So in the same day as the previous chapter, I'll be posting another chapter. Sadly, it'll be another origin episode featuring our favorite YiLing Patriarch.

I came up with this idea while I was staring at the ceiling waiting to fall asleep, so I hope you enjoy it (But expect many writing errors)!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto


The Swordsman


In the Past...

The YiLing Patriarch held a relaxed posture and expression on his face as he made his way forward, his furry friend nearby walking next to him. He had recently found out that, at will, the Kyuubi could change his size fairly significantly (and decrease the visible number of tails he had). He could be the size of a mountain to the size of a horse, or even small enough to be a large dog or wolf if he wanted to, which is the size he picked for now. The expression on the YiLing Patriarch's face could be compared to a school girl who has seen a cute puppy when the Kyuubi changed sizes. The reason why he picked this size as opposed to simply hiding his large form in the woods before, is because this area they were exploring had a notable lack of woods to hide in. So instead, the Kyuubi's next best option was to choose a form by which nobody would recognize him.

The two friends were walking in an area different than what they were used to traveling in. They noticed that the landscape was made up of beautifully plains, painted yellow from the setting sun, the tall blades of grass to their left and right swaying with the gentle wind. It made the Patriarch smile. Continuing to stroll along, his hands behind his back and holding his bamboo flute as well as a new sword which was hanging off his belt. The design of it wasn't anything that the Kyuubi has seen from other humans, but he can see the practicality of it. Straight blade, double edged on both sides, and a single-handed grip. It wasn't particular ornate in it's aesthetic, a simply leather wrapped handle, black guard and steel blade.

The Kyuubi never saw him use a sword before this, and it made him curious why he would purchase such a thing... especially since all the conflicts he's seen the human take care of was either through his words or minimal Martial Arts prowess.

It wouldn't be long before they reached a village, much to the YiLing Patriarch's relief as the sun set and he entered the village with a smile on his face. The expression of relief quickly turned into wonder when he entered deeper into the village, seeing how big it was, with large buildings people all around wearing smiles and working businesses. The smile on his face switched from awe to delight as he looked around like a child, looking at all that there was to offer. His thoughts would be cut off as he felt his stomach rumble. Shaking his head, the YiLing Patriarch went to a nearby stand.

The stands around served all kinds of food, but based on the writing he saw, a lot of them sold a dish called "Ramen." The chef was slicing pieces of pork to be seared as Tonkotsu for the Ramen when the YiLing Patriarch sat down in front of him. The Fox just sat under the table.

"Hello Stranger! I haven't seen you around these parts before." The middle-aged chef would state, looking at the unusual appearance of the long-haired man in front of him.

"I'm new to these parts, I'm simply travelling and seeing the sights." The YiLing Patriarch would reply with a bright toothy smile.

"Well, you certainly came to the right place. This great village is sitting on a river, with a beautiful view of the valleys and plains surrounding it. We have wonderful food, great attractions, and beautiful ladies." The chef would advertise, winking at the Patriarch at the last one, who simply chuckled in amusement. The long-haired man took a second to look around him, and noticed something from the very first step inside of the village. Banners, of a red circle with a spiral.

"Is this the emblem of your village?" The YiLing Patriarch would ask, pointing at the spiral pattern etched into the pillar of a nearby village. The Chef looked up from his potential customer to the symbol he was pointing at.

"Oh! No no no-! Well, not officially. That is the emblem of the Uzumaki Clan, who lives here and acts like a police force for our village. They're the only major clan in the area, and are in charge of governing as well." The Chef would explain. The Patriarch nodded, before his eyes widened in realization and he looked around once more. The farmers smiling happily at him and other customers. The water which ran under the city and his own feet. And the clan which protected the village. It was like...

"Lotus Pier..." He mumbled to himself, to which the chef tilted his head.

"I didn't quite hear you son, did you say something?" The Chef inquired, to which it took a second for the Black-haired man to shake out of his thoughts and a soft smile made it's way back to his face.

"No, I was just thinking. Anyway, I'm starving! And it looks like you've got something cooking there!" The Patriarch then inquired, to which the Chef gave him a bright happy smile.

"Indeed! Our shop is famous for serving Uzumaki Ramen- Which was invented by yours truly..." The Chef would say with a small bow.

"Oh? So you're an Uzumaki?" The Patriarch asked.

"Eh... no, I just made the Uzumaki Clan's favorite Ramen."

"Oh... heh, I see. Well, let me..." The YiLing Patriarch fumbled in his pouch and laid out some currency on the counter.

"This'll get you a generous meal, my friend." The Chef stated, nodding and smiling. "So! What can I getcha?"

"I'll have some of this famous Ramen you speak of... and..." His eyes glanced under the table to the red eyes of his nine-tailed companion. "What is that crusted... fried meat over there?" The YiLing Patriarch asked, pointing over to a plate with some meat on a plate.

"Tonkutsu Pork? You want some of that as well?" The Chef asked, to which the Patriarch nodded in confirmation. "As well as your finest Sake." He added.

"Hai! Coming right up sir!" The Chef would state with an enthusiastic and loud yell, which seemed to blend in to the loud ambience of the busy crowd. The YiLing Patriarch's smile softened more, it reminded him of home...

Eventually, a large bowl was placed in front of him, containing soup, thin noodles, vegetables and pieces of pork... as well as some white thing with a pink swirl on it. To the Patriarch, it was both familiar and foreign to him, so he smiled as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of the Noodle-soup in front of him.

"So this... is Ramen..." He let out a satisfied breath as he broke a pair of chopsticks and began to dig in, audibly humming as he began to eat. He slurped up some noodles and let out long sigh. "Chef! This is amazing!" He says, giving the Chef a toothy smile and a thumbs up to which the Middle-aged man began to loudly laugh at his customer's enthusiasm. He then was given a hot piece of deep-fried pork, Tonkotsu, as he recalled. When the chef wasn't looking, he put the plate on the floor, and the small Kyuubi began to eat his fill. The duo continued to eat, and the Patriarch drank.

"Chef! I haven't eaten anything like this before! And it was great, thank you!" The YiLing Patriarch would say, standing from his seat, placing his hands together and bowing to the Chef. The Chef was unfamiliar with this type of bow, but recognized the gesture anyway, bowing in return with a smile on his lips.

"If only young people had a bright personality like you, kid." The Chef would say, the smile still on his lips.

"One more favor, do you know any place where there is temporary lodging?" The YiLing Patriarch would ask.

"Of course! There's an Inn across the bridge. I know the owner, he gives great pricing for overnight stays." The Chef replied, pointing in the direction the Inn was. The Patriarch bowed once more before.

"Thank you sir! I won't forget this." He says, before turning and walking towards the Inn, the Kyuubi next to him.

"How was your meat?" The YiLing Patriarch asked. The Chibi-Kyuubi let out a small, but seemingly satisfied, burp as a response, to which the Patriarch laughed in response.

They reached the inn and was greeted, literally but also, by the sight of a young woman wearing a Yukata with her eyes glued to what looked like a scroll in front of her on the desk.

"Welcome to the Whirlpool Inn, just give me a second!" She says in a cheerful, albeit practiced voiced. She had a brush in her hand, and was writing down something, perhaps for management of the Inn. She then looked up when she put the brush down.

"Welcome to the Whirl... pool... innnnn..." She began but began to drift off as her eyes landed on the beautiful man with loose, long-black hair and warm red eyes which gazed into her own. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"Hello! A room for 1-" The Patriarch began, before feeling a soft tap on his leg. He looked down and the fox hit him with one of his tails, giving him an offended look as if he was annoyed that he wasn't considered in the inn order. The Patriarch rolled his eyes.

"A room for 1 please." The woman, still in her daze, nodded and looked through the available rooms before handing him a key silently. She stared at this beauty of a man. Usually men would try to look handsome, or manly in order to appear attractive, and while that usually worked, there was a sort of charm that she never knew could come from a male that was beautiful. She stared at him in a daze, and he stared back...

Or rather, he looked back at her strangely. "Uhm... how much?"

"O-oh... uhm..." She showed him the amount on a scroll and he took out enough Ryo to last him a night.

"And uhm... which room is it?" He then asked, looking closer to make sure she was okay. She did seem a little red... maybe she had a fever?

"Uhm..." She recollected herself. "Top floor, 3rd door on your left." She stated, closing her eyes as if trying to remember. And the Patriarch bought it, nodding. She opened her eyes and saw the beautiful man smiling at her as he bowed slightly.

"Thank you miss." He says, before walking up the stairs towards his room. On the way, he swore he heard a feminine squeal of delight... "I do hope she's okay." He says to himself aloud.

"I'm sure she's just fine." He heard the dark, masculine voice of the Kyuubi under him... which didn't fit his Chibi appearance.

He laid down on the bedroll on the floor, and leaned back, closing his eyes and letting out a relaxed hum. He felt the Kyuubi's fur brush against his arm as the Chibi-Kitsune curled up beside him and closed his own eyes. They both let out a sigh, and they both drifted off to sleep...


Morning broke, and the YiLing Patriarch was the first to awaken. He looked down and saw the Kyuubi still curled up on the floor, purring as he was comfortably asleep. The Black-haired man smiled gently, bringing up his hands to pet the Chibi a little before getting up and changing his clothes into a more fresh set of the same robes (He had his robes copied in a previous town :D). He grabbed his sword, sliding it into his belt and grabbed his flute and was ready for the new day. It was at this point, he decided that he was going to get some breakfast, quietly leaving the room, he went downstairs and greeted the woman at the desk, who blushed again and gave him a polite nod as he went to exit the building...

Instantly he was hit with a wave of cool wind, and a wave of Nostalgia with it. He took a relaxed breath in, inhaling and smelling the scent of the river which cooled the morning breeze which passed by. A soft smile made it's way onto his lips as he remembered something similar back during his days in Yunmeng.

He shook himself out of his thoughts, the smile still present as he took another deep breath in and a sweet smell began to fill his nostrils. Letting out another breath, he decided to follow his nose towards the sweet smell... A bakery. He looked the displayed breads and snacks. Until one caught his eye... It was a smooth, white and had a rabbit design on it. He stared at it with childlike wonder and thought back to his home... If there was such a thing back home, he'd use it to tease LanZhan... his smile widened.

"Excuse me, ma'am." He made his attention known to the elderly woman running the bakery, who wore a bandana. She gave him a polite smile in acknowledgement. "How can I help you young man?"

"Is it okay if I can get one... of those things, and one of those things." He says, looking and pointing at the available snacks. The woman chuckled at his childlike nature, but was wondering what he was referring to when he said "things"... did he not know what they were called. She made her way over, and looked at him. "Which ones?"

"Uh... this one." She looked at where he pointed. "Manju." She stated, looking at what he was pointing at.

"And... what is that?" He asked, to which she gave him a confused look.

"It's... kind of like a flour dumpling. This one has a jam filling." She saw his eyes light up as he nodded. "Yep! I want that one... and... this other one." He says, pointing at the smooth, white one with a rabbit design.

"Daifuku." She identified, and feeling like he was gonna ask about that one, she explained already. "Similar to Manju, it's made with a type of rice, used to make Mochi. Inside is Red bean paste." He gasped slightly when she said that and he felt like crying for joy right there... This world... had... red bean paste. Thank god for Cultural similarities.

"YES!" He says a bit loud, making other customers look at him and the Elderly woman running the place blink in slight surprise.

"Uhm... I'm sorry. I haven't had any baked foods in so long, I've been... travelling alone in the wild for some time." He says, to which she nodded, but she couldn't help but chuckle at out cheerful and childish the boy seemed. She packed both of them into a paper bag and handed it to him. He took it and paid the proper amount, he sat down at a table nearby, and took out the Daifuku, to which he bit into it and let out a surprised sound at how easy his teeth penetrated the soft exterior of the food...

"Oh... heavens." He says, taking another slow bite. Leaning back in his chair, he let out a satisfied sigh... He liked this town.

He then heard a spill and a masculine voice cry out in both annoyance and surprise. The YiLing Patriarch lowered his head to look at what happened, and he wasn't alone as the other customers looked at what happened. The Long-haired man analyzed the scene. The Elderly woman was there, looking at a new arrivals, three men, but her attention was on the one in the center. He was tall, he had red hair and violet eyes, his face contorted into that of annoyance. He wore black, long-sleeved shirt, some kind of blue armor, black pants and sandals, and a headband on his forehead, with his clan's emblem on it, a hitae-ate, he remembers those were called. On his back was, what looked like from the Patriarch's angle, a sword and a scroll. He then looked down, a tea cup was face down and the floor was wet. The Patriarch doubled his glance back to the leader of the group, and saw that his shirt and his armor were wet and slightly steaming... He deduced what happened.

The elderly woman came out to serve tea to somebody, only to bump into the leader and accidentally spill hot tea onto his clothes. And the leader didn't look very pleased...

"You old hag!" One of the obvious henchman stated, walking around the leader to roughly grab her wrists, to which she let out a worried cry, and the other did the same to the other wrist. The Patriarch looked around, seeing the rest of the customers stiffen in fear. And then... it clicked. They are happily living here, the Clan protects them, and they govern fairly... but there are some exceptions to this shining perfection.

"Today was supposed to be a good day..." The leader says, wiping off the hot tea from his blue armor as he looked at the Elderly woman in disdain. "I was coming to get a nice fresh set of Dango- but it seems you just had to ruin it you senile old HAG!" The leader would say, bringing up a fist as the other two henchman held her down. The Elderly baker closed her eyes and waited for the impact to come... only that it never did.

"It was an accident." She heard a familiar male voice said. She felt the grips on her wrists loosen as she freed them from the henchman's grasps, and she looked at her savior-

It was the young man who didn't even know what the pastries were?!

"Who are you supposed to be?" The leader asked him, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah! Don't you know who you're talking to?" One of the henchman said.

"He's Uzumaki Yoshiki! The swordsman prodigy of the new Uzumaki nin!" Another says, pointing at the leader who stared into the black-haired man's, grey eyes which stared back at him unyielding.

"Stay out of this..." The leader, now identified as Yoshiki, says to the Patriarch. "I'll forgive you, if you bow... say you're sorry, and leave." He continued. The Patriarch, raised an eyebrow at the request, smirking.

"And why would I do that? Look, you already wet your pants." The grey-eyed man said, motioning to the Yoshiki's pants, who looked down and saw that it was also soaked in tea, but to those without context it would look... He heard a couple of customers let out restrained laughter. He snarled at the man, who looked at him arrogantly.

"How... DARE YOU!" He yelled, sliding out his sword from his back and with high speeds bringing forth a cut to decapitate the man in front of him. Yoshiki blink as he felt his blade cut through nothing, and when he opened his eyes. The man was gone.

"You missed." He heard from behind him, as he felt a hand palm his back with surprising amount of strength as he flew forward and into the main road face-down. He quickly got up and brought up his sword, looking at the Patriarch who approached him, hanging his coat on a chair as did so.

"You're a swordsman prodigy?" The Patriarch inquired. Yoshiki smirked and changed stances, his blade now forward, the edge aligned vertically and shining in the sun. "Amongst my generation, I remain undefeated by my many cousins... even some of my teachers have lost to me. And us Uzumaki are known for our swordsmanship..." He elaborated. The YiLing Patriarch nodded, although he nodded as if he was sarcastically impressed with that accomplishment. He reached behind his back and pulled out his strange sword, to which many mumbled to themselves. The YiLing Patriarch unsheathed his sword, revealing it's double-edged, thin blade and single-handed configuration, to which Yoshiki scoffed at the Unorthodox.

"Such a small blade... do you think you can touch me with that?" Yoshiki mocked, turning his blade and resting the back of it on his shoulder and showing off the length. And it was true, it was a longer blade and because of that he had the advantage of reach...

"Are you compensating for something?" The YiLing Patriarch shot back, smirking at Yoshiki who blushed in anger at the implication. The Patriarch held his sword forward so that the tip was aimed for Yoshiki, and his off-hand held the scabbard. Yoshiki let out a cry and slashed down at the stranger, who spun around his slash and hit him in the side of his ribs with the pommel of his sword. Yoshiki stumbled to the side a bit, before letting out a barrage of slashes.

Each slash that came was sidestepped, or blocked with the side of the blade. Parry, dodge, duck- When the YiLing Patriarch ducked, Yoshiki smirked and redirected his blade to catch the ducking form of the Patriarch. The latter's eyes widened, jumping up and seemingly defying gravity as he was completely horizontal in mid-air for what seemed like forever as the blade's horizontal slash missed him by an inch. He then spun and landed a kick on Yoshiki's face, making him fly back, as well as making the Patriarch flip backwards and land on his feet.

"Whoa... they weren't kidding when they said that the Uzumaki Clan was good at swordsmanship." The YiLing Patriarch mused to himself as he internally sweatdropped at his carelessness. Yoshiki got up quickly and led his new assault with a stab, to which the YiLing Patriarch decided to end this game. He side-stepped the stab and stepped forward, swiftly moving into Yoshiki's inner-circle. His form was graceful, as he continued to spin, his blade spinning with him as he made a series of cuts, before spinning behind Yoshiki. The YiLing Patriarch smirked, sheathing his sword.

The Uzumaki looked confused... "What... did you do?" The prodigy asked, as he turned around to face the Patriarch, only at that moment, the straps which kept his armor up, and the knots which kept his clothes together were sliced open, making his blue armor thud to the ground as well as making his pants fall to the ground, revealing him in his undergarments. Yoshiki, looked down, and registered what happened, covering himself up. His henchman ran to his side and picked up his armor... The Uzumaki was red-faced with anger.

"I-I'll... I'll get you for this! Mark my words!" He says, before running to fix his clothes and out of sight. The YiLing Patriarch turned and was met with applause from the customers and approached by the Elderly woman.

"Thank you... young man. I've taken the liberty of refilling your pastries... It's... the most I can do." The Elderly baker says to him. The Long-haired man put his hands together and bowed to the woman, with a gentle smile.

"It is more than enough." He says... This day wasn't bad. Good breakfast, and a decent morning workout. He made his way back to the Inn and found the Fox still sleeping. Sighing and smiling, he put the paper bag on a small wooden table and let the scent of pastries fill the room. The Kitsune yawned and looked at his companion, who offered him Manju. The Kyuubi wondered why he was so chipper, but then remembered that he's always happy, and took the Manju from his hand with his teeth, and the fox began to chow down. Meanwhile, the Patriarch watched him and ate his Daifuku, smiling fondly at the memories he's been making here while staring out the window...


It was night now, and the YiLing Patriarch had spent all day seeing the sights of the village. The Kyuubi had gone out of the village to hunt for some fresh food, so he was alone once more, and he had learned much about the village. It was cozy... and warm... and there was a lot of love. He met more Uzumaki ninja on patrol and conversed with them, and they were polite and respectful individuals, even sharing a few laughs with them along the way. The streets were lit up with lanterns baring the Uzumaki emblem on the paper and he smiled as he sat down at the very same Ramen shop he came to the night before.

"Ah! Welcome back my friend! More Ramen I presume?" The same chef asked seeing the stranger sit down. The YiLing Patriarch smiled and nodded once.

"I liked your Uzumaki Ramen... but it was a tad heavy. A lot of meat and broth... and the noodles were quite thick." The long-haired man commented, to which the chef nodded and smiled, letting out a hearty laugh.

"Yes! But it is all by design... You see, the Uzumaki clan are known for many things throughout the Elemental Nations... Their swordsmanship, the Fuuinjutsu..." The Patriarch made a mental note to check out what that was later. "... and having Extremely large Chakra Reserves. Most of the time they have so much they're like a beacon of trouble!" He says, his arms wide as if trying to grasp the scale of the Clan's Chakra Reserves.

"Does... that mean you have smaller ramen?" The YiLing Patriarch asked, to which the Chef nodded. He went over and quickly prepared a standard bowl of Ramen with Tonkotsu...

"Thank you once again sir! This... is much more manageable." The Patriarch commented, to which the Chef let out another amused and hearty laugh. The black-haired man smiled, and began to eat... Only for his meal to be interrupted by the sound of metal-on-wood contact and the immediate silence that followed after. His mouth full of noodles, the YiLing Patriarch looked to his left to see the scabbard of a sword against the wood counter he was eating at. His eyes followed the arm which grasped the scabbard, and his eyes met with violet. Uzumaki, definitely. This was an older woman than Yoshiki, but about his age if he had to estimate, and she, too, wore the Uzumaki armor and black clothing Yoshiki did. And her eyes... her eyes were analytical, but cautious.

"Are you the one who defeated Yoshiki?" She inquired, her tone militaristic and serious. The YiLing Patriarch quickly slurped up the noodles in his mouth, shooting a glance at the Chef who was looking at the scene with curiosity.

"Um... yes?" He says hesitantly.

"Get up." She ordered. The Patriarch hesitantly put down his bowl of Ramen and stood in the middle of the street across from the woman. And it was at this distance where he could see her truly. She was beautiful... long red hair and violet eyes, and they held such intensity, just as she held the blade in her hands.

"I wish to see the man from nowhere who defeated my student..." She says dangerously.

"And... may this man know your name?" The YiLing Patriarch asked, placing his cloak on the chair he sat on and drawing his strange blade, making her eyes narrow at the sight of it.

"My name... is Uzumaki Mito."


AND that's the end of part 1 of this blast to the past. I'll pick it up next time when I run out of inspiration for the main story! I hope you enjoyed!

Again with the voting. It'll end by the next chapter!

- Kurotsuchi: 0

- Shizuka: 1

- Ino: 8

- Fu: 1

- Tayuya: 2

- Temari: 1

See you in the next chapter, bye!

Nitro