Kiri's Susanoo
Chapter 5
(Update- I fixed all the there/Their problems SWEEET and for those who say I make Naruto too powerful: Itachi graduated in one year from academy at age 6, mastered his Sharingan at 8, passed the Chuunin exams at 10 and at 13 was an ANBU captain… now that that's common knowledge enjoy! Also I added a hell of a lot to this chapter to add some plot for Sasuke and Kakashi)
"We all loved our Fourth Hokage, this is a known fact. The man saved our lives and yet we spit on his final request," Sarutobi said while looking down at the now confused crowd.
Is this about the demon brat?" a man called out from the crowd, only to see Sarutobi glare down at him.
"Demon BRAT?!" he yelled, anger filling his eyes. "Most of you people should be ashamed of yourselves! Do you even remember Minato's request? To treat Naruto as a hero! NOT A DEMON! And yet most of you continued to hate the boy!"
"Why does it matter?" a woman asked. "I never hated the child… But since he's gone now why are we still talking about it?"
"Because those of you that have continued to celebrate his death bring shame to this village and the memory of the Fourth." Sarutobi said with a cold look in his eyes. It was quiet as clouds seemed to block the joyful rays of the sun.
"Today… I resign as the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village and hereby name Kakashi Hatake the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden leaf. Now… Kakashi would you do the honors?" Sarutobi looked back at Kakashi who stood with his hands in his pockets. The crowd was speechless, unable to even comment on what was happening.
Kakashi nodded while stepping out towards the crowd. He looked over them with his eye and let out a deep sigh.
"As you all know my sensei was none other then the Fourth Hokage. When he died I promised him that I would watch after his son…" Kakashi paused noticing everyone's eyes grow wide. "Naruto Uzumaki's true name was Naruto Namikaze… The son of the Fourth Hokage… Savior of the hidden leaf village… Container of the Kyuubi No Yoko… Congratulations, Leaf Village… you've been celebrating the death of the only son of one of the greatest men this world has ever known… The Fourth Hokage's legacy is now dead."
The crowd erupted in disgust, argument and shouts.
"Liar!" a man screamed along with another man who grabbed his collar. "Don't call our Kage a Liar you fool!"
The crowd continued to argue until what sounded like a lightning strike silenced them all. They looked up to see Kakashi's arm glowing slightly as he looked down at them. "Say what you want! But know this! Naruto was a kind hearted boy who NEVER hurt anyone! What some of you did to him is unforgivable! And I hope you can live with that… God knows I couldn't… Now return to what you were doing!" he yelled and watched as the crowd slowly began to fade away leaving only a few looking at the men on the rooftop. Kakashi watched as they fell down to their knees, one by one. Most of them were shinobi.
Kakashi noticed a boy standing in the crowd and narrowed his eye. Sasuke Uchiha stood there, looking up at them. He held a troubled expression on his face before he turned away.
"Kakashi," Sarutobi said with a satisfied look on his face. Kakashi looked over to see the old man's eyes following Sasuke. He walked to Kakashi and got close enough to speak without anyone hearing.
"In my desk is a scroll at the very back of the third shelf. Take it out and undo the blood seal. Once you read it you will understand what I'm saying. Make sure Danzou does not get his hands on Sasuke understood?" he whispered earning a nod from the silver haired Hokage… "Good… Now…" Sarutobi paused looking back at Jiraiya… "Do your job well, boy. Feel free to try and stop us."
"I wouldn't be doing my job very well if I didn't. Although I'm dreading it…" Kakashi said only to see a blur of white fly past Sarutobi. In mid air Jiraiya bit his thumb and made a few hand signs while laughing.
"Is he..." Kakashi mumbled only to see Sarutobi leap from the roof after Jiraiya.
"He is… Stop them!" Kakashi yelled earning sighs from everyone.
"It's part of the job," Asuma said while nudging Shikaku who seemed to be dreading the chase already. "Besides we don't have to try very hard…Which is good in your case, Nara."
"Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya yelled as smoke filled the area. Kakashi eye twitched as a loud shout of frustration filled the air. It was the Big Boss, Gamabunta.
"Jiraiya! Why did you summon me again you old fool?!" Gamabunta yelled while inhaling a large hit from his pipe.
"Hey there, old friend!" Sarutobi said while landing next to Jiraiya.
"Ah, Sarutobi," Gamabunta said with a hint of respect for the older man, "I take it we're escaping?" The toad asked while looking at the approaching shinobi.
"Yup! I'll explain along the way, first things first head east… We need to find a bar!" Jiraiya yelled only to see the toad exhale filling the area with smoke. Asuma took a deep breath as he ran through the tobacco smoke silently laughing at the others as they coughed. "And you all said I should quit smoking!"
Kakashi walked into his office and instantly went to the desk and opened the shelf Sarutobi described. He pulled forth a scroll and laid it on the desk. Biting his thumb and placing some blood on the seal he watched it roll open slowly. Slowly he read it before plopping down in the chair. Obito's eye seemed to twitch a bit as he sat silently in the office.
"Itachi… Dear god, boy! How could they have made you do such a thing…" Kakashi growled while gripping the scroll tightly. He dropped the scroll onto the desk and walked for the door with rage in his eyes.
The last thing on the paper read 'I, Itachi Uchiha swear my loyalties to Konoha and will take this mission without shame, only pride. But I have one condition: My brother is the only exception… I will not kill him. I leave him in the care of Sarutobi-sama who I trust will protect him from any harm. These are the only conditions I must have promised to me by Danzou…'
Kakashi burst from the mansion and vanished in a blur. 'The whole clan didn't deserve that!' Kakashi's mind screamed in rage, 'Itachi didn't deserve that!'
Before Kakashi knew where he was he had already arrived where Danzou and the council were being held by Hyuuga ANBU.
"Lord Hokage," one spoke with respect for the silver haired man. It would take a while to get used to that…
"Take me to them and then leave me. I want no one near this area until I am done, understood?" Kakashi said quietly earning a nod from the man. He led him into a dark building before opening a door to reveal the three elderly hags. The door shut behind him as he glared at them with disgusted eyes.
"You should all be killed in front of the village for what you have done!" Kakashi growled. Danzou thought the man might spit venom at any moment which brought a smirk upon his face.
"Oh? Why is that Lord… Hokage?" Danzou's replied in a condescending manner.
"You used Itachi's pride for Konoha against him! He was just a child, you had no right. If you people would just have given them the rights they wanted and stopped treating them like dogs, then war could have been prevented!" Kakashi yelled.
"Ah, so the old fool told you…Figures… Sarutobi was always weak. He didn't want to go along with the plan either, apparently he was somewhat close to the boy. When will you people understand? We shinobi are tools to protect and serve our village. Itachi was an excellent tool and served his purpose." Danzou was cut off by a hand around his neck and a blue glow filling the room.
"You make me sick, Danzou… Being Shinobi is so much more then being a tool, we protect out of love for our people not out of duty… We serve to better ourselves and grow stronger knowing that one day we could make a difference in our loved ones lives… Your corrupt words forced Itachi to kill everyone he ever loved! And I'll be damned if I let you get your hands on Sasuke. I am not Sarutobi! Where he failed I will not. From this day forth you ROOTS are disbanded. Anyone who is found within their ranks is dead if they resist. You are now stripped of your rank in this council!" Kakashi growled.
"You can't do that, child," the elder council said together only to see a crimson glare turn upon them.
"Oh, I can't? Let me spell things out for you: If you speak to me like that again and try to stop what I am doing here the entire village will know what you three have done. I already told them about Minato - what makes you think I won't tell them this?" Kakashi's words were filled with truth and rage; which was more then enough to shut up the old hags. He turned his gaze back to Danzou and pressed a finger to the latter's cheek causing a small cut to appear. "If I ever see your face again I'll personally end your miserable life… Sarutobi is everything you can't be… including Hokage, but then again that's why the Second picked him and not you isn't it?" Kakashi said as he released the man whose eye now glared back at him with an equal amount of anger. Kakashi left the room and made his way down the hallway. "ANBU!" he called out and three men appeared.
"Yes, Lord Hokage?"
"Help Danzou clear out his office, then get Ibiki to get him to tell us the location of ROOTS… Hell, get Inoichi to help him," Kakashi said while taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"Is that all, sir?" a man asked only to see Kakashi stop.
"No… Get me Sasuke Uchiha, tell him he will be staying with me from now on," Kakashi said earning a nod from everyone before they vanished. Kakashi now stood in the streets of Konoha looking up at the dimming sunlight.
"Got a lot on your mind?" a female voice called from behind Kakashi. He turned to see Anko standing and staring at him. "You know I can hardly believe Minato-kun actually had a son."
"I'm sure you're saying that same about me being Hokage…" Kakashi replied only to see her shrug.
"Maybe… But that doesn't matter, what matters is that you look like you need a drink"
(Small Time Jump)
Kakashi sighed while sitting in his new office. It had been two months since Sarutobi and Jiraiya had fled the village after exposing Naruto's true father to the world. The news spread like a wild fire. "Minato Namikaze had a son… Naruto Namikaze," People would say. It was amazing how quickly the people changed their ways. Flowers seemed to pile up higher and higher at Naruto and his father's graves every day. Seven years of regret is a hard thing to swallow… Or so he was told. The only regret he had was not being there to keep his promise to his sensei…
"Hokage-sama!" a woman said before appearing in the room. She had a hawk mask hiding her face.
"Yes, Kurenai?" Kakashi said in a dull tone earning a sigh from the women.
"I'm in ANBU, it's against regulation to us my real name, idiot!" she yelled only to see the man's eye close slightly. He turned his head towards her with a dazed and confused look plastered across his face. (Awesome movie lol!)
"I'm sorry, what?".
"DON'T TREAT ME LIKE I'M GAI!" she yelled. He felt like laughing but knew it would only end badly. Swallowing his urge to annoy the women further he let out a sigh.
"Fine you win. What is it?".
"We've got some leads on Jiraiya and Sarutobi's positions to the west… It seems they're on Orochimaru's trail," she explained.
"Well… They're missing-nin now but Orochimaru is a bigger threat to Konoha. I'll inform the council of this information but I want you to go to the Inuzuka clan and tell them to send a few hounds and trackers after them but make it clear for them to not engage. Only observe and get as much information as we can on Orochimaru and any other threats, understood?" Kakashi said earning a nod from the woman.
"What about Danzou? His roots have been tracking them as well…"
"Don't worry about him. Half his unit is already being monitored or acting as my spies, we shouldn't have much of a problem with him. After what I have planned is accomplished I'll make sure nothing is left of that bastard when I'm done with him," Kakashi paused as he heard knock at the door.
"Come in," Kakashi said calmly.
Sasuke entered the room. "Oh, you're having a meeting…" the boy said only to see Kakashi eye smile.
"Its fine Sasuke-kun, it's time for our lesson again, isn't it? Alright!" Kakashi said in a cheerful tone as a clone appeared beside him without him making any hand signs.
"When are you going to show me how to do that?" Sasuke asked only to see the man smile again.
"When you're older…" Kakashi said simply
"Whatever," Sasuke moaned while turning away only to see Kakashi nudge him. He looked back to the ANBU and let out a sigh.
"Nice to see you, Kurenai-san," Sasuke said earning a growl from the woman.
Kakashi burst into laughter and ran through the door pulling Sasuke behind him, grinning. 'Damn him,' she thought to herself before vanishing into the shadows.
"We'll pick up where we left off," Kakashi said while standing across from Sasuke. They were in the forest somewhere outside of the village. "You want to be like your brother, but you're already behind him in everything he achieved. You will not enter the academy until the last year. In that year you will have to take every exam the other kids have throughout the year. Your brother did it Sasuke and so can you, but your first step is awakening what's in your blood," Kakashi paused as Sasuke looked up at the man. His crimson eye staring back at him.
"Kakashi… you never told me about your eye… How did you get it?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi was expecting the question to come at one point in time, but still wasn't ready to tell him. Then again - Kakashi wasn't really ever ready for anything…
"A friend gave it to me. As you know my sensei was the Fourth Hokage-" Kakashi was interrupted.
"Naruto's father…" Sasuke said while tightening his fists slightly.
"Yes. I had just made Jounin and we were on a mission in the Stone Territory. Rin and Obito Uchiha where on this mission with me. I would always taunt him about his Sharingan not activating at his age... You could call us rivals if you wanted. Anyways, Minato-sensei wasn't on this mission with us and Rin was captured. We were given two choices: Leave her to die and finish the mission or go and save her. Obito was the first to say we should save her but I… wasn't the same man back then. I told him the mission was more important and for that he hit me. He said something to me I will never forget… and I want you to remember it as well: 'Those who abandon their mission are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash.' We went after her and were attacked along the way. I killed one of the men saving him but then I was attacked by another man who gave me this scar,." Kakashi paused pointing at his eye. "That's when Obito shocked even me… His Sharingan activated and he saved me. After that we bandaged my eye and went after Rin. We managed to push her attackers back but when we were fleeing the cave a man outside brought it down on top of us. I was hit by a rock and knocked unconscious and… Obito ran back and threw me out of the way of a large bolder and saved my life, sacrificing his own. The stone crushed the right side of his body but before he died… he told Rin to take his eye and give it to me so he would always be with me. He loved Rin and… Come to find out he loved me like a brother… Rin did as she was told and I emerged from the cave and killed the man. But even after I got my revenge, I felt like I wanted more. I wanted more blood until I noticed the tears still falling from Obito's eye… Revenge isn't worth the sacrifice, Sasuke. I want you to always remember that, understood?" Kakashi said calmly. Sasuke looked up at the man to see slow but steady tears falling from his eyes.
Sasuke thought of his bother. "He wanted me to come after him," Sasuke said in a dull tone. "He wants me to kill him!" Sasuke yelled.
"He didn't leave you alive for that reason Sasuke, he couldn't kill you! Because you are all that mattered to him. You are his little brother, you mean more to him then anything else! Do not let your heart be corrupted by rage and hatred, understood? I will make you strong but I need you to stop hating him!" Kakashi yelled.
"How could I stop hating him Kakashi! He killed them! He even killed the girl he said he loved!(No name) I saw them together - the look in his eyes when they kissed, he loved her. He loved me! But he said it was all a lie and the look in his eyes when he said that was empty… He wasn't the same Itachi… He wasn't my brother!" Sasuke said as tears began to fall from his eyes.
"Then what do you want Sasuke? Tell me what you truly want more then anything!" Kakashi yelled while grabbing Sasuke arms.
Every happy moment Sasuke ever had flashed through his mind. The pride he felt when he performed his first Fireball Jutsu… The amazement of Itachi doing his training… The loving smiles from his mother…
"I want my brother back!" Sasuke screamed while opening his eyes and looking up at Kakashi. Kakashi felt a smirk crawl across his face as he looked into the boys eyes. Sasuke looked into the reflection of the man's eyes and felt his voice hitch…
"Your eyes… don't lie, Sasuke," Kakashi said smirking. "Your first step of catching up to your brother… is complete."
"Mai-san are you ready?" Yagura asked while tightening his grip on his katana. The seven year old girl nodded to her Kage and watched as he leaped towards her and began to speak to her as she leaped back from his strike.
"Tell me now… What is your tactic when fighting a male who is larger and physically stronger then you?" the man said, only to see her vanish and appear behind him.
"Surprise is my best option, keep my distance and," she paused while throwing a kunai, "strike when he least expects it." Yagura smirked and dodged the kunai only to see the young girl smirk and sling yet another kunai twice as quickly. It hit her other kunai and deflected it back towards the Kage…
The man smirked before quickly snatching the kunai from the air and pausing. The girl stood in a low stance in her battle kimono. He could see the determination in her eyes as she looked up at him.
"You've already come a long way child, but for now lets return to the mansion. I'm sure Aimi has a few things to teach you and dinner is in a few hours," Yagura said followed by seeing her smile slightly and stand up straight.
"Do you really think I've gotten better, Yagura-kun?" she asked earning a bright smile and a nod from the man.
"Your rational thinking is that of an adults, you're smarter than Aimi-chan and when it comes to your determination and ruthlessness… you could scare even me when you get older Mei-chan. And now let's go; I promised Aimi I wouldn't keep you out late again," Yagura explained which was followed by the girl smiling and jumping onto his back and hugging him tightly. He began laughing as she wrapped her legs around him. It all felt fake to the man but at the same time he knew it was something he wanted. Still, it is hard to know what you want when you've never had that certain something…
Naruto stood holding a long bamboo pipe in his hands panting for air. Across from him stood both Kushina and Haruo, each holding the same weapons in their hands.
"Control your breathing and concentrate, Naruto," Haruo said while glaring at the young child. "Your taijutsu is already very impressive for a six year old boy, and your knowledge of the shinobi arts is also impressive. You know what it takes to be a shinobi, but you need to have what it takes. Push yourself to your limit and then break that limit!"
"Stop talking old man," Naruto mumbled, earning a smirk from the aged shinobi. Kushina smirked slightly while watching her son straighten his back. He popped his neck for a moment and looked down at the bamboo in his hands. In a swift movement he raised it above his head and brought it down over his leg snapping it in two pieces. Haruo raised an eyebrow for a moment and noticed Naruto's hair fall over his eyes.
"Naruto?" Kushina said softly only to see his head fly back. He let out a shout of pain while holding his leg and jumping up and down. Haruo fell to the ground laughing as Kushina quickly ran to Naruto side.
"It's bamboo kid, what where you thinking!" Haruo exclaimed in between his laughter only to hear a chuckle at his side.
"I was thinking about making a shadow clone and trick you both…" Haruo was on his feet in a blur and managed to block the piece of bamboo in one of Naruto's hands but watched as the other came towards his ribs.
Kushina noticed this and before the attack landed she used the length of her staff and pushed her father out of harms way before spinning the weapon behind her back and bringing it down on Naruto who crossed his shorter weapons to block the blow.
"Not bad," Haruo said while standing and dusting his pants off. "You used our feelings and attitudes against us. Smart kid," he explained while watching his daughter raised her spear and smile. Naruto fell to the ground rubbing his leg and smiling at them, only to be interrupted by the roar of his stomach.
"Someone's hungry?" Kushina said smiling down at Naruto who blushed slightly before shaking his head. He still hadn't completely warmed up to them, but getting attacked by the same people for two whole months made it hard to play tough guy.
Kushina speaking of hunger caused Haruo's eye to twitch slightly before his stomach also exploded in a fit for food. "Well, we should head back then!" he said smiling as he thought about his daughter's great cooking. Naruto felt like laughing but stopped while feeling his body throb in pain. He went limp for moment only to feel Kushina catch him and pull the boy onto her back.
"I-I'm fine, I can walk," he said only to see her shake her head in refusal.
"Stop the stubborn act or I'll give the old man half your meal," she said quickly earning a grown from Naruto. He relaxed and allowed her to lift him and continue walking. He didn't want to miss his chance of a good meal.
The meal was devoured in what seemed like an instant. Haruo and Naruto let out satisfied sighs and leaned back in their chairs. Kushina smiled at them and started picking up the dishes and cleaning things up.
"If your done Naruto, go take a bath. We have another long day tomorrow, so get some rest," she said before walking from the room. Naruto said nothing while standing and patting his satisfied stomach. He was warming up to them but from day one he fell in love with her cooking…
"Kiddo," Haruo said while opening one of his eyes slightly looking over at him. "By the way… I remember you talking about a women named Kurenai."
"Yeah," Naruto said softly. His eyes dimmed and his shoulders dropped slightly. "She was hurt because of me."
"Well," Haruo said while smirking, "she's alright. She made it back to the village and I was told she's even been on a few missions."
Naruto's eyes lit up as he felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders and jumped into the air with joy for the women. But suddenly he stopped. "But she thinks I'm dead too…"
Haruo sat up slightly while looking into the boys blue eyes.
"Remember kiddo… its all the more reason for you to train your hardest. When she sees you again not only will she be happy but she'll be proud. Same goes for me and your mother," Haruo said before placing his hand on Naruto's head and ruffling his hair a bit. "Now go take a bath and get some rest. Training will get harder tomorrow and we will be starting earlier."
Naruto nodded before running from the room and down the hallway. Little did they know Kushina stood at the corner listening. Her hands gripped her shirt tightly while she bit her lip slightly. 'Jealous What's wrong with me!' she screamed at herself.
"I'm an idiot," she mumbled only before hearing her father clear his throat.
"Calm down, dear," he said softly only to see her shake her head.
"I'm jealous of Kurenai of all things but I really should be thankful instead," she said quickly. You could hear the cracking of her voice as tears threatened to break free from her eyes.
"It's not jealousy child, you're blaming yourself and until you can grow up and stop living in the past then you'll only end up pushing both your son and everyone else away!" Haruo said while raising his tone. "This is not you, Kushina!"
"You think I don't know that!" she yelled at her father before pushing him backwards. His eyes were wide in shock as he stared at her unable to say anything. "But I can't stop thinking about what I've done!"
"Then stop thinking about it," a voice came from down the hall. They both looked to see Naruto standing in his shorts only. "Kurenai-san was like my mommy… She took care of me like a mother should, but…" Naruto paused while looking to the ground and blushing a bit, "I know you're my mom and I know that… you love me so there's no need for you to keep crying, okay?… Mom."
Naruto stood looking up at the two and could see the shock in their eyes as they simply stared back at him.
Haruo held a soft smile on his face as he watched his daughter and grandson. Her eyes were wide and swollen with tears as she took several small steps towards the blond child where she then fell to her knees in front of him. Gently She kissed Naruto's forehead gently before wrapping her arms around the child tightly. His arms crawled around her neck as she began to cry softly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered again only to feel another pair of arms wrap around the both of them.
"The child already forgave you, dear… just like Minato did…" Haruo words where clear and soothing to Naruto and Kushina as they all held each other closely.
Naruto felt his body relax as he closed his eyes slightly. This was a real family, it was his real family.
(Two years later)
(Naruto age 8, almost 9)
(Mei age 9, almost 10)
Naruto's heart pounded as he stood across from his mother who was bent down holding her long halberd tightly. In his right hand was a sword twice as long as his body, a Masamune katana and in the other was a short wakizashi.
'Stay calm, Naruto,' he thought to himself while observing his surroundings. He knew the woman before him was a water clone and he needed to find the real body before he planned any further. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nostrils. The rich air filled his lungs with humidity and a sweet aroma… of… flowers.
'That's it!' Naruto said to himself while opening his eyes. He gripped the hilt of his wakizashi and slung the blade to his right. As it shot through the bushes a figure jumped into the air. Naruto looked up to see Kushina holding her spear above her head as she fell to the earth. Naruto sheathed his Masamune and made a few hand signs.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he yelled. Instantly three clones appeared at his side and charged at his mothers water clone to make sure it wouldn't interfere.
He placed his hand on the hilt of the blade on his back and smiled. He wasn't very good at the technique with the Masamune but since he slung his wakizashi into the woods it was his only choice.
"Come on!" Naruto yelled while pushing chakra into his legs. Kushina tightened her jaw while looking into Naruto's eyes. Their determination met before their blades did… and in a flash they both passed each other in the air and fell to the ground landing softly.
Naruto stood with his bangs over his eyes silently as Kushina turned to face him. The sound of metal hitting the ground filled the air as Naruto raised his hand to see his once long katana shattered and laying at his feet. Blood shot from his right arm. He let out a shout before falling to a knee and gripping the wound.
"N-Naruto!" Kushina yelled while lowering her guard and running to his aid. Haruo sat in a tree in the distance and shook his head 'Just like last time,' he said to himself.
Kushina reached Naruto's side only to see the boy turn and smile at her. Her eyes grew round as cold steel touched her neck. She cut her eyes to the right to see Naruto smiling at her. His right arm was bleeding badly but he paid it no mind.
"Gotcha again, mom," he said smugly only to see her return the smile.
"Oh, did you now?"
Naruto's eyes grew round as water began to drip from her neck and down the wakizashi and up his arm. He watched her body turn to water before it latched onto his body, creating a sphere around him. It was over.
"You shouldn't do that to me, Naruto!" Kushina yelled while stepping from the bushes. "It's not right to use your mother's emotions in a fight!" she yelled to the orb. Inside of it, Naruto held his breath as he crossed his arms and turned his head.
"Well, it's not exactly an even fight," Haruo said while walking from the bushes, "and dear, you should release the jutsu or you might actually kill him."
Kushina let out a yelp while looking over to Naruto who sat with both his legs and arms crossed in the water. She noticed his eye twitch slightly in her direction as bubbles shot from his mouth and nose. The water fell to the ground leaving a panting Naruto and a laughing Haruo.
"I'm so sorry!" Kushina yelled while patting Naruto on the back as he coughed for breath.
"Alright then," Haruo said while his laughter died down. Naruto stood slowly nursing his arm to see Haruo looking down at the shattered weapon.
"To think it lasted that long…" he said. It seemed like he was talking to himself before he looked back up at Naruto.
"Kushina, we're going into town. Bandage his arm, we'll be back by nightfall."
Naruto walked through the streets of the town as it grew darker and darker with every minute. The sun began to hide behind the horizon, lighting the ocean with its many wonderful colors which bounced off the mist surrounding the village giving everything a warm tone. The twilight hour suited Naruto's new home better then any other place he knew.
"We're here," Haruo said while stopping outside of a small hut. Black smoke was coming out from the top of it as the man knocked on the door. Almost instantly the door swung open, releasing a strong brimstone aroma into the air. Naruto felt his nose twitch and his eyes beginning to water. "A-Achoo!" He sneezed, firing spit through the doorway and onto a dark figure standing in the door.
"Bless you," the voice of an old man called out as the figure stepped from the thick cloud of smoke. His face was covered in soot except for his eyes which were covered by goggles. He looked up to Haruo and smiled at the man.
"Ah, Haruo-sama. And this young lad must be your grandson, I presume… I take it you're here for your order then?" the man asked and Haruo nodded.
In a blink of an eye the man vanished and reappeared with an extremely long box wrapped in a black cloth.
"I must say it was a challenge to make, and it even gave me more ideas for weapons. I thank you old friend for allowing me to make it, my son and I had a blast making it," the older blacksmith said.
Haruo handed the man a bag filled with what Naruto though must have been money and the blacksmith returned to his work.
"Go on… Open it," Haruo said smiling. Naruto wasted no time and gently unwrapped the black silk cloth from around the hard wooden case. He opened the case to see a beautiful long black staff with sliver vine designs flowing around it. There was no blade attached to it, no nothing.
"Pull it out. I designed it myself," Haruo said smiling. Naruto placed his hands under it and pulled it from the box. Naruto estimated it to be easily over seven or eight feet tall, making it a few feet (Naruto's almost five foot… it's how tall I was at that age) taller than him. He was expecting it to be heavy but to his surprise it weighed no more then his old Masamune. As Naruto ran his hand down it, he felt three creases near one end of the staff. He grabbed one of them tightly, pulled and watched as the beautiful black metallic material slid off revealing a straight blade the length of his wakizashi.
"T-This is amazing" Naruto mumbled while admiring the weapon. But that wasn't all to be seen.
"You feel this crease here?" Haruo asked while placing his finger on it. Naruto nodded. "Grab the opposite sides of it and twist."
Naruto nodded and did as he was instructed. He gently motioned his hands and twisted slowly. A clicking sound was heard. Haruo then grabbed the opposite side of the remaining staff and pulled to reveal yet another blade. It matched his old Masamune in length but was much lighter and instead of it being curved it was straight like the wakizashi. "You can place the hilt of the wakizashi into the sheath and snap it into place making it...'
"...A halberd," Naruto finished in amazement. "Four weapons in one," Naruto said in almost a whisper. Haruo had taken all Naruto's strengths and put them into one weapon.
"Your skills couldn't be placed in one single weapon, so I came up with this. Naruto I have never heard of anyone who can wield such a thing except for one man…" Haruo paused, "but if you can figure out how to flow with something like this… you'll be unstoppable, not only because you'll have an advantage but because like all the Uzumaki weapons," Haruo paused while placing a hand on the hilt of Naruto's long blade, "we can manipulate any chakra we posses into them."
Naruto watched the blade erupt in what looked like blue fire. The silver vine like design on the hilt was letting off a slight glow.
"With your talent and kind heart you will place your mark on the world, just like your father."
Naruto nodded while smiling. He was trying his best to hold his urge of excitement and didn't want to start screaming with joy and tackle the old man, and to Haruo's luck managed to contain the feelings.
"Now let's-" Before Haruo could finish a loud bell was heard throughout the village. Haruo stood quickly and turned to the east to see a bright light flare from the tower overlooking the village. His expression went cold and his skin grew pale…
"They've found us, why now?! Damn it!" he exclaimed in frustration. The door of the hut swung open to show the old blacksmith in an old looking armor followed by what must have been his son. He had orange hair and was very tall. On his back were three spears. Naruto guessed one of them was for the elder blacksmith and the other two were for himself.
"We're ready!" the old man yelled as his son grunted and nodded before looking down at Naruto and smirking.
"Like your weapon, young one?" he asked. Naruto let his usual smile shine while nodding and putting it back together quickly.
"Let's go! Kushina will beat us there!" Haruo yelled while leaping through the air. The large man picked Naruto up and placed him on his shoulder. "Hold on tightly, young one"
Kushina dashed towards the east side of the village where she could hear screaming. In her hand was her long halberd which she gripped tightly. Anger flashed in her eyes as she moved like a blur. Someone found them but how?
She launched herself over a large building and came to a sliding stop. She saw a line of her village's men standing prepared to fight. Women and children ran into the opposite direction. They were screaming in fear of the large group of Kiri shinobi slowly appearing through the tree line in front of them. At the front was a man with a black eye patch over his right eye, to his left and right were men with katanas strapped to their hips. In contrast to the other shinobi, they looked dangerous. But the numbers of the former were great.
"State your purpose!" Kushina yelled. Her men stood directly behind her.
The man held his hand up while closing his eye. "We have been ordered by the Mizukage to scan in search for materials. We had a merchant tell us about a few people who trade silks and valuable metals on the market every few months. Those people wouldn't happen to be you, would they?"
"How did you get to this place?" Kushina asked. "We are protected by many different obstacles and yet here you and your men are."
"We lost a few ships but if you've seen a defense like this before then it's not much of a problem to get through," the man said calmly. "And I've seen a lot in my time on earth. Now, if you would just be so nice and give us any spare materials you have we will gladly leave you all in peace. I would rather not have any blood spilled."
"Our people work hard for these materials. Unless you have something in return then we cannot do that. If we give them to you, then we will have nothing to trade with on the markets," Kushina said calmly while pushing chakra into her weapon along with the men at her back. Their weapons all lit with chakra causing the man to raise an eyebrow. There were multiple colors of chakra coming from their weapons.
'She's pushing water chakra and her chakra into her weapon… The rest of the men are just pushing their elemental chakra into them…' he thought to himself. Slowly he watched her men pair up and get into some sort of order. 'They're getting into a combo to get the best result from their abilities… Why are these people so familiar?'
"It's a shame it has to come to this then," he said while pulling his katana along with the men at his sides. "If I go back to the village again without anything then Yagura-sama won't be pleased. Now… Let's begin"
In a flash Kushina and her men vanished along with the mist swordsman and his shinobi. The metallic singing of blades filled the air along with the screams of men.
Kushina cut down two men in a split second and began to twirl her weapon from side to side before raising it above her head and bringing the dull side of her blade down on a man's collar bone, shattering it. She looked to her right to see her men where out numbered three to one but were holding their own.
"Damn it!" she growled before kicking the screaming man in front of her out of the way. She charged forwards only to come to a complete stop. Around her were four men, each holding a katana in their hands. Behind them was the Leader who simply stared at them all.
The men charged at Kushina who cursed herself for rushing into a trap. There was no way she could block them all.
"ENOUGH!" a voice yelled from above them. A small figure came crashing down with a long black staff knocking a man to the ground. The boy's hand slid down the weapon and Kushina watched as his thumb pushed a part of the weapon up revealing the shine of a blade before he swung it with all his might in her direction. The black metal sheath flew past her head and pegged another man directly between his eyes causing them to white out.
Her eyes locked with his and she felt her body go numb. Minato's image appeared before her for a short moment. 'H-he's exactly… like him,' she thought before hearing a man shout from behind her, snapping her from her daze. Quickly she turned and with a hard thrust of her halberd she hit the man in the ribs with the dull side of her blade. His feet lifted from the ground and she pushed through with her attack and launched him through the air into a tree.
"Kushina-san!" a booming voice yelled. Kushina looked up and saw a large figure come crashing down behind Naruto. In his hands where two long halberds. He quickly knocked three men from behind Naruto and stood in a defense position.
"Azura!" Kushina laughed for her friend as he nodded.
"Stay close kid, show these fools what you're made of," Azura said, earning a smirk from Naruto as he nodded. "You got it!"
The Kiri leader's eye was locked on the blond child as he danced through grown mean with his long spear making sure to hit each man with the dull side of his blade. He was amazed at the sight. The boy was no older then eight or nine and held his own against grown men. Even though the Mizukage didn't give him any shinobi above low chuunin level, they should be more then enough to handle a child and a woman. But their team work was proving to best his men. Not to mention the giant was putting up one hell of a fight.
In a flash Aoi watched as four of his men flew from his left and landed on two men running up behind Naruto and Kushina.
"That's enough," another voice called as an elderly man appeared before the swordsman. "Why has Aoi of the Seven Swordsmen come to my island?" Haruo asked. Blue and white flames began to erupt from his spear.
Aoi watched as this old man launched himself through the air towards some of the shinobi. He saw that the wounds they received were more like burns and let out a sigh. "Apparently I've come for the wrong reasons… May I ask your name, old man? And how do you know mine?" Aoi asked, standing tall.
"My name is Haruo Uzumaki and these are my people. And since I was once an ally of you and your swordsmen's organization it would be foolish of me not to keep tabs on you all," Haruo explained; earning a shocked look from Aoi who continued to look into the mans eyes.
"I've never seen such a talented youngster… and I've seen a lot in my day," Aoi explained while looking at Naruto who stood next to his mother in a ready position. "Instead of you giving us materials may I ask that you send the child with me to the village to see my Mizukage? He would hate to see such talents wasted on my blade and I don't think any of us wants anymore bloodshed. What do you say, Haruo Uzumaki?"
"Absolutely not!" Kushina yelled while stepping in front of Naruto. Her weapon let off a bright shine as her chakra spiked through the weapon. "He's not leaving my side!"
"I'm afraid she's right. I will not be handing my grandson over to you. But to avoid any unwanted bloodshed we three will come with you… Azura, I leave you and your father in charge until we return."
Haruo looked back to Naruto and Kushina who stood with the weapons in a ready position and then to the small amount of men at their back. He knew each and every one of them along with their families… And he wasn't about to let them die. They were out numbered and if none of these men returned to the village then an army would follow. He had no other choice.
"That's even better. I'm sure the Mizukage would be pleased to speak with you as their leader."
"But," Haruo interrupted the man while looking into his eyes, "if the Mizukage asks you about the location of this place… You will say you forgot," Haruo said while raising his spear before he vanished and appeared right behind Aoi, the blade of his weapon pressed against the latter's neck. The swordsman didn't even flinch, nor did the two at his side.
"This village remains hidden, that is my only demand are we clear?"
"Crystal…"
TBC
I HAVE A GREAT BETA!!!!
