Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach.
Chapter 17: Troubled Waters and in the House of Love
"Wait, wait, wait," Yagura said. "So Mei-san wanted you to take the Sanbi as a trade for full control over Uzushio?"
"Yup," Naruto replied. "I must have it or else she can claim whatever is in Uzushio. And I don't like that. I worked so hard to rebuild Uzushio, I won't have it be taken."
"Naruto, she isn't like that," Kushina scolded.
Zabuza then scoffed. "You got her pegged wrong, brat. I know the woman during some joint missions enough to know that she ain't the taking type. She'd rather have you work for her rather than assimilate whatever she could get."
Yagura added, "Besides, Mei is what one would call a genius of hard work. She knows when someone worked hard to get to where he is now. She wouldn't just let it all go to waste by taking it for herself."
"One last thing," Tobirama suddenly said, "She is a Kage of a village without a Bijuu. Bluntness and frankness aside, a deed to an empty village is of no use to Kirigakure, and I doubt that you would tell her about what you created within Uzushio. The Bijii, on the other hand, is the so-called trademark of a strong village. Without a Bijuu, especially in one of the five great villages, Kirigakure would be seen as weak." He ignored the rather angry looks of his companions.
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said, "Anyway, back to topic."
"So you want the deed to Uzushio," Mei asked from between her folded hands. "Why?"
Naruto answered, "I intend to restore Uzushio to its former glory. It has remained ruined for a long time and I want to change that."
"Oh? Is that so? So what do you have to offer me?" She paused. "Don't tell me you're going to demand the deed as it is entitled to the name Uzumaki?" The room suddenly became colder.
"Eh? Of course not! I'm not that kind of guy! I know that I have to give you something of equal value to get that deed! I just don't know what…"
She smiled as the pressure lessened. "Good. I despise those kinds of people: the one who demand things because it is entitled to them. Perhaps, I can suggest something?"
"Uhh…alright…what do you suggest?"
"Well, I'm sure you're aware that we're still recovering from the civil war. The previous Mizukage, Yagura, wanted to exterminate all Kekkei Genkai users from the village. Obviously, we won and Yagura was defeated. But he was the Sanbi jinchuuriki. So when he was killed, the Sanbi was lost for a while and resurrected much later. As of right now, Kirigakure has no Bijuu to hold on to. But as a Bijuu lacking a host, it is let loose on the world and has little to no intelligence."
"Wait…so you want me to-"
"Yes, in exchange for the deed to Uzushio, you get me the Sanbi no Kyodaigame. I have been given the right to give this deed to whomever I see fit, by the Mizu no Kuni daimyo himself. Getting Kiri the Sanbi would make me see if you are truly worthy of rebuilding Uzushiogakure no Sato."
He narrowed his eyes. "I see. I assume that you would have someone come with me to verify my actions."
"Yes. No offense but I trust the words of a subordinate more than an outsider." She then called out, "Chojuro." A teen soon entered. He has short, tufty blue hair and dark eyes behind square glasses. On his back is a bandaged overly-large sword with an odd two handles.
"Y-you called for me, M-Mizukage-sama," he softly stated.
Kenpachi scoffed. "What a wimp."
"Yes, I have a mission for you. It will be considered as an S-Rank mission for you." Chojuro's eyes widened. Before he could say anything, she continued, "It will be to join this man," she pointed to Naruto, "in claiming the Sanbi."
Chojuro said, "A-Are you sure, M-Mizukage-sama…s-someone like m-me?"
Ichigo whispered to Ganju, "He kind of reminds me of Hanatarou." Ganju nodded.
"Yes. I have great faith in your abilities." She smiled at him and he blushed. She then turned to Naruto. "When can I expect you to start?"
"I can begin immediately."
Mei blinked before saying, "Well, that's good…I guess. A Bijuu is no small enemy so it would be in your best interests to be prepared. However you deal with the Sanbi, make sure you and Chojuro return in one piece."
Naruto nodded and left, beckoning Chojuro to come along. "Well, let's get started, Chojuro-san." The bluenette nodded.
"Subtle," Mito commented. "She indirectly implied that she cares for your well-being as much as she does the boy. That Chojuro…he is of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu, is he not?"
"He is the only one still loyal to Kiri, as far as I know."
"What about Ameyuri," Yagura asked. "I know that Kushimaru, Jinpachi, Fuguki, and Jinin went to Hell because of their unrepentant attitudes. Zabuza may have been the same as them before Nami no Kuni but he died for a noble cause, protecting his pride, and I, as the witness to that time on the bridge, moved for him to become a Shinigami along with Haku. Mangetsu died at the hands of Kumo-nin during a mission, protecting his troop, and is thus among the others in the Royal Palace. Ameyuri is the only one not recorded to have moved on."
Naruto gave a small smirk, seen only by his fellow SS-Rankers and the elder captains, much to their confusion. "The only thing I know is that she suffered from a disease that she fought against during her time as a Swordsman."
"I can sense the Sanbi is somewhere under here." Naruto was kneeling atop the water with his hand submerged. "You got any ideas on how to get the big guy up here?"
Chojuro was scratching his cheek. "We could swim down there and get him to come up."
Naruto deadpanned. "I doubt that we could even last long underwater to do that." He pondered on the problem before he suddenly remembered something from an old battle. "Stand back, Chojuro-san. I'm not sure if we'll be safe with this but it's our only shot." The bluenette did so and Naruto pointed a palm at the place where he sensed the Sanbi would be. He whispered, "Hado no San-juu-nii: Okasen." A yellow orb of energy burst from his palm and zoomed past the waters to a spot under it. Soon, the whole sea rumbled as Naruto jumped back to Chojuro.
Within minutes, the seas burst open to reveal a gigantic turtle with three tails, a spiked carapace, and one glaring red eye. "Well," Naruto said, "this should be interesting."
With a roar, the Sanbi barraged the duo with its tails. They jumped away from each other. Naruto took out the Ryuujin and entered the Kaminari orb. Putting his chakra to it, a blade of energy manifested through the blade with a hum. He exclaimed, "Kaminari!"
"That looks just like my Raijin no Ken." Tobirama said with a raised brow.
"Oh, oh," Orihime suddenly joined in, "or that lightsaber thing from Star Wars!"
Everyone looked at her, surprised at her excited outburst. She flushed and scratched her cheek.
Naruto chuckled. "I guess you could say that."
The ninja duo charged at the large carapace and struck. The unleashed Hiramekarei slammed down on the shell body and the Ryuujin was stabbed at the very tip of the skull. Sanbi roared some more and shook off its hitchhikers. As soon as they were airborne, it unleashed a roar that expelled a dome of chakra that sent both of them flying. Naruto said, "Bakudo no Roku-ju-san: Sajo Sabaku." The familiar yellow chains were grabbed by Naruto on one end and were wrapped around one spiked tail on the other. Chojuro, however, wasn't so lucky and was sent further away.
Naruto dispelled the chains when he landed on the water. Sanbi turned to him and summoned a wide water wall. He quickly switched the Kaminari orb with the Hi orb and formed the Horse handseal. With Ryuujin between his hands, he said, "Katon: Goka Mekkyaku."
As he released his Fire technique, he first breathed it out through the middle of the Ryuujin, where the Hi orb was placed. When the technique went through the other end, it unleashed a very hot and very wide torrent of flame that easily countered the water wall of the Sanbi.
"The only ninja who could manage to create that same technique on such a scale would be Uchiha Madara," Hashirama said, impressed. "You use your powers well, Naruto."
Steam was soon created through the fire-water combination and engulfed Naruto and Sanbi.
Both techniques stopped and Naruto expanded his senses to determine where Sanbi is now. However, to his surprise, his senses were shot to hell.
"Trying to sense me," an androgynous voice asked from within the steam. "It's useless. I studied the jutsu workings of Kirigakure. I used their Kirigakure no Jutsu within this mist. You cannot sense me." Naruto felt someone behind him and blocked a strike to his head with his Ryuujin. "Your instincts serve you well." The resistance Naruto felt on his sword vanished soon after.
Naruto narrowed his eyes before he jumped over an assailant who sought to strike his torso. As he slammed back down, the assailant vanished. His brows furrowed as he switched the Hi orb with the Kaze orb. The long nodachi blade appeared and Naruto quickly turned around to slash at the assailant behind him. Despite the silhouette, Naruto's blade simply met air and the silhouette retreated back. Naruto's eyes shot from left to right. Then, he swung his sword in a full arc and shouted, "Tatsumaki!" He continued swinging his sword around and surrounded himself with the power of wind. The tornado sent the steam spiralling upwards and Naruto allowed it to dissipate so he could see his current opposition.
The armor made it difficult to determine gender. It covered the places where determining gender would be easy, i.e. head, chest, stomach, waist, and groin. It was very much like the armor of the old Shinobi world, only it covered more. The front, back, shoulders, legs, and feet were covered with spiked grey armor. Past the shoulder and leg armors were red sleeves, pants, and gloves. The helmet was designed to cover from back to front and the space where the eyes are is covered with shadow, allowing a lone red eye to glow luminously amidst it. Three similarly armored tails constantly moved from behind.
"So that is the human form of the Sanbi," Naruto mused.
"So you know that we Bijuu can assume human forms. That you know of it most likely means that you are a jinchuuriki, who either was trusted with the information or coerced that information. Being in human form clears our minds of the haze of instincts that fogs up our senses. It essentially makes us more logical than instinctual. Your appearance that matches that of your probable father and the whisker marks on your cheeks are enough for me to assume that you are a possible Namikaze, and is the jinchuuriki of Kyuubi, respectively. And the fact that you have that blade in your hands means that you are one chosen by the Dragons to be the next Avatar."
Naruto chuckled. "Ah, well, I guess the secret's out." Then, he turned serious as he activated his chakra mode. "It's time to get serious." Within seconds, Naruto managed to get within Sanbi's guard and punched the tough shell. The Kyuubi-enhanced power produced enough of a force to actually send the Bijuu flying away. Following through, Naruto sent a Hiryugekizokushintenraiho towards the Bijuu projectile.
An explosion took place and Naruto couldn't see what became of the Sanbi.
"Naruto-san," Chojuro worriedly exclaimed as he appeared beside him. "Where's the Sanbi?"
Naruto was about to answer when he felt the unmistakeable chakra of a Bijuudama headed his way. He quickly used a powerful Sho Hado on Chojuro as the fast black ball burst from the distance towards Naruto.
The blond drew a familiar tri-pronged kunai, made handseals with it, and said, "Jikukan Kekkai." The Bijuudama was swallowed by a sealing formula and Naruto unfurled the formula on the kunai onto his open palm. Pointing it towards the general direction of the Sanbi, Naruto said, "Fuinjutsu: Mippeikei Kuzure (Sealing Technique: Sealed Reversal)." The formula on his hand opened up and released what was sealed inside it, namely the Bijuudama.
Naruto winced as the recoil from firing such a dense chakra concentration at high speeds almost dislocated his shoulder.
An explosion caused tremors in the water and Naruto saw someone jump high and land a few feet away from him. It was Sanbi, though with burning armor. The red eye was narrowed.
"That lightning bolt you shot at me…that was a Kido spell. I remember it being used against a particular Hollow I devoured. Did Kyuubi teach you that?" Naruto nodded. "What purpose would it serve? Kyuubi is not the type to willingly give information to someone, especially a human."
Naruto replied, "It was more out of a necessity. She detested the fact that I am the weakest of the nine jinchuuriki and wanted to change that. That's why she taught me various lessons that made me as powerful as I am today."
Sanbi blinked. "Kyuubi took a definite gender? That's even more surprising. Kyuubi was absolutely disgusted by the prospect of assuming a human form."
"It was instinct, the instinct of survival." He gave a small, sad smile. "For me, it actually is kind of a sad story." Sanbi's red eye widened. "Years of experience taught the Bijuu to do whatever it takes to survive. Whatever we humans did to you must have been excruciating."
"Don't pity us, human," Sanbi snapped. "We do not care for pity."
"And I'm giving nothing. I am merely sad by that fact. I offer no pity because it would do no one any good. And I can't give any apologies because it would only be my sincere feelings rather than the majority of the human race."
"Then, why are you attacking me? You tell me that you are saddened by human's actions against us and yet you ATTACK me! Why do you say one thing and do another? You just want to capture me so that I will be brought back to Kirigakure to be used again! That is the most despicable type of human, the hypocrites. I already had two jinchuuriki. I will not have a third one."
Naruto's eyes closed before opening. "I attacked you so that I can set up the stage where we would be alone and the Kiri-nin would be away from here. Now that that's done, I'm getting right to the point. I am simply here to tell you of the dangers of Akatsuki. I told Ichibi, Nibi, Nanabi, and Hachibi of them already. I now have told you."
"What," Tobirama asked. "What about the deed to Uzushio?"
"I can make do without the deed. I can still hide Uzushio under the genjutsu forever. However, I will not have the Sanbi be taken by Akatsuki."
"That's it? That's your pathetic reason? That's a lie and you know it."
"No. No, it's not. I am simply telling you to be wary of those with black cloaks adorned with red clouds. What you do with that information is up to you." He suddenly raised his blade to block the attack from an enraged Sanbi.
"Don't take me for a fool, child! I was not born yesterday! I know the tactics you shinobi use. You use manipulation as your major tool against enemies. I will not be swayed that easily. You will not fool me into believing that you merely came here to warn me of Akatsuki."
"Then don't believe it!" Naruto shouted back. "Hide back under the water and wait for Akatsuki to draw you out as easily as I did! I am giving you a better chance of survival against them! Don't you care about your life that you would throw away that chance?!"
"Of course I do. But that doesn't mean I have to trust your words that easily."
"I'm not asking you to. All I'm asking you is caution against them. Just because you are a Bijuu doesn't mean that they aren't pushovers."
Sanbi whispered, "Why? Why are you doing this? Why must you go so far just for us Bijuu?"
Naruto slowly answered, "It's because I want to be the start of a different life for the Bijuu. You were brought here for a reason and I won't let Akatsuki take it away from you. I know that I'm just one man but even a man with a powerful dream and will is enough to defeat any challenge."
"…you're an interesting human. I find myself curious as to how you will do this." Sanbi stood to full height and said, "Alright…let's go."
Naruto was surprised. "What?"
"Aren't you supposed to fight me and bring me back to the Mizukage? Go ahead."
"But…wait…what? I told you the real reason why I sought you out, that's just it. I don't want-"
"It's alright, Naruto-kun. Unlike my sealing with the Yondaime Mizukage Yagura and Nohara-Inuzuka Rin, this time, I am willing to be sealed again."
Naruto started babbling nonsense.
"Huh," Yagura said, "you got Sanbi to accept your offer with your words. You're amazing, Naruto-san."
"Just do me a favor."
"What is it," Naruto asked. Sanbi started exuding chakra.
"Give me a good fight! Make this battle interesting! If you lose against me, you will die and your promise is nothing more than mere words!"
Naruto grinned. "You want a fight? You got one!" They soon charged at each other. As they clashed again, Naruto said, "Fuuton: Taikiha." The wind blast blew Sanbi away and Naruto followed through with a, "Juha Sho!"
Sanbi recovered and split the wind arc in two, creating two large eruptions of water where they hit. Then, with a stab of the sword in the ground, Sanbi yelled, "Sozuiryu (Twin Water Dragon)!" The stab caused a trench to form on the two sides of the blade. These trench walls soon shaped and molded themselves into two large dragons.
Naruto smirked and said, "Jikukan Kekkai." The twin dragons that were charging at him were absorbed into a sealing formula and Naruto, who now had the tri-pronged kunai between his hands, dipped his hands on the water below him before slashing it upward and forward, saying, "Suiton Fuinjutsu: Dai Suima no Gyakuten (Water Release Sealing Technique: Reversal of the Great Water Demon)!" As he released the kunai, water coated it and converged around it to form a gigantic three-headed dragon. Large wings and sharp-clawed limbs grew from the water body.
"WHOA," Obito shouted, "that was awesome! That must be one of the hidden techniques of the Uzumaki, isn't it, Mito-sama?"
Mito simply gave a small smile. "That's a secret, Obito-kun." He pouted.
As the three-headed dragon charged at him, Sanbi used all three tails and produced a dome of chakra that destroyed the dragon. When the dome dissipated, Naruto had already produced two other clones. One cast Rikujokoro. The second cast Sajo Sabaku. Naruto finalized by using Kuyo Shibari. Six bars of light and a bright yellow chain trapped Sanbi and eight black holes appeared around the armored Bijuu, with a ninth appearing on the chest.
Naruto then started chanting, "Limit of the thousand hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitatn, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly cleanly when fired." Taking a deep breath, Naruto loudly said, "Hado no Kyuu-juu-ichi: Senju Koten Taiho!"
Ten purplish energy spears materialized and attacked the bound Sanbi. At first, Naruto thought that was it. But he was proven wrong when every single Kido were broken by Sanbi assuming Bijuu form.
"That was exceptional, Naruto. But you need more than that to defeat me." Sanbi now fired two large water balls towards Naruto.
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto switched the Hi orb with the Mizu orb, bit his thumb, and wiped it on Ryuujin's blade. He then whispered, "Kuchiyose: Suiryuu."
The waters below him burst upward and blocked the water balls. When it cleared, Naruto was standing atop the head of a large blue dragon with yellow spots along the back.
"Suiryuu," Sanbi said, "it's been a long time."
"Likewise, Sanbi," Suiryuu replied. "So you're his opponent? This'll be interesting."
Both gigantic beings roared and called forth a large amount of water. Sanbi used the three tails to form his side of the water into a big water ball, swirling around and around. Sanbi compressed the ball above its gaping jaws, swallowed it, and fired the compressed shot at the duo.
Sanbi fired the gigantic water ball. And Suiryuu used her side of the water to create a water vortex. Naruto formed three handseals and said, "Fuuton: Kami Oroshi!" From his hands burst a wind vortex that merged with the water vortex and turned it faster and more destructive. It slowly dispelled the water ball just as it reached them and headed towards Sanbi. Naruto smirked again and clapped his hands, with the Kaminari orb between them. He now said, "Rairyu no Tatsumaki!" With the orb still in hand, he spun around and summoned a lightning vortex that also joined the wind and water vortex. While within it, the head of the vortex now turned into a dragon's head.
Sanbi slammed the two frontal limbs down and erected a large water wall in the vortex's path. As the two collided, Sanbi fired a Bijuudama, going past the wall and vortex.
Naruto pointed a palm at the ball and said, "Hado no San-ju-san: Sokatsui." Blue flame burst from his hands and intercepted the demon ball. The impact caused the water beneath them to tremble and rage wildly. Naruto was almost thrown away, if not for the fact that his chakra on his feet held him on the spot. Not wanting to give Sanbi another opportunity to attack, he said, "Sui-chan, can you hold him for some time? I'm going to end this."
"Of course, Naruto-kun, I'll see what I can do." Naruto jumped off of Suiryuu as she sped off to clash with Sanbi. Naruto reactivated his Kyuubi chakra cloak to summon two chakra claws. He held the chakra claws up high, clasped his own hands together, closed his eyes, and started chanting silently. As he opened his eyes, he shouted out the final part of the incantation, "…with sacrifice of scarlet, strike with a thousand suns in one!"
Every Shinigami and Royal Guard widened their eyes in shock.
"Of all Kidos," Unohana softly stated, "he chose a forbiddenone?"
"Why," Orihime asked. "What Kido is that?"
"Sui-chan, get out of the way," exclaimed Naruto as his human hands split apart and a humongous red blade appeared on his chakra claws, "Hado no Kyuu-juu-roku: Itto Kaso."
Suiryuu made one last strike that disoriented Sanbi a bit, allowing Naruto the opening he needs to slam the red sword down.
An explosion blinded Naruto but he still felt Suiryuu dispel and retreat back to his subconscious. Once the explosion subsided, he slowly opened his eyes and saw a downed, humanized Sanbi. "Oh, man, I didn't kill you, did I?"
"No," the low voice of Sanbi spoke from beneath the water, "you just gave me one heck of a migraine. That Kido hurt like Hell."
"Sorry, but you told me to make it interesting."
"That I did," Sanbi grunted before slowly standing. "I'm curious, though. How did you manage to use the full version of Itto Kaso without sacrificing a body part?"
"Ah, well, I figured out a small loophole in that spell. Since Kido are spiritual-based and chakra is half physical-based and half spiritual-based, I figured that I can use my chakra limbs to take the blow instead. It's quite simple. I summon my chakra limbs and focus my Kido through them. And since those limbs are created from my chakra, it could be considered a part of me. When Itto Kaso was summoned and used, the ones that took the fall are the chakra limbs, which I can easily regrow again and again."
Silence covered the mindscape of Naruto. "That's just cheating," Nawaki suddenly said.
"Anyway, I can sense your companion finally nearing us. I guess our fight caused him to continuously fly away from the force of our attacks."
"Yeah, I'd have to apologize to him about that. Alright, let's get you to Kiri." He hefted one of Sanbi's arms around his shoulder and put his other arm on the waistband
Within a few steps, Chojuro finally appeared, panting. "Naruto-san, what happened out here? I can't seem to get any closer because of sudden shockwaves and chakra outbursts."
"Sorry about that, but it was inevitable. Regardless, we got the Sanbi. Let's get back to Mei-san."
"Amazing, Naruto-san," Chojuro softly exclaimed, "You defeated Sanbi by yourself. You would probably be in the Bingo Books by now."
"Judging by the leaving chakra source from our position, I would say so too." At Chojuro's shocked look, he smiled. "Don't worry about it, Chojuro-san. Only fools would actually attack me, now that someone has actually seen my fight a Bijuu."
"Well, if you're sure, Naruto-san, let's get back to Kirigakure. Mizukage-sama is waiting for us."
As the memory Naruto brought Sanbi back to Kirigakure, Yagura asked, "Wait…if Sanbi wanted to be sealed again, who will be the jinchuuriki this time?"
Naruto blushed a bit before looking away, much to everyone's confusion. Kyuubi, Yami, and Ichigo simply grinned wide.
"There you are," Mei said with a subtle tone of happiness. Her eyes became confused at the armored man on Naruto's shoulder. "Who is that?"
"I'm the one you wanted," Sanbi said before standing up. "I'm the Sanbi no Kyodaigame in human form."
"Huh, I never knew that fact." Mei blinked. "Anyway, I suppose I should welcome you to Kirigakure, Sanbi-san. I'm sorry about the rough treatment."
"It's an understandable human concept." Mei flinched a bit. "Anyway, I'm still a Bijuu nonetheless, so who is to be my host?"
"Wait a minute," Naruto started, "why don't you just stay in human form?"
"Tempting, but it would very easy to detect lone Bijuu chakra, since it's solely demonic. If I stay inside a human, however, the fuinjutsu and the host body's chakra can mask my own to an extent."
Mei looked sheepish. "I doubt there are parents who are willing to have their child be your container and teens and adults are at high risk of chakra overload. Yagura was jinchuuriki a few months after birth and the sealing in Nohara-Inuzuka Rin was a risk they were willing to take, since they had nothing to lose."
Sanbi slammed a gauntlet to the helmet. "The first time I willing come back to be sealed and my sealers have no container at hand." Sanbi's tongue clicked. "You better be thankful that I still have his old body."
Mei, Chojuro, and Naruto blinked in confusion as Sanbi held out an arm and, in a puff of smoke, summoned Yagura's dead body.
Yagura's jaw was dropped. "My body…was with Sanbi?"
"Where did you get that," Mei asked.
"When I was released, I figured that his body might be of some use to me. It seems I was right. Sealing a Bijuu in a living body is a complicated process for the fuinjutsu user and the host. Sealing one in a dead one is very easy. There is no effort on the host and the user simply needs to seal. A Bijuu can take over a living host but the seal, which is, in part, tied to the host's life, prevents it. With a dead host, the seal holding the Bijuu will break, allowing easy possession of the body. Naruto-kun, if you will."
Naruto nodded and drew a seal on Yagura's stomach. He then formed handseals and targeted Sanbi. The armored figure exploded in smoke and light blue chakra slowly streamed to the seal. Once done, the three ninjas watched as the seal slowly vanished and the body shook and slowly changed form.
Before their very eyes, the chest bulged, the hair lengthened, the body slimmed, and the face grew more feminine.
Now, Yagura was pale. "Please no. Don't tell me this is going where I think it is going."
"I think it is," Zabuza replied.
"No way," said Rin softly.
The eyes slowly opened and a feminine voice spoke, "Possession successful."
"Bah-bah-bah," Naruto stuttered out.
"What?"
"Female," was all he could say.
"Huh," she looked down at her chest, "oh, that. That's easy to explain. The gender of a Bijuu's previous host plays a large influence on the gender of the human form. In your case, I would suspect that Kyuubi had a female host before you. Mine was female, as well, and it made me consider the female gender."
"I…see," he said. "So…how do go from here?"
Sanbi shrugged. "Do what you will. But remember, I'll be watching you." She backed up on a wall and said, "Now, I believe you and Mei-san have business."
"Oh, yes," Mei said as she took out a scroll. "Here is the form of Uzushio. All we need is to make it official and we're done." She now took out a form and presented it to Naruto, who earlier took the scroll. "We just need to make the document for me to give to the Mizu daimyo, informing him of the change." Naruto did so. She then took the form and smirked. "I never would have figured you would be powerful to match a Bijuu. Even I had trouble fighting Yagura in his Bijuu form."
Naruto blushed a bit. "Well, it wasn't easy. It's more difficult than it looks."
Mei suddenly gave a wide smirk. "What say you to an alliance between Kiri and Uzushio?"
"Say what?"
"You heard me. I now that you would rebuild Uzushio to its former glory and I don't want to be on the receiving end of an Uzumaki's fury. Besides, I believe this will make up for my village's efforts in destroying it."
"No, no, this is enough for me."
"For me, it isn't. I'm a Kage who is plagued by mistakes of the past. I will not let this matter go."
"Um…well, if you say so. Okay then, we can form an alliance. Do we have to make another form?"
Mei giggled. "That will be a minor thing, something that can be done within seconds. What I'm looking for is something more binding." At Naruto's confused look, Mei took the chance to grasp the front of his robes and pull him forward, allowing her to connect her lips to his.
Now it is Kushina's and Zabuza's turn to faint.
"A union," Mei said, "between esteemed members of each village would suffice, I think." She laughed a bit at Naruto's flushed face. "Oh, dear, I think I broke him."
Once Naruto recovered, he said, "Uhh…it's official…I guess." He straightened up and bowed. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mizukage-sama."
Mei smiled and did a curtsy. "The pleasure's all mine, Uzukage-sama."
"Thank you for agreeing to the requests given. I hope we'll do more services in the future." He waved goodbye to a flustered Chojuro and a smirking Sanbi and left.
The memory lasted a bit longer, long enough for Mei to say, "Take that, Kushina."
Kushina, who now was awake, felt murderous. Oh, that bitch will pay. She will pay for seducing her son!
"Ahem," Naruto interrupted, "moving on, I did some more looking around and met up with the Yonbi, Gobi, and Rokubi jinchuurikis: Roshi, Han, and Utakata. All three were suspicious of me for the majority of the time I was with them but they mellowed out with time. Now, Utakata, who was a missing-nin, decided to stay with me and Han and Roshi, well, they wanted to stay in Iwa, updating me on its status now and then."
"You had both jinchuurikis as spies," Sarutobi asked. "That's impressive."
"They don't really trust Iwa that much because of how they were treated so it was easy for them to spy on Iwa." He then turned back to the screen as he said, "Now comes one of the most meaningful events of my life: my first official meeting with the Bijuu and their jinchuuriki."
Yagura gasped and whispered to Naruto, "That wasn't a dream? I knew that it seemed too real to be one."
"No. You were there as a semi-conscious being because Sanbi was using your body as a host."
Naruto was wide-eyed at the spectacle before him. Around him, the nine Bijuu were circled around him and their jinchuurikis. After a few moments of silence, the Bijuu slowly shifted to their human forms.
Shukaku was a brunette woman who's akin to Sabaku no Karura.
Nibi was a bluenette female whose hair is tied into two odd ponytails with a green left eye and yellow right eye (a blue-haired Kagurazaka Asuna of Negima).
Sanbi was without her armor and assumed the form of the female Yagura.
Yonbi was an ape-like man with the four, red, fur tails and monkey-like face (Sun Wukong of Warriors Orochi).
Gobi was a slim man with dark eyes, dark circles under his eyes, and five, white fur tails (L of Death Note).
Rokubi was a female with white hair and small eyes and matching white tails (Nuwa of Warriors Orochi).
Nanabi was a pale female with blue-green hair, purple eyes, a silver choker around her neck, and green wings on her back (Eureka of Eureka 7).
And Hachibi was a dark-skinned male who could pass off as Kirabi's twin.
"There hasn't been a meeting like this in a long time," Nibi commented.
"Indeed," Gobi replied. "I forgot how long ago it was."
"What's going on," Gaara asked. "Why are we here?"
"We are here, Sabaku no Gaara," Sanbi stated, "because of him," pointing to Naruto.
"Me," the blond pondered.
"Yes, you, you are the one who went around the world, going through all the trouble to go to every village and tell our jinchuuriki, and in turn, us, about Akatsuki. Your words may have changed our containers but, to us Bijuu, it simply made us consider your quest."
"Ah, thank you."
"What do you plan to do then, Uzumaki," Yonbi asked.
"I will unite the Elemental Countries, have the Shinobi continent ally with each other, and maintain peace."
The Bijuu started to laugh, some more than others. Kyuubi snorted. "No matter how many times I hear it, it always amuses me."
Naruto frowned. "What is it?"
"You, a single human, would attempt to unify five warring nations?" Gobi asked. "Iwa and Konoha hate each other. Kiri and Iwa are at odds with each other with the Yosuga Pass tragedy. Suna hates Iwa because of some tripe about the latter killing a former's jonin. Konoha and Kumo do not trust each other because of those kidnapping attempts. Kiri has some vendetta against Suna because one of their numbers poisoned a member of the Seven Swordsmen. Kiri also has some issues with Kumo, for killing Hozuki Mangetsu and Akebino Jinin, and Iwa, for the deaths of Kuriare Kushimaru and Munashi Jinpachi."
Naruto blinked. "Wait…Yosuga Pass…Iwa's killing of a Suna jonin…Suna's poisoning of a Seven Swordsmen, do you guys mean Suiren-chan, Pakura-chan, and Ameyuri-chan?"
Silence met the room, as well as the memory jinchuuriki and Bijuu.
"You know those three," Minato asked, preparing to hold Kushina back just in case.
"Well, yeah, I passed through those places and found their spirits there. For some reason, they don't want to move on. I can understand that. They have strong ties in that place. So I resolved to give them actual bodies. Suiren was hanging around Yosuga Pass and Pakura at the border of Suna and Kiri. Ameyuri was just simply wandering around, looking for her Kiba swords, which were taken from her by Kurosuki Raiga."
Ishida smirked behind his glasses. "Relatives of yours, Kurosaki," he asked.
"Shut up."
"I found the three of them," Naruto continued, "and proposed I give them a new body so that they would not remain in soul form."
"How is that possible? I doubt you have the materials to make a gigai." Mayuri asked.
"You forget what I have. I have cloning facilities in Uzushio. I may not be able to create a fake body but I can sure as hell make a real one. All I need is the genetic material and my scientists can birth a suitable body for those three. However, I did use the concept of the gigai into their bodies. I neglected the acquisition of the spiritual energy for these bodies because the souls that will possess them are filled with that stuff. While in their wombs, the bodies were spiritless and chakraless. Then I had them possess their respective bodies so that the scientists can perform the final touches in syncing the physical body and the spiritual body. And voila! Suiren-chan, Pakura-chan, and Ameyuri-chan are reborn. Suiren-chan left for a little while to look for her only companion left and Ameyuri-chan left to continue her search. Pakura-chan was the only one left and she was the first to pledge allegiance to Uzushio. Suiren-chan came next with her friend, Ganryu. Then, they both did the same. Ameyuri-chan came last. She didn't want to go back to Kiri and wanted to stay in Uzushio, saying that I'm quite interesting. Then, she too pledged to Uzushio."
"You know what," Obito said, "I'm not even going to ask if they came to be your lovers."
Naruto smirked. "Jealous, are we?"
"NOT ONE BIT," he shouted, making the blond chuckle.
"Is that so," Hachibi mused. "You're more than I give you credit for." Naruto grinned. "But back to business, you are too idealistic, Naruto. Even if you do manage to unify the five nations, the issue remains. There will be a faction in each nation that will not like it."
"I am not so naïve as to ignore that fact. But in this world, opposites are always present. As long as there is war, there will be the potential for peace."
"And now we go back to our original topic," Kyuubi said, resting a palm on her cheek. "What makes you think that you can actually bring peace? You are just a young brat who has yet to know what it truly means to be in a war."
"Just as the shinobi found a common ground to war upon, resources and power, they can also be used to bring peace. With economics, one can trade one particular abundant resource to another nation who has the resource that one needs. And with power, Akatsuki is slowly making sure of that. There will soon come a time where that group will become too powerful to ignore that every village will join up and fight against them."
Yonbi snorted. "That's one hell of a dream for a kid. I just heard the basics through Roshi but hearing it firsthand just takes the cake."
"Indeed," Nanabi softly said. "You make it sound so easy."
"Easy," Naruto scoffed, "quite the contrary. I know it would be difficult. It is as the saying goes: easier said than done."
"Then why pursue that dream," Rokubi asked. "Out of all the dreams you have, why choose the most difficult one?"
"It's because this land and its people have experienced enough of war and pain to last a lifetime. I wish to put an end to the cycle of hatred that causes such wars and blinds people's hearts."
"Ha," Shukaku laughed. "That'll be the day! Even if you do manage to convince the leaders of your dream, there will still be pockets of resistance from their village. They will not just take a simple agreement with an enemy village. I thought that you have a good head on your shoulders by using Konoha's naivety against them but as it turns out, you're just as brainless as the rest of them."
Nibi added, "Peace isn't just about going from village to village and signing treaties and such. One must also quell the conflicts and arguments of the townspeople against that kind of thing. And then one must actually oversee through every operation that is performed to see, fix, and maintain that kind of camaraderie. And it has even more responsibilities than that. Senju Hashirama did the same thing but that peace was short-lived; it didn't last forever."
"It would be best," Hachibi finalized, "if you were to give up on that dream. Continuing on this road will eventually lead to failure."
Naruto retorted, "You don't know that and I don't believe in that."
"We have thousands of years of experience, Naruto," Kyuubi replied. "We would know."
"You may know from experience but you haven't seen Uzumaki Naruto at work. I am a genius of hard work and I am dead set on my dream."
Kyuubi's patience is just about reached. "Has your brain fried under all that stress? All nine Bijuu just told you that it's a fruitless effort! All of us have thousands of years of experience and you just throw it away? We're telling as early as now. Going through that foolish path is something only fools would do!"
Naruto was silent as he glared at her.
"I'll tell you this. If you'll still go through with this, you will lose any respect you have gained from us. At best, I might give you some chakra but that's just it. It's that kind of idealistic thinking that killed the Shodai Hokage, who was also dead set on his plans for peace, and the Yondaime Hokage, who is just as idealistic in acquiring peace as his earliest predecessor."
"That's just rude," Hashirama commented with a frown. "Idealism isn't a bad thing."
"You must learn to face the truth as soon as possible. In a world filled with hatred and war, you can only ensure that those things do not reach your village. I have been sealed in the wives of the aforementioned Hokages. I saw that, despite their idealism, the Hokages' first and foremost dedication is to their village first and the world last. Even though I despise humans, I learned something from them. As shinobi, you must make decisions that benefit your home village; and as a Kage, you must choose the ones that protect the people of your village. That is the greatest trait of a shinobi: wisdom. If you're a fool, then you will face pain…and die with your dream unrealized."
Naruto gripped his fists as he slowly gritted out, "Better for me to die as a fool who fought for his ideals, than to continue living like some coward who will just sit back and watch as the world is taken over by hate…and inevitably be taken over…better than you nine cowards, who would rather wait to be brought out by force and captured and then used than take action."
"D-did he just do what I thought he did," Hashirama actually stuttered out.
"I think he did," his equally shocked brother responded.
"He did what no other person would actually do," said Unohana, her eyes wide in shock.
"He…insulted all nine Bijuu…at once!" Ukitake rasped out.
Shunsui tipped his hat forward. "Yare, yare, that's some kid ya got there, Minato."
BAM!
Within seconds, Naruto was on the floor with nine sets of feet on his chest, courtesy of nine vengeful Bijuu.
"What did you just say, insect," Kyuubi snarled.
Naruto took a deep breath and said, "You heard me, Kyuubi. I, a human, think of you nine Bijuu as cowards."
SLAM!
Naruto gasped as more pressure was put on his chest. "This would not change my mind."
"How dare you say that to us, pest," Yonbi growled at him. "We have been all but civil and truthful to you and you have the nerve to insult us?! You are truly human to think of such an action lightly."
Even the stoic Nanabi and the uninterested Gobi were glaring holes at him with great hate.
"We should kill you right here and now to rid us of your impudence," Shukaku gorily suggested, her eyes glinting with madness.
"Go ahead," Naruto said, to their shock. "Go ahead and kill me. I'm just a human, aren't I? And all of you are nine esteemed Bijuu. My life isn't worth anything to you, is it? You think every damn human is an insect." Naruto scoffed, despite the pain on his chest. "Getting revenge over a petty insult is a big human concept. I would have thought that the nine Bijuu, with their 'thousands of yearsof experience' would learn to control their emotions when insulted."
The pressure increased even more.
Kyuubi spoke, "You're crossing the line, Uzumaki Naruto. You're this close to being squashed like the bug you are."
"I rest my case. See?" He gestured to the nine of them. "You, who fought with each other endlessly, have banded together and not had one argument since attacking me. Imagine that on a village scale with Akatsuki and the shinobi world. It also proves this. If you all of you don't get a hold on that damn pride, it will get you killed! A small insult like that and all of you get furious instantly. What would have happened if Akatsuki was the one who delivered an even greater insult? You would lose your minds trying to kill them! And then you would just be captured because you were blinded by emotions. Wasn't it you, Kyuubi, who taught me to control my emotions? Where is it in you? I don't see it in you now."
"ENOUGH," Kyuubi shouted. "Don't preach to me when you were like that when you were just an idiot in Konoha!" She growled as she flexed her claws. "Enough of this…let's end this now. I might hate dying only to be reborn much later but I would rather be free than be sealed inside a fool."
"I may not have long to live but I want to give one last bit. Ichibi, Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, Gobi, Rokubi, Nanabi, Hachibi, Kyuubi. Even though you are all in separate villages and nations right now, as you've just proven right now, all of you are still together in spirit…until such a time when Akatsuki would actually bring all of you into one. Your names that you had since conception would be remembered as those belonging to the beasts that destroyed the world. For what it's worth, I just wanted all of you to choose the best path, the safest path. I wanted all of you to get past your hatred of humans so that it would be a start on your road to the righteous, peaceful path." Naruto sighed. "Alright, go ahead. I'm ready." He closed his eyes.
"That was one touching speech, Naruto-kun," Orihime bawled. "You are so noble, wanting Bijuu-human relations to improve!"
Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "Uh…thanks?"
As he felt no pain, he slowly opened his eyes as he gazed at the wide-eyed, shocked, and awed looks of the Bijuu. Their mouths were dropped to their lowest. Their forms were shaking as the pressure on his chest lessened.
"Th-that was-" Nibi stuttered.
"No way," Rokubi whispered.
"It was so similar," Nanabi said, "to him…"
Kyuubi's wide eyes slowly narrowed as she grasped Naruto's neck, summoned an earth wall, and threw him there…hard. "How dare you repeat those words?"
Naruto groaned as he looked up at Kyuubi. "What are you talking about?" He coughed up blood then as Kyuubi slammed a fist onto his gut.
"How dare you say those same words to us…when all of us are together, no less?"
"What's up with you? Minutes ago, you wanted to kill me! Now, you are just punching me. What the hell?"
"SHUT UP!" Kyuubi punched him again in the gut. "I don't know how you chose those words out of all the rest. But if you ever try to be like him again, I will kill you!"
"What the hell did I do?"
Kyuubi started to punch and kick him. "Be quiet! You and your dreams for peace are too much for me to handle. But those words sent me over the edge. There's no way that you are him!" She raised her fist and was about to punch him again when she was held back by her fellow Bijuu.
Naruto, who was a plethora of wounds and bruises, coughed a little blood. "I don't know who you're comparing to me but this is me. I wouldn't be Uzumaki Naruto if I didn't have these particular quirks. I don't know why you let me live but even if you won't help me in my quest, Kyuubi, I will still go through with it, alone if I must." Naruto struggled to stand as he put the Kaze orb in Ryuujin, summoned the nodachi blade, and used it as a crutch to aid him in standing. When he stood up, he slowly said, "As I said earlier, as long as there is hatred, there will be peace. No matter how hard it is, I will end that cycle of hatred and introduce the world to peace. Even if I'm not this Child of the Prophecy that Ero-Sennin told me, I will still go through with it. I won't let some prophecy dictate my actions. I don't care how long as it takes. I will establish peace and order."
That probably did it for the Bijuu. Some fell to the floor, their face in their hands. Some closed their eyes shut while gripping their fists tightly. Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. He didn't know what was happening but what he said clearly did something.
Kyuubi, who was among the latter group, opened her eyes and glared at Naruto, saying, "You even say those words to us."
Naruto has had enough. "Alright, that's it! For some time, I've been trying to get a grasp of the situation but I can't. You're all comparing me to some guy I don't know and even told me that I talk like him. Who is this guy?"
"He isn't just a guy, human," said Nanabi from behind her hands. "He is the Rikudou Sennin." Naruto's eyes went wide. "Your plan, your determination, and your words are so much like his. That is why we did what we did."
"I…don't understand. What is it about the Rikudou Sennin and you that got you emotional?"
The memory suddenly got paused. "Hey," Obito exclaimed, "what gives?"
Naruto was giving Kyuubi a questioning look. "May I?"
Kyuubi looked sour at something. She looked at the gathered people in annoyance. She clicked her tongue. "I don't see the point in showing them that. Go ahead."
The redhead replied, "The Rikudou Sennin was the one who brought us into this world, despite his decreasing health. He is essentially our father. Before he died, he bid us farewell and spoke your supposed last words to us. And your words on establishing peace are practically the same as his."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh…I'm sorry."
"Don't be," said Gobi. "He too would have scolded us for something like we just did."
"You brought us to our senses," Yonbi said. "You made us start to believe in humanity again. And for that, we thank you."
He blushed. "It was nothing at all. I'm just doing what I believe to be the best path."
"Then, we are with you all the way," agreed Sanbi. "You will be the first we will fully trust, Uzumaki Naruto. We are behind you all the way."
"Along with us," Gaara suddenly joined in, with the other jinchuuriki behind him.
Naruto grinned at his friend. "I almost forgot that you guys were there." Gaara looked irritated. "I'm just joking, Gaara. Everyone, all of you, thank you. I will not fail, not now that I have great allies behind me."
"As a show of our trust in you," Hachibi piped in, "we will reveal to you our real names." Even Kyuubi, who was the hesitant at that, slowly nodded.
Naruto blinked. "Whoa, I knew those weren't your real names! This is so cool!"
When the Bijuu's mouth moved, it was censored, both visually and orally. Thus, no one can hear what was spoken or can read their lips.
"What the," Renji exclaimed. "What happened?"
"I have not deemed all of you worthy of knowing our names, Shinigami," Kyuubi snarled. "I will not give our names that easily. The other jinchuuriki also do the same. Until we nine are sure of your worth, we will tell you our names."
"I can respect that," Hashirama seriously said. "We will prove to you then that we are trustworthy."
Naruto jumped in, "And after that meeting, we continued with our daily lives…until…" He gave a sideways glance to Kyuubi, who nodded again. "Kyuubi confessed."
Orihime immediately jumped up. "Oh, can we see that, please~? I so want to see how you two got together!"
He chuckled at her and patted her head, making her pout a bit, as the memory shifted. "Oh, I have one thing to say, though. I will be censoring Kyuubi's name here. Don't be surprised if you can't hear me say her name."
"Alright, ******, what's the deal," asked Naruto. "You've been quiet ever since the Bijuu-jinchuuriki meeting. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," the soft voice of Kyuubi made Naruto frowned.
"I call bullshit. That isn't the voice of the Kyuubi no Yoko. If it is something I did or I could help with, tell me."
"Why is it you?"
Naruto blinked. "Why am I what?"
The water rippled as Kyuubi slowly stepped out into the light. It was a sight that Naruto never would have believed if he had not seen it. Her eyes were red and there were small water lines going down her cheeks. "You were crying." It wasn't a question.
"So what," she snapped, with a slight hiccup. "What do you care?"
"It's because I am your jinchuuriki and partner. And I was given the trust of the nine Bijuu. I would be damned if I let one of them be troubled. Come on, tell me."
She gritted her teeth as she summoned the tooth-cleaver. "Draw your weapon."
"What?"
She charged at him without warning. "DRAW YOUR WEAPON!"
He hastily summoned Ryuujin, put in a Tsuchi orb, and blocked her strike. He groaned as he was forced to his knees. He pushed her away and allowed the full form of the Tsuchi orb to come into life. Brown energy coated the blade as it shifted to the shape of an oversized Khyber knife (like Zangetsu). It was just in time because Naruto brought up Ryuujin again to block Kyuubi. He shouted, "What gives, ******?! What's gotten into you?"
"Shut up and fight!"
For some time, they clashed blades and caused great damage to the sewers around them. Having had enough, Naruto blocked her next strike and disarmed her. He next grasped her blade arm and forced it around her back, with the Ryuujin held at her neck. "This is enough, ******. What is it? What made you attack me like that?"
He was suddenly surprised to see her crying again. "Why is it you?"
"I won't know what's going on until you tell me."
She gritted her teeth. "I'm the Bijuu of hatred. I'm not supposed to feel this."
"Come on. Let me in on the loop."
"First, your father, now, you…what is wrong with me?"
"What is that about my dad?"
"You know," Minato said, "with the way she is ignoring you, you might not get a straight answer."
"Yeah, I know that. But I got patience to deal with that."
She sighed in his arms and said, "I…I…I l-l-l-like y-you, Naruto."
"Ah, that's great. I like you too."
"Not that kind," she replied. "It's similar those of your women."
Naruto's eyes were wide. "What?"
"I, the Bijuu of hatred, have feelings for a human…my jinchuuriki, no less."
"Well," said Ishida, pushing his glasses up, "it isn't unusual to gain Stockholm syndrome. If anything, it is either that or the Lima syndrome that would have surfaced." Some looked confused so he sighed and elaborated. "Stockholm syndrome is having the captive gain positive feelings towards his or her captor and Lima syndrome is essentially its opposite: captor gains positive feelings towards his or her captive."
Minato frowned. But what did she mean when she said he was first? Could she have had feelings for him first, lost it, and gained a new one for Naruto? How does that work?
"Oh, um…this is…new. Uhh…perhaps we should make this a more civil discussion?" She nodded and he let go of her. "Alright…so…maybe we can start from the beginning? What was that bit about my dad?"
She slowly sighed as she said, "When I was sealed inside your mother, your father did a bit of tinkering with her seal. He put some other seals over it as additional failsafe mechanisms in case I try to break free. Entirely by accident, he managed to put a little of his chakra into the seal itself and it brought him here."
"Huh, and what happened?"
"He was…different from the other humans I've met. There was Uchiha Madara who completely believed that we Bijuu are simple mindless beings that needs the aid of his clan to gain a purpose." She spat on the ground. "There was Senju Hashirama, who thought that my power was too great to be left free. There was his wife, my first jinchuuriki, who connects the unleashing of my power to inevitable hatred. There was your mother, my second jinchuuriki, who indirectly stated that me being sealed in her is a curse. But your father held a different viewpoint. He was curious about me. He was sorely interested in how I came into being. He cared nothing for my power and held no ill intent for me. But I figured that was because he has only seen me for a day." She chuckled. "Imagine my surprise when the bastard actually created his own communication link between him and me. I mean, he really takes the time to enter into the seal and just chat! That was unbelievable to me! And he even had the audacity to sit on my snout!"
Every former Konoha-nin looked at Minato, who was scratching the back of his head.
"Uh," he said, "hehe, surprise?"
"You had conversations with Kyuubi in the past and you didn't tell me," Kushina exclaimed, shaking him hard.
"I tried to get him off but he stayed strong on me and the bastard clearly said that he 'enjoyed the ride.' When I tried the Bijuudama on him, he used his recent creation, the Jikukan Kekkai, and had a curious look on his face at me. That was the inception of the Rasengan. I actually was impressed and amused by him. The fact that he actually created a jutsu based off of a Bijuudama was ludicrous.
Her smile slowly turned to a frown. "I slowly found myself adjusting to his presence. He visited every night, after he and Kushina had their endless bout of sex." Kushina and Minato turned bright red. "He would come into the seal and chat with me. He kept this a secret from his wife because he was afraid how she would take it and the only time that Kushina actually talked to me was to demand my chakra, much like you did in the past. I didn't see the need to tell her then.
She looked up at Naruto. "She dreamt of him, you know. After he saved her from the Kumo-nin, she started dreaming of the one who saved her life and every single dream she had passed through my eyes. She actively sought him out and they started their relationship. And those dreams continued. And I saw through every single one. Even before they were officially dating, I was curious of him. I pried my way through Kushina's subconscious and read through every actual memory of him. And as I did so, I felt…something within me. I couldn't explain it and thought nothing of it. Time went on and that feeling only grew larger and I knew nothing of it until I felt that same emotion from Kushina when they became lovers. It was l-love. I started to love your father. It was foreign to me. I hated it because it is not who I am. I am the beast of hate not a lover. I denied it as much as I could but somehow…it somehow kept coming back, stronger than before. I finally found my chance to be rid of him. I was released from my seal.
Her shoulders shook. "I fought him. As much as I didn't want to, I still fought him, under the Uchiha's control. Then, there came the sealing. Again, I didn't know why but I still didn't want to fight him. Watching him interact with his wife filled me jealousy for her. When I attacked your infant form, I was horrified to find him on my claw with his wife. And then, I was sealed. In there, I grew out of my foolish love for your father. He was a one-woman man, I reasoned, and she wouldn't have agreed to it. Thus, I let the matter go. But you came along. The offspring of the man I first loved and my second jinchuuriki came to me. I didn't know what to feel so I became to you what I was to everyone else: the fearsome Kyuubi no Yoko. As time went on, however, I slowly changed. Whereas before, your father was in my mind because of Kushina's experiences, now, I slowly found myself attracted to you. Overtime, I felt a presence in my mind alongside that feeling of attraction and affection. I realized that the presence was you. You were crawling in my head, much like how the Uchiha's Sharingan works when I was controlled. I hated you then and there because you crawl in my head as they do, but your presence holds no commands of destruction or temptations of power; you were just…there, unspoken. I hated you because you were attractive to me, more attractive than your father. But despite that hatred, I-I couldn't bring myself to believe it so. Your words during that meeting only strengthened that resistance. It broke past my defenses and burst open the hidden feelings I had." She was now openly crying onto his chest.
Naruto was silent as she did so. He looked down at her red hair and stroked it softly. "I don't know how hard it is to accept love, since you're the Bijuu of hatred and all. But that doesn't mean that I won't allow you to try. You are just as precious to me as my other lovers and I will not allow it to go unrequited."
"How," she asked. "How would I be able to fully embrace that concept?"
"Shh," he soothed, "let's take things one step at a time. Let's try the same things that dad and mom did." He stopped. "Out of curiosity, what do the other Bijuu feel about me?"
She softly laughed. "Ichibi, Nibi, Sanbi, Rokubi, and Nanabi feel the same towards you. Ichibi has seen your strength and immediately fell for you; she always liked strong people with a noble heart, despite Ichibi's rough personality. Nibi was inside Yugito and can experience what she experienced this whole time, much like Nanabi and Fuu. As such, just as the jinchuuriki fell for you, so too did they. Sanbi was attracted to your inner strength and will. You can expect them to tell you of it soon."
"I have my lover work cut out for me then." He tilted her face up before putting his lips against hers, resulting in a passionate kiss.
"That was truly interesting," Mayuri stated with a grin on his face. "Minato-san, you are more than I gave you credit for."
"Indeed," Tobirama agreed. "To have a Bijuu fall for you is no light achievement."
Minato swallowed some saliva and said, "It is an honor, Kyuubi-san and…I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable back then."
Kyuubi huffed. "You gave me your son. He was worth the annoyances and irritations."
Hiruzen coughed. "Um…perhaps we can take a break from this memory-viewing and Kyuubi-san can show us her Hollow mask collection?"
She grinned wide. "Oh, you'll love it! I have the greatest collection of Hollow masks out of the nine! I also have the most number of Vasto Lordes eaten out of the nine! You can bet your ass that I'm proud of it."
Naruto smirked. "Now, now, Kyuu-chan, there's no need to keep our guests waiting, is there?"
"No, I suppose not."
"Then, lead the way."
YES! I have the newest chapter done!
Alright, I'll give you the harem list. Note that this list only lists the females that have been named from Chapter One till now, since I plan to keep the remaining females a secret.
Konoha: Hyuuga Hinata and Kurama Yakumo
Suna: Sabaku no Karura and Sabaku no Temari (due to the popular demand of one against none)
Kumo: Nii Yugito and Samui
Kiri: Terumii Mei
Taki: Fuu
Kusa: Ryuzetsu
Yume: Tenro Ryuka
Tsuki: Tsukino
Hoshi: Hokuto
Nami no Kuni: Tsunami
Oni no Kuni: Shion and Miroku
Princesses: Sara, Toki, Haruna, and Kazehana Koyuki
Nadeshiko: Shizuka and Lili de Rochefort
Fuma clan: Sasame, Kagero, and Kotohime
Uzushio: Ringo Ameyuri, Suiren, Pakura, Amaru, and Tatsushiro Akari
Others: Yami Kushina (named Yamina), Yami Mito (named Miyo), Princess Kasumi, Kyuubi, Nanabi, Rokubi, Sanbi, Nibi, Ichibi, Isaribi, Suiryuu, Keiryuu, and Aoi
This is a big harem but I can make it work for the sole reason that it is a possible thing for Naruto. Alongside his mastery of the Kage Bunshin (thus, an orgy of Narutos and his harem), he has had no experience in love and therefore would not know the proper pretenses and courtesies. He, who has been denied love and peace, would know not to reject a true confession because he does not wish to have the same happen to her.
As for the NaruHina pairing, deal with it. I like Hinata with Naruto, despite her stalking tendencies. I can see no one I would like to pair with her. Sasuke is too avenger-ish. Shino is too bug-ish. Shikamaru is too troublesome. Chouji eats too muh. Kiba is too dog-ish. Lee is too Youthful-ish. And Neji is too 'Hinata-sama'-ish.
Read and Review.