The Huntress Is Revealed (Part 2)
Naruko woke up the next morning with her usual demeanor. She sighed and got out of the house. She locked the gate and walked right into an ANBU.
"Seriously, you guys need to learn to appear next to a person, not directly behind them."
"Mind your tone, fiend."
"Fiend?" she said coldly.
"You better watch what you say next, boy. It's common knowledge if you ask for something you'll get it. And right now you are asking for your death."
"As if a bitch like you could stand a chance against me."
"Why are you here?"
"Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you."
"Okay then, step out of my way so I can go to him."
"I think not. It's about time you learned you place, Kyuubi Bitch."
"That's it."
In a flurry of hand signs she transported them to the Hunting Realm. The ANBU looked around frantically, but could not find the little bitch.
"Remember when I said you get it when you ask? Well, you asked for a demon, here she is."
She walked towards him. Fox ears showing and her four tails swaying. Her whisker marks were more defined and her nails had grown to claws.
"De… De… Demon…" the ANBU whispered.
"That's right, and now I get to play."
She walked over to him and avoided all of his slashes with the sword.
"One little ninja flailing wildly with his sword,
cutting he does nothing,
One little ninja starting to get scared,
soon all he'll say is 'where'"
She disappeared in smoke. The air became filled with it. He was starting to cough. His eyes were tearing off. Somehow the air filters of his mask weren't working. He tried to locate the bitch but soon heard voices.
"Help!"
"She's coming!"
"Run!"
"Hide!"
"Where are you, damnit?" he said running.
"One little ninja running all afraid,
where will he end
One little ninja looking everywhere,
sadly he cannot get any… Air!"
Out of seemingly nowhere Naruko appeared and he him in a vicious chokehold. Her right arm was around his neck, her biceps and underarm cutting off the blood flow to his head. Her right hand was hooked in her left elbow and her left hand pulled to her right shoulder. He struggled and tried to get free, but she didn't let go. After fifteen seconds, it was all over, he collapsed and Naruko severed his head and sealed everything away. She returned to the real world and ran straight to the Hokage. The Hokage could sense she was in a bad mood and went straight to business.
"What happened?"
"The ANBU you sent to get me, broke your law by calling me Kyuubi, so I killed him. Here's the head. Now what is it you need me for?"
"Well first, here is your check. And second, it seems Squad Seven has run into some trouble. I have sent Squad Eight as backup, but I would also like to have someone there who could take care of them. You are to be a Genin, and you will be there as FRU. You outrank the Genin."
"Fine, where are they headed?"
"Nami no Kuni, the Land of Waves. The mission is to guard a bridge builder until he finishes the bridge. This is an A-rank mission. If you are to go hunting, all consequences are carried by you. Do you accept?"
"I do. How much head start do they have?"
"One day."
With that Naruko ran. She sprinted out of the village and headed for Nami no Kuni. On the way she found evidence of a battle and after a brief inspection of the site she continued. She ran straight for the docks and sprinted over the water. She arrived at the bridge builder's house half a day later when she left. She knocked on the door and it was answered by a young woman.
"Yes, can I help you?"
"I am Genin Shulmah of Konoha Gakure no Sato. I was sent here to provide back up for the two teams already here."
"Oh… please come in."
She stepped inside and walked into the living area. She saw the Genin of Squads Seven and Eight and the Jonin instructor of Squad Eight. They looked at her.
"What are you doing here, dobe? We already got back up. Though it is not needed."
"Wow, still as self-centered as usual I see. Where is Kakashi-san?"
"Sensei's upstairs recovering."
She walked upstairs and entered the room. There he lay, one of the most infamous ANBU captains of Konoha injured and exhausted.
"Heh, what are you doing here, Shulmah?"
"I was sent here for support, anything I should know of?"
"Yeah."
Flashback
Kakashi met up with his team and the client at the gate. They started walking out. A few hours into the Journey, Kakashi noticed a puddle of water on the side of the road. He walked by like he hadn't noticed it. After another few minutes they were attacked. Kakashi substituted with a log. The substitution was ripped apart by a bladed chain. It looked like Kakashi had been killed. Sakura and Gotegma froze. The two enemy ninja went after Gotegma. They ran to his blind spot and stood behind him, preparing to cleave him apart with their chains. Sasuke stepped in and pinned the chain to a tree with a kunai and a shuriken. He jumped onto the gauntlets and donkey kicked the two shinobi. The chain was cut and the two shinobi split up, one ran to the client, Tazuna, a Master Bridge Builder, while the other headed for Gotegma. Sakura was starting to panic and held out a kunai. She positioned herself in front of the client, prepared to defend herself. But again Sasuke stepped in front and was waiting. He waited too long and Kakashi intervened close lining the man and holing him in a choke hold, whilst carrying the other on under his arm.
In the end, Gotegma got injured and lightly poisoned. Sasuke did a good job as well as Sakura after she had gotten over the initial shock.
As it turned out, Tazuna had not been completely honest about the mission parameters. He said he needed protection from bandits, but failed to mention he was being hunted by ninja. He then told them about the situation in wave. A few years back the shipping tycoon Gato, from Gato Enterprises came to the Land and took over all of the trading routes and the entirety of the country. He rules with an iron fist. He is the reason for the poverty everywhere. He hired a group of Rogue Shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Three members have been identified as the Oni Kyodai, the Demon Brothers, Gozu and Meizu. And Momochi Zabuza, Kirigakure no Kijin, the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Another member of the group is a fake hunter-nin, also hailing from the Hidden Mist.
When they reached the shore they were ambushed by Momochi Zabuza. After a brief verbal confrontation Zabuza used the Kirigakure no Jutsu. Then he attacked with a combination of Mizu Bushin after a few minutes of battle, Kakashi was kicked in to the water and then was caught by Zabuza in the Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu. At that point Squad Eight showed up. With some clever thinking Squad Eight was able to free the captured Kakashi with a few kunai and the Inuzuka Clans famous Collaboration Taijutsu. Zabuza was forced to release the Technique and after a brief battle Zabuza was pinned to a tree. Kakashi was about to kill him when Zabuza was subdued by the fake hunter-nin, who took him away afterwards. Kakashi collapsed from mild chakra exhaustion.
Flashback end
"They carried me to the client's home and a day later you showed up here."
"I see. So what is the plan Taicho?"
"Well I was going to train my team for the battle that is to come."
"Very well, when do you wish to start?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"That leaves me time to get some information."
Naruko got up and left. She went into the room next door. She changed into her Royal Garbs and left the house. She created two Shadow Clones and had them transform into samurai and have them flank her. She walked through the village and saw the extent of the poverty of the entire country. She talked to random citizens on the streets and in stores, getting as much information as she could. What she found out made her rather furious. The people in the village had near to nothing and they could not make any money, because Gato was constantly taking their profit as taxes. She walked into a store and started to speak with the owner.
"Excuse me Tenshu-san, I would like to buy a few of your items. Could you please walk me around your store and give me advice on everything?"
This wasn't necessary, as she was a master alchemist and botanist, but she wanted to buy some time. She had sensed the presence of two thugs coming her way. She wanted to get information about Gato straight from the source, his men.
"Of course, Roiyaru-sama."
They walked around the store and Naruko asked him about the best conditions for the soil to be in to plant the seeds. She asked if he had a few recipes for a few native dishes with this ingredient and that. All the while the shopkeeper answered to the best of his capabilities. He was very detailed in his help and he noticed that his customer seemed rather pleased with him. After a while they were at the counter bagging everything.
"…And with these seeds, the total amount would be 1.376,78 Ryo."
Naruko took out her wallet and gave the man fifteen hundred Ryo.
"That is for the help and advice you have given. I hope you will have a nice day."
Just then the two thugs she sensed came in.
"What's this? You got a customer? Well good, it's time to pay your taxes."
One of the thugs walked over to the cashier and took all of the money. The other thug eyed Naruko.
"I hope you know that what you do with those items is illegal here, girl."
"And why would I need to worry about your laws. I do not come from this country and I am only here to by seeds of the native Flora for the royal gardens of my family."
The thug smirked. This could be very beneficial. This brat in front of him came from a royal family not from here, so she had a lot of money. All he had to do was take out the two guards and take her to Gato. Without hesitating he struck the nearest guard with a knife and killed him. His partner instantly took out the other one. Naruko pretended to be afraid of the two men and let herself be picked up and carried away peacefully.
Once they were outside of the village however she elbowed her carrier to the back of the head and knocked him out. Seconds later the other one fell as well. She tied them up and woke them.
"So you two work for Gato, am I right?"
"Fuck you, bitch."
Naruko sighed and started beating the within an inch of their lives.
"Now then, do you work for Gato?"
"Ye… yes," they choked.
"Very good, now where is his base and where are his warehouses?"
"The D… D… Daimyo's M… Ma… Mansion. Everything' there."
"Very good."
She severed their heads and took all of their possessions. She sealed everything into the according scroll and headed back to the shop. When she entered, her clones got back up and it seemed like nothing had happened.
"Here you go, Tenshu-san. Here is everything what they took from you."
She gave the man his money.
"But why? Why do this for me?"
"Because I have been in the same pit of despair, friend. Don't give up hope. As soon as that bridge is built Gato will be lying dead in a pool of his own blood."
With that she left. She headed back to house right in time to have dinner. They sat in silence and ate. After they had their food, Naruko created an army of clones and had them watch the house. She went to the room she, Sakura and Hinata were sharing she watched as Sakura came out of the shower. She smelled of far too many beauty products. Naruko shook her head. She was useless. She sat down in a corner and started meditating.
The next morning came and the ninja headed out. Squad Eight would have the first guard duty, while Squad Seven would train. Naruko accompanied the disaster squad and listened to Kakashi.
"Alright training begins now. First let's review chakra. Our basic source of power. Go ahead Sakura."
"Chakra is the elemental life energy a ninja uses to perform jutsu. It's the source of all his power. Now chakra has two forms. Physical energy which is taken from all the cells in the body. And spiritual energy the primal source of power which is intensified through training and experience. These two types of energy must be drawn out and combined in order to perform jutsu. The key is the fluid interplay with those two energies. Finally hand signs focus and unleash the chakra in form of jutsu."
"Right on all points. Iruka-sensei really did have some excellent students."
"Rather basic, but I didn't expect you to have studied the higher theories of chakra," Shulmah said.
Sakura was fuming.
"Oh yeah?"
She charged at her ready to punch. Shulmah sighed and waited for her. She intercepted the punch flipped her though the air and planted her firmly, face first on the ground.
"Never rush your opponent. So what do you want us to do?"
"We will work on your chakra control. Climb a tree, without hands. Focus your chakra to your souls of your feet and climb up the tree. Use the kunai to mark the highest point you can reach. Then try and get higher the next time."
"This is boring."
"What was that, Shulmah?"
"I already know this step and the next one, this is a waste of time."
"I see, but just do it."
"Fine."
With her hands in her pockets she walked up a tree to the very top and then walked down."
"Happy?"
"Very, you can help them while I recover at the house."
"Will do."
She walked up a tree and hung herself upside down. She pulled out a little orange book and started reading. Gotegma, Sasuke and Sakura started training. Sakura made it to the first branch and stopped, preferring to watch Sasuke. Gotegma and Sasuke ran up the tree and started to make slow progress. Naruko sighed. This was going to be a long day, but at least she still had her book. She was starting to get closer to the first plot twist, she could feel it. The boys were trying but neither managed to completed.
Finally the day was over and they headed back to the house. They had their food. Sakura noticed the picture in the kitchen.
"Excuse me, this picture is torn. Is there a reason for that? Inari, you kept glancing at it all threw dinner. It looks like someone got torn out, it's kind of strange isn't it?"
The family tensed.
"It's my husband," the daughter of the Bridge Builder said.
"They used to call him a hero in this village," Tazuna said sadly.
Inari got up and left.
"Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami said, but she got no reply.
She followed him.
"Father you can't talk about him in front of Inari like that, you know that."
Tazuna sighed.
"Inari's so, what happened to him?"
"Is there a story behind this?" Kakashi asked.
"He wasn't his real father, he came into our family later… And he brought so much happiness. He was very close with Inari. Back then Inari used to laugh all the time. But then all that ended. Ever since that day, the happiness he had was gone. Ever since that day, everything changed. The word courage was stolen from this island that day."
"Tell us," Kakashi said.
"I will but first you need to know about the man in the photo. He came here about three years ago…"
Flashback
Inari was on a peer being held by two boys. A third boy was holding his dog.
"Potchi! No Potchi."
"His name is not Potchi," the boy said.
"From today on his name will be Shooting Star."
"His name's not Shooting Star! It's Potchi and he's mine! Give him back!"
The boy threw the dog into the water. The dog tried to swim but it couldn't.
"That's what happens if you don't listen to me. Now your dog is going to drown. Let him go. Come on, save your friend. Be a hero."
Inari froze. He couldn't swim as well. Inari walked to the edge and didn't move. Then he was kicked into the water. Inari tried to stay afloat but he couldn't swim as well. The dog had figured out how to dog paddle in that time and swam to shore. The boys followed him leaving Inari in the water. He went under and passed out.
When he woke up he was ashore. He saw a man grilling a few fish.
"Did you pull me out of the water?"
"Yes I did. Here have a fish."
Inari told him about his life and what happened and the man listened. He told him about his country and cheered him up. After a while they returned to the house.
Then one day a flood came and threatened the village. It was Kaiza, the man on the photo, who saved the village by jumping into the rapids and closing the floodgates.
After that he was seen as a hero and when Gato came he stood up against him. Gato captured him and tortured him, but he never broke him. He used Kaiza as an example and executed him publically. After that the people were broken. They had lost their hope.
Flashback end
Naruko shook her head. The man had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the village. They went to bed and Naruko went to the Hunting Realm.
Hunting Realm
Naruko created an army of clones all in their Spartan armor. She marched to a shrine.
"Here me Great Spirit of life and death,
I stand here with heavy heart,
a burden weighs down on my shoulders,
I wish for you to appear,
I hope to talk for it to disappear."
Out of the light the Shinigami appeared.
"What troubles you, young huntress?"
"The Land of Waves, the people their live with no hope. Their hero has been taken away from them. I would like to give the people their loved ones back."
"And what would you be getting in return?"
He knew the girl and he knew whenever she used the deal they had made, it always was very beneficial for her.
"Hopefully the allegiance of Nami no Kuni. I will have them be part of Uzu no Kuni, when it is time. They will still be their own nation, only under Uzu's rule."
The Shinigami nodded. That would be very beneficial.
"You have my permission. I shall look for them and lead them to the estate your parents have built. I will explain everything. And referring to your question. You have to kill the person that killed them first, otherwise this exchange will not work."
"I see. Thank you Shinigami-sama."
The Shinigami nodded and left. Naruko dispelled her clones and returned to the real world as well.
Real World
The next day came and Naruko had convinced Kakashi to have his students train while she guarded Tazuna. She left with Tazuna and went to the bridge. Tazuna sighed.
"What's the matter, Tazuna-san?"
"Another worker didn't show up for work. If this goes on, I'll be finishing the bridge alone."
"Well, how many workers do you need? I could lend a few helping hands."
"Well show me how many hands you could lend."
Naruko's smirk made the man feel uneasy.
"Tajo Kage Bushin no Jutsu."
There was a huge cloud of smoke and once it cleared Tazuna took a step back in fright. He had expected five or six copies of the girl, but right now he was staring in the eyes of at least a few hundred copies of the usually stoic girl.
"Just tell us what to do," they said.
Most of the morning was then spent giving the clones tasks. Tazuna had them haul planks, stones, check for any and all fractures. When he realized she could walk on walls, he had her clones look on the sides and underneath the bridge. After he couldn't think of anything else Naruko had the rest of the clones spar on the water. Naruko in the meantime pulled Tazuna aside.
"Tazuna-san, what would you do, if you were offered the chance to have your loved ones come back to you?"
"I would thank Kami and every Entity out there, but why are you asking girl?"
"I will tell you, if you swear by the lives of all the people close to you that you will not reveal anything of what I am about to say."
Tazuna saw the serious no nonsense look in the eyes of the girl.
"I swear."
"My real name is Uzumaki Namikaze Naruko, musume no Kyuubi no Kitsune."
Tazuna was shocked beyond reason.
"An Uzumaki and a Demon Child, ehh? Well one things for sure, this day couldn't get any better," he said happily.
"And why is that?"
"Well, Uzumaki-sama, let me explain. Nami no Kuni was once part of Uzu no Kuni. We had very strong ties to the Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides. But why do you wish to keep your heritage hidden?"
"I will reveal it soon enough, but not yet. Now if I were to offer you the chance to reunite with your loved ones, would you take that offer?"
"I would, but such offers come with a price, don't they? What would we have to do to be able to have our loved ones with us once again?"
"One thing, and one thing only. Put your faith and power back into the hands of the Uzumaki. I plan on leaving my village in a few years and I want to rebuild my homeland to what it once was. If I can have the support of your people, it would be the first step in the right direction."
"We accept, the only problem is Gato."
"Leave him and his vermin to me. I always enjoy a good hunt."
"Then the agreement has been made. You free us of Gato and return the loved ones we lost to him. And in return Nami no Kuni will support you as soon as you give the word."
Naruko nodded and walked away. She sat down on a lamp post and continued to read her new favorite book. Soon it was midday and the workers took a break. Naruko's clones continued their jobs and after another few hours the day was done. They returned to the house.
"Man, I gotta say, those clones are really something."
"Thank you."
They entered the house and had food. All the way through the meal, Inari stared at all of them.
"You got a problem kid?"
"Why? Why do you even try? Gato's got a whole army. They'll beat you up and down and they'll destroy you. All these things you say don't mean a thing. The strong always win and the weak always lose, no matter how hard you try."
"Speak for yourself, kid. It isn't decided by fate who wins and who loses. I agree with you, the strong will always win over the weak, but that is how life works. Survival of the fittest."
"Why don't you just shut up? Looking at you makes me sick you know nothing of this country, you're just sticking your nose where it does not belong. You're always laughing and playing around you don't know what it is like to suffer and feel pain and be treated like dirt."
The temperature in the room instantly fell below the freezing point. Naruko looked at him with disgust. Then she got up and left.
"Where are you going, Shulmah?" Kakashi asked worried.
"Hunting, I've got a few heads I need to split."
As soon as the door closed everyone released a breath they did not know they were holding. Tazuna looked at Kakashi.
"Those eyes… They don't belong on such a young girl."
"You're lucky you're still young, Inari. If you were older you would be dead right now," Kakashi said.
"What do you mean, Kakashi-san?" Tsunami asked frightened.
"Well Shulmah is the kind of person who sticks to her own creed, her own set of rules. One of those rules is to not kill or harm innocent people, among which children are always included."
"You mean if he were older…" Tsunami said not wanting to end the sentence.
"That's right. Shulmah would have cut him down in an instant. In fact she is rather known for that back in our village."
"But what made her be like that? Shulmah-chan is one of the nicest people I know," Hinata said.
"Well Shulmah is a difficult character. She trusts few and to gain her trust is not easy. But to those that have gained her trust and those she calls friends, she is loyal until the very end. To those that treat her with resentment she will treat equally. She did not have the easiest of lives. In fact I doubt I would lie if I were to say there is undoubtedly only a few handful of people out there who had it worse than her. She had no parents to begin with and she was kicked out of the orphanage when she was a mere child. She was beaten to a pulp every day and had to go through the garbage of the village to get food. No one cared for her and so someday she decided to stop crying. She used to cry herself to sleep every night, but during the day, when she was outside, she would always laugh."
Kakashi had a faraway look in his eyes.
"Then what happened?" Kiba asked, wanting to know what made his friend so upset.
"Some villagers crossed a line to many and she started to create a mask. The end product of that mask is, what Shulmah is now. A person who has no qualms killing those that wrong her, be it mentally, physically or emotionally."
Kakashi sighed. He missed those days with his little happy go lucky sun set haired friend. He was on a mission when it happened. Later Itachi told him what had conspired and he wanted nothing more than to kill the people. But that was not possible, as they were already dead.
Back with Naruko
Naruko had finally found the mansion. She mad an army of clones and had them surround the complex. She walked in. She had steam to blow so she went with an ancient form of Taijutsu, one of the first styles of her clan. It originally was made for men who were a lot larger and bulkier than women, but Naruko liked the style and it worked great with her speed and flexibility. The style was called, Uzumaki Taijutsu: Pamu Hasai. It was a deadly style one slight touch and wherever the hand would land, that area would suffer internal damage to great to heal.
As soon as she entered the house her clones set up a barrier. Uzumaki Fuinjutsu: Zettai Shoheki Kabe. The seal would prevent anyone from entering or exiting the dome that was the barrier. Inside nothing could be heard from the outside. It was the ultimate death trap. On the outside of the dome however, everything that went on inside could be heard. And so over the following hour everyone within a few miles could listen to the antagonizing screams of pain and please of mercy, as Naruko walked from room to room aiming her palms at the elbows and knees of her opponents. Finally she got to Gato's room. She entered it and was immediately swarmed by a dozen thugs. She again struck, aiming to deliver the most pain while keeping them alive, letting them bleed to death. Gato was devastated. This girl had just made short work of his men.
"Now, now. Why don't we talk about this? I have money, just tell me how much you want and we both walk away from here unharmed."
"What I want is your head."
She lunged at him and split him in two from top to bottom. She signaled her clones to release the barrier and bring all of the bodies to her. It took another two hours to seal everything in the correct scrolls. She started walking back to the house, but decided to spend the night in a clearing in the forest.
Back with Kakashi
After Naruko left and he had explained some of her life they continued to eat their meals in silence. The silence however was disturbed when they heard the cries of pain.
"Seems like she found a few people to vent her anger…" Kakashi sighed.
"We might not get sleep tonight."
"Is she really doing that?" Kiba asked.
"Most likely. I have seen her in battle. She has an entirely different persona, especially when she was angered."
And so they listened for one long hour, to the cries and pleas that most likely fell on death ears. After an hour it finally stopped.
"It would seem that she is done. Most likely no one survived."
He shook his head and went to bed, leaving the Genin to their own devices.
Back with Naruko
The next morning came and Naruko woke up. She kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the silence. She sensed someone coming. She waited heard the footsteps. She laid there and waited. She concentrated on the footsteps and heard they were out of beat as they entered the clearing. They came up to her and stopped.
"I would go for the neck, if I were in your position. Even if you do not break it, you will have crushed the windpipe and they would die from suffocation, or if you want to do it cleanly you can sever their heads, as they would be in too much pain to do anything."
She opened her eyes and saw a girl standing above her. She sat up and looked at her.
"So what is someone like you doing in a place like this?"
"I am gathering herbs for a friend of mine. He is very sick."
Naruko took a sniff of the air and she smelled the same chakra that was on Kakashi.
"I see… Do you want any help? I am pretty good with herbs and medicines."
"Yes, that would be very nice."
They spend some times gathering herbs. And enjoyed the silence.
"That should be enough. Thank you for your help."
"No problem. Say hi to Zabuza for me, will ya?"
The girl froze.
"How did you know?" she asked carefully.
"I can smell his chakra all over you."
"And why didn't you act, if you knew I was an enemy, Shinku Hantoresu?"
"Well I just came back from Gato's house. I wanted to offer you a proposal. You and your group."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Well the screams last night for one, but you might want to look at this. Seems he never intended to pay you after all."
She handed the girl a scroll. The girl read it and her eyes narrowed.
"I will talk to Zabuza-sama. When and where shall we meet?"
"Here in two days. I hope to have a positive answer. By the way, I never got your name."
"It's Haku."
"Shulmah, so I will see you in two days, Haku-chan."
"I hate to tell you this, Shulmah-chan, but I am a boy."
Naruko smirked and revealed her four fox tails and her fox ears. It took all of Haku's willpower not to jump at the girl and cuddle her to death. Naruko noticed this and had an idea. She started to purr and play with her ears.
"KAWAI!"
Haku was on top of the girl in an instant and was cuddling her like there was no tomorrow.
"See, plus my nose never lies. Could you please let me go?"
Haku did and the two went back to their respective homes. The next two days went like the normal. Naruko helped at the bridge and the others trained. Then came the time for Naruko to meet with Zabuza. She waited on the clearing and a few minutes later five people stepped onto the clearing.
"Momochi Zabuza, Oni Kyodai, the Demon Brothers, Gozu and Meizu, Ringo Ameyuri and Haku-chan. It is nice to see you here."
"Get to the point Gaki, we don't have all day."
"Fine, here is the offer. Gato still has approximately two hundred me in hiding, already paid to kill you after you killed the Bridge Builder and the Konoha ninja. What I want you to do is to pretend to fight us and draw them out. I will kill the men with you if you want. And I'll give you the money Gato promised you."
"And what do you have to offer for this?"
"Well firstly, if rumors are to be believed, Ringo Ameyuri is suffering from an apparently incurable disease. I could heal it. Secondly would be the money Gato promised, and thirdly, the chance to not have to worry about the Kiri Hunter Nin Corps."
"The second I can believe, the other two, not," Ringo said.
Naruko sighed and revealed her true form. The group looked at her and their jaws dropped. They looked at the tails and saw they were fox tails.
"I am the daughter of the Kyuubi no Yoko. Is this proof enough?"
"Okay you could free me of this curse, but how are you going to keep promise number three?"
"My full name is Uzumaki Namikaze Naruko, Musume no Kyuubi no Kitsune. I am the heiress to the Uzumaki Clan, the Namikaze Clan and the Throne of Demons. I would adopt you into the Uzumaki or Namikaze Clans and offer you the protection as clan members and members of the Hidden Leaf."
"I don't know Gaki, something seems fishy here."
"As clan members you would be under my command and only my command. And I would have to mark you with the Adoption Seal that will identify you as a clan member."
"Alright, I accept the deal."
"Me too."
"We will too."
"I will of course do so as well"
"Good. I will cure your disease now, Ringo Ameyuri. Lay down on the floor."
The woman did and Naruko activated her Orion'aigan. She took her time and studied each organ, vein, arteries, and chakra pathways and tenketsu thoroughly. What she found was quite astonishing.
"You are being infected by a very rare and deadly parasite. I have only read one paragraph about this parasite, but I know that it is impossible to find, if you don't know what you are looking at. The parasite infects your chakra pathways and tenketsu. If you don't know what you are looking at, it will look like you have slightly thicker chakra. Once the parasite has poisoned your entire body with its eggs, you die from chakra blockage. Then the eggs hatch and devour your corpse. They're nasty little critters."
Naruko sighed.
"The good news is it is curable, the bad news is it will be more complicated and it will take longer because of the baby."
Zabuza sighed then spun his head around to the girl.
"Wait did you say baby?"
"Yes, congratulations, you are going to be parents."
And like any good man Zabuza instantly fainted at that news. Ringo was speechless and near to tears.
"I will start immediately."
The next five hours were extremely exhausting for Naruko. She had to channel Ringo's chakra through a filter made of her youki and then channel it back, all the while making sure Ringo didn't die because her chakra went in only one direction. On top of that she had to make sure that the youki stayed in the philter and did not enter Ringo's body so it wouldn't harm her or the baby. After five hours she was finally done. She channeled the last of Ringo's chakra back into her body and dissolved the youki philter. She fell back on her back and panted heavily. Zabuza had come around and was now holding his soon to be wife. He looked at the girl and was impressed. He didn't know much about medical procedures but he knew they were very strenuous and for her to have done a major operation like that showed immense will, control, stamina, reserves, everything.
After five minutes she had regained enough energy to sit back up and talk.
"Her chakra is clean now, and I managed to keep all of my youki away from her body. Your child will be fine as well, the parasite had not infected it yet. Man I am spent, I'll be going to bed. I expect you to be attacking in two days."
She left and headed to the house. She went straight into the room and went to sleep. She awoke the next day. She walked downstairs and went straight to the two Jonin.
"We need to talk, private," she said in a low voice so only the two could here.
They went upstairs and she teleported them to her cave. With a chakra pulse she hid all of her research and other things meant only for her. The Jonin looked around and saw the Genin. They sat down in front of her and waited.
"Where are we, Shulmah-san?" Kurenai asked.
"In a place I like to call the Fox's Den."
Kurenai's eyes widened.
"Who told you?"
"Doesn't matter I already killed them and I also know of my Heritage. My real, full name is Uzumaki Namikaze Naruko, daughter to Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato, but that is not important right now. Recently I had a run in with Zabuza and his group and I offered them protection as members of my clan."
"You did what?!" Kakashi yelled.
"I adopted them into the Uzumaki and Namikaze Clans. As heiress to both of those clans, it is my right to do so, plus I have to do it to avoid being a breeding stock in the CRA."
Kakashi and Kurenai looked at each other. They understood what the girl meant.
"Now what I was about to say. Zabuza and his group will feint attack us to draw out the rest of the rest of Gato's men."
"Did you say the rest?" Kurenai said.
"Yes. I thought the screaming would have been a clear enough indicator for that? But I have been wrong before. Anyway, I want you to only knock them out, I told them to play easy so it shouldn't be a problem. I would like you to consider the strategy I came up with. I think it be best if Squad Seven would stay behind and guard the house and the family. I want Squad Eight to guard the Bridge Builder and stay out of the fighting. Which leaves us three to handle Zabuza and his group. Kakashi, you take Zabuza, Kurenai, you take the Demon Brothers, and I will take the other two and swarm them with my clones. What do you say?"
"It is a very sound plan, Naru, but why leave Sasuke, one of our best hand to hand fighters out of the battle field?"
"Because to put it plainly, the Uchiha is an unstable power hungry brat that would still attack an already defeated opponent. I have seen it once, but it doesn't really surprise me, considering his heritage. How about this, we put Shino in charge of the house. He is rational and can if necessary subdue the Uchiha with his Kikaichu and scan the area with them."
"Very good Naru, I see no faults in that, do you Kurenai?"
"No."
"Then it's settled. Prepare your Genin, tomorrow we fight."
The next day came and the group headed off. Unsurprisingly the found five figures scaring the crew. Everyone got into their positons and the fluke commenced.
Kakashi
Kakashi looked at Zabuza and uncovered his Sharingan eye. Zabuza then used the Kirigakure no Jutsu rendering his eyes completely useless. Zabuza struck with his sword and Kakashi blocked the strikes. After some time, Kakashi used his Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu and pinned Zabuza down with his Ninken. He walked up to him and knocked him out.
Kurenai
Kurenai had the easiest task, all she had to do was cast a Genjutsu and knock the two brothers out. It was easy, because they didn't even try to resist the Jutsu.
Naruko
Naruko created a large army of clones and had them swarm the two females. They halfheartedly fought back and quickly got a Seal Tag slapped on them, paralyzing them completely.
"Well, well, well. Seems like Gato was right. He really wasn't worth the money. Now hand over the Bridge Builder."
The five ninja were now tied up and awake.
"Zabuza, do you mind if I take care of them?"
"Go ahead, Gaki. You deserve the fun."
"Thank you. I'll use a style you will enjoy."
She ran up the group of thugs and took out her two ninja-to.
"Uzumaki Kenjutsu: Furaingu Teashi no Ato."
She charged at the group. Her blades cutting off the limbs of her opponents making them scream in pain. Kakashi and Kurenai were shocked to see that the girl had mastered an incredible difficult fighting style. One even her mother had difficulty using to its fullest potential. They shivered at the thought of seeing Naruko when she was her mother's age.
"I have to make sure she never gets to meet Anko," Kurenai said to Kakashi, who paled at thought.
"That would be disastrous."
The Genin were feeling quite a bit of nausea seeing all of those body parts flying everywhere and with all that blood they were quickly feeling their breakfast revisiting. Zabuza on the other hand had stars in his eyes. It was watching poetry in action. He really was starting to like the girl.
After four minutes the fight was over. The thugs lay lifeless on the ground. She looked over the bridge and sighed. She wiped her blades off of one of the dead bodies and sheathed them in her boots. She went through a string of hand seals.
"Shinigami no Tangan: Tamashī no Ten no Ritān Ga Ichido Ushinawareta."
There was a bright flash of light and the bodies seemed to come back together. Once that was done the bodies glowed and started to reform. After a couple of minutes the glowing stopped and people started to get up.
"People of Nami no Kuni. You are set free of the chains of tyranny. Gato is dead. Return to your loved ones. But I ask that Kaiza stays here and comes forth to me."
A man stepped out of the depleting crowd.
"What is it that you want from me?" the man asked.
"We will accompany you to Tsunami-san. We have to get back to the house anyway."
They made their way to the house and found the bodies of two samurai in front of the house.
"Shino report," Kurenai said.
"These two tried to capture Tsunami-san and Inari-san. Sakura-san, Gotegma-san and I took out one while Sasuke-san fought the other. He also seems to have awoken his Sharingan."
"Very good. Rest, tomorrow we help with the bridge."
"Hey Tsunami, get over here, we've got a surprise for you."
Tsunami came into the room.
"K… Kaiza!"
She ran to him and embraced him in a hug.
The next day they started early, with Narukos clones help and the help of the entire village the bridge was completed in a few days. Then came the day of departure. The entire village had gathered to see them off. Naruko and her five companions along with Squads Seven and Eight.
"Hey grandpa, what are we going to name the bridge?"
"How about the Great Uzumaki Bridge, after the girl that single handedly freed us from the chains of tyranny and brought to us the hope that we lost."
The villagers cheered and the ninja left. A few days later they were back in the Hidden Leaf. Naruko was stopped by the two Chunin at the gates. Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. They looked at the girl and lost their jaw.
"Shulmah, why in the name of Kami, did you bring five missing nin to our gates?"
"I convinced them to join us. Do you still remember when I told you the council would get the shock of their lives?"
"Yes, but you never told us when and how."
"In about ten minutes, but I will have to have them with me. I promise, this will be the best prank I ever pulled."
The two Chunin saw the evil glint in the girl's eyes and gulped.
"Okay, they're under your responsibility, sign these papers and go straight to the Hokage."
Naruko nodded and signed the papers. They headed for the tower and after a few minutes they arrived. They entered and the secretary waved them through. The entered the office and were swarmed by ANBU. Surprisingly, no one reacted.
"Lord Hokage, do you remember the conversation we had three years back."
"Yes, I think I do, but that does not explain five nuke Nin in my office."
"It does. I am here by revealing my heritage as the heir to both the Uzumaki and Namikaze Clans. Being the last of those clans allows to adopt people of my approval into my clans. I adopt Momochi Zabuza, Yuki Haku, Ringo Ameyuri, Gozu and Meizu into the Uzumaki Namikaze Clans. They are under my protection so if harm comes to them I will have no qualms killing those responsible."
"ANBU stand down. Alright Naru-chan, sign these papers and be back here in two hours."
"Thank you Hokage-sama."
Naruko signed and they left to her home. They entered the house and Naruko told them to choose a room. Zabuza and Ameyuri took the only other two person bedroom besides the master bedroom. Haku took the one to the right of it. Meizu and Geizu took the left. Naruko went into the study. She went to the hidden safe and took out the Adoption Seal and the family crests. She walked into the main living area. She made five clones and had them get her new family. Five minutes later they were in the living area.
"So why did you call us, Gaki?"
"For you it now is Naruko-sama, Zabuza," she said with a threatening tone.
"I called you here because it is time to put the seals on you. The Adoption Seal, identifies you as members of the Uzumaki and Namikaze Clans. The family crests do the same, but instead they are being applied to your clothing. The Adoption Seal will go on your right shoulder."
Naruko walked over to them. She put the Adoption Seal tag with the Uzumaki crest onto their shoulder. She channeled her chakra to her hand. She pressed the seal against the shoulder and after a few seconds the seal was on the shoulder. Next was the family crest. It was the Uzumaki swirl it was bigger than the ones Konoha had. She made a mental note to have them removed from all non Uzumaki people, having strangers were her clan's crest was insulting. She applied chakra to the crest and a few seconds later the crest covered half of their backs.
"It is done. You are now officially Uzumaki. Carry the name with pride. Destroy all who shun us. Protect the ones close to us. Protect the clan. And die with a weapon in your hand."
They bowed respectfully.
"The papers I signed for you were for the trial period, Meaning you have to prove your loyalty to me and this village, by not doing anything stupid, in the next three months. The villagers will overprice goods for you because of you being affiliated to me. They will prove to be very creative in trying to get you to slip, Do Not give them such pleasures. You may get physical after they physically provoked you, but Do Not kill them. You'll have enough chances after those three months. Have I made myself clear?"
"Hai, Naruko-sama," they all said.
"Good, you are free to go. There are a few rules you should know though. The study, my bedroom, the library and the portal are strictly of limits. I have secured them with my personally created trapping seals. If you go into those areas, you will be killed. I have had a veteran ANBU black ops try to get into those areas without my permission and he was left a pile of flesh. Other than that, you are free to explore the house. I will give you a tour of the village after my meeting with the council. I will be leaving in one hour. Gozu, Meizu, I want you two to guard the house while I am away. The security measures should be enough but I want to be sure. Stay on the property at all times. If someone wants to see me, take their names and reason for coming. Then tell them I will come to them and send them away. Do you understand?"
"Hai, Naruko-sama."
"Zabuza, I think you would like to spend time with Ameyuri, am I right?"
The two nodded.
"Good, I hope you do not mind if I take Haku-chan with me. I need some sort of protection, don't I?"
"Not at all Naruko-sama. Make sure she is safe though, okay?"
"She's family, of course I will. Haku, meet me at the gate in one hour. I have to get changed and start on some paperwork."
With that Naruko left and went to her study. The hour past quickly and Naruko found Haku standing by the gate. She was wearing her royal garbs again. The good thing about these clothes was that because of their length they concealed her two blades form the eyes of those who might attack. They made their way to the Hokage Tower. As expected the villagers glared at them. Naruko ignored them and walked as calmly as ever to her destination. Haku did the same, not wanting to make the juggernaut of a killing machine her clan head was angry. They reached the tower. The secretary waved them through and Naruko entered the council chambers. Haku waited outside, prepared to barge in at a moment's notice.
"Brat, you better have a good reason for calling us, there are people here who actually matter."
"That is no way to address a clan head, Hitori."
"Ha, you a clan head? You are an orphan. A clan-less wh…"
"I would choose my next words very carefully if I were you, Haruno."
She stood behind the women her hands ready to strike.
"I could kill you in twenty three different ways from this position, and I wouldn't even have to take a step."
"Hokage-sama, we demand that thing is removed from these chambers for threatening a council member."
"I was not threatening anyone, Utatane. I was warning every one of you. Insult me or the members of my clan, I will come after you." She said in a dead serious tone.
"My name is Uzumaki Namikaze Naruko. Daughter to Uzumaki Kushina and Minato Namikaze."
"LIES! The Fourth never had a child. Much less with such a whore from a destroyed vill…"
That was all the man could say before Naruko pinned the man to the wall by his throat with her left hand. Her right hand glowing blue.
"Uzumaki Taijutsu: Pamu Hasai…" she said with a deathly calm voice.
She barely touched the man's face and it exploded, leaving quite a large hole in the wall as well. ANBU instantly surrounded her and Haku was guarding her with two kunai in hand."
"Everyone calm down," Sarutobi said.
"Naruko take a seat. ANBU back to your posts."
"You may return to your post as well, Haku."
"Hai, Naruko-sama."
She left.
"The demon has brainwashed…"
He was dead before he could finish.
"I really am not in the mood to play the name game. Now I have come here to announce my heritage and fill my spot in the council, as is my right as clan head in this village."
"A clan is comprised of more than a single member, Naruko-san," Aburame Shibi said.
"I know that, Shibi-san." Naruko answered with respect and politeness.
"That's why the teme will never be on this council until he killed his brother, which will never happen."
"That's Uchiha-sama for you brat."
Naruko threw a kunai at the old man.
"Next time I will aim for your head and not next to it. I already told you that I am in no mood to play the name game."
"Hokage-sama, we should put her into the CRA immediately," Haruno Mebuki said.
"We cannot let the Namikaze bloodline die."
The civilians agreed completely. Not only would that mean she could not be a ninja anymore, but they also could have direct control over the demon again. They would make sure the Uchiha would use her until she was too old to be bred anymore, leaving them with a revived Uchiha clan and the Sharingan.
"No we shall not, Haruno," Naruko said coldly.
"While you may not have any problems playing the village's bicycle, I rather enjoy my freedom. Also, you have no hold over me, you surrendered that right when your nephew thought it would be a good idea to break a few laws. Let me remind you, I am more powerful than you, I have killed more than you, I have more skills than you and I have no problem cutting anyone down who tries to mess with me or my clan."
All the while she was releasing a rapidly growing flow of KI and now she was putting out so much some of the civilians had fainted. Even the veteran ninja and the Hokage were nervous and all had one thought in their heads.
'Unreal.'
Naruko dropped the KI and looked at the Hokage.
"By the way, I wish to have the symbol of the Uzumaki removed from any and all items not belonging to my clan. It disgusts me to see strangers, people who have shunned me since I can think, bare the symbol of my clan. You are not Uzumaki, nor are you friends with the Uzumaki, nor have I made you honorary kin to my clan. I demand the immediate removal of all of my clan symbols from any and all items not belonging to me or my clan. If you cannot do this, I will forcefully confiscate those items, as is my right as clan head given to me by the laws of the Shodaime Hokage. And I quote:
'If one or more clan symbols are displayed and or used outside of a clan, without the clan, or its clan heads direct approval, the clan is allowed to take whatever measures deemed necessary by the clan head'
I hope you know I will have no qualm cutting people if I have to."
"That will not be necessary, Naruko-chan. I will have the forms ready for you to sign tomorrow morning."
"Very well, Hokage-sama. I will see you tomorrow."
Naruko left and headed back to her house with Haku.
In the Council Chambers
"Well that is one hell of a pup. I mean damn." Inuzuka Tsume said.
"Troublesome girl." Nara Shikamaru said.
"Hokage-sama, you can't be serious with what you said. That symbol has been part of Konoha ever since the second Great War," Utatane said.
"I'm afraid I must. Naruko was correct, she has every right to go to whatever measures she deems necessary if we do not comply. The First's law is rather specific on that subject."
"She has grown quite a lot hasn't she?" Hyuuga Hiashi said.
"What did you expect? A shy little girl that would always be smiling?" Shimura Danzo chuckled.
"What you experienced was but a fraction of her true power, and her potential has yet to reach its limit."
At that all the still conscious members of the council paled. If this wasn't even her full power and she has yet to reach her limits…
'Scary…'
They shivered at the thought.
Genjutsu:
Genjutsu: Riariti Kioku = Illusion Art: Memory to Reality
Ninjutsu:
Shintenshin no Jutsu = Mind Body Switch Technique
Kirigakure no Jutsu = Hiding in Mist Technique
Mizu Bushin = Water Clone
Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu = Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu
Tajo Kage Bushin no Jutsu = Multiple Shadow Clone Technique
Hanta no Geijutsu: Shi no Sen Doriru Kako Ya = Art of the Hunter: A Thousand Drilling Arrows of Death
Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu = Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique
Shinigami no Tangan: Tamashī no Ten no Ritān Ga Ichido Ushinawareta = Plea to the Shinigami: Heavenly Return of Souls once Lost
Kenjutsu:
Mori Umihebi no Boshi Tsume = Spinning Claw of the Forest Serpent
Oborozukiyo = Hazy Moon Night
Kitsune no Ken = Fox Swords
Kodaiken no Ato = Art of the Ancient Swords
Choro Deizu no Ken = Swords of the Elder Days
Mikazuki no Mai = Dance of the Three Days' Moon
Uzumaki Kenjutsu: Furaingu Teashi no Ato = Uzumaki Kenjutsu: Art of the Flying Limbs
Taijutsu:
Uzumaki Taijutsu: Pamu Hasai = Uzumaki Taijutsu: Crushing Palm
Fuinjutsu:
Uzumaki Fuinjutsu: Zettai Shoheki Kabe = Uzumaki Fuinjutsu: Absolute Barrier Wall