Hello all Storm here with a new chapter! Here we'll be seeing Naruto and Tenten going to the shop she works at, where Naruto will be getting several surprises. So, without further ado.
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The next day, Naruto met up with Tenten, who took him to the shop that she worked at part-time, only to be confused when they arrived and he got his first look at the place.
"Urahara Shōten?" Naruto said while looking at the rather plain looking shop with a sign above the sliding door, before turning to Tenten in confusion.
"This place doesn't really look like a weapons shop." Stated Naruto, having excepted something different for a Ninja Weapons Shop, with the brunette smiling sheepishly.
"Uh, right. I kinda forgot to mention that it's not really a regular weapons shop, more of a jack-of-all-trades shop. Aside from weapons, they also sell clothes for Ninja and civilians, survival equipment, books, scrolls, and candy. Come on, everyone should already be here, so I can introduce you to the other employees and the boss." Tenten said while motioning the Uzumaki to follow her as they walked up and entered the shop.
Looking around, Naruto was surprised to see it looked much bigger on the inside than the outside, along with seeing that Tenten was right about it being a jack-of-all-trades kind of shop. Seeing they had practically everything anyone would need or want, including plenty of different kinds of weapons as well.
Before his attention turned to seven people who were already in the shop, four adults and three kids, until a sliding door opened revealing an eighth person.
"Hey Tenten, glad to see you finally made it. And you brought a friend." Said the new person as they all looked at Naruto, curious of who he is.
"Yeah, sorry if I'm little late Urahara-san, but I had to meet with Naruto and bring him here. Naruto this is Kisuke Urahara the owner of the shop, along with his assistant Tessai Tsukabishi, his adopted son Jinta Hanakari, his adopted daughter Ururu Tsumugiya, along with the other employees Ririn, Kurōdo, Noba, and Renji Abarai." Tenten said as she introduced Naruto to everyone, with him looking at each person.
Kisuke is a tall, lean man with light skin and gray eyes. His hair is messy and light-blond, also most pale white, with strands framing the sides of his face and hanging between his eyes, and he has chin stubble. He was wearing a dark green Shihakushō without an undershirt. Over this, he wears a black haori, which sports a white diamond pattern along its bottom half, wooden sandals, and a striped dark green and white bucket hat which cast a shadow over his eyes.
Tessai is a tall, muscular, lightly tan-skinned man. His hair is cornrowed and he has a large handlebar mustache, which is connected to his long sideburns. He wears a pair of rectangular-shaped glasses. His attire consists of a white muscle shirt with regular pants and a blue apron.
Jinta is a small boy with red hair. He wears a white t-shirt with the Urahara Shop logo printed on the front and blue three-quarter length trousers, the bottoms of which are noticeably turned up.
Ururu is a young-looking girl with a perpetual blush on her cheeks who wears a white t-shirt with the Urahara Shop logo in pink print and a knee-length, pink skirt with white dots. She has round purple eyes and long, black hair with a purple tint. It is parted down the middle, with two strands of her bangs in the middle of her face, opposing each other. The rest of her hair is in pigtails with pink ties.
Ririn is a small girl with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wears a pink, fur-trimmed coat, a black bird-shaped cape, and red boots.
Kurōdo is a bespectacled man with a thin mustache and long two-tone hair color, black on the right and yellow on the left, reaching his upper back that ends in a point with shoulder-length strands framing both sides of his face. He wears a white button-up shirt and gray tie under his multi-colored suit. He also wears a gray top hat and boots.
Noba is a young man, wearing a fur coat and a zippered mask, revealing some of his soft red hair and green eyes, and on his back is a blue shield.
And Renji has brown eyes and long crimson hair, which is kept in a high ponytail and having a large widow's-peak with two tribal tattoos on either side. With him wearing a black kimono, a white undergarment beneath it, a white headband, white tabi socks, and sandals, along with a sword sheathed at his side.
'Are they from the Uzumaki Clan? Or at least descended from it?' Naruto thought while looking at Jinta, Renji, and Noba, seeing they had red hair like the Uzumaki Clan was supposed to.
Though while Naruto wouldn't label every redhead he meets as being a possible member of the Uzumaki Clan, he could hope that there are other members of his clan in the Elemental Nations. Or at least, those descended from the Uzumaki Clan that he'd be able to meet.
"Greetings, young one." Said Tessai while nodding his head to Naruto.
"H-hello." Ururu said shyly.
"Hey! You better not think of causing trouble, while here!" Said Jinta as he looked at Naruto suspiciously.
"Ignore the puppy, he likes to think he's tough." Ririn said while smacking Jinta on the back of his head.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Said Kurōdo while tipping his hat.
"Hello." Noba said with a short nod.
"Hey." Renji said with a nod as well.
"Well, it's nice that you're making friends that aren't weapon displays, Tenten." Kisuke said while pulling out a small fan to hide his smirk, making Tenten grumbled in annoyance.
"Uh, nice to meet you all, I'm Naruto Uzumaki." Introduced Naruto, while carefully observing the reactions of the older members, to see if they'd have any problems with him being the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki.
Only to see none of them gave any reaction, showing they either didn't have a problem with it or were just good at hiding their emotions.
"Nice to meet you kid. Now, what can I do for you?" Questioned Kisuke while looking at Naruto curiously.
"I told Naruto that he could see about working here part-time, like me." Tenten answered, interesting the shop owner even more.
"If it's not too much trouble, that is." Added Naruto, only to get a shrug from Kisuke in response.
"The only trouble here, is from anyone that comes here to start it. And if you want a job here then sure, I could always an extra pair of hands." Kisuke replied, surprising the whiskered blonde at his willingness to hire him that quickly.
"Th-thanks. Uh, what do I need to do first?" Naruto asked, with Kisuke motioning him to follow.
"First, you need to get familiar with the shop and inventory, knowing where everything goes, what to do while you're here, basic stuff so you'll understand what to do." Said Kisuke, with Naruto nodding in response as he followed the owner.
"Right. Though out of curiosity, what made you set up shop here in Konoha?" Questioned Naruto, given he hasn't seen this shop before or even heard of it, until hearing about it from Tenten.
"I wanted a change of scenery from the Land of Iron, too much snow and ice." Kisuke answered with a shrug, while Naruto looked at him in surprise.
"You're from the Land of Iron? Are you a Samurai?" Naruto asked, unable to help himself, especially with how rare it is to see Samurai outside of the Land of Iron.
"I was, once. The same with Renji, who's from the Land of Iron as well. I was also a scientist, always searching for new discoveries and things to create. Now enough about the past, let's get started on what you need to know." Said Kisuke as he began Naruto's orientation and what he'd being doing.
*With Kakashi*
Meanwhile, Kakashi was within the Mission Archives, looking for any evidence connecting Konoha to Uzushio's destruction. Only for the Jōnin to come up empty, not finding anything involving Uzushio in the archives at all.
'I guess that's to be expected, leaving something like that just lying around, where any Jōnin could find it.' Thought Kakashi, having figured he wouldn't find anything here, since the higher-ups would want it to remain off the books, but also had to check, just in case of the chance something was here.
As who'd expect evidence that convicts Konoha of betraying their allies to be here, hidden in plain sight and the last place anyone would search.
"Tenzō, Yūgao, did you two find anything?" Kakashi asked after his radio crackled to life.
"Yes, we did find something in the Hokage's private library." Replied Tenzō.
"We'll tell you once we meet up." Yūgao added, with the Copy Ninja nodding, glad they were able to find something.
"Right, I'll meet you as soon as I can." Replied Kakashi before heading out to meet with the two.
*Later*
It didn't take long before Kakashi arrived at the Forest of Death, the agreed upon meeting spot for when they found any information to share. Given how only Anko came into the forest, and Yūgao knew when her friend wasn't around it, it made for a good meeting spot.
"What did you both find?" Kakashi asked looking at the Anbu, with Yūgao tossing him a journal.
"One of the Sandaime's journals, it shows that there has been talk among the Village's Higher-ups and other key individuals to betray the Uzumaki Clan. Adding credence to Konoha playing a hand in the Uzumaki Clan's destruction. Thankfully though, the Hokage had been against the idea of betraying the Uzumaki Clan, though there were mentions of those that pushed for the idea. The biggest supporter being Danzō, Homura and Koharu, and even a few Clan Heads at the time." Said Tenzō, with Kakashi flipping through the journal with a frown at seeing the names of those who supported the plan to destroy the Uzumaki Clan.
"This does at least show the Hokage wasn't in on the betrayal." Yūgao stated, relieved the Sandaime wasn't involved.
"Maybe, but it does confirm Danzō's involvement. Making this investigation all the more serious and dangerous." Said Kakashi, given they now knew Danzō was involved, making it all the more important they didn't get caught.
"We were followed!" Said Yūgao, sensing multiple enemies nearby, making Kakashi and Tenzō tense before they all quickly shot off towards where their tails were now retreating.
Getting a look at them, they recognized them as ROOT Anbu, eight of them in total, making them curse that they were followed. Before Kakashi pulled up his headband and went through handsigns, grabbing his wrist as lightning flared to life in his hand.
"Raikiri!" Kakashi said, rushing forward and stabbing the Jutsu through one of Foundation Agents chest, before jumping to another and then another, killing three of them.
Yūgao created two Shadow Clones as they all drew their swords and Shunshined near three more ROOT Anbu.
"Dance of the Crescent Moon!" Said Yūgao as she and her clones attacked the three agents from different angles, slicing them deeply across their bodies, causing them to fall to the ground bleeding out.
Finally, Tenzō jumped in front of the last two and went through handsigns, before slamming his hands on the ground.
"Wood Style: Stocks!" Tenzō said as wooden tendrils shot out of the ground and grabbed the ROOT Anbu, restraining them and sealing away their Chakra as they were now bound by wooden stocks.
With the spies dead and the last two captured, the trio approached them and removed their masks, showing their blank expressions before Kakashi opened their mouths, seeing the seals on their tongues.
"Tenzō, do you think you can remove these?" Kakashi asked, knowing they wouldn't be able to get anything out of them, with the Curse Seals on their tongues.
"Yes, one thing Danzō teaches his agents is how to apply the Curse Seal, should we ever need to apply it to anyone we need to silence, without killing them. Also, there's these to silence us if we're ever captured and need to die." Said Tenzō while reaching into their mouths and pulling out fake teeth filled with poison.
With the Mokuton-user then removing the Curse Seals from their tongues, allowing them to be interrogated without worry of them dying or staying silent.
"Now, let's see what you both know." Said Kakashi using his Sharingan on them to get any information out of their minds.
"What did they know?" Yūgao asked, once Kakashi released the two spies before slitting their throats.
"They didn't have anything on Uzushio's destruction itself, they did however know that Danzō had some of his agents keeping a look out for anyone investigating Konoha's betrayal of the Uzumaki Clan. So, we're at least on the right trail, if Danzō's going this far to silence anyone from learning the truth." Replied Kakashi, while pulling his headband down.
"Should we see about informing the Hokage about this?" Questioned Tenzō, with Kakashi and Yūgao shaking their heads.
"Going by those journal entries, the Hokage seems be suspicious that Danzō and the others may have gone behind his back, to aid in Uzushio's destruction. But since it took place in the middle of the Second Ninja World War, it gave those involved the cover they needed with all the Ninja that were deployed onto the battlefield. So it would be child's play for the traitors to deploy an off-the-book militia to aid in Uzushio's destruction, with how Ninja Squads were being deployed left and right." Said Yūgao.
"Yūgao's right. I'm certain that the Hokage would have long since had them detained and executed for their actions, if he had the evidence he needed to convict them. The fact that he didn't, means that he didn't have the evidence he needed to do so, without alienating the clans of the Clan Heads that were in favor of betraying the Uzumaki Clan. And that's not counting Danzō, who not only has himself well placed in Konoha's Government to the point where he even has influence over some of the Ninja Clans, like the Yamanaka and Aburame, but the Land of Fire as a whole." Kakashi stated, given the kind of weasel Danzō was, they'd need real evidence and proof before they can convict him.
Despite what people may think, the Hokage position wasn't all powerful. Since while technically, the Hokage could have had the traitors involved in Uzushio's destruction arrested and executed for their betrayal of a long-time friend and ally of the Village. It wouldn't be without sending Konoha, if not the Land of Fire as a whole, into a civil war. Something that Konoha definitely didn't need, on top of the Second Ninja World War at the time.
*With Naruto*
Back with Naruto, the whiskered blonde had just completed his orientation, with Tenten having already gone to start her shift.
"Okay, that just about covers everything you need to know. Though out of curiosity, why were you interested in wanting to work at my shop?" Questioned Kisuke, interested in why Naruto wanted a job here, with the Uzumaki unsealing Gram and showing it to him.
"Tenten said that I could learn how to make and reforge weapons here, which I'm hoping to do so I can fix this sword one day." Naruto replied, with the shop owner being shocked and impressed, both at his answer and the sword he had, as Kisuke lowered his hat to hide the intrigued gleam in his eye.
"Well, that's certainly an interesting goal, along with an equally interesting sword. Hey Tessai, mind getting Renji back here for a moment?!" Kisuke called out to his assistant, before looking back at Naruto and Gram.
"It's rare to see a broadsword used by Ninja, even more so one as unique looking as this one. Where exactly did you find it?" Questioned Kisuke, wanting to know where Naruto got Gram.
"I got it on my last mission with my team. We were going against a large group of bandits and one of them happened to have this, which I took with me after seeing how nice it was." Replied Naruto, giving the cover story that he and Kakashi thought of.
"Hm, that's an interesting story…but we both know that's a lie. Now how about telling me where you really got it?" Kisuke asked, making the whiskered blonde freeze at being found out, while Renji entered the back of the shop, only to be shocked at the sword Naruto had.
"Where did you get the Uzumaki's Sacred Sword?!" Renji said, with Naruto's head snapping towards him.
"You know what this sword is?!" Said Naruto, not believing he knew about Gram.
"Of course I know! That sword belongs to my clan!" Said Renji, shocking Naruto further.
"Your clan?! That…that means you are part of the Uzumaki Clan? What about Jinta and Noba then?!" Naruto asked, wanting to know if they're from the Uzumaki Clan as well.
"Yes, they're from the Uzumaki Clan as well. Now back to the sword and where you found it." Said Kisuke, getting back to the topic at hand, with Naruto looking between them while seeing that he may be able to trust them if there are three other Uzumaki here.
"I found it in Uzushiogakure, I learned about the Uzumaki Clan during my teams mission in the Land of Waves and I travelled there to learn more about them. I saw what was left after they were destroyed, along with finding Gram there. But that wasn't all I found, I found the bodies of Konoha Ninja fighting with the attackers against the Uzumaki Clan, and that they'd been attacked from inside the village as well." Revealed Naruto, much to their shock and Renji's anger, along with Kisuke's disgust.
"They helped attack their own allies?! And then wear a symbol that isn't theirs?!" Renji shouted in anger that Konoha betrayed Uzushio and now wore their symbol on their uniforms.
"This is why I prefer Samurai, much more straightforward and honest." Muttered Kisuke, having always hated how Ninja use tricks and deception, even willing to betray their own allies to get an advantage.
"Yeah, I was angry too, and wanted to find out the truth. My sensei and some of his old teammates are actually looking into it right now. Though how did you both know about Gram, and why'd you call it the Uzumaki's Sacred Sword?" Naruto asked, wanting to know more about Gram.
"Because that's what it is, a Sacred Sword that helped the Uzumaki develop their own weapons to use, weapons that were unique to them alone and for each wielder." Kisuke replied, with Renji pulling out his katana.
"This is Zabimaru, it's called a Zanpakutō, also known as a Soul-Cutter Sword or Soul Slayer. They're special swords created through the use of Fūinjutsu, then infused with the users Chakra and a portion of their very souls. Creating a special blade that can transform into two stages, known as Shikai and Bankai, possessing unique abilities, powers, and transformations. Both of which are unique to the wielder of the Zanpakutō. And when the wielder dies, the Zanpakutō dies with them, keeping it safe from being stolen or recreated." Explained Renji, much to Naruto's shock and amazement that the Uzumaki Clan also had access to blade like that.
"Woah, that's awesome, being able to make swords like that. But what does it have to do with Gram?" Naruto asked, amazed at learning another thing that made the Uzumaki so feared, but not seeing how it connected to Gram.
"Gram was an ancient sword that was found by the Uzumaki Clan, one that predates even Chakra itself; like the Legendary Summoning Contract for the Kaiju/Titans." Kisuke revealed, much to Naruto's shock and intrigue, along with shifting somewhat at the mention of the Kaiju/Titan Summoning Contract.
Something Kisuke and Renji both noticed, but decided to hold off on asking about it.
"You could say that Gram is the prototype for the Zanpakutō, having learned that the blade is sentient. Though the Uzumaki weren't sure if Gram is even its real name, since that was just the name it went by at the time they found it, before creating the Zanpakutō based on it. Sentient swords that only they could use and were unique to them." Said Kisuke, with Naruto being further amazed as he looked at Gram.
"Why didn't they ask Gram then? If it's sentient, why didn't the Uzumaki Clan ask it for its true name?" Questioned Naruto.
"They couldn't. Gram's Spirit had been dormant long before they first found it. They were only able to even learn it was sentient, due to some seals used while studying it." Renji revealed, the whiskered blonde looking at "Gram" in amazement to learn so much about it.
Originally he planned to reforge it into a more unique shape to use, but now hearing more about it, Naruto decided to keep the broadsword design.
'I promise, I'll make you good as new. And hopefully, I can learn your real name one day.' Thought Naruto placing his hand on the blade, wanting it to know he won't change it and repair to be good as new.
Though unknown to the occupants, this got a reaction out of the sword, a very faint and unnoticeable one.
"Since no one in the Uzumaki Clan could reawaken Gram, all they could do is apply seals to it, keeping it in good shape. Since it had already begun showing signs of aging long before they found it; along with enhancing its abilities." Said Kisuke, with Renji nodding at his words.
"Though for the most part, it was just a ceremonial sword, until it could eventually be reawakened by someone." Renji added, making Naruto look at them both.
"Okay, and how exactly do you both even know all this? You look to be in your late teens at the very least, and you're from the Land of Iron. So how do you both know about a sword, that no one else does?" Questioned Naruto, given neither of them seemed likely to have heard of Gram.
"I heard about it from my parents and this is common knowledge amongst the remnants of the Uzumaki Clan in the Land of Iron." Renji answered, something that really shocked and pleased Naruto, hearing there were more members of the Uzumaki Clan.
"I've just done my own intensive research on the Elemental Nations and its history. Making me familiar with very obscure myths and aspects of history. Plus, I've got some old friends that helped fill in the blanks, especially among the Gotei 13 and the Blazers." Said Kisuke, making Naruto look at him in confusion.
"Gotei 13? Blazers?" Naruto asked, wondering what that meant.
"When the Uzumaki Clan survivors went to the Land of Iron and were welcomed to stay, despite the Land of Irons preferred stance of neutrality, they shared the secret of how to create Zanpakutō to their closest allies there. Both as thanks for their help and to give them an edge against the Hidden Villages, should they ever learn about the Samurai giving them refuge and see them as enemies. This eventually lead to some of the Uzumaki Clan marrying into the Noble Samurai Clans, leading to a new breed of Samurai, a unique and elite group that are known as the Gotei 13." Explained Kisuke, much to Naruto's amazement to hear about such a group existing.
"That's not all, these Samurai are known as Soul Reapers, as the Zanpakutō isn't just a weapon created from the users soul it also allows them to exorcise evil spirits. Along with granting them the ability to see spirits, due to their weapons being made from their souls. Which also helps them send the souls of the deceased to the afterlife." Renji explained, with Naruto's amazement only growing the more he heard.
"Woah, that's amazing. I never thought the Uzumaki Clan would be capable of creating stuff like that." Said Naruto, starting to see the Uzumaki Clan really was one to be feared, outside of their possession of the Kaiju/Titan Summoning Contract.
"That's not all, there's also the Magical Knights, a sister organization to the Gotei 13. They're made up of Blazers, rivals to the Shinigami, due to Blazers and Magical Knights being another unique and elite organization. Along with wielding Devices, which I guess you could say are the spiritual successor to the Zanpakutō." Kisuke stated, getting the whiskered blondes attention back on him.
"Who are the Blazers and what are Devices? Are they another group formed by Uzumaki marrying people?" Questioned Naruto, wanting to know who they are.
"Yes and no to the second question. The Magical Knight and Blazers come from the western lands far from the Elemental Nations. Blazers are unique in that they have the power to create Devices, unlike Zanpakutō, they don't use Chakra instead utilizing Mana, or Ethernano as it's also called, and a portion of the wielders soul. Though while Zanpakutō take the form of swords, Devices can be any type of weapon you can imagine or even regular objects, like a brush for example. Each of them taking a form and having an ability based on the Blazer who makes them. The Land of Iron also took in refugees from the western lands, with them utilizing Magic and Runes in place of Chakra and Fūinjutsu, with them creating Devices based on the Uzumaki's Zanpakutō. Until the Uzumaki also married with the western refugees, leading to more refined and evolved Devices with the introduction of Chakra and Seals. While the Uzumaki Clan's Chakra merged with the westerners' Magical Energy, leading to a new generation of exceptionally powerful Blazers." Kisuke explained, while Naruto's head was practically spinning at everything he's heard, with Kisuke going over to a bookshelf and pulling out some scrolls and books.
"And here, I got these from some old friends who were Blazers. Since it seems like you're set on using Gram, then you should learn how to use a broadsword, those scrolls are on broadswords and some styles that would fit using one." Kisuke said, shocking the whiskered blonde before he shook his head.
"No, I couldn't take those. You've already told me more than anyone else has, that's more than enough." Naruto said, not wanting to take anything after everything they've already told him.
"Just take the scrolls, consider them a welcoming gift for your first day. And if not, then as your new boss I'm telling you to take them." Stated Kisuke, making Naruto sigh before taking the scrolls, with the former Samurai then sending him on his way to start his shift.
"His reaction on the Kaiju/Titan Summoning Contract, I never thought I'd actually get the chance to see a new summoner." Renji said, once Naruto was gone, with Kisuke nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, especially one so young and untrained to pass Godzilla's test, from what I heard, most grown Ninja were lucky to survive. Yet he did and not only reclaimed the Summoning Contract, but Gram as well. Not to mention Kakashi is now looking into Uzushio's destruction. The winds of change are truly blowing strong, right now." Stated Kisuke, knowing that big changes will be coming to not just the Elemental Nations, but the entire world.
"All we can do is ride things out and hope for the best, right." Said Renji while looking at Kisuke, who nodded again.
"Right. But something tells me that much bigger things will happen, events that will shake the world itself. After all…" Kisuke said while looking off into the distance.
*Land of Snow*
"…we may be experiencing the end of the Shinobi Era, and the dawn of a new one."
Deep within the Land of Snow, a storm was raging among the ice and glaciers, before a flash of lightning illuminated the glaciers. Revealing something frozen within, something truly massive and unimaginable.
A creature possessing three long serpentine heads and large bat-like wings.
So, what did you think, good. Yep we see Tenten's workplace is Urahara Shōten where Naruto meets everyone, including Renji, while being hired by Kisuke. Then we see Kakashi, Tenzō, and Yūgao in their investigation, along with dealing with some ROOT Anbu. Then back with Naruto he gets several surprises as he learns Renji, Jinta, and Noba are part of the Uzumaki Clan, along with more about Gram, which isn't really Gram only the name it went by at the time when it was found, including more about the Uzumaki Clan as a whole and what they were capable of, before receiving books and scrolls on how to use a broadsword from Kisuke. Finally we get a hint of what's to come, seeing a familiar creature frozen in the ice in the Land of Snow. So, review if you liked go away if you didn't.
Storm out