Redemption
Chapter 1 - Golden
The time had finally come for his plan to be enacted.
Everything had to be perfect or it would set him back years, perhaps even decades.
Zetsu, his loyal spymaster, had confirmed that the nine-tailed jinchuriki was going into labour. During this time its trigram seal would significantly weaken and be at its most brittle, just begging to be released upon the world to exact its revenge on all those who sealed it many moons ago.
His plan was simple- infiltrate the Leaf village, destroy the seal holding the Kyuubi, rip apart Konoha and as many of its shinobi as possible, and then retreat through the carnage with the strongest bijuu under his control. The only thing, or person in his way, was his sensei, the Fourth Hokage: Minato Namikaze. However, he had an idea to rid him of that man for good.
The pale, plant-like being rose from the ground, slipping through the floor as if it was water and he was merely swimming. He wore a black cloak which hid his body, of which one side was black and the other white. His, or its, upper body was encased in Venus flytrap like extensions that emerged from its shoulders which opened up to reveal its dual-toned face that could hardly be described as human. Its yellow, beady eyes stared creepily at the man before him and nodded, "The time has come, Obito, the target is just outside Konoha. Follow my chakra", it spoke in a deep baritone voice before once again sinking into the ground and disappearing from sight like a lost soul returning to the underworld.
The man identified as Obito threw on his hooded cloak making sure to keep the hood in place and picked up his orange battle hardened mask which had black lines forking around the single hole for his right eye. Placing it on and sealing it with a quick application of chakra he prepared to leave gathering the necessary chakra into his eye.
"You will be mine, Kyuubi", Obito swore, and opened his only visible eye. His sharingan blazed red, spinning furiously before the three tomoe merged and elongated into a tri pronged spiked shuriken shape and started creating a vortex around him. Within seconds he had disappeared and reappeared in his personal dimension. The name Kamui whispered inside his head just as it had every time he entered this space, as if some higher being was calling his abilities name. The dimension was cold and lifeless, squares and rectangles made up the landscape with some jutting out further than others. It was dark but to him it felt like the only place he belonged in this false reality of a world.
Snapping from his thoughts, a flare of familiar chakra pinged in the back of his mind and tipped him off to where Zetsu had ended up. He quickly locked on and the spiralling vortex pulled him from his dimension back to the nightmare he had come to despise, however Zetsu had completed his task to locate the jinchuriki.
Obito stood atop a hill of an outcrop of a forest, not far from his position lay a building which resembled a barn from what he could see with the moonlight. With his sharingan he could clearly see the multiple chakra signatures inside, three of which he could identify and three he couldn't. One was Minato, his old sensei who assumed him dead, with extremely large pulsating chakra, the other was Kushina Uzumaki, his sensei's wife, and current jinchuriki who had erratic and exhausted amounts of chakra. The third, however, was the one he had come for. The kyuubi- the nine tailed fox- sat inside the seal on Kushina's stomach and was on the verge of breaking free if not for Minato holding it back just enough that it didn't destroy the seal. The chakra Obito could feel was beyond anything he had ever felt, his own and that of the current Hokage was minute compared to the bijuu's chakra.
He supressed a shudder and started phase two of the plan.
Obito supressed his chakra completely and got into position at the barn, despite being and Uchiha, he didn't want to underestimate his sensei's power. He wasn't called the yellow flash for no reason.
Inside he could hear Kushina screaming at the pain of bearing her child and supressing the Kyuubi simultaneously. He didn't have to wait for long before he heard the screeching of a new life being brought into the world, and in that screeching he had just gained his trump card. His mangekyou sharingan blazed to life again and like a ghostly apparition he walked through solid matter and into the barn like the wooden exterior wasn't even there. Inside he spotted Minato comforting Kushina and attempting the once again tighten the seal on her stomach, on his left the midwives were holding the baby and wrapping it in blankets.
The child was etched into his sharingan like all else he saw. The infant had short blonde hair just like his father.
Seizing the opportunity, he shunshinned to the midwives and quickly slit their throats with a kunai and grabbed the child, ready to end its life.
"Step away from the jinchuriki", he ordered and Minato span around tri-pronged kunai in hand, "Otherwise the child's life won't last longer than a minute".
"Wait! Just Wait! Who are you?"
He could see his sensei furiously trying to figure out who he was but due to his body modifications his chakra was nothing like it used to feel. He grinned under his mask.
It all happened in an instant and he took advantage of it. Suddenly, the seal of Kushina started to unravel without the help from Minato to keep it from loosening and threw the child into the air knowing that Minato would rush to keep his child from harm. The Hokage grabbed the child and in a flash was gone without a trace. Obito sped over to Kushina and used Kamui to pull both himself and Kushina into his dimension and into a location he had already set up for the purpose of unsealing the Kyuubi.
Chaining her up to some rocks he informed her of her fate. He could feel the vile, repulsive, thick chakra leaking from the redhead and flared his sharingan once more, peering into her mind and wrestling her control of the Kyuubi to his own. He watched as the Kyuubi's eyes turned into his sharingan signalling his genjutsu had been successful.
"Now come out Kyuubi!" he shouted, and instantly the form of the giant fox ripped itself from the stomach of the deathly Uzumaki and landed in front of him. It towered even the largest structure built by shinobi kind; its nine tails flailed in the air as it roared so loud the he felt everyone on the planet could hear it. Behind it, Kushina collapsed to the ground near exhausted of chakra after having her bijuu extracted. Obito could feel the rage bubbling inside the demon as its hatred for the Uchiha clan and shinobi in general got to the point of insanity.
He paid it no mind. Under the power of his sharingan, the Kyuubi had to obey him no matter what, "Destroy her", he ordered, knowing the Uzumaki would survive due to their vitality. Immediately, the Kyuubi jumped intended to crush the woman under its mighty paw however just before contact a flash of yellow took her away. Minato.
"No matter. On to phase three. Kamui!"
He quickly teleported into Konoha, completely bypassing the sensing barrier- it was useless before his space-time jutsu- and slammed his hand upon the ground, "Summoning Jutsu!"
A blast of chakra so strong flooded the village and forced him to become intangible as the Kyuubi appeared in a cloud of smoke inside the very village that had kept it captive for so long. Obito imagined that even without his control the nine tails would destroy the village but he wasn't going to take any chances either way. He sent the order through his sharingan to destroy the Leaf and then teleported away to watch from a safer distance.
When he re-emerged, he was greeted by the sight of the fox causing destruction on levels unparalleled. Even he could not cause this much carnage. He could hear the screams despite how far away he was and see the fire and smoke rising from every building in sight. That was when he heard a deep rumbling sound and saw the kyuubi gathering chakra in its maw. The demon was pulling chakra from nature itself to create a bijuu bomb that would spell the end of Konoha. The chakra he felt amassing at the Kyuubi's head was more than he had ever felt in one place and reaffirmed his belief that these walking, destructive beasts were an affront to nature itself and deserved to be sealed away forever.
It fired the purple mass of chakra so fast he could barely follow it and grinned like a madman- "phase three comple-", immediately his face contorted to annoyance as before his eye, the bomb was being funnelled into a seal in the sky created by none other than the fourth hokage and his flying rajin formula jutsu. The bijuu bomb vanished from site and the Leaf was saved from total annihilation.
Obito growled and used Kamui to appear behind the famed Hokage and grabbed his shoulder locking onto the man with his sharingan and sucking him into his dimension where he would wither away. Without warning his ability was cancelled and Minato had flashed away the instant he had felt him behind him, his own time-space jutsu saving him from certain death. Obito seethed internally as he heard the Kyuubi continue to crush the village beneath it.
Using his Kamui again he followed his sensei's chakra and found him on his knees atop a hillside, "You're not getting away", he said calmly. Minato jumped up at his voice and they locked eyes, he could see that his sharingan had been seen by the enemy but it was of no consequence. He would never make the connection of who he really was.
"Are you Madara Uchiha?" the blonde questioned, and he supressed his surprise at being identified by the name he had been told to carry by said Uchiha. It was no matter, in fact it only helped, "No that's not possible, he died years ago."
"Did I?"
"Why are you attacking the Leaf?"
"You could say I did it on a whim, or that I seek peace, but what's the point in talking to a dead man?" Obito replied, and loosened the chain around his arm and fastening it behind him dropping into his stance.
Quickly he rushed the blonde, the chain trailing behind him and slipped right through him catching him off guard and trapping him in the chain before Minato came out of his shock and flashed out of it, appearing a few feet away. Obito could almost hear the whirring of his sensei's mind as he tried to figure out what had just happened. With his sharingans Kamui he was undefeatable.
Sensing the build-up of chakra, he watched as Minato threw one of his kunai with striking accuracy as his head and rushed him with his signature Rasengan. 'You fool, sensei', he chuckled internally and allowed the kunai to slip through his head before becoming tangible again and grasped Minato's chest, 'I win', he thought. As he starting to take Minato into his dimension the man flashed again and before he could even think or sense him, he had jumped to the kunai that he had just allowed to pass through him and smashed the Rasengan into his back.
It hurt. It hurt a lot. The damage was done and Obito knew that if he did not have Hashirama's cells attached to his body, he would have died from that attack. He shouldn't have underestimated his sensei. His artificial arm sloshed and detached from his elbow dropping onto the floor. Minato stood in front of him inside the crater he had made.
"You got me," Obito said, keeping his voice steady and calm so as to confuse his enemy, "I expect nothing less from the Fourth Hokage."
Before he could even think, he had been bested again as the yellow flash appeared before him and branded him with a suppression seal. 'So fast!' He could feel his chakra wane and the tight hold he had on the kyuubi was lost, his focus completely interrupted 'damn him,' he snarled.
"The Kyuubi is no longer yours to command," the Hokage told him.
His plan had failed, he had managed to release the demon and partially destroy the Leaf but could not retreat with the nine tails, "So it seems", he would have to come back for it once he had gained more power, "But the Kyuubi will be mine," he warned before opening a vortex to the hideout and retreating to his dimension to rest.
He knew that his plans had been set back but he would have to reformulate them. Perhaps try the other bijuu and bring this little group he had formed with that man into the limelight? Yes, that would have to do. Soon, one day they would be back for the strongest bijuu and they would seal it away and preform the eye of the moon plan to end this eternal suffering and create a perfect, peaceful world.
Little did Obito know that the infant he had just held in his arms would bring him his salvation, and his destruction.
Far away in Konoha, the fourth Hokage and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, stood impaled by the Kyuubi slowly dying as father sealed the strongest bijuu into his son: Naruto Uzumaki...
Five years later in a rundown orphanage, a young boy lay on his small straw bed in the room he had grown up in. The room was around ten foot and held just a bed and some beaten up drawers which kept what little belongings he had, some clothes and toys he had been given by the donated by the people of the village. In his room there was a small circular window that looked out upon the Hokage building which housed the only person who didn't treat Naruto like a monster. The Third Hokage- or old man as he called him- occasionally visited him in his room and sometimes took him for something to eat. He was the only attachment he had formed in the village as everyone else hated him.
Naruto didn't know why and whenever he asked the Hokage, the old man would brush him off and refuse to answer. 'You're too young to understand Naruto boy, one day I will tell you'. It saddened Naruto that he was despised for something he didn't know. What could a five-year-old boy possibly have done to garner such hatred. He had cried himself to sleep many times without an answer to his question. Even the other kids in the orphanage who he shared space with were scared to go anywhere near him, running away whenever he asked to play or being ushered away by the carers while they told them to stay away from him.
They got more toys than him, more love that him, and it broke his heart.
He heard laughing from outside his window and got up to watch. It was basically the only thing he could do without being chased by the people of the village and be beaten by them. Many times, he had come back to his room sporting bruises and cuts, however he would always heal by the morning. Peering outside he spotted groups of people, shinobi and civilians alike making their way down the street kids in tow. It made him jealous and sad to see kids just like him with parents. He had been told by Jiji that his parents had died in the tragedy that had struck their village five years ago when the nine tailed fox destroyed most of their home and killed hundreds of people- it had even claimed the life of the Fourth Hokage (his hero) who defended the Leaf and fought the beast off with his life as sacrifice. It had angered Naruto at the time but now it just added to his sadness.
"Where are my father and mother, Jiji?", he had asked. Naruto could see the shock on the man's aging face before he hid it.
"Why do you ask, Naruto?" he had replied.
"Everyone else has parents but I'm alone, did they leave me here?"
The Hokage had looked down like he was in pain, "No Naruto boy, they died when you were born."
"How?"
"The nine tailed fox attacked our village and they were among the casualties. I'm sorry my boy."
He remembered that conversation like it was yesterday, the Hokage left not long after leaving the boy to cry to himself.
He swore then to become Hokage just like his hero and find and defeat the beast for good.
"Uzumaki!" a voice called from below.
Naruto found who had called his name. It was two boys- no two ninja- they were academy students; Naruto could tell by the pouches of kunai on their thighs. One had brown spiky hair and wore a blue jumper and gloves whereas the other had long hair that was slicked back to his shoulders. They looked slightly older than him. He didn't recognise them.
Taken by surprise, he forgot to answer them, "Hey! Uzumaki! Come play ninja with us!" the spiky haired one shouted again.
'They want to play with me?' he grinned.
"COMING!" he shouted back, missing the smirks the older boys shared with each other. Immediately he threw on his shinobi sandals he had been gifted by Jiji- along with the rest of his outfit, a long-sleeved orange t-shirt and black trousers- and rushed from his room. Not even the other kids jumping out of his way would mess with his mood.
A minute later he was standing outside the orphanage which looked just as run down on the outside as it did on the inside and made his way over to the two boys that had shouted up to him. A small part of him was surprised they hadn't run away but perhaps not everyone hated him like he thought.
Catching up to then he found they were slightly taller than him, "You want to play?" he asked excitedly.
"Uh huh, how about u be the bad guy and we'll be the good guys and you have to chase after us until you catch us?" the long haired boy suggested.
"O-Ok then, I'll get you, believe it!" Naruto replied. He felt wary but his happiness at finally being included stopped him from caring. He gave a toothy smile and as soon as the two academy students started to run, he shot off after them. Firstly, they ran through the village town centre, shops lined both sides of the street from food to clothes to weapons, everything could be found. Naruto spotted a store that he had tried to enter a few weeks back, Kunai's and Supplies, the man who owned it had screamed at him for even stepping foot in his store and had promptly kicked- actually kicked- him out of the door, though not before Naruto could swipe one of the kunai on the shelves. He didn't mean to steal but he couldn't bring himself to regret it either. The kunai now rested snuggly inside his trouser pocket- not that he could throw it very far.
As he ran even faster to try and keep up with the boys he watched as the people around him sneered and shouted at him, but even that wouldn't break his mood. Next, they ran past the Uchiha compound, it was guarded by two ninjas with black hair and blood red eyes. A boy named Sasuke was part of this clan, they had seen each other when the old man was taking him for ramen. He had black spiky hair and wore a black high collared shirt with black shorts. The boy was quiet but Naruto liked him, however the sharingan eyes they had scared him when he had first seen them until the Hokage had explained them to him.
Running even faster they took to the rooftops; Naruto had done small amounts of ninja training whenever Jiji would fall for his pleading and show him something. After all his dream was to surpass the Hokage and to do that he needed to be strong.
On the roofs, Naruto spotted the Hokage building on his left, a large red-orange dome with two smaller domes at the base forming what was the tallest building in the village, and on his right was his favourite relaxing spot: the Hokage monument. Four large faces engraved into the mountain that surrounded the village, of the four where the first Hokage; Hashirama Senju, and his brother the second; Tobirama, next being the old man Third lastly his hero the fourth Hokage. Naruto respected each one of them and couldn't wait for the day his face was beside them.
Suddenly, the two boys jumped quickly to the left towards the poorer areas of the village and took to the pathways again running up one of the streets, Naruto smiled knowing he was closing in and followed after them not even pausing when he saw them travel down a one-way dead-end alleyway.
He turned the corner and searched for the two boys. They had vanished. Naruto was sure he would have seen them jump up to the roofs again, so where had they gone?
"Look at this, the demon finally trapped and far away from the prying eyes of the Hokage," an angry voice growled behind him.
Naruto quickly turned before he was slugged right in the stomach causing him to drop to his knees, his vision blurry. He could make out the forms of several people- the two boys with them- staring at him hatefully. It was then he knew he had been tricked by them, lured into a dark alleyway to be beaten again. He felt sick rising in his stomach and tears formed in his eyes.
"What are you crying for demon?! You don't deserve to live after what you did," another shouted.
"I- I haven't done anything to you!" he stammered back in fear.
"We know what you are Kyuubi, you can't fool us, this time we'll rid this village of you for good," one leered, smashing his fists together.
Naruto fell back, moving himself into the corner of the alley, the dirty water from the drains wet his trousers and his attackers moved in on him.
Almost half an hour later the beatings finally stopped, the abusers spat on his broken body and left.
On the floor lay a boy barely recognisable. Naruto was bleeding from every place on his body, his ribs had been broken and his face was littered with bruises so much so you could barely see his bloodshot eyes. His attire had been ripped and torn to pieces leaving just enough to cover himself. The drainage covered him in dirty water and he smelt like a sewer.
He was just about to lose consciousness when he spotted a single man remaining. He was not one among the people who had beaten him. Infact, he had never seen him before. The man had black centre parted hair pushed up by white bandages that covered his forehead and his right eye, his only visible pupil an onyx black. His chin held an x-shaped scar and he wore a white shirt with a black robe over the top covering his right arm and ending at his feet. He also carried a cane. To Naruto he seemed like a frail old man.
"Hinoto. Kanoto," the man spoke and immediately two shinobi appeared behind him, they wore black clothing underneath a grey flak jacket and both wore white porcelain masks with red markings. Naruto couldn't make out what they resembled. At the appearance on the three ninja Naruto began to fear for his life once again, however he couldn't move.
"Take the jinchuriki out the Leaf and transfer the bijuu into this scroll," the elderly man said, "We will find a more suitable host at a later date."
'What was a jinchuriki?' Naruto wondered before the old man removed a small portion of his bandages revealing a blood red eye, then Naruto saw black.
A day went by before Naruto finally opened his eyes again before regretting that decision. The sun burned his eyes and he groaned in pain. It felt like his bones were slowly grinding back together and his face felt sore and tender but free from bruises. It seemed like he had healed a good amount since he had been beaten by the villagers.
Trying his eyes again he tried to cover the sun with his hand but found them bound behind him. He started to panic and wriggle out of the roped to no avail.
"Ah you're awake, Jinchuriki," a voice stated.
Turning to the side he spotted two ninjas looming over him. Suddenly, it all came back to him. The old man, the two ninja with masks, the sharingan? 'Was he an Uchiha member?'
The two ninjas had removed their masks. One was tall with a mane of brown hair- Kanoto- and the other was a girl with blue hair in a pony tail with red pearl earrings- Hinoto.
"Do not resist or this will hurt more than it should, jinchuriki," the man said, "Play nice for Danzo-sama and we may let you live."
"Kanoto, you know extracting it will kill the boy," the woman said.
"I know Hinoto. Now stay still and die demon," the male said and made a seal with his hands.
All around Naruto black inky markings he hadn't even noticed started to glow with increasing intensity and a dull ache turned into a sharper pain until it was almost unbearable.
SPLASH
Instantly the glowing faded away like a fire had just had water thrown on it and Naruto could finally breathe. His face felt wet and as he looked down at himself, he realised why. On the floor were the two shinobi with their necks slashed open as if a shuriken had ripped straight through them, blood was seeping from each of them and Naruto knew he was covered in their blood. The rope restraining him snapped, though Naruto didn't know how and he screamed in terror moving towards a small stream behind him.
'What the hell is going on? What's wrong with me?' he screamed internally, staring at his face in the water. His face was painted red and his hair was drenched in Kami knows what. He was terrified and disgusted.
"Boy," a deep voice boomed behind him and he span around preparing for the worst.
It was another masked man. However, this one wore an orange swirly mask that converged on the single eye hole. He wore robed of black stained with blood red clouds. His spiky black hair was the only other thing he could see of the man. Naruto shivered in terror and knew he was in trouble.
It was by pure miracle that Zetsu had managed to pinpoint the Kyuubi's chakra in time. Zetsu had materialised and had informed him that the Kyuubi jinchuriki had left the village by itself and Obito- no Madara knew- that this was a chance he could not afford to pass up.
And he had arrived just as he had seen Root members about to extract the Kyuubi for themselves, or Danzo most likely.
Just one look at the Kyuubi jinchuriki and he knew who the boy was. Coupled with rumours from his various spies he could confirm with absolute certainty that the kyuubi vessel was the Fourth Hokage, his sensei's child. They looked eerily similar with the spiked blonde hair and azure eyes as blue as the sky. Swiftly, he dispatched the two Root members and watched the boy run to the stream and wash himself of the blood he was soaked in. The boy looked like he had been in a fight with a ox, 'did they beat him before extracting the kyuubi?' he wondered.
"Boy," he spoke and said boy whipped his head around and stared at him in horror.
"Who-Who are you? Why is everyone trying to hurt me?" the child tears streaming from his eyes. He was broken. A plan started to formulate in his head, however he would humour the boy.
"I am Uchiha Madara," he answered flaring his chakra slightly, "Your name, child?"
"Uchiha? Madara? Isn't he the shinobi who founded the Leaf village? You're Dead?" the boy responded confused.
"Correct, and yet here I am," he said, "Your name?"
"Uh, Uzumaki Naruto," the boy- Naruto said.
Madara studied the boy for a second. Uzumaki? So, he took Kushina's name? I suppose they didn't want him knowing about his father? 'This presents an opportunity; I can have him join us and take the kyuubi from him willingly which would help out tremendously with the plan', he plotted, 'Just imagine pitting the boy against his own village. What a perfect way to destroy Minato's legacy.'
"I remember holding you in my arms when you were first born," Obito grinned under his mask. He would just have to convince him.
Naruto looked suitably shocked, "You were there when I was born, Uchiha-san?"
"Of course, Naruto, I am your father after all."
Silence...
"My-My father? But Jiji said they died in the attack! You're not my father!" the boy exploded. Obito sighed. The boy was going to need a push to fall for it.
"It's true, Naruto. We were ambushed you see. Konoha had sent their shinobi to take the Kyuubi from your mother for their village," he carried on.
"What's the nine tails got to do with this?" the boy asked confused.
"Do you know what a jinchuriki is, Naruto?" the boy shook his head. Unsurprising. The village hadn't even told the boy about what he was and how to control it.
"A jinchuriki is a shinobi who has one of the nine tailed beasts sealed inside of them. These jinchuriki then have power beyond imagination that villages will kill for just to one up the other villages. He who controls the most bijuu control the world you see, and the kyuubi is the most powerful of all bijuu said to be able to create valleys with a single stride."
'Kyuubi? That's what the man called me in the alleyway' Naruto thought, and then it hit him, "Am- am I a jinchuriki for the Kyuubi?"
Obito could see the boy hyperventilating. He was terrified of what he was. 'Just a little push.'
"Correct," he confirmed, "Your mother was the jinchuriki before you, she held the kyuubi, however as you were born the seal weakened allowing for Konoha ninja to ambush us. The Fourth Hokage caught me off guard and weakened me. There was nothing I could do until I recovered, I did not know you had survived. The rest I can only guess. They killed your mother releasing the kyuubi which is what caused the attack on Konoha until the fourth hokage sealed it into you condemning you, Naruto, to an existence of suffering."
Naruto was becoming increasingly more scared as he learned what he assumed was what really happened to him. Obito could see the seeds he was planting growing, the boy was starting to believe him, a little more and he would come to resent the village that he was supposed to protect.
"But Jiji he helped me!"
"Did he Naruto? Tell me how did you come by these wounds?"
"The-the village, they-they hate me, call me demon. Monster. Hurt me," the boy shared.
"And did he do anything to stop it? Really?"
The boy shook his head. Madara smirked. He had him. The Kyuubi was his.
"What if I told you I could free you of this burden, Son?" Obito said.
"Burden?" Naruto replied. His eyes were full off hate and sadness.
"I can remove the Kyuubi from you Naruto. We can seal it away together and you can help me achieve my dream," he offered.
"You could how? What dream?" the boy looked hopeful.
"Correct, removing a bijuu from its host is tricky and painful but it is possible," he said, "It's what the Akatsuki is for. We are a group shinobi who will seal every bijuu so that no one can use their chakra for bad ever again."
"It can really be done?" the boy asked, his tears were starting to dry and he started to move closer to his supposed father, "I can get rid of this demon?"
"If you wish it, come with me," Madara held out his hand awaiting Naruto's response.
Slowly and attentively, he stretched out his small hand still covered if flakes of dried blood and clasped his hand with his own. Seconds later and Kamui had returned both of them to the hideout.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"This is my base of operations, no one will ever hurt you here Naruto."
The boy gave him a smile. He blinked.
"I won't lie to you Naruto, the price of a bijuu being extracted comes at a high cost."
"Cost?"
"The price of having a bijuu removed from its host is death."
Naruto's eyes widened and he backed up slightly not quite sure what to do, "It'll kill me?"
"It would, but you have me," he said, "In return for the kyuubi I will give you the power you seek."
"Yes, father."
They walked until they came upon a wooden-like creature behind a throne. The creature had nine eyes however they were all closed. Even from their position, Naruto could tell it was huge if it reached its full height.
"What is that?" he asked intrigued.
"That is the Gedo Mazo, it's a holding pen for the bijuu if you like," he answered. Soon the statue would have its first tailed beast and his plan would start to bear fruit. Naruto made an 'ah' like sound. "If you have made up your mind and you are ready son, stand there as the statue removes the kyuubi from you. It will be painful Naruto but I can assure you, you will survive."
They stared at each other for a while until eventually Naruto closed his eyes and nodded his head, "Yes, father, thank you." He made his way to the designated spot and took a deep breath.
The first sign was a loud noise like the sky was ripping apart, the Gedo Statue's jaw had become unhinged and open as if to eat the child in front of it, the second sign was the lavender chakra chain that was spat out like a frog trying to catch a fly. It flew into Naruto's stomach and then came the screaming, evidently the chain was wrapping around the corrosive chakra of the kyuubi inside Naruto and attempting to rip it out of the seal. It was succeeding. Obito watched in awe as the first of nine tailed beasts that had been taken from him five years ago by Minato was torn from his sensei's son's body and into the statues mouth where it promptly closed itself. Shortly after the centre eye opened and stared into nothingness.
The Kyuubi had been extracted. Eight remaining.
Coughing broke Obito out of his reverie as he watched Naruto splutter up blood. With his sharingan he could see his chakra slowly dwindling. The boy was dying.
He had a choice:
Save him and turn him into an instrument of hate in his war,
Or,
Let him die and remove a piece from the board...
Obito knew what he would do. Letting him die would prove pointless. Who knew what the boy would amount to?
"Zetsu," he whispered, and Zetsu slowly flowed from the ground having been watching the whole time, "Do you have it?"
"Of course," the being replied handing over a syringe filled with a white and red substance.
Taking the needle Madara made his way to Naruto and just as the last of his light was leaving the boys eyes, he jabbed the needle into his arm and injected him with the cells of Hashirama Senju to promote healing and grant the boy Mokuton- Wood release- and his own Uchiha blood to potentially awaken something even greater.
He stepped back and waited,
And waited
And waited-
Before his sharingan could even read the massive influx of chakra headed towards him, he was blasted back only just managing to stay on his feet from channelling chakra to his feet to hold him in place. He brought his hands up to shield his eye from the intense wind until after what seemed like forever it finally subsided and the atmosphere returned to normal.
Searching for Naruto he spotted him standing in the middle of the chamber and Obito choked.
Something he hadn't thought possible was right in front of him.
Eyes that were once blue now held a golden yellow sclera with black concentric rings.
Naruto Uzumaki had awoken a form of the Rinnegan.
Then he only knew darkness.
Thank you for reading the first chapter of Redemption. I've always loved the Rinnegan and Powerful Naruto stories so when this idea came to me I started writing and just couldn't stop. As you can tell this fanfiction is AU and will feature a strong naruto but not one that can just win everything without any effort, he will probably only use mokuton and the rinnegan abilities to save it being too ott. Obviously in this story naruto has golden rinnegan like momoshiki has and i chose that to differentiate from nagato and madara and just for the fact i believe it could look cooler and have a more interesting reason as to why that one awoke and not the purple one. Also the way he achieves the rinnegan is the best way i could think of having him achieve it without just being related to madara or just given it, so he has ashura chakra, hashirama chakra and obito's chakra combining both.
