A/N: I've been in a rutt lately. Many of you were already well aware. However, even between Tellemicus Sundance's infinite patience, The 17th Immortal's assistance and Servent of Jashin's willfull support, I still haven't pulled myself out of my nearly year long bout of writer's block. It's actually gotten worse in some cases, and my writting (with the exception of "The Archive Rejects") has generally suffered for it.
To quote a another buddy of mine, Vesvius B, "Inspiration is a fickle bitch. Sometimes, she whispers the greatest things since sliced bread, and sometimes you gotta spank the whore until she gives it up."
Lately, I've been spanking, whipping and have tied her down and had my way with her and inspiration still hasn't given me anything concrete.
However, none of my works have suffered more from it than the promised "Ultimate Kitsune: Youko Naruto". I'm tabling this idea for now and "putting it back on the shelf". I liked the beginning of this, but the end of where I left off seemed a bit forced.
So, here is the incomplete, proposed first chapter.
Chapter One: The Merging and Sealing, Enter Youko Naruto.
The battle field looked like a disaster area.
A load roar could be heard, this from a slim, but still rather large white kitsune with seven tails, his eyes gold in color. It leapt into the air bearing down on its' opponent, a massive red kitsune with nine tails.
The red one batted the white one away. Golden eyes met Crimson. Cuts and tears covered both bodies, but both were rapidly healing at an accelerated rate, though the red one was healing much faster.
"Give it up, Kurama... You are no match for me!" shouted the Kyuubi (Nine Tails).
"Be that is it may be, Kotarou, I will not allow your treachery to come to pass!" shouted the Shichibi (Seven Tails), named Kurama. His eyes began to glow and plants attacked his foe from below.
The Kyuubi jumped into the air, breathing in deeply, and blew a large stream of fire at Kurama. Kurama barely dodged.
'I can't fight him at this level much longer...' Kurama thought to himself.
The two charged each other, but Kurama was easily over powered and injured.
'I have no other choice but to withdraw...' thought Kurama. Kurama made one last desperation attack that served two purposes. First, it blinded his opponent temporarily and caused them great pain. Second, it really pissed him off. However, as he began to retreat, Kotarou eventually gave pursuit.
Kurama than had no choice but to retreat to a place he had not been to in many centuries, Ningenkai (Human World).
The two had a few brief scuffles, and by the time Kurama made it to Ningenkai he had been heavily wounded. He was dying. He had no choice but to revert to his human form to avoid rousing suspicion.
His massive Kitsune body changed into a silver haired man with golden slitted eyes, kitsune ears on the top of his head and seven swishing tails behind him, wearing a white robe stained with blood. He continued to change, however, his silver hair turning red, his golden eyes now an emerald green and his tails and ears gone. His form of dress had changed as well. He was now wearing a white jacket and pants trimmed in pink with a pink sash around his waist, and black shoes.
"It's been a long time since I've taken this form... I'd almost forgotten what it was like to be Suichi rather than Youko, or even Shichibi..." Kurama murmured to himself.
He made his way through the forest he was in when he spotted a village. Hopefully, they could help him. He never made it as he eventually succumbed to blood loss and exhaustion.
A deafening explosion followed by a large tremor brought Kurama back to consciousness.
He closed his eyes, and felt a few rather large energy signatures. Three of them had to have been within the next room. He found a crack in the wall and placed a seed into it. Using a small amount of energy he managed to work the plant into the wall to listen in on what was going on.
"You can't Minato!" shouted a voice.
"I have no other choice Ero-Sensei," said 'Minato', "As Hokage, it is my responsibility to protect those precious to me. The village and everyone in it are those people."
"What about Naruto?" asked another voice, "The people aren't as accepting as you or I would like them to be. You're condemning him to a lifetime of hatred and solitude."
"I have faith in my village and its' people Ojii-san," said Minato. "I also have faith in my son and his strength."
"If nothing else, Minato, let me or Sarutobi-sensei preform the sealing!" pleaded Ero-Sensei.
'The sealing?' Kurama thought to himself.
"Jiraiya is right, with Kushina already having passed on, Naruto won't have very many people to turn to for guidance," said Sarutobi.
"That's not the half of it..." said Minato. "I know the both of you love Konoha as much as I do myself, but do the two of you realize the consequences of this Fuin Jutsu? The powers of the Shinigami are not to be called upon needlessly. When I pass on, I will not even have the luxury of seeing my beloved again. My soul will go directly into the stomach of the Shinigami as payment for using his powers to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto."
'Kyuubi... Kotarou!' thought Kurama in surprise. 'He's going to call upon the powers of Death itself to seal Kotarou into in a child... Ingenious, but I can not allow them to commit such a travesty... It's my fault he's attacking them... But even at full strength I can't defeat him...'
An explosion rocked the foundations of the hospital. The crying of a baby could be heard. The men moved to the child and Minato began to comfort the child. It didn't take long for the man to get his son to become silent once more.
"Still, Minato, at least allow me to do the sealing!" insisted Sarutobi, "Naruto is barely a few hours old and has already lost one parent, don't let him lose both!"
Minato sighed. "That, I can not do. Someone will have to lead the people in the aftermath of this tragedy and I am unfit to lead the people in their time of need."
"What the hell are you saying, you're an excellent Hokage!" said Jiraiya.
"No, No I'm not... I have been, and always will be, a field shinobi. I can make strategies, assist in battles and lead large groups of men and women to war, but if I've learned anything in my short time as Hokage, is that I never was truly fit to lead a whole village," said Minato, "The people love me because of my achievements during the war. Their admiration blind them to my faults, and in a few years time, as the marks of war fade, they will see that I never truly was meant to be a politician."
Another explosion shook the hospital.
"Then at least allow me to do the sealing!" shouted Jiraiya, "That way Naruto doesn't lose both of his parents on the day he was born and Sarutobi-sensei can act as your advisor."
"No, Ero-Sensei, your information network is second to none. The services you provide to Konoha are far too great and important for us to lose you, just as Ojii-san's leadership prowess is what the people of Konoha will need to get them through this trying time for the village." said Minato, "We're the only three that has the power to do this, but I'm the least important to the village. Even if I wasn't Hokage, I would still do this because I am the only one who can."
"KUSO!" Jiraiya cursed.
"We still have preparations to make," said Minato, "I want you to be me with me during the sealing Ero-Sensei. Ojii-san... When this is all over... Tell Kakashi-kun and Rin-chan, that... That I'm sorry... And to have them help look after little Naruto. Even if the village accepts him like I hope they will, he will have many dark days ahead of him."
Kurama heard the three men leave the room. He knew he had to move quickly or else all would be lost. The man named Minato was the only being within the vicinity that was capable of defeating Kotarou, but that didn't mean Kurama wouldn't help. He decided he would help the boy the only way he knew how, and at the same time atone for his sins against the village because if it wasn't for him, the Kyuubi no Kotarou would have never have come to Konohagakure no Sato.
Kurama changed from his red haired visage to his silver haired counter part.
Minamino Suichi was now Youko Kurama.
He quickly climbed out of his window to the neighboring room. He was relieved to find it empty. The nurse hadn't been in to check on the young babe just yet. He wouldn't have much time. Kurama began to summon his power. Soon he changed into his kitsune from, all seven tails swishing behind him, only much smaller than when he was fighting Kotarou.
Like he had several centuries before, he merged with a human. There was no way he'd let the child shoulder the burden he had set upon the village alone. A few minutes it was done. The nurse arrived just seconds after the process was complete and searched the room for the bright light she saw through the door to no avail.
The nurse diligently watched over the Hokage's son. Yet, she felt as if something had changed about the newborn, but couldn't place what.
Not an hour later Minato and Jiraiya came back.
"It's time..." Minato said more to himself than either Jiraiya or Naruto. "Gomen, my son..."
"We've got to hurry Minato, we don't know how much longer Kakashi and the others can last out there..." said Jiraiya.
And so it came to be that the Kyuubi no Youko, that had mysteriously attacked Konohagakure no Sato for no apparent reason, was sealed into the newborn son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
The Sandaime Hokage informed the populace, but was met with mixed reactions that were rapidly moving out of his favor. So he placed a decree stating the none who don't already know about the truth of the 'Kyuubi Incident' were to never be told of it, unless absolutely necessary or with the permission of the current Hokage. Not even the boy himself was to know the truth.
Jiraiya, saddened by the loss of his former apprentice and his apprentice's wife, whom he had become quite fond of, and sickened by the villagers reaction to Naruto, left the village with a heavy heart to continue on with his duties.
Kakashi was stricken with grief. He felt truly alone in the world for the first time in a long time. His father had taken his own life several years prior and Obito just a few years ago. Just when it seemed that he was getting over those deaths, Rin and his Sensei's entire family had died. Though he never voiced it to anyone except Kushina, he was greatly looking forward to being one of the godfathers for his sensei's child. Now that, along with everything else, had been ripped away from him completely.
Naruto had grown up to be rather reclusive. Even without the majority of the adults in the village telling their children to stay away from him, he was quite withdrawn. He was awfully attentive and alert for a boy his age and learned rather quickly. While he did not flaunt his abilities, he made no effort to hide them either.
However, Sarutobi feared announcing the young boy as some sort of prodigy because who knew what the consequences of that action would be. The council would either side with Danzou to commission Naruto as a part of the ANBU to make him into a weapon, or they would side with some of the least understanding of people and demand the boy's execution.
Naruto was quite confused on many things, after all the world had greatly changed since most all demons returned to Makai during the war. However, some answers were more pressing than others, like why he was given the surname of his mother and not his father. His only assumption was that Minato had a lot of enemies, but he couldn't be sure and it wasn't as if he could asked the current Hokage because it would lead to questions the he himself wasn't ready to answer yet.
After all, he wasn't supposed to know about his parents or the fact that Kotarou was currently slumbering inside of him.
He made his way through the village carefully, reading a book on botany. Many tended to look at him peculiarly, as it was rare for one his age to even be walking alone in the street, not to mention reading while doing so. Once they recognized him they glared or ignored him. A lot of the times they did both.
Due to his enhanced hearing he could hear much of what they would say about him. Each time he'd give them a sad pitying glance. It tended to unnerve quite a few people often.
Only on three occasions had someone actually attempt to harm him.
The first his new form had been to immature to defend against in any form, but he had been saved by the ANBU guard, a silver haired man one eye. The rescuer was one of the few that did not gaze at him with a look of disgusted hatred, but of repressed sadness, as if he had been reminded of someone close to him. Kurama, or Naruto now, figured this was likely to be the 'Kakashi' Minato had referred to before the two had become one. Naruto figured it was likely that Kakashi was as unaware of his human heritage as anyone else.
The second had been one of the new caretakers at the orphanage. It surprised everyone just how bold she had been. She had at first attempted using moderately subtle poisons, but due to his advanced senses Naruto easily detected them. Of course unlike the last attack, this one was done by a civilian, not a shinobi. After a week of avoiding her various methods of subtle assassination, she decided to attack him out right. Though not as fast, strong or powerful as he had been, he was much stronger as Naruto than he was as Suichi at the same age. He managed to delay her just long enough for another rescuer to come. This one had worn only fishnet, a miniskirt that should have been illegal, and a long tan trenchcoat.
Like Kakashi, this one did not look at him in hatred. In fact, for a brief moment she held the same calm pitying gaze that often adorned his face. Obviously someone who was universally hated like himself. Though he didn't know the reason why, he figured it had something to do with snakes, as her scent seemed tainted with them for some unknown reason.
The third time someone had tried to harm him, it wasn't even a person from Konoha, but Kumo. Though in the Kumo-nin's weak defense, Naruto had actually started that fight.
Three year old Naruto had spent most of the day out in the forest working one controlling his spirit energy which was now far stronger than should be allowed for a 'child' his age and molding what the shinobi of the village called 'Chakra'.
He'd seen some of the way the various ways some of the shinobi trained, and though his was still too small for most of it, he was still able to apply some of the most basic techniques. Meditation helped as well, though when he cleared his mind he found himself on the astral plane, within his own mind.
Naruto found himself in one of the more lush forests of Makai as it had looked when he still ruled, before Yomi's betrayal. Deciding to look around, he noticed there were some differences, such as the three types of vines on the ground. The first, which was fairly large, was a deep royal purple, the second which was about the same size was a reddish purple, and the third was slightly larger than the other two was pure red and gave off a sinister, malicious aura, while the first gave off one of serene peace.
'Interesting... Kotarou's energies seem to be merging with my own... Eventually the two would become one, though mine would be the dominant personality. Either Kotarou would meet his demise within the seal or become a second personality should I be in fatally wounded and in mortal danger...' thought Kurama studying the vines.
He followed them to the source and came upon a slumbering Kotarou who was locked in a cave that Naruto had recognized as one of his old loot stashes in Makai.
"Kotarou..." whispered Naruto.
The Kitsune stirred and saw he had a visitor.
"So what brings my jailer to see me?" he asked in a bored tone, before he realized something. He sat up quickly and level a glare at Kurama mustering as much killing intent as possible. "How do you know that name human!?"
"Has it been so long that you have forgotten who I am?" asked Naruto calmly.
Kotarou sniffed, his eyes narrowing further, "Kurama..." he growled with barely repressed hatred.
"Seeing as the reason you attacked the Human village because of me, I merged with the son of the village's leader shortly before the sealing. I couldn't let an innocent soul suffer the burden of imprisoning you, but I could not defeat you either, so another merger was my only choice, letting the two become one." said Naruto, "Or if you prefer, the three to become one."
"Bastard..." The Kyuubi growled, pushing Kurama out of his own mindscape.
Kurama noticed it was quite late an decided to head back to the orphanage. He doubted most of the caretakers would care if he came back or if he'd die somewhere in the middle of the forest, but he didn't want to worry the one or two that did genuinely care for his safety.
It was then that he noticed someone moving swiftly though the forest carrying a bundle over his shoulder. Suspicious, Naruto changed his course to intercept the man. Naruto noted the man moved like a shinobi. He then saw that the man wore a Kumo hitai-ite. However, it was the third detail the made Naruto act. He had caught not one, but two scents. One from the man, the second from a small girl he had seen one or twice in the village.
The girl had looked lonely and he had tried to keep her company. However, on neither occasion, were her guards sympathetic to his plight and he was told (or threatened) to leave the heiress alone. She had been hopeful that someone would play with her, but her face adopted a crushed expression when he was harshly sent away.
Naruto swiftly maneuvered to intercept the foreign shinobi.
"I would unhand the girl if I were you..." said Naruto calmly, materializing in front of the Kumo-nin.
"Gaki scram before I decide to either kill you for getting in my way or bringing you with me so our Torture and Interrogation Squad can show you what happens to hero idiot kids who disrespect their elders." the Kumo-nin sneered.
Naruto sighed. "I hadn't wanted to kill you, but I will if I must."
"What's a little gaki like you going to do anyways?" The Kumo-nin mocked.
Naruto merely pulled a rose from his hair.
"A flower, Gaki?" said the shinobi, "I'd be doing your village a favor if I killed you now, so your stupidity didn't get others killed."
"A shinobi's greatest tool is deception. As I heard one of our Jounin put it, you must look underneath the underneath to see the true nature of things. Never underestimate an opponent, whether they are an elderly old lady, or a small child holding a flower, because in the shinobi world one can be just as deadly, if not more than even the fiercest looking of fighters." Naruto warned him.
"Whatever, Gaki. Impressive speech, too bad I have decided to kill you." said the Kumo-nin, who lazily drew a kunai and casually walked towards Naruto. The man was greatly underestimating Naruto, and he was about to pay with his life.
"Bara Shibenjin (Rose Whip)!" shouted the young Jinchuuriki as his opponent moved towards him lazily. The Kumo Jounin dropped his charge in shock as the rose became a razor sharp vine that easily sliced through his vest, leaving a slash mark across his chest. Another flick of the boy's wrist left a slash mark through his left arm. He immediately dropped his kunai.
"Bastard gaki!" he shouted. "I'm definitely going to kill you now!"
He began to rapidly speed through handseals.
"Too late." said Naruto calmly as the panicked Kumo Jounin found himself unable to move suddenly. "The Shimaneki Sou (Deathbringer Weed) has already taken root within your system."
"Wh-What have you done to me?!" asked the Jounin.
"I planted within your body the seed of a very dangerous plant that feeds off of the energies within living organisms. Namely, Reiki," Naruto explained, "Your first mistake was underestimating my abilities, had you taken me seriously from the start, I have little doubt you would have killed me easily without second thought. I used the Bara Shibenjin to slice open your vest so that I could leave an opening for my follow up attack. The second cut on your arm was a diversionary attack so that I could plant the Shimaneki Sou undetected and to allow for it to take root within your body."
"You made your second mistake, though you didn't know it, when you tried to attack me, by using such a high level jutsu," Naruto went on, "As the seed began to feed off of your bodies' Reiki and allowed the plant to grow rapidly through out your system. You are only alive now because I am using my own energy to prevent it from killing you."
"Reiki? I was using Chakra," said the man confusedly.
"Chakra is the product of two separate forms of energy combined together. Physical and Spiritual. Physical Energy is the sum of the physical manifestation of your body, it's a person's physical strength, stamina and constitution. Spiritual Energy, or Reiki, is the sum of a beings mental capacity. It is their combined will, knowledge, intelligence, experience and feelings. Shinobi combine these energies together for use in the form of Chakra in Jutsu. A fact often overlooked by Shinobi as they rise in rank."
"Clever gaki..." the Jounin complemented him, "But why keep me alive?"
"Leverage," said Naruto. "Had I not intercepted you first, that man in the bushes over there, most likely her father by all indications, would have killed you first and asked questions later. As it stands now, we have proof of Kumo's treachery so long as you live and since you can hardly move, we don't have to worry about you killing yourself in the near future."
The Kumo-nin was then knocked unconsious by a third party. Though he had been knocked out, he remained standing.
"That is an impressive display of skills, Uzumaki-san," said a long haired man with pupil-less eyes. "The Hyuuga Clan, and Konoha by extension, are in your debt."
"I did it for her sake, not for your clan and certainly not for Konoha," said Naruto calmly, "She has a kind heart and did not deserve such a fate that awaited her. However, I have one request to make of you, Hyuuga-sama."
"And what is it that you wish of me?" he asked evenly.
"That you report almost nothing of my abilities and skill- not even to the Hokage," he requested.
The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed.
"I am more knowledgeable about the events surrounding my birth than even my father, his sensei and the current Hokage," said Naruto, "However, if my knowledge were to become known many would try to take advantage of it and I am neither strong nor skilled enough to stop all of them."
The Hyuuga's eyes widened in surprise at that statement, but then took a calculating look.
"I will accept this, however..."
"You wish to know what the others don't," Naruto stated and the Hyuuga nodded. He sighed, "I suppose it was unavoidable, however, I ask you not reveal that information, ever. I had wished to reveal this to the Hokage first, but now just isn't the time."
"How will you explain this?" asked the Hyuuga gesturing towards the Kumo Jounin.
"The best deceptions are often rooted in truth, I got a lucky hit with my Bara Shibenjin and then you knocked him unconsious."
"The plant inside of him? That is too big of a detail to ignore. Not to mention your skills will be reported when he is interrogated."
The Jounin slumped to the ground, when he did so, Naruto also fell to his knees panting heavily. "I have regressed the plants growth. It is once again a simple seed that will pass harmlessly through his system undetected with minimal internal injuries. As for his memory, I have already taken care of that with a simple drug that was released in the thorns of my whip. He will remember nothing after my initial strike."
The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow.
"I had planned to just leave him for the ANBU," Naruto answered the unasked question. The Hyuuga nodded in acceptance.
"Very well, let's get Hinata back to the compound and take our... Friend... here to the ANBU," he said. "Then we shall have ourselves a rather interesting conversation."
Hinata had been unconsious for most of the ordeal having been administered a mild chloroform to keep her that way. Few of the guards had also been punished as had the Head of the Branch House of the Hyuuga Clan, who was in fact Hyuuga Hizashi, twin brother to the man Naruto had met after defeating the Kumo Jounin, Hyuuga Hiashi. Naruto thought it was a bit much for Hizashi's son, Neji, was present for his father's punishment, but it was none of his business as he was not a part of the clan.
The Kumo Jounin had been turned into the Torture and Interrogation Squad to be examined by Morino Ibiki and his newest apprentice Mitarashi Anko, the same woman who had helped him out months prior. The result had Kumo paying reparations to Konoha for their treachery.
True to his word, Naruto also revealed to Hiashi his secret. The truth about Demons, the Bijuu in general, and the fact that he was a youko and didn't just have one sealed within him. To say the Hyuuga head was astonished was an understatement. Hiashi's thoughts had run a mile a minute. Thoughts of killing the boy came to the fore front of his mind first. He would be lying if he wasn't in the least intimidated by the fact the boy was a demon with a demon sealed within him.
However, Hyuuga Hiashi was not an impulsive man and thus squashed all initial reactions. After all, the boy had shown trust in the Hyuuga head by revealing the truth, even if it was part of a deal.
The demon, or young boy, both were easily applicable, was honorable, and thought no ill will of the village despite their treatment of them. Of course the boy wasn't truly loyal to them either, but would ensure that innocents would not suffer needlessly in time of war and such, of that Hiashi was certain.
Naruto's human half was also the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato and, though he wasn't certain, if Naruto's surname was any indication, he was pretty sure of the identity of the Youko's Human mother. So even without the presence of two demons, the child was destined to be strong. While Naruto was quite powerful for his age now, he would eventually become legendary and Hiashi knew that was an opportunity too good not to pass up.
So Hiashi declared Uzumaki Naruto a friend to the Hyuuga Clan and under the clan's protection. Much to the displeasure of the Hyuuga Council. He also petitioned to the Hokage that Naruto become a ward of the Hyuuga Clan as well, which Sarutobi reluctantly granted, though only on the condition that Naruto NOT get receive the Caged Bird Seal. Again, to the Hyuuga Council, and even some of the Village Council's surprise, Hiashi readily agreed. And so Naruto was moved into a small hut within the Hyuuga Gardens near the mansion where the Main Branch Hyuuga resided.
Naruto had seen through Hiashi's motives and saw what the man was planning. Though he thought it underhanded, it was a clever future political move for the Hyuuga. Naruto really hadn't had much of a choice, as he knew he'd need allies down the road if he were to survive until he was powerful enough to stand on his own. As it was he had dropped a significant amount of power going from being an 'S'-Class Demon to being the equivalent of a high 'E'-Class.
Even if Hiashi and the rest of the Hyuuga had no more influence on Naruto as anyone else in the village, it was the village's perception that truly mattered. And it was the perceived power that would give the Hyuuga an added edge of political influence. Though Naruto was certain that his presence would hurt more than help the Hyuuga Clan in the immediate future. He had little doubt that Hiashi had already figured that the rewards at the end of the day were what truly mattered and that the gain far outweighed the loss.
Naruto's reputation had also spread quickly through the village. As he was not only a protected friend of the Hyuuga Clan, but a Ward under their watchful care as well. Not to mention he, a mere child, had held off a Jounin Level Shinobi until help had arrived in the form of the Hyuuga Clan Head and saved the Heiress of one of the village's most prominent clans with arguably the most powerful Kekkei Genkai in said village.
That one action gave Naruto the respect of a few Ninja, a hint of fear in the villagers and the misplaced burning hatred of one individual.
Within the Hyuuga household, he became an ally of Hiashi, the bane of the Council, though he did nothing to earn their ire, an object of admiration to Hinata and something of a son to Hyuuga Harumi. The matriarch of the Hyuuga Clan had taken a liking to him, often encouraging him, or comforting him much like she would her own child. Naruto was often reminded of Minamino Shiori during his tenure as Suichi all those centuries ago.
Two years later the Hyuuga Clan would be given reasons to both celebrate and mourn. First came the birth of Hanabi, younger sister to Hinata and the death of Harumi during child birth. Despite his best efforts, Naruto could not stop his adopted mother's sickness. It was his one true regret since becoming a human child once again.
Naruto, who was beginning to open up significantly to others, became slightly more withdrawn afterwards, but made an effort to stay strong for Hinata, who had withdrawn into a shell of her own. Hiashi had become colder towards everyone, even Naruto, Hinata and Hizashi. This meant that Hizashi became more bitter to everyone around him, raising tension between the Main and Branch House and that Naruto spent more and more time secluded in the gardens with either the plants or Hinata for company.
While Naruto had once respected Hiashi for his political finesse and the powerful aura he gave off, he was rapidly losing that with the way Hiashi treated his daughter Hinata. Though Naruto could understand why the Clan Head was so cold to the Heiress, there were times when he himself found it hard to be with one who looked so much like one you lost. It didn't help that Hinata's personality had been so much like her mother's in many ways. However, just because he understood, didn't mean he liked what he often saw or heard, and on many occasions stood up for the Heiress when others could or would not.
In this way, Naruto became a sort of stabilizer for Hinata. Her rock and her strength. Though she was no longer the outgoing, gentle girl she was before her mother's death, she wasn't as timid or as shy as she could have become without Naruto there to be a buffer between her and her father.
As "Naruto Kurama" grew in years, he was experiencing things he had never felt before. All beginning with Hyuuga Harumi's acceptance of him. The different sensations and feelings within him were confusing and somewhat foreign to him. He thrived on the affection Harumi bestowed upon him. More so than he did for his first human mother. There was a certain amount of protectiveness he felt for both Hinata and Hanabi that had never been there before. Not when he was Suichi fighting alongside Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei, and certainly not as Youko when he was the King of Thieves and a major power in Makai that hoped to rival Raizen one day. Things only got more confusing as he grew older.
He attributed this with the differences in the mergers themselves. When Kurama merged to become Suichi, Shiori was still pregnant, the body within her womb had yet to receive a soul. Yes, there had been a spark of life within her, but nothing to drive it, nothing to make the living organism within her into an actual sentient being. The stress from the merger also sent Shiori into pre-mature labor and Suichi Kurama would be born a few hours later.
When he merged with Naruto, however, the boy had already been quite alive, his soul only having just settled in. Once a soul is in place, it is nearly impossible to destroy or remove. Though Kurama knew it was possible, it was something far beyond his own capabilities. So not only did the minds and bodies merge, but the souls as well. While Kurama retained his consciousness, personality, etc., there was a certain amount of 'newness' to everything. Many things, even if he had done them before, felt as if it had been a first for him. And for a small part of him, it was.
Naruto found a somewhat kindred spirit in both Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino. Both were reserved like he was and far more than they appeared. Shino was very stealthy and hard to detect at times and was always fully aware of his surroundings, observing everything. As for Shikamaru, despite his apathetic attitude, the boy was a genius. Naruto often found himself enjoying a round or two of Shogi and Go with the pineapple haired boy on the cooler afternoons when the boy wasn't cloud watching. The two boys were an even match, though Shikamaru lead Naruto by two victories in Shogi and one in Go.
He and Akimichi Chouji didn't have much in common at all, but they got along well enough. Though Naruto would reluctantly admit that the two of them probablly wouldn't even be friends if not for their mutual friend, Shikamaru. Not to say either boy had anything against the other, quite the opposite in fact, they were just too different. However, Naruto knew befriending Chouji was something he would never regret doing. The boy had few friends outside himself and Shikamaru, but he had a streak of loyalty that ran deep and more often than not reminded him of Kuwabara and Yusuke in many ways. He knew Chouji would go through hell and back for his friends and Naruto was determined to not have to let it go that far.
One thing Kurama was certain he hadn't been affected by when growing up as Suichi was human hormones.
He didn't know what it was, but one boy, by the name of Inuzuka Kiba, often brought out a more feral and aggressive side of himself. The two were exact opposites. Naruto was calm and reserved, Kiba was loud and brazen. As strange as it was, Kiba was probablly both Naruto's best friend and fiercest rival. It was a relationship that was mutual on both ends and both had the urge to compete with one another in everything.
In terms of brute strength and speed, Kiba won out every time. Naruto countered this with cleverness and perfectly executed technique. The two boys would often spar together, though more often then not, Naruto would win. However, the boys knew each other so well that they were pretty much even in their fights until one or the other made a mistake. Naruto often felt guilty that he held back so much on Kiba, but the boy's rapid improvement overtime squashed those thoughts.
Another aspect he had not anticipated, nor encountered as Suichi, was attraction to the opposite sex. Suichi just had not been interested in finding a partner. While he had always known girls were often pleasing to look at, that fact hardly ever affected him, if at all. Now he often found himself being distracted by them, or trying to impress them in someway. This brought him to two other notable members of his class. Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura. They were easily two of the prettiest girls in his class, and the two always managed to catch his eye on more than one occasion.
He didn't know much about either of them, other than the fact the Yamanaka girl knew almost as much about plants as he did (minus their uses in combat) and the Haruno girl's academic scores were second highest in the entire class. Right below his own. The only remaining fact was that both were avid members of both the Sasuke and Naruto fanclubs.
Kurama shuddered. Even in the deepest, darkest and most vile pits of Makai had he ever faced anything as vile, as sinister or as horrifyingly frightening as the fangirl.
From the information he had overheard, the former fanclub started because the Uchiha Heir was supposedly some sort of tragic, mysteriously dark hero. His own formed because he was some sort of mysteriously, silent 'bad boy'. He couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that the only reason his fanclub had formed was due to the girl's parent's resentment of the Kyuubi sealed within him.
Naruto Kurama would always frown whenever his thoughts wondered to the Uchiha Heir. Though he did not know exactly what had happened, he was able to piece together enough. He could also feel an underlying darkness within the boy that didn't seem right.
However, even though the Uchiha was a bit spoilt, Naruto could not deny his skills. Although Shino held back a great deal, he was still sure Sasuke's were slightly superior to the Aburame, if only just slightly. Sasuke's specialty seemed to be weapons, mostly of the throwing variety, kunai and most types of shuriken. It was the one field that Sasuke clearly was superior to Naruto in. The Uchiha was the second best person he had ever seen in the use of throwing weapons, right behind the girl a year above them with the twin bun hairstyle. While Naruto was just as accurate as Sasuke when throwing them one at a time, he could not throw over a dozen shuriken and kunai at the same time and achieve the same results as the Uchiha Heir. The girl with the panda like hair style, he saw, could shoot far more from a scroll and still maintain a perfect accuracy rate, blindfolded.
In the other fields, it was a constant struggle for the top spot between Kurama, Sasuke and Kiba in Taijutsu. However, Naruto did not, in this or any of his other lives, specialize in hand to hand combat, so it would only be a matter of time when the other two boys, and maybe Chouji as well, surpassed him in that area when he's not holding back.
In the area of academics, Naruto had the top grades, followed by Haruno Sakura. He suspected that if they didn't hold themselves back, Shino's grades would be closer to Sakura's and Shikamaru's grades would more than likely match, if not surpass (if only just barely) his own. As it was, Shikamaru did the absolute least amount of anything to pass, but still maintain his 'dobe' status amongst the class.
Ninjutsu was an area that was one that Naruto Kurama both excelled and floundered in. He had still been unable to create a Bunshin, but on the other hand his Henge was the best in the class. This didn't even go in the rest of his techniques, though they weren't technically ninjutsu, nor did they even use chakra. He was certain that it was Kotarou's presence within him that made it nearly impossible for him to summon such a small amount of Chakra.
Living among the Hyuuga, one was bound to learn more than just a little about Chakra control. As a Jinchuuriki, such control was paramount if one was to be effective in doing anything as a shinobi. Despite Naruto's efforts, he resigned himself to never being able to perform a Bunshin. He even had Neji, Hinata and Hanabi's cousin, seal off his tenketsu points in hopes of reducing the amount of chakra he had access to would increase his control. After several tries, closing a different combination of points each time, and a lot of pain, the two boys finally decided to give it a rest. All they had succeeded in doing was make Naruto's chakra control worse.
"Not many people I know would willing take even one Jyuuken strike, let alone the amount you took today," said Hizashi, who had been watching his son and Naruto try to improve Naruto's chakra control.
"It seems no matter what I do, I just can't control small amounts of Chakra," said Naruto considering more options of what he could do. "It took months to complete the leaf exercise, weeks for tree walking and only days to master water walking. It's almost as if the more advanced the technique, the more chakra it consumes, the easier it is to control."
"There might be a way for you to form a Bunshin without you having to go through such extremes to further your grasp on chakra control," said Hizashi. Naruto nodded, waiting for Hizashi to continue. "As I see it, your best option would be to try and learn a different type of Bunshin. I'd teach you myself, but..."
"I understand." replied Naruto, and he did.
The Hyuuga clan were quite zealous about not tainting their clan's technique, and thus no Hyuuga learned outside techniques, if it could be helped, and no one from outside the clan ever learned the Jyuuken. The only exception to this rule was Naruto. As a ward of the Main Branch of the Hyuuga Clan, he was instructed in the Jyuuken fighting style, as he was technically part of the clan. Though because he lacked the Byakugan, he was not shown any advanced technique, such as Hakkeshou Kaiten or Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou (Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin or Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms). Naruto also trained extensively in non-Hyuuga forms of combat as he wasn't biologically part of the Hyuuga family and thus could not get by on Jyuuken alone.
"Your best bet would be to find Hatake Kakashi or go see the Sandaime, they know more jutsu than any other person in Konoha, I'm sure one of them might have something to aid you," Hizashi told him.
"Hai, Hizashi-sama," Naruto responded. Hizashi shook his head. Despite what he told the boy, Naruto had always shown him the upmost respect, despite his station in the Hyuuga Branch Family.
After the academy let out, instead of walking home with Hinata and her Chuunin escort, Yuuhi Kurenai, as was the norm, Naruto headed straight for the Hokage Tower, as he had no idea how to find Kakashi. Nor did he want to as he was sure he'd dredge up old, painful memories.
"So, Naruto, what brings you here to see me?" asked Sarutobi kindly.
"Hokage-sama, my current level of chakra control makes me incapable of preforming the Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)," said Naruto getting straight to the point. "I've mastered all the way up to the water walking exercise and have started a few others, but I simply have an over abundance of chakra to control properly on that level. Hizashi-sama suggested to ask you because if I fail to create a satisfactory Bunshin, I can't graduate from the academy, no matter what my ranking in class is."
"Hmm... There are a variety of Bunshin that would be easier for one such as you with your condition," said Sarutobi deep in thought. "I think I know one that could supplement your abilities as well, if that Bara Shibenjin was any indication." Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, and wondered exactly how much the Sandaime actually knew of his abilities.
"I am going to show you a technique I learned during our war with Iwa, called the Tsuchi Bunshin (Earth Clone). It takes a significant amount of chakra to use, though it is far from being the most chakra exhausting of all the Bunshin Jutsus," said Sarutobi, "The handseals are..."
Sarutobi then lectured Naruto on the Tsuchi Bunshin before sending him back home to practice the jutsu.
Naruto's tracking was matched only by Kiba and his stealth was only rivaled by Shino. The latter boggled the academy instructors because of Naruto's choice of clothing. They really didn't have anything to say about the style, as it was rather fashionable, though not something a shinobi would actually wear on a mission. No, it was the fact that jacket and pants he wore were orange (1). Added his long blonde hair and one SHOULD have an easy target on their hands. Yet despite this, many of the Chuunin Instructors could not hope to match Naruto's stealth and detection skills, much to their chagrin. Only Umino Iruka and Aburame Shino seemed to consistantly be able to match him.
Academy graduation came fairly quickly that year and Naruto's position as 'Rookie of the Year' as locked in place, with Sasuke, Kiba and Hinata just behind him in overall scores.
Naruto contemplated the teams that would be made. He knew already, through simple logic that he would not end up on a team with Sasuke, Shikamaru or Hinata. The last one he had requested, much to the surprise of the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama... When you make the teams... Could you make sure Hinata-chan isn't on my team?" Naruto asked reluctantly.
"Is there some sort of problem?" Sarutobi asked concernedly.
"No, just the opposite," said Naruto.
"Then I'll need good reason to make sure that it doesn't happen. After all, the teams have to be balanced out and both of your sensory abilities along with either the Aburame or the Inuzuka in your class would make for excellent tracking and recon teams."
"She's the clan's heiress. When Hiashi-sama steps down, she'll be the one taking on the mantle as head of the clan," Naruto began to explain to Sarutobi, who nodded his head. "Since we were four I've practically been her protector. Even against threats that even Hizashi-sama and Neji can defend her from. We all know how much Hiashi-sama changed after Harumi-okaasan passed on, but he tends to be extra hard on Hinata-chan. Because I've always stood up for her, she kind of relies on me. Separating us should make her see that she can rely on others who are not me or Neji and maybe even stand on her own if she needs to."
"You make some excellent points, but I won't guarantee anything as of yet," said Sarutobi.
As Sasuke was firmly set in the number 2 slot in the class rankings, Naruto knew that the teams would be vastly unbalanced should they be teamed together. As for Shikamaru, despite tradition that the dobe and the Rookie of the Year were often paired together, having two of the three best strategists in the class on one team would also unfairly unbalance the teams.
Naruto sighed as he continued to practice his chakra control exercises. Kotarou's presence within his body was not helping matters. There were even a few times he was certain his fellow kitsune was actively trying to keep him from mastering any for of significant control over their combined powers. Naruto only shuddered to think how much more difficult it would have been had he been entirely human with a demon sealed inside of him instead of being a demon with a demon within him.
It was quite late when Naruto decided to call it a night. However, it seemed that he would be fated to intervene once again as he saw a figure moving stealthily and quickly through the forest as a series of alarms went off. The shadowed figure stopped at a nearby cabin to rest for a quick moment, when Naruto caught up to him in the clearing and decided to confront the man.
He saw Umino Iruka with a rather large scroll. He was also gripping a rather nasty gash on his torso. He obviously hadn't gotten away unscathed.
Iruka was exhausted, having made a hasty escape with the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. He was sure his master would be please once they met up again. It was only a matter of time. He winced in pain has he held the gash in his side. It served the fool right for getting in the way. He had managed to patch himself up quickly before getting the scroll, but it seemed as if his quick fix had reopened. Iruka was pulled out of his thoughts when a small pebble smacked him on his forehead.
"What the-!?" said Iruka menacingly, drawing a kunai.
"There seems to be a disturbance in the village, and it looks like you're the cause," said Naruto calmly. "Though it doesn't seem like you got away completely unscathed, did you, Mizuki-sensei?"
"It doesn't matter, by the time those fools pick up the trail again, you'll be dead and I'll be long gone!" Iruka replied, before then giving Naruto a sharp look. He immediately dispelled the Henge. "How'd you know it was me?"
The man in question was a now injured Mizuki who had disguised himself as Iruka.
Naruto pointed to his nose. "Enhanced senses. Only the Inuzuka have better noses than I."
"It only proves it then," spat Mizuki.
"Proves what?" Naruto asked, though he had a vague impression at what Mizuki was getting at.