A Serendipitous Key of Hope
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Naruto. Wish I did own Naruto. Not Kingdom Hearts though; I'd probably mess it up.
Takeshi: Good day folks. We welcome you to another chapter of A Serendipitous Key of Hope.
Aether: We should fix that name.
Manabu: No! It took me forever to make that name!
Everyone else: No wonder.
Manabu: SHUT UP!
Yusei: If you're all wondering, updates for this story will most likely take place on the 13th of every month, and/or the 7th.
The Third Keyhole: Chosen Wielder of the Keyblade
"Okay, thank you!" Naruto walks out from a store with an apple in his hands. He bites down on it, enjoying its succulent juices before going towards the town exit. "Alright, how am I gonna get back?"
After Naruto fell in the middle of town, he awakens in a hospital with a nurse overlooking him. She tells him he's in Ringozan, the town of fresh apples, and has been for a whole day. Once he takes that in he comes out of the hospital to get his strength back, training by himself in the nearby forest. Thanks to the time he's spent he manages to regain his former stamina back and is ready for anything.
Strangely, the sword from before has never appeared in his hand again. The sword from his dream which he believes is the secret to getting some answers. Ever since that dream weird things have happened to him, especially considering he was just extracted of a Biju thanks to a man who appeared in his dream. Whatever is going on; all of this has to be connected.
But before he can work any of this complicated stuff in his mind, which is already frying from thinking this much, he has to get back to Konoha where Jiraiya and Tsunade can help him make sense of everything. The old man obviously knows who that man is afterall. "I'm getting some answers, whether I understand them or not! That dream wasn't just a dream after all."
Before he could go further, he sees a set of yellow eyes looking at him. Surprised, he backs away as they come into the opening, revealed to be those same little black things from his dream. 'It's those things from the dream!'
The shadow monsters leap at him, but he punches them into the ground easily. 'Now that I can use chakra I'm not gonna go easily like in the dream!' "You guys aren't so tough after all!"
The shadows merge into the ground running around. Taller shadow monsters appear from a pop of darkness, these ones having helmets and red nails. "So, you went and got some back up huh?"
He forms a seal, causing three clones of himself to appear. The first two rush out to beat them down the monsters, but they pass by and go straight to the village. "Wait, stop!" The Narutos run after them, kicking the helmets on their skulls, only to fail to leave so much as a dent. One Naruto draws out a kunai and stabs a monster in where he thinks the heart is, only to stare blankly at it.
"Uh oh. These things don't have organs!" The monster claws wildly at Naruto, causing him to go up in smoke. The original drops to a knee feeling dark fumes burst from him. 'What was that?'
Another clone bites the dust from one of the shadow monsters, forcing Naruto to group with the other clone. His copy swirls chakra around his right palm, forming a spiraling sphere of blue energy. He dashes in striking the monster with it, his sphere grinding into its body and blowing it away into the others. "Alright! Atleast the Rasengan works."
The only remaining one watches the others explode into nothing, before turning to the town. Looking in that direction Naruto sees to his horror a portal of shadows forming. He could hear people screaming as armor forms. They merge taking the shape of a multi-colored, suit of armor towering any of the homes. Naruto rushes towards the town ignoring the shadow monster.
This is his mistake, as it flips forwards and drop kicks his clone into a tree. The impact causes it to turn to smoke. The original stops to face it, knowing it won't let him get to the big guy without a fight. "I may not have Kurama's chakra inside of me, but that won't stop me. After all, I'm the man who's gonna become the next Hokage!"
He runs towards the monster, but stops when he sees the light from before appear around his fingertips. He grips the light, which becomes the sword. "Again..."
The monster focuses in a twitch, flipping in the air to attack Naruto. He raises the sword and blocks, his weapon easily deflecting its strike. He then jumps at the monster, cutting through it. As it explodes into dark smoke, a red heart flies out from it into the sky. "Wow. This dull thing cut it like it was made of soft ramen."
He looks over at the giant armor thing, which turns to his direction. 'Does it see me?' From poofs of darkness, Naruto sees more of the helmet monsters appearing. They each surround him. "Get lost you ugly freaks!"
"Katon: Sanendan no Jutsu!" Three balls of fire rain down from the skies, blowing away the miniature monsters and leaving Naruto in a ring of fire. From above, Jiraiya lands beside Naruto. "Naruto, nice to see you're still in one piece."
"Pervy Sage!" Naruto says with an expressed tone of happiness. "How did you find me?"
"Someone from this town sent a message to Konoha," he says, noticing some of the monsters haven't bitten the dust yet. "These Heartless are still stubborn as hell."
"Heartless?" Jiraiya grabs Naruto and rushes off.
"Send the Keyblade away!" he tells him.
"Um, the what?"
"The sword, you moron!"
"Oh! Wait, how do I do that?" Naruto waves the sword to try and make it go away, before it vanishes into a spark of light. "How did I do that?"
"Explanations later." He looks around, noticing the Heartless have gone away. "Good."
"Alright, explanations now!" Naruto breaks free of his grip. "What's going on?! Who was that guy who kidnapped me? What were those monsters? And why the hell did everything in my dream happen when you said it was nothing?!"
Jiraiya stares down at him, sighing. He looks over noticing a group of people on their way over. "I'll tell you when we get back. There's stuff going on that no one else can know about."
"Eh?" The other people show up, revealed to be Anbu from Konoha. "What the?"
"Let's go."
…
The man in the black coat appears within a room colored pitch white. A series of chairs numbered I to XIII sit in a circle around him, each one varying in height. In the circle a strange symbol is laid, the top of it pointing to the highest seat which reads Number I. To the left are odd numbered chairs and the right even numbered, each one rising in value until reaching the lowest seats of XII and XIII directly in front of I.
Raising his hands skyward, he summons portals of darkness within the chairs, from which five figures with the red cloud spotted cloaks appear. Each person varies in appearance. "Good tidings friends. It would appear the plan is moving better than even I could have hoped."
"And just what plan is this?" asks a blond androgynous member who glares at the faceless individual. "What the hell do you want us for?"
"I'm a little interested in this too." Another person, this one the tallest with wide green eyes and tan skin, crosses his arms. "You say you're going to give us the Kyubi should we work for you, and while Pain may be going along with it you really think I'm going to listen to some freak?"
"You seem to be misunderstanding my intentions," speaks the man in the black coat. "The Biju are still an important part of the plan. And while the shinobi are distracted by them, they won't notice what we are up to."
"And once again, just what is that?"
He lowers his head, eyes focused on the blond. "Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan, Kisame, Sasori; in addition to seeking out the Jinchuuriki you will be seeking out new members for the Thirteenth Order. All we're missing is four, and you will seek them out in the worlds in between. To do so..." From a portal of darkness, another man with a black coat appears. He sits in chair number III, flicking his wrist.
Around the members of Akatsuki, darkness forms around their bodies. "You will need these special abilities to travel them."
The new person in black chuckles. "I hope for your sakes you succeed. We don't need useless vessels who will only be controlled by the Heartless."
"Oh, just you watch!" Kakuzu states, being the tall one from before.
"This outta be fun." Kisame, the shark looking guy, vanishes into a dark portal, as do the others following him.
Upwards in the seats, the one in chair number III turns to number I. He laughs, saying, "This will be easier than I thought."
"Easy or not isn't what we demand, but progress is moving as predicted." The man in number I's chair looks upward. "In preparations for him this is a necessity. Either their remains become a recluse, or they become fodder for the Keyblade's chosen one."
"That reminds me..." The other looks over to him. "Why are you in his seat?"
"Because this was the task I was given, including his title." He turns to face number III. "What about you? You were left with a specific task too."
He rises from his seat. "That's true." He fades into a dark portal.
…
Tsunade looks out to the village, her eyes still filled with worry over what has befallen Naruto. It's gotten so intense she's resolved to drinking since the incident. Even now, she prepares to down a cup of sake, before hearing someone enter her office. Turning around in a somewhat sloppy manner, the half influenced woman sees Shizune standing.
"Hokage-sama, they're back! He's back!" Tsunade rises from her seat approaching her.
"Is that true?!"
"Yes! I also have to prepare a silence technique," she says, moving to the side holding a Tiger seal.
Naruto steps in quickly, but slips and crashes into Tsunade's chest. He bounces back, the back of his head slamming into the floor. "Gah! I shouldn't have done that!"
"Naruto!" Tsunade reaches down and grabs him, hugging the little boy with all her affection. Also, the liquor is influencing her better judgment. "I'm so glad you're safe kid!"
"Baa-chan, let go! Can't breathe!" His muffled screams are ignored until Jiraiya steps in.
"Whoa! Hey, since you're giving out hugs-" Tsunade glares at him, releasing Naruto to stumble backwards a bit. "You okay?"
"Please. There isn't a single drink that can knock me out," she says, before sitting back down. She touches her temples, before asking, "What happened?"
Naruto stands back up, regaining his composure. Shizune looks on, holding the technique. "I got kidnapped by some strong guy in a black hooded coat. He stole Kurama!"
"Kurama?" Jiraiya raises an eyebrow.
"The fox." This shocks both of them, including Shizune. "He pulled him right out of my body!"
"But, how?" Tsunade goes to him, examining him. She pulls up his shirt, seeing the seal is gone. "It really is gone..."
"So that was his plan..." Jiraiya mutters, though it's loud enough for all of them to hear. "If he stole the Kyubi from you then he must also be working with Akatsuki."
"Who is?" she asks him. The old lady then turns to Naruto. "And how are you still alive? The Kyubi was extracted, so you can't just be alive."
"I'm not exactly sure about that..." Naruto thinks back to when the extraction was taking place.
"The Uzumaki are said to have strong life forces," Jiraiya says looking down at Naruto.
Naruto continues with, "Kurama and I settled our differences before he got taken out, and he told me something; he told me to tear off the seal, and then..."
Flashpoint...
"Actually, there may be a chance for survival."
"Eh?"
"Remove the seal and I'll show you." Naruto stares over at the seal, wondering why that would save him. Shrugging, he reaches out to it and pulls on the tag. As he does, a hand reaches out and grabs him. "Huh?"
"Yo." On the other end of the hand, a man with blond hair stands dressed in a white and fire patterned haori. "I never thought I'd see you so soon Naruto."
"Huh? You're the Yondaime Hokage!" Naruto says in shock. He then looks at him, asking, "How did you know my name?"
"Why wouldn't I know it? I gave it to you after all," he replies. Naruto slowly accepts and processes what he said, and the meaning behind it. As he comes to a conclusion, one coupled with the Hokage looking just like him more than he realizes, he realizes exactly what it means. "That's right; I'm your father, Minato Namikaze."
A teary eyed Naruto looks up to his father in shock, happy that he could finally see him after all this time. "You didn't know? I figured Sarutobi-dono would have atleast told you. Though I guess it's better that no one else knew since there'd be allot of people after your life if they knew you were my son... Anyway, I have a good feeling of what you're trying to do."
"But how? How are you here?"
"I left a chakra imprint of me in the seal that would appear the first time you would pull this tag. But anyway, I have to make this quick; the Kyubi heart's being extracted," Minato tells him before removing his hand. "Pull the tag."
"Uh okay!" Naruto pulls on the seal, revealing a spiral lock holding the gate together. Minato then lifts his right hand, chakra gathering to his fingers as he reveals and touches his son's stomach. Twisting clockwise, the seal on the gate opens up, and the doors open up.
A wave of chakra pours out from it, which hits Naruto strongly. The wave converts to light upon contact, causing him to shine brightly. The landscape peels away in a spectrum of light, leaving nothing but darkness. The circular platform appears below Naruto.
Minato smiles as he begins to fade away. "I'll return to meet you in a dream, as will your mother."
Kurama grins as he says, "Just remember what you said," before fading away as well.
Back to Action...
"And that's what happened," Naruto finishes, causing the two Sannin to look in shock.
"That Minato... He was always so crazy prepared," Jiraiya says with pride in his former disciple.
"Minato..." Tsunade smiles. "I knew that man wouldn't die so easily."
"So, that answers that..." Naruto turns to Jiraiya. "Alright Pervy Sage! Time to fess up."
Tsunade turns to Jiraiya, who sighs before going to the window. Twilight sets in outside. "Where to begin..."
"You can begin by telling me what the hell were those black things that tried to kill me? Who was that guy who stole Kurama? And what was that thing that I had?"
Jiraiya turns his head to face them. "To start off, I don't know who that man was... But I do know that he came to Konoha before, 12 years ago on October 10th."
Naruto immediately knows the importance of that date, as not only is it the day Kurama attacked the village but also the day he was born. He then realizes something. "Wait, do you mean..."
"That's right; he was the one behind the attack. He extracted it from your mother and controlled it to attack the village, resulting in it being sealed inside of you and your parents' death."
"Wait, what? My mother?"
"Your mother was the Kyubi's last host," Tsunade says to him.
'So that's what happened; when I saw my father I knew he died to seal the fox inside of me, and I always wondered who my mother was and why she was never there for me... But now it all makes sense... They never abandoned me!' Naruto feels a calmness sweep his heart coming to this conclusion.
"When I heard of him from Sarutobi-sensei I looked into the guy. But, that same night 12 years ago... It was as if all traces of him had vanished. He was gone." Jiraiya's answer only brings up more questions. "If he extracted the fox, he has to be working for Akatsuki. Or worse, he's behind the Heartless now appearing."
"There it is again, Heartless," Naruto shouts, pointing at the old man. "Is that what those things are called?"
"The Heartless are monsters made from darkness that prey on hearts." Jiraiya stares into the darkness falling over Konoha as the sun sets. "They come in many sizes and shapes, and the more horrible the shape the more powerful they are. The Heartless are also after people like you Naruto, because you have the Keyblade."
"The Keyblade?" Naruto repeats, remembering the name from the sword out of his dreams. Tsunade remembers hearing that name before.
"The Keyblade is a powerful weapon that can destroy the Heartless and stop their pursuits of hearts. But it also releases a beacon that the Heartless track; as long as you hold it they'll keep coming after you, no matter what until they steal your heart."
"Yeesh..." Naruto stares at his hand. "If they wanted an autograph they could have just asked."
"So this Keyblade; how can it be used to stop them?" Tsunade asks, now concerned.
"Luckily, Minato planned for the Kyubi to be extracted so Naruto is safe and free to train without being pursued. But he can't do it here." Jiraiya walks back to the blond. "Naruto has to train under a Keyblade Master to actually stand up to this man."
"And where do you suggest he goes?" asks the Hokage. Considering the Kyubi is gone Naruto won't be hounded by Akatsuki. So why he has to leave is beyond her.
"You leave that to me." Jiraiya grabs hold of Naruto before opening the window. "You can turn off the silence Shizune-chan!"
"Yes!" Shizune releases the jutsu, and both Jiraiya and Naruto go out the window. The two women go to the window and watch at they land on a giant toad. The amphibian hops away, leaving Konoha in a single leap. The Hokage's assistant looks over to Tsunade, asking, "Do you think Naruto-kun will be okay?"
"He will..." she replies, placing her absolute faith in the boy once more. "With all the surprises he's made so far, there's no way he'll fail." 'As long as he doesn't end up like them...'
Elsewhere, the toad lands with a loud dogon in a forest just southwest of Konoha. There, not far away, an aged building stands. A spiral symbol similar to the one all over Naruto's clothes is placed at the top of the building.
The toad disperses leaving them to land. Well, Jiraiya lands on his feet while Naruto slips and face plants. The old sage then grabs Naruto, lifting him up on his feet. "We're here." Jiraiya enters the building, Naruto following after, before he points to a wall at the very far end. "Naruto, your Keyblade will open the path."
"What path? We're in an old building," Naruto replies, before shrugging. He holds his hand out and concentrates, the Keyblade appearing in his hands. The tip of the blade glows in a spiraling light, before a beam shoots out and pierces the back of the building. The sound of a lock opening resounds throughout the facility, and light pours out warping space. Naruto looks around in shock as the light takes him to a brand new location, into a bright office.
"Well, well, you actually brought him here like you said." Naruto looks behind him, and to his shock he sees an old man in a blue robe sitting in a tall chair. Behind him are two windows shaped like a crescent moon and a star. "Your help is appreciated Jiraiya."
"No problem old man," replies the perverted sage. "But be careful around him. He will definitely pull off a surprise."
"Wait, what? What's going on? Who are you?" Naruto points at the old man.
The man murmurs under his breath before giving a slight stroke of the beard. "I am a man who was once master of the weapon you will now come to know intimately. I will make sure you have all that you need to one day soon face the forces of darkness."
"The forces of darkness?"
"You have many questions, but don't worry. I will be sure to answer them within time." He sits up in his chair, having slid down a bit.
"Okay... Do I introduce myself?"
"That is okay, but I shall myself. I am Yen Sid."
Manabu: We hope you enjoyed this.
Yusei: This ends this chapter, and leads us finally to Naruto gaining training under a Keyblade Master unlike Sora and Riku who were self taught.
Madas: Wait, why isn't Naruto self taught this time?
Alpha: There's always a difference between a trained warrior and someone who picks up fighting. If 1 measure of talent is accountable to 100 measures of hardwork, then 1000 measures of hardwork will surpass talent.
Madas&Manabu: Huh?!
Yusei: It means there's a reason martial arts and swordsmanship have been able to be passed on to later generations; hardwork will always beat talent. It's the old Kenichi philosophy.
Aether: Besides, Naruto has always been one to work hard. Anyway, next time Naruto will return from training ready to sack Akatsuki.