Gasp A new fic?! How could you do this when you haven't updated your current fic in over two months? I know I know. Calm down, put your pitchforks down. Amalgamation's next chapter is almost done. Should be out in a week, probably less, maybe even tomorrow if I can go on a writing spree.

Naruto fics have always been my first love, my guilty pleasure, so I am merely returning to my roots. This idea has been bouncing around my head for a long time, and well, I had the time and mood to pen it... so here we are. Nothing more to say. Just enjoy, leave me a review, follow and favorite if you like it. Feed me more love.

Quick note though, I am gonna avoid as many Japanese suffixes as I can. Just always find all the 'kun' or 'chan' or 'gaki' stuff cringe-inducing. Don't worry, we will have all the iconic names such as Hokage, or village names, or iconic technique names like Rasengan or Chidori... also Sensei. That just sounds cooler than Master I think. Other than that, I will most likely stick to English.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto yadda yadda, the rightful property of its owner yadda yadda. You know the drill by now.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

Technique names

Adamantine Blood

A great wind rose high above the Hokage monument in the great village of Konoha. The wind blew down into the village of those the monument had depicted, it blew over the vast stretches of the great village, once a vast forest, now a center of civilization. The wind blew past the giant compounds of many clans that inhabited this village, it blew across the busy bustling streets. Faster and faster it blew, giving rise to many leaves in its wake to beat against civilians and shinobi alike... the wind blew down and it beat against a cluster of people gathered in an opening. (1)

Shinobi and civilians alike gathered trying to piece out the source of commotion from one of the many training fields within the village. One such ground was simply named Training ground 31. It was situated near outer walls that surrounded Konoha and protected the great village from any of would threaten it. The day had begun like any other did until the sounds of disturbance and great clouds of dust rose from the secluded ground. Many shinobi stopped what they were doing to peer curiously towards the ground, wondering who would cause a commotion such as this and if they should check it.

Before anyone had a chance to investigate, screams rose among the crowds. A body flew over the buildings and streets raining blood down below, causing a near stampede of people. Many of the senior shinobi on the scene, Chūnin and Jōnin alike took control of the situation and started evacuating the mass groups of people. The senior-most shinobi set a perimeter around the body, waiting for the Anbu to arrive for investigation as they peered curiously over the dead body. What they saw would have left many of the younger Chūnin gagging and vomiting over the place. The man had no distinguishable features, or rather he had none left as his body was little more than a bag full of holes. Dozens of holes all over his body, limbs, torso, face, even his genitals, all bleeding profoundly. Some were big enough that a man could shove his hand through to the other side, a Jōnin thought morbidly. He wondered if he should go check the ground before deciding he would rather not get involved with whoever could do something like this as he saw several shadows race over the rooftops towards the ground.

Deep within the training ground, a man cursed as he tried to crawl away as fast as he could, which he realized wasn't very fast. He snarled without looking back, his left leg was a mangled mess. Every bone beneath his knee was likely shattered and had been grinded to dust. He shuddered with terror, not trying to focus on the blood and gore he was covered in. He had been bathed in whatever remained of his comrades. It was adrenaline that kept him going and stopped him from freezing in terror he realized. He tried so desperately to ignore the cries, the wails of that... that thing which had been his objective.

He cursed the day he was born for having accepted this assignment. He had no need to as his wife had pointed out. He had a good stable life, he was a Chūnin in Kumogakure's police force. He had good prospects for the future, he was young, he was stationed within the village almost always which provided him with security and ample time to spend with his wife and young daughter. The lure of adventure and the greed of a possible shot at promotion had been too much for him to ignore.

When a member of the black ops had come to him with a prospective assignment from one of the clan heads... whose name was not provided, he was intrigued at the very least. The fact that it was a highly secretive task assigned to him and two others, no names, and hadn't come from the office of the Raikage was suspicious... but who was he to care? The Raikage was the highest authority in the village yet many clans held plenty of political and military influence, enough to work under his nose even.

A simple assignment, kidnap a child from Konoha. It left a sour taste in his mouth, his wife argued against it... but the promise of promotion was too much to resist. It's not like they were going to assassinate the child. The file said he was an orphan of a fallen clan, so the chances were the child would be highly protected and appreciated within Kumo. He would probably even have a better life here than his own home. At least that is what he told himself. It would be easy and leave everyone involved, including the child, better off than when they started.

They had infiltrated with an ambassador from Kumogakure who was there for peace talks. The cover was that they were merchants. No names, no identifications. They were vagabonds whom the ambassador had provided an escort to Konoha. What a fool he had been. The mission had gone smoothly, the child was largely isolated and very easily identifiable due to his red hair. Only a few guards here and there checked up on him every once in a while. They had earned the child's trust over a few days with a few small gifts, some kind words, and lured him to the edge of the village in the guise of some training. It made him feel guilty, the child was clearly attention-starved and he was abusing the trust he had placed in him... but he reassured himself that the child would have a better future in Kumogakure. Perhaps he could even take care of him? The child was polite enough and his daughter had always wanted a younger sibling.

He could even pinpoint where it had all gone wrong... his accomplice had tried to knock the child out and drug him. One moment there was silence in the empty secluded training ground covered by trees on all sides... the next it was chaos.

He tried to crawl faster... if only he could just make it to the trees, he could leave this thing behind and hide out among the criminal underbelly of Konoha. Yes, he could escape... he ignored the loud shrieks and wails, reaching towards the sweet promise of escape, towards hope.

Hope was a cruel mistress.

It ensnared around his legs, pulling him back. He let out a cry of despair, begging for anyone to save him. A flash of gold caught his eye as his arms were tangled up as well. He felt tears rolling down his cheeks and his throat grew numb from screaming. Terror was all he could feel as dangled in the air before all of a sudden, the ground rushed up to meet him.

His vision blackened, and pain filled his mind... he could feel his skull crack and his teeth making a clanking sound as they fell out his mouth and onto the ground. He was still somewhat aware as he was lifted up in the air again... and down he came a second time. He was numb by the third time he met the ground, his mind already fading as he was lifted up again... his last thoughts were of home and the family he had left behind as the cries of a monster rang in his ears.

Kakashi ran as fast as he could when he heard of the news. He had been returning to Konoha after a mission and just checking in with the Anbu commander when he found out what had happened. Someone had just attempted to kidnap Naruto. He had heard nothing else, he ran as fast as those words reached his ears.

Terror hammered through his chest as he blurred through the village. His worst thoughts manifested in his head, what if he was injured? what if he was successfully kidnapped? Who had dared to kidnap him? And during daylight? He ignored everyone as he ran into the Hokage tower, he ignored all the guards who gave him bewildered looks but his anger must have shown on his face because no one dared to stop him.

Several people jumped out of the shadows as soon as he burst into the office of the Hokage. He paid no mind to them, he knew most of them personally but they were irrelevant at the moment. He had only eyes for Lord Hokage sitting behind his desk and whatever he had wanted to say fled his mind. Kakashi didn't know how long it had been since he saw this look in the eyes of his leader.

"Stand down, and leave the room." The man that was known as God of Shinobi commanded. "Not you, Tenzo. Stay." Even though everyone but one of the guards didn't even spend a second leaving the room, he could still feel the surprise roll off them all. Naming one of the Anbu members by their name while they were on duty was a very unprofessional thing to do. The Hokage made a single sign, one he recognized, a sign meant to activate the seals which, well, sealed all sound in the room from going outside.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked, no, rather demanded. The raised eyebrow by the Third Hokage and Tenzo stiffening were the only indications that he got... he might have been a little... disrespectful.

"I'll allow that for once," Lord Hokage inclined his head slightly. "Two attempted kidnappings in one day."

"Two?!" What the hell was happening in this village?

"You are aware of the ambassador Kumo was sending for peace talks? Yes?" The Hokage asked dryly. "Apparently, he picked up a few vagabond merchants who asked for an escort to Konoha. They tried to kidnap Naruto. The Ambassador denied any responsibility, of course, then he tried to kidnap the Hyūga Heiress during the same night."

"I doubt Lord Hyūga was pleased," Kakashi stated in an equally dry tone. The Lord Hokage's wording was that they 'tried' meaning they likely failed. That calmed him considerably.

"He killed him on the spot," Tenzo supplied from beside him helpfully.

"Oh."

"Yea, 'oh' indeed, Kakashi." Lord Hokage shook his head. "We have sent word to the Raikage and demanded an explanation. No doubt he is gonna try to deny any responsibility for it."

"What about Lord Yamanaka?" Kakashi offered, though he doubted it wasn't already considered. "Can he not pull something out of their memories?"

"The man's mind was destroyed almost immediately upon his death." Lord Hokage shook his head negatively. "Some sort of a variation upon explosive seals. The trigger being likely the lack of oxygen to his brain triggered it and exploded his head as soon as he died."

"What about Naruto?" Kakashi asked, "Who rescued him from his kidnappers? Can we not interrogate them?"

"If there was anything left to interrogate." The Hokage muttered. "Tenzo, I am dismissing you from the Anbu immediately." His eyes grew hard and they landed upon him. Despite himself, Kakashi couldn't help but shudder for a small moment. "There is a small fishing town some 10 kilometers northwest of Konoha. I have a personal hideout there, off the books, complete with whatever supplies a man could need. Food, an underground escape tunnel, weapons, medical supplies, you name it. I had it built sometime during the second great war as a personal hideout for my family and all those who knew it are no longer among us."

"Why are you telling us this sir?" Kakashi asked uncertainty lacing his voice. Even Tenzo seemed surprised. Not by the fact that Lord Hokage had a personal hideout that even his guards didn't know about... oh no, Kakashi would be shocked if he didn't have another dozen of such all across the country. No, what surprised him was the fact that he would share this information with them... with anyone if the hideout was meant for his family.

"Because you and Tenzo will be moving there for the foreseeable future along with Naruto." Lord Hokage commanded, "I need you out of the village before the sun rises tomorrow." Tenzo merely nodded in acceptance, knowing far too well to question the Hokage. Kakashi, on the other hand, had always been a little rebellious.

"To do what?" Kakashi asked in small bewilderment.

"To raise him, train him, whatever you see fit." The Hokage stated with his hands folded neatly on the table in front of him. "The village is lively enough that he won't be cut off from social interactions, he can make friends and form healthy connections that a young man his age needs. The village is surrounded by dense enough forest to provide you with enough isolation to train him, and the village is close enough to send back up quickly should the need arise."

"He is too young," Kakashi protested heatedly. "He should have a childhood, among his friends at the academy. Not out there in the world being trained as a weapon!"

The Hokage's eyes hardened like stone. "Sacrifices have to be made for the village. This is for his own benefit as much as it is for the village. He needs to disappear from the public for a while and unfortunately, his bright red hair makes him stand out far too much. After this incident especially... no, he cannot be allowed to stay here for his own benefit."

Everything clicked his head. Kakashi had foolishly assumed that someone must have saved Naruto from his kidnappers. Maybe his guard or a passerby Shinobi, but the tone of Lord Hokage suggested otherwise. "The Kyuubi?" Tenzo stiffened beside him. It would explain everything, the reason to have Tenzo close to the young Jinchuriki as well.

"Thankfully not." The Hokage shook his head. "Watch this." The Hokage stood up and moved beside the crystal ball that allowed him to spy on the village. Kakashi followed close and peered inside... his blood froze at the sight.

The entire area had been destroyed, it was as if a hurricane had passed through. The ground was littered with gorges in it as if the earth itself had been scarred, he could still see traces of blood everywhere, uprooted trees, and a crater in the middle of the ground as if someone had repeatedly slammed a boulder there.

"Once they lured the boy to the ground, they tried to knock him out. They would have gotten away and none would have been wiser about it." The Hokage seethed with rage. "Only reason they didn't is that Naruto is much more perceptive than people give him credit for. Constantly isolated and being on the receiving end of prejudice and paranoid harassment of the villagers have left him in a state where he can almost always figure out if someone means him harm. Yet he is still a child. They were kind to him, so he placed his trust in them." Kakashi clenched his fist so hard he almost drew blood. His sensei's son, the last connection to his family almost lost while he wasn't even aware. "They tried to knock him out you see, but Naruto is a bit stronger than your average child. Once he realized they meant to harm him, he tried to fight back so they instead tried to drug him." The pain lacing that voice was so palpable that the mighty Hokage who stood before him seemed frailer than any old man he had ever seen.

The Lord Hokage shook his head in regret. "The blood of the Uzumaki clan runs deep in his veins. Much deeper than any of us ever thought despite his red hair."

It took Kakashi a moment to realize what the third had been implying and the damage done to that ground, it all added up to one conclusion. He spoke very carefully, digging through painful memories. "Lady Kushina's power? Adamantine sealing chains?"

The Hokage hummed and nodded. "There were three of them you see. Once they started trying to drug him, what terror he must have felt for that power to awaken. The first one managed to stab Naruto through his shoulder and leg once he saw those chains... he was stabbed in return by those chains 27 times. All at once I would assume, and hurled with such force that his body flew almost two kilometers over the village before falling. His was the body that alerted us of the situation." Kakashi shook his head in sadness and wonder at the same time. Sadness that a six-year-old boy was forced to kill in retaliation. Wonder at what power his blood had awakened.

"The second was killed with such brutality that they couldn't even scrape enough of him to bury or burn. I am assuming those chains wrapped around his whole body, head to toe, and... well, you can imagine the rest." Kakashi felt sick, guilt gnawing at his cold heart. "The last one was picked up and smashed again and again so hard that the Anbu on scene needed to use Earth techniques to peel him off the ground. The squad I sent had to restrain Naruto forcefully, in fear that his terror and anger may release the Kyuubi. Two of the seven are in the hospital. One might die of stab wounds. I had Inoichi wipe the minds of everyone that was involved."

Kakashi had no response. What could he say? He felt like crying. Was he destined to fail at protecting all those he loved? "Pardon me, Lord Hokage... but are these Adamantine sealing chains some sort of a bloodline?" Tenzo asked thankfully, anything that could get his mind off the situation was better.

Given how Lord Hokage's entire demeanor shifted to that of the Professor, it would seem he was rather happy to move on as well. "Technically speaking, they are or rather were, listed as a Hidden Technique among the Uzumaki clan, much like the Shadow manipulation of the Nara. In practice, it is all but a bloodline considering only those of the Uzumaki blood could ever learn it."

"How so?" Tenzo asked curiously.

"Hmm, it requires an amount, strength, and density of chakra that is all but impossible outside of the Uzumaki clan. Even among their members, only a very small percentage of those with a very strong and dense special chakra could actually learn it. Based on my understanding, it was so rare that both parents could have it yet the child could end up not inheriting it or the child could inherit it despite the parents' having failed at it. Kushina tried teaching it to Minato yet he couldn't even manifest a single shred of it. His chakra simply didn't have the strength and density required for it. Above all, it was almost entirely instinctual and had to be awakened more often than it could be taught." The Professor mused before his eyes turned sharp again turning towards him. (2)

"Now, do you understand why Naruto must be gone from the village?"

Kakashi shook his head. He wouldn't be able to look Naruto in the eye without saying the accusatory eyes of all those he failed. "Wouldn't it better if he was taught here? At the academy with his peers?"

"At the academy? Have you lost your mind?!" The Hokage thundered. "What happens when he is training and loses his temper? Or if his chakra goes out of control? Would you have me place every child within that building in mortal danger? Need I remind you that Kushina held down the Kyuubi with those chains after having the beast ripped out of her and being on the verge of death? You think mere academy instruction can teach Naruto to control that?"

No, Kakashi wanted to say. The Hokage's eyes softened. "There are spies within our midst Kakashi. Someone leaked information about Naruto and Young Hinata to Kumogakure, a village with whom we might be at war by the end of the month. Their Ambassador died in our village and we have no proof of any wrongdoing on his part. I need Naruto to disappear from the public eye, I can't protect him while I have no idea who to trust within my own establishment. I have Inoichi running around wiping anyone's mind who had any sort of idea about what happened with Naruto, and I don't even if I can trust him. For all, I know he could be planting information in their heads instead!"

Kakashi was silent as the Hokage turned his back to them and stared out over the village through his office window. "Do you think I don't regret about potentially sacrificing Naruto's shot a normal childhood? There is trouble brewing everywhere Kakashi. I have a war to avoid with the Cloud, there are whispers of trouble from the Uchiha, the Hyūga are pushing for war, there are spies within our midst. There are enemies all around me and I am sitting in the dark! I don't even know if they tried to kidnap Naruto because he is a Jinchuriki or simply because he is an Uzumaki, much like they did with his mother. What do you think will happen should the news of his new talents leak?"

Kakashi was shocked silent. He had no idea there had been kidnapping attempts against Lady Kushina or that the situation was so dire. Kakashi kicked himself mentally, uncertainty was everywhere. "What do you want me to do? To train him? Turn him into a weapon to point at our enemies?"

For a moment, in the place of Lord Hokage, stood a tired old man... but only for a moment. "You need not sound like I am sending him off to the Anbu corps. It is a lively village, isolated enough from the world that they hold no interest in our business. Naruto would have a small tight community there to bond with, a community that will not isolate him. Raise him, heal him from this trauma, teach him science, politics, maths, chakra theory... teach him how to fight, teach him what made his parents such famed shinobi, teach him the sealing arts of his clan, teach him to control his gifts... or teach him none of it."

Kakashi stood pensively, strengthening his resolve. "All I am asking you is to take care of that boy. He needs someone who loves him. I am asking this of you because Minato trusted you with his son... as do I."

Kakashi nodded brimming with resolve. He almost lost Naruto because he was too afraid to look him in the eye. To face the demons of his past. He was done running. "By your leave, Lord Hokage?" He bowed his head.

"Be back here by 10, both of you. Make certain to cover your tracks, trust no one apart from us three. Enemies are everywhere. I will make sure no one will ever find you until Naruto is ready to be found."

Kakashi bowed and said farewell to Tenzo before he left the building. To pay respects to the fallen, and to say goodbye. He had to say farewell to Obito and Rin as it seemed he would be away for a few years. Above all, he had to reassure Minato-sensei and Lady Kushina that their son would be fine. He would make certain of it. This was an oath he had no intention of breaking.

Roll credits.

(1) Any of you recognize that? No? Shame. I did that opening in the style of fantasy classic Wheel of Time. All of the 15 books open with some variation of "A wind rose..." It's such an iconic opening. I am a massive fan and with the show being released recently, well, I wanted to do it. I probably fucked it up and did it in a corny way but I don't care. I love the books and I wanted some Wheel of Time spice in my fic.

(2) I am working some of my own headcanon lore here since we know pretty much nothing about the chains. I know in the databook they are listed as a Hidden sealing technique but I can bullshit on that. They behave far more like a bloodline. Karin pretty much pulled them out of her ass without anyone ever teaching her. And don't tell me her mother must have taught it to her when she was young, if such was the case she would have used it many times when she and Sasuke were about to die.

Anyhow, that's all I got. Like it? Leave me some love down below. Peace.