Guardian
Summary: AU - Going against Itachi, the legendary Kyubi guardian takes human form as Uzumaki Naruto, in order to protect his former master's vengeful little brother... whether he likes it or not. (sasuke x naruto / sasunaru)
Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Naruto - if I did there would have been more 'accidental' kisses in the anime
Note: Random flash backs and present parts of the story are divided with the dashed line between them.
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Chapter One: Uzumaki Naruto
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The dream was always the same.
It was pitch black when Naruto returned to the Uchiha residence that day. So dark, he wondered if hunt for dinner in the woods was longer than he thought. Normally after dusk the street lanterns would have lighted up the path for the residents there until midnight. That was odd.
As he leapt from the gate wall to a nearby rooftop, the fox scanned the darkness for any source of light. There was none except for the half covered full moon that hung in the night sky. Even that source of light was beginning to fade as dark clouds began to close in.
The unpleasant wind he felt earlier that day had returned, causing the small fox to shiver, as it stirred up the dead leaves scattered around him. Something was definitely wrong here.
Slowly Naruto began to approach the main house; alarms were going off in his head as he inhaled the night air. Why couldn't he smell the pleasant aroma of dinner the women made for their families? He sniffed again and went cold. There was a foul stench in the air which he could easily identify as spilled blood. Naruto had known all to well what death had smelled like from the countless battle fields he fought on. It was too familiar not to forget. Whenever he fought alongside his master, the strong scent would cling to him like a second coat.
It wasn't long before Naruto stopped abruptly on the rooftop as he saw proof of death laying in the streets. Heart pounding in his chest, the fox broke into a run towards the main house. Anxiety and grief coursing through him as he caught glimpses of more bodies scattered around like trash along the way.
Who could have done this? Why wasn't he summoned when there was danger? He wished there was someone alive to answer his questions. Stopping before the second rooftop and catching sight of the old couple he had spoke to that very morning. Also dead. Naruto growled lowly to himself and wondered if he could have been the Hyuuga clan. After all, they were rivals to the Uchiha for a long, long time.
Or maybe not. Studying the expression on the victims' faces - he saw no anger in their expressions, or pain. From the look of it, they had been slaughtered unexpectedly... and quickly. Whoever was responsible was good. He let out a low hiss. Very good... and very dead when he got his fangs and claws into them.
Quietly he entered the main house and his nose twitched as he caught the scent of the family household. There was no doubt about it, they were all here; unfortunately, so was the stench of death. No. He wouldn't believe it, someone had to be alive.
Sasuke's shoes were here, impatiently kicked off and laying in a pile on the floor. The boy must have returned home recently. He could still be alive!
Following the young Uchiha's scent, Naruto raced through the main house, with both a mixture of fear and hope eating him up inside. 'Damn brat,' he thought worriedly, 'you better be alive when I find you.'
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The insistent whining of his alarm clock quickly brought him into the waking world. Right on time, he thought dryly as he sat up in bed. A loud yawn escaped his throat as he stretched his arms over his head. Over his head...? Oh that's right, he could do that now.
Lowering his arms, Naruto stared at the peachy pink flesh of his hands and not the red fur of his paws. Human hands. Fingers instead of claws. Unconsciously, he counted the numerous amount of teeth in his mouth with his tongue, already missing his sharp fangs. Other than the notable whisker like scars on either side of his face, he was human. Human. One hundred percent human. He was fairly certain that if he were to cut himself, he wouldn't recognize his own scent.
Naruto sighed and wondered if he should go back to sleep. At least he could dream about being in his other body. Being human was too embarrassing. Especially in the form of a pre-adolescent male with unbalanced and limited Chakra control. Glancing down at the black markings of a seal on his stomach, Naruto wondered if the Sandaime Hokage hated him.
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"What did you say?!"
Standing beside the Hokage, Umuino Iruka failed to hold back a chuckle as he watched the little nine-tailed fox fall off the foot of the bed. Never in his years as a ninja of the Village of the Hidden Leaf had he seen such a sight. After hearing the stories of the legendary Kyubi from his parents; Iruka thought the guardian beast would at least be a little bigger.
"Aren't foxes supposed to land on their feet?"
"Idiot. You're thinking about cats!"
"Oh... ah, sorry."
After hitting the floor with a small thud, Naruto finally stood up again and glared up at the Chuunin. This of course shut Iruka up immediately. After all, no one in their right mind would fight a pissed off demon fox. Even if that demon fox looked like it was hacking up a hairball while shouting at the Hokage again.
"Why do I have to change?!"
"For your own protection," the Sandaime answered simply.
The fox looked incredulous... if that were possible. But both men could see those blue eyes narrow as Naruto 'hmphed' and jumped back up. Completely ignoring the bed's single occupant who was still unconscious.
"Mine?"
The Hokage nodded and placed his hand over young Sasuke's forehead.
"And his as well."
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'Stupid Sasuke,' Naruto growled to himself. Swinging his legs over the bed, he stumbled to get dressed. His deep blue eyes quickly caught sight of the calendar and his scowl melted off his youthful face. There was no point in sleeping in when he had the explanatory meeting to attend today. He, Uzumaki Naruto, had just shortly graduated and became a Genin.
About damn time too. Naruto had failed in the past, not once but three times. All because of the weak human body that was having a hard time molding normal human Chakra together. Well that's what he tried to explain to Iruka who just accused him of being lazy.
But could he really be blamed for that? Even as a fox he hated being trapped indoors for too long. He felt like a bird trapped in a cage. While he was supposed to be listening to the lectures; Naruto would find himself looking at the Uchiha heir. Noting how cold and distant Sasuke had become. How much more had he changed from the boy Naruto knew?
Less like Sasuke and more like him.
This attention of course was not mutual nor was it welcomed. When those cold onyx eyes met his gaze, they glared back at him. Or the raven haired boy would ignore him - which really pissed Naruto off. He hated being ignored by the people of the village because he was an outsider them; let alone Sasuke, who was the very reason Naruto was a human boy in the first place.
As he finished changing into his normal orange jump suit, Naruto began to tame the spikey blonde locks of his bangs in front of a mirror. Hesitantly he reached for his forehead protector and smiled at it fondly before putting it on. Sticking a tongue out as his reflection, the boy was off.
Jumping down from his second story apartment - Naruto bounded across the rooftops of the Konoha village. Automatically he skidded to a halt when he nearly passed the Ichiraku, the local ramen shop. His stomach had finally woke up from it's own slumber, and reminded him that he needed breakfast. Never being the one to skip a meal, he obliged and jumped down
"Morning, Naruto," the cook behind the counter greeted as the young Genin plopped down on the barstool. "What will it-"
"Miso ramen!"
The old man chuckled at the enthusiastic answer the boy gave him every morning, and nodded as he went to work with the noodles. He couldn't help but smile as Naruto seemed to lean over the counter a little to watch him prepare the dish. Normally he disliked it when customers leaned in closely to try and interfered the cooking process; however, Naruto just stared with child like curiosity but knew he should keep his hands to himself.
"You make it look so easy!"
"Ah," the old man smiled, "that's just years of experience. Here you go."
"Thanks!"
"Ittadakimasu!" Splitting his chopsticks, Naruto dived in. "Your ramen is the best in the whole village, not even she could make it this tasty!"
"She? Your mother?"
That was the first time the boy had uttered another person in the past four years he had been a customer. He knew Naruto was an outsider who moved into the village, but never saw him with anyone. Years ago the whisker-scarred kid had just entered his shop and pointed to what he wanted to eat. Then he came the following day and then the next. As soon as the old man knew it, Naruto was eating there every day without speaking a word about family or where he came from.
Slurping on his noodles, Naruto shook his head.
"Don't have a mother."
"You're an orphan?"
"Nope."
Blinking in confusion, the old man decided not to pry as another person sat down on a stool right next to the boy. "Welcome, Iruka-sensei."
Turning his gaze slightly to face his teacher, Naruto mumbled a 'hi' with a mouthful of noodles. Already the young ninja in training had drop the chopsticks and was eating like an animal. Which of course, didn't really surprise the genin instructor who just made a face; looking slightly nauseated.
"Naruto, don't talk with your mouth open. It's disgusting."
"Sorry, Iruka-sensei." Chewing another mouthful, he opened his mouth one more time to give the man another eyeful, before swallowing. "Did you want anything, my treat?"
Twitching in irritation and disgust, Iruka averted his gaze.
"My appetite is ruined, thank you very much."
"Don't mention it!"
Placing the bowl down, Naruto debated on ordering seconds as he wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand. Teasing his instructor was always fun, but he didn't want to risk getting smacked on the back of the head. There was nothing appealing about choking death on ramen. Picking up his chopsticks again, Naruto politely accepted the second helping.
"What brings you here, Iruka-sensei?"
Watching Naruto slowly inhale is second bowl of Ramen, Iruka composed himself as his student's table manners improved slightly. 'Slightly' meaning the blonde didn't noisily slurp as much.
"Ah,I wanted to apologize for not congratulating you properly on your graduation... and that other thing..." Iruka trailed off for a moment as he offered to take the check from the cook. Although Naruto really wanted another bowl, he was grateful for the free meal and followed his sensei out.
"Hokage-sama wanted me to thank you on his behalf," Iruka continued quietly as the two began walking away from the Ichiraku, "for retrieving the Scroll of Seals from Mizuki."
Inwardly Naruto frowned as he remembered the former teacher and replayed the events from two nights ago in his head. It had been a close call for him having his cover blown by the older looking ninja. Luckily he was easily able to defeat the man... and of course have a peek of the Sealing scroll for himself. The Kage no Bushin jutsu could proof to be useful in the future. It certainly help take down that slime Mizuki, who had tried to pin the theft on Naruto himself.
"Also..."
The blonde haired boy turned his attention back to his teacher who began to speak again.
"Thanks for ...svinmaz..."
"What was that, Sensei? I didn't catch it."
"I said," Iruka tried again knowing the fox inside the boy was snickering with amusement, "thank you for saving my ass..."
"No problem." The blonde smirked before remembering that today the graduated new Genin students would splitting up into groups. Already, Naruto knew who one of his team-mates was going to be. "Hey, sensei...?"
"What?"
Naruto looked hopeful as rested his hands behind his head. "Does this mean I can pick the third member for my group?"
"Like who?"
If he was going to be stuck with a certain brooding Uchiha, the blonde wanted someone else who was a little more livelier. Not just anyone from the classroom either. Shikimaru was too lazy. Shino was too quiet. Hinata too weird (especially towards him). Akimaru, Kiba's dog, kept biting at his ankles. Chouji might accidentally kill him by sitting on him. Ino... well, Naruto didn't know where to begin with her. Which left one person in particular... one person who was as sweet as the blossoms she was named after.
"Sakuuuura-chaaan!"
The older ninja blinked as Naruto was actually blushing upon singing his classmate's name. Iruka wasn't at all surprised, it was no secret that the class clown had a crush on one of his top students. But of course it went unnoticed to the pink haired girl who brushed Naruto off for his declared rival, Sasuke.
"I'll think about it."
"Awww... Iruka-sensei!"
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"Ne, did you here? Sasuke-kun likes girls with long hair!"
"What? Really?!"
"I'm gonna grow mine out."
"Me too!"
"I bet mine will grow faster."
"No way!"
Naruto cracked an eye open and silently regarded two female students walking by. He yawned, a little upset his nap was disturbed by their inane conversation. Naturally he could have slept through anything; however the mention of the last Uchiha living in the village had perked his interest. Who knew the little brat was so popular?
From the fox's resting place on a high branch of a tree, he watched as the students of Konoha Academy began to disperse. Which meant lessons were over for the day and it was time for the children to return home to their families. Well for those who had them.
Slowly trailing behind a couple boys, was Uchiha Sasuke. Who looked more out of place than Naruto did among the other animals hanging around that tree. In a higher branch, a mother bird was eyeing him dangerously - afraid the fox would attack her nest. A couple squirrels had surrounded at him, twittering in their language how a creature could have more than one tail.
Casually he ignored them. Even among those who were of his species, he was never accepted among any other animals. Why should he be? He was the Kyubi, a demon after all.
Jumping down to another branch to get a closer look of the boy, those inhuman blue eyes softened a little. It was inevitable that Sasuke would have changed after the clan had been massacred. Yet Naruto never knew a person could change that much. The boy never smiled anymore. He was always quiet, rarely speaking to anyone.
It was as if he had died right alongside his kin. Naruto had remembered those soulless tearful black eyes when he had finally found Sasuke that fateful night. The condition was most likely caused by the infamous Sharingan. Seventy-two hours of hell, a fate most likely worse than death.
'Itachi...' the fox thought of his former master, absently scrapping the tree bark with his claws. 'Where have you gone?'
The sound of one clearing their voice, quickly brought him out of his reverie. Blinking he noticed two things. The first: Sasuke, whom he had been waiting for the whole day, was gone. Second: for an old man, the Hokage had managed to hit him right between the eyes with an acorn.
"Sandaime," he growled lightly, rubbing a paw over his wound. "What do you want?!"
Konoha's most powerful ninja couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "You have a loud mouth for such a small creature."
Twitch.
"Shut up! I used to be bigger than any building you humans could make!"
'Used to be'.
"You're out of place, Kyubi. In your current form it won't take long for someone to recognize you... and word gets around like a wildfire. Do you want that?"
Leaping away from the tree and onto an empty swing, Naruto inwardly frowned. "Of course I don't! But what choice do I have?"
He held on with his claws as the swing began to sway back and forth. Curiosity had eaten at him, when he saw a few children use it that morning. It was an interesting experience.
Amused at the sight, the Hokage stepped forward.
"Have you thought about my proposal?"
"You mean... becoming a pathetic human boy just so I can hang around another one?"
Higher and higher it went. Naruto tried to hold on tight. Fighting off his dizziness as the swinging motion began to make him sick.
"No, I meant becoming human to assist your new master. He is the Uchiha heir and will need your help, whether he asks for it or not."
Twitch.
Naruto hated when others proved to be right. He did have a duty to live up to after all. Having enough of the swing, Naruto waited for the swing to move up higher before jumping off. In mid air, he was able to perform a reverse flip and landed neatly...
"ITAI!"
... on Iruka's head.
Perfect landing, as always. Giggling under his breath, the fox tilted his head to gaze down at the teacher upside down. Those two dark eyes widened in shock before narrowing in irritation.
"Naruto..."
"Yo, Iruka! Buy me more of that Ramen stuff, will you?"
The man glared back but soon became cross-eyed. Growling he tried to swat down the fox off his head. He must have looked like a complete idiot as the the animal easily evaded his hits; before blinding him with those various tails.
"NO! Get off, already!"
"Aaaw!" the fox whined as he continued to hop and avoid the ninja's hands. "Pleeeeassse!"
"Al-Alright! Now get off!"
"Wai!"
Grinning at his victory, Naruto obliged and hopped down from Iruka's head to his shoulder. The man practically glared murderously down at him, but the animal was to thrilled to noticed. It was only when the Hokage cleared his throat again, did the two acknowledged his presence. The Chuunin teacher flushed with embarrassment.
"Ho-Hokage-sama!"
The elder's eyes locked on to the Kyubi's once more. "Well?"
His momentary glee forgotten, Naruto became serious once more. It shocked Iruka, to see Naruto be annoying and care free one moment, and so different the next. It made the Genin instructor wonder, 'What kind of boy will this guardian was going to become...?'
"Alright, I'll do it." Naruto gave in finally. "But!" Both men stared quietly as the fox looked as if he were in deep thought. Until he began to nudge at Iruka. "He has to buy me Ramen ever week!"
'...An annoying one.'
The Hokage blinked before nodding in agreement without bothering to consult Iruka first.
"Very well."
"Ho-Hokage-sama?!"
"Wai!"
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No one really noticed Naruto as he entered the classroom with the rest of the graduates, and found himself sitting a row away from Sasuke. Once again, the raven haired boy was doing what he does best, brooding silently from the others.
Why was he being this way? Naruto couldn't really understand. Despite being distant and cold, Sasuke had a chance to get closer to people again. To heal and act like himself.
The blonde tapped his chin thoughtfully. There had to be a way to get a rise out of him. Proclaiming to be Sasuke's rival seemed to work. Sure, the other boy wouldn't yell back as loudly as he did, but he still reacted.
He jumped up from his seat and landed directly on the table in front of the Uchiha, glaring a little. The dark haired youth stared at him wearily behind his clasped hands. That didn't last long as Naruto began to vocally ask why Sasuke had to be anti-social prick? What did people like about him anyway?
This of course caused a riot among all the female Sasuke-fans who glared and shouted threatening at Naruto. Even Sakura-chan was yelling at him. It wasn't fair, for once couldn't she be yelling at the other boy. Sasuke ignored her and she adored him. Why? He really couldn't -
All thoughts blew away like leaves in the wind as Naruto was suddenly hit from behind. He scrambled to hold his balance; but falling forward, he hit something else. His lips... on... on Sasuke's.
Was... was this a kiss he had seen humans give one another? A kiss. A sign of affection. Naruto and Sasuke just stared at one another for what seemed like almost eternity, their eyes as wide as dinner plates. The room went eerily silent and he could feel everyone's eyes locked onto the two of them.
Finally the two broke away, gagging to the side and holding their throats. Damn. As he heard a quiet apology from the boy who had bumped him, the blonde wondered Why did this have to happen. He really wanted to kiss Sakura-chan... because guys kissed girls they liked, and he liked her.
"Na...Naruto!"
Unfortunately, those feelings weren't mutual.
It wasn't long before he was sitting down again at the same table with Sakura between himself and Sasuke. Covered in bruises given by the fan club, he resisted the urge to glare over the pink haired girl's head, while Iruka-sensei began to speak.
'Oh no,' he thought suddenly, forgetting his injuries as they began to heal. Naruto remembered they were to be assigned groups of three today, and the plea he had made to his teacher to have Sakura on his team. He had changed his mind, there was no way he could try to impress the girl when she was too busy fawning over Sasuke.
"Team Seven..." Iruka began, glancing over to Naruto's table.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
The boy made no response.
"Haruno Sakura."
'Damn,' the blonde cursed mentally. He knew Sakura was inwardly cheering... despite being glared at by every other female in the room.
"and... Uzumaki Naruto."
Was it him, or did Sakura deflate before his eyes? Well it couldn't be helped. He did beg Iruka to put her on his team. From the start he and Sasuke would have been grouped together. There wouldn't have been any point being Uzumaki Naruto if he hadn't.
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"You need a name."
"Huh?"
The whisker scarred blonde boy looked up from the steaming cup of ramen in his hands. He was unsuccessfully trying to hold onto the container with one hand and eat using chopsticks with the other. His fingers just couldn't keep a firm grip on the wooden sticks as the noodles splashed back into the broth.
"I already have a name," he stated with a frown at his lack of process in dining.
From where he was sitting alongside the child, the Hokage reached out and corrected his grip on the eating utensils. "I meant a real name that doesn't give away your identity, Kyubi."
"Oh." Successfully, this time, picking up a couple noodles, the boy smiled proudly as he consumed them. "Call me Naruto then."
"Naruto?"
"My master gave me that name," he informed the elder. Getting bolder he began to pick up more and more noodles from the cup. Just to see how much he could eat at a time without choking himself. "I'd like to keep it."
The Hokage nodded slowly as he watched the boy down the rest of the Ramen, before sighing in contentment. "Very well, Naruto it is then. However you will still need a surname."
Naruto, examined the plastic cup carefully to make sure there was no more trace of Ramen left, before tossing it over his shoulder. "What for?"
"Everyone has to have one."
"Everyone who has a family," the blonde pointed out. "But whatever... um... Uchiha then..."
"Don't be foolish."
"I was being serious..."
Sighing, Naruto shifted and leaned back in bed, hating how he was confined to it and how... weak he felt. Absently, his fingers brushed against the dark marking on his abdomen. His navel was the center for one large black circular line pattern. The seal that kept his abnormal Chakra dormant within the human boy's body. Weak little human boy with normal chakra.
"Hey, old man...?" he asked suddenly, "I've seen this mark all over your village. What's it called?"
Glancing down, the elder watched Naruto trace over the marking on his skin before it disappeared. "It's called a spiral."
"Spiral... huh? Uzumaki..."
The Hokage flinched a little and looked down sadly. "That surname died out along time ago."
Realization sunk it quickly and Naruto dropped his hands to rest at his sides. "It was his name, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Even though no one addressed him by it after he received the title of Hokage. But still, it had belonged to him."
Naruto caught his reflection on the dresser mirror, and inwardly shuddered at the sight of his appearance. No longer was he the nine-tailed fox, but one of the humans. He had a human body now. Along with human chakra, and now a full human name.
"Hmm... Uzumaki Naruto. It does have a nice ring," he admitted. "Think the Yondaime would mind if I use it?"
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"Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka's voice boomed out loud, nearly sending the boy colliding into the desk behind him. Ouch. His ear drums were ringing. Hopefully he wasn't about to go deaf. "Stop day dreaming in class and pay attention!"
"H-Hai."
Uzumaki Naruto. A boy who wasn't supposed to exist. But as long as he lived as a human, however long that may be, that would be his name.
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End Chapter One
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Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, fall semester is about to end and I had a ton of projects that need to be finished. However, I really pushed myself and wrote this chapter in one day. Need to go back and fix the spelling and grammar landmines scattered throughout this rough draft.
For the readers who have left feedback - THANK YOU! I'll answer review questions in the next chapter.