A/N: Howdoo, I be back with another installment of Naruto-y goodness. I'd like to thank all of you out there for reading, and doubly so for reviewing. Well, it's time for this to be disclaimed...
By the way...
Bold: Demonic voice / summons / jutsu / A/N.
Italics: Thoughts / focus on a word or statement / written words.
Underlined: Time skips / scene change
Disclaimer: I am a mere muggle. I do not own Naruto.
Naruto and the Sandaime arrived at a set of large iron gates set in a stone arch. The granite arch connected to an equally granite wall that surrounded the Uzumaki compound. The gate itself was composed of sweeping bars of metal, with a strange spiral pattern on the front of the gate. It looked exaclty like the spiral component on the hitai-ites worn by ninjas, though with a circle surrounding the spiral, the pattern was at eye level with Naruto's five-year-old body.
"Naruto-kun," The old ninja began. "Please channel some chakra into the spiral."
"Hai." Naruto said, and placed his hand on the spiral. The boy channeled his chakra into the symbol, and was shocked to see the pathes of rust disintegrate as the gate swung open, revealing what lay beyond.
Inside the compound was a large manor, with at least four floors. The building was made of old stone bricks and was fronted by what seemed to be a pond enclosed in a marble circle. There was a stairway that fanned outwards from the doors of the manor house. In front of the house was what looked to have once been a park, though the grass was overgrown and no ornaments existed there.
On each corner of the park stood a tower, five levels apiece, and each floor had a window. The rooves were flat and the top floor had a balcony. They were made of dull red bricks and each surrounded by a chest-high wall which enclosed a spacious garden. There were several smaller buildings, including what looked to be an old, disused forge and a tanning hut. Other buildings just looked like storage sheds or were unrecognisable.
But all the buildings bore the captured spiral over the entryway.
"What does that swirly thing mean Jiji?" Naruto asked, pointing to the spiral over the manor's oaken, iron clasped door. Sarutobi smiled.
"That is the symbol of the Uzumaki clan, and it forms a good part of Konoha's symbol too." He gently explained. He then pre-empted the next question. "The Uzumaki helped form Konoha, and this land was meant as an embassy for them, though it was never used, as the homeland of the clan, Uzu no Kuni, was destroyed and renamed."
Naruto was half-listening, he was much more concerned with food right now. It was a Thursday, and he hadn't eaten since Monday, as his stomach reminded him.
The Sandaime expected the noise, and, with a simple 'Follow me' led Naruto into the large manor. They entered through the large, unlocked door into large atrium. Inside, the building was coated in five years of dust, though the air managed to be thick with the stuff still. The walls had several, dust obscured images on them and the Uzumaki spiral was situated opposite the door, high on the wall above a double-door. Thirty paces either side of the symbol were flights of stairs, each curved toward it's twin and met at a landing which overlooked the atrium they were in. There was a table along the wall to the left with a vase of decomposing flowers at the centre. An odd bulge in the dust sat next to the vase, only a few millimetres high. To the right of the table was a rack of scrolls, with each slot occupied. Next to the scroll holder, there was a wooden door that led elsewhere. The right sde of the room held a trio of doors, though where they led was a mystery.
The wizened Hokage led the youngling to another room, via the sole door on the left of the room. Naruto could tell that once-upon-a-time this had been a cosy living room. It had a dust covered sofa and a big leather-clad chair also doused in the grey filth. In the middle of the room was a small table, with a single, dust-covered scroll.
The old man walked over to the scroll and openned it.
"Ah! Just like your mother to be so thoughtful!" The fire-shadow said with delight. A burst of chakra later and the red-robed Kage held a steaming bowl of deliciously seductive ramen. "Your mother was always an excellent cook, Naruto-kun. It's only right that you get to enjoy her own miso ramen."
Those words were the ones that left 'Shinobi no Kami' noodleless, as the Jinchuuriki took the bowl and began gobbling it down. A series of noisy slurps, a sound that resembled a belch (in the way a dragon resembles a gekko) and a sigh of relief, followed shortly after.
"Mmm... Jiji, Kaa-san was a great cook! Could I learn how to do that?" Naruto, freshly refuelled and sporting a contented smile, asked.
"Of course you can, that's a splendid idea." Hiruzen chuckled at the blond's enthusiasm. "But first, we need to clean this place up." The old man then began to form a string of hand seals before unleashing his Jutsu with a shout of 'Futon: Harukaze no Jutsu' a gentle gust expanded out from the Hokage's body, picking up the dust, dirt, cobwebs and spiders and left through the still open door. After this, the old Sarutobi led Naruto through the house depositing all the debris outside the house in a neat pile as he cleaned each room with his jutsu.
Each room they passed through was swept clear by the older man's seemingly magical wind. Though Jiji made sure to secure anyt loose items first, such things as papers or scrolls. The manor had dozens of rooms, so many that poor Naruto had long ago lost count. There was a massive library that even the great Professor had been awed by, a study filled with elegant writing brushes and well kept parchment, a half-dozen bedrooms for two people and twice as many singles. The kitchen was large and spacious with out any spoiled food, though even the Hokage was stunned by the number of pre-prepared meals were sealed into scrolls. The armoury contained a rack of wakizashis, katanas and tantos, each one a unique weapon with a flair all it's own. Naruto didn't see the Hokage shift a scroll full of strange tri-pointed kunai. Then there was the greenhouse.
It was a large dome of interlocking, triangular glass plates. The greenhouse was made with several areas for training, each surrounded by a small river or wall of trees to separate them. Each one covered a large area and contained rare, exotic and unusual plants. When Naruto asked about it, Sarutobi answered with a degree of pride.
"Your mother didn't live alone, she lived with a powerful ninja who had a great love for plants and the beauty that nature holds. Kushina-chan developed this greenhouse as a gift to him, it was a feat of engineering, science and fuinjutsu that culminated to produce this area, the most amazing part though, is that this place was where they both trained. Nowhere else in the Elemental Countries is there an indoor training area that can contain two Kage level ninja in combat." In that respect, it was easy to see why he was so proud.
"Woah! That's awesome Jiji! So my Kaa-san built all this? For some guy? Was he my Tou-san? Who was he?" Before the Jinchuuriki could go any further, the Sandaime stepped in.
"Calm. Now, Naruto, I will say this, your father was a great man, but until you are older I cannot tell you. He had many enemies and I will not risk your life to satisfy your curiosity. However, I could tell you if ou were to reach the rank of Chunin." The Sandaime said evenly, only barely hinting at the method Naruto could find out that name.
"Then that's what I'll do! You'll see Jiji! I'm gonna make Chunin, then I'm gonna become Hokage!" Naruto declaed with a clenched fist and fiery blue eyes.
"Haha! I don't doubt it, Naruto, but first you need to become a Genin, and for that you'll need to attend the Ninja Academy. I can enroll you when you are eight, but until then, you need to train and ready yourself. Afterall, it wouldn't do for the future Hokage to put off training now, would it?" The old Kage asked. He truly didn't doubt that with the right support, Naruto could, and would, make potentially brilliant ninja and possible Hokage. But for now.. "But before you rush off Naruto-kun, there's a certain 'fluffy' matter to deal with."
"Oh, right! So, um, where should we do this?" Naruto asked uncertainly.
The Hokage had brought them here for a reason, this greenhouse could hold the power of two Kages, it could hold a summon without doubt. Also, the Anbu that followed Naruto and himelf were here, along with himself of course, but...
The Sandaime bit his left thumb and flew through the handsigns for his Jutsu.
"Kuchyose no Jutsu!" As soon as the technique was finished, a large, white furred monkey appeared. The monkey had a Hitai-ite of the leaf and wore, oddly enough, a white sleeveless kimono with trimmings that looked suspiciously like he had used his own fur to make them.
"Hiruzen? Why have you summoned me to fight this child?" The big monkey asked with some anger towards the Hokage.
"Forgive me Enma-sama, but this is Uzumaki Naruto, and he has come upon a chance to sign a unique summoning contract and I would like your aid in ascertaining the safety of this child." The monkey-summoner responded with a humble tone.
"With which clan is this contract?" The monkey king asked.
"The foxes, I believe."
A moment of terse silence.
"Of course... Kurama-sama's clan is a powerful one, with much wisdom and knowledge. They are wily and powerful, and to be greatly respected." Enma muttered the 'of course' but the rest was spoken with respect.
"Will it be safe for Naruto-kun to summon them?" Hiruzen quested.
"Of course, though it would require the permission of a member of the clan. That said, if memory serves, this child should already have it." Enma recounted with his wise, sagely voice.
"Good, and thank you, my old friend." This statement was accompanied with a smile and a nod, from Hiruzen and Enma respectively.
While the two were discussing this, Naruto was staring wide-eyed at the large monkey king. He was only brought out of his awe when the old monkey chuckled.
"Do not worry youngling, just summon the creature when you are ready."
A small, and still slightly awed, nod and Naruto began the summoning. He bit the tip of his thumb, ruby-red blood appearing. He placed the fat droplet in his left palm and channeled as much chakra as he could. Then with a childish cry of 'Kuchyose no Jutsu!' a plume of smoke appeared. The thick, grey smoke billowed about menacingly, even the Hokage and his Anbu were visibly readying themselves. Then, a pair of harsh, crimson lights shone out, of the cloying, living smoke.
"Who dares summon me?" A terrible voice growled at lowly. It reminded the tiny Naruto of the cruel old hag who ran his old orphanage.
"I did! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm not afraid of some old lady who pretends to be a cloud!" The blonde boy yelled out at the 'cloud'.
"So I see..." The cloud disipated, revealing a large, six-tailed fox the size of a horse. The fox had fur the colour of the setting sun and exuded a sense of majesty. Lithe muscle flexed under glossy fur, and the creature's six tails were arrayed behind it like a fan. Those blood-coloured eyes surveyed the creatures arrayed before them with disdain, though as they passed over Naruto, a sense of pity was given off, as if in understanding of his hard life. The massive Kitsune also wore a blue leather collar, with a scroll holder in place of a name tag. In elegant Kanji, the word Kitsune was written on the container.
"Our first summoner is quite small. I doubt you're a Ninja yet, Kit, after all, you are more suited to a game of tag or perhaps hide-and-seek than wielding our power. Maybe I was summoned to babysit you? Hmm?" The large fox asked mockingly. Her voice was still reminiscent of an older woman, though now it no longer held the hag-like croak, but sounded more of a matured, honourable tone.
"W-why would I summon you if I wanted you to babysit me?" Naruto tripped over his own tongue at first, but he glared at the fox with all the fury a five-year-old can muster.
Although, considering the fox's grin, he wished he could muster more.
"Well, mighty summoner, why did you summon me?" The vixen asked teasingly. Naruto's reply was an ever elolquent:
"That big fox in my belly said to."
A moment passed as everyone, even the stealthy and stoic Anbu, tried to supress their laughter at the statement.
"I-hehe-Ahem! Ah, I see. Kurama-Ō told you to summon me. Very well, my name is Sukurōrumēkā. I hold the contract of the Kitsune Clan."
"I was told that your name was Tsurana..." Naruto was confused, but then he saw the tick mark on the vixens forehead.
"I'll kill that nine-tailed flea ball! That nickname... I swear I'll kill'im!" Sukurōrumēkā growled, eyes aglow. She managed to reign in her anger in short order though. Then she set to work having Naruto sign the contract she was charged with protecting.
Her long, nimble tails unscrewed the cap of the scroll, revealing it to be a large document. The end caps were stylised to look like a pair of foxes chasing each others tails, and made of a silvery metal that seemed to glow from within. Her tails slid the parchment free of it's prison, and unfurled the contract, showing detailed caligraphy in red ink, with a border of small meadow flowers around the edges. At the bottom of the elaborate writing, there was ablank space where summoners could sign.
"You will need to sign your name in blood Kit, then I can be on my way."
"Um... I can't read... 'm sorry." Naruto mumbled softly. Upon hearing those words, the silent Hokage scowled and placed a comforting hand on the boys shoulder. Plainly he would need to remove the matron from the orphanage.
"I see, are Ningen so craven as to avoid teaching their hero for what is hidden within him? Too afraid to teach the progeny of their saviour?" Sukurōrumēkā directed these questions at the old Sarutobi, who had been quiet for some time, with a cold voice.
"I entrusted his safety and education to those who are charged with that duty, Fox-san, though I had hoped to keep several things concerning Naruto secret, how did you find out?" Hiruzen asked, unsure of if he really wanted the answer.
"We are Kitsune, we know all the secrets we need to know, and the fate of our king's container is of some importance. But for now, Kit, can you use your blood to copy this... Raiton: Kūchūmoji no Jutsu!" Four of her tails flew through an elaborate dance, before she announced her technique. After naming her Jutsu, a fifth tail generated a spark on it's tip, the spark glowed a light, ethereal blue, and with it she wrote the Kanji for the Jinchuuriki's name.
"Woah..." Breathed the boy, before shaking his head and copying the Kanji, with the best of his ability, on to the contract with his own vitae. The paper hungrily ate up the blood, drying it into the contract with amazing haste.
"Excellent Kit, now, as our first summoner, you will be required to learn our ways, our techniques and uphold our honour when, not if, but when you become a Shinobi. Is that clear?" The contract holding fox stated, rather than asked.
An excited nod at those words answered, elicitting a small smile from the fox.
"Good. I can tell that you have the spirit and cunning required to be an excellent summoner. Hokage-sama, I request that you have someone aid in teaching Naruto-kun to read, the Kitsune clan shall also teach him, but human letters are better taught by humans." Giving no time to answer, the vixen left in a flash of rainbow coloured smoke.
Several moments of silence passed. Only broken when Enma muttered something that sounded like a 'I can't believe she didn't say hi...'.
"That was unusual, but Sukurōrumēkā-san is correct, Naruto, I will be teaching you to read. Lessons will last an hour in my office everyday from noon until one.I expect to see you there tomorrow. And under no circumstance are you to mention what has happened today, any of you." The Hokage looked right at the hidden Anbu with a stern look. Naruto felt the fear roll of the veteran Anbu. He finished up by showing the blonde child where the bathroom was, so that he could bathe before the lesson.
That Night
Naruto had just finished in the bath, he had to use two entire bathtubs of hot water to clean himself, but it worked. He was drying himself with a big, pure white, fluffy towel that had been dropped off by Inu-san, the Anbu who was nicest to him. Along with the towel, Naruto had recieved many pairs of pants and shirts, as well as some toys, things he'd never had before. He picked the clothes he wanted to wear for bed that night; a pair of flannel pyjama bottoms and a long sleeved shirt, both a soft grey color. Naruto quickly packed away those clothes and slipped beneath the blanket of the large double bed he had. Jiji said it was 'king size' but Naruto was pretty sure that kings weren't as big as this bed was.
Any further musing Naruto could do was cut short, as conscious thought left him, and he entered a deep sleep.
The Mindscape
The enormous, nine-tailed fox sat in his cage, waiting for his container to fall asleep. It was near, the Kit was going to be snoring any... second... Now!
The Kyubi felt his container's tired mind slip from the outer and that gave him the openning he needed. Channeling his chakra into the bars of the cage, he made the swirling red mass suck inwards, using that power to draw the child to him.
Naruto's eyes snapped open, revealing him, once more, to be in the sewer. Instead of being far from the fox, this time he was right in front of the cage. As in: toe-to-bar.
"Greetings, Kit." The fox had bent down to be closer to eye level. His voice, while definitely powerful, was calm and affectionate toward Naruto.
That didn't stop Naruto flinching at the sight of enormous Kitsune.
"H-hello, Mister K-Kyubi." Naruto stammered out. This coaked a smile from the Kyubi.
"Kit, you do not need to be so formal. In fact, I have a present for you, but you may only recieve it if you stop being so scared of me, I do not want to hurt you." The soft tone combined with the promise of a present calmed Naruto greatly, though not entirely.
"Sorry, but your really big. I'll try to be nice to you though." Naruto favoured the large fox with a big grin after he said this. The Kyubi gave a soft smile in return.
"Very well then, I suppose you can have your present." The Kyubi said resignedly after a moment of 'deliberation'. "First though, do you know of genies?" Naruto nodded at this, confused slightly. "Good. Well, to explain why I asked, I need to tell you that if you die, I die. However, I can stop this by granting you three wishes, but these wishes are not chosen by you like you might expect." Allowing for a moment to have the Jinchuurikiallow this knowledge to sink in.
"Kit," Began Kurama's eternally wise voice, "These wishes are determined by what you want most, those wishes that you make without realising it, but which are made every moment. You want people who would believe in you, and see Naruto without seeing me, so I gave you the right to summon the foxes. They believe you are capable of great things and they know that you are not me. Now, you want a family, one to love you without reservation. I can give you that. I would like to adopt you Kit, I already have a son. He would be your big brother, I would become your father, though if you are not comfortable with this, you may decline..." The mighty Biju's eyes were soft and warm, in spite of their crimson, bloody colour, they held love for the small boy who had felt so little love before.
Tears made their way to the five-year-olds small face, for the first time in his little life, someone was offering to care for him without reservation or prompting from another. All the ecstatic boy could do was nod vigourously before sprinting through the bars of the cage.
"T-Tou-san!" Naruto's croaky voice, strained by the recent emotional turmoil, cried out as he lunged at his new father, arms outstretched.
The enormous fox caught the flying child with his front left paw, before lifting him to the opposite shoulder in a soft hug.
It was several minutes before Naruto's soft sobs of gratitude quieted to hiccups. All the while the enormous fox who had just adopted a tiny human petted his new sons hair with a large paw. He pulled the boy away from his shoulder when the hiccups separated.
"Kit, there is one more thing we have to do before you sleep." Kurama stated softly, holding the boy in his left paw, almost like a fluffy cradle.
"Tou-san?" Neither one could deny the happiness they felt at the use of the word.
"Your last wish. You want to be the best Ninja Konoha has ever seen. I will help you to be the strongest Ninja you can be." The enormous kitsune cooed to the child, his thumb rubbing the child's small torso.
"How, Tou-san?" Naruto asked in wonder. His new-found Tou-san must be amazing if he can teach being a Ninja!
Instead of answering, Kurama extended his free paw and induced a glow of blue light which took the form of what appeared to be a twisted rope ladder.
"This, Kit, is you." The fox began, elicitting a confused look from Naruto. "It is your DNA, the building blocks of what you are. It made your hair blonde and it made your eyes blue the moment you came into being. It says that you will heal from injuries quicker than anyone because you are an Uzumaki. It also says what you could be. One of your Grandparents had a rare power of eidetic memory, the ability to remember detailed information perfectly. This will be very useful for any Ninja. A more distant relative was a Sensor, who could detect the chakra of others, both of these traits exist in you. Though you have a 'passive' form of sensing chakra, you cannot do so actively. But you have the latent; or unused, power to do so. Both of these latent abilities I can activate. This will happen when you sleep, and tomorrow I will help you in being a Ninja. I will also teach you how to eat foods which will be much healthier for you than ramen." Seeing the boy preparing to interupt, Kurama cut him off. "You can still have Ramen, and I will even show you how to make it healthier, we will try to find other foods for you to enjoy, OK?" It may have sounded like a question, but the fox's stern tone said otherwise.
"Hai, Tou-san. But why is ramen bad, it tastes really good. And its' cheap."
"I know you like it Kit, but only certain types of ramen are good for you, and only fresh vegetables and fruits provide the things you need from food the most, so I'll show you what's good in that greenhouse you have, as well as how to fish for your food. This food won't cost a penny, and it will taste just as good when you learn to cook it. It'll also prepare you for missions, which could last for many days, later on when you're a Ninja. For now though..." Kurama proceeded to use his tails to wrap up the little blonde boy in his hand. He lifted him in his tails and pressed the child tight to his chest. "You need to sleep Kit, you have a big day tomorrow."
Naruto snuggled closer to his new father, nuzzling his soft, warm fur and hugging a tail as tightly as his little arms could manage, before fading into his dreams.
Well, that's all. Sorry about the wait, but I'm a lazy bum, so there! On to business!
To; Potter's Bard, bhdragons, anarion87, Clove 15 and some random person who is very kind... Thank you!
To devilzxknight86, I say this: I don't know about bi-elemnt bloodlines, as everyone who has one only uses that one. On top of that, though I could probably justify it, I can't see the Kyubi getting along as well as I'd like, considering how Mokuton seems to subdue the Kyubi easily. I want to give him a bloodline, but probably not an elemental one... Probably give him fox ears or something.
To Thunder Claw03: I cannot make this an M-rated fic, as I said, my girlfriend is my Beta, and if this becomes M-rated, I get to sleep on the couch, so I'm afraid if you want citrus-y goodness, you need to go elsewhere.
Lastly, to all my lovely readers, I have some deliberation for you all.
Firstly, I'm strongly considering a Sasuke/Sakura/Civie council bash-fest. Sasuke can get off lightly, but I need convincing about that. I've read some Sasuke bashing fics and I like quite a few. Sakura I can't stand at the best of times, so she's gonna be getting the short end of the stick. Lastly, the council deserve it, end of discussion. Jiraiya is gonna get a couple of blows to the nards to, but they will be once or twice then forgotten, so that's not too bad.
Next, I'm gonna say this, I'm considering taking PerfectLionheart's 'Missing Hokage Challenge'. I probably will, so if you have any issues with this, raise them, please. If I do so, Sasuke will be bashed. Hard.
If I do this, Naruto will get multiple contracts with different creatures, but will rely mainly upon the foxes.
Third order of business, I intend for Naruto to not become OP. If you feel he is OP or God-modded, say so. He won't be throwing out Rasengans after the Academy, but he won't be limited to Kage Bunshins in a fight either.
Fourth: Teams. Should I keep 'em normal or shuffle 'em up? Should Naruto graduate early? Should the Ino-Shika-Cho trio be disbanded? Please review in. Help. Me. Decide!
Finally: I leave you with this important news: I have a glossary. Look down, it will aid you little ones *nods sagely*.
Futon: Harukaze no Jutsu / Wind release: spring breeze technique. This is a low powered wind jutsu that creates an invigorating breeze from the users' body, though the breeze can be directed with some training and can lift small twigs, leaves and loose dirt. It is an E-rank Ninjutsu, used primarily to adjust to using wind techniques.
Kuchyose no Jutsu / Summoning technique. It summons the aid of a familiar of some kind, usually an animal.
Raiton: Kūchūmoji no Jutsu / Lightening release: Skywriting technique. A technique developed by the foxes, a bright blue spark isgenerated at the tip of the tail, or finger in humans, which can be used to convey written or pictoral information when verbal contact is not an option. It works best at night, although some foxes can use a fire release variant, in which smoke is used to write, which works better in daylight. A D-rank jutsu in both cases.
Ō - This suffix is translated as 'king'.