Author's Notes: Ever since I started writing it, I cannot stop thinking about this story, so I'll keep it going. I'll be sure not to rush it to ensure the quality of the chapters stay consistent and are of the best possible standards.
Q&A Section (As well as Review Responses)
IlluminHeaven - While I would prefer to remain anonymous in this subject, I would like to pertain to the fact that I am indeed between the ages 17-20.
onslaught the king - I will attempt to explore Naruto's unique breathing style in this chapter, but from what character is going to train him, you can probably see what breathing style it's derived from.
Archangel Xireon Chaos God(Sick name btw) - Thank you for the reassurance on the "Power-Scaling" dilemma. I sincerely thank you for your encouragement and hope that you continue to enjoy this story.
Silber D. Wolf - Thank you.
As for the other two, I will group them both into one single answer - I will attempt to upload one chapter per week, this is due to time constraints and having to split attention between this story and my other one. If there are any difficulties, do expect to see the newest chapters a few days late. I apologize in advance for this possibility.
With that out of the way, let's get this show on the road!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"'Kyuubi or Naruto(berserk) talking or thinking'"
-Thick Forest(A Few Hours after Midnight)-
Through the deep and dense forestry, Kyojuro escorted Naruto out of it, with the blonde, former shinobi's eyes fixated on the handguard of Kyojuro's Nichirin Blade, a gaze which did not go unnoticed by the Flame Hashira.
"Anything the matter, Young Uzumaki?" Kyojuro asked.
"Well..." Naruto began, "What's with the shape of that part of your sword?"
"This?" Kyojuro asked, pulling out his sword, "It's called a handguard."
"I know that," Naruto replied, "But why is it shaped like fire?"
"Well, it signifies that I am the Hashira who uses Flame Breathing, or officially, Breath of Fire," Kyojuro explained. "There are other Hashira, and all of them use different styles of breathing."
"Breathing? Hashira?" Naruto asked, "What are those?"
Kyojuro sheathed his sword, before placing two fingers on his chin. 'This might take a long time... Wait, I've got it!' Kyojuro concluded, before turning his gaze towards Naruto. "You mentioned a village, and that you wanted to become the Hokage, right? Are there any other ranks below Hokage?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah! The rank below Hokage is what we would call a jonin, below them, we have Chunin, and finally, genin, my rank."
"Well then, I would say that being a Hashira is like being a jonin in a way," Kyojuro hypothesized, "To become Hashira, you have to either kill one of the Twelve Kizuki or kill a total of fifty demons. Either that, or a Hashira could take you as a tsugoku, but that's another story... As a Hashira, my job is to protect all other members of the Demon Slayer Corps, as well as anyone in general from the stronger types of demons."
"Okay..." Naruto replied, displaying some form of understanding, "What about breathing forms?"
"Was that not a breathing form you used earlier?" Kyojuro asked, "That sphere you used, was that not a breathing form?"
"No... It was a jutsu called the Rasengan..." Naruto explained.
"Well to put it simply," Kyojuro began to explain, "Breathing forms, and breathing in general, are some of the main tools of the Demon Slayer Corps. Depending on the specific pattern someone breathes in, they can manipulate different forms of elements, all these breathing forms are derived from the original breathing form, known as Sun Breathing. From the five derived breathing styles, known as Flame Breathing, Thunder Breathing, Water Breathing, Stone Breathing, and Wind Breathing, also known as the Primary Forms, there are many more forms based on them, known as Secondary Forms. From Flame Breathing, Love Breathing is derived. From Thunder Breathing, Sound Breathing is derived. From Wind Breathing, Mist Breathing is derived. Finally, from Water Breathing, both Flower and Serpent Breathing are derived. From Flower Breathing, Insect Breathing is derived. You got that?"
"Well, not really..." Naruto replied.
Kyojuro sighed, before rethinking his explanation. "Is there any variation to these 'Jutsu' you use?"
"Yes, there are five elements!" Naruto replied, "Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Lightning! And there is also medical ninjutsu!"
"Alright then, what is the method to access these sorts of Jutsu?" Kyojuro continued.
"Well, one of my old teachers didn't care about me... But from what I remember, these elements are done when we mold chakra into a certain shape," Naruto explained.
"Perfect," Kyojuro remarked, "Then you just need to imagine these breathing forms like your jutsu, in this case, you will be breathing in the certain form to achieve Flame Breathing."
"How do I do that?" Naruto asked.
"Well, were there any ways to train yourself to control this chakra you speak of?" Kyojuro asked.
"Yeah... Walking on trees..." Naruto replied.
"In the same way, there are methods to control your breathing and manipulate it in certain ways," Kyojuro explained. "Not only can you manipulate elements, by extension, the Demon Slayer Corps also uses this same breathing control to increase our strength and speed, and our healing. We call this technique Total Breathing Concentration."
"Alrighty... But I did want to ask something... Where am I?" Naruto asked.
"The year is 1920, and we are in Japan," Kyojuro explained.
"Japan?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, you know? The island country that was unified about two hundred years ago?" Kyojuro asked, "I know, do you have any forms of money?"
Naruto nodded, before pulling out a frog-like wallet and passing it to Kyojuro. Upon opening the wallet, the Flame Hashira's eyes widened in realization.
'Oh my... This is money from Medieval Japan...' Kyojuro thought in shock. "From what I can tell... And from your currency, you came from about five hundred years in the past."
"WHAT?!" Naruto asked in shock.
Before Kyojuro could continue, a scream could be heard from the outside of the forest.
"A scream!" Kyojuro exclaimed as he and Naruto began to run out of the forest. "Young Uzumaki, I know this may be too much to ask, for we have just met, so you are free to decline, but could you help me, and ensure that no demon gets out of there alive?"
"I'm in!" Naruto exclaimed, "But... How could I kill the demons?"
"I forgot to mention earlier," Kyojuro explained, "But demons also die from sunlight, and from what I can see, the sun is about to rise, so you just need to stall them!"
"Gotcha!" Naruto replied, leaping onto the branches to gain an extra boost of speed.
'Incredible...' Kyojuro thought, increasing the speed of his movements.
-Stray Town-
Leaping from the last tree branch into the outer parts of a small town, Naruto landed on the cobblestone pavement, only to stop dead in his tracks upon smelling a scent he was all too familiar with, one greatly resembling that of copper. The distinct smell of blood.
'Am I too late?' Naruto thought, slowly traversing the unfamiliar landscape.
Noticing pools of blood smeared across the door-frame of a house, Naruto pulled out a kunai before entering the building.
'Damn,' Naruto thought, 'No lights... This could be bad...'
Naruto walked carefully into each corner of the house, but no matter how cautious he was, Naruto was still walking in pitch black, and other entities within the building had begun to take notice. Before he had a chance to react, a hulking demon talked the unsuspecting Naruto into the street of the town. Naruto stood up, wiping the blood from his chin before facing the monstrosity, only for five others to emerge from different buildings and corner Naruto.
"Boy... We are the Shizuoka Seven..." One of the demons stated, "And we have decided that you will be our next meal..."
"I'll take him!" One of the demons yelled, charging at Naruto.
Without much time to react, Naruto lunged to the left, barely dodging the tackle, only to be kicked in the stomach by another demon.
'What the fuck am I going to do in this situation...' Naruto thought, recalling Kyojuro's words. 'Just stall them, alright then, I've got just the thing.'
Naruto stood in the center of the circle of demons, before forming a hand-seal in the shape of a cross. Suddenly, twenty copies of Naruto flooded the center, all protecting the real Naruto, who stood in the center.
-Other Side of the Town-
Kyojuro walked towards the other entrance of the town, taking account of the lack of bodies but the abundance of blood present.
'There is more than one demon here...' Kyojuro thought, 'Let's hope Young Uzumaki can cope.'
Without any further thought, Kyojuro suddenly took a step back, before unsheathing his sword and slashing into the darkness with blinding speeds, beheading a demon who had been hiding.
"What... What gave me away?" The demon asked in his final moments.
"It was too quiet," Kyojuro stated, sheathing his sword as the demon's body dispersed into dust. 'I'd better head to the other side of this town... Who knows what Young Uzumaki has encountered...' Kyojuro thought, beginning to run towards Naruto's expected position
-Naruto-
With his clones now all dispersed, Naruto leaped towards one of the demons, slamming a familiar blue sphere of rotating chakra into the head of one of the demons, destroying the flesh and bones that the head was once composed of, but even this had been a momentary celebration.
'Damn it...' Naruto thought, 'I was certain that would've worked...'
"That hurt, brat," The demon stated, his head now fully regrown. The demon kicked Naruto to the ground, once again into the center of the other five demons. "You'll pay greatly for that..."
The demon placed his foot on Naruto's back, pinning him to the ground.
"Before we eat you..." The demon stated as the other demons began to laugh, "We'll see to it that you suffer first."
As the demon further pressed his foot on Naruto's back, a strange orange glow began to arise, catching the attention of the demons. Suddenly, Naruto began to stand up, shocking the demon. Without uttering a single word, Naruto backhanded the demon, sending it flying into one of the houses.
"Don't get cocky... You pests!" Naruto spat out, venomous in his speech.
'This presence...' The demon thought, 'It's... It's almost as terrifying as...'
The demon stood up, as all six remaining demons surrounded Naruto. Before they were able to do anything, Naruto leaped into the air, as Kyojuro suddenly landed in his place, his hands firmly gripping his Nichirin Blade.
"Fire Breathing Fourth Form... Blooming Flame Undulation!" Kyojuro yelled.
Kyojuro took a step back, his grip growing tighter over the handle of his sword. Suddenly, he swung his blade in a circular motion, leaving a bright trail of fire in the blade's path, beheading all six of the demons in one go. Kyojuro sheathed his blade, as the sun began to rise, just as Naruto landed next to him, the Kyuubi's chakra long faded from his body.
"Fantastic work, Young Uzumaki," Kyojuro congratulated, "Now let's get to where we need to be."
-Kyojuro's Home-
After hours of walking, Kyojuro and Naruto arrived in front of a large gated wall, surrounding a large house.
"This is where you live?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, well, my father and my younger brother also live here... And my colleague sometimes crashes here as well after her training..." Kyojuro explained. "The main reason it's large is that it also contains a training ground."
"Wait, colleague?" Naruto asked.
"Yup, well, she also kinda sees me as a mentor... But from both of your personalities, I know that you two will get along well," Kyojuro assured, before placing his fingers on his chin. "Speak of the devil, she's around now."
Kyojuro pushed open the door, only for both him and Naruto to be met with another door. Before Kyojuro could reach the doorknob, the door flung open, as a larger man walked out holding a bottle of sake. The man looked at the pair, himself resembling Kyojuro in appearance, but stood taller than him and was more muscular, as well as having a more grizzled appearance.
"I've returned, father," Kyojuro stated.
"Bah," Kyojuro's father brushed off, "I can see that," Kyojuro's father turned to Naruto, "Who's this? Another one of your dysfunctional friends?"
"Dysfunctional?" Kyojuro asked, "Father, they are all Hashiras, and you were one too-"
"And we were fools all the same," Kyojuro's father stated, "This boy certainly isn't a Hashira... Doesn't look much like a Demon Slayer either, who is he?"
"Well, father," Kyojuro began, "This is Naruto Uzumaki, a shinobi who seems to be from a few hundred years in the past."
"Preposterous!" Kyojuro's father remarked.
"Explain this then, father," Kyojuro stated, tossing over one of Naruto's coins, causing the older man's eyes to widen.
"This..." Kyojuro's father murmured, before turning to Naruto. "Where did you get this from, boy?"
"I-I just always had them, well, I used to be paid for missions..." Naruto tried to explain, only to cause the older man to be more confused. "Anyways, sir, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"The name's Shinjuro, kid," Kyojuro's father stated.
"Father... Naruto here possesses within him a great deal of potential..." Kyojuro explained, "I wish to take him as an apprentice."
"Whatever," Shinjuro stated, turning his back before walking away. "Just makes sure he stays out of my sake."
"My apologies, Young Uzumaki," Kyojuro stated, "My father hasn't been the same ever since my mother passed."
Before Naruto could reply, a young woman a few years older than Naruto ran out the door, wearing a sleek kimono which had shown off her curvaceous figure, with her pink and green hair tied into braids.
"Kyojuro-san, you've returned!" The girl exclaimed, before noticing the presence of Naruto. "And who's this cutie?"
"Umm," Naruto stammered, slightly blushing at the sight of the girl, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto stated, outstretching his hand.
"Naruto?" The girl asked, "Like the fishcake in ramen? That's an interesting name! My name is Mitsuri Kanroji!" Mitsuri accepted Naruto's hand before shaking it.
'Her grip is really strong...' Naruto thought.
"I like this one," Kyuubi suddenly stated from inside Naruto's head. "And according to your hormones... You seem to like her too..."
"You finally chose to wake up," Naruto replied mentally, ignoring the fox's former statement.
"I woke up hours ago..." Kyuubi stated with a yawn, "Who did you think gave you that chakra?"
"We'll continue this later," Naruto finished mentally.
"Where are you from?" Mitsuri asked, withdrawing her hand.
"I'm from a few centuries in the past," Naruto replied nonchalantly.
"Really?!" Mitsuri asked in surprise. "But you look only a few years younger than me!"
"Two years to be exact," Kyojuro cut in. "Kanroji-san, I found Naruto here hanging from the top of a tree branch in the Shizuoka Forest, and he introduced himself as a shinobi. He has strange abilities that look like breathing forms but are formed by a source known as chakra, in any case, I see that he possesses great potential to become a great member of the Demon Slayer Corps. I intend to train him in Flame Breathing."
"That's great!" Mitsuri exclaimed, "If you want, I can help him with the basics!"
"That would be great, Kanroji-san," Kyojuro stated, "But we need to start from where everyone starts, breathing. Come in, Naruto."
Naruto nodded, before he, Kyojuro, and Mitsuri entered the house, as a young boy holding a wooden sword walked by.
"Older brother!" The boy yelled, running into Kyojuro's arms, "You're back!"
"Hello, Senjuro," Kyojuro replied, "Did you do everything Kanroji-san taught you to do?"
"I tried... But it was too difficult!" Senjuro complained, "Also, who's this?"
"This is Naruto Uzumaki," Kyojuro introduced, "He's five years older than you, and he's a shinobi."
"Just like Uzui-san?" Senjuro asked.
"Just like Uzui-san," Kyojuro stated. "We'll finish our introductions later, Senjuro, could you lead Naruto to our extra room?"
"Of course," Senjuro stated, before turning to Naruto. "Nice to meet you, Naruto-san, please follow me."
Following Senjuro, who just resembled a younger Kyojuro, Naruto walked down the hallway, before coming to a room.
"Here it is!" Senjuro exclaimed, "Oh yeah, my name is Senjuro Rengoku, I hope we can get along!"
"We definitely will," Naruto replied, walking into the room. 'This room is larger than my old room back in the village... I'm gonna pay a quick visit to the fox.'
-Mindscape-
"Oi, Kyuubi!" Naruto yelled, "What did you want to say?"
"Be quiet kit," Kyuubi replied, with a slightly different tone from usual. "My best friend... Your father... He wants to say one last goodbye."
"Wait..." Naruto began, "Didn't he disappear?"
"He did... But he also said that he would be back..." Kyuubi stated, large beads of tears streaming from its eyes. "Minato Namikaze! Your son is here!"
"I know!" Came Minato's voice, "Just packing a few things for Naruto!"
Before long, Minato came up in front of Naruto, before patting his son on the head.
"I feel it..." Naruto murmured, "You- You're proud of me?"
"How did you know?" Minato asked.
"It's my mind... I feel it... I just, do," Naruto replied, "Why are you proud of me?"
"It's because even though you're lost, even though you do not know, even though your past still haunts you..." Minato began, "You still find the strength, the courage, the urgency... The will to help others... That's more than most of us can say..."
Naruto stood silently, a teardrop falling to the ground.
"Right this moment, you're thinking if you can trust the people you've met," Minato stated.
"How can you tell?" Naruto asked.
Minato gave a small smile, before placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It's because you're my son, and nothing will ever change that," Minato reached behind him, before pulling out a scroll. "This scroll contains the techniques I would've wanted to teach you."
"But why?" Naruto asked, "Couldn't you see? Jutsu do nothing against those demons!"
"Please try to understand, Naruto..." Minato began, "Your new sensei said it himself, the techniques he and his colleagues' use are based on breath patterns, does that sound familiar to you?"
"You don't mean-" Naruto replied.
"Yes, you can most likely apply those breathing techniques to your existing arsenal," Minato stated.
"But still..." Naruto began.
"I know, but that's up to you to decide," Minato stated, guessing Naruto's intended statement. "I have no right to tell you what to do... So it's your choice whether or not to trust those you meet now. These years are the years where you will change greatly, and these changes will stick with you for the rest of your life... Just be careful what you will change into. But know this, just because you possess abilities many here would consider... Supernatural... Just because you can impose your will over other people... Doesn't mean you have the right to."
Minato began to fade before Naruto and Kyuubi. The former Fourth Hokage sighed, before turning away.
"Wait!" Naruto yelled, running after Minato.
"I haven't been the best father... So I won't pretend to know you well..." Minato acknowledged, fading more.
"No!" Naruto yelled, tears running down his face as he outstretched his arm.
"Always remember..." Minato stated, his body disappearing fully while his voice remained. "With great power... Comes great responsibility..."
Naruto fell to his knees, tears rapidly streaming out of his eyes. Naruto composed himself, before turning to the Kyuubi.
"Kurama..." Naruto called out, shocking the Kyuubi.
"How did you?" Kurama asked.
"It's my mind," Naruto replied. "Thank you, thank you for watching over me... Thank you for saving me... Thank you for showing me all this."
"No problem kit," Kurama replied, "You should probably go back to the real world now, your sensei is looking for you."
-Reality-
Naruto woke up from his daze, as a knock could be heard on the door. Naruto opened the door, only to be met with Kyojuro.
"Young Uzumaki," Kyojuro stated warmly, passing a kimono to Naruto. "If you don't mind a hand-me-down, you could wear this, it was mine when I was your age."
"Thank you, thank you very much!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Also, if you don't mind, I would like to begin your training now," Kyojuro stated with a smile, getting Naruto's attention.
Author's Notes 2: If you're wondering why Kyojuro doesn't mention beast breathing, it would be because canonically, Beast Breathing has yet to be discovered, nor would Kyojuro know about it.