Author's Note: I wanted to address the chapter 9 reviews and show that I do read and greatly appreciate all of the reviews I get.
AnimeKing211: If you hate the siblings now just wait they get worse but I will say that they will have a bigger effect on the story then Raditz. I also hated Raditz as well
PinkiePieParty122894: I'm happy that you are enjoying the story so far and thank you for your continuous support
MarethyuQ: Appreciate the comment and I'm glad that you like the story
clio1111: Menma and Narumi definitely need a beating and it may be from Naruto or it may be from someone else. Only time will tell :)
Animaman: Thank you for the review, it has given me a lot to think about in terms of ideas for the story. The pairing is going to be Naruto and Yakumo. I don't really want to do a harem so there won't be any new girls added. I think after you read this chapter you will see if the twins are redeemable and I will say that Tsunade is definitely redeemable. Also Jiraiya may be redeemable but right now is kind of a wildcard.
(Amegakure no Sato)
Nagato and Konan sat in the rain wondering when everything went so wrong. Scattered among them were several dead bodies, each wearing the same black cloak with red clouds. These corpses that now lie lifeless on the ground were each S rank ninja part of an organization known as the Akatsuki. The leader of this organization was Nagato Uzumaki but now there was no one to lead. Out of the group, only he and Konan remained.
"Nagato, we need to leave" Konan said worriedly to a blank faced Nagato. The red headed rinnegan user simply shook his head at Konan's suggestion. "No Konan, you need to leave. I am not healthy enough to travel. You know what must be done and unfortunately I will not be able to assist you. Go and find your sister for she is the only one who can stop those monsters from destroying this world" he said, his breath shortening. His time was coming to a close.
"NO! I won't leave you Nagato! You are all I have left. I won't leave you, I can't leave you" she said as tears started streaming. The feeling of a hand on her face drew her out of her depressed trance. Looking at Nagato, she saw a smile on his face. Something that hadn't happened since the formation of the Akatsuki. "Konan, you are the most important person in my life. I'm sorry that I tried to lead you down the dark path that I followed. When I pass on, the responsibility of taking care of this world falls to you. Only you can sense the power that your sister holds so go. Find her and preserve peace for this world" Nagato said before looking to the sky and smiling. With those last words, Nagato Uzumaki died.
Konan watched as her oldest friend died right in front of her. As his eyes closed for the last time, she tried to shake him awake. She yelled at him, screamed at him, and begged him to wake up, but it did no good. After hours of mourning and eventually burying Nagato she began to leave Ame. Before burying Nagato, she had removed and destroyed his eyes. Only he would be able to use the eyes of god, she made sure of it.
Reaching the gates of Ame, Konan strengthened her resolve and drew in everything she had to sense her sister's power. It took about an hour before she locked onto it.
"For Nagato, I will help you save the world sister. Here I come Sera."
(Konohagakure no Sato, Uchiha Estate)
Itachi was having a nice dream about pocky when he was awakened rather abruptly. Opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of something that made Itachi jump up and nearly scream. A snake like creature that looked to be around seven feet total length was coiled on his bed. Before he could think about how to handle the situation, the creature performed a to say the least unexpected action. It spoke.
"Itachi Uchiha" it asked gaining only a slight nod from a still on guard Itachi. "I have been sent by my superiors to inform you that Naruto Uzumaki will be missing for at the most two months. He is currently training with our kind in our realm. Naruto will send weekly reports to you and your Hokage on his status and you may relay any questions you may have for him through the messenger. Also, Naruto said to tell Yakumo not to be mad and that he will make it up to her when he returns. Have I explained the message clearly?" the creature asked. Itachi once again nodded and watched in awe as the creature evaporated into mist.
'What just happened' was the major question on Itachi's mind before he sat down on his bed. Sitting down, he felt something wet on his bed. Getting up, he looked at the mattress and saw that the mist that had been left by the creature was so thick that it soaked his sheets. Sighing, Itachi gathered his sheets and started walking to the drying machine.
Immediately after exiting his room, Sasuke exited his room which was right across from Itachi's. When Sasuke met Itachi's gaze, it slowly traveled to what his older brother was carrying making his eyes widen. Upon seeing Itachi carrying wet sheets, Sasuke started laughing loudly muttering in between laughs about his older brother wetting the bed. The laughter awoke his parents who also came across the sight of Itachi with wet sheets in his arms and caused the two to join in the laughter. While the Uchiha family was entertained at his expense, a storm cloud formed over Itachi and he promised that Naruto would get punished harshly for this when he returned.
(Namikaze Estate)
Minato lay in bed with his wife in his arms, both sleeping peacefully but like Itachi were soon awakened by movement on their bed. As the two slowly woke up, they were to put it lightly shocked at the snake like creature in front of them. Unlike Itachi, when Minato screamed as did Kushina. How Menma and Narumi were able to sleep through the scream was a mystery. When Minato and Kushina's shock died down, the creature spoke.
"Minato Namikaze and Kushina Namikaze, I have been sent to inform you of recent events involving your son Naruto. He has traveled to our realm and is now training with my superiors. His training should take at most two months and he shall send weekly reports to inform you of his status. Any messages you wish relayed to him can be done so by simply telling the messenger. Have I explained the message in a clear and understandable manner?" the creature asked getting a nod from the two who were still getting over the shock of waking up to an unidentified creature in their bed. Disappearing in a shroud of mist, the creature left the husband and wife to digest what had just happened.
When the two finally broke down what they had just been told, they turned to face one another.
"WHAT?!" the two shouted which still didn't wake Menma or Narumi.
(Realm of the Serpents)
A general thought of what serpents were was that of a bloodthirsty monster that kills and eats everything that it finds in the most painful and brutal ways possible. Obviously their environment would reflect that. The sky would be blood red, there would be nothing but red in the water, the land would look like that of a battlefield. This couldn't be further from the truth.
Naruto stood in awe at the beauty of the world around him. The sky was clear, the grass was healthy and green, and the great lake that surrounded the land sparkled. It's color the most blue that he had ever seen any source of water. It was a paradise, an oasis, and for some reason a small part of Naruto was sad. His sadness stemmed from the fact that his world would never look like this. It would never be this beautiful. Naruto was drawn away from his thoughts as Levios started moving. Speeding up to catch up with him, Naruto continued to examine the environment. There were serpents in the water and there were serpents that were just laying on the ground, each different sizes. It seemed that Levios was larger than all of them.
The serpent and ninja came to a stop in a clearing of grass with a small pool of water in the area. Turning around and looking into Naruto's eyes as if searching for something, Levios watched the reaction of Naruto before speaking up. "This will be your training ground. Here is where I will teach you water and lightning ninjutsu. It is also where we will learn to work together as summoner and summon. I won't have those pathetic excuses for summons like the toads or snakes being more feared than the legend of the serpents. We will train hard to strike fear into our enemies. Any questions" the serpent asked.
Naruto thought over what Levios had said before coming up with a few questions to ask. "Why only water and lightning jutsu, I don't even know what affinity I am" he asked. "I can sense your chakra as well as what type of affinity you have. It is very convenient considering that those two are mine and my father's specialties" Levios replied. Naruto nodded before asking another question. "What do you mean by working together as summoner and summon? I thought that I summon you in serious fights and you take over." Levios just sighed. "No that is not the case. You have seen how the toads work with their summoner yes?" he asked getting a nod from Naruto. "We shall work together in tandem, strengthening each other's jutsu and one day being able to use spiritual mode. Before you ask, it is a form in which you and I will form one being together temporarily with access to incredible power that dwarfs that of any summon. That is the power of the serpents" Levios finished leaving Naruto's jaw wide open.
(Konohagakure no Sato, Team 11 training ground)
Itachi was at the training ground thinking about how he was going to break it to his team that Naruto had left for two months. How he would break it to Yakumo who he had heard just yesterday became the boy's girlfriend. He sighed, this was not something he was looking forward too. As his thoughts wandered off, he put it on hold when he heard Sasuke and Yakumo entering the training ground. As the two came to face him, Yakumo started looking around for what Itachi could only assume was Naruto.
"Okay team, I have some rather important news" he said before being interrupted by Yakumo who quickly asked "Shouldn't we wait on Naruto, sensei?" causing Itachi to sigh. "Yakumo please let me finish before speaking out of turn" he asked which gained a sheepish look and quick nod from the young genjutsu prodigy. "The Chunin exams are taking place in two and a half months. It is a series of tests used to attain whether or not you are worthy of being chunin. I want each of the members of Team 11 to enter. It is ultimately your choice but I believe that you are more than ready to gain the promotion. As for Naruto, he will be gone for the next two months" he said quickly looking at Yakumo to see her reaction.
Yakumo's eye began to twitch violently. "What did you say Itachi sensei?" she asked in a cold voice and Itachi could swear he saw the shinigami standing right behind her causing him to lightly sweat. "He has left for two months to train with his summon. I did not know he even had a summon but it assured me that he would come back stronger. It also said to tell you that Naruto is very sorry and that he will make it up to you" the Uchiha finished. Yakumo's face immediately began to go multiple shades of red and an inferno was taking place in her eyes. "THAT ASSHOLE! I just became his girlfriend and he immediately ditches me? Oh he is going to receive a very well deserved punishment when he gets back. A rusted kunai maybe? Some salt and a hot piece of metal to make the cut hurt and cauterize it and then do it again? Yes, perfect. Hahahahaha" laughed Yakumo in a maniacal manner that caused Sasuke and Itachi to sweat drop. Sasuke didn't really care that Naruto was on a training trip. Sure he would miss his best friend, but in the ninja world you've gotta do what you've gotta do.
After Yakumo stopped her musings about the hundreds of punishments she could inflict on her boyfriend, Itachi regained control of the conversation. "Anyway while Naruto is gone, Yakumo, I will be teaching you how to intensify your genjutsu and also work on creating some genjutsu with you" he said making Yakumo's eyes go wide and completely forget about Naruto's training trip. To be able to create a genjutsu with Itachi Uchiha, the best genjutsu user in the whole village, was a dream come true for any genjutsu user. Itachi then turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, I will be letting you sign the crow contract and teaching you more ninjutsu to go along with it. We will also work on using and maturing your sharingan." This statement made Sasuke go wide eyed much like Yakumo. He would be able to gain a summon just like his older brother. Sasuke noted in the back of his mind that he should thank Naruto for going on his little trip.
(Team 7 Training Ground)
Menma was locked in a taijutsu battle with his teammate Sakura Haruno for today's practice. Sakura for lack of better words was getting her ass kicked. She had never been one to physically train, she considered herself more of an intellectual. At this moment, she was seriously despising the fact that she chose looking good over building herself for the profession she had chosen. That thought process ended when Menma landed a vicious right hook to her face knocking her to the ground. The match should have ended there but Menma quickly followed up by kicking Sakura in the stomach multiple times before he was stopped by his mother.
"Menma what the hell was that? You had already won!" Kushina yelled furiously while without using a seal sent a shadow clone to get Sakura to the hospital. Menma scoffed at the question. "She was an enemy. If you ask me, she's lucky I didn't use my kunai" he responded gaining a nod from Narumi, a questioning look from Kakashi, and an even more furious look from Kushina. "That's just it Menma, she wasn't an enemy and this wasn't a real battle! That was your teammate and it was a taijutsu only spar. Menma, I have no idea what has gotten into you and your sister these past few days, but I've made my decision. If something like this happens again, I will have to recommend to your father that both of your ninja license be suspended" she said taking no joy from this conversation.
Menma and Narumi both held shocked looks on their faces. Kakashi would have been shocked as well had he not seen the dark transformation that the two kids that he had watched since infancy were undergoing. It concerned him greatly that Menma disregarded his teammate so casually but to be honest, he wasn't the only one in question. On the team's last mission which took place in the newly named Land of Spring, Narumi had suggested leaving Sakura behind to slow down a number of attackers when she injured her leg. The brother and sister were developing a darker mentality that was for certain. How dangerous it would be remained in question.
"Are you kidding me? We're the two strongest genin in Konoha, you can't do that. Is this because of that loser Naruto?" Menma yelled. Ever since the clan failure had come back to Konoha, things had been different. His mom and dad were calling he and his sister out on everything. After all of the years of saying how great the two were going to be, it seemed that only their godfather Jiraiya believed in them now. Their parents had started saying that they were too confident and didn't think things through. They needed compassion for others, they needed to learn humility, they needed to know the purpose of self sacrifice. All of this started because of the return of Naruto. Without him, everything would be perfect and they would be recognized as the perfect shinobi that they were. That's why he and Narumi had been meeting and discussing ways to get rid of the cause of their suffering. Menma and Narumi knew that killing Naruto in broad daylight may cause their parents to hate them more, so they kept planning new ways to kill their former brother.
Kushina looked at her children. She was deeply concerned and saddened at what they were becoming. It was her fault. She had let them turn into these things that she could no longer recognize. All Kushina wanted was for her family to come together as one but it seemed as divided as ever. Naruto acknowledged her as his mom which made her happy beyond belief, but Menma and Narumi seemed hostile towards the very idea of Naruto returning to the Namikaze estate. After shaking her head she simply said "Training is over for today" before walking to the hospital to see her student.
Kakashi simply shook his head in disappointment before vanishing in a storm of leaves leaving Menma and Narumi to fester in their anger. They were the protectors of the village from the Kyuubi, the children of the Hokage, and deserved to be treated with the utmost respect not chastised like children. It was this moment right here that the siblings made their decision that somehow they would kill Naruto and anyone who stood in their way. He had disrespected them and caused others to stop believing in them. He was the reason that so many were now reluctant to treat them as great as they deserved to be treated. Once they killed Naruto, the villagers would praise their names and the ninja would bow to them. It would start with Konoha and wouldn't end until the entire world bowed to them as the deities they were.
(Hospital)
Sakura lay in bed with bruises on her face, arms, and chest. The doctor had told her that she had a sprained wrist, a concussion, and two broken ribs. While thinking about her injuries, she noticed the door open and was surprised to see her red headed sensei followed by Tsunade the head of the hospital. When both sat down, Kushina was the first to speak.
"Sakura, I cannot express enough how sorry I am for what happened today. I should have stepped in sooner and I should have trained you better. I also should have recognized how unstable Menma has become. I truly am sorry Sakura" she said before bowing to the shock of the girl. After getting over her shock, Sakura simply responded "It's okay Kushina sensei". Kushina shook her head violently. "No Sakura, it's not okay. Because of me, you're lying in a hospital bed with serious injuries from a team spar. While walking over here, I came to a conclusion on a few things one of which being that I can no longer be your sensei" she said getting a saddened look from the genin. Kushina quickly continued. "Luckily, I have found a teacher who I believe will be perfect for you" she said with a smile. Sakura looked confused until Tsunade waved and spoke up. "Hello Sakura. Kushina has told me that you have talent in chakra control and are very intelligent. I think that with some hard work you could be a great combat medic and I would like to show you how" the medic finished with a smile. A speechless Sakura could only smile and nod.
Kushina looked at the sight with feelings of both happiness and sadness. "Sakura, you have the potential to be a great kunoitchi and my only regret is that I couldn't be the teacher that you deserved. I hope you know that while I won't be your sensei anymore, you can come to me with anything and I will try to help you as best I can. I'm proud of you Sakura" said Kushina. Before she could get up and leave, she was pulled into a hug from her former genin. It was a heartwarming moment and Kushina returned the hug, both the jounin and genin letting tears fall. Tsunade looked at the scene with a smile. The medical genius had a feeling that Sakura would become a great kunoitchi and knew that she could get her there.
(Hokage's Office)
Minato was in his office trying to conquer today's paperwork when his wife walked in with a serious look that promised more paperwork on her face. "Kushina, is something wrong?" he asked. Kushina was hesitant and was obviously thinking hard about something. "Kushina" he said knocking his wife out her trance. Regaining her composure, Kushina straightened herself and began the serious conversation. "Minato I need to schedule psych evaluations for Menma and Narumi and I have placed Sakura in a full apprenticeship with Tsunade so she will no longer be on Team 7" she said making Minato sigh in disappointment. He had known of his children's growing instability but hadn't thought it was this bad. Nodding at the requests he asked "Anything else?" which resulted in Kushina simply shaking her head and leaving.
Being Hokage could be a very rewarding position and it could be a very tiresome and uncomfortable position. Seeing a batch of genin grow into great ninja, watching the happy faces of the villagers and knowing that they believed in you, being respected by the village as a whole, all rewards of making it to such a position. Moments like these though were some of the disappointments of the job. Seeing members of the shinobi forces become unstable or unfit for their job, his children nonetheless, was extremely disappointing as a Hokage and saddening as a father. He had made many mistakes in his life, but none more than in his role as a father. He had made his first born son estranged from the family by putting a prophecy above his duties as a father. It was a miracle that Naruto had forgiven him, but he wasn't the only one to suffer from it. Menma and Narumi had been raised as if they were ninja in the world. What they had become now were self centered, egotistical, selfish, cruel, and unstable kids. All of this was the result of his decisions as a father.
(Realm of the Serpents)
Naruto was standing in the clearing that Levios had told him about learning water and lightning ninjutsu yesterday. Levios came out of the water nearby and slithered in front of him before expanding and rising to his true height. Naruto had to jump back a few times to give Levios space to grow and when he was finished, Naruto stood in awe. The serpent had grown to it's height of ninety feet. Without lowering his head to Naruto, Levios spoke at a volume that the human was able to hear even so far below. "Naruto, by the end of this training period you will be able to summon me on land and my father in water. It will take more concentration and chakra than you have ever summoned before. It will hurt badly but you will come out of it much stronger than before. But before we can begin, you have demons that need to be faced. To do this, you must go to the Stone of Sanctity" he said turning his head and looking at the lake which gained a questioning look from Naruto. "You will swim to the center of the lake and dive down. The Stone will reveal itself to you when your summoning tattoo begins to glow. When your arm glows, the Stone will glow as well. Follow that light to confront your demons and find the answers that you seek" he said before beginning to coil himself.
Naruto followed the instructions of Levios and took his shirt and pants off before stepping into the water. It took five minutes before Naruto reached the center of the lake. When he reached the center, Naruto took multiple breaths of air before diving down. As he dived down, he realized that he was able to see perfectly in the water and that this water felt almost natural to him. Disregarding his thoughts, he continued to dive deeper. After around three minutes of being underwater, Naruto's need for air began to make itself known but he brushed it off. After another minute, his chest began burning and his lungs begged for air but he continued to swim deeper. Twenty seconds later, his vision started to become blurry and that's when it happened. His arm glowed lighting up everything and gaining a similar glow five feet away. Fighting the need to breath a little longer, he reached the glowing light that was the Stone of Sanctity. It was a beautiful purple stone the size of Naruto's hand. Grabbing the Stone, the environment changed in an instant.
The Serpent Summoner was no longer underwater and his body no longer begged for oxygen. Instead he was in an area unrecognizable. All he could see was a multitude of colors as far as the eye could see.
"Beautiful isn't it?" a voice asked beside Naruto. Turning slowly to meet the voice, Naruto was shocked beyond belief when the voice was revealed to be his master, Sera. Unable to speak or close his mouth, Sera smiled at his reaction. After a small giggle from Sera, Naruto was broken from his unresponsive state. "Am I dead?" he asked which received a shake of the head from his master. "No my student, you're not dead. The Stone takes all of the experiences and memories of your life into account and brings you face to face with the ones that are holding you back. Apparently I've been causing you some distress" she said with a smile.
"I need you to tell me everything" Naruto said with a serious look on his face which made the smile fade from Sera's face. "Everything as in what? The Stone may know your experiences but I'm kind of dead. I mean I check in from time to time but between poker with the Shodaime Hokage and pranks on the other swordsmen, I'm kind of busy" she said with a laugh that quickly ended after seeing the look on Naruto's face. "Sorry, bad joke. Okay, so you want to know about the group that Iliel said I was in. They are called the Shinigami's Blade. It's a group of the entire world's greatest swordsman. They only keep five members at a time if memory serves me. I joined because they told me that together we could save the world and keep it safe. Like a fool, I believed that bullshit promise. About a month in, I realized what they were. A group of monsters who wanted to rule the world by fear. They never wanted peace, they wanted servitude. And though I hate to say it, it's possible for them. You see when I decided to leave, I barely made it out alive. After healing up and staying off their radar, I searched through every country of the elemental nations for a successor because I knew that it was impossible for me to stop them. I had almost given up until you asked me to teach you" she said with a smile. "I sensed it from the conviction in your voice and saw it in your eyes. You had the will and determination needed to become my successor and later down the line, the savior of the world."
Naruto was shocked. If what Sera was saying was true, then the world was in an incredible amount of danger. "Sera, if these swordsman are as powerful as you say, then how can you expect me to stand a chance against them?" he asked which gained a laugh from the blue haired swordsman. "Because Naruto, you will be the greatest swordsman of all of us. You hold the legacy of the most legendary swordsman in all of existence. I told you before my death that you were the eleventh in the line of history's strongest swordsman, each one stronger than the last. You will surpass me Naruto. You will surpass me and every swordsman in existence" she said with a proud smile. Naruto slightly blushed at the expectations of his teacher. "Um Sera, is there like a name for this line of swordsmen I'm part of?" he asked which had honestly been a question on his mind since the night he gained his sword. Sera smiled and replied "Nope" which caused Naruto to fall face down.
When Naruto sat back up Sera looked at him with a serious look. "Naruto, there is a scroll that I left in the care of the serpents. It contains the sword techniques of each of our group's swordsmen. Read them, learn them, and reach your full potential. I believe in you little brother" she said before fading away with a smile. Naruto smiled as well before the light around him began to fade and his surroundings revealed itself. He was in front of the Stone of Sanctity but it and his tattoo were no longer glowing. Realizing that his time with the Stone was up, he swam to the surface.
Upon reaching Levios, Naruto spoke loud enough for the serpent to hear. "Levios, I am ready to learn both the ways of the serpents and the ways of my past swordsmen" which gained a slight nod and what looked like a smile from the serpent.
Author's Note: Thank you everyone for all of the support, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Big reveal of the chapter I feel is the fact that Sera and Konan are sisters. Konan will play a larger part in the story so get ready. I'm still deciding how big of a part I want Sakura to play. Intro to the chunin exams are next. Please Review it definitely helps.