Hey guys! I return from my grandparents' house triumphantly, bringing you updates!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, but I do own Subete Shinzui, Yamiko Kazara Yume, and MY version of Ayame.
Shinzui yawned lazily while leaning against the side of the Ichiraku.
"Shouldn'ta taken them that long to run a few measly laps…" He popped his neck and walked back inside the ramen joint. Naruto was slumped over on a stool, drooling slightly on the bar. He'd passed out after eating too much ramen. Again. For the fourth time, that Shinzui had seen, since he'd been out of his coma.
"Ramen obsessed little runt…" Shinzui muttered affectionately, moving Naruto to a slightly more comfortable position. Teuchi chuckled as he walked back in.
"He passed out again, huh? The kid does that at least twice a week." He set down the stack of bowls he was carrying and leaned over the bar to talk with the green-haired youth.
"Ne, Teuchi-san? Just out of curiosity, you don't seem to hate Naruto and I like the rest of the villagers. Why is that?" Shinzui asked, settling into a stool. Teuchi smiled slightly.
"Well, the kid's already my best customer. And besides, it wasn't your fault to have the fox sealed in you." Shinzui took another breath, preparing for the slightly harder question.
"Why is your daughter a hanyou?" Ayame dropped the ladle she was holding, and Teuchi nearly had a heart attack.
"How… How can you…"
"How can I tell? Kitsune-teme told me." Teuchi sighed, and turned to his daughter.
"Ayame-chan, do you think you could bring us some tea? It should be ready by now." The young girl nodded shakily, stealing frightened and nervous looks at the older boy as she walked into a back room. She returned, carrying out a tray of tea that wobbled as she made her way over to the boys. She set the tray down and hid behind her father. Teuchi took a long drink of his tea, preparing himself for the explanation.
"I used to be a hunter. I hunted foxes."
("YOU BASTARD!")
'Shut up, fox!' Shinzui tuned out the fox's outraged threats of a horrible death for the ramen man
"That all changed one day, though…"
FLASHBACK
A younger Teuchi ran through the woods with his bow and arrow notched, alert and on the lookout for any sign of his clever prey. He saw a blob of orange ahead against a tree, and slid to a stop to examine it. There was a she-fox pinned to the tree by god knows how many arrows. He shook his head when he saw what looked like numerous paper fuda plastered to the tree. He turned and started to run, when he heard it.
"Tasukete… onegai… tasukete…" He spun around at the sound of a woman's voice, and sucked in a breath. There was a drop-dead gorgeous woman in the same position the fox had been occupying. Her breathing was labored, and blood was pouring from her wounds. Her rich crimson hair fell in waves down to her chest. Her eyes were a foggy shade of the same crimson of her hair.
"Oh god…" Teuchi did the only thing that made sense at the time. He ran over to the tree and started to gently pull out the arrows. The woman hissed with pain.
"Please, bear with the pain. I'm doing it as painlessly as I can." She nodded, biting back a cry of pain as he pulled another arrow loose. Eventually, he caught her as she fell into his arms.
"Onna-san, daijoubu ka? Onna-san?" She rolled her eyes to look up at him, no longer fogged, and smiled.
"You saved me. Watashi wa Ritsuko desu."
"You… You're a kitsune…" He hesitantly said, somewhat a question.
"Hai… I'll grant you a wish, since you saved me from my prison." She placed a soft, yet strong hand on his cheek.
"I… I want you… I want you to love me." Teuchi haltingly said. She smiled a foxy grin.
"I think I can manage that, koi."
END FLASHBACK
Shinzui sipped his tea again.
"So your wife's a kitsune youkai, huh? I'm guessing Ayame keeps her ears hidden under her hat." Teuchi nodded. Ayame was devastated. She had found the cutest and most incredible boy, and now he knew her secret. She sniffled pitifully behind her father.
"Doushite, Ayame?" Shinzui was standing in front of her, his brown eyes shining with concern. She squeaked at his sudden change in location, and refused to meet his eyes.
"Y-You know… what I am now…" she sniffled. Shinzui just raised an eyebrow.
"Yes I do. And your point?" Ayame looked up at him startled.
"D… Demo…" Shinzui smiled before flipping over the bar back onto his stool.
"I don't care. You seem like a very nice girl, it doesn't matter to me whether you're a hanyou or not." He smiled broadly at the shy young hanyou, making most of the blood in her body be rerouted to her face. She stammered out something unintelligible and hid behind her father again. Shinzui chuckled as he poked his little brother.
"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead. Time to get up." Naruto stirred and muttered something.
"I don' wanna." Shinzui sighed, grabbed Naruto by his ankles, and held him in the air above the ground.
"Too bad, short stuff." Naruto squirmed around in the air.
"Onii-chaaaaaaan! My head's gonna 'splode!" Shinzui let him down gently.
"I have to go meet my teammates at our training ground. I thought I'd let you try and make some new friends at the playground." Naruto pouted.
"Do I have to! Why can't I come with you, onii-chan!" Shinzui shook his head.
"You're too young, kid. You'll have to wait for a few more years before you can. Besides, you need some friends." Naruto pouted again.
"I have some! I got you an' Iruka-nii an' Kurenai-nee an' Ayame-nee!" Shinzui ruffled his hair.
"Sorry squirt. My word's final. C'mon. We should get going. Thanks for the food, Teuchi-san, Ayame." Shinzui bowed and dragged Naruto out of the food stand after him. Ayame had hearts for eyes as she watched the sword-toting genin leave. Teuchi chuckled when he saw the look in her eyes. Oh, his daughter had it bad for the older Kyuubi boy, alright. He'd just have to wait and see what time did for both of them.
Shinzui led Naruto to the daycare that was positioned at the back of the ninja academy. The helper at the desk looked up as he heard them approach. His eyes turned from a bored helpfulness to a sharp glare almost immediately. Shinzui returned his glare.
"I'd like to check my little brother in for today."
"Over my dead body." The attendant snarled, and then paled visibly. "H-H-Hokage-sama!" Shinzui turned around, and indeed the Third was standing there with a thinly veiled expression of rage.
"I'll be supporting Naruto-kun's expenses. He is to be allowed here whenever his brother needs to put him here, is that understood?" the Hokage bit out. The desk worker nodded nervously, and wrote Naruto's name on the roster. He opened the door beside the desk that led to the play area. Shinzui knelt and gave Naruto a hug.
"I'll be back a little before dinnertime, chibi. Play nice and listen to the workers, Naruto."
"I will onii-chan!" Naruto chirped cheerfully. Shinzui shooed him through the door, and watched it close.
"Arigato, Sandaime-ojii." Shinzui muttered as he walked away from the academy. The old man cleared his throat.
"I was just informed of Naruto's living conditions back at the orphanage. I'm sorry for not doing anything, they told me that he-"
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure they tricked you. Besides, I made the old man crap his pants. That made me feel much better. But I really mean this, old man. If anyone tries to hurt my otouto, I won't be responsible for what happens." Shinzui's aura flared red for a second, then returned to normal. The Hokage nodded.
"I understand completely. Family is a precious thing, Shinzui-kun. Do everything you can to protect yours." Shinzui nodded, and turned his head as he continued to walk towards the training grounds.
"Before I forget, congratulations on your grandson. It'll happen soon enough." The Hokage stopped walking out of shock at the boy's words.
'WHAT did he just say?'
Naruto walked into the playroom, and looked around at all the other children. His heart soared. Surely there would be someone who wanted to play with him! He eagerly ran up to a group of children.
"Hi! Wanna play with me?" The kids turned around, and scooted away from him.
"Sorry, okaa-chan said I'm not supposed to play with you!" a little boy piped up, and all the others nodded and ran off. Naruto tried again with lots of the other children, but the result was always the same. Sniffling, he walked over to a swing set and swung by himself, his eyes firmly trained on the ground.
'I don't like this place… nobody wants to play with me…' he thought miserably. He looked up disinterested when the door opened, but he looked up again quickly when he saw Ayame walk in quietly. Teuchi smiled at Naruto from the door. Naruto's little face split into a huge grin as he ran up to the older girl.
"Nee-chan! Wanna play with me!" He asked enthusiastically. She smiled happily and shook her head.
"Otou-san and I came to pick you up, Naruto-kun. You wanna go play at the Ichiraku?"
"HAI!" Naruto responded at the top of his lungs. He bounded out of the room after the older girl, laughing ecstatically. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of pale blue eyes watched him with interest.
'Naruto, huh? He looks kinda cute…'
"Ino-chan! It's your turn! Wake up!" the voice of one of her friends reached her ears.
"Aah! Gomen! Duck… duck… duck… duck... goose!" Yamanaka Ino giggled as she ran around the circle of her friends.
Iruka was panting for breath as he staggered into his team's training area, Kurenai close behind him. Both of them were severely exhausted.
"Remind me again… why we asked him… to train us…?" Kurenai gasped as she slumped to the ground leaning against the tree. Iruka joined her.
"Because… he's supposed… to know… a lot more… than we do…"
"How… the fricking hell… is this… training!" she screamed the last word. Iruka checked his pulse, willing it to slow down, along with his breathing.
"It's… I think it's endurance training… but it's a lot more exhausting than it was back at the academy…" Kurenai nodded. She looked around the clearing for their younger teammate. She finally spotted him on top of the pond in- Waitaminute. On TOP of the pond! She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Yes, Shinzui was sitting cross-legged on the surface of the pond in their training area.
"Iruka? I'm not going insane, am I?" she asked, pointing at the green-haired youth. Iruka looked over and made a strangled sound.
"Bu… But that's a jounin skill! How can Shinzui do that!" Kurenai shrugged, and stood unsteadily on her own two feet. She helped Iruka up and they walked over to the edge of the pond. Unconsciously, her hand found its way into Iruka's, and he squeezed it reassuringly. Shinzui just seemed to be meditating. She haltingly reached out her hand and placed it on the boy's shoulder.
"Shinzui-" The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back in about four inches of water. Iruka offered his hand, and helped her up.
"Where are we, 'Ruka?" She asked, looking around. They were in a dank, dark, hallway.
"I have no idea." Iruka said as he tried to dry himself. They both spun around when they heard Shinzui's voice ring out from further down the hallway.
"JITEN!" They both heard a whirring sound that continued for a second or two, then stopped. They both froze at the next voice.
"Good. Now try your other spin technique." Kurenai caught Iruka's arm in a deathgrip, and he winced.
"Fine, fine… GYAKUKAITEN!" There was a higher-pitched whirring sound. Iruka started to walk towards the sound of Shinzui's voice. Kurenai followed, her stomach doing flip-flops. Soon, there was an eerie yellow-red light that permeated the hallway. They rounded a corner, and saw a huge, looming gate. It must have been at least fifty feet tall! There was a tiny scrap of paper that said 'seal' in the middle of the bars. A pair of huge, bloodthirsty red eyes watched the boy training himself in front of the gate. The eyes shifted and looked straight at them. Kurenai nearly shrieked, and Iruka took a step backwards.
"Heh. Looks like you've got some uninvited guests, kit. Can I eat them?" Shinzui snorted as he stood. There was a sudden flickering double-exposure effect, and the older kids saw a split-second image of an eighteen-year-old with glasses then it was gone, and Shinzui was back.
"Feh. No, you can't eat my teammates, Kyuubi."
"Killjoy."
"It's what I live for." Iruka's mind was reeling. Kyuubi was one of the strongest demons in existence, but Shinzui was insulting it with no visible signs of fear.
"Can I at least have some fun with the girl? I won't hurt her, and I promise she'll enjoy it!" Shinzui spun around and pointed his sword at the cage as Kurenai turned a shade of green.
"I… SAID… NO! GET THAT THROUGH YOU FREAKING THICK SKULL!" Kyuubi just chuckled darkly.
"Shin… Shinzui… Is that really…" Iruka trailed off. Kyuubi's great eye swiveled back to him.
"You smell familiar. Did I eat a member of your family?" Iruka's fist clenched. Shinzui sheathed his sword.
"That's enough, Kyuubi. You need to apologize now."
"ME! APOLOGIZE! HAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH! I refuse! Besides, they were stringy." Shinzui slammed a fist against the bars.
"Fine. Then help me teach them."
"EXCUSE ME!"
"WHAAAT!"
"ARE YOU FRICKING INSANE!" Three voices called out in unison. Shinzui rolled his eyes. Kyuubi growled.
"Yes, I'm serious. Think of it as recompense for killing Iruka's family."
"… Very well. However, I have no reason to teach the girl. Unless…"
"Unless what…?" Kurenai asked, not wanting to know the answer.
"Unless you give me a show. Off with your shirt!"
"YOU GODDAMN PERVERT! WHY THE HELL DID I ASK TO HAVE YOUR MIND IN MINE!" Shinzui roared at the top of his lungs. Kurenai and Iruka were blushing heavily. Kyuubi roared with laughter.
"I'm kidding, kit. I'll teach them, you might need their help. That is, unless she wants to give me a show!" Kyuubi let out a lecherous laugh, and Shinzui just groaned.
"C'mon guys, Let's get out of here." He put a hand on each of their shoulders, and suddenly they were back in the real world.
"What the hell was that!" Kurenai shouted. Shinzui just shook his head.
"That's how I train myself. It's more convenient than going through the motions with my real body. Besides, it's harder to move in there, so if I can do it in there, it should be easier to do it out here. Now then…" Shinzui stood on the surface of the water, and walked over to the shore. He then walked up to a tree.
"Time to train you guys. I think now that you're done running, I can take these off." He reached over and pulled a strip of paper off of his teammates' backs.
"What are those?" Iruka asked, having not noticed them.
"These things increase the effort needed to do physical activity, which is why it was so hard for you guys to run around the city. They also slightly increase your chakra capacity. Just a little something the fox told me how to whip up." Kurenai gave an experimental jump in the air, and went up further than she usually did. She didn't feel as tired, either, which was odd, because she'd been ready to pass out when they'd gotten to the training area. Shinzui nodded approvingly.
"See? Now, I think that's enough stamina training for a little while. Let's work on team dynamics a little." He sat down again, and the other two followed his lead.
"Alright. First, we have Iruka." The boy nodded his head.
"Class clown, stamina reserves aren't all that great. However, you've got the capacity to learn a broad variety of some quick, easy elemental jutsu, and you're one of the smartest people I've seen in this village." Iruka had started to look down, but he looked back up with hope in his eyes.
"Next is Kurenai. Stamina's slightly lower than Iruka. However, I'm betting you have a great deal of skill with genjutsu, so we'll be emphasizing that. You also have a sharp mind, and we'll probably focus on trap-making for both of you." Shinzui took a deep breath.
"Then, we have me. I'm stuck in a body that's much younger than I used to be. I have a fox sealed inside of me that gives me much higher chakra reserves than should be possible, meaning I bring the power to the table. I'm also a shinigami, which gives me an edge." The other two genin looked in awe at the "younger" one, who raised an eyebrow.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" They shook their heads.
"Hey Shinzui?" Kurenai asked.
"Nani?"
"Can we call you Shinzui-niisan?" Iruka nodded his head rapidly, agreeing with her. Shinzui just stared at them.
"I think I had something in my ear. What was that?" Kurenai pouted.
"We want to call you 'onii-san,' since you're so much more knowledgeable than us! It makes sense, right?" Shinzui shook his head.
"What the hell? Sure, why not?" he said as he laughed. Suddenly, he stopped laughing.
"Onii-san? Doushite?" Kurenai asked.
"Kurenai, Iruka. Go get Hokage-sama. Tell him the white snake is in the forest, he'll know what I mean!" Iruka stood uncertainly.
"Demo-"
"GO! NOW!" Shinzui snapped. They both nodded and ran off. Shinzui turned to the far side of the clearing.
"Well, I thought I'd run into you sooner or later. I was hoping for 'later,' though."
"Kukukukuku… Well done to sense me so soon, Shinzui-kun. I'd expect nothing less from my perfect vessel." a snaky voice said as a man stepped from the trees. His black hair was in stark contrast to his pale alabaster skin. There was purple makeup around his yellow, snake-like eyes. Involuntarily, a shiver ran down his spine at the sight of the man.
"Orochimaru, I presume?" The snake man laughed, making Shinzui shudder.
"Correct. Do you like your new body, Shinzui-kun? Or maybe you would prefer… Paul-kun?" Shinzui's eyes flared red.
"YOU have no right to call me that! What am I doing here?" Orochimaru laughed again.
"Simple. I brought you here, using a kinjutsu I discovered. Your new body was artificially created by the jutsu, and your soul was selected to power it temporarily." Shinzui put a hand on the hilt of his sword.
'I have to stall him. There's no way I can fight him. I just have to keep his busy until Sarutobi-ojii gets here!'
"Then I bet you can explain about what happened to my eyes the other day."
"Oh, yes, the kekkei genkai of your body. It's something special I thought up. I call it the Zenpyougan, or Premonition Eye. It lets you peek into the future. And that's why you're coming with me now, I think it's time I took your body as planned. I created you, so you have no choice but to obey me, musuko." Shinzui quashed his urge to vomit.
"Didn't you have to give something up to bring me here?" Orochimaru laughed quietly.
"Yes, I had to give up my arms to bring you here. I just transferred into another body after that, though." Shinzui smirked triumphantly.
"For someone claiming to excel in kinjutsu, you sure don't seem very knowledgeable. Kinjutsu that require you to give something up only keep up their end of the bargain if what is lost stays lost! You just got your arms back as soon as possible!" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
"I fail to see your point, Shinzui-kun."
"I'll make it simple. You didn't keep your end of the bargain, so in short… I don't have to listen to you at all." Orochimaru's eyes widened.
"NO! You lie!"
"No, Orochimaru, he doesn't." the Third said as he landed in the clearing. "The child is perfectly correct in almost every detail. Now leave, before I am forced to take drastic measures." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed into slits as he let out a hiss of disgust.
"I have no reason to fight you now, Sarutobi-sensei, so I'll just take my leave. Be seeing you soon enough." The nukenin jumped away through the trees. Shinzui was breathing heavily.
"Arigato… Sarutobi-ojii…" Kurenai and Iruka ran into the clearing.
"Shinzui-nii! Daijoubu ka?" Iruka asked, sliding to a halt. The smaller boy nodded shakily.
"I…I think I'm gonna pass out now…" he said before doing just that, slumping forward into the waiting arms of his teammates. They looked at one another worriedly. What had happened? And who was that man?
Japanese Lexicon:
Hanyou a half-demon
Fuda paper charms used by Japanese monks to seal evil spirits and demons
Tasukete "Save me/help me"
Onegai "please"
Onna woman / miss
Daijoubu ka? Are you alright?
Youkai a full demon
Doushite? "What's wrong?"
Onii-chan/Onii-san big brother
Otouto little brother
Okaa-chan mother
Onee-chan/Nee-chan big sister
Otou-san father
Jiten "spin"
Gyakukaiten "Backspin"
Genjutsu illusion skill
Kinjutsu forbidden skill
Musuko "my son"
Hookay, time for the reviews!
Metanaito-san – I'm glad you like her. ;;
sephynarutocloud – Sorry, but this one is dedicated to someone else, otherwise it'd be NaruHina, I promise. If you want a good NaruHina story, read my other Naruto one, Forgotten Duties.
Night-Owl123 – Thanks!
Spellcasterz-san – Thanks for the support and the correction. I figured that out right after I posted it… Oh well, glad you liked Ayame's introduction!
Dragon Man 180 – For anyone who didn't notice, Ayame is a kitsune (fox) hanyou. I hope everyone's questions about her were answered in this chapter.
Chaosknight – I tried, I really did! o.O
ErikKoekkoek-sama – Arigato! I'm glad you likey.
NecroButcher – The ramen isn't necessary, the mere fact that you reviewed is more than enough!
SuPer AzN DuDe – No, Shinzui's not a Mod Soul. He might meet one though, I haven't gotten that far �.�
Thanks for all your support minna-san! Please keep it up!
NEXT CHAPTER: In which Shinzui meets his first Hollow, and there is an unexpected mission to the Hidden Village of Sand.