that the thing that attacked her did! Naruto's didn't feel anywhere near as bad, nor did it last for long, but it was there...
Kushina kept giving Naruto glances as they walked. Maybe... Maybe he wasn't completely fine after all... "No! Don't think like that! Naruto is my son, he's a perfectly normal boy!"
"I used to be human too..."
Kushina stopped dead as it's voice rang out in her head, eyes wide. It had said that, it used to be human. If a human somehow became a monster like that, then-
"Kaa-san, what's wrong?" Naruto asked.
Kushina looked down at Naruto, a million thoughts running through her head. He was looking up at her with concern, and she couldn't help but feel stupid. There was no possible way that her little boy could become a creature like that. Besides, for all she knew that thing was just lying to her to scare her... She gave Naruto a warm smile, "It's nothing sweetie, I'm just a bit out of it right now..." Naruto nodded, looking like he didn't quite believe it, and they continued on their way home.
Naruto would be fine, Kushina was sure of it.
Chapter End!
Okay, there's the first chapter of The Extra Shinigami, and I hope you guys liked it! I know this chapter was a lot of setup, but like I said, I'm trying to take more time with my stories and not rush through things. I didn't want Naruto to already be leaving the village on chapter one...
Oh, and there's gonna be a little section for techniques I created down here at the end of each chapter.
Tamashi no Hozon - Preservation of the Soul.
- A medical technique made to preserve and heal the soul. While techniques that harm the soul directly are very rare, they are deadly enough that this technique is considered vital for every Medical Shinobi in the Elemental Nations.
Alright then, tell me what you guys think, and I'll see you all next time!