Hello everyone, and welcome back to Naruto, the Kryptonian Ninja. Before we begin, I'd like to thank you once again for the incredible amount of support this rewrite has been receiving ever since I published it a few days ago; the only gain I receive from writing is knowing that you like my work, so thank you all!
Oh, and before I forget, Ambition277 asked me on a review if I was going to focus on Naruto's life in Konoha. To answer your question, this will be the last chapter before Naruto goes to DC Earth and meets Batman and Robin as in the original; I'll still add some significant events of his life in the Elemental Nations in following chapters, probably in the form of flasbacks or dreams. I decided not to make an entire chapter or two about it as I want to move to Young Justice's universe where all the action will take place. Other than that, I appreciate your kind words and support!
This chapter will contain some Naruto x Natsuki as I love that pairing. Don't worry though, I don't plan to add her in the harem. She may probably play an important role in the future, if I decide to, but not for now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor Young Justice. Both series belong to their respective creators.
Chapter Three : The Truth Unveiled
Dawn came particularly early that morning, with the Sun casting its rays of orange-reddish light over Konohagakure no Sato and the forest that surrounded it, creating an amalgam of colors so breathtaking that anyone already up at that hour would have stopped to bask in the sight.
For most people it meant time to wake up and get to work, as the village needed repairs done after the destruction inflicted upon it by Pein. For some others, like Naruto and Natsuki Uzumaki, dawn meant time to return home and get ready to help the workers in whatever way possible.
To get up before dawn and train for long periods had always been their routine since they were but children, and it'd been those training sessions which got them so far. After all, together they had managed to defeat Pein and his Six Paths, eventually confronting Nagato, who controlled the minions that ran havoc and destruction among the village.
Without the level they had managed to acquire over the years and their recently developed Senjutsu, to defeat someone like Pein would have been a titanic task.
Currently, both were walking home after their training spar, which ended up with Natsuki being the victor. Something that didn't happen very often. In fact, it rarely ever happened; despite the fact they were both on the same level (with Natsuki having more Chakra), Naruto would usually end up winning.
But that day had been different. Naruto had barely managed to keep up with her during the fight, leaving himself open to her attacks more often than usual. And Natsuki noticed something must have been wrong with him.
That he kept silent most of the walk home unnerved her.
"So... Mind telling me what happened back there?"
Naruto stuffed his hands on his pockets and kept his sight ahead, watching as some carpenters were already starting to work on some of the buildings that had been destroyed during the attack. "I don't... know", he began, and this time he glanced at his sister, who was looking intently at him. "I've been feeling kind of weird ever since we defeated Pein."
"What do you mean?"
If Natsuki was curious before, now she was confused. She wondered why she hadn't noticed that her oniichan was not feeling well until then, given the fact she practically never left his side. Being her sister she and Naruto spent most of their time together, during and out of training, even when they helped around the village — that she overlooked something related to her oniichan meant she was getting bad at reading him.
Her brother simply sighed, closing his sapphire eyes in thought. He wondered whether he should tell her or not; though he quickly made up his mind. Naruto knew her better than anyone else, and unless he told her what was wrong with him she wouldn't let the matter go.
"Since the attack I've started to hear things, things I couldn't hear before. Like them", Naruto suddenly stopped and pointed at two workers, who happened to be Tazuna and his grandson, Inari, building a door with wooden planks. They stood at a good distance, out of hearing distance. And even if the girl focused really hard, she could not make out what they were talking about. "Inari is telling his grandpa he plans on..."
Natsuki, moving her blue eyes from their friends from the Land of Waves to her older brother, blinked at him in wonder. "What?"
"...He plans on asking you out soon. Hm, as I'd let the brat", commented Naruto with a slight frown, one that did not go unnoticed by Natsuki.
Said girl stiffled a giggle behind her hand and blushed slightly. Her oniichan tended to be a bit overprotective some times when it came to boys, but that only made her happy. "Ara ara, would you ask me out before Inari-chan does oniichan?"
"T-That's not what I meant!" She watched with amusement as her brother's face reddened instantly and he shook his arms in denial. It was so easy and funny to embarrass him. "What I was trying to say was that he's too young for you, and you deserve someone better", upon noticing the sly look she was sending his way, he shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, never mind", he placed his hands on his neck and ignored his sister's eyes, who was now giggling loudly.
"I'm just messing around with you oniichan", she said as they resumed their walking, the blond's face slightly red in embarrassment. "Though, I wouldn't mind going out with you..."
Naruto's blush increased tenfold, but didn't say anything. Natsuki just liked to tease him, and she tended to do so at any moment or place. She didn't really mind, as both knew they weren't actual siblings. And besides, she had to admit she found her brother very attractive; with his short, spiky golden hair, his vibrant blue eyes that reminded her of two sapphires and his body, which was not bulky but athletic and perfectly trained for his age, he was quite the catch.
And she wasn't the only one who thought that.
Ever since they returned from their training trip with Jiraiya, more than half of the female population in Konoha had gained interest in him, much to her jealousy. Not only due to him looking more masculine and mature than before, but also to the clothes he would now wear; a sleeveless black jacket with a red spiral on the back over a mesh shirt which showed his well trained body, a pair of dark blue cargo pants with a kunai holdster on his waist and dark ninja sandals.
Thankfully, Naruto didn't really seem to notice the looks he got as he walked through the streets of Konoha, since his mind was always focused on training and spending time with his sister and his friends. Yet, he did notice whenever someone would turn to look at Natsuki, who was also quite popular among the male population.
Over the years her bright, golden hair had grown to a point where she had to tie it in twin tails, though it only made her look more cute in everyone else's opinion. Natsuki was shorter than her brother, but tall enough for her head to reach just above his chest; her blue eyes were of a lighter shade than Naruto's, and she sported three marks like whiskers on each cheek. Her body was athletic, yet she had curves on the right places; that along with her long, toned legs and her D-Cup breasts made most males drool at her sight.
Her outfit consisted of a short sleeved red kimono with a black obi around her waist, which reached just above a pair of dark thigh stockings and black ninja sandals. Everything hugged her gorgeous figure perfectly, much to most of the male population's happiness.
Natsuki shook her head to break out from her reverie, feeling her pigtails sway with her movements. She then looked at Naruto, who was still evading her look. "Jokes aside", she began, "are you sure you're not using chakra to enhance your hearing abbility?"
It was then that her brother forgot about his previous embarrasment and turned to glance at her with one of his eyebrows raised. "No. If I had, I would have picked up more sounds at the same time, and yet, I can easily focus on a specific source", Natsuki's facial expression dropped slightly, something that told him she had a hard time believing him. "And that's not all. If I concentrate on a surface, I can see through it."
His sister watched in silence as he fixed his eyes on the wall of a newly built house and stood still. After a few seconds, he said, "it's pretty much empty on the inside, except for a table with four varnished wooden chairs, a couch, and a photo of a young woman with violet hair standing next to... Wait, I remember that guy! He was the proctor of the Chunin Exam preliminaries!"
Natsuki's eyes widened in shock. "You mean Hayate-sensei?"
"Yeah!", he nodded, grinning for a second. "Hmm, wonder who that girl is... She seems familiar though."
His sister, however, still found it hard to believe that Naruto had gained those abbilities out of nowhere. But he was her beloved oniichan, the one who had never lied to her about anything; the only person that stood by her side after the Sandaime died.
Deep down she knew he was telling the truth.
But it didn't stop her from pouting cutely and crossing her arms over her chest. "Mou~ Does that mean you have been peeping on me or other girls when undressing or taking baths?"
"Natsuki-chan!", Naruto hid his head in his palms, blushing furiously. "Could you please not joke about this? It's serious!"
The girl soon dropped her fake act and grinned at him. "Tee-hehe~. Sorry oniichan, you just look so cute when embarrassed", much to her amusement, Naruto groaned. Lately, she'd been teasing her brother more often. "But getting back to our topic, do you think this is a kind of Kekkei Genkai you're beginning to develop just now?"
Naruto sighed. He couldn't deny feeling a bit apprehensive about the whole matter. It was possible that his dead parents belonged to a clan in the Leaf whose Kekkei Genkai consisted on enhanced hearing and vision. Though he'd never read or heard about such a clan before.
He thought maybe he could go to the library after Team Seven's meeting in the afternoon, and try to find something about who his parents may have been. Something he thought would be truly difficult as he didn't even know his own last name; Sarutobi, who probably was the only one that knew the truth about it, had been long dead by then.
The boy doubted Tsunade knew anything about his parents or the clan he belonged to, or if he indeed belonged to any clan in particular. The only person he thought he could ask was Kakashi, who had actually been close to the Sandaime.
"Hey, oniichan, Earth to Naruto-niichan~ You there?"
Naruto shook his head and turned back to his sister, who he noticed was looking at him with worry. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was just thinking about going to the library. I want to see if I can find something about my supposed Kekkei Genkai."
"Then I'll be going with you. The library has tons of books about clans and I'm sure you'll need my help."
"Thanks Natsuki-chan", after rubbing his neck in embarrassment, he pointed forward and they resumed their walk, passing by Tazuna and Inari who waved at them with grins. The latter staring a bit longer at Natsuki; especifically at her chest.
And while she didn't seem to notice, Naruto did. An angry frown took over his expression as he glared at the boy; jealousy flowed through him for a moment until Natsuki hugged his right arm with hers. The girl smiled in secret glee as he watched her brother blush, not caring in the slightest about the looks they attracted upon them.
After both siblings had helped around the village a bit, immensely speeding the repairments by using Kage Bunshin, they had been summoned to training ground 3, the one in which they'd become part of Team Seven years ago.
At the moment, both Natsuki and her brother were sitting against a tree; her head rested against Naruto's shoulder as the latter was in a deep trance. Meditation had always been part of his training routine, as it helped him relax his body and focus his chakra to different parts of his body. It was a good chakra control exercise in his opinion, though it required pacience and, above all, no interruptions from the outside.
And until then every member of Team Seven present at training ground 3 had remained silent, much to the young man's satisfaction. Though all things, especially good ones, tend to come to an end eventually, and Naruto knew it.
"Kakashi-sensei is late again! Ugh, this is sooo annoying!", Sakura suddenly screamed, standing up from the ground as she couldn't stand the silence anymore. She was never one to let others enjoy peace and quietness, Naruto and Natsuki thought in annoyance, the former outwardly wincing. Her voice hurt his hearing even more now that he'd acquired the ability to hear things from afar. "I could be at the hospital helping the staff right now instead of wasting my time waiting for our lazy sensei."
"While your desire to helps others is commendable, Sakura", Naruto began as he slowly opened his azure orbs, "complaining will not make Kakashi arrive sooner. He's been late for team meetings practically ever since we first met him. Instead, you could be doing some light training like I'm doing. You should try to improve your pacience a bit."
The aforementioned turned to look at him with an angry frown, though he didn't let it bother him. "Nobody asked for your opinion, Naruto."
"It was only a suggestion, take it or leave it, I don't really care", said the blond with a shrug, closing his eyes so as to make it seem he was going back to his meditations.
Sakura opened her mouth to complain, but Natsuki decided to speak before she could. "Oniichan is right. Even if you're physically stronger than both of us, you tend to let your impacience and anger get the best of you, which could cost our team the upper hand in a difficult battle."
"T-That's not true...!"
"As your teammates, we just want to help you", Naruto said, his tone a bit softer than before. "The better we operate as a Team, the better we'll handle our fights together. Alright?"
To her credit, the pink haired chunin shut her mouth and nodded, blushing slightly in embarrassment. Both siblings looked at each other and smiled; Sakura could actually admit when she was wrong, even if it only meant inclining her head in shame.
And it was right in that moment that Kakashi made his entrance, appearing in the center of the training ground in a swirl of leaves and smoke. His visible eye scanned the area, noticing that everyone (except Sai, who now worked as an independent Jounin) was present. Naruto and Natsuki nodded in acknowledge at him, yet the pink haired girl refused to meet his eye for some reason he ignored. "Did something happen before I arrived?"
It was Natsuki who answered, winking an eye at him. "We are not telling you unless you tell us the reason why you're always late."
Kakashi eye smiled at that. Of course they were hiding something from him, yet he didn't consider it to be important enough for him to tell them about his secret visits to Rin's and Minato's graves.
It didn't really matter, he was probably going to find out later, he thought.
"Me? I believe I always explain the reason why I'm forced to be late", Kakashi watched in amusement as not only both siblings, but also Sakura turned to look at him with looks of irony. "Sometimes I get lost on the path of life or a black cat crosses my path and I'm forced to go the long way. On certain ocassions, though, I find an old lady who needs help with her shopping bags."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that as he heard Sakura cracking her knuckles with an angry smile. She was clearly pissed at his pathetic attempt of an excuse. "And you actually believe that crap?"
"Believe or not, life can be tough sometimes", he said, ignoring the killing intent that slowly poured out from Sakura. "But enough about me. Today we'll have an special training."
"And that would be...?"
"Taijutsu training!", he announced with an eye smile, much to the joy of his pink haired student. That was practically her favourite way to train, since it meant she could use her inhuman strength to obliterate her opponent. She inwardly hoped she was paired against Kakashi to teach him a lesson for having them wait so long for him to arrive. "And we'll work in pairs. Naruto, you will go against me. Then Pinky and Blondie will follow."
Upon hearing the news, the young man smirked; he was getting to try his abilities against his sensei. That would surely pose a good challenge, and he was actually going to focus 100% on the battle this time, not like he did against Natsuki during their morning training.
Natsuki, on the other hand, pouted at not having the chance to fight Kakashi, something that was shared by Sakura, who groaned silently. Though, as both girls turned to glance at each other they couldn't help but grin. This was actually the first time they'd fight each other in training, and it thrilled them to no end.
After Naruto's sister nodded at him with a cute smile and wished him luck, both she and Sakura got out of the way, standing against a nearby tree from where they could watch the match unfold. To say they were intrigued with the battle's outcome would be an understatement. After all, Naruto had proved himself in the battle with Pein as one of the most powerful shinobi of Konoha (along with Natsuki).
Yet Kakashi was not considered an S rank Jounin for nothing.
"Alright, this will be a Taijutsu only fight. No Ninjutsu or Genjutsu allowed. However, we can still use Kunai, Shuriken or any other weapon of our choice."
Naruto nodded, standing at a good distance from his sensei with an enthusiastic grin. Kakashi had to actually admit he felt somewhat excited. Not everyday he'd get the chance to fight against his own disciple, one of the two shinobi who had managed to defeat Pein and save the village from complete destruction.
Kakashi wondered whether he'd need his sharingan in battle, as it didn't count as ninjutsu. By the way Naruto seemed ready to use his full power, the ex anbu felt like he'd need to go all out from the very beginning.
"Well", he began, taking a pause as he fell into a fighting stance, deciding not to reveal his sharing for the time being. Naruto did the same, and soon he adopted his Toad Style stance. "Begin."
The Jounin had barely time to react, less register what happened, as the blond had shortened their distance in a milisecond, crashing right into his sensei and sending him flying into a tree, much to everyone's surprise. Kakashi's body disappeared in a puff of smoke as the impact broke the tree and made it fall to the ground.
"W-Whoa..."
As Naruto gasped in shock at the speed he'd moved with, especially without using any chakra to reinforce his legs, the real Kakashi watched the blond from behind some bushes in the training ground; both his eyes widened as he lifted the headband hiding his sharingan from view. He had not expected Naruto to show such speed, even though the boy was faster than most shinobi in the village.
And there was no way he couldn't have seen his attack coming, barely having time to switch himself with a Kage Bunshin before the boy literally crashed against him. Kakashi was a trained Jounin, one that had fought against thousands of enemies in his life and survived each encounter. And Naruto, it seemed, was as surprised as he was with his previous display of strength and speed.
'That was unexpected...'
Meanwhile, Natsuki and Sakura were looking at the blond chunin with widened eyes, their minds trying to register what they had just seen. "Since when could Naruto do that?"
Natsuki was at a loss for words as was Naruto, who was suddenly forced to tilt his head to a side to avoid being hit by a kunai thrown at him. Kakashi decided to make his presence known once again and reappeared in front of the blond, throwing a barriage of fists and kicks that quickly put Naruto on the defensive.
Naruto blocked a blow aimed at his head and countered with his right fist, something that was easily dodged by Kakashi as he ducked below the attack and threw a low roundhouse kick to the blond's knee. The young teen jumped backwards and suddenly dashed forward, throwing a punch at his sensei with all the strength he could muster.
When Kakashi tried to block it, hoping he could then counterattack, he was surprisingly sent flying back at immense speeds, crashing right into a tree and then into another before he was able to stop, his bones painfully cracking to a point where the silver haired ninja thought they would break.
Fortunately for him, that didn't happen. Yet he couldn't help but cough in pain behind his mask, something that managed to shock both girls and Naruto to the core, their eyes nearly bulging out their skulls.
"N-Naruto! H-How did you...?"
The blond turned to Sakura, a look of uncertainty visible on his face. "I... I don't know..."
Natsuki, on the other hand, had gone from astonished to impressed. Her light blue globes sparkling with excitement as she placed both hands on her whiskered cheeks. "Oniichan, that was awesome! You hit even harder than Sakura!"
"I didn't know you possessed such strength", the pink haired girl pouted in jealousy, yet she couldn't help but agree with the blonde. The only one who had a strength similar to her own was Tsunade-sama, and she didn't recall seeing her teammate going through the same training she'd done. Hell, she'd never seen him hitting someone with that power before!
To her surprise, Naruto actually looked as confused as they were. The look of surprise still present on his visage. "Me neither... In fact, I—"
Whatever he wanted to say next never came out of his throat as the three members of Team Seven saw Kakashi walking up to them, having recovered from his initial shock and the state Naruto left him in. He covered his sharingan with his forehead protector before turning to Natsuki and Sakura and saying, "Training is over. You can go home."
"But sensei", Sakura began, confused as to why Kakashi looked so serious. "What about our fight?", she gestured to her fellow blonde as she spoke.
"Some other time. There's something I need to speak with Naruto."
The pink haired girl would have complained under normal circumnstances, but the look on Kakashi's face left no room for argument. Even Natsuki, who initially planned on staying with them, decided to leave them alone and interrogate her brother afterwards.
"I'll be home if you need me, Oniichan", Natsuki said as she and Sakura shunshined away, leaving a nervous teen and a silent adult behind.
Both stared at each other just for a few seconds, even though for Naruto it seemed like minutes had passed since Kakashi finally blinked and spoke to him, using a tone he barely ever heard him use before. "I want you to explain to me what happened back there. Have you focused your chakra on your arms or legs to make yourself faster or stronger?"
"N-No", answered Naruto slowly, something that didn't seem to surprise Kakashi at all. "When I send your clone flying into that tree I just... ran to you, trying to land a surprise attack. Yet, as soon as I started moving I found myself suddenly colliding with your body..."
Kakashi's only visible eye widened in astonishment. "You mean you couldn't control yourself and crashed into me because of the speed you moved at?"
"I think so", he folded his arms nervously over his chest. "And when you tried to block my attack I wasn't expecting the impact to send you flying away. I mean, I've never punched someone so hard before in my life... I believe I may be developing a Kekkei Genkai."
"A Kekkei Genkai?", Kakashi repeated with incredulity. "Naruto..."
"And that's not all", the ex anbu was interrupted as the young man decided to tell his sensei about his other newfound abilities. "I've been able to hear things that are out of a normal people's hearing range for the past few days. And I can also see through walls if I put my mind onto it. Natsuki knows it's true, I've proved it to her."
Kakashi opened his mouth and immediately closed it. He was at a loss for words, mainly because he honestly wasn't expecting Naruto to develop abilities that few or even no shinobi possessed after everything that had transpired since he found him in that space ship.
What Naruto was going through probably had to do with the fact that he was from another world, a theory he and the Sandaime had thought about during the first few years of the blond's life in Konoha. Though after watching him for many years, he'd finally thought the boy was like any other shinobi, a prodigy yes, but not different in an outworldly way.
"Sensei, you know what's happening to me, don't you?", Naruto suddenly asked after feeling like he'd waited long enough. He noticed how his sensei seemed to tense at that, and pressed on. "If my guessing is correct, then my parents must have belonged to a specific clan in the Leaf. But which one, exactly?"
Kakashi, instead of answering right away, shook his head, sighing afterwards. "I think I may have a theory about why you're developing those... abilities", as soon as the blond's face brightened with hope, his sensei raised a hand and prevented him from speaking. "But before I explain it to you, there's something you should see. Meet me at Tsunade-sama's tent in an hour. If you wish you can bring Natsuki with you."
And without giving the blond a chance to reply, Kakashi vanished from sight, leaving a very confused and thoughtful Naruto behind.
"Onii... Do you think you'll finally get to learn about your parents?"
Naruto sighed in an effort to calm his rising nerves. For the past minutes, he and his sister had been waiting outside the Godaime's Hokage tent, with Shizune keeping an eye on Tsunade in the inside, as the blonde woman had been in coma ever since Pein's invasion. Natsuki was as surprised as he was after finding out that Kakashi indeed knew something about the reason why he'd manifested enhanced hearing and other abilities he didn't know he had until then. Like the newfound strength he used against his sensei in their short fight.
Turning to look at his beautiful little sister, he smiled. "I truly hope so Natsuki-chan. Maybe my parents were renowed shinobi like your dad, the Yondaime Hokage, and belonged to a clan that possessed a Kekkei Genkai like mine", the girl returned the smile with one of her own and grabbed his hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze.
She had found the identity of her father during the battle against Pein, with the man stopping her from releasing the seal on the Kyuubi. And to know she was the daughter of one of the most powerful shinobi to have ever existed on the Nations filled her with a sense of pride and joy.
"Well, everyone always said your parents were heroes. Heroes who sacrificed themselves for the village during the Kyuubi's attack. Whether they were part of a clan or not, what they did showed their love for the village and for you, oniichan. I'm sure they must be proud of you for everything you've achieved so far."
A grin found its way to Naruto's lips as he heard that, nodding to the girl who felt butterflies flying in her belly. He'd lie if he said he hadn't been feeling nervous at all before, but now he was put at ease.
Whoever his parents may have been, he'd always think of them as saviors and heroes.
Both siblings remained in silence after their little exchange, watching as people passed by and waved at them with smiles, something they returned happily. People were finally acknowledging not only Naruto, but Natsuki as well as true shinobi, getting over their initial hate towards her and the Bijuu traped inside her body.
"Hey! Naruto! Natsuki!"
The voice of none other than Ino Yamanaka suddenly broke the comfortable silence settled over them, and they turned their heads towards the source of the sound. Two pairs of azure eyes glanced upon the famous InaShikaCho trio, approaching their position with grins.
"Yo!"
"Ino-chan, Shika-kun, Choji-kun", greeted Natsuki, a kind smile on her face as she spoke.
"What's up with you two? We haven't seen you in forever!"
Naruto shrugged at Ino's question, noticing how Choji decided to open a bag of chips he carried on his hand. He was thinner than he remember him to be, probably due to how much chakra he'd used in the fight against Pein and the Six Paths. If the Akimichi Clan didn't need to rely on fat for their especial ninjutsu, he'd told Choji to stop eating so as to keep fit. "Yeah, well, we've been training a lot lately."
Shikamaru casually rolled his eyes at that. "Heh, you two have followed the same training routine ever since we were kids. Maybe what you meant was you've been busy cloning yourself to help around, if the Narutos and Natsukis we've seen around the village are something to go by."
"You got me there", the blond raised his hands in a defeated manner, making the rest chuckle. "Though Natsuki-chan and her clones have practically done all the work. Her chakra reserves are way bigger than mine, after all."
"Which makes me more powerful than you, Oniichan."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night my beloved Imouto."
The InoShikaCho trio watched in amusement as Natsuki pouted and playfully swatted his arm, with him frowning in mock pain. Both blondes had always been like that ever since they started classes at the Academy, showing to share a bond rarely seen in two people with no actual blood relation.
It was like they were true siblings.
"So...", Ino began, smiling slyly as her eyes moved from Naruto to his sister. "Are you two on a date right now?"
Surprisingly enough, not only Naruto's face turned red crimson, but also Natsuki, who started to play with her fingers in a nervous manner. Though while her brother starting to sputter in denial, she kept silent. "N-No! We are just waiting for Kakashi-sensei to arrive! Yeah, that's it. Ha ha..."
By the way Natsuki's expression twisted into a disappointed pout for a second, and the young man's nerves, it was clear for Ino that something else was going on between those two. Her smile grew wider, she'd always shipped those two, especially since they would make such a cute couple in her opinion. "Ara, I never thought you had it in you, Naruto-kun..."
"Leave them alone, Ino", Shikamaru said, ignoring the grateful smile on Naruto's face and the way in which Ino giggled slyly. Choji, meanwhile, just munched on his chips, not really feeling he needed to say anything for the time being. "You said you were waiting for Kakashi-sensei?"
His old friend nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. He said he's something important to show me. I think it may be related to my newfound Kekkei Genkai."
Upon hearing his words, the three members of team 8 widened their eyes in shock; Choji swallowed a mouthfull of chips sonorously before he decided to formulate the question everyone (except for both siblings) had been meaning to ask for the past few seconds. "You have a Kekkei Genkai? How did you find out?"
"Well..."
"Maybe it'd be best if we tell them some other time", said Natsuki, knowing that Kakashi was due to arrive at any moment. Four sets of eyes turned to look at her and she shrugged her shoulders. "It's actually a long story."
"Hah? No way! I want to know~!"
Naruto awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and smiled at his friends. They were really curious about his newfound abilities, even Shikamaru seemed interested. And he couldn't blame him; after all, not everyday you find out that a fellow shinobi with no last name and deceased parents may actually belong to a clan that possessed a Kekkei Genkai. "How about we go to Yakiniku Q for lunch tomorrow? I promise we'll tell you everything."
At the prospect of going to his favourite place, Chouji raised a fist in the air and grinned, a glint appearing in his eyes as he did so. "Yeah! We should definitely do that!"
"We can even tell the rest of the gang to join us. Like Hinata-chan, Kiba, Shino, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Sakura and... Sai, if you want to", said Naruto, shivering at the mere mention of Sai, someone he considered a weirdo in many ways. Yet, he thought mentioning his name would convince Ino who seemed anxious enough to disagree with the idea and have them tell her about such succulent details on the blond's heritage. "That way, I can announce it to everyone in one go."
Ino finally relented and sighed, pointing a finger at Naruto immediately afterwards. "Fine, but you better show up tommorow or I'll find you and drag you there myself."
"R-Right", Naruto silently gulped before nodding his head in agreement. Shikamaru and Natsuki sweat dropped at the scene unfolding before them, with the former muttering 'troublesome woman' under his breath.
Chouji just shrugged his shoulders. Ino could be a pain in the ass sometimes.
"I apologize for having you receive us in Tsunade-sama's tent, Shizune-san. But your presence is required, after all."
"It's no problem at all Kakashi-san", the woman replied, putting a strand of black hair behind her ear. Kakashi had asked her to be present as she would be the one to share Hatake's information with the Hokage after she woke up; and though it'd have been easier to have them meet at Naruto's apartment, Shizune couldn't really leave her teacher's side. She was the only one who could monitor her, after all. "I'd offer you three some tea, but I'm afraid I've run out of it."
Kakashi eye smiled at her politeness. "Don't worry about that. In fact, I don't think any of us would be feeling like having a cup of tea when we begin this little meeting."
His words greatly unnerved Naruto, who suddenly felt like he'd be learning some kind of a secret from Kakashi. Shizune and Natsuki just widened their eyes in surprise, but kept their cool; if they were curious before, now they were intrigued.
After all, to ask Tsunade's disciple to receive them in the same place where a very old looking Godaime Hokage rested could only mean that whatever Kakashi wanted to tell them was of the utmost importance. The black haired woman wondered for a moment if the scarecrow was about to share something that could very well change Naruto's life for the better...
...Or for worse.
Kakashi let out an anticipatory breath and zipped the tent's entrance, preventing any passer by from taking a peek inside. Then, he walked to the other side and stood facing one of the walls for a moment as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come.
Despite what many could think, Tsunade's tent was actually quite big, almost as big as the small living room at the sibling's apartment. Something that thereby allowed him to open a scroll on the floor, kneel down and make some hand seals. Yet, before he proceded to summon the object sealed inside, he tilted his head towards Naruto, who was watching silently as were the others. "Naruto."
"Sensei?"
"I want you to promise me that no matter what I show or tell you, you'll hear me to the end. I can assure you that, as your sensei, I'll only speak with the truth."
Naruto nodded with slight disdain, slightly confused as to what could be so hard to believe that would make him leave before Kakashi was over. "I promise."
And immediately after he heard that, Kakashi poured some chakra into the scroll and allowed the metallic object to be released from its confines in a puff of smoke. When everyone in the room had a clear sight of it, they widened their eyes. But only for a moment though.
Natsuki was the first to frown in confusion, tilting her head cutely to a side before asking, "and what's that supposed to be?"
"This", Kakashi stood up and carefully placed a hand on the Rocket, feeling the cold surface against his skin, "is where I found you fifteen years ago, Naruto."
While Shizune gasped and Natsuki's frown changed into a look of surprise, the young man growled. "Is this some kind of joke Kakashi-sensei? 'Cause if it is, it's not funny."
Yet the look on his sensei's face showed he was far from being about to burst in laughter and tell him it was all a prank of some sort. In fact, Naruto and his sister noticed, he'd been carrying the same expression on his visage ever since he walked up to them after crashing into not one, but two trees consecutively.
"But... How?", this time it was Shizune who voiced her thoughts, as both siblings were still busy trying to comprehend how in the world could a baby be found in such a strange looking object.
She shifted nervously on her seat next to Tsunade's bed as Kakashi's eye meet her own; the old Hokage by her side sleeping calmly in spite of the event transpiring at the moment. "I was fourteen at the time, and yet I have never forgot about that fateful night..."
And so, the ex Anbu Captain told them everything, from how he was on patrol when he suddenly saw what he thought was a meteorite flying to Earth and how he'd chase after it, arriving at the crash site minutes later only to find out that an one year old Naruto was inside, sleeping comfortably until he woke up. Kakashi proceeded to tell them how he'd put the object into a Scroll and carry a baby that kept crying for his parents in a strange language all the way to Konoha, where he met with the Sandaime at his mansion and discussed the prior events with him.
He then explained Sarutobi's decision to have Naruto taken to the hospital to be examined by doctors, who found nothing wrong with him in any sense and deemed him healthy enough for him to join Natsuki in her room. Kakashi also explained that the Sandaime had some scientists he trusted analyse the ship Naruto arrived in without telling them its origin, with the results of their research showing the object was far too sofisticated to have been produced by anyone in the Elemental Nations.
However, as he was about to continue with the story, Naruto, who had kept his cool so far, interrupted him. "Was there... anything else inside apart from me?"
Kakashi nodded his head at that, quickly noticing that despite the looks of utter shock and disbelief in both kunoichi's faces, the blond was probably the most composed one. He'd barely widened his eyes and gasped when the Jounin narrated in a detailed way how he had come across Naruto in his youth, as if still refusing to believe in what he heard.
"When Sandaime-sama first took a look at the insides we found some blankets and... something else", he motioned his student to come closer, something he complied almost relunctantly. Shizune and Natsuki quickly stood up and followed Naruto, eager to get a glimpse at whatever items lied inside the ship.
Three pairs of eyes gazed upon the rocket, and didn't even blink when Kakashi opened a small side compartment and pulled a square wooden box with something that resembled a plate on it. Said plate was engraved with strange, aleatory markings that seemed to have no apparent meaning, even if they tried to decipher it at first sight.
Kakashi held the object on his hands as he turned to Naruto. "I've kept this thing ever since Sandaime-sama passed away, but I could never open it", he then handed the object to the blond, who remained in utter silence while both Shizune and Natsuki inspected the box with curious eyes. "Maybe it only responds to you."
And as soon as his fingers came in contact with it, the plate began to blink intermitently before the many markings on it shifted, moving like pieces in a puzzle and ultimately forming a kind of pentagonal shield with an image that somewhat remembered Naruto of a dragon.
Suddenly, the blond found himself in a wholy different place, yet one that was slightly familiar to him. He immediately gasped and moved his widened eyes around, noticing he was in what seemed to be the main living room of a house — a large couch with curvatures on the backrest, a black wooden table with many chairs of a similar desing at the center of the room and pictures and frames of what appeared to be different families all around.
Naruto noticed more strange looking furniture in the room, but what really caught his attention was the huge window panel that connected the house with the outside, revealing a marvelous yet strange world with people flying around on metallic objects, rare houses with roofs that went down and stretched to the ground and other equally unnerving buildings.
Beyond it all, a gigantic reddish Sun watched it all, casting its rays in a way that didn't remind the blond of the Sun he knew so well. This one seemed... older, weaker even, as if its end would have been near.
"Hello Jin", a sudden voice at his back alerted the young man, and he took a cautious step back and fell into his fighting stance, ready to defend himself if necessary. What he saw, however, almost made him fall on his butt in shock. "I see you've activated the message we left for you in your escape rocket."
Even though he could not understand what he was being told, he fully recognized the man that was now addresing him. "Y-You are...!"
The man smiled, and so did the beautiful woman with vibrant red hair next to him.
It was the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Done! I must admit I had fun writing this one. It still takes me a while to write each chapter, but for now I'm updating every two days, which is great for me so as to keep my muse around. Don't know how long that is going to last though, but I don't plan on letting this story die.
And now, some author notes.
N°1: Those who read the original version may have noticed that I've changed Naruto's life in Konoha, opting to follow cannon as the other version seemed a bit complicated to imagine. I added some elements here and there and it ended up feeling much more real to me. I still have some plot twists and whatnot, and I'll include a few surprises next chapter.
N°2: Some readers have been asking me about Naruto's superhero name. I was planning to use the one I chose in the original which is "Red Sun". I think it's a good name, though if any of you have better suggestions, I'll gladly take them into account.
Until next time, Karai.