A Serendipitous Key of Hope

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Kingdom Hearts.

Naruto: Hey, a new chapter!

Yusei: Let's see... It's just about you and your day back from training. Oh and Gaara.

Manabu: Gaara?

The Fourth Keyhole: Destiny's Force

Dusk falls upon an empty city. Rain falls from the darkness skies, each splash hitting the ground with such force deafening all. The lone sound not formed from the drops of heaven are the splashes of boots in the rising level. These boots pass by puddles of dark sludge, which rise from the cemented earth in the shape of yellow eyed beings.

They gather in numbers, surrounding the lone figure standing underneath a brown and red skyscraper. This person stands at a good 5'5 feet with spiky hair extended behind him and bangs arcing down to his cheeks. He has a round face with whiskers on his cheek, three each. He wears an outfit consisting of orange ankle high pants slightly baggy around the legs, a black compartment containing mini weapons strapped tightly around his right leg with a zipper opening, and another on the left; the upper portion of his outfit consists of a long sleeve black shirt tucked under an orange and blue vest, the zipper to both being a red spiral for the former and a blue for the latter, closed up tight covering his neck. He wears blue and white stripe fingerless gloves that have a yellow sun sued on the back and black boots with orange stripes and blue straps and zippers. Around his neck he has a green crystal hanging off a brown thread. He also has a black hitai-e around his forehead with a bandanna reaching past his shoulders.

He turns around to face the horde of Heartless around him, his bright blue eyes delivering stern seriousness. He draws from his pouches two kunai the size of kudachi, and flips over the shadows. He swings midair, slicing through and turning them into dusk with magical energy surrounding the edges. He throws the kunai at two coming at him from behind, before ducking under one flanking his three o'clock. He then raises his right hand, summoning the Keyblade.

The man swings, slashing one Heartless in front of him. He then swings to follow up on the second to his right before making a jump spin, ending the combo with the slaying of one more Heartless. The shadows begin to gather around him, closing in to rob him of space. He raises the Keyblade back and throws it, which spins like a boomerang cutting through the masses.

The sword circles around him before falling into his right hand, and he examines they are all gone. He then looks over and sees one large Heartless similar to them rising up. It lunges at him, and he swings hard enough to knock it over rolling. Noticing its stunned form, he rushes in back handling his Keyblade before sliding past the Heartless cutting through in one fell swoop. It writhes in pain before flipping over, slowly dissolving into a black mush.

The male warrior returns the Keyblade, before looking around him. The murky atmosphere and landscape disappears, turning into a bright, white room with space as the ceiling. He looks upward with a stern expression, before hearing a noise approaching the room. The door to the far end opens up, and Yen Sid steps in.

"Destroying the Heartless without the use of magic, and keeping the darkness in your heart completely in check..." speaks the aged sage as he raises a hand to clap. "You surely have grown these past two and a half years, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto smiles at the compliment, before walking over to him. "Thank you, Yensei."

"You're never gonna drop that nickname are you?" Yen Sid shakes his head before walking up to him. "You have mastered all I can teach you; what's left for you now is to expand your skills back home."

"Yeah... I'm ready to deal with Akatsuki and save the other Jinchuuriki. Does this mean I get to take the Mastery test?"

"No."

"Do I get that special armor you told me about?"

"You aren't ready for that yet. But remember..." Yen Sid points to his clothes. "These clothes retain a special power. With it you can transform into stronger versions of yourself for battle. But for the moment you can only use one."

"Understood. If you need me back just give me a message!" With a smile Naruto zips up his vest and walks out the door. As he does, the old man smiles upon his exit. He then runs up the staircase and comes to the main room.

Summoning the Keyblade he has it glow before altering the world around him back to the village. He looks around to see he's back to where he was, and smiles before going out the door. "Alright, let's go."

He rushes through the grass towards the village, watching as the world around him slows down to his perspective. Ever since his training at that tower his speed, stamina and endurance have drastically improved, to the point that he wonders just what he's been doing with the training here. 'No time for regrets.'

Flashback...

"Before we can even think to begin your training, there are a few things that need to be said from you." Yen Sid waves his hand, revealing a very familiar circle on his desk.

Naruto instantly recognizes it as where he was in the dream. "What is this?"

"This is a place where all of us chosen by the Keyblade come to when the power awakens within our hearts, the Dive to the Heart," he tells him. "You recently experienced this. Hold your hand over the circle, and your heart's strength shall be revealed."

Naruto raises his hand over it, and the rod from his dream is revealed. "Ah, the power of the mystic; your training will be set. You will first dabble in the ways of magic before accessing the techniques of the Keyblade."

"Magic? Is that like chakra?"

"In a way, yes." Yen Sid waves his hand, and the dive disappears. "Most Keyblade wielders do not take in the power of the mystic, but this also gives you the most potential. But I am afraid that your training in the ways of magic will not begin unless your power to use magic is brought out."

"Alright, so how do I do that Yensei?" Yen Sid narrows his eyes at that name. "What?"

"In order for you to use magic, it requires magical energy to flow through your veins. As you have unlocked the Keyblade, your ability to use magic is already growing. Unfortunately, this will also eliminate your ability to create chakra."

"Eh?!" Naruto gets taken back by that. "You mean I'm not going to be able to use Kage Bunshin, or Kuchiyose, or the Rasengan?!"

"I'm afraid so. Infact, I'm sure you've already started to feel the effects." He shows an image of Naruto fighting the Heartless, and trying to use Kage Bunshin only for three to appear. "You were aiming for more clones, but you only ended up getting three. That's proof that the process is already beginning."

"But it's my dream to become Hokage! I can't do that without ninjutsu!" Naruto shouts, slamming his fists on the table. The old man looks up at him with some form of pity. "And now you're saying I have to give it up?! That's bull!"

"I never said you had to give up your dream." Yen Sid's words cause him to look up, his physical attitude much calmer. "From what I know of your culture from Jiraiya, the Hokage is a title given to one who stands as the strongest in the village. But it's more than that; the one who receives the title is the one whose ideology and renown match those of the previous. It is a Will of Fire that requires such qualification, a quality of the heart you more than have earned for gaining the Keyblade."

Hearing what he said, Naruto begins to think that he could still be able to become Hokage. He then remembers Lee, a friend of his who doesn't have the power to use ninjutsu so he focused on taijutsu. He could easily do the same thing using magic, making him prime to being stronger than anyone.

"Do you want to surpass your current self?"

Naruto looks at his hands, before smiling. "You got that right-ttebayo!"

End Flashback…

Naruto strolls through the streets of Konoha, looking around realizing no one recognizes him. 'Well, better than being ignored on purpose.' He comes to a post and runs up it, reaching the top of the village so fast an upwind follows. He stands on top of the post, looking out through his home while the wind blows past him.

"This is a great view. I miss this so much..." He looks over to the Hokage Monument, where he spots an additional face with the others. The blond laughs heartily as he recognizes the face. "Can't believe they put Baa-chan's face up there. They should put up her real face, without all that chakra make up."

He flips off the post and lands light as a feather. He then walks through town, blending in and greeting everyone who doesn't recognize him. He comes to Ichiraku Ramen and sits down. "Yo, Ayame!"

"Good aftern-" She pauses when she sees Naruto. "Naruto-kun?!"

"Who were you expecting, the pervy sage?" He jokes.

"Oh my god; dad, he's back!" Ayame goes back inside to get her father, who comes out in shock seeing his favorite customer return.

"Wow! You got tall!" he says to him. "You want the usual?"

"Three of the usual this time!" he replies, and the old man gets cooking. He then turns in his seat, blinking in shock when he sees two people walking by that he recognizes. "Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru and Temari look over to see who called him, and they stare in shock at Naruto's appearance. "Naruto? Is that you?"

"Yup. I just got back today." Naruto leans back on the counter, glancing up at the blue sky. "I'm heading over to see Baa-chan once I eat; gotta get that good stuff!"

Shikamaru facepalms hearing his response. To him, Naruto has not changed even a single bit. "I'm guessing you never got smarter."

"Are you sure you're that runt?" Temari asks him.

"Not a runt anymore." He states.

"You seem...different... Did something happen to you?"

"Actually, now that you mention it..." Shikamaru states intently at Naruto now.

"Your three usuals are ready!" Ayame comes out with three bowls of ramen with chasu pork, miso, and soy sauce.

Naruto goes to town on his meal. Shikamaru shrugs, before saying, "Well, we're gonna leave."

"Oh... Hey wait a minute; why are you guys together?" He looks over at the two after finishing his first meal. "What is this a date?"

"A what?"

"You've gotta be joking; not with this deer sloth!" Temari responds, easily with a smile. "There's a Chunin Exam starting up soon and I'm going back and forth for meetings."

"Plus, even though it's a total drag, I'm an examiner so I have to escort the messenger." Shikamaru's response sounds lazy, so much so Naruto doesn't even buy it as he finishes bowl number two. "So, what are you going to do?"

"About what?"

"You're the only one from our graduating class who hasn't become a Chunin." Before he could finish his third bowl, he ends up spitting out a bit of its contents.

"WHAT?"

"Yeah. Chouji, Ino, Sakura, Lee, Tenten, Shino, Kiba and Hinata are all Chunin. Neji, Kankurou and Temari here are Jonin." As he explains, the Suna blond raises two fingers in a peace symbol.

"Eh? Everyone got to that rank, in the two and a half years I've been away?!" A thought then comes to him. "What about Gaara?"

"You mean Kazekage-sama?" Temari says, obviously referring to her brother.

Hearing her statement, Naruto flinches. He looks to the side with a smile slowly rising on his face. "That's awesome. Gaara became Kazekage..." He finishes the rest before handing payment to Ayame. "Alright; I'll catch up to him soon!"

"You better." Shikamaru watches as he runs off, slowly grinning himself believing in him.

Ayame stares strangely at the currency he paid with. 'What is this? It's a yellow ball thing.'

Naruto makes it to the tower in a short time frame. Along the way in he rushes past a familiar girl. "Oh, excuse me."

"Eh? Naruto?!" He stops when he recognizes the voice, seeing his crush Sakura Haruno standing beside him. "You came back sooner than I thought."

"Sakura-chan..." He looks her up and down. "You really grew! Age has nothing on you."

She blushes at the compliment. Naruto then looks back inside. "Anyway, I gotta meet and let Baachan know I'm back."

"Too late brat," Tsunade says as she comes out of the building. She looks him over and smiles. "Did Jiraiya approve of this weird outfit? What's with all the zippers?"

"Hey, atleast it's orange."

"That's exactly what a ninja shouldn't wear, tacky and bright clothes like that; you pretty much say 'look at me, I'm a fucking target'!"

"What do you know? You've been wearing the same thing since you came to Konoha!" Naruto snaps with a laugh, before gesturing to Sakura. "Atleast Sakura-chan changes her clothes."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" she asks him, giving a threatening glare in her eyes.

'Oh god; he hasn't matured at all has he?' Sakura hangs her head. "I was hoping that old man who make you more mature."

"Eh? You know Yensei?" Naruto asks her, before realizing that's not who she meant. "Oh wait..."

"Yensei? Weren't you with Jiraiya?" Tsunade questions, before realizing he's not around at all. 'Now that I think about it, he hasn't sent any messengers to update me either. Is that... Yen Sid?'

"No. I was in this whole other world. It's called-"

"So that's where you were this whole time, with Yen Sid. That may explain why we didn't know of your return until just now." He looks to the old lady. For her to mention Yensei's name like that can only mean she must know about him in some way. Did she train with him? Or does she know of him from the pervy sage? "Then I guess there's no point in trying to understand your abilities in chakra anymore."

"Eh?" Sakura looks between them trying to understand what they're talking about.

"But if I'm to determine how strong you are I need to see it for myself." Tsunade closes her eyes and faces away. "Kakashi."

"Right." Kakashi comes up to the three.

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto says seeing his Jonin instructor.

"Naruto..." The silver haired shinobi looks upon Naruto. His attire aside, he notices something different has transpired over him. "I'm a little curious to your growth. You as well Sakura, so how about we decide this."

…

Sand blows into the wind. A sandal stomps hard into moist, red sand. A short man wearing a bandanna over his mouth walks forward, past the fallen bodies of the unfortunate who faced him in battle. As he leaves, light rises from their corpses and overflow in darkness. Heartless appear from the lights.

"Oh, you already got some!" A giant, white bird lands next to him, and on it Deidara hops off. "I'm going in Sasori-dono."

"Don't get cocky; our goal is to make more Heartless and capture the Jinchuuriki." Sasori watches as Deidara flies off. The Heartless around him disappear, the wind creating a screen of sand Sasori disappears in.

Heartless appear within the city of Sunagakure, three in three different spots surrounding watchmen. They pierce their hearts, transforming them and causing their bodies to evaporate. Up above, Deidara flies on his bird until reaching a spot. As the watchmen have been taken out by the Heartless, he no longer needs worry about being caught.

'Infiltration complete...' Deidara looks up at someone in front of him, the red haired Kazekage Gaara. "Or not."

His bird takes him to the skies, avoiding the streams of sand coming after him. "How did you know?"

"There are no birds like that in Suna." Gaara states as he flies up high using sand.

"I guess infiltration was a failure, but this works." He focuses in on Gaara with the left eye. "Now I won't have to look for you."

With a snap of his fingers, Heartless in the shape of cannons appear underneath them in the city. They each take aim and fire upward at Gaara. He gathers sand around him in the shape of a sphere, protecting him. As Deidara flies higher, sand from the barrier flies out to grab his arm. "Sabaku Kyu."

It crushes his arm, forcing him to fly away and break it off. 'Damn! Looks like I underestimated him. That sand he used was much stronger than from the desert.' He then remembers the intelligence they gathered about the Jinchuuriki during their break, about how Gaara carries a special amount of sand in his gourd that is refitted with chakra making it stronger than usual.

Gaara watches his movements using the eye of sand. Judging from the clouds, he can tell Deidara is with Akatsuki. With that, he knows for sure that he's after him. What he can't figure out is the monsters below that attacked him, which he does not recognize at all.

Deidara digs into his bag, his hands devouring more clay. "Guess I'll use that to my advantage."

A Heartless appears from above, clouding the village in darkness with its dragonic appearance. This light blue monster flies down releasing a stream of snow towards Gaara. He raises sand to block it, but the guard fails as the sand hardens and crashes into the village.

Deidara leaps off of his bird onto the Heartless, adding more of his eaten clay into the bird. He then sends it down towards the village, despite Gaara using his sand to block. The bird blows up, a massive explosion releasing that shakes the foundation. The blue-white wyvern flies over at Gaara, its claws piercing through and ensnaring him. It flies down to a building, smashing him through it.

The Heartless flies up from the destruction still clenching Gaara, who has fallen unconscious. "Nice. These Heartless are better than I thought."

…

Naruto stands before his teacher panting, holding up a bell. Beside him Sakura has one as well. "Looks like we win Kakashi-sensei."

"I'm impressed; you've actually grown..." Kakashi says as he stands back up, closing his Sharingan eye. "Even you Naruto, with that ability you used... That wasn't ninjutsu was it?"

"No, magic." He looks back to see part of the forest has frozen with an icy mist blowing by. "I'll explain everything eventually."

"Really? Well, I'll hold you onto that."

Julia: Thank you for your time. We hope you review and give your thoughts.

Aether: Next chapter we take a look at Naruto as they head to the rescue.

Kenshin: And while you're gone we'll check out that new Gaara vs Toph video. I bet he won.