PinkiePieParty122894: Glad that you liked the chapter and more beatings will come.
DxGRAYxMAN: Yeah it was a pretty popular request that the twins get their asses beat.
AnimeKing211: It will definitely take a while for Jiraiya to accept Naruto. Menma and Narumi definitely have the tyrant mentality.
Natzo: Sometimes people are to blind to see what's right in front of them. The kages will get stronger after their reality check with Iliel. Also Iliel was one of the weaker members and the others are just gonna get stronger.
New Elements92: Glad you are enjoying the story and yeah Jiraiya is a pretty big asshole so far.
Animaman: Konan will have a conversation with Jiraiya later on, but for the most part she will avoid him due to disappointment. The near death experience idea gave me a couple of ideas for the future. At this point Jiraiya is probably the only human that still cares about the prophecy.
Jasmine: Naruto will discover more about the Shinigami's Blade later and will pretty much learn their abilities on the spot.
zero fullbuster: Glad you loved it.
UnsanMusho: The question is will he open his eyes? He might or might not and if he does it will be in the near future chapters.
1995hzq: There is a lot of blindness in Jiraiya but he might open his eyes or he might not.
The Sith'ari: The two will definitely argue but for now they will work together. But power does change people, and too much power can make someone greedy for more.
Gammagyro: I liked the designs but decided to go with a different take on the scythe but gave Sasuke a double sided spear. Both will create moves based on their weapons. Naruto will mainly learn from Minato, the serpents, and his past swordsmen. Yakumo will become an interrogation type, Danzo will probably become more important later on, and I haven't actually given much thought to the Kurama clan but I will think about how to bring them back into the mix.
(Unknown Location)
Menma and Narumi were surrounded by the man who took them from Konoha, two men, and a woman. Being the audacious boy that he was, Menma stepped forward without even acknowledging the three other figures in the room. Instead, he focused his attention on the man who brought them here. "I want some answers now!" shouted Menma which caused two of the figures to scowl. The man who was addressed simply chuckled. "Very well, firstly my name is Tsuranabi and I am the leader of those you see here" he said with a smile. "We don't give a shit who you are, just tell us how you plan to help us kill Naruto" Menma said. Tsuranabi's grin vanished for a moment before returning a second later. "Ah yes, about that. I'm afraid that I have been quite dishonest with you. Unfortunately Naruto is not yours to kill. Though I did tell the truth when I said that you two would be looked upon as gods" he stated.
Both Menma and Narumi scowled at Tsuranabi's words. "If he's not ours to kill, then who gets to kill him?" Narumi asked angrily. Tsuranabi smiled at the question. "Me" he answered before explaining further. "Each member of the Shinigami's Blade has a special quality that makes them far greater than the average warrior. My ability is that when I kill someone, all of their strength is absorbed by me. To complete my goal, I must kill Naruto when he has reached his most powerful. Once I absorb the strength of a swordsman of his caliber who has reached his full potential, there will be no one to defy me. That's why I didn't kill him in the forest and why I must be the one to vanquish the boy" he explained.
Menma crossed his arms reluctant to give up his goal since the return of his brother but Narumi asked a question that had been on her mind and secretly Menma's mind as well. "Why did you take us away from Konoha?" she asked which caused Tsuranabi to actually chuckle. "The two of you are far more important than anyone could comprehend. Both of you are jinchuriki and both of you hold the most powerful biju currently alive. With your assistance, a weapon known simply as a biju weapon will be crafted for each of you. Each weapon will contain the essence of the nine tailed fox. Only a biju's jinchuriki can wield a weapon created from it's essence which is where the two of you come in. After your weapons have been crafted, we will instruct you in the ways of the sword in order to make you into valuable assets for the Shinigami's Blade" Tsuranabi finished.
Menma's eyes had widened imagining how powerful he would become but Narumi remained skeptical. "How do you know all this?" asked Narumi with a raised eyebrow. Tsuranabi outstretched his arm and a large black sword with a silver handle and three silver stripes on the blade appeared in his hand. "I know because I wield the first biju blade ever made. A blade crafted from a biju created not by Hagoromo Otsutsuki but by his mother Kaguya. For I am not only the holder of the first biju weapon, but I am also the fifth jinchuriki of the ten tailed beast."
(Hokage's Office)
Minato sat in his office reading over recent reports on the village while reflecting on the events of the past two weeks. The Raikage, Tsuchikage, and their guests had left after being healed by Tsunade. Not much was said between Minato, Onoki, and A after their humiliating defeat at the hands of one man. Minato had filled them in on what Iliel had told him and who had killed the man that was too powerful for three kages. There wasn't much of a response from A and Onoki other than complete and utter shock. They both left Konoha deep in thought about recent events. Speaking of recent events, he continued to deal with the mess of the invasion from Suna and Oto. In order to apologize and in hopes of keeping the alliance, Suna offered to pay for the reparations on a payment plan. Minato was too tired to lead an assault of Suna at the moment so he agreed and sent the terms to Suna to which they quickly agreed.
Sighing, Minato put a hand on his head. He kept trying to ignore the most troubling issue at hand. Menma and Narumi were gone. Once again his failures as a father had caught up to him. His son and daughter had left Konoha. He had sent tracking team after tracking team to search for them but it was as if they had simply vanished into nothing. Put in a horrible position, the blonde hokage had no choice but to put his own son and daughter into the Bingo Book. It hurt his heart to do so as it did Kushina's as well but they knew from what Naruto had said that the two had taken a side. People like Tsunade, Kakashi, Itachi, and the newly released Orochimaru understood his decision and were sympathetic to how difficult of a choice it must have been. His teacher Jiraiya on the other hand was furious over what he perceived as his student giving up on his children. The Toad Sannin had left Konoha to search for Menma and Narumi for now.
Minato looked up when a knock at his door sounded. "Come in" said Minato. After gaining permission, the door opened and in walked the Snake Sannin Orochimaru. A week after the failed invasion, Minato gathered everyone into the center of the village where he explained why Orochimaru had committed such heinous crimes towards Konoha. Apparently, Orochimaru had received a mission from Hiruzen Sarutobi while he was still Hokage. The mission was to investigate a group now known as the Shinigami's Blade. Unfortunately for everyone, a member of the group was able to take control of Orochimaru and force him to commit the crimes that made him Konoha's public enemy number one. After hours of explanations, the village eventually became convinced but still were suspicious of the man.
"Minato, Kushina sent me to tell you that it's time to address Team 11" Orochimaru announced, Minato nodded his head and held out his arm for the Sannin to grab before flashing to the Namikaze Compound.
(Namikaze Compound)
Naruto sat on the couch with Yakumo sitting next to him and Sasuke across from him in a chair. Kushina stood talking with Mikoto while Itachi and Fugaku both stood silently. Kakashi stood in a corner reading Icha Icha Paradise while Tsunade and Shizune each sat in a chair without a word. There wasn't much excitement going on until a flash appeared in the center of the room revealing Minato and Orochimaru.
"Hello everyone" Minato said with a smile before getting a fist to the head from his lovely wife. "Minato, how many times have I told you no using the hiraishin in the house?!" Kushina yelled. Minato slowly got up and rubbed his head. "Point taken Kushina. Now let's get to why I've asked you all here. As all of you know, these three remarkable ninja have reached the rank of chunin" Minato said motioning towards Naruto, Yakumo, and Sasuke who all smiled in response. "As chunin, your responsibilities will increase but it will be some time before you three will be allowed to take missions" announced the blonde which gained confused looks from Naruto, Sasuke, Yakumo, Mikoto, Fugaku, and Shizune. "Due to recent revelations, I feel that it is best if the three of you focus on getting stronger as fast as possible. I won't sugarcoat the circumstances behind this. There is a group of swordsmen out there, each with the power to take on every kage at once with ease. They have a twisted goal of world domination disguised as an attempt at world peace. The three of you have the most potential of any three ninja in Konoha history. We must make sure that you reach that potential" Minato finished leaving the entire room except for Naruto in shock.
"As of now, each of you will receive your own teachers that will focus solely on making you as strong as possible" Minato said before motioning towards Itachi who stepped forward. "Sasuke, I will teach you and help you master different styles of ninjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, and the sharingan" Itachi said making Sasuke's eyes go wide at the thought of becoming a swordsman like his teammate and best friend. "I have asked for assistance from Orochimaru who will help in terms of ninjutsu and kenjutsu. I am skilled in kenjutsu from my time in ANBU but Orochimaru is better" Itachi said as Orochimaru walked to Itachi and stood next to him. "I look forward to teaching you kenjutsu. It is truly lucky that that man Iliel still had the Kusanagi on him when he died" Orochimaru noted. Sasuke nodded at the information while Mikoto felt uneasy about the Snake Sannin and Fugaku eyed him suspiciously.
Kushina stepped forward after Itachi and Orochimaru were done. "Yakumo, your genjutsu are some of the most potent and lethal that I have witnessed. You will continue training your genjutsu skills as you have been but in the meantime, you will master your taijutsu style, build up your reserves, and then we will build up an arsenal of ninjutsu to go along with your other skills. Not to mention that I will also teach you how to wield a weapon, all we have to do is find which one fits you best. And finally, I'll make you a master of fuinjutsu or my name isn't Kushina Uzumaki!" she said with a smile. "Oh, I almost forgot. You can come out now" Kushina yelled towards the kitchen.
A woman with blue hair wearing a black kimono walked out of kitchen after being called. As she entered the room, Naruto's jaw dropped straight to the ground. It was as if he was seeing his master once again. As he stared at the woman, he noticed a small and subtle shake of her head signifying that their conversation would have to wait. The blue haired woman finally stood at her place next to Kushina. "Greetings, my name is Konan. I am formally of Ame and also happen to be the one who brought you to the shelter during the invasion. Despite having my own personal reasons for being here, I have spoken with Kushina here and have agreed to assist in teaching you. You are a genjutsu specialist which means that you require a fair amount of concentration to cast them. I know multiple jutsu that can give you time to cast your genjutsu, some of which include my own personal paper jutsu" Konan said without emotion. Yakumo on the other hand had stars in her eyes but had the composure to keep from squealing in glee.
Finally, Minato stepped forward. "Naruto, when I trained you for the chunin exams, I saw in you someone that would surpass me. We will train together and grow stronger together. You will learn the art of fuinjutsu, improve on your taijutsu, and improve upon your ninjutsu. You will also learn the move that made me famous. I will teach you the hiraishin and together we'll take down this Shinigami's Blade" Minato said smiling a confident smile which was met with a smile from his son.
Sasuke stood up quickly, unable to hold in his anticipation any longer. "When do we begin?!" he practically shouted causing everyone to chuckle. "For you and Yakumo, immediately. Unfortunately for Naruto, he has a few more days until he can begin training" said Minato with Tsunade nodding happy that for once a ninja was going to take her advice about resting. "However, maybe if he's feeling better we can start a little early" the blonde hokage said causing a tick mark to develop on Tsunade's head. Clenching her fist, the medic jumped after her leader. "You just couldn't leave well enough alone could you, you stupid blonde brat?! Get back here!" Tsunade shouted to a fleeing Minato causing everyone to laugh.
It had been a few hours since Minato had informed Naruto, Sasuke, and Yakumo of the change in instructors. Now, Yakumo stood across from her teachers while Naruto sat watching nearby. The brunette had spent nearly an hour trying out different types of weapons from swords to spears. Both Yakumo and Kushina were becoming frustrated that nothing seemed to fit but Konan looked on in thought as the girl was now trying out a bo staff.
"Ugh, it just doesn't feel right" Yakumo said loudly causing Kushina to frown and Konan to step forward. "Yakumo, spread out your arms" said Konan to which Yakumo quickly obeyed. After a moment of observation, Konan pulled back the sleeve of her kimono revealing a seal on her arm. Closing her eyes, the blue haired woman applied chakra to the seal which resulted in a poof of smoke. When the smoke subsided, Konan held a long and elegant scythe. The silver blade was sharp and shined so brightly in the sun that it almost seemed as if it was glowing and curved sharply at the end. Engraved in the blade was a line of roses with thorns guarding each flower. The blade was held by a black handle that stretched at least five feet in length with the blade about half that length. Konan held out the beautiful scythe to Yakumo who carefully took it into her hands. Giving it a couple of swings first with both of her hands and then with only one hand, she looked at Konan and smiled. "It feels right" she said quietly to which Konan nodded.
"Yakumo, that scythe was given to me when I was just a child" she said getting looks of confusion from everyone including Naruto who had joined the group in examining the weapon. "When I was a child, a man came to Ame. My sister and I noticed that he carried an impressive looking sword" Konan said glancing at Naruto before returning to her story. "Our family was poor so we saw an opportunity to make some money if we were to steal his sword and sell it afterwards. We waited for the man to stop by a dango stand for food where I created the distraction of spilling my drink on him while my sister took the sword from where he had laid it. After I saw that she had the sword, I ran off and met up with her near our home. We believed that we were in the clear until the man appeared from nothing. I thought that he would punish us but instead he just asked for our names and if we liked the sword" she said as she reminisced about her past.
(Flashback)
Konan eyed the man in front of her suspiciously while her sister held onto the sword. "Well, do you like the sword?" the man asked with a smile. Konan's sister quickly nodded her head but she wasn't impressed. "I don't like swords" she said to which the man chuckled. "Well then, perhaps I can fix that" the man said before holding his hand out. Appearing from thin air was a large scythe with a flower design on the blade. "Perhaps this is more to your liking?" he said before holding out the weapon to Konan.
The blue haired girl was transfixed by the weapon. When she took the weapon into her hands, it felt natural despite the fact that it was bigger than she was. The man continued smiling. "It'll take some growing into but it will serve you well" he said before looking at Konan's sister. "You on the other hand seem to respond to that sword the same way I did so long ago" he said before looking at her in thought. "Could you take me to your parents? There is something I must speak with them about" the man asked to which Konan simply nodded feeling no ill intent from the man.
(Konan's Family's House 2 Hours Later)
Konan sat holding her scythe while her sister continued to examine the man's sword in their room. The two looked up when the man and their parents entered their room.
(Flashback End)
"The man who gave me that scythe took my sister as an apprentice that day and I didn't see her again for years. I kept the scythe with me but I never felt the need to use it" Konan said looking at the ground.
"What was your sister's name" asked Naruto causing Konan to look at him. "You already know her name Naruto. Sera, the swordsman before you, your teacher, and my sister" she said with a sad smile. She was taken by surprise when the blonde grabbed her into a hug almost as if he knew the pain she felt at knowing that Sera was no longer alive. It felt nice to know that she was no longer alone in this world.
(Uchiha Estate)
Sasuke stood in his backyard watching the Snake Sannin closely.
"I understand your suspicions, but I assure you that my goal is not to hurt you but to assist you in reaching your full potential" Orochimaru said looking directly at Sasuke. The Uchiha had been there when the Hokage announced the circumstances surrounding Orochimaru but kept his guard up just in case. Nodding reluctantly, Sasuke crossed his arms waiting on his brother.
When Itachi returned, the yard was silent. Walking slowly to Sasuke, Itachi held a long metal spear in his hand. The handle was black with the red and white symbol of the Uchiha clan engraved into it. There was a large silver blade on each end of the spear. It was simple but elegant and especially to Sasuke's liking. Nearly drooling at the idea of wielding the spear in combat and beating Naruto head to head with it almost caused him to run at Itachi and take the weapon. Luckily, Sasuke had enough self control to wait until Itachi spoke.
"Sasuke, this weapon is one of great power that has yet to be realized. Our clan does not typically use weapons much less spears, but something tells me that you will do this weapon justice" Itachi said handing the double bladed spear to his younger brother. Taking it gently into his hands, Sasuke examined the weapon before looking back at his brother. "Why didn't you or anyone else in the clan take it?" Sasuke asked. Itachi frowned at the question. "Sasuke, I will be blunt. Over the years, our clan has become arrogant and far too comfortable with the idea that the sharingan will win every battle. To the others, the sharingan is their weapon. I tell you now that the sharingan is simply a tool to assist you in the aspects of being a great ninja. Use your sharingan, but use it to enhance your heightened abilities. Don't rely on it as your primary weapon for there will be a day when the sharingan becomes useless" Itachi said looking at the sky. "Sasuke, you will be the one to end this cycle of arrogance and pride in the Uchiha clan. With this weapon, you will show our clan that the sharingan is not the only means of victory. The Uchiha's fate rest in your hands brother" Itachi said looking down at his brother who was wide eyed in shock.
After regaining his bearings, Sasuke simply nodded, unable to form words quite yet. "Now Sasuke, we have a long way to go. Whattya say to starting right now?" asked Itachi to which Sasuke responded by raising his spear and smirking. Itachi and Orochimaru both smiled. "To use your spear to it's fullest extent, we will teach you both bojutsu and kenjutsu. Prepare to work harder than you have in your entire life Sasuke" Itachi warned to which Sasuke nodded.
(4 Days later Hokage's Office)
Minato sat in his office nursing a migraine from a council meeting that had just wrapped up. The council was up in arms about taking action against Suna but Minato had to remind them that Suna was making reparations according to a written agreement between the two nations. He also had to remind them that both Suna and Sound were following their kage's orders which was one of the key qualities in a shinobi. That's when the elder Danzo made his play. The old man argued that if Minato couldn't protect the village from the likes of one man, then how could he lead them against an entire enemy village. Before Minato could respond to the accusation, Shikaku Nara spoke up asking the council if there was anyone stronger than Minato in Konoha. That shut the Danzo supporters up quick.
The blonde kage rubbed his head. He felt like he had aged forty years in the past couple of weeks. Looking up at the picture of Hiruzen Sarutobi, he couldn't help but wonder how the old man had done it for so long. Another point of Danzo's was that Minato had let the village jinchuriki be taken away, an accusation that caused Minato to momentarily lose his cool and grab the old man by the throat explaining that they were his children and that he was doing everything he could at the moment to get them back. Looking at the ceiling, Minato thought about Kushina. He knew that she had taken it harder than anyone but hid it by working heavily with Yakumo. He continued to think of his situation until a knocking sound interrupted his thoughts. Sitting up in his chair he announced "Come in".
Naruto entered the office noticing the messiness of the room. His father had his hands full lately, that was for sure. Approaching his father's desk, Naruto relaxed. "Hey dad, I was wondering if you were ready to start our training" Naruto asked with a glint of hope in his eyes. Minato smiled and nodded before standing and grabbing his son's shoulder. Before Naruto could react, the two flashed out of the room.
(Namikaze Compound Backyard)
The two blondes flashed into the backyard of the compound. Naruto at first didn't react, but eventually took a few wobbly steps forwards. Minato chuckled at the sight. "You better get used to the effects if you plan on using it in battle son" said Minato with a grin. Naruto let out a small growl of annoyance as he gained his footing. "So I suppose we should make a schedule for when we can train together" Minato said which caused Naruto to look up quickly. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Naruto said before biting his thumb and doing a series of quick handsigns. Moments later, a wave of mist rolled through the entire yard as a serpent rose from the mist itself. The serpent was about twice the size of Minato and very intimidating. "Levios, concealing your size I see" Naruto said making Minato look at his son in confusion at how he knew this serpent. The serpent turned to Naruto and almost seemed to smile at the blonde boy. "Yes Naruto, I do believe that revealing my true size would cause quite a panic throughout the village" the serpent said. "I heard that you called my father to fight a biju instead of me. While I understand your reasoning, I would've hoped that you trusted me more" Levios said causing Naruto to speak up quickly.
"Levios I'm sorry that I didn't call you then, but that's why I wanted you here today. Starting today I will begin a long training session with my father and I want to include training between the two of us. In two years, we'll be the best partners that there ever were" Naruto said with a smile which slowly but steadily spread to Levios as well. After their short conversation, the two turned to Minato. "Dad, I know that you have your Hokage duties and can't train me everyday, so Levios and I can train on the days that you can't. Sound fair?" Naruto asked to which Minato nodded with a smile. After the agreement, Naruto introduced Levios to Minato and the three began to create a training schedule. Together Naruto, Minato, and Levios would grow stronger than ever before.
(Unknown Location)
Menma and Narumi both kneeled on the ground panting heavily. When the two eventually got up, Tsuranabi stood in front of them. "The two of you have proven your dedication. As I promised, here are your biju weapons. The catalysts of your glory" Tsuranabi said motioning to an altar behind him. Menma and Narumi slowly moved towards the altar and their eyes widened. On the altar were two large curved blades. One's blade was completely red, while the other's was completely black. The handles were both silver with nine small tails surrounding the handle. The most distinct feature about each sword though was the large amount of red chakra surrounding the blade itself. The Uzumaki children looked at each other before reaching for the swords. Menma too the black sword while Narumi took the red. "Welcome to the Shinigami's Blade" spoke Tsuranabi causing the two to turn around.
"Sashira, come" Tsuranabi called out. A second later, a woman with white hair tied in a single long braid appeared beside the man. "What is it you need my master?" asked the woman. "Take these two to their rooms. Tomorrow they begin their training" Tsuranabi ordered.
When the three had left, Tsuranabi began to chuckle. His chuckle eventually turned into loud laughter. "Soon my goal will be complete. I will be this world's savior whether it wants me or not. The world wants peace, then I will bring them peace. Peace by submission" Tsuranabi said before laughing again.
Author's Note: Hey everyone, first off I want to thank you all for the support. It really means a lot to me that people are reading and enjoying the story so far and I hope that I continue to entertain. I'm still deciding on whether I will do a time skip into the next arc with flashbacks of training. I'm not sure but I'm leaning towards that. Anyway, the next major arc is the civil war in Kiri. One last thing, REVIEW! I've gotten a lot of great ideas and input from the reviews that has kept the story going. Well, see you next chapter!