Yo, here it is, the new-and improved chapter two. To those who read the previous version of this story and liked it, I apologize. It wasn't turning out how I wanted it, so I rewrote the chapters I had already posted, and deleted the two I hadn't posted yet. Well anyway, on with the show!
Previous chapter:
Naruto and Kyuubi were sitting quietly, waiting for death to take them, when suddenly, a flash of purple light appeared in the room. Both Naruto and Kyuubi turned to look at it warily.
Out of the flash appeared a spectre-like figure, with purple skin, and long white hair with a tanto in between his teeth. Kyuubi bowed respectfully to the figure and spoke, "Greetings, Shinigami-sama."
Chapter Two: Castaway"Might I assume that you are here to take us to the other side?" Kyuubi asked.
"No." the Shinigami spoke, surprising both Naruto and Kyuubi. "It is Kami's will that the boy be sent back."
"But Shinigami-sama, his wounds are too great! Surely not even your power could revive him."
"True," the Shinigami replied, "It is beyond my power. But there is another way."
Kyuubi's eyes widened. "You don't mean to-"
The Shinigami nodded. That is exactly what I mean to do. You will give this boy all of your power. He will be the next Kyuubi. The Realms are in turmoil without the influence of the Bijuu. You must do as I command, and quickly. There is not much time."
Naruto then decided to speak up. "Hey! Did you forget about me? Don't I get a say in this?"
The Death God shook his head. "I'm afraid not. This is the will of Kami. It must be done. It is the only way to preserve balance."
Kyuubi then asked "And what happens to me? Do I just die? I don't like this idea very much."
The Shinigami answered, "Your soul will remain with the boy. He will need someone to teach him, after all."
As Kyuubi grumbled about "blond gakis that never showed any respect", naruto asked, "So what does this mean? I become a demon?"
The Shinigami chuckled and said, "Don't make it seem so bad. Demons aren't the vicious monsters that humans think they are. Well, I must be going now. Brace yourselves for the pain."
Naruto hastily bowed to the Shinigami as he vanished in a swirl of light.
And with that, Naruto's world went white.
Back at the HospitalSarutobi watched in awe as the glow around Naruto got brighter and brighter. He tried to move towards Naruto, but was pushed back by some unseen force. Suddenly the glow vanished into thin air, and Naruto along with it.
Sarutobi began to panic. Naruto had just vanished without a trace. Not even the blood that had been everywhere remained. It was as if he had never existed.
'Naruto-kun…what has happened to you?'
Border of Hi no KuniNaruto knew only pain. Blinding, searing, white-hot pain. It felt like he was being torn apart, only to be put back together again, over and over again. Finally after an eternity of pain, Naruto opened his eyes. He took a deep gasp of air. Had he been holding his breath? He couldn't remember.
He was in a large clearing, surrounded by trees, with a river running through it. As he stumbled over to get a drink of water, he took inventory of his body. Now that the pain was gone, he felt better than he ever had. The sights, the smells, the sounds! They were all so vivid. To Naruto, it felt like experiencing the world for the first time.
All the new sensations made Naruto's tails twitch. Wait…tails? Naruto yelped and turned around, seeing nine red, furry, eight-foot long tails growing out of the base of his spine. He felt the top of his head, and sure enough, he felt a pair of fox ears on top of his head.
He looked at his reflection in the surface of the river, and saw that his eyes were now like Kyuubi's, red irises with slit pupils. His whisker marks were deeper now, too. His baby fat was gone and his muscles had become more defined, like an athlete. He had grown quite a bit, as well. He estimated his height to be at least five-foot-three, as opposed to his previous four-foot-even.
He was able to see these changes to his body due to the fact that he was wearing no clothes. When he noticed this fact, he yelped and dived behind a bush. 'Where the hell did my clothes go!' he yelled in his mind.
He was surprised to hear a voice respond, 'Ow, not so loud, kit. My head is pounding from that massive power drain."
Naruto jumped. 'Kyuubi, is that you?'
'No, dumbass, it's the Ghost of Christmas Past. Ugh, I feel like I drank all the sake in the world. Anyway, to answer your question, your clothes were vaporized by the sheer chakra output caused by your transformation. Urk, this is too difficult. Just focus your mind on appearing in here so we can talk face to face.'
Naruto focused and soon found himself inside his mind.
However, he noticed several changes. First, they were no longer in a sewer. The place they were in was a large open field, underneath a blue, cloudless sky. The second change was that Kyuubi was no longer behind the giant gate. It was gone.
"Where did the seal go?" Naruto asked confusedly. "And what happened to this place?"
Which brings us to the third and final change. No longer was Kyuubi an eight hundred foot tall fox. In his place stood a regal-looking man with long red hair, wearing what looked like blood red samurai armor. Well, he would look regal, if he didn't also look like he was suffering the world's worst hangover. He had two fox ears on the top of his head, three dark whisker marks on each cheek, and blood-red eyes with slit pupils. Looking behind the man, Naruto expected to see nine waving tails. Instead he saw nothing.
"Wow, What the hell happened to this place? And to you, for that matter?" Naruto asked.
"Well, as for this place, once I was free of the seal I decided to redecorate. And me, well, this is just my human form. All intelligent demons are able to make themselves look human. Haven't you been wondering why you're not a giant fox right now?"
"Whatever. So what's with all these changes to my body?" Naruto asked.
"Well," Kyuubi explained, "Your body had to change at the most basic level possible, to make sure that you survived absorbing my power. So as a result, your body was improved drastically. Your healing factor has increased to the point where you can regenerate entire limbs in seconds. You've lost all your baby fat, as well as grown a few inches. I'd say you're about five-foot-three now, as you can see, as opposed to your previous four. Your muscles and skeleton have been made fundamentally denser, increasing their strength without increasing their actual size. Also your DNA, as well as your chakra, has been changed to that of a demon. Your brainpower was also increased, meaning you'll learn about five times faster. Essentially, you are stronger, faster, smarter, and better overall than you were before."
Naruto whistled. "Wow. That's a lot to take in. So, I'm really a demon now. It certainly feels a lot better than I expected. So, where do we go from here? Also, where can I get some clothes?"
"We'll go to Makai, kit. The demons will want to see their new ruler. Also the Kitsune clan will want to meet you. And as for your clothes, just make some out of chakra. They should last you long enough." Kyuubi answered.
Naruto nodded, and was about to leave when Kyuubi said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Don't call me Kyuubi anymore. It's not my name, it's just a title, and that title is yours now .My name is Kitane. Akahiro Kitane."
"Oh, okay. I didn't realize you had a name. Well, I should get going. Bye." Naruto then faded from his mind.
Back outsideWhen naruto woke up, he closed his eyes and concentrated on shaping his new demonic chakra into clothes. To his surprise, it was easy for him to shape the chakra and solidify it.
'Kitane, what did I just do?' he asked.
'What, solidifying the chakra? That's just one of your many new abilities.' Kitane answered.
Naruto asked confusedly, 'Abilities? What abilities?'
"I'll explain later. Right now, we need to get going to Makai before anyone comes to investigate the large amounts of chakra that have been released in this area."
'Oh, okay. So, how do we get there, anyway?'
'Easy, kit. Just close your eyes and visualize a door. Now visualize yourself opening and walking through the door while focusing chakra.' Kitane explained.
Naruto did as Kitane instructed, and soon felt a strange feeling as if he was walking through a veil. When he opened his eyes, he was standing at the edge of a forest. But this was like no forest he had ever seen. The trees and other plants that he could see were far more exotic looking than any he had ever seen. In the distance, he could hear the call of some strange animal.
As naruto gazed around in wonderment, he asked Kitane, "What are these plants? I've never seen anything like them."
"Well, simply put, vegetation in Makai is much different than on Earth. You'll be seeing a lot of things you aren't used to while you're here. As well as the many diverse species of E and D-class demons that roam the wilderness." Kitane replied.
"Huh?" Naruto asked in confusion. "What do you mean by E and D class?"
"Much like shinobi, demons are ranked in order of their strength. D and E-class demons are much the same as animals on Earth, living in the wilderness. They also have animal-level intelligence. E-class demons are the weakest, and don't pose much of a threat to anything due to their peaceful natures, though they will attack if provoked. A strong genin could kill one without too much trouble. They are often herbivores, although not always. Sometimes they prey on those weaker than themselves.
D-class demons serve as the predators to E-class demons, and other D-class that they can kill. They are usually aggressive, and will attack unless frightened off. They are usually carnivores, and are about as strong as a mid-level chunin. D-class and below also do not possess the ability to transform into a human form, or travel between worlds.
C-class demons are as intelligent as any other demon, but not as strong. Due to them having the advanced healing capabilities that all higher-level demons possess, they are about as strong as a team of strong jonin.
B-class demons are far stronger and could only be killed by several teams of strong jonin working together, or a Kage.
A-class demons, however, are very strong, and have never been killed by a human. They are about as strong as two high-level Kages working together.
S-class demons, as with A-class, have never been killed by humans, let alone injured. Their healing capabilities are far too great, to the point of being able to regenerate entire limbs in minutes. Not even five Kage level shinobi working if flawless concert with each other could kill one.
Which brings us to the final rank, SS-class. The only demons in existence that are this strong are the Bijuu. Entire civilizations have been ended by the power of the Bijuu. Even today, people still tell stories about those times. Our regeneration is so great, that we literally cannot be killed. We regenerate almost instantly, which is the reason for our higher rank, alongside our massive power." After he finished, Kitane sucked in a huge gasp of air, as he hadn't inhaled during his entire explanation.
"Hmph." Naruto grumbled. "I can't even ask a simple question anymore without you launching into a huge explanation."
"Ha! You think that was long? That was the condensed version!" Kitane laughed.
After Kitane's explanation, Naruto spotted a large five-tailed Kitsune running towards him. When it reached him, it transformed into its human form, an average looking man with brown hair, five tails, and other Kitsune features. He had a sense of utter normalcy about him, as if he was completely incapable of doing something that would seem odd. He reminded Naruto strongly of his former sensei, Iruka.
After he transformed, he approached Naruto an asked, "Who are you? State your business here."
Naruto answered, "My name is Uzu- I mean, Namikaze Naruto, and I am the new Kyuubi. I have come here for reasons that my predecessor has not currently revealed to me."
As naruto said this, a startled look came upon the Kitsune's face. "What? How is that possible?" he then looked behind Naruto, and saw his nine waving tails, before hastily bowing while saluting with his right fist over his heart.
"Forgive me, Kyuubi-sama. I was not aware that a new Kyuubi had been chosen. My name is Reiko. Please allow me to escort you to the city." The newly named Reiko apologized.
Naruto nodded. "Excellent. Let's go. And please, call me Naruto."
"As you wish, Naruto-sama." Reiko replied. He then put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and the two of them disappeared in a puff of smoke.
In front of the city gate
Naruto and Reiko appeared in front of a large city wall, at least fifty feet high, and around five thick. As Naruto looked at it, he could see that it went on for miles in both directions. There was an iron gate with a Kitsune guard standing by at the entrance. "Reiko, did you find out what that disturbance was?" the guard asked.
Reiko just nodded and indicated toward Naruto. When the guard saw Naruto's tails, he immediately bowed and saluted. "Greetings, Kyuubi-sama." He said respectfully. He then waved Reiko and Naruto through the gate, and they were on their way.
As the two Kitsune walked through the city, naruto gazed in wonderment at the many different species of demon he was seeing. He saw some that looked human, aside from a few different features. He saw things that he previously would have been terrified of, or would never have believed existed.
Soon, they came upon a large gate with a fox's head engraved on it. Reiko then said, "This is the entrance to the Kitsune District. This is where all Kitsune in the City live, as well as any that are visiting from another city or village. However, the Kitsune clan is based here, in the capital city."
They then entered the gate. As they walked through the District, they saw hundreds of Kitsune walking the streets, as well as a few other demons who were there for various reasons. When the Kitsune saw Naruto, they began to cheer. Many of them ran off to tell others.
The houses in the Kitsune district were primarily European-styled homes, such as nice looking houses, or in some cases, even large manors. As they were walking, a thought occurred to Naruto. "Reiko-san, I can't help but notice that there are no signs of poverty here, or anywhere in the rest of the city that I saw. Why is that? Surely in a city this size, there would be some who are poor, correct?"
As they continued to walk, Reiko answered, "Actually, no, Naruto-sama. The well being of our people is very important to us. If anyone does find themselves in a state of poverty, they simply report their situation to the administration building in the city, and they are taken care of until they are able to support themselves. We make sure that no-one is left homeless, or without something to eat."
Naruto was very impressed. "Wow, Reiko-san. That is really amazing. How can you afford to support all those people, though?"
"Well, there aren't that many people to support, really. Truthfully, demons have very little that they need to buy, as most prefer to hunt for themselves, or grow there own food. People often build their own homes as well. So, there is not much need for buying food or homes. However, people do have a need for things such as weapons, and to furnish their homes, among many other things. So it is rare for us to have to support anyone, really. Only a couple of people a year, at most."
Once again, Naruto was impressed. "Wow. Living here must be great. I wish I had grown up here. Not that I still don't have growing to do. I'm only seven after all."
Reiko responded, "Indeed, Naruto-sama. You are quite young, especially for a demon. you have plenty of time to grow here. And yes, life here is well enjoyed by all. Although, it is not just in this city, for though this is the capital of Makai, all other major cities across the world have these measures put into place as well as the smaller towns and villages. These measures were all put into place by your predecessor, several decades ago."
Reiko's comments about him had sparked another question in Naruto's mind. "Reiko-san, forgive me for asking so many questions, but why have we only encountered two children so far? With the size of this city, wouldn't there be many more children running around?" he asked.
Reiko answered, "Well, due to the immortality of demons, children are quite rare. The average is only two or three children every fifty years or so. Due to their scarceness, they are treasured above all else, and to abuse them in any way is a crime punishable by death."
Naruto snorted at the irony.
They soon came upon a huge European style castle, which was the size of several of the largest manors in the District, with four large towers, one at each corner of the castle, and at least six stories. The entire thing was about 10,000 square feet.
Reiko indicated towards the large castle and said, "This is your new home, Naruto-sama.'
Naruto looked back and forth between Reiko and the castle, gaping like a fish. "This is where I'll be living?" he asked.
"Yes, Naruto-sama. This is the home of the clan head, which is you. Therefore, it is now your home. I will now escort you inside, so you can get settled." Reiko replied. They then entered the huge castle.
The castle was even more amazing inside than on the outside. They first entered into a large main entrance that had a floor made of black marble, with many statues and tapestries along the walls. Naruto looked at a particular tapestry and saw that it depicted the Kyuubi, in full fox form, battling a huge army of people, armed with all assortment of weapons. The look of the Kyuubi was absolutely fearsome.
They made their way up a large staircase at the far end of the room, and went through several other large and impressive rooms, before entering a huge library. There were tens- no, hundreds of thousands of books and scrolls. The library had a massive ceiling, and bookshelves that went all the way up.
Sitting at a table in the library was a man with Kitsune features and eight gray tails, as well as gray mid-length hair. He looked up and saw Naruto and Reiko heading towards him. When he saw Naruto, a look of shock passed over his face, before forming into a warm smile. He then bowed and spoke, "Hello, Kyuubi-sama. I am most pleased to see that we once again have a true ruler for our people. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Koaru. I am the one who was appointed to lead the clan in Kitane-sama's absence.'
Naruto nodded and said, "Thank you, and please, call me Naruto."
"Of course, Naruto-sama. Now we should properly introduce you to the rest of the clan, as well as officially inaugurate you as clan head. We can do this immediately, if you wish." Naruto nodded, and asked, "Is there some kind of ceremony to perform?"
"Yes, you must simply take an oath in front of the clan. I will assemble them now.
Naruto thanked him and sat down to wait. While he waited, he decided to talk with Kitane. 'So, Kitane, what will we be doing while we're here?'
Kitane answered, 'We will be teaching you to use your new powers, of course.'
Naruto asked, 'Awesome. Now will you finally tell me what my new powers are?'
Kitane began to explain. 'Every Bijuu has his of her own special abilities. The Ichibi no Tanuki has power over Sand, and the Wind.
The Nibi no Nekomata has control over the dead, and a strong Fire alignment.
The Sanbi no Kyodaigame has control over aquatic life and the Water element.
The Yonbi no Saru has control over the Lava element, as well as strong Earth and Fire abilities as a result.
The Gobi no Irukauma has control over the Steam element, as well as Fire and Water alignments.
The Rokubi no Namekuji has control over the Water element, and is nearly impossible to damage, due to the fact that it can control the shape of its body.
The Nanabi no Kabutomushi has control over insects, and the powerful Dust element, which can grind enemies to dust, as well as Earth, Wind, and Fire elements.
The Hachibi no Kyogyu, as the second strongest of the Bijuu, can throw chakra attacks around like candy at a parade. He also has control over the Ink element, as well as Earth and Water alignments. He is extremely resistant to Fire.'
'And, finally the Kyuubi no Kitsune, which is you. It is said amongst humans that I had infinite chakra. This is only partially true. While I do have chakra far beyond that of any other living creature, it is not infinite. However, it replenishes so quickly that when I use a human jutsu, it seems that no chakra was used whatsoever. My second ability was the ability to manifest my chakra outside my body, manipulate it, and make it solid. My third ability is absolute control over any kind of fire. This granted me immunity from any kind of fire attacks, as well as the ability to manipulate fire in any way. Also, I have alignments with all five basic elements, and the ability to use the sub-elements. My final ability is the ability that all Kitsune share, which is the ability to create powerful illusions that are extremely difficult to break.'
Naruto's head was spinning. He would be able to do all that? He could barely contain his excitement. "That is so awesome! When do we start training?" he asked excitedly.
Kitane laughed at Naruto's eagerness and answered, 'We'll be starting your training tomorrow. I expect you to train to the brink of exhaustion everyday. It won't be easy to learn to control these abilities. On the up side, however, your new abilities give you perfect chakra control, so we have that. It looks like we'll have to continue this later, kit.' And he then cut the connection.
Koaru walked back into the room and said, "The clan is assembled, Naruto-sama. It is time for you to take the oath."
Naruto followed him through the large castle, and outside to a balcony on the second level. He was greeted by the faces of close to ten thousand people. "Is this the entire clan?" Naruto asked.
"In this city, yes. Makai is a very large place, Naruto-sama. Word will spread quickly about you though, I am sure."
Koaru then addressed the crowd, "Fellow clansmen! I have wonderful news! For years, our beloved leader was lost to us. But now, a new Kyuubi has been chosen to rule over and protect us! I give you, our new clan head, Naruto-sama!"
At the end of this speech the crowd erupted into cheers. Koaru motioned for them to settle down, and when the cheering stopped, he turned to Naruto and said, "Time to give the oath Naruto-sama. Just repeat after me."
"I, Namikaze Naruto, swear to protect this clan to the best of my ability. I swear to uphold its laws and traditions. I swear to, from this day forth, remain loyal to and ensure the welfare of this clan's members. So swear I, Namikaze Naruto."
After Naruto repeated the oath the crowd once again started to cheer. After Koaru dismissed the crowd, he and Naruto went back inside.
Koaru then said to Naruto, "Well, Naruto-sama, I'm afraid I must bid you farewell. I have matters to attend to." He then bowed to Naruto, before leaving.
Naruto, for his part, was exhausted. He had done so much today. He just wanted to find a bed and lay down. After searching the house for the master bedroom, he curled up on the bed, wrapped his tails around himself, and promptly fell asleep.
FOUR YEARS LATERThe last four years had been eventful for Naruto. In just that relatively short amount of time, he had grown enormously. He was now five-foot-ten, with his long blond and red hair pulled back into a ponytail that reached to the small of his back. He had great muscle tone, muscular, but not huge muscles. More of an athletic build. He wore a deep red muscle shirt underneath a black vest, and black cargo pants with combat boots instead of the sandals that shinobi wore.
He had managed to gain full use of his Bijuu abilities, as well. It wasn't a matter of learning how to access them; so much as it was a matter of learning to control them and how to use them properly in various situations.
Kitane had been a harsh taskmaster, training him, as he had said, to the point of exhaustion, often several times a day due to the small amount of time it took Naruto to get back to full strength. But know this: training any Bijuu, especially the Kyuubi, to the brink of exhaustion was no mean feat.
But today was Naruto's eleventh birthday, the day he was set to leave his new home. He had made several friends over the years. Because of the immortality of demons, children were very rare, and were treasured above all else. The few children that did live in the city, loved to play with Naruto. He would spend any time he could spare telling them stories about Earth, or showing them jutsu he had learnt from Kitane, or had made himself.
He was sad to go, as he had made a home for himself here. Koaru had been like a grandfather to him, always encouraging him during training, and had helped Naruto immensely in the political aspects of ruling a clan. But Kitane was adamant about Naruto leaving. He had said that naruto needed to see the shinobi world, learn all about it, if he was to accomplish his goal.
So he had packed his things, said goodbye to his friends, and had left Kaoru to handle things for a while.
And now, as he walked out of the gate of the city, with people waving goodbye and wishing him luck, he felt ready to begin the next leg of his life's journey.
He opened the portal to Earth, and stepped through.
THREE YEARS LATERJiraiya the Gama Sennin was racing toward Konoha as fast as he could. He had been In Rice Country, searching for leads on Orochimaru, when one of his contacts had said that the new Shinobi village that had appeared in the country recently, Otogakure no Sato, was lead by none other than Orochimaru himself. Jiraiya had been able to find and infiltrate one of Orochimaru's bases, where he found files confirming the fact, along with plans for a large-scale invasion of Konoha with Sunagakure no Sato.
As he was making his escape, however, several teams of shinobi, all wearing hitai-ate decorated with a sound note, ambushed him along with a large man with orange hair. The shinobi were easy enough to fight off for someone of Jiraiya's skill, although one of them got a lucky shot with a kunai on his forearm. The blade had apparently been poisoned, since Jiraiya could feel his muscles getting sore very quickly, and was losing control of his chakra.
He managed to dispatch the last of the shinobi, when the large orange haired man who had been sitting back had transformed into something that looked like a monster. He had ferociously attacked Jiraiya, who due to the poison was barely able to defend himself. Deciding to retreat so that he could get these files to Konoha, he quickly dodged a sloppy punch, and gave a fierce uppercut to his opponent's chin, sending him flying back. Jiraiya then threw a smoke bomb on the ground and high-tailed it out of there.
However, when he exited the complex, he looked back to see the large man pursuing him quickly. So Jiraiya, knowing that he had speed on his side, kept running in the direction of Konoha. However, the running sped up the circulation of poison in his bloodstream, slowing him down, and causing him pain. He stumbled on a tree branch, sending him crashing to the ground, where he struggled to get up before his pursuer could catch him.
Before he could get to his feet, the large man entered the clearing, looking like his body was going through a series of rapid changes. When they stopped, the man had a large blade where his arm should be, with a wicked looking elbow spike. "Time to die!" the man shouted gleefully. "Time to kill..kill..KILL! I'll kill you! Bathe in your blood!" he then jumped toward Jiraiya, preparing to cleave him in two, when suddenly, a black-and-red blur appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the large man sending him flying.
The blur revealed itself to be a large man. He wore a black and red trench coat with a hood, and a black facemask covering his face. On the back of the coat was an image of a fox's head surrounded by nine swirling tails in the shape of a spiral. On the right arm was the kanji for the number nine. Underneath the coat he wore a black muscle shirt underneath a dark red vest, like the kind that jonin and chunin wore, which was zipped up. He was about six-foot-three from what Jiraiya could see, and very well built. Slung across his back was what looked to be a nodachi sword, appropriate for the man's height. He wore baggy black pants, and black combat boots. All in all, he was a very intimidating figure.
But that was far from the most surprising thing about the man. He also had nine ten-foot long, blood red, fox tails coming from underneath his coat.
The figure spoke in a calm voice, "Greetings, Jiraiya-san. I was in the area, and I heard this man's deranged yells. I thought I should lend you a hand."
Jiraiya could only stare with wide eyes at the figure in front of him. After the man was done saving his life, Jiraiya was going to be asking him many questions.
By this time, the large orange haired man had returned, although he was clutching his bleeding side, and looking fearfully at the mysterious figure. "Please don't kill me! I don't want to be hurt! I can't fight the monster inside me, it just takes over! Please, don't hurt me."
The stranger replied, "Very well, leave now and take this message to your master: I am coming for him."
The large man nodded quickly and ran off, clutching his side. By this time, Jiraiya had gotten back to his feet and was watching the stranger warily. He asked, "Who are you? Why did you help me? Why do you have those tails?"
The stranger turned to face him, and replied, "Who I am is none of your concern. As for why I saved you, it's what my father would have done, as well as I am headed towards Konoha myself, and have business with the Hokage. That is all I will answer, for now. The rest will be revealed when I reach the Hokage." The man then made a hand seal, and his tails seemingly disappeared.
As the man tried to move toward him, Jiraiya pulled out a kunai and got into a fighting stance. "Now, hold on a second. You're not going anywhere until you answer my questions."
The tall stranger sighed and said, "Jiraiya-san, if I wanted you dead, I would have finished you by now. With that poison in your system you're as weak as a newborn baby. I swear on my honor that I mean you no harm. Now if you don't mind, I need to heal you before you pass out."
Jiraiya considered this for a moment, before lowering his kunai and letting the man move toward him. When the man reached Jiraiya, he held his palm over Jiraiya's chest and his hand started to be surrounded by a deep, forest green chakra. Jiraiya stared in awe as he immediately started to feel good as new. It only took a few seconds for him to be fully healed.
"What was that?" he asked in amazement.
"Just a simple healing technique. It is based on the Miracle Palm technique. I just improved it."
Jiraiya nodded, and the man said, "We should be going to Konoha now."
"Yes, it should take us about two days to get there." Jiraiya agreed.
The mysterious man shook his head and grabbed Jiraiya by his shoulder, and with a flash of light, they were gone.
Outside KonohaIt was a quiet day of guard duty at the southern gate of Konoha for Chunin Izumo and Kotetsu. People rarely passed through this gate, which is why the two always volunteered to guard it. They enjoyed the relaxation and easy money the mission provided. They didn't get many people through there, which is why when a flash of light suddenly appeared in front of them, they were quite startled.
Out of the flash appeared a tall, black-clothed man, and Jiraiya of the Sannin. Jiraiya looked like he hadn't been expecting the instantaneous transportation, and was a little shook up from it. He looked to Izumo and Kotetsu, who waved him through immediately.
The tall man simply grabbed Jiraiya's arm and they vanished again, leaving two very perplexed chunin.
Hokage's officeAs Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konoha sat at his desk signing paperwork he began to look back on the past, as he often did. He blamed himself for Naruto's death, all those years ago. He thought that if he had been more forceful, that he could have prevented the attack that led to Naruto's disappearance from the hospital.
He was sure, in his mind, that naruto had died that night. However, he was unable to explain why naruto had suddenly vanished as he did. Sarutobi had changed much over the years. No longer was he the kindly leader who was always friendly to his shinobi. He was much colder towards people now, especially civilians.
The old Hokage was broken out of his thoughts by a flash of light appearing in the room. He relaxed when he saw it was just Jiraiya, although he was curious as to who he was with. "Jiraiya, I thought you were in Ta no Kuni? How did you get here?"
Jiraiya just pointed towards the man beside him. Once he had caught his breath, he told Sarutobi about what he discovered in Ta no Kuni, as well as the ambush, and him being poisoned and chased by the large orange haired man. "And so, right as the big guy was about to bisect me, this man beside me showed up out of nowhere, and took the guy down. The big guy ran away with a large wound on his side, which is impressive since even I couldn't hurt him. Well, anyway, after that, this guy used some medical technique t fix me right up and then he grabbed me and teleported us here."
The Hokage had an impressed look on his face, "So, who is he? Did he give you a name?"
"No, but he did say that he was coming here because he had business with you. And there is one troubling thing about him." He then turned towards the tall man beside him. "Please drop the illusion you put on yourself." He asked.
The stranger responded, "Before I do that, I think I should tell you a bit about who I am. The man then pulled back his hood, revealing his long red and blond hair, which was tied in a ponytail, and blood-red eyes with slit pupils. He then removed his coat and sword, revealing his toned muscles.
At this time, Sarutobi and Jiraiya were watching him warily. He then pulled down his facemask, revealing three dark whisker marks on each cheek. The Hokage and Jiraiya both looked like they had seen a ghost, which to them, it seemed like they were. The man then said "My name is Namikaze Naruto, former jinchurriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."