CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Present day, human world, village of Konohagakure
(the page has a spilt liquid stain)
Naruto stood frozen in sheer unrivaled terror. His true father, the so called "Great Taker of Life," aptly named considering in the first hundred years of life, he'd already defeated the Legendary Snake Demon himself, proclaimed himself king of demons, and then proceeded to tear a bloody path of destruction through hell. A demon of this level of power could only be summoned, which meant one thing. He had to be the "higher allegiance" that Orochimaru had talked about. Several thousand years of spilling rivers of blood and countless demonic wars served as the unimaginable reputation of Kenzo, progenitor of clan Uzumaki. He clearly had more power than any being currently in existence, and based on stories heard, nothing stood in his way of anything he wanted. Orochimaru had summoned a monster the likes of which even he did not comprehend.
"Wh...what is it...you want?" Naruto had gathered courage he scarcely believed possible in even attempting to question such a beast.
His answer came in two parts. The first part consisted of a half-grin and a snort of air from the nose that served as a laugh. The other half was an explanation, or at least, a hint. "What is it, that I want?" he lifted his eyebrows a moment. "That IS the question, isn't it? After all, my son, doesn't the fate of everything hang in the balance? Whether this world lives or dies depends on what I say next." His piercing glance came full on at Naruto. "I came to this world to solve a problem, eliminate a threat. A threat to me."
Naruto slowed his quivering to vocalize. The fear that stole away his breath and prevented him from adequately answering his father subsided, but not to a great degree or to a great amount. With a severe amount of effort he spoke again. "I...I do...I don't understand," he replied.
Faster than a fevered blast of lightning, Kenzo moved across the ground until he stood immediately in front of Naruto. Commanding speed beyond even what Naruto nerve synapses could equal, the great fox demon smashed a body jab into his son's stomach, rendering him unconscious at once. He stood over the figure of his son as he lifted his head. "Move swiftly and powerfully, my son," he advised. "Train rapidly and accumulate power the likes of which strikes unbridled fear into the hearts of mortal men. Become bloodthirsty and vicious, violent and willing, willing to take life. And then one day, you may be suitable to be the Alpha Male of clan Uzumaki." He ran his finger along the stripped bones of Itachi, bringing the reddened index's tip to his mouth, licking the bit of blood clean with one swift—almost sexual—lick of his tongue. "I see it in you, boy, despite all of my powerful children, you may turn out to be my true heir. I look forward to the inevitable fight; I only pray you're ready."
Without a further word, he took off into the forest, and left his son to be recovered by his team.
Naruto awoke in a Konoha hospital with Yondaime and mother standing over him. He hadn't suffered any injuries, but he'd been out cold, and as such they treated him for what bruises and scrapes he had. Kyuubi had a distinct look of concern on her face. "I read your thoughts," she told him.
Naruto shot straight up to a seated position. "Kenzo had made himself known!" he shouted, crazed by the thought. "If he's the 'higher allegiance' that Orochimaru talked about, we're doomed! I've felt his power and I must tell, I've never experienced such a terrifying order of a being! How can we..."
"Calm down, Naruto! Calm down." Kyuubi swallowed. Her words probably did little to quell her son's concern. She shook her head. My God, Orochimaru! What have you done? she thought to herself. You've summoned a beast beyond all comprehension!
"How can I possibly calm down!" Naruto raved. "There is absolutely nothing we can hope to do against that monstrous beast!"
Yondaime cleared his throat. It was the sort of cough meant to attract attention. "That's...not entirely accurate," he admitted. The thought had been weighing on his mind ever since he'd learned from Kyuubi what his son's thoughts were. He'd never used...it before, and he knew what he'd be giving up if he had to. "There is one technique, that I've learned." he bowed his head, the thought weighing heavy. "The Demonic Sealing Jutsu."
The blonde jounin did not understand. "The...what?" All he knew was that it didn't sound positive.
"A legendary technique that summons the God of Death himself to suck the soul of a powerful being out, thus killing him. There's only one thing the Death God asks in return: the user's life."
Naruto practically shouted in protest. "You mean...!"
Yondaime nodded solemnly. "If the opportunity arises that we can defeat Akatsuki, I will sacrifice myself to defeat Kenzo. So don't worry about Akatsuki, that's officially become my department."
The younger Uzumaki began to cry. "But..dad!"
The older Uzumaki collared him with a fierce look of determination. "That's an executive order. You will avoid Akatsuki, you will ignore Akatsuki. If I catch you spying on Akatsuki, attempting to destroy Akatsuki, or attacking Akatsuki in any way that isn't provoked by them first, you will suffer a punishment that will make what Hiashi did to you look mild."
"But dad...! The village!"
Arashi did not budge. "For your own good, get them out of your mind. You are expressly forbidden to act against Akatsuki." He released his son from his grasp. Wiping his face, he apologized. "I'm sorry. These are just troubling times. Your team has been trained by Kakashi for the past few months while you've been off active duty. Get to training them. They're exactly three and a half months behind other genin squads."
"I thought you said Kakashi...!"
The hokage grinned. "Kakashi's training and your training are two very different things, are they not?"
This brought a mutual smile from the younger Uzumaki. "Kakashi can't train 'em like I can."
"That's my boy."
And thus, with Akatsuki forcibly off Naruto's to do list, he moved back into his niche of training his team. Catching up with the other genin squads took a tremendous amount of work, but eventually the skill they achieved put them where they should be. A time of unprecedented peace made itself known, with the rest of the year passing in relative ease. As January came, the training Naruto gave his team seemed of the highest order of intensity they could possibly handle, and perhaps a little beyond that. He pushed them far, made them sweat, and taught them the things he knew. He did this for a reason.
The chuunin exam approached, and he'd be damned if they didn't at least get their shot in.
"Alright then," Yondaime said to the gathering. of jounin in his presence. "You have been summoned before me to suggest or not, if your teams are ready for this year's chunin exam. Iruka of the clan Umino, you have a genin squad who are eligible. Which, if any, of them are in your opinion ready for the exam?"
"Kojano Kazro, Kuwabara Tenzan, and Otohara Nomako are all ready for the exam," he advised.
"Very well then. Naruto of the clan Uzumaki, you have a genin squad who are eligible. Which, if any, of them are in your opinion ready for the exam?"
"Komojirai Yomiko, Matsukita Satoshi, and Higurashi Otowano are all ready for the exam," he proudly stated.
Yondaime went through Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and the others. Naruto immediately went to his group and informed them. After a brief explanation, several plates of ramen he paid for, and about three dozen "hoohaaa!"s from Otowano, they were ready to take the test to become chuunin.
Although Akatsuki and his true father's connection to them weighed heavy on the mind of one Uzumaki Naruto. Father, you are a proud warrior, he thought to himself. Even though you are evil, and a killer, how could someone as high in order as you reduce yourself to being Orochimaru's hired muscle? It didn't make sense.
(A/N: God I'm sorry about the wait. I really wanted to make this chapter longer but if I made you guys wait any longer you'd probably skewer me and eat my carcass. I had a lot going on and a lot of computer problems.)