The Best of Both Worlds

by Dark.Force.Light

Naruto's been banished from Konoha after Sasuke's retrieval. Years later, Kurosaki Ichigo showed signs of having the Kyuubi! NaruXMassHarem IchiXHarem

16. Chapter 16

I don't own Naruto or Bleach.

As for the question as to who these three were, this chapter will answer it.

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Chapter 16: Breezing Through

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Naruto's subconscious

"Wh-who are they?!" Obito exclaimed. "They look just like Kushina-sama and Mito-sama!"

Naruto grumbled as he said, "These are Yami Kushina, Yami Mito, and Sabaku no Karura."

Their eyes widened. Kushina stuttered out, "Y-Y-Yami? I don't get it…they weren't with us as he was," she pointed to Yami Naruto, "with you?"

Kyuubi scoffed. "Of course they weren't. Unlike Naruto, both you and Mito never had the chance to face darkness, do you? Naruto faced glares and hatred every day while you two faced smiles and love. Do you really think that your Yami can be properly manifested with those experiences? It's because of that inexperience that these two became weak in your presence. I grew sick of seeing their weak and mangled forms so I took them from you as discreetly as I could. I cared for them and fed them my darkness. Who am I to deny them that when I am the very personification of negative emotions? As it stands, they are completely separate from you."

Soifon narrowed her eyes. "Why are they allowed to roam so casually? If they are Yami, then shouldn't they be kept under close watch just in case they are a danger?"

Yami Kushina's eyes flashed before, in the blink of an eye, she had her red hair strangle Soifon and raise her into the air, completely different from Kushina's chains. "If I were you," she said menacingly, "I would hold my tongue, especially when I want to insult someone stronger than myself."

"Enough," Naruto suddenly said with a serious face. "Yamina, drop her."

Without hesitation, the red hair released Soifon's neck and immediately returned to its original state. Everyone looked Naruto strangely. Did he just order the Yami of his mother…and she obeyed?!

Naruto said to Soifon, "I would suggest backing up your claims with actual evidence, rather than mere speculation, Shaolin Fong." Her eyes widened. "Make sure with absolute certainty and proof that someone is a danger to society before proclaiming it to the people. That is the same logic that caused hatred to jinchuurikis. They believe we should be contained just in case we are a danger to society."

Deciding to change the subject, Sarutobi asked, "Naruto, how did Karura-san manage to get sealed in you?"

"Ah, well, Kyuubi took her from Shukaku's grasp when the latter challenged the former."

"I don't understand."

"A battle between demons is easily defined as a battle in which the loser, bound by the Demon's Law of Combat, gives something to the winner. It can be anything that is of great value to the loser, winner, or the world in general. That is the same with Bijuu. Although rare, battles between Bijuu are possible. One such battle is the battle between the Nibi no Nekomata and the Nanabi no Kabutomushi a long time ago, as told to me by Kyuubi. Back then, Kyuubi was still the arrogant and stubborn vixen that I remembered when I was little." Kyuubi swatted him on the shoulder with a tail. "In that arrogance, she deemed a Bijuu's strength by the number of tails they have. Outraged, Shukaku challenged her to prove to her that tails aren't everything. Shukaku lost and she had nothing to give to Kyuubi. So, Kyuubi said that she would hold Shukaku to that loss and would eventually come to collect the spoils of that battle. Kyuubi did collect the spoils, when Sunagakure, in collaboration with Otogakure, attacked Konoha. By that time, Shukaku had something to give, Sabaku no Karura."

"How is that possible?"

"When Shukaku was sealed inside Gaara, he was still in Karura's womb, allowing the tanuki free access to her soul, so she latched onto it immediately. When Karura died in childbirth, Shukaku simply pulled on that soul and she held onto it ever since."

"So that's why her soul wasn't found anywhere in the Royal Dimension, Soul Society, Living World, or Hueco Mundo. Do her children know about this?"

"I told them about it right after I found that out."

Meanwhile

While the souls watched Naruto's confrontation with Yami, Aizen Sousuke and his conspirator, Uchiha Madara, were discussing their plans.

The brunet took a sip from his cup. "What news from your side?"

Madara, whose hand rested on the side of his orange, spiralled mask, said, "So far, there has been no movement. It is to be expected. Uzumaki Naruto journeyed these lands and went to Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Takigakure, and Kirigakure and exchanged words of wisdom to their leaders about their jinchuuriki. Sunagakure's jinchuuriki is their Kage; Kumogakure's jinchuurikis are being trained harder than ever; and Takigakure's jinchuuriki sought refuge in Uzushiogakure."

"What of Iwagakure and Kirigakure?"

"Hmph, Yagura's dead since Kiri's civil war and Utakata has joined Naruto's forces. Iwagakure's Han did the same with Roshi being a spy for him."

"Oh?" Aizen raised a brow. "Naruto-kun met up with both jinchuurikis?"

Madara shrugged. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that, with the exception of Iwa and Konoha, every village is knowledgeable about and allied with Uzushio in secret."

"We can use that ignorance to our advantage."

"Iwa is the more susceptible." He chuckled. "Most of Iwa's citizens still remember Namikaze Minato's terrifying deed and hate him for it. The Tsuchikage may know to not pass the crimes of the father to the son and prefers to not interfere in affairs that have nothing to do with Iwagakure, hence his moniker 'Fencer-Sitter,' but when word of his son's existence reaches Iwa's ears, the townspeople would call for his blood. And knowing the old man, Onoki, he would have no choice but to follow his people."

Aizen smirked. "And we don't tell him of his jinchuurikis' treachery?"

Madara scoffed. "If the old man can't even sense his strongest shinobi going against his back, then who are we to spoil the surprise? We won't even do anything to Konoha. Tsunade will predictably send some shinobi to recruit him back into their forces once they find out what he is now."

"Of course," Aizen finished his cup of tea, "people are so easily manipulated when fed the proper bait."

Back to Naruto

As of right now, everyone watched as the past Naruto attempted to face Kyuubi. Naruto beat his Yami, who said that he will return some day, and the Raikage, his shinobi, and Jiraiya escorted Naruto to a special room that would contain the chakra from the outburst of demonic chakra.

"Huh," Kyuubi snarled, being woken from a good nap. "Oh, it's you, brat." After much scrutinizing, Kyuubi asked, "Where's the real you? I can't sense him anywhere?"

"I don't know what you're on, Kyuubi, but I'm the real thing." Naruto held up his shirt, exposing the seal on his stomach, and his hand, which glowed with some seal array.

The Kyuubi's eyes flashed. "What are you doing?"

"I simply want," he slammed a hand onto his gut, "a tug-of-war." He twisted his hand and removed the seal on the cage. Immediately, the Kyuubi roared, snapping open the gate.

Outside

The Raikage, Yugito, Kirabi, and Jiraiya stood on guard while Kirabi's team and the Ei's guard stood in the sidelines for support, when needed.

Red chakra started bubbling from Naruto and Jiraiya muttered, "Here we go."

Back in the mindscape

Naruto dashed away from the claw of Kyuubi, landed on a wall, and pushed himself towards the open fox. His hand held a tri-pronged kunai and he threw it at the Kyuubi.

"That's not going to work!" With a swat of a tail, the kunai was sent back to Naruto.

Summoning clones, Naruto had half of his troops keep him busy while the remaining half use ropes to tie him up. For a while, it worked. But as Naruto finished up the ties, Kyuubi started changing forms. The foxy form decreased in size to that of a human's.

And before Naruto could see the form fully, an explosion of energy knocked all but the original Naruto. As he felt each clone dispel, he raised his head to look at his opponent. Then, his eyes widened.

Crouched low, the figure was a female with long, flowing red hair. The woman stood up and Naruto saw whisker marks on each cheek and blood red eyes with slit pupils. Her face was set in a passive mask but her lengthened claws indicate something other than stoicism. "A childish trick like that," her elegant voice came out of her mouth, "will not work on someone like me."

"K-Kyuubi," Naruto asked, shocked. "Wh-what's going on?"

"Do you really believe that I cannot reduce myself to a mortal shell? Fool. I changed forms few times before I was used by Uchiha Madara. Annoying as it may be, I can transform into a human whenever I wish. After all, I am but a concentrated body of chakra. If I so wish, I can transform from a woman to a man of any shape and form." As testament of that fact, Kyuubi turned into a redhead man, whose hair is tied into a ponytail, who is dressed in samurai clothing and has an X-marked scar on his cheek (Rurouni Kenshin). Then, he reverted back into a woman.

Without warning, Kyuubi was suddenly behind Naruto, kicking him high into the air. She was above him and slammed a heel onto Naruto's gut, sending him plummeting back onto the sewer floor.

Kyuubi landed. Naruto struggled to stand up. Without another warning, she ran at him again.

Outside

As it is, Naruto has already entered a version 2 state. Of course, naturally, he started to fight. Yugito fought him with her own controlled version 2 state but that wasn't enough to hold Naruto's. Kirabi was only in his version 1 and holding quite well himself. Jiraiya and Ei weren't as hard-pressed as the less strong shinobi.

Jiraiya frowned as he said, "Four tails already. This is going to be more difficult." But as he finished it, bones materialized around Naruto and two more tails erupted from his back. "Oh, come on!"

The version 2 Naruto gained even more speed nearly trumping Kirabi's own senses as he narrowly missed a claw attack that would have decapitated his head. Kirabi rapped, "You may be faster than the eye can see. But you need more than that to catch Kirabi! Whee!" He sent his cloak tails towards Naruto, who simply turned his head back to him. With half the amount of tails he has, Kirabi's own tails blasted away.

"Whoa," Karui exclaimed. "He easily destroyed Bee-sensei's tails!"

Jiraiya soon appeared in front of him and jammed a Rasengan to his chest. It sent Naruto back but didn't do any severe damage to him. However, the version 2 cloak wasn't without vengeance. In order to even the scales, two tails shot out and snapped at Jiraiya.

Naruto recovered quickly but was unprepared for Ei suddenly punching him on the cheek. Ei growled, "I faced the Hachibi and Nibi on their rampages even before you came here. This is nothing!"

Naruto flipped rightly and let loose a sudden Bijuudama, which Ei easily dodged. As Naruto recovered from the punch, he slowly gained size and two more tails.

Jiraiya cursed. "Now it's eight tails. Naruto, hurry up."

Mindscape

The blond screamed out as he once again hit one of the sewer walls. At a distance, Kyuubi brushed back a hair behind her ear, as if she didn't just punch her container powerfully in the gut. "I admit. The first few minutes were amusing but it slowly lost its fun." Naruto struggled to get up. She snarled as she raised a finger at him. "Stay down." A Bijuudama formed on her fingers and was released. Naruto was about to get out of the way when someone embraced him tightly and a male voice said, "You're as wild as ever, Kyuubi." Then the Bijuudama vanished.

"Y-You are-" Naruto said as he looked at the teary face of his mother.

"Naruto," she said as she embraced him tightly, "my son." Suddenly, chains erupted from her back and were wrapped around Kyuubi's form. She looked over her shoulder, past her husband's form, and glared at Kyuubi. "I won't let you harm my son."

Outside

Just as the ninth tail emerged, the seal on Naruto's stomach glowed and seals started growing from it to encase his body. At the same time, chains burst from the seal and stabbed Naruto's limbs.

"What the hell," Jiraiya blurted in confusion. "What's going on?"

"I don't know what's going on," Yugito said as she tiredly looked at the hulking form of the eight-tailed Naruto being held down by the seals, chains, and the massive Hachibi. "But I hope that it's a good thing.

To everyone's surprise, he started shrinking until he reverted back to his human form. At first, everyone was relieved but was quickly stopped upon seeing Naruto's red hair and his sudden bout of growling.

Jiraiya shakily asked, "Naruto?"

Naruto stood up and shocked everyone by revealing his still Kyuubi-fied appearance. "Tch, those two couldn't leave well enough alone." He looked at the people around him. "And now I have to fight humans in this weakened shell."

Everyone's eyes widened. "Kyuubi," Jiraiya exclaimed. "How is this possible? The ninth tail hasn't emerged yet!"

K-Naruto sighed in annoyance. "I was about to kill Naruto but Namikaze Minato's failsafe acted up and brought out a portion of his chakra and his wife's to help him." At the Sage's surprised look, he raised a brow. "Surely, you didn't think that those two wouldn't want to ensure their son's survival against me?" He scoffed. "That doesn't matter." He glared at the large form of the Hachibi. "I still have a bone to pick with you."

"Come on," Hachibi replied, "you still haven't gotten over that old quarrel? That was eons ago!"

Baring his fangs, K-Naruto shouted, "You do not take my prey from me to satisfy your own urges!" He suddenly appeared in front of the octopus' nose and unleashed a kick that fucking sent the whole Bijuu across the room. As he landed, he cracked his knuckles. "That was my Hollow to feed on…not yours."

---

"Hollow," Byakuya asked. "You fought over Hollows?"

Kyuubi shrugged. "Hmph, those fools never learn who are the lords over the shinobi dimension. Vasto Lorde, Adjuchas, Gillian, even those ordinary weak Hollows dared to enter it and attack us Bijuu for our power. They all fell and were eventual meals for us all. Me, I have the most number of kills of the nine. I have their masks as trophies to prove it. I'll show them to you later. Also, one other thing to mention: along with those Hollows, I also came across the souls they have eaten, human and Shinigami alike." The Shinigami narrowed their eyes at her. "Don't worry. I simply sent them back to that reincarnation cycle. The best I took was what miniscule reiatsu they had."

"Why," Ishida asked. "Why would you take their power? Don't you already have tons of power?"

"Dominance, child," she chided, much to his ire. "This is to show Hueco Mundo and each Bijuu that we are not to be trifled with. Now, hush, a critical moment approaches."

They watched as K-Naruto fought against every single one of the people guarding him, without apparent difficult, albeit Jiraiya and Ei were a bit of a challenge. Then, as they were brought back to the mindscape, they watched as Naruto started raving madly about his past to his parents, all the while hitting his father and embracing his mother so hard that he clawed at her back. They allowed him that.

"Alright," he sniffed, "Do it."

Minato raised a brow. "Do what?"

"I raised my voice against my parents, one a Kage and the other his wife. I…I'm ready for my punishment."

Kushina looked as if she's going to cry but Minato stepped forward and ruffled his hair. Naruto looked at him in shock.

With a smile, Minato said, "No. We both deserve your anger, Naruto. If anything, we should be the one expecting that punishment. No matter what you think of us, Naruto, we will still love you."

He hugged his parents tightly, crying so hard that he wet both of their clothes. But they didn't care at all. They cried as well.

Only Mayuri seemed unaffected. Even the stoic Byakuya and the cold Soifon felt their hearts ache at the sign of sadness. Kenpachi looked away, denying that same feeling in his chest. He mustn't look weak. Heck, even Nemu felt an odd sensation in her chest that didn't seem to go away.

The family fought as one in defeating Kyuubi. The defeat gave Naruto the chance to gain a new chakra cloak. The failsafe forms of Minato and Kushina slowly vanished after a few exchange of words. "Ah, so that's how you gained such a cloak," Mito mused, clearly impressed by it. "It's still incomplete but I'm pretty sure that you could improve."

The memory forwarded to a reunion with the still existing Yami Naruto.

---

Naruto growled. "You again," he exclaimed. "Didn't I already beat you?!"

The black eyes of Yami glinted. "As long as there is light, there is darkness. It is only a matter of what makes it tick! Before you sealed her, Kyuubi poured enough power for me to resurface again. Think of it as…a contingency plan. After all, being sealed atrophies the skills." Naruto went to attack but Yami grinned as he simply appeared inside his guard, put a hand to his chest, and pushed him away. "Ah-ah-ah, dear boy, you still haven't heard the challenge."

"What challenge?"

"I have…three people you might know." He gestured his head back, making Naruto look there. The jinchuuriki widened his eyes as he saw the bound forms of Yami Kushina, Yami Mito, and Karura.

"What the hell? How did they even get in here?" Yami Naruto grinned and explained it to him. "Tch, so what's the challenge, bastard?"

Grinning wider, he said, "Defeat me and I will free them. Be defeated and I will kill them."

Naruto's eyes widened, along with the three women, as he said it. "Why would you kill them? They don't have anything to do with this!"

"Does anyone really need a reason to step on an ant? I want to kill them because they have no more use for the vixen and me."

He gritted his teeth. "So I have to kick your ass? That's easy enough."

The red-eyed blond smirked. "That ain't easy, though, Hikaru. You see, Kyuubi prefers me so I know things that you don't. It's kind of sad, really, but that's the sad truth."

"It doesn't matter if she taught you more than me. But I will not let you kill those three."

"Heh, I'd like to see you try."

Naruto dashed towards him with a Rasengan in his hand. Yami simply said, "Danku." A transparent wall appeared in front of him and took the blow of the sphere. Also, since the wall was immobile, the force was reflected back to Naruto. "Nice try. Too bad, it wasn't enough."

"What was that?" Naruto groaned as he stood up.

"That is one of the things that make me superior to you. Do ya want to see another one?" With a grin, he pointed a palm at him. "Raikoho" Yellow lightning burst from his hand and hit Naruto with blazing speed.

"So the fox taught the Yami first about Kido?" Komamura asked.

Yami grinned. "Oh? You already assume that is all she taught me."

"Hmph, it seems you are more than what I give you credit for." The smoke from the impact cleared to show Naruto with his hand outstretched, holding a seal in his hand, a seal with the kanji for 'defense.' "You really outdid yourself this time, Hikaru. But let's see how long that luck can hold out." Two clones materialized beside him. "Let me show you the difference in our power." The main Yami grinned as he took out a highly battered katana with a rusted blade and ruined hilt fabric. The second Yami raised his hand, which held a ring of some sort with a narrow slit through its center. The third Yami put a hand to his head and a malevolent power started surrounding him.

The katana in the main Yami's hand turned to a large blade that resembled a demon's fang with a red fur cross-guard. The second Yami summoned a large, red bow with the slit ring as the focus. The third Yami slowly clawed his way down across his face where a terrifying fox mask, slightly intimidating Naruto with its maddened grin, covered his face and three claws emerged from each hand, coming from between the knuckles.

The main Yami said, "Prepare to die…Hikaru."

---

Shock couldn't even describe what the vast majority felt.

"I know I heard that Kyuubi know about the Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow." Minato muttered. "But to actually physicalize those three races in Yami…is unheard of."

Yami smirked. "I said this before and I'll say it again. Kyuubi favored me over Naruto. It is obvious she would teach me everything I knew."

---

"GAH," Naruto screamed as he was again hit by Quincy Yami's arrows. Before he could even register it, however, Hollow Yami appeared above him and slashed his chest with a dual strike. Blood sprayed from his gashed chest and was slammed to the ground from the pressure.

"Bakudo no Roku-juu-ni: Hyapporankan," said Shinigami Yami as a hundred energy rods appeared above him and pinned him down where he lay. Appearing above him, he grinned as he said, "Kaze no Kizu!" The attack released an energy wave that slammed down on Naruto's prone form. Landing in a triangular formation around Naruto, the three Yamis formed handseals while muttering incantations and slammed their hands on the ground.

They said, "Ninkijutsu no Kyuu-juu: Kurohitsugi no Tetsu no Shojo (Ninja Demon Technique Number 90: Black Coffin of the Iron Maiden)."

Black energies formed a triangle through the three Yami and encased Naruto in what seemed to be a torture device shaped like a woman. Later, energy needles appeared on its surface and dove deeper into it. The device vanished, leaving Naruto with multiple lacerations on his body.

Yami sneered as Hollow Yami and Quincy Yami dispelled in smoke. "You are so weak, Hikaru. Something like that shouldn't even harm an Uzumaki, let alone a jinchuuriki." He whipped out his hand towards Naruto and summoned a yellow rope of energy. He pulled on it and grasped Naruto's neck. "You disgust me. You think that knowing Uzumaki techniques and accessing Kyuubi's chakra will allow you to handle everything the world can throw at you. You are naïve. In fact, you're more than naïve. You're a coward, afraid to face the truth."

"What," Naruto gasped, despite the pain. "What truth?" He slowly healed himself.

"You hide behind a grin and show no one who you really are. In fact, you hid it so well that even you even have yourself fooled."

"What are you talking about?"

"You, Uzumaki Naruto, hate Konoha. You hate the civilians and ninjas who hated you. You hate those fools who laughed at you and said that you can't be a ninja."

"That's not true!"

"Of course it's true. I represent that truth. I told you. I am your innermost secrets, your darkness. I know every nook and cranny in you that you tried to hide and forgot about. Kyuubi also knows that truth. It's impossible to hide things from yourself, Naruto. Just accept it. You will find that it is easier."

"Shut up! Don't jump to accusations! I don't hate Konoha!"

Smirking, Yami replied, "Right…and you don't really love those women that you fell for."

His eyes widened before he suddenly appeared in front of Yami, slamming a fist into his face. Not yet done, Naruto yelled as he charged again, firing a Rasengan at him. Continuing his barrage, he shouted, "How dare you say that I don't love them!"

As he stopped, he heard Yami chuckle. "Good…your hate has made you powerful. But, it is still not enough. You hold yourself back, afraid of what would happen if that hate were to be unleashed." Suddenly, Naruto was sent flying away past the dwelling of the three women and Yami. "Until you can come to terms with that truth, Hikaru, you cannot enter this place and you cannot draw upon Kyuubi's power. Your constant denial of it sickens Kyuubi way more than it did me. As such, I will seal off any access to your subconscious and, in turn, Kyuubi's chakra, whether you took it or not. Now leave and hurry. My patience is not unlimited. I may kill one of them in my boredom."

Then, there was darkness.

---

"Why did you put him through that," Kushina asked. "He already said he doesn't hate Konoha." Feeling uncertain, she turned to Naruto. "You don't…do you?"

He was silent for a while before saying, "Yes…I do." Gasps were heard all over the place. "I simply denied it, like many other people have. It took me a long time to accept it. As long as there is love, there is also the capacity for hate. I simply put aside the hatred I felt for Konoha and put a psychological barrier of desperation in it: the need for acceptance and recognition. I did it out of necessity. Hating them will gain me nothing but more hatred. But I foolishly thought that if I fought for their attention and became Hokage, they would respect me. That soon became my sole focus; that…mask, that cover consumed and blinded me from the truth. The mind, after all, works in mysterious ways."

"How long did it take," Ishida asked, "for you to accept it?"

"Months to a year," was the simple reply. "During that time, it was very difficult for me. I realized then that I relied too much on Kyuubi for aid. That was when I resolved to use my efforts first before using hers."

"What happened during those months?"

He simply turned to the screen where different faces of women popped up. "I…umm…met up with new people." Kushina's brow twitched. "But the history was actually more trouble than I first realized. Take Tsukino-chan, for example." He pointed to the girl with long white hair tied into a ponytail with a golden moon design. Her attire was a light blue kimono under black armor of sorts. She was being embraced by Naruto and Jiraiya was behind them both with a proud smile on his face as he had his hands on their shoulders. The screen started showing his experience with her.

Naruto continued to narrate. "Ero-Sennin brought me in her village, Tsukigakure, to learn more about fuinjutsu. She and I hit off quite well in and out of training. And…well…like the others, we fell in love with each other. Of course, Ero-Sennin and Tsuki-chan's father were more than happy for us since it is a political and romantic thing. With our coming-together also comes the village alliance and improved village relations. Of course, I was still Uzukage-in-training and she was an heiress-in-training. So after some time, Ero-Sennin told us that we had trained enough there and we left. Days later, we found out that the village chief died of an unknown illness and Tsuki-chan took his place. Days after that, we again found out that there's this guy named Shinga who used her to break some seal in Konoha Sealed Hall. He used Tsuki-chan's power to break the seal on it but Ero-Sennin and I stopped him before he could merge with something called Demon Shinki and drain the chakra of everyone in Konoha. Tsuki-chan was freed and the only thing that Konoha knew is that someone attacked the guards in the Sealed Hall and attempted to get something but was stopped by another person. The seal on the Hall was returned by Ero-Sennin but I secretly made a small addition to it before he could notice. I made it so that anyone who is authorized would be paralyzed by a powerful jolt."

Naruto pointed to the next girl. Her hair was a bright red and long enough to reach the shoulder blades and she had warm, amber eyes. On her head was a pink cloth that fell to the sides of her head. Her attire was a light lavender long-sleeved top under a light pink top and a dark red skirt. "She is Tatsushiro Akari, the last of the two surviving members of the Ryu clan. She and his brother, Kuroma, were outcasts because they, like any other Ryu member, had dragon-like features, like the horns on their head. When we met by some coincidence, Kuroma immediately attacked us, despite what his sister said. He was tough; I'll give him that, since he was the first guy I knew that could use the five elements. It was hard but we won against him. He was quite stubborn since he still stood back up after the fight but Akari-chan stopped him, saying that she could feel no ill intent from us. I wasn't sure how she could sense that but we were grateful since we were just passing by. We took him to some shelter in a cave and left pretty much after he was healed. What surprised me was that they started to follow us."

"Why is that?" Minato asked.

"According to Kuroma, he was curious about us. When Ero-Sennin revealed that he knew who they were during our fight, they were tense, as if expecting something. They looked shocked, though, when he just walked away, telling me to come along. That was what sparked his curiosity. So, I explained to them who I was and pretty much lots of shit went down. He asked me lots of questions, she gave a few of her own, and he and I pretty much became buddies and she kept looking at me so intently, I could have sworn I heard her voice softly say, 'jiiiiiiiii.'" Everyone deadpanned at him. "Hey, it's just me giving some personal experience here. At least, don't look at me like that. Anyway, Jiraiya bid us farewell since he has already taught me everything he could but he would be coming around some time later to say hi or something. He returned to Konoha and I brought the Tatsushiro sibling to Uzushio. I don't know why they did it but they gave me the Ryuujin as some sort of thanks for allowing them to stay in Uzushio. I mean, why would they give away their clan heirloom? The moment I touched it, I knew why. It glowed so bright that it matched sunlight. I felt some tingling in my head before it stopped. Akari-chan and Kuroma were so shocked that they were silent. They gave me a form of respect and explained that I was the next chosen Avatar. The giving of the Ryuujin was a test, Kuroma said, to see if what he felt was correct. One indicator to knowing if one is the chosen Avatar is if a nearby Ryu clan member feels some sort of connection to him or her.

"That's when I started my Avatar training. It was long and hard. I first had to learn the three Sage Modes of Myobokuzan, Ryuchido, and Shikkotsurin to accommodate the large power of the Avatar. So Ero-Sennin and I met up again. He joined me as I went to Myobokuzan and learned Sage Mode. Ha! The looks on the faces of Fukasaku-san and Shima-san and that Ogama geezer were so priceless when they saw the Ryuujin. They had me train with them until I was done. They told me, only me, where the Shikkotsurin was and added that, this time, Ero-Sennin can't come. Well, it's sad but I wanted to see if this Avatar schtick really is the real thing. In that forest were lots of slugs of different shapes and sizes." Naruto shuddered. "I once fell into a swamp and got an elbow leech on me. It was disgusting. But I continued anyway. I finally got to the main place where the biggest slug I had ever seen was there. The giant slug was the head honcho of the slugs, much like Ogama Sennin was. I told her about what I was doing and showed her the Ryuujin. She kept her surprise to herself and trained me. She was just as ruthless as the toads were. Then, she told me about Ryuchido. I went there, met up with the Hakuja Sennin and trained again." He sighed. "That was some training. After that, the snake told me that I had to go to each of the five nations and face the respective Genryu in them. I first started with Kaze no Kuni, found, fought, and learned under the Fuuryuu, and returned to Suna to rest…when…" His face darkened as he slowly turned his back on them, confusing the group.

Yami frowned at him before turning to the others. "So he still hasn't gotten over it yet. Kaze no Kuni is where he got his actual first kill and where he experienced the full extent of hatred. That was what broke the barrier he made to contain and deny his hatred."

That shocked them all. "What are you talking about?" Minato asked. "What happened during that time?"

"That is not for me to decide. It's up to Hikaru if he wants to show you."

"Naruto…" Kushina started. "You can tell us. Don't worry. We won't judge you."

"Say that," Naruto's voice is void of emotion and made her flinch, "when you see what I have done."

---

Naruto's eyes were wide as he stared at Gaara. "What?"

Gaara's eyes, on the other hand, were hardened and malicious with rage as he stared out the desert. "You heard me, Naruto. Temari has been kidnapped. You were still training with the Fuuryuu when it happened. She was outside of Suna with a few Suna jonin to take over the previous patrol group when they were attacked by one of Suna's greatest threats: the Sand People. They claimed to be the first inhabitants of Kaze no Kuni before Sunagakure was established, following Konohagakure's example of a village. They hate that there is another group making a foothold in the desert so they declared war on Suna. They are ninjas that can match up to Suna's jonins. Konoha once sent a team to deal with them but they all died. These Sand people are ruthless. They only care for themselves. They take no prisoners, be they shinobi or kunoichi, except only on rare occasions…and they torture them as a show of skill in acquiring such a prize. The prisoners die under such methods. I shudder to think what they are doing to Temari. They took Temari only and killed the rest. I know that they plan to use her as a bargaining chip for us to vacate Kaze no Kuni. I will have none of that. I have a request, Naruto, not just as Kazekage, but as your friend and her brother. Please, save Temari. I know of your reputation as a stealthy ninja, even with an orange jumpsuit, worthy of the title 'shinobi.' I cannot leave, in case those bastards decide to come back again. I beg of you, rescue my sister."

Naruto gripped his fists. "That is a promise of a lifetime, Gaara. I will go after those people and get Temari back."

The redhead stood up. "I know I can count on you, Naruto. As per my suggestion, Temari has some of my sand on her at all times. I can sense that she is less than a day's travel southwest from here."

The blond nodded and went away.

Main Camp - Nighttime

Naruto sneakily watched from a high canyon as another group of Sand People entered the camp from another direction carrying some spoils of combat. Narrowing his eyes, he jumped down from the vantage point and dashed towards where he could sense a faint chakra source. Arriving at a tent, he slowly took out a kunai and cut it open. Inside, he saw a bound, battered, bruised, and bleeding Temari by the far side. She was unconscious but she is still breathing…it was erratic. Her body is littered with big wounds. Blood continually dripped from her mouth.

He untied the bindings and put her head on his lap. "Temari…Temari, wake up," he whispered.

Her eyes slowly opened and she gave a small grin. "Well…isn't this…a sight for sore eyes?"

"Save your strength." He took out a small seal and applied onto her. "You'll be fine. I'll get you out of here."

"Heh, I'll hold you to that, Uzumaki. Ya wanna know something? Looking up at you like this…makes me think that you got your old man's charms." She coughed softly. "That paper of yours…either ain't working…or it's too slow…. Either way…I'm not going to last…"

His eyes widened, Naruto said, "No! You're going to make it! Just save your strength."

She didn't listen and simply said, "Hey…can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"I'm glad…I…got to see you…before…" Her eyes lost its life and her head drooped.

Naruto remained crouching…unable to believe it. She was in his grasp and she was gone. And Gaara…oh, he promised Gaara. Water started flowing from his eyes as he embraced Temari's body tighter. Then, something in him snapped. He slowly looked up, his cheeks wet with tears and his eyes glowing with power. Behind him, the Ryuujin started humming with power and was summoned to his hand. The wind orb appeared in the slot and the long nodachi blade was formed. He slowly got out through the opening of the tent, where two Sand People were. He quickly dispatched them, cutting off their heads in fast slices. The others rushed to him, intent on killing him. Naruto simply turned to them and charged, giving a roar that is more than his own.

Sunagakure – Morning

Naruto returned to the village with Temari's deceased form in his hands. Gaara and Kankuro met up with him with widened eyes. Naruto, in the meantime, slowly walked past them into the village.

He carried and dropped her off at the Suna hospital and went to the Kage office. Gaara was there with a despaired look on his face. Naruto dropped to his knees and said, "I…I'm sorry, Gaara. I…failed."

Gaara didn't reply. Instead, he slowly said, "It's alright, Naruto…I don't blame you-"

"You should." His voice cut him off. "I was too late. I should have gotten there quicker! I…I'm a failure, Gaara!" The redhead's eyes widened. "I promised you I'd bring her back alive but I didn't! I failed a promise! What's the use of this power if I can't even use it to protect someone!? Why couldn't I save her?! I know I could have!"

"Sometimes, there are things no one can fix. I'm sure that Temari doesn't blame you. I don't either." Choosing his words carefully, he followed, "You aren't all-powerful."

He was silenced when Naruto snarled, "Well, I should be! Someday, I will be! I will be the most powerful ninja ever! I promise you. I'll even learn how to stop people from dying!"

"Naruto…"

He stood up. "It's all Konoha's fault! They're jealous! They were holding me back!" He punched a wall, creating cracks.

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

His breath shuddered as he stared at his hands in disbelieving horror. "I…I killed them…I killed them all. They're dead…every single one of them," he turned to Gaara, "and not just the men…but the women…and the children, too! They're like animals! And I slaughtered them like animals! I hate them!"

He turned to the nearby chair and flopped down, his head in his hands. Gaara went to him and put a hand to his shoulder. "To be angry is to be human."

"I'm a ninja. I know I'm better than this."

In Suna's Hospital

"She has long since lost life, Kazekage-sama," the doctor said. "I'm sorry. We did all we can." He left, leaving Naruto, Gaara, Kankuro, and Baki in the hospital room.

Temari was left on the bed, looking as if she were only sleeping. As her siblings and sensei went to her, Naruto finally heard the voice of the Kyuubi within him.

"Hehe, now do you realize the extent and power of your hatred, the hatred that you kept storing inside you for years? Now do you realize what happens if all that hatred is released in an instant?"

Kyuubi, you better have a good reason to be coming out of your damn cage.

"But, of course. I was watching that skirmish with those Sand People. I must say that was glorious! You were unbelievable! The way you tore down those people with such ease, it makes me proud to have you as a jinchuuriki. I was even prouder by what you told Gaara. 'It's all Konoha's fault.' Heh, so that's what it took to get that hatred out of you."

What do you want?

"Since you already broke through the barrier that separates you from your hatred against Konoha, I deem you ready to save those three women with Yami."

I don't care whether I'm ready or not. I will come in there and save them, even if you have to butt in and join Yami.

"Oh, you're quite feisty. What's wrong? Have you had a change of heart?"

You have three seconds.

Kyuubi seemed to smirk at him. "Do you want to know how to return that girl to life?"

He froze. Frowning, he demanded to Kyuubi, "Keep talking."

"That's one hell of an order from someone so insignificant compared to myself. But, I shall amuse myself with this. Her soul hasn't yet left this place. As such, it is so easy to just grab that soul and force it back onto the body."

"That's too simple for something so complicated. There's got to be a catch."

"Of course, many people in the past have tried to do the same but the result was not what they expected. The art of resurrection is dangerous to everyone who hasn't studied every aspect of it. That's why resurrection jutsus are labelled kinjutsus. There are many drawbacks to a failed resurrection. The body holds the physical attribute of chakra and, like the decay of the body after death, that attribute quickly vanishes since there is nothing to hold it in. The physical and spiritual energies of chakra are held in place by the person's life force. When someone dies, there is nothing to hold it in place so both energies separate. With resurrection, the user forcefully returns a soul to its body, attaches the spiritual energy to whatever physical energy is left, and sacrifices one life for another. That is the basic root of resurrection jutsus."

"Physical energy is left. Wait. So that would mean that there is an imbalance between the physical and spiritual energies of chakra? What would happen then?"

"The chakra coils would be unstable and would make it either difficult or impossible for the resurrected to mold or use chakra. Plus, it would still need some jumpstart for life to return and hold the imbalanced chakra in place. That's why it is a kinjutsu. It uses up the life and chakra of one to restore those of another. It's such a bitch. It uses a shitload of chakra to return the soul to the body and merge the two energies together and it takes your life to return the other guy's life so that the energies stay in place."

"So you're telling me to use whatever mumbo jumbo you have so that I can bring Temari back to life and kill me in the process?"

"Hmmm…it seems that you lost some brain cells since we last met. No, you idiot. Have you forgotten? If you die, I die. And I don't like dying, even though I will reform years later, thank you very much. I'm telling you that I will let you use a portion of my chakra to do all that resurrection shit without killing you."

"What's your condition?"

"Do not insult me by saying that I do not know you. I have been with you since birth. I know everything about you. That's why I know that you hate Konoha deep inside you. But this hatred of yours is different from the villagers' towards you. You know that violence towards that thing you hate gives you nothing. Instead you subconsciously use the subtler methods of revenge against them, economics and their lack of jinchuuriki."

He sighed. "It would be hard for me to easily accept it. But I'll try. I'll try to accept that hatred."

"That is a start. Now, follow these instructions to bring back that blonde to life."

Naruto said, "Guys…can I ask you to step away for a while?"

The three complied, thinking that he is going to pay his respects.

Instead, Naruto's eyes turned red with slit pupils as he looked up. Putting his hand above her body, he muttered an incantation before it glowed red. The wounds were healed, her body was cleansed of blood, and suddenly, her eyes snapped open and her body jerked with a gasp. She flailed around for a brief moment before she settled down. She grasped the object closest to her, which was Naruto, and gripped him tightly. "Wh-what happened? Where am I? What's going on?"

Gaara, Kankuro, and Baki couldn't believe their eyes. The Godaime Kazekage asked, "Naruto, what did you do?"

Naruto gave a proud smile and was panting quite tiredly. "I brought her back to life. Kyuubi taught me how."

"I thought the fox refused to even talk to you."

"It did. But that fight with the Sand people changed her mind."

"Naruto, in the end, you really did keep your promise. You brought her back."

"Yeah…I know."

---

"Bringing people back from the dead is forbidden by Soul Society law." Soifon frowned. "Why would you break that law?"

Yami answered, "We are of the Elemental Nations, where such techniques are commonplace, so you can't pull out that Soul Society rulebook against us. Besides, what are you going to do about it? If we are to be condemned, then condemn Orochimaru even more."

She snarled at him but kept quiet.

Naruto sighed. "Anyway, I continued training with the other four Genryu, in secret, of course, before I was led to Koryuzan, the place where I was to be trained to be the full Avatar. When I got there, I was surprised to see Akari there. As it turns out, she was to be the temporary vessel of the combined form of the Genryu, the Keiryuu. That damn thing was tough. I had to break out every single thing I have to fight it. I kicked its butt and Akari was released. I checked to see if she was fine. She came to and…well…that small crush she gained on me when we met grew leaps and bounds. According to her, the light that emanated from the sun through a crack on the mountain surface hit my face at the perfect angle to…ahem…give it a 'handsome' glow." He looked sheepish at his mother's twitching brow. "As for the Keiryuu, it recreated the five Genryuu and the six of them went into me."

"Wait," Ishida asked, "so those six dragons are in here with us?"

"That's right." A voice said behind them. They all turned to see six beings, all of whom resembled Naruto.

The first was a redhead Naruto with bright blue eyes. The second was a Naruto with dark green hair with sharp yellow eyes. The third was brunet Naruto with matching brown eyes. The fourth was a black-haired Naruto with unusual gold strands in them and black eyes. The fifth was a bluenette Naruko with glowing green eyes. The sixth was a white-haired Naruko and she had the most unique and exotic pink eyes.

"Uh…hi," Obito awkwardly said. "You must be the Genryu."

Redhead Naruto grinned. "Really, what gave you that idea, shorty?"

Obito's brow twitched. "Don't kill him. Don't kill him. Don't kill him." He kept repeating to himself.

They started sounding off. "Anyway, how's it hangin'? I'm the Hiryuu." The redhead Naruto went first.

He was followed by the dark-green Naruto with some unusual grace of nobility. "I am Fuuryuu."

The brunet Naruto stepped forward. He gave a pleasant smile at them. Oddly enough, that smile reminded them of pre-betrayal Aizen's. "I'm Doryuu, pleased to make your acquaintance."

The Naruto with unusual hair gave a superior smirk and looked down on them. "The name's Rairyuu. Don't wear it off."

Bluenette Naruko bowed. "I'm Suiryuu."

The albino-ish Naruko gave a damn curtsey at them and said, "Hello, I am the Keiryuu."

"Wait," Renji started, "if two of them are women…then…"

Suiryuu and Keiryuu gave a smile. "Yes. We too are Naruto's lovers."

Slapping his head, he muttered, "Of course. Why did I even doubt it?"

"Anyway," Naruto interrupted, "moving on to the next topic. Sometime after that, I returned to where Yami is and found out that he has been hitting those three since I was thrown out. His reason was that 'he was bored.' We fought. He nearly beat my ass but I quickly turned around and kicked his. When he was about to surrender, he fucking bullshitted me by saying this."

"You know, since they were raised by Kyuubi and were fed her chakra, they are kind of like pseudo-jinchuuriki. And since they were directly given the chakra, they gained some traits from her kind as well. One such trait is the compulsivity to submit to a stronger person. The other trait is the innate ability to form life-debts." Naruto's eyes widened. "Good. You see where I'm going with this. Their lives really are in danger and I lost to you, the stronger of us two. So, do the math and figure out what would happen."

"Oh, shit." He quickly turned from Yami's pranking grin face to the three free women, kneeling in front of him and saying, 'Goshujin-sama.'

"He was a bastard."

"I love you too."

Mito asked, "Why didn't you just make them return to us? Aren't they our Yamis, a part of our being?"

"If they were returned to you, their experiences would also transfer to you. And since they have feelings for Hikaru, when they return to you, you too would feel some sort of infatuation with him. Guess what would happen. Yup, you would be conflicted over what to do. Hikaru, in his great nobility, felt that he couldn't do that to two happily married couples, so he let them stay."

"You know what," Obito exclaimed, "whatever! Even Kushina-sama's and Mito-sama's Yami's are falling for him! What about you, Karura-san?"

The brunette simply gave a mysterious smile. "Who knows?"

Naruto sighed. "Since then, Kyuubi started teaching me about the Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy arts, all of which I used in different conquests. The next two girls I had the pleasure of meeting and being in a relationship with are Shion-chan and Miroku-chan. Kyuubi told me to go to Oni no Kuni so I went. I got there and rested up a bit. Then I heard that the Miroku-chan went to seal Moryo and Shion-chan followed after her in secret. I went to them and saved Miroku-chan just before she was absorbed. I also got Shion-chan out of the target area before I dealt with Moryo. After that, I stayed in Oni no Kuni for a while. You know, we had moments and all that. Then one day, I took those two out for a little bite to eat and we had a sudden fling with alcohol. We found ourselves the next day in the Priestess' Bedroom, with our clothes scattered along the floor."

"Ewww," Obito exclaimed, "we don't need to know that, bro!" Rin finally slapped a hand to his mouth.

"Thank you. We had a few exchange of words and they also joined my…circle of lovers. Next, there's Ryuzetsu." He pointed to the white-haired girl, whose hair covered the right portion of her face, with an unusual eye pattern, rings around the pupil but not extending out past the iris, not unlike Yuuhi Kurenai's. "She was a Kusagakure ANBU who was tasked to infiltrate the great prison, Hozukijo, and stop its taskmaster, Mui, from opening the box known as the Gokuraku no Hako."

Gasps were heard from the older Shinigami and Royal Guards.

"I see you know about it."

"What's the Box of Ultimate Bliss?" Orihime asked. "And why does everyone look so shocked?"

Ichigo answered, "That box was told to have the power to grant wishes to anyone who opens it."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"No. But it doesn't have that kind of power. Instead, it simply unleashes the one known as Satori. It brings forth, actuates, and ends with Satori, enlightenment. It is a terrifying monster that can sense killing intent and fear. Naruto showed it to me. It was the most frightening shit I'd ever seen."

"Stories say," Shunsui said, "that Yama-jii personally entered the ninja dimension just to deal with Satori. Then, he used the Kikanshinki on every ninja involved before attempting to destroy the box. Sadly, the box was so damn formidable that even he cannot destroy it so he just used the most powerful Bakudo he has and sealed it."

Naruto continued, "Its purpose is to force other people nearby into that box. They would then be introduced to absolute grief and despair. People's minds shatter within it and would be an empty vessel for Satori. Everyone who gets in would eventually be Satori's possible host. I too was told by Kyuubi to stop it since she said that Satori was a bitch back then and is still today and would not hesitate to kill even a jinchuuriki. If left to roam free, much like some of the great demons of the Elemental Nations, it would inflict chaos onto the world. Moryo had his Ghost Army and planned to create a Thousand-Year Kingdom. And here's Satori, with the intent on causing infinite chaos singlehandedly. Ryuzetsu and I grew quite close in the prison while waiting for Mui to take action. But we failed when Mui successfully opened it. We were surprised, then, when he said that he wanted to see his son, Muku, the guy that Ryuzetsu saw as a brother, again. I was happy to see those four cronies behind him were also shocked as well. Sadly, Muku was the host for Satori and tried to kill Mui. I stopped him and some great battle happened. At some point, Ryuzetsu was severely wounded and I had to fight while protecting her. In the end, Mui sacrificed himself to defeat Muku, I healed Ryuzetu's wound using Kyuubi's chakra, and the box was reported to be thrown into the sea. But Kyuubi insisted that I seal it within Uzu so that it cannot be seen again. As for Mui's soul, well, she had me visit his soul."

"Mui-san, I am the Kyuubi no Yoko," she said in Naruto's body, "and I have a proposition for you."

"What is it, Kyuubi-san?"

Smirking, she asked, "How would you like to be one of the wardens of Hell?"

Mui wasn't the only guy who was shocked.

"That's unheard of." Unohana softly said. "Since when did you gain dominance over Hell?"

Kyuubi smirked and replied, "Since when were you under the assumption that I was not? Have you never asked yourself why Hell is forbidden to Shinigami? There are two divisions of Hell. The first is the Hell for the sinners. The second is for the demons and devils: the Inferno. In Inferno, there are no such things as wardens. The demons in there follow their laws and traditions and customs so closely that they are not needed. And in fights, it's a free-for-all, unless decided against by a higher demon. Hell, on the other hand, is where wardens are useful. They keep the Togabito in line and command the Kushanada in my absence. I have a few working there already. The presence of the foolish but honorable Mui would increase its effectiveness."

"Why would you ask something like that? I am not worthy to be called upon by a Bijuu."

"Your actions today disproved that. You went against your village to see your son? That took balls of steel, just the kind Hell needs as its warden."

"I…I don't know."

Kyuubi frowned and took out a small bundle of literal energy. "This is all that I could save from Satori, since anymore would cause a small percent of its chakra to enter him. This is all I could save of your son." It was an infant Muku, sleeping soundly in the blanket.

Mui was speechless as he took Muku into his arms. "You did your best, Kyuubi-san. Thank you. But how does this persuade me to be a Hell warden?"

"With Muku's crimes as Satori's host, he would eventually be taken to Hell to be a sinner, whereas, if you were to be a Hell warden and take him under your wing as an apprentice, you would save him from such a fate and the other wardens wouldn't fault you for it. After all, every warden has had an apprentice."

He chuckled. "You're quite cunning, Kyuubi-san. I will agree, then. I will be one of Hell's wardens."

"Good. When you get there, quickly call for a Hell warden and tell him or her that Kyuubi deems you worthy to be a Hell warden and that person in your arms as your apprentice. They'll know what to do."

"I see. Thank you, Kyuubi-san." She put a hand to his head and the two vanished.

"Oh, yeah," Naruto asked, "how are they, Kyuu-chan?"

"Meh, they're like any other warden."

Deadpanning, the blond continued, "Next, there's Isaribi." She was a girl with purple hair, dark, pupil-less eyes, and bandages all over her body. "She was once an experiment of Orochimaru in Umi no Kuni and was given the pseudo ability to transform into an underwater creature which the inhabitants in Umi call Kaima. I went there with Kuroma and, as per my request, Lili-chan and Temari joined with me to investigate this. When we got there, I saw Isaribi-chan being picked on by the people so we stopped them before they could hurt her. She was distrusting of us throughout our visit, but I tried to have some kind of conversation with her, and we simply let her be. Of course, we kept a close eye on her and saw that she was the Kaima. We didn't want to shock her into knowing that we know so we waited some more and followed her onto the other island, where we saw her talking to one of Orochimaru's scientists, Amachi. He fooled her into believing that he has the cure to remove her status as a Kaima and manipulated her into terrorizing the citizens of Umi no Kuni. That's when we struck. I had clones secretly check the other areas to see if there are any leads. I found out that ever since he contacted her, he hasn't been searching for a cure and that he plans to dissect her when she is no longer useful."

"Hmph, quite cunning, if I do say so myself," Mayuri said with grin.

"You would know, wouldn't you, clown?" Ishida snarled at him but was ignored.

"Anyway, I made a plan. I had Kuroma follow and paralyze her so that she could be brought back to us without incident. Then, while she and Kuroma were hiding, Lili-chan, Temari, and I would confront the guy. Heh, I easily made the bastard sing his tunes. I didn't even have to try. Seriously, making Iruka-sensei take me out to ramen was way harder than that. Isaribi was shocked and Amachi fought us. The bastard released some monster that he had been creating, something called an Umibozu. We easily took care of it. Lili-chan used her specialty Katon jutsus and Temari and I strengthened it. That thing was evaporated in seconds. Then, Amachi pulled out his own Kaima form and almost kicked our asses if I hadn't used Suiryuu's ability to give me the upper edge. Finally, we kicked his ass and I told Isaribi that people like her and I were given our abilities for a reason and that we should master it and use it to further our own goals. She followed us back to Uzushio, where I used one my personal seals, effect seals infused with different aspects of Kyuubi's chakra, to make the Kaima transformation a little more manageable. Or, in short, it removed the constant scales on her body and allowed her to access its power, much like a jinchuuriki would."

"During that time," Mito asked, "are those seals prototypes?"

"They aren't exactly prototypes, per se. The right term would be that they are not in their concentrated and refined form. In the seal I used for Isaribi, when I first created it, it still had some corrosive effects in the sense that it caused intense burning to the target for a while. After some experimentation, I managed to remove those effects to a great extent and put in the seal the beneficial and healing effects. But back then, its purpose was many. It was meant to heal the body and restore the body's vitality and chakra."

"So there are side-effects?"

"Well, yeah, there was. But at the very least, it wasn't harmful." He looked sheepish. "In the seal for Isaribi, the side-effect was…let's just say that it was a lesser version of Yamina, Miyo, and Karura."

"Wait…so that means…"

"Yup, she has some attraction to the stronger male, hence, me. But having been used to it, I accepted her."

"Naruto," Kushina asked with a sweet smile, "are those pictures of girls that you are…lovers with?"

"Well…yes," he weakly replied. "Ah, well, there are still quite a few more. I met up with some of them before Suna and Kumo, during the time I sent clones to different areas of the world. And some of them, I met up sometime after Isaribi's arrival. There are the Fuma girls, Sasame, Kagero, and Kotohime. The Fuma clan were deceived by Orochimaru and sent some members to his base; none came back. One of the clones stumbled upon Oto no Kuni and accidentally met up with her. We made some skirmishes and met up with Kagero and her band of misfits. The two guys were killed and Kagero escaped to a base. We chased after her and she almost killed herself with a suicide technique Chakra Threads if Sasame hadn't stopped her. She became unconscious and I had to carry her all the time. We searched through the base and found some pretty good scoops. I discovered the very roots of Orochimaru's juinjutsu. He studied cursed seals when he discovered Juugo, the last of his clan that were so attuned to nature that it contorted their forms. At least, that is what Orochimaru initially believed. Before the research ended, I read that Orochimaru now believes that Juugo held something more than natural energies. While it didn't really give me any more information, it was still enough for me to reverse engineer the juinjutsu. Sasame and I searched for more and found another brainwashed Fuma clan member, Kotohime. We defeated and knocked her out and I had to create another clone to carry her. We searched for more and found the truth of Kimimaro and Tayuya and the Fuma clan.

"The Kaguya clan was wiped out by Kirigakure but what the stories never said was that the attack was staged by Orochimaru. He was interested in Kimimaro's kekkei genkai and used a subtle genjutsu on his father to cage him in outside of battle. That was when he tricked the remaining Kaguya clan members into attacking Kirigakure as a show of dominance and took the spoils for himself, Kimimaro, whom he put his juinjutsu on in tandem with one of his powerful genjutsus for loyalty.

"As for Tayuya, she was an unprecedented retrieval. He was passing through the border of old Oto no Kuni, Ta no Kuni, when he was ambushed by a small raid of ninjas. He killed them all and was about to leave when he caught sight of a younger Tayuya, who followed her mother and father. He took her and wiped her memories of it. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Eventually, we found Sasame's cousin, Arashi, but he was already worked on by Orochimaru."

The screen showed some horrid form of a guy with two people sprouting from his back. Naruto continued, "I managed to snap him back to his senses but refused to leave when the place crumbled down, saying that he is dead either way. Sasame and I, with Kagero and Kotohime in two, escaped. The two woke up and threw a damn tantrum. I stopped them, explaining to them that the clan was nothing more than tools for Orochimaru and that he had no plans to help them prosper. They were not convinced so I showed them the journals and research I found. They were shocked, I'll tell you that. They didn't know what to do so I offered them a place in Uzushio. Having learned their mistake from Orochimaru, they were suspicious of my motives, Sasame included. So I simply said that I was building a place for those who want peace. I gave them proof, telling them of some people who I offered a place in Uzushio. Even though it was hard, I managed to convince them and they are living in Uzushio with the rest of the Fuma clan."

"That doesn't really explain how they became your lovers."

"Sasame grew infatuated with me during our skirmish in the base. Kagero and Kotohime were still suspicious of me so I asked them to join the other me in the mission to investigate Kyuubi's tale to me about some advanced technological stuff. While going there, we met up with the duo, Shinno and Amaru."

"Shinno," Sarutobi asked. "I know him. He was one of the fiercest shinobi of Sora no Kuni before it fell. I fought him once and he was enough to be considered a jonin, despite being in teenage years. I thought the whole clan and land died after the war. You were investigating Sora no Kuni, Naruto?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Shinno asked us to escort them to Amaru's village, which was attacked. During that time, Amaru dropped a precious item from Shinno in a stream and swam to get it. I chased after her and when we got back up to our boats, I found out something weird. Amaru, who I first thought was guy, was a girl."

"No surprises here," Renji muttered.

"Near Amaru's village, we saw that it was burning. She rushed over there and Shinno came after. When we got there, Shinno was dead and Amaru was crying for him. While we let her mourn for him, we split up to widen our search. I got to some ruins and saw Amaru there. She was different. Her aura was different and it was shown when she was covered by some leech body with a mask." The screen showed a large, dark-bodied leech with a Noh mask, which had the kanji for Zero on it and five red hair-like strands protruding from it.

"Is it a Hollow?" Mayuri asked, intrigued by the creature.

"No. It is something like a Hollow but is different. It calls itself as the Reibi but it isn't a Bijuu. It is simply a creatural manifestation of a Yami. It feeds on and is strengthened by negative emotions to create something called dark chakra. When I fought it, I needed the help of Kyuubi to defeat it. Eventually, I used a seal much like the one Ero-Sennin uses on me on it and it dissipated. I helped Amaru get to a downed fortress and both of us were shocked when we saw Shinno in the main throne room. The bastard revealed to us his plan. He planned to use the Reibi to power the fortress, which was called Ancor Vantian, and use it to destroy the five great villages. Amaru tried to reason with him, saying that he was not the Shinno she knew and once loved. He replied…" Growing silent, he simply let the screen play it.

"I am not the Shinno-sensei you knew? Sadly, that is just a delusion, Amaru-kun. The Shinno you knew…never existed to begin with."

"Those words," Gin muttered with a frown. "They're too similar to Aizen's."

"Back then, I didn't care about those words. But now that I know that Aizen said those same words in Sokyoku, it makes me wonder if Aizen and Shinno are related to some extent."

---

In a vast desert, a group of people were wandering in a large forest with tall trees. Their faces were covered by masks; all but one. He was a large, white-haired man with muscles everywhere. His eyes were amber and held dark rings around them and had troughs going down the eyes to the sides of the nose. He led the group deeper into the forest.

"What's going on?" One ninja asked.

"Why are we here, Shinno-sama?"

Shinno simply replied, "You'll see. This is where Sora no Kuni will be reborn as a more powerful nation than ever." That was enough to motivate the ninjas. Arriving at some sort of rocky formation, Shinno had the ninjas stand in the rock stage in the center. He told them to wait as he disappeared into one of the rock pillars that surround the stage.

A few minutes passed and the ninjas were growing restless. Suddenly, all of them lurched and screamed. Within seconds, a white substance burst from the orifices in their heads and surrounded their heads like masks. Their bodies soon followed and the ritual grounds were filled with physically deformed humans with white masks on their faces. Once they were unconscious, Shinno returned but with a more youthful and different appearance.

The rings and troughs on his eyes are gone, his hair is now brown, short, and scholarly, and his eye color turned to deadly brown. He changed his attire from his doctor's attire to an all-white robe and haori. One other thing that is different about him is that he has a katana on his hip and an orb in his right hand. Humming, he said, "So Hollowfication also works in humans. This is something I can work to my advantage." Smirking, he snapped his fingers and two girls stepped out behind him.

The first was a black-haired girl in pigtails and had a pink right eye and a piece of bone covering her left. The second was a spiky-haired blonde with a green left eye and a bone-covered right eye.

Both kneeled down. "What is your command, Aizen-sama?"

Aizen, who shed his Shinno disguise, simply said, "Give them to Szayelapporo and tell him to begin procedure number 8. He'll know what to do."

Despite not wanting to be anywhere near Szayelapporo, this was an order from their supreme lord so they complied, taking the bodies of the downed ninja-hollow hybrids by putting them inside a cube of energy. Aizen chuckled. "It was all too easy to fool Sora no Kuni through technology that they believed would grant them victory. The weapon in hand is nothing if the wielder knows nothing about it." Then, he smiled. "Uzumaki Naruto, you are one of the greatest subjects I have ever laid eyes on." Then, without warning, he shattered into pieces.

---

"…I managed to stop Sora no Kuni, save Kagero, Kotohime, and the other villagers, and defeat Shinno. Kyuubi made me take the technology and use it to strengthen Uzushio. Also, I brought the other villagers and Amaru to Uzushio as well."

"So it was through that that those three women grew to love you?" Minato asked.

"Yes. When I saved them, I was seen by them as a knight in shining armor and the rest is history. Do you guys still want to hear more?"

"While it is troublesome to listen to how you managed to gain the affection of all these women," Byakuya said, "the stories behind them are worth the sitting down." The rest of them agreed.

"Well, I still have a few more so bear with me until I finally show you guys how I came to Karakura Town." He was about to start again when he said, "Oh, yeah, I forgot. As a host, I must be hospitable." With a thought, tables with food were presented. "I'm pretty sure that even your bodies outside are hungry as well. Dig in." And so they did.

"Weird," Obito said. "This table has everything we want."

"Of course," Suiryuu replied, "Naruto-kun has read up on all your files, after all."

Chairs also appeared and everyone sat down as Naruto continued his tale, "During my training with Ero-Sennin, we visited a small village for some rest. It was called the Tree Felling Village. When we got there, there was a crowd of sorts in a large cave and a blue-haired girl was there. She was sent into the cave and I heard whispers of sacrifice and appease and demon. I grew curious and asked around. Basic background is that there once was a large tree in the village blocking the mouth of the cave, which held expensive crystals. The villagers chopped it down and started to harvest the crystals inside but they unknowingly broke the seal that held the one known as-"

"Kageboshi," Hashirama suddenly said, surprising Naruto. "I know that demon. I was the one who sealed him in that Crystal Cave. Sometime after giving the other villages the other eight Bijuu, Konoha gained word that a wolf demon has appeared and is terrorizing a nearby town. I went to deal with it and managed to force him back into a cave before I used a combination of Mokuton, my chakra, and basic fuinjutsu fundamentals from Mito to seal him in there. I never thought that someone would actually chop the tree down."

"Anyway, I went into the cave and tried to stop the girl, named Aoi. When I got to her, she told me that sacrificing herself wasn't her plan. She picked up a nearby stick, decided it wasn't the one she needed and continued on. As I followed her, Kageboshi stopped me and sealed the passageway. I hurried my way out, getting the nearby stick for information, and met up with Ero-Sennin, who told me to search for the girl's mother, Tsubaki. I discovered her home to be in the Forest of Delusion and got to her. She was hit by an incurable sickness and wouldn't last very long. Soon, I realized that Aoi was planning to kill Kageboshi to get a leaf from the Tree of Life that was said to heal any illness. I chased after her and saved her before Kageboshi could kill her. We defeated the demon and found a leaf for Tsubaki. She was healed and looked more youthful than before."

"Let me guess," Gin said with a smirk. "This Aoi girl fell for you, eh?"

"Need I answer? Anyway, Tsubaki was happy for us and gave me a gift to commemorate the occasion. Ero-Sennin and I left after some celebration." He took a sip of water from his glass. "Next, we have Hokuto. She's from Hoshigakure, a small village that is dominated by ninjas with the special star chakra from a meteorite that hit the place. It was the foundation for Hoshi ninja chakras. Sadly, channeling that kind of chakra has a high chance of death so it was soon ended by the Sandaime Hoshikage when jonins Hotarubi and Natsuhi tried to take it. Those two were the very rare few, possibly the only ones, to survive the star training. But Hotarubi soon died because of that chakra, leaving Natsuhi to watch over Hoshigakure. The Sandaime was assassinated by a guy named Akehoshi, who wanted to use the meteorite's power to bring Hoshigakure to great village status. I, along with Kuroma, infiltrated the village and split up. I met up with Hokuto, who was tending to his friend Mizura, who was ill because of the star chakra. We talked a bit before there was some action. I was taken by Natsuhi, who was the mother of one of the aspiring ninjas, Sumaru, and explained to me about the meteorite. Hokuto and Sumaru soon followed after me. Natsuhi left to go after Akehoshi while we were still sleeping. Luckily, I needed to go to the washroom and saw her flying away. I woke up the others with a shadow clone while I followed after her. I saved her from being killed by Akehoshi and got her away from Hoshi before I started to attack Akehoshi. He was tough since he put the meteorite in his chest. Thanks to Kuroma and Natsuhi, I destroyed that rock and Natsuhi was instated as the next Hoshikage. Hokuto and I were pushed together and with her crush on me, it was quite a beneficial match. Of course, Sumaru, who also planned to be Hoshikage, couldn't believe it when I said that I am the Uzukage. We fought for some time before Kuroma and I left. There are still three girls left to introduce."

He then smirked. "The next female I met was a redhead woman named…Sara."

SPLURT!

Everyone looked at Minato, who got some water in his lungs when he heard the name. "Sara," he exclaimed, "as in ruler of Roran Sara?!" Naruto nodded. "That's why she bonded with Kushina and me so enthusiastically and gave no reply when asked. We are her parents-in-law. Wait…I removed everyone's memory of our mission in Roran, where you accidentally went back in time to chase that Mukade guy. It was set to be released when the affected were dead. How did you manage to remember?"

Smirking, Naruto said, "When she and I met, we went off to a rocky start. Sara and I grew closer in Roran while hiding from Mukade, or back then, Anrokuzan. The guy used Roran's Ryumaku chakra to enhance his abilities in puppetry that he himself became a puppet. We used that Taikyoku Rasengan on his gigantic puppet ass and you went ahead to seal the Ryumaku chakra. So what did I do? I created a Chishio Bunshin that would go back to the surface and help clean up. When you sealed the Ryumaku and wiped the memories of everyone there: mine, Sara's, yours, Shibi-san's, and Choza-san's, you simply used it in the chakra room. Fortunately, as you left, you didn't notice that my clone was still there, since it was digging through a scrap pile. Sara soon came out and wondered who the clone was. He was confused and simply said his name, 'Uzumaki Naruto.' She didn't seem to remember at first but after some pushing by the clone, she managed to break a little bit of the memory seal and remembered who I was. She and the clone remained in Roran as a…married couple, hidden from view, and when I returned to my original time, I saw a carriage pull over and open to reveal an older clone and a young girl that sort of looked like her. Heh, the clone dispelled after saying some words to the girl. The memories came back to me. The girl, as it turns out, was my daughter with Sara. She once had an infatuation with me since I once saved her from a bunch of drunks in Roran but I managed to persuade her out of it. As of right now, she and Inari were getting along nicely. So, dad, how is Sara?"

"She's fitting quite well with the others. She has lots of friends up there."

"Ah, that's good. Let's move onto the last girl, Kasumi-hime of Mugenjo." The girl had priestess garbs, long black hair, and dark brown eyes. "The castle was once attacked by Orochimaru, which he framed Konoha for it and used her as a test subject. To that end, he presented her with a mask that would grant her the power to have her revenge." The mask was white and had a red snake on the left side. "That thing fed on the wearer's hatred and sacrifices one's physical body to bind the spiritual body to a medium, to wit, Mugenjo."

"That sounds a lot like a Hollow."

"That's because it was," Naruto simply said. "I'll explain after this. One journal of Orochimaru's told of a castle that he destroyed a castle allied to Konoha and used a princess' anger to manipulate her into a being a test subject. I did some researching and found where the Mugenjo was. I had two others come with me and met up with Jiraiya on the way there. I told him the details and he was shocked. He knew Kasumi-hime and Mugenjo since he once visited it. So he's angry that Orochimaru attacked it and bent it to his will. He took us to where he still remembered it and found it hidden underneath a genjutsu. Ero-Sennin and we split up. He would go to the underground and I would go to the top; both of us would remove some seals that still bind it to this world. It was a difficult climb since the rooms are unstable and sometimes some illusions pop up and attack us. As we removed the seals, we were hit by memories of Kasumi-hime before she was attacked. I found some music box in a room and brought it with me, just in case. Kasumi-hime appeared again and fought us. We defeated her illusions and I gave her the music box. A crack appeared in the mask and Kabuto appeared, disappointed in her failure. I saved her from being sealed inside a scroll but my strength was being sapped instead. If not Gaara's timely arrival, I would have died. He was alerted by Ero-Sennin about our plans and rushed to us. He took point and destroyed the scroll that was taking my strength from me. Kasumi-hime, delighted that I was safe, no longer had the mask and helped us stop the plot. As we were approaching the last seal, though, Orochimaru himself arrived with Kabuto. Kabuto busied himself with my friends and Kasumi-hime, while I fought Orochimaru with Kyuubi's chakra. We took them out for good but the Orochimaru was an illusion and Kabuto escaped. With what little strength I had, I used a powerful Rasengan, with Kasumi-hime's chakra, and shattered the crystal that held Kasumi-hime's physical body and the last seal. The castle vanished and the land that it was in was filled with flowers and all that. Kasumi-hime bid goodbye to us and gave me a kiss before she moved on. I would hazard a guess and say that she is with the others in that Royal Palace place." He grew grim. "I told you that I'd tell you about the mask. To get the whole story, I should start from after I got the research from Umi no Kuni and Oto no Kuni.

"I sealed the two cursed seals and removed any problems from both of them. Namely, I removed the genjutsu and the sickness from Kimimaro using Kyuubi's chakra. I let them awaken and they started asking. I told them the truth and used the journals and research to reinforce that truth. They were devastated to say the least. Why shouldn't they be? The leader they looked up to the most lied and used them. That's when I offered the place in Uzushio and promised to them that I wouldn't use them as I did Orochimaru. While suspicious, like the Fuma clan, they accepted the offer. They didn't trust me that much at start; but they soon saw the sincerity in my words and they accepted me as a friend."

"Did this Tayuya girl-"

"Oh, no, she saw me as a brother. She has her eyes on someone else, but he comes later. Moving on, Kimimaro soon trusted me enough with vital pieces of information that helped me create the solution in dealing with Orochimaru's juinjutsu. He told me about Juugo. The man was the progenitor of every cursed seal. He was once in a clan that held so much affinity for natural energy that the power rendered them berserk. Orochimaru sent Kimimaro to collect Juugo from a cave in which he isolated himself to remove the chances of hurting anyone while in his wild state. That's because he once lost control in a village; the village and the villagers didn't survive. Orochimaru studied Juugo closely and created the juinjutsu from that. Kimimaro and Tayuya led me to an abandoned base, where I saw one of the most shocking sights of my life. In Orochimaru's laboratory, there were lots of creatures, creatures with white masks."

That shocked everyone. "Orochimaru collected Hollows," Sarutobi asked with gaping mouth.

"Yeah, apparently, based on the researches in that base, Orochimaru discovered that Juugo's powers were more than powers that was acquired through the Ryuchido. He was curious as to why they go berserk when influenced by natural energies. That's when he used a Yamanaka mind jutsu that he stole to have Kimimaro go inside Juugo's mind and discern the source."

"He didn't go in himself," Jushiro asked.

"He's a coward. He doesn't do stuff like that. Kimimaro told me and Orochimaru that he saw a white being inside his mind." Ichigo stiffened. "His irises were amber and the scleras were black. On his face was a mad grin as he manifested weapons from his limbs and attacked him."

"An inner Hollow," Mayuri grinned. "That's really interesting. I wonder how it came to be."

"Orochimaru himself didn't know how it came to be and didn't really care. He simply used the same concept of an inner monster as the additional foothold for his juinjutsu. He based everything of it from Juugo. He, who attempted and failed to use Sage Mode in Ryuchido, used whatever senjutsu chakra he could muster in tandem with Juugo's blood, from which he isolated the part which allows him to change. He also put in his own consciousness in the seals, which would act as the inner monster that seduces the target with different types of temptations. That's why Sasuke looked much like a Hollow during our fight. I didn't really know what to do with the Hollows in the lab. You wouldn't believe how much was in there. I think he had a Gillian or two lying down and chained to the floor. I don't know. But that was because he had the fortune of running into those guys while he was going from base to base before his defection. It was not directly stated in the research and journals but I think that Orochimaru noted the similarities in a Hollow and Juugo. He must believe that they are connected somehow. We rescued Juugo from his prison in one of Orochimaru's abandoned bases but we did it quietly so that no one would notice. It was thanks to my stealth skills, of course. Anyway, we escaped to Uzushio where Kimimaro explained to him the situation. Juugo then swore loyalty to me for allowing Kimimaro to live and see the truth of the Kaguya clan.

"I started some research on the juinjutsu when I received a message from Ero-Sennin. He asked me to investigate some ruins with him. I had Kuroma and Tayuya join me. During the investigation is where we met an unknown group of people. A guy named Temujin led the group. He was armored like everyone else but the other fighters were all generic. Tayuya suddenly attacked Temujin and made Kuroma and I handle the rest. Tayuya used one of her powerful melee jutsus and Temujin used his, which clashed and made the cliff they were standing on break. They fell and I had Kuroma look for her while I joined Ero-Sennin in investigation. Much later, Ero-Sennin and I infiltrated some large fortress, which was headed by some guy named Haido. As it turns out, Tayuya and Temujin had already visited him and left to look for something called the Gelel stone. Kuroma, on the other hand, didn't find her but instead got deadlocked into a battle against the three other members of 'Haido's Knights' as he stumbled upon the ruins of a ship somewhere near Kaze no Kuni. He told me that he held them all back and almost managed to defeat them, even in their oddly transformed forms, when Gaara and Kankuro arrived. Kuroma, in his eagerness for battle, asked them not to interfere, unless it is really necessary. Needless to say, Kuroma kicked the trio's ass when he transformed into a dragon. Gaara and Kankuro were shocked but went to us. Kuroma and Tayuya reunited with me when we were resting and interrogating Temujin, who we discovered was a part of that trio group, who, by the way, are sealed by Kuroma.

"Soon after, Temujin kidnapped the elder of the clan that saved Tayuya and Temujin and we followed them to some mine of sorts. We were interrupted by Haido's arrival. He, Temujin, and Haido went deeper into the cave and we followed. There, Haido revealed that he was the one who annihilated Temujin's clan in search of the Gelel. Tayuya knocked some sense out of the shocked teen and we fought against the guy who was on another league than the knights. Kuroma had some trouble with him in his transformed state. Thankfully, Temujin managed to use some of his Gelel energy to form a Rasengan with me so that I can destroy that guy. After that, the whole clan, Temujin included, were offered a place in Uzushio. They slowly accepted it. As for the three knights, Kuroma slapped some sense into them again and…let's just say that he's going to have some girl troubles with those three. Anyway, the whole group of knights were willing to induct themselves into defenders of Uzushio and I couldn't really refuse. So they were one of my main fighting forces."

"Out of curiosity, what does your village force consist of?" Mito asked.

"Like every other village, there is the civilian and the ninja side. But, other than the military force of the ninja and the production management of the civilians, I have four general groups that both sides can enter: Agricultural, Medical, Educational, and Exploration Corps. The Agricultural Corps is responsible for the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for products that are used to sustain and maintain life, some examples being food from meat and vegetation, clothing from animal skins, and medicine from fungi and plants. The Medical Corps, pretty much self-explanatory, focuses on healing and treatment. The Educational Corps is in charge of training the new generation in whatever field they want. There are classes for aspiring ninjas and those who want to remain as a civilian. Along with the teachers, both civilian and ninja, there are also the archivists and the chroniclers, both of which would help in tandem with the Exploration Corps. The last group has two objectives: improve village relations and to make ground-breaking research projects that would benefit the village and the Kage. As such, while they also have other projects pending, I had them focus primarily on Sora no Kuni's technology and human cloning."

"Cloning," Hashirama asked, "don't we ninjas have our own bunshinjutsu?"

He smirked. "Ah, therein is the problem. The Kage Bunshin dispels when it is hit. The elemental bunshins only have singular perks for each one. The Rai Bunshin has increased speed; the Do Bunshin has tough, resilient skin; the Mizu Bunshin only has a tenth of the user's power; the Kaze Bunshin has more air pressure in its attacks; and the Hi Bunshin is basically a bomb that is set to go off by the user's command. And the Chishio Bunshin is a kinjutsu, since it implants a part of the user's soul in the clone. Too many clones of that kind can essentially kill since the body can only take so much soul separation before it breaks. So I decided to use Orochimaru's notes in genetics and created the idea for scientific cloning. These clones, unlike how we ninjas do it, are naturally bred in artificial wombs, in which there are different fluids and nutrients necessary for survival and quick growth and maturation. Unlike human pregnancy, these clones develop fully in days and would be fully grown in weeks. It took several trials-and-errors but the ExplorCorps managed to perfect the cloning process. I gave them my blood and they replicated the DNA in it and implanted them in donor cells before letting them grow. As of now, Uzushio is the only village to have three different types of military force. I have the Knight division, consisting of the people in Temujin's continent, the Shinobi division, in which there are the genin, chuunin, jonin, tokubetsu jonin, I&T, and ANBU, and the clone army division I call Uzu Kishu, Whirlpool Commandos or WC for short." He grinned with pride.

"Wow," Kushina softly said, "Naruto…that's amazing. You brought Uzushio back to life."

"Hehe, it was quite long but I did it. And Uzushio gained full control over its territory when I went to Kirigakure and persuaded the Godaime Mizukage, Terumi Mei, to give me the papers for it."

"Terumi Mei," Yagura, Zabuza, and Kushina asked. "She's the new Mizukage?"

"Yeah, she took up the mantle after Yagura was defeated. Ironic, isn't it? The village who hated Kekkei Genkai had a Kage who has two."

"Two," Hashirama inquired, interested, "it's really a rare occurrence to have two Kekkei Genkai, even rarer than having a Kekkei Tota."

"Kushina," Minato asked, "how do you know her?"

She replied, "Well, we sorta met up during the Chuunin Exams. We got close to each other because both of us had red hair and were quite looked down upon by our respective villages, me for my being an outsider and her for having unusual two Kekkei Genkai. We kept in close touch of each other since then."

"In honor of that friendship, she claimed the deed to Uzushio. She held the motion that, along with the islands, the waters around Kirigakure is Mizu no Kuni and since Uzushio is in its water, the ruined village is within its jurisdiction. Well, it's Hi no Kuni versus Mizu no Kuni. Hi no Kuni is basically a part of the main continent and Mizu no Kuni isn't aptly named just to finish the circle that is the Elemental Countries. So she won."

"How did you persuade her exactly?" Yagura asked. "She isn't exactly the type to accept simple offerings for something so important."

"That is where I got my moniker Sanbi Inochitori."

---

Finally! I have the new chapter done!

I apologize for taking so long but school work took so much out of me!

I now realize that if I let this go on, it would take tens of chapters before I continue with the actual storyline. So, I decided to quickly skim through the history, which would end in the next chapter or two. If you find that this is going too fast, again, I'm sorry. I had to make those lost hours up.

I have a few Author's notes. First, who would you like paired up with Naruto: Temari or Karura or both? And yes, I used some Star Wars concepts in this chapter. Try to guess which ones.

Also, I would once again emulate Aragorn Potter's example. I would create another fanfic that actually details Naruto's path to greatness in the past. There would be no interactions by the Gotei 13, Ichigo's gang, or the Royal Guard. This is purely a Turn Back the Pendulum type of thing.

Thanks. Oh, by the way, I would also be posting a new fanfic which is also NarutoXBleach but with Naruto as Aizen. If you'd take the time to read and review, it would be much appreciated.