Child of Gods, Reject of Men

by Ronin2106

Forced to pay for the sealing of Kyuubi into his siblings, Naruto slowly dies after sealing. However,Shiva, God of Creation and Destruction, witnesses what happens and decides to save him. With his wife Parvati and Izanami, he saves Naruto, by making him more than man. How will Shinobi world react to a Child of Gods? Eventual OP! Naruto, Eventual Name!Change! Sequel is in works.

3. Chapter 3

"Amagi-no-Tenko… Wait, does that mean that you are the one who told Akagi, Kaga and other Kitsune to look after me?" Naruto asked Amagi, with her nodding to him. "But… But why did you exactly do that? From what I understand, Kitsune aren't Yokai known for protecting people, unless those are their family."

"Yes, you are correct in that, Naruto. There is a reason to this, but first I would like for us to take a seat and wait for my friend to arrive. Please." Amagi motioned for Naruto to sit before the small table, with her sitting in front of him.

A minute after they were seated, door slid to the side, revealing Tomoe Uchiha stepping inside, in her usual garments and with her sword near her side. She took a closer look at Naruto, briefly wondering if her son would've looked like that, had he been allowed to live. Deciding not to get too lost in the past, she shook of her thoughts about Masamune and focused on the present. She took a seat next to Amagi, prompting her to speak up.

"Naruto, this is my friend, Tomoe Uchiha. You may not remember it, but the two of you had met when you just born." Amagi said with a smile.

"I remember you…" Naruto suddenly said, much to surprise of both women. "I think I do… You were in the hospital, back when I was really small and… You always kept me company when nobody was around. Thank you, it was really scary, being there alone."

"I'm surprised you remember something from back then." Tomoe admitted to Naruto with a small smile. "You were less than a week old at that point, not to mention suffering from an ailment. And you don't need to thank me, I was only doing what I thought was right, and seeing a little baby all alone in that room… It didn't sit well with me."

"You did it just because I was alone there and nobody was there to help me, without any possible reward or something like that?" Naruto asked of Tomoe, with her nodding. "Then you are better than most people I know, and definitely far better than my sister's caretaker… Wait, how long have I been out cold?" Naruto asked with worry.

"A little over an hour, don't worry. I've been informed by Izuna that none have caught on to you being absent yet." Amagi assured him. "And yes, Mebuki is still in the house, while your parents and siblings have decided to take a break and headed for a ramen stand they like so much."

"Did they at least take Mito with them…? Oh, wait… If Mebuki in the house, then they decided to leave Mito alone with that harpy." Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. "They could've at least taken Mito out for a walk, instead of leaving her with Mebuki."

"You don't seem particularly concerned with the fact that your parents haven't asked about your whereabouts, do you?" Tomoe asked out of curiosity. "I know that your parents have decided to train your older siblings, while leaving you out of it. Don't you feel angry and slighted, for not being included in this?"

"Hm? No, not really angry. Well, maybe a bit sad that they've stopped to pay attention to me as much as they did, but not really angry. I mean, I get it that they need to be trained earlier to better control Nine Tails Chakra, and that starting out early is better." Naruto told the two. "I angrier at the fact that they almost forgot about Mito, and instead brought in that woman. She doesn't even care what happens to Mito, so long as she gets to show my Mom and Dad that she's a good friend and can be trusted." Naruto said with anger evident in his words.

"Yes, I too would like to ask with what place was your mother thinking, when she decided to ask Mebuki Haruno of all people to sit with her daughter. I mean, that woman had been after Minato since Academy days and had always hated your mother, without hiding it all that much." Tomoe told Naruto. "It must make her sick, to see Kushina with Minato's children, and to be forced to sit with the youngest one. I don't know what she has in mind, but I doubt it's something good. I'd wager it's got something to do with politics or something like that."

"Then it is a good thing that Izuna is there and watches over Mito. If something were to happen, either Kaga or Akagi would be able to get there within a minute's notice." Amagi assured them. "Now, I am afraid that we'll have to change the subject of our discussion. Naruto, you've asked me why I've tasked my Kitsune with watching over you. Well, the reason to that comes from the fact that you are a special person, not like most humans. I am certain you can already guess what I mean by that."

"You mean the fact that I can see Yokai, and also understand what people feel and when they lie to me?" Naruto asked, with Amagi nodding to him. "Well, maybe it's some kind of ability of Uzumaki, or from my father. Something like my Mom's chakra chains or…"

"Naruto, if a Yokai wants, it will become impossible to perceive for any human, whether they have a Sharingan, Byakugan or even a Rinnegan. I can attest to that fact, because I too couldn't perceive Yokai, until Amagi had taught me how to perceive them and the spiritual realm." Tomoe stated to Naruto. "And there are no other Doujutsu that can allow a person to perceive Yokai and the realm they live in. But you, Naruto, are different, because you were gifted with such an ability."

"Gifted? You mean, someone gave it to me?" Naruto asked of them, with Amagi and Tomoe nodding to him.

"Yes, Naruto, you were gifted this power, along with several others by not just anybody, but by deities themselves." Amagi stated to him, surprising Naruto. "Three deities have decided to bestow their blessings and essences upon you. Those three were Izanami, Goddess of Creation and Death, Parvati, a Goddess with three separate aspects, which include Durga, Goddess of War and Protector against evil, Kali, Goddess of Destruction and Death, and Parvati herself, Goddess of Love and Fertility. But the one who gifted you your unique perception is Shiva, God of Creation and Destruction. I was there and was a witness to it taking place, Naruto."

"Three deities… B-but why would they do something like that?" Naruto asked of Amagi. "I'm not someone as special as Natsu and Narumi, and I don't have the Kyuubi in me, so why did they do something like that to me?"

"We don't fully know, but it may have something to do with the fact that you've been branded by the Shinigami." Tomoe spoke up. "On the night Kyuubi attacked and you were born, I helped your father by stopping Kyuubi for long enough to let Minato do what he wanted to. He used a Jutsu that summoned a Shinigami into our world, and it separated the beast into two and placed the two halves into your siblings. Now, normally to even summon a Shinigami into our world would mean that the summoner pays with his life, but… Something went wrong that night, and instead of Minato getting his soul eaten by Shinigami, you ended up branded by it."

"Branded by it… Is this why I was dying back then?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, the Brand was slowly taking away your soul, piece by piece. It is an especially cruel and horrific thing for any person to come to possess, and as far as I know, only very few people had ever been branded. And only one person has ever survived getting it removed. You." Amagi told Naruto, who sat quietly, thinking about it all. "However, while the brand was gone, your soul was already so weak and small, that you wouldn't have survived much longer. And that was when the deities came and… They've shared some of their essences, their own soul, with you Naruto, so that you may survive. The sign of it you see all the time in the mirror, that being your own golden eyes. Same eyes as Shiva's, your… your father."

"M-my… W-wait, this doesn't make any sense! H-how can they… How can Shiva be a parent to me? I have my own parents, and they are humans!" Naruto was shocked to hear what Amagi had to say.

"And I do not deny it, Naruto, since Minato and Kushina are your parents who gave you your life. However, with deities, it can get not as clear as it may seem." Amagi continued. "In order to save your life, they've put a bit of themselves into you. That is, in essence, the same process that parents do when they create their children, and those three had done with you. Shiva and Parvati can be considered to be your divine father and mother, while Izanami is now your divine grandmother. They are your family now, just as Kushina and Minato are as well to you."

"Then… Then why I haven't ever seen them? Did they just give me those powers and had abandoned me, because they got disappointed or something?" was starting to get clear that Naruto was starting to get hysterical, with Amagi deciding to spread around them calming aura, so as to let Naruto handle it with greater ease.

"It is not as easy or cut and dry as it may seem, Naruto. What they did… It is something that deities do not do out of impulse or petty desire, especially with one like Shiva, who is capable of seeing every possible future of every living being. And they hadn't abandoned you, Naruto, and I am certain that even now they are still watching you, but they can't interfere, lest they draw attention from other deities and other beings of similar nature and power." Amagi told Naruto. "The world that we currently inhabit is called Sekai, but it is only one among countless other worlds in all of Cosmos. Deities exist to protect the world and life upon them, but at the same time, they can't fully interfere with the way life evolves and changes on those worlds. While you could say that deities govern the worlds, they do so indirectly, through such things as religion and creatures like Kitsune, but not in any other way. There is a set of laws that deities follow, and one of them states that they can't enforce their direct power over people of world."

"Why not? If a God or Goddess were to lead people of a certain world, wouldn't that world prosper?" Naruto asked the question of Amagi.

"Let me ask you something, Naruto: would the people accept a being that isn't like them as their leader, who tries to give them something that they can't fully comprehend?" Amagi asked of Naruto, who started to think about it real hard.

"Well, it would depend on a deity itself and how he would rule…" Naruto said in an unsure way, with Amagi chuckling a little.

"Indeed, but the deities have made sure they do not exert such kind of power or control over mortals and worlds. The last time such a thing happened led to a millennia of tyranny by Kaguya Ootsutsuki, and then when her sons, Hagoromo, Hamura and Shiva, rebelled and defeated her, it led not to peace, but only to the creation of a cycle that now grips this world." Amagi revealed to Naruto. "This world, Naruto, had been once controlled by a daughter of Izanami and mother of Shiva, and her actions, along with actions of Hagoromo and his descendants, had stopped this world from progressing and humans from growing up as people and individuals." Naruto was once more shocked to hear what Amagi had to say to him.

"What… What are you saying? A-are you saying that our world is… Is not right?" Naruto asked in an unsure way.

"It is a hard pill to swallow, Naruto, but when you put aside your ideals and blind loyalty, and start giving it thought… It becomes evident that something is clearly very wrong with our world." Tomoe spoke up again, getting Naruto's attention. "If you don't believe us, then let's think about it. We may have Shinobi, Naruto, but do you know what a Shinobi truly is? Do you think it's a hero to one's village or people? No, it is a person that was trained since childhood to do things most people can, made to kill, steal, lie and destroy lives, execute any given order without giving it a second thought. And there are thousands of them, ruthless and specially trained warriors that in one minute can go from being a person's savior to being that same person's killer. I've seen such situation happen far too many times to count, when Shinobi backstab yesterday's friends and allies, or when Shinobi from one village betrays his own for quick profit or something else, and that's not to mention all the different infractions in the villages, brought about by politics, corruption, or power plays… And this is just the tip of the iceberg, Naruto. An iceberg, that was formed thanks to my ancestors not being able to settle their personal feud."

"Ancestors?" Naruto asked.

"It is a long story, Naruto, one that intertwines with story of Shiva and Hagoromo, but that isn't the point at the moment, I am afraid." Amagi told Naruto. "The point is, Naruto, is that the world we live in, one that you were born into, is one where power dictates everything, and everyone tries to make a grab for it, amassing it and wanting only more. Power for more power, and nothing else in the end really matters in the Shinobi World. It is a near endless cycle, where the weak and deviant are grinded into dust, while strong feast on top of their bones. And anyone who tries to break away from the system, to pose even the slightest threat to the cycle is ultimately destroyed. Such was the fate of Uzumaki people."

"The Uzumaki? Wait, you said people, not the clan. I thought that Uzumaki was just a clan, living on a separate island. My Mom always gushes about how she is now the only real Uzumaki and is now Head of the Clan." Naruto noted out. "She can get carried away at times, but still…"

"Oh, I bet she's been telling that to everyone willing to listen, that loud mouthed ogre…" Tomoe muttered under breath, but it still loud enough so that everyone could hear it. "Your mother, for the lack of a better term, is an arrogant, self-centered hypocrite that spouts to everyone how she is the sole real Princess of Uzumaki Clan and the inheritor of its traditions, customs and so forth. Except the fact that she doesn't even know said customs and traditions, or what that "Clan" of hers truly was. The Uzumaki were a somewhat isolated people, with their own customs and traditions, as well as several Clans so forth. For most of the world, Uzumaki may've been a Clan, but in reality, calling an Uzumaki that hailed from Taira Clan by the name of their people, would be the same as calling an Uchiha a Leaf, just because he hails from same people. The point is that your mother is trying to fit in the shoes that are way too big for her."

"How do you know all about it?" Naruto asked of Tomoe.

"Because I was raised by the person your mother claims to have studied under, Mito Uzumaki, born in Minamoto Clan, same as your mother. But clans, families and blood weren't as important to Uzumaki as they are to others. They cherished bonds made with others and were accepting to people that accepted them, within them burned a fire that could light the way for a new path, yet one that Shinobi weren't able to perceive and advance by." Tomoe told with a sad sigh and look. "You want to know how Uzumaki differed from the other people, Naruto, then look up above this table and tell me what do you see?"

"Um, I see a lamp. An electrical lamp, to precise." Naruto said, with Tomoe nodding to him.

"Yes, yet some 40 or even 30 years ago, something like that was considered to be impossible to achieve for most people of the world. All, safe for Uzumaki, who achieved it over 350 years prior to any of the Hidden Villages ever being established." Tomoe revealed to Naruto. "They've had developed natural ways of creating electrical energy, medicine and procedures to cure most ailments without using chakra, TV, ovens and so forth, and do you know why they've done it while most of the world didn't get it until Uzumaki people were destroyed?"

"Because… Because they weren't focused on the warfare or politics with the big world. They just… lived in peace." Naruto said, realizing what Tomoe and Amagi meant. "Is this what you meant by saying that the world we live in has stopped in its progress?"

"Yes, Naruto, that is what we mean." Amagi confirmed to him. "Not just in technological sense, but also in a moral plain the people have not just stopped, but regressed. In the world of Shinobi, it is always easier to lie, cheat, kill and steal, than to ask for help or offer one, and that doesn't just concern the Shinobi. Even Daimyo and nobility of the Lands and countries are victims of this system and cycle, since they grow up in the world where a human life's value depends on how much money it will cost to kill him. Those in positions of power, like Daimyos, they do not truly care about what happens to the world or even to their people and country, for they are so removed from masses and world, that they don't even realize the full extent of the catastrophes they allow to happen, or worse yet, provoke into taking place. Would you like to know one of the main reasons why the Uzumaki people were nearly wiped out? It happened because the Daimyos of other lands had witnessed their boons and prosperity and wished to grab it all themselves. Do you think they've asked for it? No, they did not. They simply sent their best weapon to take it all- Shinobi. All 4 of out of 5 great Nations participated in that horrendous event, with Konoha being the only one to not take part, since it already had the access to all those technologies, though at worse quality. This is the reality of our world, Naruto- power dictates right."

Naruto sat there, shocked to the core and wishing he couldn't believe what he had heard what Amagi just told him, but there wasn't even a speck of lies in her words, since he knew for sure she wasn't telling lies to him. The Uzumaki were wiped out just because of a bunch of greedy nobles and Daimyos had wanted to take what wasn't theirs, and instead of just asking for it or trading for it, they just sent Shinobi to get it. And they did get it all, but in the process destroyed an entire nation… And all because of other people's greed.

And that is when Naruto began to fully think about all they said, about the world they lived in, people in it and all that was happening, that's when Naruto started to feel like a real fool for the first time in his life. Shinobi weren't heroes, no matter how much people had the civilians and public had tried to make them to be. They were merciless instruments in the hands of those in power, and when they weren't controlled by others, then they were potential weapons of massive amounts of destruction and casualties. Trained to kill, to steal, to gather information and cheat, from the young age and literally indoctrinated into believing that this is the only way to live… And this has been going on for hundreds of years with no end. The Sengoku period may be officially over, but in reality? It just took on a new face and continued in a more "organized" fashion.

The Shinobi World Wars, conflicts that see villages clash with each other in battles and where lives are thrown away in thousands. Thousands, tens of thousands of Shinobi and other people, all of them with lives of their, families, dreams and so forth… All are grinded into dust by war and death. And Villages portrays their most skilled killers and mass murderers as their heroes, whiles those that have fallen are more often than naught forgotten. His own father and mother are the prime examples, with his father earning his name as Yellow Flash not just because of his Jutsu, but also because of how fast he moved in battles. And even though the war is over, Shinobi still fight and engage each other, because even Naruto understood that there was no true peace in Shinobi world. An endless war, one that simply heats up and dies down, but never stops, that is their world, a world where he an Mito were born into. And he was destined to become a part of it.

His dream about helping people was still within him, but with the world as it is… He really was a fool to think that he would be able to help all the people, especially when those said people will expect a stab in their back at any moment and opportunity. A world that is stuck in an endless loop of war, betrayal, alliances and whim of the powerful. This is the world where people can level mountains, create lakes and seas with chakra and use all that power for the benefit of everyone, but all they do is use it for destruction and death of others. And he will be learning it too as well, with his brother and sister already on their way to becoming next mass murderers, and what is worse is that they don't realize it yet. Hell, their own parents are lying to them, and Naruto can't help but feel appalled at all of this. And then there is Mito… His sweet, precious and innocent little sister, a light that warms his heart… She too will be swallowed up by that cycle…

At the thought of it all, of being part of the cycle that destroys any hope for better tomorrow… It made Naruto sick and both Amagi and Tomoe saw it, with concern written on their faces. It took everything from Naruto just to regain his composure, but there was now darkness in his eyes, one that Tomoe had seen in others and herself. It was the realization of the flawed world that they lived in and the feeling of sickness at it. Naruto collected his thoughts and breath, before speaking up.

"Amagi, the reason why you protected me was because if people were to find out I was different from them, then they would try to kill me, or to make use of me, like a weapon or something?" Naruto asked in a disturbingly calm voice, with Amagi nodding to him.

"We kept an eye out for you because we couldn't know how your powers and nature would manifest themselves. Along with that, a lot of people in this village not only are superstitious, but also naïve and arrogant, and because of how you look different from the other children of Hokage, they had gotten in their heads the ideas of you being either possessed by Kurama, or being Kurama himself in disguise." Amagi explained to him. "My foxes have kept not just an eye out for you, but also slightly manipulated the thoughts and minds of those around you, so as to lower their aggression towards you. Glares and bad words weren't the only things they are capable of."

"And my parents don't even know about it all." Naruto stated, with some kind of grim understanding. "For those people, I am a monster, yet my parents are heroes, despite all the deaths they caused and how I've nearly died because of them. Talk about a messed up world. Did Shiva or others tell you anything about why they've done all that to me?"

"No, Naruto, all I know is that Shiva asked of me to look after you, that the life ahead of you will be difficult and hard." Amagi said with sympathy. "I can't say I know or understand how Shiva thinks and acts, but he isn't a cold calculating machine or an uncaring god. He doesn't make a plan for the mortals to follow, but gives them an opportunity to use, one that opens a thousand roads, with millions of possible outcomes. He did the same thing to you, Naruto, and… He called you his son."

"I may not be very well versed in things divine and all that, but from what I can tell, from what I saw and what I understand, I'd say that Shiva saw something inside of you, a potential to make a mark on the world, or to even change it for good." Tomoe said with honesty in her voice. "But that's not what really matters in the end. It's what you actually want, Naruto."

"What do I want?" Naruto asked again, thinking about for a few seconds, before speaking up again. "When my parents asked me what I wanted to be, I told them that I wanted to be someone who helps people, no matter who they are and where they are from. I was laughed at and then my words were disregarded as something a naïve child would say, with my siblings and some others telling me, that I can only be a hero if I serve the Leaf. I now realize that I was naïve in my beliefs and dream of thinking that I could do as I please… But that doesn't matter." Naruto suddenly stated to them.

"Naruto?" Amagi asked with curiosity.

"Just because the world is wrong, doesn't mean I have to follow its set rules, and I don't care what others may think. Men or Gods, Shinobi or Daimyo, I don't care if they just disregard my ideals and dreams, because I care for it, and I don't want to change that about myself. I will help others, Men, Gods and Yokai, not out of greed or ambition, but because they need it and when they need it." Naruto's voice gained firmness and determination radiated from him, with Amagi smiling at him, with Tomoe silently feeling good about the kid. "I don't want to be Hokage or Daimyo, but I do want to help others, and to do that, to help people live in peace, I would have to do something impossible, and I'll do it!"

"And what would that be?" Tomoe asked of him.

"It's to change the world itself, and if that's what it takes to stop this cycle, then I'll do it, one way or another." Naruto declared with firmness and strength. "I know that this world doesn't appreciate people that do not fit into the system and that don't play by his rules. Well, then I'll just learn this world's rules and how it works, I'll learn to the heart its system, but when the time comes, I'll break that cycle. If I have to become the strongest warrior in the world to destroy the Shinobi World, then so be it, but I will not Shinobi at heart. I'll not be like that, because even if I may use Shinobi tactics, weapons, Jutsu and other stuff, but at the core I'll not succumb to the temptation and darkness!"

Both Tomoe and Amagi saw and felt that Naruto was sincere and actually determined in his thoughts, and it showed as both felt it. They were seeing not just the birth of a new person here, one that wasn't willing to break to the cycle, like Tomoe had done. He will bend, but not break, adapt, but never adopt the philosophy. Such a road ahead of Naruto… It will be one filled with dangers, hardships and even possibly the world itself being turned against him. To survive, much less succeed, he will need to have every possible advantage in his arsenal, knowledge and training that would put to shame even some of the most gifted geniuses in the world. To walk the path to a new world, he will need to become someone capable of breaking the old one, someone who can be more than just a man or Shinobi…

And they both understood it.

"Are you serious about it, Naruto?" Tomoe asked of him, with complete seriousness clear in her eyes. "Will you walk that path, one where you may find yourself alone and all of world prepared to destroy you for being something different from them all?"

"Yes." Naruto said without a second of hesitation in his voice, with Tomoe letting out sigh.

"That's exactly what I feared you would say." Tomoe said, but without any sadness or worry in her voice, only smile coming to her face. "Alright, Naruto, if you really are determined, and I can clearly see that you are as determined as it gets, then you'll need to be prepared for the world to come after you. And I don't mean just learning all the stuff you can get. You need to start training to fight like a Shinobi, to understand and live by it, if only to learn how to tear that abominable thing down. And lucky for you, son, my schedule is as clear as it gets."

"Wait, are you serious?" Naruto asked of her Tomoe, who nodded to him with a toothy grin.

"I'm as serious as it gets, Naruto, and an Uzumaki, whether born or adopted, never goes back on its word. You better believe that I'll train you, and I'll make you more than anything that Academy, Minato and Kushina could even mold you into." Tomoe told him. "I carry with me knowledge, skills, secrets and Jutsu of Senju, Uchiha and Uzumaki, along with everything that I've learned in my life. I can assure you- the training will not be easy. In fact, it will be a living hell, but like Mito Uzumaki told me in the start of my training: "Hard in training, easy in battle." And believe me, the saying still holds true. So are you willing to accept me as your teacher?"

"Yes, Sensei!" Naruto said with happiness in his voice, before bowing before her in honor, before realizing something important. "W-wait, but what Mito? I-if I will be training as hard as you say, then who will be watching over her and playing with her? And I don't want to leave her all alone with that harpy Mebuki."

"Leave that little problem to me, Naruto, since I happen to know a particularly well-suited Kitsune all ready to swoop in to take that position from Mebuki." Amagi chuckled lightly. "Don't think that you can just hog him all to yourself, Tomoe. Me and my sisters won't forgive you for such an act, not to mention that would be missing everything he has to learn from us."

"What, you mean you'll also train me? But what can you teach me? I mean, I'm not Yokai or an Oni, and even if I'm a demigod or something, I don't think that I can learn any of Kitsune magic…" Naruto said in an unsure way.

"And who told you that, hm? Same people that said that Yokai do not exist?" Amagi asked in a playful tone. "Back in the day, Naruto, among Uzumaki existed specially trained warriors, people dedicated to upholding the balance between men and Yokai. These men and women trained in a secret art that was created by one of Shiva's own grandsons, one known as Abe no Seimei, or Seimei Uzumaki. He learned the secrets of magic and nature, unraveled the mysteries and learned how to utilize energies beyond normal men. He wasn't the first Shinobi, but the first Onmyouji. So, how would you like to learn how to use the powers of Yokai and truly discover what this world truly holds in all its plains?"

"I would like that very much, thank you!" Naruto said, bowing before Amagi. "I promise that I'll make you proud, Tenko-sama!"

"Please, just call me Amagi, no need for such official titles." Amagi said a little bit bashfully. "Looks like we'll have our hands full in the future, Tomoe."

"Seems to be so, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Tomoe admitted to her friend.

She could feel that this kid will go far, and she will be there to help him progress, for as long as needed.

---

8 months later. Namikaze estate.

As autumn gave way to winter, rolled in the New Year and spring came to awake the world from its slumber under the snows. And now spring was giving way to hot summer, as the May was reaching its end before passing the torch to June. And while not much had changed for the world as a whole, those changing seasons saw a change in one Naruto Uzumaki-Minamoto, who once was known as Naruto Namikaze. He didn't change the name officially, but after giving it some thought and also after continued neglect from his parents, he found himself unable to associate himself with the name of Namikaze.

Henceforth, he decided to use the name of Uzumaki-Minamoto, since he was a part of Uzumaki people and of Minamoto Clan, from his mother's line. Of course, he didn't exactly tell his family of that change, since they wouldn't understand it, or maybe even care, but those that did care about Naruto knew of this small, yet somewhat important change in character. And that was just one of such changes to him that came after he opened his eyes to the world for real and began his training under Tomoe and Amagi.

Just as Tomoe promised, the training under her was brutal and harsh, focusing both on his physical and mental aspects, teaching Naruto as much theory as she made him apply all that he learned in practice. To say that he didn't think about quitting would be a lie, since Naruto had thought about it quite a lot at times, but as time went on, he stopped thinking about it and focused on what was important, and that was achieving his dream. And as soon as he stopped caring about the harshness of Tomoe's teaching methods, Naruto noticed that over time, exercises and training was starting to come to him easier and easier.

His body was taking it all and just adapting to the circumstances, growing stronger, more agile and nimbler, with Naruto noticing the fact of his training paying off when a few weeks prior Tomoe had made Naruto do exercises he did when he first started. To say that he was shocked would be an understatement, and it only reinforced Naruto's will and determination to progress. So far, Tomoe focused on giving Naruto a clear understanding of what is required of a strong Shinobi, and made sure that Naruto was developing and progressing along every possible route she could think of.

She didn't try and make Naruto fully focused on one aspect, instead favoring versatility and jack-of-all trades approach to the situation, and she did pass that down onto Naruto. Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Fuinjutsu- all of that Naruto was learning under Tomoe, some in practice and some in theory. The only thing she kept from him so far was Bukijustsu, a set of disciplines which revolve around utilization of weapons. While he did technically train in that department, learning how to use kunai, shuriken and some similar weapons, Tomoe decided to postpone the training with "real" weapons until she knew that he was ready, and Naruto didn't complain.

He did have his hands full as it is, with knowledge of Uzumaki, Uchiha and Senju being provided to him and open for learning. Most of that wouldn't be really useful to Naruto if he didn't have his chakra unlocked, and thankfully, he did unlock his chakra pretty early on. In fact, Tomoe had managed to make Naruto unlock his chakra on second day of their training, with the assistance from Kaga, of all people. The memory of that day still shudders Naruto, but it did reveal his full potential for use, such as his powerful sensory abilities, which complimented his empathic power, allowing him to hear emotions and sense thoughts in abstract form from all nearby people and not just those that he directly looked at. And that included both Yokai and Humans, and while at first it was really overwhelming to control, Naruto quickly learned how to effectively use it without hurting himself.

Next thing that Naruto found out was that he had inherited his mother's Chakra Chains, which he could use and summon, with only two at the time, but they were really useful in his spars with Tomoe. She did make him use every possible advantage he had against her in that monthly bell test she made him take against her. So far, he has had not much success, as she defeated him every time, despite how much he progressed and became stronger. Though he had to admit that every time he did get stronger and faster and put it to use in test, Tomoe simply tried a little bit more against him, showing that she still had an advantage against him. Well, it only fueled Naruto's desire to get that damn bell!

Fuinjutsu was something that he found not just useful, but also very interesting and fascinating to learn. For Naruto, it wasn't as much a chore or a hard subject to learn, as much as it was a hobby that he found himself indulging and devouring all that was connected to it. Seals, their structures, intricacies of writing them, everything about them was fascinating for Naruto to learn and master. With his inherit ability to see into depth of things and understand them, of which he learned from Amagi, Naruto had no trouble discerning the true nature and all details of Seals that were present before him. All he needed was time and patience, and both were in abundance in his stock. And as for creation of those, thanks to Kaga, Naruto had no trouble drawing intricate and complex patterns of that were required for the seals. Already he was able to create simple seals, like small storage seals, simple flashbang seals and incendiary seals that, despite their simplicity, were still very useful when properly applied.

Genjutsu was in many ways the same as Fuinjutsu, and it was one of the subjects that Naruto studied under both Tomoe and Amagi at the same time and separately. While there were some initial difficulties in focusing and utilizing the mind for this art, after discovering meditations and learning how to clear his mind, Naruto was able to learn how to utilize the art of illusions. Given the fact that in many ways Genjutsu was using a person's imagination and creativity, Naruto found it rather interesting and unique in its utilization. While he wasn't capable of any highly complex illusions, he was already showing quite some advances, according to Amagi and Tomoe.

And speaking of Amagi, she wasn't kidding that Naruto will be learning about the secrets of the world and how to utilize them. It was thanks to her that he discovered the fact of world being alive and even exuding its own Chakra, called Senjutsu Chakra, just like all living things do. She also told him of the fact that in time, once he managed to learn how to connect with the world on deeper level, Naruto will be able to learn how to collect that nature chakra into himself, using it to amplify his abilities and even utilize the two secret arts that are known to summons and Yokai, Senjutsu and Youjutsu.

Amagi did also state that most summons also were capable accessing the nature chakra, and could teach their summoners how to do it, but she discouraged Naruto from learning from how to use nature chakra that way. According to her, while it did provide a very significant boost to powers, it will also never going to be a fully complete Sage mode, as she called it, because the Sage learned it from someone else and not on his own. While it was confusing at first, Naruto did figure out, that Amagi meant that learning Sage mode and using nature chakra, a human will have to learn how to do so on his own, without others help. That, and also the fact that Sages with Summons learn to use nature chakra at the place where summons live, which is also, as she stated, was "polluted" with Summons' essence, so when a Sage trains, he also absorbs some of it into him, gaining characteristics of the summon when using Sage mode. In short, as Amagi herself had put it, if Naruto learns how to use Sage mode from Summons, he will be able to use it only up to 30% full power, whereas were he to learn it on his own, he would use all 100% of nature chakra's powers and abilities.

And as for his studies in the realm of Onmyodo, as was called the art, practiced by Onmyouji, Naruto was mostly still in the theoretical area, studying various Yokai, their characteristics, where they lived and how best to approach them. If he thought Yokai was diverse before, then now he has to say that Yokai really did come in all shapes and sizes. From simple Biwa-bokuboku to monstrous and legendary Yamata-no-Orochi, there is simply no end to Yokai that Naruto keeps finding out about. Along with that, Naruto also recently began learning more of esoteric arts of Onmyodo that are at the core of the art.

According to Akagi and Kaga, once Naruto is strong enough and grown up a little bit, he will be able to create a special pact with a Yokai, creating a bond between them and making the Yokai a familiar, or a Shikigami as they called it. Such Shikigami are capable of not only bolstering powers of their master, but also grant special abilities to the one they make contract with. And as Naruto was already guessing, both Kaga and Akagi were prepared to become his first Shikigami, and he wasn't at all against it, since he knew they were his closest friends and their loyalty would be undisputed.

He already promised to make them his Shikigami when he reaches that point, but for now he still needed learn more about nature chakra and Onmyodo, before starting to utilize it for full effect. While a Yokai could become a Shikigami for any person, all of Kitsune sisters did emphasize to Naruto that an experienced Onmyouji is capable of bringing out not just his own potential, but also full power of his Shikigami, while an untrained contractor won't be able to make use of all abilities provided by the Shikigami.

Aside from the training and studying, Naruto found his life to be surprising fulfilling in both mental and physical growth, as well as in recreations and hobbies, as Amagi, Tomoe and others had encouraged him to not just focus on training and to grow as a person. This led Naruto to discovering that he had a couple of hidden talents that he didn't suspect to possess at first. The first being his talent in playing the flute, something that he enjoyed doing quite a lot, which helped him relax and get his mind off unneeded things. Over the months, ever since Tomoe had made him a flute, his now most prize possession, it became a very often sight, to see Naruto either at the Inari temple or somewhere in the forest, playing his flute. More often than naught, he had quite a large audience consisting of the Yokai of all shapes and sizes, with even a couple of Biwa-bokuboku finding their way to him, just to play alongside him.

Along with playing flute, Naruto's other hobbies included playing shogi and chess with Amagi or other Kitsune, spending time at the Temple and learning the rights to Inari, along with other deities. But another field where Naruto found himself interested and immersed in was writing of all things! So far, he had only written a couple of short stories and poems, with the latter probably being his weaker side, where's stories were something he seemed better accustomed to making. Amagi did mention to him more than once that he had a good hand for writing and vivid imagination, along with stating that the quality of the current literature has dropped below acceptable levels, something at seemed really aggravate Kaga.

When he thought back and recalled the stories and books he read before, he had to agree with his Kitsune teacher in that regard, since Tale of a Gutsy Ninja was rather… mediocre, and that was Naruto now being merciful. And as for Make-Out series that he found stashed in between the books on the highest shelve in his family library, along with being protected by a simple seal and an incendiary bomb, for some reason… It would be better said that when Amagi and Kaga got their hands on those books and on Naruto, they've given him an earful of his life, though they did calm down when he said he didn't read any of it. He didn't know why they acted this way, but something told Naruto that he best never bring up that series ever again. Either way, if Naruto's opinion of Jiraiya was not quite high before, than now it hit rock bottom, though the same thing could be said about almost all of his family and their friends, save, of course, for Mito.

While over these months he grew very close to Amagi, Tomoe, Kaga, Akagi and others, starting to see them as his family, the same couldn't be said about his "real" family. His parents, just as he had suspected, were spending most of their time on the twins, while leaving him out for most of the time. Not that he minded all that much, at least now, but he did mind the fact that Mito was also often being left out by them, though to a significantly lesser degree. It did help the matter knowing that Mito now had, since November, a new caretaker and it was someone whom Naruto could trust.

That caretaker was none other than Kitsune Izuna, who was now working under the guise of a normal, white haired golden eyed young woman. Naruto didn't know how did Amagi manage to have Mebuki ousted, but also replaced her by Izuna, but he was grateful. His parents were very trusting towards her, with his mother even having come to depend upon her in household chores, with Izuna often times even making food, something that Naruto was grateful to her for. Before her, his family's menu was rather… limited in varieties, with ramen being a near constant on the table at least once.

While Naruto did find it to be tasty, at least in the past, but eating it for almost every day had served to create a certain distaste for that thing. Thank Inari for Izuna and her balanced food, because without her, Naruto was certain he would find himself going nuts from eating ramen every day. He didn't understand how could his family handle it, and why did Kushina always make it every day. It's like she was obsessed with it and was trying to pass on that obsession on him and his siblings. Overall, however, things weren't well between Naruto and his parents, but they didn't even realize it, since Naruto could sense their emotions and thoughts when he was near them. In their minds and eyes, they were still as close as they've ever been, something that Naruto could attest to was a lie.

And speaking of his siblings, if they were irritating to Naruto before, than now they were starting to become just plain insufferable. The fact of them being trained by their parents, along with Sannins taking part in it had gone into their heads, and now their pride and arrogance swelled to the point of Naruto starting to avoid them as much as possible. Their ego was practically giving him a migraine whenever he sensed their emotions, and their thoughts were so one-sidedly obvious and written all over their faces, that he didn't even need empathy to know what they think. Over the months, the two have begun to nearly openly look down on both Naruto and Mito, with both of them not wasting an opportunity to point out that Naruto wasn't like them and that they were better. Although, according to Tomoe, Naruto as he was right now, could beat both of them rather easily, not that Naruto was going to test out that thought. Unlike those two firebrands, he wasn't in the market of picking fights with nearly everyone to prove their worth. He'll leave that to the Sannins' favorites.

Oh, and speaking of those two, not much has really changed for Naruto in that department, save for Naruto gaining an even lower opinion about the two of them, since Tomoe and Amagi spoke in detail about them and their… self-deprecating hobbies. Tomoe had quite a great deal to say about Tsunade, who through gambling and drinking excessively and without control, had squandered over two thirds of Senju fortunes, with the rest being preserved by Tomoe personally, since it actually belonged to her. While Tsunade was the greatest medic in all of land, her hubris, temper and bad habits have dulled her abilities, and Tomoe did stated that Shizune Kato, Tsunade's apprentice and attendant, was quite capable of surpassing Tsunade, if only she were to step out of the oppressive woman's shadow. And less said about Jiraiya, the better, because Naruto preferred to think as little as possible about him and his thoughts and emotions were also giving him a headache. Seriously, what was his deal with seeing naked women and wanting to do what he could only guess was mating with them? Naruto had seen Akagi naked more often than naught, when the Kitsune wished to take a bath with him, and there wasn't much of a reaction from Naruto. Sure, she smelled very nice and she was very soft to touch, both skin and fur, but beyond that… Maybe it was something that grown-ups had going for them?

Deep in his musings, Naruto sat by the window, seemingly watching the skies pass by without a care in the world, when he heard a knock on his door. That brought Naruto out of his thoughts, knowing that it was Izuna, since she was the only one to knock when coming into his room.

"Come in." Naruto spoke up, with the door opening, revealing Izuna in simple civilian clothing and looking like a pretty civilian woman.

"Naruto, your mother wished for me to tell you that the lunch is ready." Izuna said with a small smile. "Don't worry, I've managed to convince her to leave ramen out of menu for today."

"That's a relief, thank you, Izuna. I'll be there in a minute." Naruto said, as he got up from his seat.

"And also… We are having Tsunade and Jiraiya for tonight." Izuna added without much of an enthusiasm.

Naruto blinked when he heard that, but then he used his sensory abilities, finding out that they indeed were here. He must've been reminiscing a little bit too intensely, if he had managed to miss their arrival. Oh well…

"Maybe you should take an early leave, Izuna, lest Jiraiya gets into one of those fits of his?" Naruto said with disdain at the man. "I think I'll be staying today at home, maybe play a few songs to Mito."

"That is very nice of you, Naruto, but I've had to deal with more than one pervert over my time, and I've learned how to effectively put them down." Izuna assured him, before leaving him.

With a sigh released from his mouth, Naruto departed from his room and headed downstairs towards the table. Once he got there, he could see that everyone was already seated, with only his seat that was near the end of the table and close to Mito, was the only one empty. Food was already served and everyone already started eating without him, save for Mito patiently waiting for Naruto. When he got into the room, Tsunade was the first one to see him and addressed him, barely gulping down food before that.

"You're late! What were you doing there upstairs, counting skies or sleeping?!" Tsunade said with clear disdain in her voice, with anger pouring out on Naruto, while he steeled himself and his nerves.

"I'm sorry for being late and preventing you from eating, Lady Tsunade." Naruto said in an even tone, with Tsunade huffing.

"Yeah, you better be sorry, you lazy bum! We were starving, and you didn't show up when Mom called for you!" Natsu accusingly stated to Naruto.

"Well, you are not starving now, are you?" Naruto asked in a rhetorical manner, riling up Natsu and Narumi, before Minato decided to put a stop this spat.

"Now, now, let's just calm down and enjoy the food your mother and Izuna made. And Naruto, please be on time and pay attention to when we call for you, okay?" Minato asked in a fatherly fashion and smile, with Naruto sensing that his father, while oblivious, still felt some kind of disappointment in Naruto, a reason for which continued to avoid Naruto's perceptive mind. "Now that we are all, here let's eat." With that said, the lunch continued, with Naruto taking his seat and eating his food.

And while the Namikaze and Jiraiya engaged in the small talk between themselves while eating, the only ones not to do so were Naruto, Mito and, surprisingly, Tsunade. While Naruto and Mito were silent due to the fact of them knowing not to talk while eating, something that Naruto, thankfully, taught his little sister early on, Tsunade was a whole different case, since she was observing Naruto intently and wasn't practically taking her eyes off the boy. She has always had conflicting feelings towards the kid since he was born and after he was mysteriously cured of what seemed to be assured death.

It was still something that made Tsunade angry and bitter, since she tried every single thing that she knew on that child to save his life, but wasn't able, and then he suddenly gotten better in a near one instant. Tsunade was an atheist, much to her grandmother's dismay, and for her an explanation such as the divine intervention wasn't something she accepted as a viable explanation. After he was released, she had tried to do research on to how he could've possibly survived, coming up with nothing. She went on to ask and practically interrogate Tomoe about her time with Naruto and if she did something to him, like using some kind of secret Uchiha technique on him. Tomoe stated to her multiple times that she didn't do a thing and was just as in the dark as Tsunade, but Senju woman didn't relent and tried to press Tomoe for more, but all she had gotten in the end was nothing, but her severely soured relations with Tomoe.

Since Tomoe, apparently, didn't know anything, Tsunade decided to take a look at that priestess of foxes, Amagi, but that also yielded no results what so ever. Amagi was someone whom Tsunade couldn't stand for being just so… That woman had that unnatural air about her, one that made people feel like life isn't as bad as it is, and it seemed like nothing fazed her. Add to that the fact of Tsunade despising religion of any kind, and it becomes somewhat obvious why Tsunade disliked Amagi. That, and also the fact of mentioning religion and Yokai made Tsunade think back about Nawaki, who always seemed to believe in them and even claimed to have met them, while Tsunade didn't believe him and always told him to shut up about his fantasies. Their very last spat happened just before he took off for that mission, returning back to Tsunade as nothing more than a charred unrecognizable corpse. Ever since then, Tsunade came to hate almost all that reminded her of religion and Yokai, all just to make her pain a little less loud.

And yet every time she looked at Naruto, that pain returned and gripped Tsunade's soul harder than ever, along with the feeling of jealousy towards the boy, who was given the second chance at life for no good reason. Why should that kid get away from dying, while her little brother didn't, where was justice in that? Those were the kinds of thoughts that surged in Tsunade's mind when she looked at Naruto, and every time he had tried to talk to him or her to him, she couldn't bring herself to say a nice thing to him. All she could do is react to him with anger and irritation, before starting to feel ashamed of herself, but being too prideful to admit it out loud. And so, Tsunade simply continued to observe the kid from a far and when she had the chance.

Everything seemed to be going rather mundane with that kid, until a couple of months ago Tsunade started to notice some serious changes happening with the brat. For starters, he seemed to have started to grow up a little bit faster, seemingly for no reason. Tsunade' could've just written it off as something to do with his food, but he did say same things as his siblings, and they didn't grow up as much, while Naruto already was higher than both Natsu and Narumi, and even seemed a little more built than they are, as if he was training. Whatever was happening to Naruto, his parents definitely didn't have anything to do with it.

Next thing she noticed about Naruto was him hanging out at Inari Temple of all places, often spending a whole day there. Tsunade couldn't fathom for what reason would Naruto want to be in there, especially when he could be either home or playing with other kids, but she did notice that all other kids and grown-ups seemingly ignoring him or giving him wide berth. Maybe it had something to do with those rumors about the kid being abnormal or something, who knows? Whatever the case, Naruto was a very often guest within the temple, and seemed to be on the first name basis with Amagi and Tomoe, of all people, with him talking to them like they were good friends. She didn't get any details from Katsuye, whom she had ordered to follow the kid without getting noticed, but Katsuye did say that Naruto was well liked by Amagi, and that he also seemed to play a flute, very well in fact.

The kid seemed to be really full of mysteries, mysteries that Tsunade would like to know about him, for some strange reason. Maybe it stemmed because he looked and reminded her of Nawaki, or maybe it was because of him cheating the fate, or simple curiosity. Whatever the reason, when Tsunade set her mind to something, she was determined to get to the bottom of it, and now seemed like a perfect time for it.

"So, Naruto, learn any new songs for that flute of yours?" Tsunade suddenly spoken up, loud enough so as to make everyone turn their attention towards her and Naruto, when she spoke up.

"Huh, what are you talking about, Tsunade? What flute?" Kushina asked, blinking a couple of times, thinking about what she heard.

"The flute that Naruto plays. Didn't you guys know? It would appear that Naruto has a talent for music, specifically with the flute, which is quite something to hear." Tsunade knew full well that none of them knew about this, and she wished use this to provoke Naruto into giving her a couple of answers. "Maybe you could play it for us sometime in the future?" Tsunade suggested with seeming interest, while Naruto already could feel condescension and curiosity from her.

"Umu, Naruto plays really well! It's really beautiful and always so nice to hear him play for me!" Mito chirped in, before turning to Naruto. "Big brother, can you play for me later today? That song you called Spring… Spring…"

"Spring's Dawn, Mito, and sure, I'll play it for you whenever you want." Naruto answered with a smile and without missing the beat, sensing surprise from Tsunade and confusion, since she expected to have put him in a difficult situation.

"Naruto, we never knew that you've started to play flute. Where did you even learn and who gave you a flute?" Minato asked out of curiosity, with Naruto sensing that he really did want to know.

"More importantly, why didn't you tell us?" Kushina wanted to know why her baby didn't share such an important thing with her. "Did you think we would think less of you just because of that? Naruto, you are our son, and we would support you in whatever hobby you have."

"Well, I started to play during the winter, when I saw one of the komuso monks that were staying in the village play it. I really liked it, and he showed me how to play one." Naruto answered truthfully. "And as for the flute itself, I got it from the friend. It is a gift."

"Really? Hm, they why have we never heard you play it? Do you feel embarrassed playing it before public?" Minato asked, with Naruto not taking well to that question, since he was quite proud of his play before a Yokai public. "It's okay, son, there is nothing wrong about getting a little jittery when you are in the center of attention. I too had to deal with it when I first became a Hokage." Minato jumped to conclusion before Naruto could answer to him.

"I don't know about you, dad, but I don't have a problem with crowds or attention." Naruto suddenly said to him, making Minato stop.

"Then why didn't we know about it before now?" Kushina pressed on the question.

"Well… I didn't exactly hide it or anything. Izuna knows that I like to play the flute when I'm in my room." Naruto said without any trouble.

"Izuna, is this true that Naruto plays the flute in his room?" Kushina asked of her, as Izuna was walking down the hallway.

"Hm? Oh yes, Naruto does play his flute when he is in his room, quite often in fact." Izuna confirmed with the nod, before continuing. "I once asked him about it, and he said that if it was distracting me, he would stop, but it really doesn't. In fact, it's very beautiful and touching when he picks up his flute and plays it. I often times just stop for a minute or two just to listen to it when I'm doing chores. He has a real talent for it, I'm sure anyone who hears how he plays will agree with me." Izuna smiled to Naruto, before getting back to her duties.

"Well, well, looks like we've got a future lady killer growing up here, eh?" Jiraiya jokingly said, before giving Naruto his signature grin and look. "You know, quite a few women find musicians really appealing and attractive. Perhaps in the future I can teach you how you can use the flute to get them all to…" At that moment Kushina and Tsunade gave Jiraiya a murderous look, making him shut up.

"Jiraiya, stop trying to corrupt my children with your pervert antics!" Kushina growled at him, before calming down and turning to Naruto. "That is actually great, Naruto! I always wanted to learn how to learn some kind of musical instrument, but I never got around to do so. I especially wanted to learn flute, since it was an Uzumaki traditional instrument. Maybe you can show us how you play today?"

"Who cares what that fool likes to play?" Natsu said indignantly, with Naruto giving him a curious eye, sensing that Natsu was jealous of Naruto, due to the latter becoming center of the attention today. "Any fool can learn how to play that stupid thing, even one like him."

"Natsu, that isn't a very nice thing to say about your brother." Minato chided him, but without much intent in his voice. "You should be happy that your brother found something that he likes to do. Now we'll hopefully have a house filled with music, when Naruto plays for us." Minato smiled to him, actually feeling somewhat proud of his son, though not losing that disappointment as well.

"Well if he has time to kill by playing some flute, then why doesn't he try and train to be a ninja?" Narumi suddenly asked, with poisonous feeling of condescension felt by Naruto. "We've already learned how to channel our chakra and how to use shuriken and kunai, and what did you learn, little brother, hm?" She asked all too sweet, with Naruto forcing himself to steel himself from answering back.

"Well, not everyone gets to start training to be Shinobi as you do, Narumi. You and Natsu are really special, and because of that we can't let that special talent of yours go to waste, not to mention that you have Kyuubi chakra in you. You two need to train really hard if you want to become truly great Shinobi, just like your parents and yours truly, the Great Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku!" Jiraiya declared himself proudly, making others sweat drop a little. "Your little brother just isn't as special as you are, so he'll have to wait till he can start with his own training in the Academy, but I'm sure that Naruto will become a good Shinobi in the future." Jiraiya said without consideration for Naruto's feelings, while others seemed to agree with him in that statement.

"You hear that, Naruto? You may still be a good Shinobi in the future, if you stop being such a fool all the time and actually put in the effort when we get into the Academy. Shame that you'll never be like me and Narumi, but well… Looks like your precious Yokai favored us over you in the end." Natsu said arrogantly.

"Kami." Naruto replied, making Natsu look back at him.

"What?" Natsu asked him again.

"Kami, Natsu. Kami bestow favors upon people, not simple Yokai." Naruto explained to him. "Even I know of that, and I'm a fool, if you are to be believed." The tiniest smirk appeared on Naruto's lips, infuriating Natsu at the fact that his stupid little brother one up him.

"I knew about it, I just wanted to check if you also knew about it!" Natsu said loudly, so as to hide his embarrassment, but failing, due to his face turning red.

"Then thank you, wise Sage, for helping this fool remember things he isn't supposed to forget." Naruto said without losing beat, further aggravating Natsu.

"Why you…" Natsu was about to stand up, before Kushina put a stop to it.

"Natsu, Naruto that is enough, both of you! No fighting at the table, or you'll both be going to your rooms without dinner tonight, am I understood." Just like usual, Kushina's method of threats did its deed and fighting died down, before she turned to Naruto. "Naruto, it is not good manners to mock your siblings like that. Just because you seem to know something they don't gives you no right to act all high and mighty." She decided to discipline Naruto, who had to stop himself from corking up the brow at the fact that he wasn't the one who started to do so right now.

"Talk about selective vision and hearing…" Naruto heard Kaga, his current guardian speak from behind him in her fox form.

"As you say, mom." Naruto replied, deciding to return to his food, with others deciding to follow his example, until Tsunade, unsatisfied with the information she gotten so far, decided to press on for more facts.

"By the way, Naruto, how is that priestess doing?" She suddenly asked seemingly out of nowhere, again getting everyone's attention, with Naruto starting to feel irritated at Tsunade's constant need to bring to light his life. "You know, the one that Tomoe likes to hang out so much with, what was that woman's name?" Tsunade seemingly forgotten, with Naruto sensing how she was almost enjoying it.

"Does that woman take pride in making people feel uncomfortable or is it something to do with her obsession about you?" Kaga asked with a barely contained growl. "I've seen Nogitsune with more tact than this cow. And that is saying a lot."

"What priestess?" Jiraiya asked out of curiosity. "Wait, do you mean Amagi? That fox priestess with the body of a goddess and those absolutely gorgeous…" Jiraiya wasn't allowed to continue, when he felt Kushina's feet nearly crush his own.

"She is an Inari priestess, not a just a fox priestess." Naruto corrected him, but it was clear nobody cared about it.

"Naruto, what does that mean? How come you know Amagi of all people, and also, do you know Tomoe Uchiha?" Minato suddenly asked with some force in his voice, with Naruto nodding to him, surprising everyone.

"Yes, I've met them a long time ago, when I was out on a walk near the woods and I saw Amagi, coming out of them." Naruto bended the truth a little bit for this one. "She was curious to see me so far away from home, and after we've talked a little, she offered to take me to her temple. I was really interested in it and we went there. And that's where I met Tomoe."

"Naruto, don't you know that you can't just let some strange weird people talk to you, much less walk you to their places?" Kushina was angry at Naruto, especially now that she heard about Tomoe. "Especially with that weirdo, who worships Kyuubi of all things and that damned woman as well…"

"Amagi doesn't worship Kyuubi, she worships Inari, Goddess of Fertility, Rice, Nature, Food and Prosperity. It's a good deity, one that doesn't hurt people and Kyuubi is a monster." Naruto reminded Kushina, with some irritation coming out from him. "And Amagi isn't weird or bad. She is simply a very nice lady that welcomed me at her house and told me about herself, nothing else."

"Does it even matter what that woman worships. Giant fox is a giant fox, and Kyuubi is the biggest one around, so she's obviously worshipping it!" Kushina angrily stated, hating when people didn't agree with her.

"Kurama isn't even a real Kitsune, much less an incarnation of Inari, you red-headed ogress." Kaga angrily said, with her tails swinging angrily. "And if you judge the divinity by the size, then I'd like to see what you have to say if you were to see Amagi-nee-sama in her Kitsune form. And she is only a Tenko, not Inari."

"Kushina, let's not get too obsessed with it, shall we?" Minato decided to try and defuse the situation. "And Naruto, it was very careless of you to allow Amagi to take you to her temple. You must always be careful around people that you do not know, even if you are in Leaf village. You could've been hurt or worse, kidnapped by our enemies." Minato said with a strict tone, his disappointment towards Naruto intensifying.

"Yet I wasn't hurt or kidnapped, was I?" Naruto asked back, with Kushina seemingly having had enough.

"That's not the point, Naruto! If you can learn how to behave with the strangers, than we shouldn't let you walk alone so much and talk to those two women. From now on, I don't want you anywhere near those two, do you hear me?" Kushina demanded of him, expecting him to comply.

"And why shouldn't I be around them? They are good people and they haven't done a single bad thing to me, not to mention that I really like Amagi's company. And Tomoe is always very interesting to talk to." Naruto asked, seeing his mother widen her eyes out shock and anger.

"What is so interesting in that dark sow that had murdered her own child?" Kushina had suddenly asked of Naruto, with Minato seemingly shocked that she brought it up, while Naruto felt not just anger at him, but absolute hatred towards Tomoe for some reason. "Did she ever tell about that, hm? That woman had killed her own son, whom she had with god knows who, and as far as I am concerned, she now tries to get to me through you, all because she's always been jealous of my happiness. That snake will do anything to hurt me Naruto, even use a foolish child like you!" Naruto widened his eyes when he heard his mother just call him like that, with Minato too shocked at that.

"Kushina, maybe you are taking this way too seriously. Why don't you…"

"Then why did she save us all?" Naruto suddenly asked of Kushina, surprising everyone again.

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" She asked of him.

"On the night when you had us, when the Fox attacked, why did she save us if she, according to you, hates us so much?" Naruto asked her the difficult question of Kushina, making her unable to answer it.

"Naruto, where did you hear about it?" Minato asked him, since this was a rather classified information that no simple child should have access to.

"I heard you and Kakashi speak about it a couple of months back, when he was visiting us." Naruto didn't lie on that account. "You said that if it wasn't for Tomoe, than we would be dead and Village would be destroyed. So why did she save us on that night?"

"Because she is a sick woman that can't get over what she did, and who cares why she did it?" Natsu asked of Naruto. "The point, Naruto, is that you are an even bigger fool than we thought you were. And here I was thinking you couldn't get any dumber. If Mom says you shouldn't be with her, then you shouldn't. Mom and Dad are always right."

"But what is she is wrong?" Naruto suddenly asked back, with steel in his voice.

"Naruto, it's not as simple as that, and yes, she did save you and your siblings on that night, but that doesn't mean that you should associate yourself with people like her and Amagi." Minato said, trying to get to his son, who felt like his father wanted to hide something. "You are a son of Hokage, my son, and so you should know with just what people you should talk to and what people you shouldn't talk to. And while Amagi may be nice and Tomoe can act somewhat polite, they aren't the sort of people you can just hang out with."

"And why is that? What's so different about them that I shouldn't talk to them?" Naruto pressed on.

"What's different? Fool, you are Hokage's son, and who are they? Some dumb fox priestess and a psycho that can't make up her mind. They are beneath our status, obviously." Narumi said as if it was the fact, with Naruto starting to get on the wits end of his patience. "Seriously, little brother, if you start to hang out with people like them, not only will you become even more foolish, but you'll probably fail as ninja as well. And what will you be after that, hm?"

"So, who in your opinion I should hang out with, dearest sister?" Naruto asked with a sweet tone, but fully laced with sarcasm. "Gushing fans that can't say no to anything you have to say, or air-headed that only care about dolls, boys and how cool you look? Because if that's the people to be around with, if you want to become a great Shinobi, then thank you, but I'll pass." Naruto said with full seriousness, shocking everyone.

"Brat, did you hear yourself just now? Do you know what you've just said?" Tsunade asked him and looked at him as if he was half-crazy.

"I'm not deaf, Lady Tsunade, and yes, I heard myself and I meant it." Naruto said it with more clarity. "If I don't get to be a Shinobi, then I'll be fine with it. There are other things to do in life."

"Of course a fool, and a weakling would say that." Natsu said it, with Naruto turning his angry eye towards him.

"At least this fool and weakling knows how to write more than his own name, unlike the all-mighty and all-knowing hero, whose accomplishments range from… Remind me, why are you a hero again?" Naruto asked in a mocking manner.

"That's it, you fool! I'll show you exactly why I'm a hero and you are just a dumb nobody who should've died when you were little!" Natsu rose from his place, with Naruto following suit, while his older brother was marching towards Naruto.

"Natsu! Naruto!" Minato rose up from his place, glaring at both of his sons. "That's enough, both of you! Apologize to each other immediately, or I'll send both of you to your rooms this instant!"

"Pft, whatever… Sorry." Natsu apology came off as completely lacking sincerity.

"My apologies. I should've known my place, before the Hero of Konoha, who so bravely holds a raging beast inside of him, saving us all." Naruto's apology may've sounded soothing and sincere, but only because he was able to hide his emotions better.

"At least you know your place…" Natsu said with a smirk, before returning back to his seat, as did Naruto.

"And Naruto: I want you to promise me that you will stop seeing Tomoe and Amagi. It would seem that they have a bad influence on you, if you are thinking like you do about being a Shinobi." Minato told his son.

"I'm afraid that I can't do as you ask, father." Naruto said in an official tone, shocking everyone with his attitude.

"Naruto, that wasn't a request, but an order. Minato is your father, not to mention the Hokage. If he says you shouldn't see those people, then you shouldn't." Jiraiya stated with serious tone. "You may not have the Tailed Beast or the potential of your siblings, but you are still Hokage's son, and that means you must speak to people of your class, like children from other clans and those of councilors. If you were to follow the example of your siblings, you would understand what it means to be a Hokage's son, but if you continue to associate yourself with their ilk then…"

"Is it Hokage's duty to care and protect the Village and its people?" Naruto suddenly asked of Jiraiya.

"Naruto, don't change the subject so…" Kushina tried to stop him, but failed.

"Answer the question, Lord Jiraiya. Or is Great Sage of Mt. Myoboku can't answer a simple question to a foolish child?" Naruto dared him.

"Of course it is, and your father is the best Hokage that ever lived!" Jiraiya stated with pride in himself and Minato.

"And are Amagi and Tomoe part of that Village?" Naruto asked again, his eyes narrowing on Jiraiya.

"Naruto, that's enough already!" Minato tried to stop him, but also failed.

"Are they part of the Village, or are they just garbage, like you are implying?" Naruto asked with more force.

"Ugh, yes they are a part of the Village, but that doesn't mean that you should just talk to them and…" Jiraiya tried to tell him, but Naruto interrupted him.

"If they are part of Village, and Hokage protects all of Village and its people, regardless of who they are, then why should I consider them as lesser than me or other people?" Naruto asked with force, driving Jiraiya, Minato and Kushina nearly mad with his persistence. "Village is one big house, and that people here are all family, that's what Father always told us, and we should care about them and look after each other. So why should I stop caring about them, when they are a part of our family, same family in which I am a part of. Tell me, why I should look down on them and not care about them. Explain to this fool why…"

"Because they are inferior to your father and your mother, as well as your siblings, and all of us Shinobi, that's why!" Jiraiya stated in rage, as he rose up and looked at Naruto, rage clear in his mind, as well as his true feelings. "Listen here, you dumb brat, those two are just weird civilians, one of which worships foxes and the other had killed her child, or let it die, but whatever. The point is, this is a Shinobi Village, and those two are not Shinobi, so they don't count as good people to hang out with! Your father is Hokage, and like his son, you should be with people like Nara, Hyuuga or Yamanaka, not some vagabonds that have decided to settle down here under the protection of better and more important people than they are! They are the real people, those that truly matter in this world, not those civilians that only of use to us when we need their help!"

"So, what you are saying, is that everyone that isn't a Shinobi, shouldn't be counted as a human beings?" Naruto suddenly asked, and Jiraiya gave his answer to him.

"YES!" Jiraiya said it out loud, sporting the victorious smirk, before realizing what he just said. "Wait, I didn't…"

"No, you did." Naruto simply said, putting down chopsticks and standing up. "Thank you for the meal." Naruto simply said and without any other words, started to move away from the table.

"Naruto, where do you think you are going?" Kushina demanded of him to know, with him answering.

"Outside, to all those that aren't Shinobi and whom shouldn't be counted as humans." Naruto said with the grim expression, as he began to move.

"Naruto, wait, this came out wrong, please wait and…" Minato tried to stop his son, but he didn't stop, until Mito finally spoke up again.

"Naruto, where do you go?" She said in a sad tone, with Naruto stopping and turning towards her.

"I'm going outside, to the temple, Mito. I'm sorry, if we scared you like this. We were all just being stupid." Naruto said to her.

"Will you play?" She asked him softly, with Naruto giving her a smile.

"Of course I will, Mito. For you, I'll play whenever you want me to. Only for you." Naruto made sure that everyone heard it and understood what he meant, before turning around and leaving the house with Kaga behind him.

To hear those people talk, to actually hear how they've felt about others and what Jiraiya said… Now he clearly started to see how rotten and corrupted the Shinobi world was. Only Shinobi mattered in this world, while Civilians mattered only as providers for the Villages from which to draw people, resources and money for their constant wars, battles and schemes, but when it came down to protecting those same people? Only if they were paying money or giving something valuable, in other times they would just abandon them to their fates. This was not the way the world should work, not the way for the people to exist…

No, for Naruto this was simply impossible to accept it. All of humans were equal in his eyes, whether Daimyo, Shinobi or a simple Priest, all of living and thinking beings were not below him. To segregate them would be to follow the path of Shinobi, and Naruto wasn't going to be a Shinobi. He may learn their ways, but not accept them to the heart. If a person, human, Demons, Gods or Yokai, need help, he shall give it without looking back. If evil in whatever form there is, human, Ayakashi, Yokai or even Gods, prospers and Shinobi are helping it, he will put an end to it, either through sword or through cunning.

This was to be his way, the way to peace and end of this cycle.

The way of Naruto Uzumaki-Minamoto.

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Hope you weren't starting to get bored, because I've got a thick, juicy new chapter for you to chow down on. Bigger the last and this is the third chapter in the row that I've made that is over 10K. I am starting to get afraid of myself, because this is the first time I went like this into something. Also, thank you for all of your support in this story and I very much appreciate all you are doing for it. Your support, reviews, follows and favs are making me want to progress.

Anyway, sorry for the filler stuff that keeps coming your way, but I feel like the need to express exactly what is going on, without leaving out details. Hopefully you do no find it bad, because that is the way I am. Also, regarding Naruto and how he starting to shape up…

Yeah, he may come off as an idealistic and your usual run of the mill protagonist, in some ways just like canon Naruto, but I wish to assure you that he isn't the same as the canon Naruto. Naruto here doesn't want to be Hokage, nor does he wish for the world to acknowledge his actions or take notice of him. He seeks to make world a better place for ALL people, not just Shinobi and people in power, for him there isn't any difference in importance of people or Yokai. He doesn't look at being a Shinobi as the only way of life, but as something that needs to go away. He may use their methods and tactics in the future, but at the core, Naruto will be someone who can't fully fit into the world of darkness, backstabbing, betrayals and corruption. Will he be an idealist? Yes, but will he be ideal? No, there will be moments and times when he is shaken or made do what he despises, but that is part of his path that he has set for himself, with all the suffering and pain ahead of him.

Next thing, I can guess that while none had talked about it yet, but I can see that some people will find this Naruto not realistic, due to the fact that at 5 he already thinks and processes things so well and understands things and concepts better than some adults. Well, allow me to remind you that he isn't a simple child, but a child with divine parentage and one of his powers is understanding of all things, granted to him by Shiva. He has a better perception at things than most people, and it will only deepen as the time goes on.

Okay, about the Onmyouji and the other arts, I think I will leave that for the next chapter, but right now I have a favor to ask of you. I would like you to send me via reviews or PMs the weapons that Naruto may want to use in the future. Doesn't have to be just one weapon, the more the merrier, come up with lists and examples of legendary weapons that would be excelled for Naruto to use. Games, mythologies, anime, and real life- all will be taken into account.

Oh, and I hope you do not mind that I've decided to make Uzumaki into a nation instead of a simple clan. Always felt that this was more appropriate, and those that do guess from whom I borrowed Naruto new family name- you know the way.

As always, leave a review, suggestion, question or any other type of message in Review or PM, and I shall eagerly answer them.

Next time: Way of Durga; Way of Seimei; Rift deepens…