I'm so sorry about the long time to update, but I've been neck deep in coursework for college, not to mention the regular homework. Also, I've been working overtime as well…. Oh, and my dads been at home sick when I have the most free time, so I couldn't go on the computer… typical…
Anyway, my complaints over, hope you like this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own all new characters and the Village
Chapter five
Hiraku sighed. He then took a sip of his tea, looking at the group of ninja at the other side of the room. Keiko, his son Masaru, Naruto, Kichiro and Kuro were there, playing some card came. Naruto had really settled down. It had been a week since he had come and he had slowly opened up to them. He was very smart, a prankster and had very mature moments that were far beyond his years. Hiraku sighed. Naruto had completed the tree climbing exercise and Hiraku had started him on the water walking, which he was learning just as quickly.
Hiraku turned his head side wards as Kameto sat next to him, eyeing the group. She looked in particular at Naruto.
"How far in his training have you gone?" She asked. Hiraku chuckled and said,
"He's already completed the tree climbing exercise and he's almost completed the water walking exercise." He chuckled as one of her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She then sighed and said,
"He's also a very good dancer. Though he hates it, he's very good."
Hiraku nodded and said,
"He's a genius. Better then I was at that age, and I was considered a prodigy"
They were silent for a while and then Kameto said,
"I heard that you've called for a clan head meeting. Why?"
"Well, Naruto's an Uzumaki. If I keep him a secret from the other clans, there would be big trouble, especially as he is living in the Desdemona house."
Kameto frowned, "I didn't think of that."
"Didn't think you had."
"When are you giving Naruto the Uzumaki house here in the Demon village?"
Hiraku sighed, thinking and then said, "Not now, he is too young to live by himself. I think when he is either sixteen or eighteen, depends on how much he grows. But, yes, he will get it."
Kameto nodded, agreeing with him. Hiraku drained the last of his tea and stood up. Over at the group, Naruto cried "Cheater!" at Kuro, who was laughing as he waved some cards in Naruto's face. Hiraku approached the group and said,
"Children, calm down. Naruto, we need to go."
Naruto looked at him, his lower lip stuck out in a pout and he then glared at Kuro, before putting his cards down and following Hiraku out of the door. Hiraku chuckled as they exited the compound, receiving a sulky look from the blond.
"Don't like losing?" Hiraku asked.
"No! He cheated, it isn't fair!"
"Life's not fair."
Naruto's eyes went flat and he said, "I never has been for me."
Hiraku sighed and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. The boy looked up at him.
"I know. Look, we're going to a meeting of the clan heads in the village."
"Why?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Well, I'll be killed by them by keeping your existence secret."
Naruto frowned until he remembered who he was. He then turned to Hiraku and asked,
"Does that mean I'm the head of my clan?"
Hiraku blinked and looked closely at Naruto,
"Well, hmm, I suppose your right. I never thought of that."
Naruto cocked his head, grinned and then said, "Cool"
Hiraku chuckled and continued to lead Naruto to the centre of the village. It was mid morning, so many people were up, many greeting Hiraku as he passed, often inquiring how Keiko was. Many of them looked at Naruto and smiled at him, which he returned. They seemed a nice group of people, well, on the outside.
Hiraku lead Naruto to a building that stood opposite the Akkikage. It was slightly smaller then the Akkikage tower, but bigger then all the other buildings. It had double wooden doors for the entrance. The building was made of a deep red brick with the occasional Black beam of wood exposed to the outside. The roof of the building was made out of a stone that perfectly matched the colour of the bricks. Hiraku saw Naruto looking at the building with interest. He chuckled and said,
"This is the Council house. We meet here when there are urgent matters at hand, but today, you are to meet your fellow clan heads." Naruto grinned and nodded. The entered the building into a medium sized room. The only thing that was in there was a woman at a clerk desk reading some papers. Behind her were various cabinets that contained important matters that were discussed within the council. Hiraku nodded at the two guards that stood either side of the door. He approached the woman at the desk and tapped it to get her attention. She raised her head and blinked at them. She recognized Hiraku and smiled at him and then asked,
"What important matter are you here for, Hiraku-sama." He smiled and pointed at Naruto, who had his back turned to them as he inspected a picture of the world, his clan symbol clearly visible to the woman. She gasped and looked at Hiraku wide eyed, he nodded in response and then said,
"Naruto, come."
The blond boy looked at them with his bright blue eyes and sighed. Hiraku chuckled and lead him through the door behind the woman which led into a long corridor. They reached the end and entered the door. The room inside was large. It had a long table with six seats stationed around it. On each chair, there was the clan symbol, and Hiraku recognized Naruto's in the chair nearest the head seat, which had remained unoccupied for twelve years. In the head seat sat an elderly man, writing something in a book, and grumbling to himself. On the walls hung various wall hangings that pictured demons and the like. Hiraku spotted Naruto looking at them in interest, and then the blonds eyes settle on the old man. Hiraku cleared his throat and the old man looked up, annoyed, which turned to one of recognition.
"Hiraku, your finally here are you? What was this matter of deep importance you wanted to talk about. And who's the boy?" He said, seeing the blond boy, who sighed in annoyance. Hiraku walked up to the old man and stood next to the Uzumaki seat, staring at it.
"This seat has been empty for twelve years, hasn't it?"
The old man looked surprised and then slowly nodded,
"Yes, it has. But why say that now?"
Hiraku looked at Naruto, who was staring at the old man in interest, and chuckled.
"The boy is the reason I'm here."
"Oh, why."
Hiraku cocked his head and said,
"His name is Uzumaki Naruto."
The old man, who was about to take a sip of water, chocked and stared at Hiraku in shook. He then turned to look at Naruto, who looked annoyed at the man's reaction. The man stood up and stuck his hand put to Naruto.
"I'm so happy to see you Naruto-sama. Please, take your seat." Indicating the seat with Naruto's clan symbol on it. The boy grinned his infectious grin and sat down, taking the cup of water the old man offered. Hiraku sat down in his chair, which had his clan symbol on. His symbol was a golden eye that had eight tails swirling out of it. The old man looked at Hiraku and asked,
"How long has Naruto-sama been here?"
"A week. He's been training with me and Kameto."
The old man nodded, but didn't say anything. Just then, the door opened. Hiraku turned his head to the door to see a head clan member, Ito Toshiro. He was a handsome young man in his early twenties. He had his black hair tied in a low pony tail, keeping it out of the way. His black eyes seemed to take in everything in the surroundings, and showed that he was of an intelligent mind. He wore a simple white Kimono. He looked around the room, and smiled when he spotted Hiraku. He then walked up to Hiraku and bowed towards the old man in the head seat, who nodded. The man, Toshiro, looked at Naruto with interest. Hiraku cleared his throat and told the young man to sit down. Toshiro sighed and sat in the seat next to Naruto, who was studying the young man with similar interest. Hiraku watched the pair. They would get along well, he thought, just as the three remaining clan heads came in and sat in their respective places. Hiraku looked at them. Fujii Susumu was not a man to cross. Not only was he big and covered with scars, he had a short temper and was known to punch people through thick concrete walls. He then looked at Sato Yoshi, a tall thin man with gray hair and bright green eyes. His clan were poison experts, so Hiraku was always careful when dealing with the sly clan. Yoshi was the father of Keiko's teammates. Then there was Kobayashi Arata. He wore a full length cloak with a hood that shadowed his face, so no-one could see it. They were a new major clan in the village, so Hiraku knew nothing about them, but Arata seemed to know everything about all the other clans. When Hiraku asked the man how he knew, Arata simply said,
"It is nothing but an insight of the mind"
That, of course, made no sense to Hiraku, so he avoided the man. He was also pleased to note that Toshiro, Susumu and Yoshi also avoided the man. He then turned his attention to the council when the old man stood up. The man had no name, and if he did, he chose not to tell them. The old man cleared his throat and said,
"Today, this council has been called by Hiraku. It is a matter of deep importance…"
"Yeah yeah, just tell me why this kid is here." Susumu said in a deep bass voice. Naruto glared at the man, and Hiraku noticed that the boy's eyes turned gray momentarily before turning back to their normal deep blue. Hiraku blinked and then glared at Susumu. The old man scowled and said coldly,
"I was getting to that."
Susumu blinked and then glared back before averting his eyes. The old man snorted and said,
"I have the honour of introducing Uzumaki Naruto. He has recently come from Konoha to come stay in this village, his rightful village." There was silence in the council room as the other head clan members stared at Naruto, who returned their gaze calmly. Then Toshiro gave a gleeful shout and grabbed Naruto's hand saying,
"I'm so glad to meet you Naruto-kun. I'm Ito Toshiro, head of the Ito clan." He grinned at Naruto, who returned the grin. Hiraku smiled. Yes, the two would get along. Susumu cleared his throat and said,
"My name if Fujii Susumu, head of the Fujii clan." His voice had lost the hostility. Hiraku knew that the man was close to the previous Uzumaki head clan member, and knew the Uzumaki clan well. Sato Yoshi's lip twitched and he said,
"I am Sato Yoshi, head of the Sato clan. Nice to meet you."
Kobayashi Arata sat there, seemingly to look at Naruto. The figure then said,
"Uzumaki Naruto… hmm. You host the Kyubi no Yoko, don't you? I am Kobayashi Arata. I have seen you before in Konoha… I'm surprised you stayed there for as long as you did. One word and we would have come and got you… hmm."
Hiraku stared at the man, so did everyone else. The man was known not to put two words together, let alone sentences, and here he had done a whole speech, well, to Arata it was one. Hiraku looked at Naruto, who looked confused and then shrugged. The old man coughed, returning the councils attention to him.
"Well, yes. Uzumaki Naruto is indeed the Host of Kyubi. He is to be trained as a Chaldea, as well as being a head clan member." Yoshi grunted and looked out of the wide window at the sun, which was now telling them that it was mid afternoon. Hiraku cleared his throat and said,
"He is staying in my house for the moment and he is training with Kameto as a Chaldea." The other four did not seem surprised at this, in fact Toshiro and Susumu nodded slightly. Susumu looked at Naruto and said quietly,
"I'm glad that your clan has not died, boy. Train well." He then stood up and walked out of the door. Yoshi sighed, but followed the man's example. Toshiro rolled his eyes. He turned to Naruto and said,
"Well, I better be off now. Lots to do. We'll have a nice meal when we next meet, until then Naruto-kun, farewell!" He stood up, grinning like an idiot and quickly walked out of the door. Arata sat there in silence, his arms crossed in the table. He turned the hood at Naruto. He didn't say anything, but stood and left. Naruto, when the man had left, turned to Hiraku and said,
"That guy gives me the creeps."
Hiraku laughed and replied "He does that to everyone. Strange man, strange clan. All mystics if you ask me… never can get a straight answer from any of them. Well, we have to go old man. See you soon."
"You too Hiraku-sama, Naruto-sama." Naruto waved at the old man and followed Hiraku out of the council chamber. As they exited the building, Naruto said,
"They seemed happy."
"Of course they are. You are the remainder member of a very powerful clan, both in strength and influence. Don't underestimate your power." He said, clapping Naruto on the shoulder and disappearing.
Naruto watched the man and snorted.
"Naruto-chan!" He turned around only to be caught in one of Kichiro's hug. She called him either 'Naruto-chan' or 'Aniki' she had no blood brothers, being an only child. So she thought of Naruto and Kuro as her brothers. They in turn thought of her as a sister. Kuro yawned as he approached, just as Kichiro let go of Naruto. Naruto grinned at them. Kuro snorted and asked,
"Where did Hiraku take you."
"To the council meeting. I'm the head of my clan…even though I am the only member of it."
Kichiro nudged Naruto in the ribs and winked at him, saying,
"I'm sure me and Kuro will help you find a willing pretty lady to help you rebuild the clan." She then laughed as she saw that Naruto had a slight blush. Kuro sighed as he looked at the now setting sun.
"We should get back, it's getting late. See ya tomorrow!" He said, waving to them as he walked away. Kichiro gave Naruto one last hug before dashing off as well. Naruto stared at their retreating backs before heading back to the Desdemona's house. When he got back, he had a quick supper and went to bed, tired after the long day. He smiled. It was so much better then Konoha. The other head clan members treated him with respect as well, well, Naruto wasn't too sure about Arata. He shivered, a very strange man, he thought as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Hatake Kakashi sighed as he watched his genin team walk into the Hokage tower to receive a new mission. When they got there, the Hokage was reading a piece of paper with a frown. When he finally noticed Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura and Ryo, he smiled at them. He put down the piece of paper and handed Kakashi a piece of paper with the detail of a D-rank mission. Kakashi fought the urge to sigh and put the piece of paper in his pocket. His genin team walked out in silence. Kakashi was silently annoyed at them. He had an immature prankster, an avenger and a girl that was too interested in her love life.
"Kakashi." Kakashi stopped as the voice of Hokage came to him. He turned around to look at the old man, who had picked up the piece of paper again. His genin team froze, looking back at the Hokage, who waved them out. The Hokage watched them closed the door and then turned his gaze to Kakashi. The old man sighed and said,
"The Hidden village of the Demon have re-opened their communication with us."
Kakashi blinked, surprised. After the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, the Demon village had totally shut off from Konoha. The Hokage then frowned and said,
"They have asked for one of their Genin teams to participate in the Chuunin exams in six months time. I will be telling them that they may, but when they arrive, keep a close eye on them. You understand?"
Kakashi nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The Hokage smiled and dismissed him. He went out of the door and found Ryo standing there, looking guilty. Kakashi raised an eyebrow,
"Listening were we?"
The boy rubbed his head and said,
"I was bored and Sakura's running after Uchiha for a date. Erm… can I help you?"
Kakashi blinked and then chuckled and said,
"No. It is my mission, not for you young genins. Beside, how can you help me when you're doing the exam?"
Ryo stared at him, his mouth slightly open. Kakashi put his finger on the side of his nose, indicating a secret. Ryo grinned and nodded, then turned and ran off. Kakashi sighed, thinking whether he had made the right decision.
I'll say sorry again for the long wait… it's the Christmas holidays now, so I'll hopefully be able to update more often.
Don't forget to review!!