Naruto: Shinobi of the Force

Wading in the Shoals

Uzumaki Caldera: October 10

Today, was Naruto's birthday, yet instead of eagerly anticipating a party and some gifts, he stood at his usual place of meditation, at the head of the lake-spring-waterfall system in his home, his bocca-stick at the ready. His focus today, was on achieving a deeper connection with the Force, while at the same time, gaining tighter control over his massive Chakra reserves. On his forehead, and the backs of both hands, was a leaf, it was the only Chakra control exercise, Kushina and Mara felt he should learn, until he became a Genin. They felt it would make him learn to be patient and keep arrogance, from overwhelming him. They would wait until then, to start teaching him any elemental jutsu but would begin training him in elemental manipulation, when he started at the Academy. They knew from studying his Chakra, he had two, equally powerful, nature affinities: Wind and Lightning. Kushina could teach him Wind but did not know any Lightning manipulation. Mara having the memories and knowledge of Minato, could teach him the theory of Lightning manipulation, but without Chakra, she could not demonstrate these concepts.

In the meantime, while continuing his daily activities of survival training, which was getting Naruto in shape to attend ninja training, in one more year. Kushina was training him in the forms of Uzumaki Aikijujutsu, which emphasizes early neutralization of an attack, specializing in throws and joint manipulation to overcome an enemy. In this style, timing is particularly important, because the focus is on blending, or harmonizing with your opponent, to neutralize any attack, and turn an opponent's strength against them. The only strikes that are taught, are only to vital areas, like the kidneys, carotid, and subclavian arteries, or to set up the body for a joint-lock.

The beauty of the style is that many of its concepts, bleed over into Uzumaki kenjutsu style, Go-Rin-Ryu, this also gave him a better understanding of the Force, allowing a more intimate connection between them, which may allow him, to better perceive an opponent's timing. Mara was also contributing to his taijutsu training, by teaching him principles from lightsaber combat, which could hopefully, be adapted to unarmed combat. Mara's lightsaber training was helping him immensely with his kenjutsu training. While his main style was the Uzumaki Five Ring Style, most of the concepts from lightsaber combat, blended almost perfectly with that style. Naruto used the stick to help him get used to the weight of a sword in his hands. He will practice with one hand, then switch to the other, until he can use his blades with one hand interchangeably, or together.

In addition to his physical abilities training, Kushina has begun to train Naruto in calligraphy and handwriting, in preparation of teaching him Fuinjutsu. Mara was committing the knowledge she gained from Minato, into that training as well, even she, who hails from a galaxy spanning civilization, is utterly fascinated with the Sealing Arts. Life as a smuggler, would have been so much easier if they had the ability to seal physical objects into pieces of paper, without adding to the weight of the paper. If that happened, there was no telling how much spice and other contraband, the Hutt Cartels could have shipped. Spies, infiltrators, and assassins could use seals in the form of tattoos to conceal weapons, and escape implements, when they were captured.

All that was just low-level Fuinjutsu, according to Kushina, as well as Minato's memories, there was a branch of the Sealing Arts called Space-Time Fuinjutsu, which allowed the practitioner to bend the fabric of reality itself. The most common application is the use of summoning, which summons an object or a creature to the user's side, for whatever purpose he or she wishes. The most famous application was known as Hiraishin, a technique invented by Tobirama Senju, that allowed the user to teleport from place to place, using special sealing formulae as a target. I wonder if there is a way to activate a seal through use of the Force, Mara thought when she learned about sealing applications.

"Through the Force, you will see things, other places, the future, the past, and if you trust it, it will guide your path," Mara was saying in his mind, "your feelings, when you can learn to accept them – both negative and positive – will give you a clearer picture of what the visions mean. Do not remain guiled by your premonitions though, because the future is always in motion, and every action you or someone or something takes, large or small, could change your visions. My first Force mentor was the Emperor of our galaxy, the current regime was in the middle of a galactic-sized civil war, and he was a ruthless man. He used draconian tactics to maintain his domination of his subjects, just before he was assassinated by one of his top lieutenants along with one of the heroes of the insurgents, he foresaw the defeat of the rebel alliance, but he didn't seem to foresee his own demise, before it was too late. So, either he was given false visions, something I've never heard of from the Force, since the only means to grow powerful in the Force, is to trust it, or what he saw had changed and he never bothered to check back with that vision to see if it had been altered."

Kyūbi decided to add his opinion, "He may also, not have accepted what his visions were telling him, not wanting to believe he could possibly be defeated, regardless of what the Force was telling him. I've been around a long time, and when a ningen believes he or she has all the power, nothing can persuade them, to believe they can be defeated. They begin to believe, there is nothing more powerful than them," the nine-tails explained as if he was remembering the past, "maybe, when the Force showed him his vision, he only saw the parts of it he expected to see and dismissed the rest of it."

Naruto listened to both of them while he meditated, all of the tenants in his head liked to talk, while he practiced connecting to the Force, he guessed it was so he could learn to focus, and block-out distractions. Naruto delved deep into the Force, it was already second-nature to him, he was starting to see it as not just an ally, but as a part of him. Naruto felt the Force flowing through every part of him, but also, reaching out to every part of his home. This is when he brought up his bocca-stick, allowing the Force to guide his movements, as he practiced the Form Shi-Cho, that Mara has been teaching him, it is the beginner form of the kenjutsu style used in her galaxy. Naruto is noticing, even as he moves through the sequences, he is not so much moving from one move to another, as he is flowing through the form, like water in a riverbank.

It was not as important to get the exact movement down, because every battle is different, performing the same movement exactly the same, every time could be detrimental to the outcome of battle. His footwork, while following the ideas set by Mara, was different in execution, if one could describe it with a shape, they would say it looked triangular, instead of square. In his mind, Naruto was not facing down, some meaningless opponent, the face that he saw, was his own. He was watching himself, and not at the same time, the version of himself he saw, was performing this form more easily than the current version, and there seemed to be another difference. Naruto could detect a philosophy of movement that resembled, what his mother showed him, when she demonstrated Uzumaki kenjutsu in his mindscape. As if the aforementioned river was Five-Ring style, while Hikarinotsurugi-ryu, translated as Light-Sabre style, was another river, that had recently begun flowing into Go-Rin-Ryu, Naruto sensed that this changed them from being, two separate styles, into one, more powerful style, making them greater than the sum of their parts.

Naruto began to follow the movements of his future-self, mimicking what he was doing, it was as if the Force was as much his teacher as Mara, because as soon as he began to merge the rivers of light-sabre style, into five-ring style, kenjutsu, it was as if a whole new understanding opened up in his mind. Not an understanding of the two styles, but an understanding of himself; the Force within him, and the Chakra, while different from each other, were just as essential for him, as any other body part. His hands, and his feet, without either of them, he could never live a complete and happy life, yet they have vastly different functions; one moves him forward through space and time, and the other allows him to grasp onto the things that matter. They are both essential, in his line of work, in self-defense and attack, they allow him to learn about his world, and more importantly, himself.

While he flows through the movements of his forms, his mind begins to reach outside of him, rolling over the physical objects found in his home. Just like high tide, Naruto's spirit rose out of him, to touch everything around him: several rocks of varying sizes, began to gather around him, entering super-synchronous orbit around his body. He continued his forms training, while the debris in orbit, revolved around him, weaving its way around him and his bocca-stick. This was not some uncontrolled, subconscious example of the power of the Force, this was controlled tightly, by Naruto himself, his will is the rudder to the Force's engine.

Mara, Kushina, and Kyūbi were looking through Naruto's senses, and while they were impressed with this display of control, it was not the first time, in the six months they had spent training him, that he has displayed this exercise. Indeed, though it was better control than what her niece and nephews, or her son could do when they were Naruto's age, from what the Force showed her of the past Jedi, before they stopped swimming, most children of Jedi parents began learning this sort of thing, at Naruto's age. It was meant to get them comfortable with the Force, and to teach them how to control their telekinesis, which taught them to remain in control of other aspects of the Force. Naruto's progress with the Force, was reaching the same milestones as the most gifted Jedi children, there was no correlation in respects to the Force, by the Sith. The Sith, rarely had children, and when they did, it was not for any reasons an organism might try for children, except maybe to further their own power, and they were far from good parents, they would have no problems abandoning their children, even as infants, if it meant more power, or even to save their own lives.

Naruto's senses, Force and physical, suddenly flared as they oriented towards the entrance of his grotto. He felt four presences walk through the corridor to his open cavern, upon which he focused, all the while, continuing to practice his forms and control. Naruto's physical senses were as acute and powerful as any wild fox, with slightly pointed ears that allow him to hear a pin drop in another room, his foxish eyes give him excellent night vision, and while the whisker marks look like birthmarks, they are quite sensitive, and act like an extra set of fingers, only they are twenty-times more sensitive than his fingers. That along with his ears, allow him to sense the difference in air pressure, and locate unseen obstacles, while he could feel, not only the wind, but the shape. Our bodies displace the atmosphere around us, even while remaining still, because gases and moisture collide with our small, in relation to the atmosphere, bodies and move around our solid forms.

These three senses coupled with a fox's keen sense of smell, combine to make Naruto as at home at night, in the dark, or in low visibility as he is in the daylight, or on a clear day. Unlike most children, Naruto has never been afraid of the dark, and had an excellent sense of direction, and now with the Force, his senses flowed over and through them, the Force caressing their skin, while flowing inside them, while his physical senses used the medium of the air, to confirm and inform, what the Force was telling him. Naruto seemed to have a knack for using his Force Sense, Mara explained it as a Talent, that was unique to all Force-practitioners. Every Force-practitioner had a skill within the Force that was just a little better than another practitioner; it could be anything, from extra-powerful telekinesis to empathy (which also seemed to be powerful for Naruto), or energy absorption, and Force Illusions. Mara's niece from her previous life, seemed to have an intuitive grasp of mechanics and machines, while the nephew that killed Mara, seemed to be instinctively empathic to animals, even able to communicate with them on an emotional level. Naruto's senses concluded that the people entering his cave, were known to him, even friends with him, so he brought his focus back to the current task at hand.

The four presences entered the grotto, revealing themselves to be women, an all kunoichi genin team…

Flashback - Meeting His Big Sisters

The hunter discovered its prey, quietly munching on grass, in one of the least used Training Grounds. It was a pair of rabbits, big and fat, due to the abundance of rain this spring, and the absence of their natural predators, the fox, due to the hatred of Konoha's citizens for that particular animal. The hunter moved closer, he had become fairly proficient at hunting for the last three months, since he moved into his new home, which he had dubbed, the Uzumaki Caldera. So named, because according to his kaa-san, that was the place Mito Uzumaki succeeded in sealing Kyūbi into herself. Thus, enabling Hashirama Senju, to defeat his onetime best friend, Madara Uchiha, while the fight may have ended at the Valley of the End, it was Mito-sama's victory over Kyūbi that allowed the Shodai to even the playing field.

If he failed in a hunt, he would starve, since hunting and gathering were the only means through which he could attain sustenance. His mother and aunt felt that it was best to teach him how to survive on his own, as a means to get him in shape when he went to the Academy, and it allowed him to become familiar with both of his supernatural powers. The Force was perfect for locating prey and edible produce, when he went out to hunt, and enabled him to connect with his prey to help him anticipate how his prey would try to escape. While his Force precognition, while he was in pursuit did the same thing, which allowed him to know where to go to intercept his meal.

Hunting not only helped him stave off hunger but helped him practice several skills a shinobi must have, in order to become strong, other than using Chakra. A ninja should be able to survive anywhere, in any environment, that a human could feasibly survive, and what better way to learn certain survival skills than in an easy environment like a forest. It also taught him to plan and strategize, even in the middle of a pursuit, his mind, and senses, should never stop moving, because even with the Force, he was not a peerless hunter. Naruto has missed quite a few rabbits and other animals, he normally hunted, rabbits were just his main staple, for being so plentiful.

Naruto was sure he was downwind from his prey, his fox-senses, were telling him that much, and as far as he could tell, for the contented beating of their hearts, even from this distance. Naruto was about to make his move, brandishing his current weapon of choice for this hunt, a triplet of shuriken. Then a chance fluttering of some birds behind him, startled the rabbits, and without even a pause both of them dart off in separate directions, one going west, the other going south.

Naruto opened himself to the Force, sought a connection to the animals and the environment. This is how he was able to determine what happened. It was not him that caused the rabbits to… well, rabbit, they had seen a hawk, up above them, she was young enough that she silhouetted herself in front of the sun, when she found her prey, one of the rabbits Naruto was stalking. Naruto looked ahead a little with the Force, to see which rabbit the hawk would have a better chance of catching, (the one going west) and directed her attention toward that one.

Meanwhile, Naruto was already heading south, at a pace the rabbits themselves, would be proud to achieve. He knew the buck, as he had learned through the Living Force, would try to make it into the trees, where he could lose Naruto in the underbrush. Luckily for Naruto, the wind was blowing from the southwest, which allowed him to make sure the male rabbit was in front of him. Naruto knew better than to keep all of his attention on the target in front of him, learning that lesson the hard way, after getting clotheslined by a low hanging branch, during the first month of his hermitage.

In this moment, the Force was an ally to the young Uzumaki, and his three months of running after rabbits had paid off. He was at least keeping it in sight, but he wanted to keep the buck-rabbit going in as straight a path as possible. So, any time he was about to deviate wildly from Naruto's chosen trajectory, the boy would hurl a star to cut him off and get him back on the course Naruto had set. Some of those shots got pretty close, one was even thrown with enough skill and power that a few splinters struck the buck in an ear and a paw. This slowed him down enough to allow Naruto to gain on him a little bit.

The Force sent Naruto a premonition of a clearing up ahead, which gave him an idea about how to take his prey. So, he veered off to the side, like he was giving up the chase, he intentionally allowed himself to move upwind so the buck would smell him. This cause the rabbit to make a break for the clearing, as the predator chasing him gave up, and he noticed the scent getting weaker as it moved further away. The buck-rabbit began to slow-down upon entering the meadow, he was injured a little, but he would be able to gnaw and lick his paw later, to get the splinters out. His saliva would stave off most of the infection, if there is any, and his ear was not a life-threatening injury.

The clearing was in an isolated part of the forest, as far from the urban center as possible and still within the boundaries of Konohagakure, very similar in its isolation to the Uzumaki Caldera. Most people in the Leaf, have no idea it even exists, because it is fairly unremarkable, and has few distinguishing features, except a tiny, rocky upthrust from the crust of the planet, which just so happened to contain a small well of water. The well of water was close to the same thermal vent that feeds, Naruto's lake at home, making it another natural hot-spring, albeit quite a bit smaller than his.

Basking within the relaxing warmth of this hot-spring, were four, kunoichi of the Leaf. All were great friends, and considered by all who have met them, to be among the most beautiful in the village. Kunoichi have many weapons at their disposal, most are beautiful, and sexy, which is a byproduct of their intense training. It is also just another one of their weapons, because beauty has slain even the most powerful warriors, and it can stop even the best of men from keeping a clear head. Kunoichi have walked right past many a guard to accomplish their missions.

The oldest among the kunoichi in their group, had long, wavy, violette hair, with bangs curtaining her brow, except for a small window at the center. She had a toned, sexy, kunoichi physique with strong arms and legs, and a rock-solid core, with a face many actresses and some models would kill to have. She was also, most definitely not hiding her body, since she was sitting on the edge of the pool, with nothing but a smile on her face, and only her feet submerged in the hot-spring. Anybody could have seen her if they were walking by. She was either, quite secure in their privacy, or not shy about her body.

The youngest among them was about ten-years old, she was submerged up to her neck in the water, with dark-violette-borderline-ebony hair, pulled into a ponytail, and fork-like bangs spilling over her brow. Her body if it could be seen, was a little bit further along than most little girls her age. She had begun puberty early, and had already hit several major growth spurts, making her taller than most girls her age. Two other, violette-haired kunoichi, in diverse hairstyles, were also lounging in the hot spring, it seemed to be something they did regularly, because neither one of them showed any significant discomfort in each other's presence.

"Well, congratulations all three of you," the exhibitionist was saying, "for making Chunin on your first try. I am very proud of all three of you, and I love it that you were the first all kunoichi team to make it through the entire test."

"Thank you, Naori-sensei," the younger ladies chorused, while ducking their heads in appreciation, then added, "we couldn't have done it without your guidance!"

"Well thank you, it has been a pleasure being your sensei, ladies," their Jonin-sensei, as she held up a sake cup in a toast, followed closely by the other three, "to Anko Mitarashi, Izumi Uchiha, and Yugao Uzuki, the Ice Queens of Konoha, congratulations."

The Chunin-selects raised their own sake cups, and saluted their sensei, "to Jonin, Naori Uchiha, the youngest Jonin-sensei to successfully train a full squad of Genin, and turn them into Chunin," they added together, then tipped their cups and downed them in one gulp. While every ninja that graduated from the Academy was considered an adult, and may partake in most adult activities, in the eyes of the Elemental Nations, by Konoha Military Code, certain rights like drinking and starting families, were still prohibited until they earn their Chunin vests.

After completion of drinks, they sat around making small-talk, when Naori asked, "So, Izumi-chan, I heard Itachi-kun had a tough time in the Chunins, I wouldn't have thought that was possible with how talented he is. I mean your both pretty equal in terms of talent, since you graduated together."

"Otōto-kun, earned his vest of course, but he had one disadvantage I did not have," she answered, "a team to rely on." They eyed her curiously, so she continued, "Anko, Yugao, and myself are all good friends, and have been since graduating the Academy together, they look out for me, not just as a teammate, but as older women protecting a younger one. I may be a strong kunoichi, but I'm still only ten-years old, and naïve when it comes to men and boys," she admitted, then in her own mind added, not that it matters, I already know to whom I will marry. I just hope I can meet him, and get to know him, before we announce our engagement, luckily, I have a little time, he has to become a Chunin, or be seventeen before we get married. I wonder what it's going to be like, having a husband whose much younger than me? "Anko and Yugao graduated at ten-years old from the Academy, significantly sooner than most students, so they would be able to relate to me somewhat, in the kinds of pressure I was under."

"Itachi-otōto, didn't have that, the only living male we know, that could possibly relate to him is Kakashi Hatake," Izumi continued to explain, to all of their nods, "so he was put on a team with much older boys, who were significantly less competent than he is, he had to save their asses on their first C-rank when he first started, and they hadn't improved much, even in the last three-years. They barely made it through the first and second tests, and you heard them forfeit during the Third test," Izumi said that last with a derisive quality. "While Itachi, unlike most in our clan, does not suffer from the fatal flaw of arrogance, even he has been hard-pressed to find them competent in anything related to ninja-craft."

The other ladies were nodding their understanding, when Naruto's rabbit scrambled furtively into the clearing, nibbling grass as he progressed. The kunoichi in the hot-spring were casting casual glances toward him, rabbits were nothing special here in the Leaf, even if, to a woman, all four were screaming 'kawaii' in their minds. They also noticed that he was hurt, they could see the laceration to his ear, and that he was favoring one front paw over the other. He had made it to the middle of the grassy area, and stood up to lick his paw, when out of the foliage to the east, a shuriken came flying out across the space which transected, the rabbit's spinal column and opened, the carotid artery. The buck died quickly but painlessly, as all sensation below his neck abruptly ceased, and his blood came squirting out onto the grass.

The rabbit had died so swiftly the women, all hardened kunoichi to a woman – they have seen some shit – were still caught flat-footed, and with astonished eyes they followed the path they remembered the shuriken took. From the border of the meadow a young boy who looked to be about four or five, rushed out into the open.

He was dressed in deerskins, that looked well-made, even if they were obviously made by hand, and likely by the boy's own hands. He was wearing a hooded, long-sleeved, deerskin jumper, leggings in the same material, tucked into moccasins that ran half-way up the calf. A leather belt with a miniature fox-skull, obviously carved, around his waist, and along his left thigh, was a small leather pouch, with the ringed hilts of kunai, and the points of shuriken peeking out of the top. While vertically, down the middle of his back, rising above his crown, was a single, fire-hardened hanbo. All he could think about as he neared his kill, My flanking maneuver worked…

He was half way to the carcass of the rabbit, when he became aware that he had an audience. He slowly creaked his head around until he was facing them. Four kunoichi, given the nature of the discarded clothing on the side of the hot-spring, most of them were sitting waist deep in the pool, one was up to her chin, and the other…

He saw everything, from her breasts to her vagina, which was shaved almost bare, except for a landing strip, up above it. Naruto's face burned like the scorching of the sun, of course having two grown human women walking around in his head, had already exposed him to the various states of apparel a woman can have. He formed little houses for both of them to have privacy from each other, but since he was the literal creator of that world, they did not have it with him, so since they could not change it, they chose to ignore it.

Naruto took a calming breath, there was nothing he could do to change what just happened. He damn sure was not going to walk away from his dinner, just because they were too cheap to go to the village hot-spring. "My apologies, ladies, I didn't expect anybody to be here," he said as he made his way to the rabbit, "but that's my dinner, and he led me on quite a chase today." Naruto positioned himself in such away, that his back was to the women.

Ironically, none of the women were too angry at the intrusion, and Naori was only slightly self-conscious about being caught in the buff. She felt strangely at ease watching him process the rabbit, it was obvious he was not there to peep on them. Even more strange, she noticed that while his gaze did linger a little longer on her than the others, he did not turn away out of revulsion, but to respect her. They all moved with ninja speed to dress themselves and came over to meet him.

All of them of course, knew who he was, the jinchuriki of the Kyūbi, and unlike some who only saw the monster, they only saw its container. Even Naori, who lost her father to the Kyūbi held no enmity for the boy, she even felt tremendous respect for what he was called to do, when he was but an infant. None of them felt like a piece of meat as he was walking to the downed animal, he did look at them, who would not be curious if he met a bunch of women skinny-dipping out in the woods like this? Only Izumi seemed to be sporting a blush on her cheeks, but not for a reason any of them, save perhaps Naori, knew about.

Anko and Yugao were remembering the throw that ended the rabbit's life, they had made their way to the edge closest to the boy and just watched him. Finally, Yugao, who had changed into her own standard Konoha attire, with standard navy-blue, long-sleeved, kunoichi-cut shirt, wearing a katana on her back, decided to make a comment, "May I say something," she asked?

Not stopping in his work, Naruto affirmed with a nod but asked, "sure, but how about some introductions first, I'm Naruto – Naruto Uzumaki, age four, may I have your names please?"

"Of course, my name is Yugao Uzuki, age 13, and a newly minted Chunin," the young lady answered, before speaking her observation, "that was an awesome throw, Naruto-san. You put your prey down, in such a way, that I don't think he felt more than a fleeting sensation of pain, and you did it all in one throw. I don't think very many Chunin would be able to pull that off," she continued, "how long have you been practicing your throwing, a year, maybe two?"

Naruto looked around with a derisive smile, "no, Yugao-san, this is skill I've perfected for the last three-months. It was either that or I would have starved to death," Naruto added, then again as much to himself as his audience, "desperation breeds expertise. If your only chance for survival is to learn, you will learn faster than you ever believed possible."

"What do you mean, Naruto-san," the violette Uchiha asked, then continued when he quirked a curious eyebrow, "my name's Naori Uchiha, 18, I'm a Jonin. What do you mean, you would've starved to death, we know you don't have parents, but surely the orphanage you live at should be providing you with food?"

Naruto just smiled, of course, she wouldn't know, "Yeah, they kicked me out, what you think I'm stupid enough to leave on my own? Even if I had money, most shops, stores, and restaurants ignore me when I enter, they act like I don't even exist," he finished bitterly. Then he smiled, and quickly returned to his task, after gazing with relief at what she was wearing, after seeing her naked. A sleeveless, black battle-dress with leggings the same color, and a white obi, in which she carries two swords, sticking out to the left-side of her body.

"You mean they just kicked you out," came an outraged gasp, "sorry, Naruto-san, my name's Izumi Uchiha, 10, also just made Chunin. What do you mean they just kicked you out," she seemed offended for some reason, "did you do something…" He looked at her sharply, which caused her to backtrack, and mouth a sheepish, sorry, "I mean, did they give you a reason for kicking you out?" Under her Chunin-vest, Izumi now wears a black, short-sleeved, qipao dress, bound by a red tie and a white belt. She wears white bandages underneath, with a pair of black, elbow-length, fingerless-gloves, a red arm-warmer on her left-arm and a pair of black, ankle-length, open-toed high-heeled sandals.

Naruto smiled in forgiveness, understanding that she was just surprised, before going on with a serious expression, "I don't know what caused my eviction from that house, I just returned one day from Ichiraku Ramen – they being one of the only restaurants in the village that serves me – and all my stuff was neatly packed into a cardboard box, and sitting on the steps." By now, Naruto had finished processing the rabbit, and now, all the edible parts were packed into a jury-rigged bag, made from the buck-rabbit's hide. He stood up, and turned until he could look at them, "I have a hypothesis," he said, while rubbing his stomach, causing all the ladies to gape, he knows, they scream in their heads, "but really, I'm better off where I am, at least I don't have to live in a place that likes to act like I'm invisible."

"It wouldn't be much different than in the orphanage, I never considered that place a home, I ate there, most of the time, and it's where I slept, that's all it ever was to me. I do have a home though," Naruto corrected her, turning to look their way, but with his eyes directed to exactly in front of the hot-spring, "a place, where I can relax, and train my bukijutsu, kenjutsu, kunai and shurikenjutsu… among other things. It has a great view, and its own hot-spring, plenty of space for a single guy like me," he quipped slyly, "if you ladies are nice to me and make me feel special, I'll take you there. I'm going to have to insist on bathing-suits when you're there though," Naruto added, with a grinning, blushing face, "I don't have any way of sectioning off a men's and women's bathing area, and we can't be friends if I can't look at you while we speak."

All of them laughed at the boy's attempt at humor, and letting them know, he was well aware of their mode of dress. They do not understand it themselves, if any other guy they knew, just happened to stumble across them, regardless of reason, when the ladies were still naked. All of them, would be taking turns, to make sure the unfortunate male, never had a reason to see a woman naked again. With Naruto, however, they never felt uncomfortable with him being here, even when they were sitting, or standing here, in their birthday suits, and all but one of them, exposing themselves to him.

Izumi was growling in her mind, no longer worrying about Naruto Uzumaki seeing her naked, her outrage over someone doing this to him, seemed to push aside any feelings of modesty. I'll make sure the Hokage, knows about this orphanage, and if I have to, I'll bring the full might of the Uchiha down on them, how dare they do this to my betro… a child of the Leaf.

"I'm Anko Mitarashi, 12, and it's a date, Naruto-kun," the dark-violette kunoichi, then frowned, "just one question. If you don't have any money, how can you buy kunai and shuriken, let alone a sword to practice kenjutsu with, you haven't resorted to thievery have you?"

Naruto reached up and grasped the length of his sticks above his shoulders, and answered, "these are my stand-ins for real blades, until I can afford a blade, or make one of my own." Then his face, became the picture of innocence, before speaking, "that depends slightly upon your point-of-view, Anko-chan. While I haven't reverted to theft. I do happen to walk around some of the training grounds, when ninja finish training, and if I happen to stumble across a shuriken here, a kunai there, still in reasonably good shape, maybe looking for a little TLC, then from my perspective it's not stealing. If the shinobi didn't come looking for it, then he or she don't want it, and so, for the first time since I can remember, I get to act like a four-year old, and say, 'finders keepers; losers weepers.'"

Anko began laughing with a snort, but before they knew it, she let out a big-bellied guffaw, her palm on her knee. She was also wearing, a standard-issue, Konoha duty uniform, but with a reddish-brown t-shirt, and a tan longcoat.

As soon as Naruto was finished laughing with them, he got serious again, and began to address them, "I want to say, thank you, ladies, for being worried about me, but you do not have to. I am not alone, I have an ally, of sorts, we have only recently been introduced, but I feel confident that we will become much closer, in the future. One is never truly, alone, with the Force as an ally."

Flashback End Birthday Festivities

Naruto's remembrance of the past ended when the four kunoichi entered his grotto, and deciding to greet them as his Kichōna ane, released his hold of the debris in the air, in a controlled fall. He demonstrated his control, by moving the debris into patterns along the edge of the lake.

The kunoichi have seen this sort of display a few times, and while it still impressed them, their awe of it had waned significantly. Naruto turned to them with a bright smile on his face, "Evenin', Ladies, what're you doing here," he welcomed them, with a gesture for them to come closer, then added in wonder as he looked at their attire, "shouldn't you four be enjoying the Kyūbi Festival, you seem to be dressed for it?"

All four of them were dressed in their finest raiment, Naori-chan and Izumi were wearing high-necked, long-sleeved, qipao dresses, of differing hues that seemed to complement each other. Izumi's was in the same shade of violet as Naori's hair, while Naori's matched Izumi's, both garments were one-piece, multi-length dresses, with voluminous skirts, the front section of which came down until it was touching their knees, while the posterior section, tapered down to just above their ankles. This is where he found a set of silk stockings and matching kunoichi sandals, the same shade as the wearer's hair, that when followed, disappeared under the hem of their skirts. He could see the deep pockets on their hips, which likely held their ninja tools, since Konoha Military Code, required all active duty ninja and kunoichi to be ready for a fight or mission every second of every day, on the backs of each dress, was the Uchiha crest, proudly showing everyone where they came from. Naori's hair was done up into a low-bun hairstyle, with her brow-length bangs undisturbed. On the other hand, Izumi had relaxed her hair, allowing it to flow down, around her shoulders, in wavy rivulets. Their make-up was understated, just enough to add a little color to their cheeks, add some shine to their lips, and make their dark-eyes stand out.

Anko wore a high-necked, qipao dress, it had lavender, plum-blossom embroidery, woven along the neck and hemlines, surrounding a field of ebony. The visible leg was shown to be bare, from the mid-thigh down, but there up, Naruto saw a set of fishnets disappearing under the dress, a pair of black kunoichi sandals on her feet. Her hair, now draped like a satiny curtain to the middle of her back, over it all was what appeared to be her tan trench-coat, but upon closer inspection appeared to be in better condition than her normal overcoat, as if it was very rarely worn. Yugao was also dressed to kill, as Mara and his mom said while they looked through his eyes at the sight in front of him. She wore a black, silk, long-sleeved qipao blouse, that reached to her lower thighs, and dark-purple, billowy, ankle-length, wool trousers, with black, high-heeled kunoichi sandals. Her hair was pulled back into a triple-braided ponytail, and she was the only kunoichi present with a visible weapon, the hilt of her katana was peeking out over her right shoulder. Anko and Yugao's make-up was similar in scope to the Uchiha in their midst, only they had chosen darker shades of lipstick, and less eyeliner.

"Wow, my dear, older sisters, look ready to go on a date," Naruto marveled at them, "and yet you've decided to wander out here into the wilderness." The kunoichi smiled at his suave behavior, knowing those words were probably being fed to him, by the two women that live in his mindscape. They could tell by his blushing cheeks that he was not used to seeing them, or any women dressed like this. "What brings you, ladies, all the way out here, to honor me with how beautiful, all of you are?"

For some reason, Naruto's comments seemed to cause them all to feel so much better, about themselves. They knew they looked pretty, hell they looked like any man's vision of a goddess, as was evidenced by the stares and glares directed at them tonight. They knew they were attracting a lot of attention while walking here tonight, but the way Naruto spoke to them about their appearance just now, made every one of them feel special. It definitely made them feel like their efforts to dress-up for him tonight, worth it. He made them feel special and beautiful and appreciated, and the fact that he had turned five, just today, meant little to them, because irrespective of his age, he can never be a child, not after the life he had led.

Izumi was the one to answer him, "It's your birthday, Naruto-kun, we came here to take you out to celebrate it."

"Wha… but, where can we go, not many places in the village I can go where we won't be ignored," Naruto glowered, "you guys look so pretty, you deserve to go to a sit down restaurant, and – forgive me for saying it – be shown off?

"We don't care where we go, otōto-chan," Anko admonished, "as long as we're with you, we can just walk around all night, and be content with any, hole-in-the-wall greasy spoon we can find."

"That's right, baby," Yugao said as she hunkered to be at his eye-level, "we wanted to do this for you to show you how special you are to us." She reached up to caress one of his whiskered cheeks, and held his eye to convey her sincerity, "we wanted to make ourselves pretty for you, to look our best, because you are our hero. You've already done and are doing so much to keep us safe, from the biju in your gut, that even if it wasn't the dying wish of the Yellow Flash to treat you like a hero, we would still do this for you."

Naori had followed Yugao's lead to kneel in front of the young man, she placed her hand over the back of his head and leaned in. The kiss was one of purity and innocence, it was placed upon his lips, yet was nothing inappropriate, it was just a simple means, the calm and quiet kunoichi used to show him affection, even love. "Please, be our date tonight, Naruto-kun," she pleaded, "you are the only person we would ever want to do this for, the only one in our estimation worth being at our best."

Naruto looked between his sisters in all the ways that mattered, and they all nodded their agreement to Naori's assessment of him, then put his arms around the necks of the two kneeling next to him. He returned Naori's kiss and caressed Yugao's own cheek, then with a resigned sigh, admitted one more thing, to see how serious they were about celebrating with him, "what am I going to wear, the nicest clothes I own are made of deerskin?" That just made them all smile, and pull out a set of sealing scrolls each…

Konoha Market District

The Ice Queens and their date were strolling through the busiest part of the village. Naruto was standing in the middle of his sisters, while they surrounded him like a squad of bodyguards, giving fierce, borderline murderous stares at any citizen of the Leaf, that dared to gaze too long upon the birthday boy. They need not have bothered, because none of them seemed to recognize the little boy walking in their midst, because he in no way resembled the Demon brat they were used to.

His blonde-hair had been shorn into a low-flat-top, while wearing a full suit of clothes, consisting of an intricately patterned, long-sleeved, black, hanfu cotton shirt and trousers. The pattern on the front panel of the shirt, showed the scene of a giant, orange fox, growling menacingly up at a silver dragon. On the back of the shirt was the clan symbol of the Uzumaki, while the legs and sleeves were a solid field of darkness.

They have been enjoying the festival since reaching the city proper, visiting gaming stalls, and food vendors. The ladies were the ones that had to use their money to fund their date, and Naruto felt bad about that, until they reminded him that this was his birthday. He was allowed to be a little selfish on the day he was born, especially since this festival was to celebrate his purpose. They did not know that he and Kyūbi have become allies, of a sort, while they knew most of the facts about his mental make-up, that was one little detail, he kept to himself. The Fox did not really care, he decided to see the festival as a forum for worshiping his greatness.

They came to a particular gaming stall, it was a kunai throwing game, and the prizes looked pretty enticing. There were real sets of ninja throwing weapons, including Fuma shuriken, normal four-pointed, and demon-wind varieties. It seemed to be operated by a stout, man with thick arms, and intelligent eyes. Naruto felt a tug on himself by the Force, telling him that he should try his skill, and perhaps win something for the ladies surrounding him.

Naruto stepped up to the booth and laid down his entry fee, "may I have a turn, Oji-san," he asked apprehensively, wondering if this man would even acknowledge him.

The proprietor looked at the child, taking in his appearance, not missing the telltale whisker-marks on the boy's cheeks, along with the worry filtering through his eyes, this brought a benevolent smile to his lips. "Well, of course you can, young sir," bringing Naruto's eyes up to him in astonishment, this was the first time, anyone other than his big sisters accepted him.

There was a crowd of Konoha citizens, ninja and civilian alike, giving figurative speculation about competing, while the owner began to orate to the crowd. "My name is Shino Tan, and this is just some of the merchandise I have to offer at my new shop, as a retired Jonin of the Leaf, I know first-hand the quality of equipment we need in the field. I strive to make my merchandise practical, which combines high quality, with reasonable cost. This throwing booth, and the prizes available to those with the skill to win them, are but a small taste of goods provided at my shop. At my shop, everyone is treated equally, regardless of your status in the village."

Naruto stepped up to throwing position, and listened to Tan-san as he explained the game and the conditions for winning, "There are several levels of competition, in this game, there's pre-Academy level for five and up, Academy level, Genin level, Chunin level, and Jonin level, top prizes for each include a full complement of basic ninja tools, a five percent discount for clothing and equipment, until you graduate, a basic maintenance kit, to keep all of your weapons and equipment in good shape for protecting you and your teammates, and for the Chunin and Jonin competitors, your choice of Fuma shuriken to augment your already formidable, battle repertoire."

The Academy and pre-Academy/Civilian level consisted of a range of circular, static targets, though the Academy targets were set quite a bit further back. Genin level through Jonin level had human dummies, with the vital areas marked, Chunin to Jonin level had them in motion, and Jonin level had them rotating, to change the targeting profile, while continuing along an erratic path. Each contestant had five kunai and five shuriken, a perfect score got you the top prize for that level, you had to get a perfect score to get anything, if you tied with somebody on your level, you both moved up to the next level. This would go on, until one of you lost, then you got the prizes you won, up until you lost…

A little while later, Naruto and his dates were walking along a quieter section of the village, they were congratulating each other on how well they did at the throwing booth. Naruto now had a full set of ninja gear for when he started at the Academy, next year, a 5% voucher for clothing and equipment, including the maintenance kit for his equipment, and a demon-wind Fuma shuriken strapped to his back. He had made it up to the chunin level in the throwing, a feat which astonished nearly everyone in the crowd, but missed a vital throw in the Jonin level, when the dummy suddenly retreated, causing his star to miss.

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun," the Uchiha heiress gushed, while leaning into him with an arm around his shoulders, "that was some impressive kunai and shurikenjutsu."

"No kiddin," Anko agreed, while running a hand through his hair, "it's even more impressive, because you've not had any formal training. You even beat Izumi, and she along with her younger brother, are considered two of the most skilled shinobi in Konoha."

"Thank you, Izumi-chan, Anko-chan," the boy replied, "I appreciate the compliments, but I know that throwing is only one of the skills a ninja needs to be considered strong. My goal is to become the strongest shinobi ever, to be able to protect everyone I care about. So far, you four are it," Naruto admitted, with a red face, "you're the only people, in the village, I care about, and I love you, kichōna ane."

They were all giving him adoring smiles, they even had a little color in their own cheeks, none more so than the heiress of the Uchiha clan, he's so cute when he blushes. I can't wait until he's older, and if he continues along this trend with his throwing skill, he'll make Chunin in no time. Then… Izumi leans in to give him a chaste kiss on his cheek, "I love you too, Naruto-kun."

"We love you too, kichōna otōto," Yugao exclaimed, while leaning down to the back of his head, with a sisterly kiss of her own. Anko and Naori, bestowed their own kisses to other parts of his face, to convey their own feelings of sisterly affection.

"Because I love you, and don't want anything to happen to either of you, until I am strong enough to protect the four of you, I have a mission for each of you." He was looking up into the eyes of all four of the ladies, they seemed compelled to look upon him, to listen to his words, they each nodded their heads, an indication for him to go on, "grow stronger, become so strong that every single one of you, could be a match for any of the Sanin, or the Kage." He turned to the Uchiha and continued, "don't let your dojutsu become a crutch, become so strong, that any inclusion of it would be deemed overkill in any place outside of a battlefield. My mother was Mikoto Uchiha's sister from another mister, and Lady Mikoto became so strong in her career, that she very rarely had to use the Sharingan. She would consider it a personal failure, on any mission where she had to use it," Naruto saw his sisters nodding, then returned to address all of them, "one thing my mother and Mara have told me, and have been ingraining into me, is to find a precious person to grow strong for, to protect them. You four are my precious persons, I will grow strong, so I can protect you, but until I am that strong, you must become strong enough to protect yourselves, and your own precious people. Will you ladies promise to grow strong for me, for yourselves, your precious people, for the Village?"

"I promise, Naruto-kun, to grow strong for you, my little brothers, my Village, and myself," Izumi vowed, her voice taking on an echoing quality! She continued in her own mind, her thoughts keeping the echoing feel to them, you want us to become strong, so you don't lose us. Well, that is also why I want to become strong, strong enough to challenge even Madara Uchiha, as the strongest Uchiha in history, so that I can protect you, my most precious person.

"I promise, Naruto-otōto, to become strong enough to crack the heavens, for you and the Village," the other three chorused.

Naruto was grinning broadly, "thank you, all, and I accept your vows…" he turned away from them to look off in the direction of a sprawling compound. He had felt a disturbance in the Force, a spike of terror coupled with another one of triumph.

"Anything wrong, Naruto-kun," Izumi asked?

"I am unsure," Naruto returned, "the Force is pulling me… toward that neighborhood…"

"That's the Hyuga compound, another clan with a dojutsu like the Uchiha, it's called the Byakugan," Naori informed him, to his nod of understanding.

Naruto immediately took off in that direction, the Force was guiding him, one thing Mara always told him, with the Force as your guide, you will never be led astray. The Force is his ally, one he should always trust.

Glossary

Kichōna ane/ ani – dear, older/ big sister/ brother…

Kichōna otōto/ imōto – precious, little/ younger brother/ sister…

= in this context, not meant to be construed as actual family by blood,

just a term of endearment.