Chapter Four

Ken's new team led his shadow clone to a different training ground, this one comprised of groves of trees meant to simulate a forest. Many of the specimens were singed, slashed, or even had rusted weapons sticking out of them — a testament to its purpose. Tomoko took a seat on a fallen trunk while Aoba decided to remain standing. "Ken" stood as well, mostly because he didn't know what else to do.

For a few moments it was quiet, which allowed the clone to get a good look at his progeitor's new teammates.

Aoba was a somewhat tall and lanky man, with fair skin and dark spiky hair held back by his Konoha headband. Aside from his typical shinobi uniform, he wore a pair of reframed sunglasses that hid his eyes.

Tomoko, aside from sharing her teammate's dark hair that she wore in a shoulder-length bob cut and svelte build, was his total opposite. She was a bit on the short side, with tanned skin, dark eyes, and full lips. She wore a sleeveless shirt underneath her flak jacket and a short skirt over knee-length tights and leather calf-high sandals, her headband hanging around her neck and an armband with the Sarutobi(!) crest around her left upper arm.

"So how does this work?" Ken asked. "Do we go around telling each other about what we can do, or …?"

"Hold your horses, Red," Tomoko said with a smile. "We'll save the tactical junk for later. First and foremost, it's time you learned about something of a tradition among new teams here in Konoha: a get-to-know-you session."

"A what?" Ken asked, honestly stunned.

"We take turns telling some basic personal stuff," Aoba said, adjusting his shades. "Our likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies … that sort of thing. Some people shake up the topics a bit, but teams have been doing those four for so long that no one really messes with the formula too much." Ken just looked blankly at his new team. Were they seriously interested in his life story? "You know what? I'll go first."

"Hello, my name is Aoba Yamashiro. I'm a twenty-five year old tokubetsu jonin, recently promoted and specializing in intelligence gathering. I like running, puzzles, and yams, and I dislike those who look down upon or underestimate the scholarly. I train, read, and do puzzle books in my spare time and my dream is to one day make jonin and help my recently established clan become more well-known."

Ken pursed his lips at the mention of strengthening one's family name. It was something they had in common.

"I'll go next," Tomoko said. "I'm Tomoko Sarutobi-" Ken narrowed his eyes in thought at the admission of Tomoko's clan name, suddenly noticing the subtle similarities she held with the Lord Hokage, "-and before you ask, the Lord Hokage is an older cousin a few times removed. We're a surprisingly large clan, and everyone just calls him 'Uncle'." Tomoko sighed goodnaturedly with the last part, clearly used to people asking about her clan. And that made Ken feel bad about the direction his thoughts had taken, as understandable as it was.

"Moving on, I'm a twenty-three year old chunin who loves fire, and I enjoy training, peaches, hot springs, and my clan. I dislike those who lack respect and while I don't blame Lord Third for it, it can be a little annoying to be identified just by my clan name. Training is my hobby, particularly in my Fire Release, and I like to take walks and meditate with my personal summon, Yama. My dreams are to become a splendid shinobi to serve my village and my clan, and hopefully make a name for myself."

Both of them looked at Ken expectantly. "You're up, Red," Tomoko teased.

Ken gave her a deadpan look at the repeated nickname before beginning. "My name is Ken Uzumaki of the nearly-lost Uzumaki clan." Might as well get that revelation out of the way. "I'm twenty-three years old, as well. I like having a family again, and enjoy studying the sealing arts, training, and reading, particularly folk tales and legends. I dislike bigots and those who prey upon the weak. I'm not too keen on Kumo or Kiri, either," he added with a faintly bitter tone. "I've never really had time for hobbies, but I guess all of my likes qualify. My dream is to serve my new home, become a respected ninja, and to lay the foundation for the rebirth of my clan."

"Hmm, interesting," Aoba commented. He specifically meant Ken's apparent dislike of two Great Villages despite a bigger dislike over bigots. What an intriguing paradox. He couldn't help but grin, looking forward to unraveling the puzzle that was his new teammate. "Well, I suppose that's all for today. Just breaking the ice and keeping up tradition."

"How about we all meet for real training back here?" Tomoko suggested. "Say, at eight tommorow morning?"

Ken thought it over and, finding no conflict with Naruto's Academy schedule, nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan, indeed." With that, the clone dispersed.

"Nice guy," Tomoko commented with a faint smile.

"No arguments there. I truly look forward to seeing how he does tomorrow."

Around the time Ken got the influx of memories from his clone, he was finishing up the tea for his and Naruto's little chat. Ken grunted and rubbed his forehead as he began to sort through the memories, drawing Naruto's attention from the dinner table.

"You okay, Ken?" he asked.

"Fine," Ken replied. "Just got the memories from that shadow clone."

"Memories?" Naruto asked, eyes shining.

Ken bit back a curse at his distracted slip-up. "Yeah. One feature of the Shadow Clone Technique is that the clone's experiences are returned to the caster when it dispels. That makes it great for recon missions and stuff like that." Naruto opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Ken held up a hand to stall them. "That's not what we should be talking about."

Naruto closed his mouth and nodded. Ken poured the tea and wrapped his hands around his own cup, finger tapping at the ceramic as he considered how best to approach the topic. After a little while, he decided to start from the beginning. "Naruto, I'm sure you're aware of what happened the day you were born?"

Naruto's gaze darkened with sadness. Oh yes, he was very aware. That was the day the Nine-Tailed Fox had attacked his home. It was also, for some reason, the day most of the villagers got a little more vocal about how much they hated him. While they had never gotten to the point of violence, their insults and curses got louder and more frequent on his birthdays.

"Yeah, I am," he whispered.

Ken sighed through his nose and sipped his tea. "Well, the official story isn't, um, entirely accurate. There are parts of it that have been kept quiet to those who were very young at the time … Parts that involve you."

With that, Ken launched into the real story of the Nine-Tails Attack, omitting nothing except his father's identity, not even the fact that his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was the previous jinchuuriki of the Fox. Naruto remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the story, his eyes slowly growing with every detail until they seemed as large as dinner plates. When Ken had finally finished his tale, Naruto was quiet for a few more seconds before-

"I'M THE FREAKIN' FOX?!" he cried, tears pooling in his eyes. "No wonder the villagers hate me! I-!"

"NARUTO!" Ken thundered, somehow overriding the boy's breakdown. "You are not the Fox and you never were! Is that clear?!"

From the look on Naruto's face, the tears just on the edge of falling, he knew it wasn't clear. Not to a seven-year-old child. Ken removed a prepared sealing tag from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Naruto, look closely." He placed the teapot on top of the tag and triggered it with a small pulse of chakra. "The Fox is sealed inside you a lot like this tea pot was sealed in this tag. Now, is the tag a teapot?"

Naruto gently prodded at the tag and shook his head. He sniffled and wiped his eyes on his forearm before shaking it more firmly.

"Exactly," Ken assured, unsealing the pot. "Take it from a genuine seal master, you are not the Fox. You act as it's prison, holding it back from rampaging across this village again. Lord Third told me himself that it was the Fourth's dearest wish that you be regarded as a hero by this village." Ken grit his teeth. "But it seems people are too eager to hate to live up to that wish." That, and few outside of ninja knew how sealing actually worked. You'd think Lord Third would have explained that, but that was assuming people were willing to listen.

"So people hate me because I … remind them of the Fox?" Naruto asked, scratching at the whisker-like markings on his cheeks.

"Unfortunately, yes," Ken said. "People felt they needed something to blame for all of the death and destruction, and you were an easy target. Lord Hokage made a law that forbade speaking of the Fox, hoping children would be untouched by their parents' hate. But the adults just told them to avoid you. That's why I asked Lord Hokage to revoke that particular law. It hasn't worked, and maybe your peers will come to accept the great service you do for this village."

Ken refilled his tea cup and waited for Naruto to respond. After a while, he did … powerfully.

"Well then I'll just have to show them I'm more than my job! I'm gonna take this burden and carry it to the very top, to the seat of the Hokage! Then I'll have two awesome jobs to keep my village safe!"

Ken laughed and wrapped Naruto in a hug that he returned with the full force that he could muster. "You really are something unique, kiddo." He moved away and ruffled the kid's hair. "Enough solemn topics. How about we train a bit, then I'll tell you some cool stuff about our family?"

Stars practically appeared in Naruto's eyes before he led the charge out the door.

"And I was not informed of this, why?"

In the Hokage's office, the Council of Elders, in addition to Danzo Shimura, had called an emergency meeting to discuss the emergence of a certain clan figure. Homura and Koharu stood before the Hokage, while Danzo decided to stay to the side, as per his habit.

"You were not informed, Danzo," Hiruzen explained, "because you are no longer a member of the Council. And as for the rest of you-" he glared at his two remaining advisors, "-it is my duty to oversee our forces. I need not report every little appointment to you."

"Be that as it may, Hiruzen," Koharu said, "the return of one of the most feared clans in recent history is definitely something you should have at least mentioned. If we are certain that he is who he says he is."

"The boy had the vibrance of the Uzumaki and knowledge that could only have come from the source," Hiruzen argued, a bit insulted that his own advisors would so easily disregard his judgement and legendary intuition.

"Information can be taken," Danzo rebutted. "Who is to say that an enemy spy did not locate a survivor of Uzushiogakure, use genjutsu to learn what he could, and then dye his hair and come to us as a ploy to learn our secrets or even attack us outright. Not to mention you have handed the Nine-Tails over to him."

"Very well," Hiruzen said, even his patience wearing thin. "I will have blood and chakra tests done to ensure his identity if it will ease your minds. The Uzumaki have quite the unique chakra signature, such a test will prove once and for all his identity."

"He is still a foreigner, untrustworthy-"

"That is not for you to decide!" Hiruzen finally snapped. "And let me make myself clear: none of you will try to goad him like you did the Uchiha. It is our duty to house the remnants of a historical ally of the Leaf, and he has been accepted as a shinobi into our ranks."

Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe, blowing out the smoke before continuing. "And if it would ease your concerns further, I have placed him on a team not only with Aoba Yamashiro, whose intuition is quite sharp, but also with one of my own."

Koharu and Homura glanced at each other before looking back at their leader. "A Sarutobi?" Homura asked, to which Hiruzen nodded. "Hmm, very well. I am satisfied for now."

"Ah, how fortunate," Hiruzen deadpanned. He glanced at Danzo. "And you, old friend?"

Danzo was silent for a few moments before answering. "As you command, Lord Hokage," he finally replied.

Hiruzen carefully kept his visage neutral, realizing full-well that Danzo's reply was distant even for him … and not a technical agreement. He would have to be wary of Danzo for a while in regards to the Uzumaki clan.

"Now that that is settled, I have paperwork to resume. You are free to stay if you would be kind enough to help."

Those words were like war dogs, and the Council dispersed in record time. Just as they always did when he suggested they do so. He laughed humorlessly. Those three were all about voicing their opinions for the village, but when it came to the boring parts of the job they were nowhere to be found.

Well, at least he knew a good way to get them out of what remained of his hair.

Ken watched with a critical eye as Naruto practiced with him the katas of the Uzumaki traditional style of combat. Unlike most traditional styles, the Uzumaki style put less of an emphasis on a structured approach to learning; rather, aside from some reinforced basics, it was designed to embrace the instincts of the user and reinforce their natural approach to combat. This made it exceedingly difficult for outsiders to grasp, but it suited them just fine. Ken tended to dodge attacks or bat them away, then strike with debilitating precision — but that was his own approach.

But the style's most fearsome feature was its very lack of predictable structure, making it difficult for even one trained in its use to anticipate. And that facet was something Naruto was clearly naturally accustomed to.

But every style, even this one, had a base to work from, and after several hours of coaching his cousin through the movements and running through each loose combination what amounted to dozens of times, he called an end to their training. "Alright Naruto, that's enough for today."

"Aw, come on, Cuz! I can keep going 'til dark!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically.

"I know you can," Ken chuckled. "But you'll need sleep tonight to let all of this settle into your muscle memory." He smirked. "Besides, I never said training was over, over. We're just gonna tackle something else."

Naruto gasped excitedly. "Are you finally gonna teach me some awesome ninjutsu?!"

"No," Ken deadpanned. "Not until I'm certain you can mould chakra properly. And then we'll be focusing on those three E-rank techniques before anything else. You've gotta start with the basics, kiddo, before you can tackle the big stuff." Ken settled onto the grass and gestured for Naruto to do the same.

Naruto pouted again, but did as he was told. "Well, if you're not teaching me awesome ninjutsu, how is it training?"

"I'm going to tell you about some of the unique traits that made the Uzumaki clan so respected before it's downfall."

"Downfall?" Naruto asked.

"That, cousin, is a story for when you are older," Ken said sternly. In all honesty, he wasn't quite ready to tell that story, either. Naruto had already had enough saddening revelations for one day, and the tale of the Uzushiogakure wasn't pleasant on his end. True, he'd never seen the place in its prime, but he had seen the ruins and illustrations of it from his grandfather. Maybe he'd tell that one on Naruto's next birthday or something.

"Instead, let's focus on some of the things that gave them an advantage," Ken moved on. "One of the things that the Uzumaki were known worldwide for was our skill in the sealing arts. But I'll start you on that later. The other was our incredibly powerful life forces."

"Life forces?" Naruto asked. "Is that like chakra?"

"... Yes and no," Ken replied. "Chakra is the fusion of physical and spiritual energies. Life force is something even more … inexplicable. While chakra is necessary for life — as in you'll die if you run out — it's more like blood. You'll die if you run out, but it's not where life comes from. And humans didn't always have it. But we did have life force, and that's what truly provides life."

"So where did chakra come from?" Naruto asked.

Ken laughed at the question that was so tied to the origins of the Uzumaki. "That jumps right to the story I was going to tell you. The Uzumaki clan can trace our lineage back to the very beginning of chakra itself. Have you learned about Hagoromo Otsutsuki yet?"

Naruto stared blankly at him. "Who?"

"The Sage of Six Paths?" Ken tried. At Naruto's continued look of confusion, Ken sighed. Guess the Academy focused on provable historical facts and not what most considered legends. But he knew the truth — the Uzumaki clan had preserved the story through the generations, even if the Senju and Uchiha had forgotten.

"The Sage was the first man born with chakra. He and his twin brother Hamura were born to a powerful princess, who was the first earthling to have chakra. Legends say she came from 'beyond the stars,' but don't elaborate. She gained chakra by eating the fruit of something called the Divine Tree, whose fruit only grew every thousand years."

With that, he jumped into the story of the Sage. He spoke of the Moon Princess's corruption, her merging with the Divine Tree to create the Ten Tails, the beast's battle with the twins and its sealing within the Sage. Then he moved on to Hagomoro's sons, Indra and Asura. A prodigy born with powerful eyes and a late-bloomer born with a powerful spirit. Both who sought peace, one through power and one through love. And the feud that had been passed down through the generations.

"That story keeps going and leads to the founding of Konoha, but you'll learn about that in the Academy," Ken wound down. "But it's Asura I want you to focus on right now. Can you remember what made him different?"

"Yeah! He never gave up! Like me!" Naruto replied fiercely.

"True, that was a large part of it. But I meant the other thing, the thing he got from his father."

Naruto thought back and tried to remember. "He had a strong body?" Naruto tried.

"Yes, but that's just an expression. Asura inherited his powerful life force and physical energy from the Sage. That was passed on to his descendants, the Senju clan."

Senju … Now that name rang a bell! "Senju like the First and Second Hokage?" Naruto asked.

"The very same," Ken confirmed. "Our clan, the Uzumaki clan, were like a cousin clan to the Senju. We can trace our lineage to Asura, too. And through him, the Sage. And we, too, inherited Asura's powerful life energy. And that very fact gave us an edge against other ninja clans and villages."

"Whoa!" Naruto gasped. "Like what?"

"The Uzumaki's life force grants us incredible vitality, which in turn manifests in insane stamina, healing abilities, and recuperation. Which means we can keep up action for way longer, we bounce back faster, and we heal up quicker. We also get extra longevity, which means we live longer and age slower — if an Uzumaki survived to retirement, it wasn't uncommon for them to hit the hundred-year mark." Ken sighed and continued. "It also manifests in huge reserves of extra-potent chakra. We tend to have about four times the average chakra supply."

Most of this flew over Naruto's head. He was, after all, barely closing in on eight years old. But he got the gist of it: awesome stamina and healing, with a huge chakra pool.

"So this means I'm gonna be an awesome ninja!" Naruto cheered.

'Man, this kid has a one-track mind,' Ken snarked silently. "No, it means you have the potential to be an awesome ninja. You'll have to work hard to tap into that."

"You got it, Cousin Ken! I'm gonna train harder than anyone ever, and I'll be an awesome ninja and a shoe-in for Hokage!"

Not for the first time, Ken laughed at his cousin's enthusiasm. "Well, mister future-Hokage, I think it's time to turn in for the night. After all, I gotta train with my team, and I'm sure you want a head start on that training, too." As he got up, a thought crossed his mind. "Wait, just one last thing."

Ken knelt before Naruto and formed a hand seal to help focus his chakra, preparing an Uzumaki secret technique. All Uzumaki had different strengths in regards to their clan techniques, and Ken was no exception. He was excellent at one in particular, practically a prodigy, but he still had limited aptitude with this one even after years of training. But he needed to know something, and this was the fastest way to figure it out.

'Mind's Eye of the Kagura,' he thought, his physical eyes closed to better focus on his metaphysical one. With a sensation like a mental stretch, he felt his mind's eye open, allowing him to perceive chakra around him. He could see his own familiar signature in the silhouette of his arms, but focused instead on Naruto's. And what he found stunned him enough to almost lose the technique.

'Holy Father of Asura!' he thought. Naruto's chakra levels could rival a seasoned jonin … and the kid was only a second year Academy student! Wait a minute, what was that? Ken focused harder and swallowed thickly. Not all of the chakra was Naruto's. He could tell that Naruto's chakra was a bright yellow, but a massive reserve of darkly red chakra was mixed with it, the result a deep orange tinge to his chakra pool. 'The Fox,' Ken realized. After a few more moments, Ken released the technique and took a shuddering breath.

"Ken?" Naruto asked. Ken had been stone-still for the last minute or so, only his lips moving as if he were thinking too hard or maybe in pain.

"I'm okay, Naruto. Just got a look at your chakra. It's an Uzumaki secret technique that I'll teach you when your control is better." He grinned and stood up. "But it seems that having that Fox inside you isn't all bad. I'll have to examine your seal tomorrow to be sure, but I think it's designed to let the Fox's chakra leak out and mix with yours. Which multiplies your reserves even more."

Naruto's mouth dropped and he jumped in excitement before running inside, barely pausing to take off his shoes. Ken smiled and followed, his mind working double-time. He would have to examine the seal … and he'd have to contact Lord Third and see if there were any other side effects of Naruto's condition.

As he prepared himself and the kid for bed, his thoughts turned to Naruto's training. He couldn't just focus on taijutsu, he'd have to broach the topic of ninjutsu sooner or later. And with Naruto's truly monstrous chakra pool, he was a natural-born ninjutsu specialist.

But everything comes with a cost, and massive chakra reserves were no exception. With that thought, he nodded and wrote his decision on the back of a used sealing tag.

Chakra control.

Hope ya'll liked this new chapter. The next one will have the first foray into action for this work - I hope you all look forward to that because it was a blast to write.

*Aoba Yamashiro is a recurring canon character, while Tomoko is an original. Her name, depending on the kanji used, can mean "wise child," "friendly child," or "knowing child." Her love of peaches is a reference to Sun Wukong's favorite food.

*For those of you who think Naruto has learned the truth of his heritage too soon, remember that Ken is trying to foster the idea of an Uzumaki clan in Naruto early on - so of course he would speak of Naruto's mother, the boy's link to the clan. And to reiterate, Naruto does not know his father's identity yet!

*Ken's knowledge of the Sage of Six Paths is tied to Uzumaki sealing. One of their oldest ancestors recorded the story and sealed it to preserve it. This was passed down through the ages and copied, and Ken's grandfather ended up with a copy of it. Some details might have been lost, but he has a firm grasp of the true history.

*All of the Uzumaki's unique traits are strongly based on canon. I distilled these from reading up on the Naruto Wiki and comparing the descriptions of Naruto, Kushina, Nagato, Karin, and Mito Uzumaki.

*The Mind's Eye of Kagura is the sensory technique used by Karin in canon. The databooks list it as a hiden technique, a clan technique. Therefore, Ken knows it even if he's not great at it.

Again, I hope you all liked it! Let me know what you think by leaving a review - they keep me motivated! And have an awesome day!