To tell you the truth, once I get an idea in my head it's hard to lety it go, so I'm going to go as far as I can with this one, and it looks like a defintie keeper.
Also: Pyro-chan? thank's for the review, I really appreciate it.
Anyway, on with the show!
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Juushinshu reformed, initiation to the leaf!
Kurei opened his eyes to find himself gazing up at the sky, blinking at how clear and fresh the air tasted, as he took in breath after grateful breath..
"Kurei." A gentle voice called out, "Are you awake?"
Kurei sat up, wincing at the pain that wracked his body, before turning to gaze at the woman beside him.
"Hahaue!"
Mori Tsukino smiled and embraced her son gently, wary of his wounds, whilst stroking the twenty-year olds ebony locks as if he were the same yfour year old boy she'd picked up off the street.
"I'm alright Kurei," she assured him, as the man held her tightly, "I'm alright…"
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Raiha smiled at the tender scene as the assembled members of Uruha watched from the shadows of the trees, allowing the mother and son their privacy, but staying close enough that if there were any problems, they were within reach should Kurei still prove to be exhausted.
Neon looked at the night sky and frowned, not recognising their position.
"Where do you think we are Raiha?" he asked, causing the handsome shinobi to shrug.
"Where we are supposed to be, at Kurei-sama's side."
"Ever the romanticist, eh, Raiha?" Genjuro mocked, sitting down stiffly, wincing from the landing he'd made, "My old bones weren't meant for that kind of abuse." He muttered, patting his back tenderly.
"Forget your old bones, " Tsukishiro mocked, "my beautiful face will NEVER feel the same after such harsh treatment!"
"My God, could you BE any more queer?" Kashamaru groaned, holding his face in his hands.
Gashakura looked at his teammates and growled, instantly silencing the quarrel before it began, much to the relief of the other members.
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Kurei held his mother in his arms and looked at the sky.
'The air is fresher here…' he noted, gazing at his mother, before staring at the sky, resolve setting in his eyes. 'I'll start over…without Kouran to interfere…' he hugged her closer, 'I'll protect you no matter what…Kaa-san.'
Standing up Kurei composed himself before barking out an order.
"Uruha, assemble!"
They blurred into vision around him, beaten and worse for wear, but alive.
Vain Tsukishiro, with his Kaigetsu and Oboro. Kashamaru with his Nisei-bi, and skills as a shinobi. Aged Genjuro, with his shinrei shujutsu and mastery of illusions. Beautiful Neon, bereft of her Fukyo-Waon, yet loyal as they come. Aki, with her Kotodama, and mastery of illusions. Miki, with the speed enhancing Idaten, and the sound reflecting Yamabiko. The massive Gashakura and his Magagumo, towering over them all. The enigmatic joker, who seemed the calmest of the group, as if knowing something they didn't, which he probably did, leaning on his Gravity controlling Taishaku Kaiten. Loyal Raiha, and his murderous Raijin, determined to follow him till the end.
Nine members of his Uruha, ten if what he sensed was true.
"Nagai Mokuren," the flame wielder muttered, "if you don't come out of the trees this instant I will set you ablaze."
The psychotic plant manipulator shuffled out, covered in wounds that hadn't healed from his fight with Mikagami Tokiya, his left arm missing.
"Heh, guess the gig is up…" he eyed the motley crew, "How's it going?"
Genjuro sighed, shaking his head in exhaustion.
"Mokuren, I forgot about you…" he bowed to Kurei, "I'm happy to say he's regained most of his wits…though he's still as insane as ever…fusing the madogu was a mistake I shan't be repeating."
"Fuck you old man." Mokuren spat, limping over to stand beside Aki, leering at her. The girl shivered and stepped closer to Neon, who glared at him.
"Enough, Mokuren." Kurei muttered, and the man backed down. Insane or not, the plant man knew better than to annoy the flame wielder.
"My Uruha," Kurei muttered, "we are at a crossroads of sorts…"
He gestured to Tsukino, a frown on uis face.
"My only concern now is the safety of my mother, as such, revenge on Mori Kouran is probably out of the question." He looked over them, nodding slightly.
"Do as you please, I will not take your madogu from you."
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As Kurei turned to leave a hand stopped him, causing him to look round in confusion at the smiling face of Raiha.
"I have served a your shinobi for so long, it would be strange to stop now."
Neon stepped forwards, a look of determination on her beautiful face.
"We are your Uruha, use us as you wish." She added, her sisters nodding beside her.
Genjuro snorted, cracking his neck joints with a wince.
"These old bones are too set in their way to go the straight and narrow," he eyed Kurei with a twinkle in his eye, "besides, I still have work to do."
Mokuren grinned sadistically, leering at the enjutsu-shi in a manner reminiscent of a piranha.
"Things are always more fun around you."
Kashamaru pulled off a salute, grinning at his leader respectfully.
"This Hokage ninja's ready and waiting!"
Tsukishiro preened, posing slightly with his kaigetsu and a rose.
"A face as beautiful as mine should only be in the service of a fitting master." he cooed, causing Kashamaru to snort.
"Yeah-yeah, princess is in too."
As Tsukishiro rounded on his diminutive teammate, Gashakura separated them, loking down at Kurei with a cryptic glance.
"Onii-san and I were trying to get into Uruha from the start," he muttered, "he may be gone, but I'm not going to pass up the chance now."
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Kurei blinked at their words, shocked at their loyalty after all that had happened, before his face set itno it's usual mask as he nodded.
"Suit yourselves," he conceded, turning on his heel, hiding the smile on his face from view as he picked his mother up in his arms, as they lined up behind him.
"Uruha Juushinshu…MOVE OUT!"
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Recca blinked, twice, before patting the side of his head.
"I must be more messed up than I thought," he muttered, "I coulda sworn you said you were a Hokage."
Sarutobi blinked, at the teens words, confused.
"I did." He stated, causing Recca's eyes to bulge.
"WHAAAT?! B-but…I thought the Hokage ninja died out centuries ago!"
Sarutobi sweatdropped, watching as the injured teen let off bizzare monkety like expressions.
"Hanabishi-san, do calm down."
Recca paused, a look of suspicion on his face as he preapred to summon a karyuu.
"Wait," he muttered, "where'd you learn my name?"
At moment a familiar face entered the room, dressed in a black dress.
"Recca! You're awake!"
Kagehoshi dashed forward and wrapped her arms around her son, wincing at the slight creaking noise that emanated from his protesting spine.
"M-mom!" he yelped, squirming to escaper the immortal woman's clutches, "You're embarassin' me!"
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Sarutobi chuckled, as the woman finally released her child, though she contiunued to fret at his condition.
"Your mother told me everything that happened," he explained, "I must admit I'm intrigued by some of the things she has said."
He tipped the corner of his hat, bwing his head slightly.
"You have my word that not a whisper shall leave this room."
Kagero smiled at the venerable elder and bowed, lifting Ganko off Recca and setting her on her lap.
Recca frowned for a moment before his eyes widened, as he remembered his earlier distress.
"What about the others!?" he yelled, causing Sarutobi to nod.
"As I said, they are fine," he assured the teen, "they are being cared for by my medical staff." He smiled warmly as the teen let out a sigh of relief, "You were indeed fortunate."
Suddenly the elder frowned, looking over the trio seriously.
"However, it does place you in an odd dilemma."
Puffing away at his pipe for a moment the Hokage looked Recca in the eyes and nodded.
"Young man, would you be willing to become a shinobi of the village?"
Recca raised an eyebrow, a deadpan expression on his face.
"Say what?"
"You see," Sarutobi explained, "Konohagakure, as the name suggests, is a hidden ninja village, as such the majority of the population here work as ninjas."
Recca's eyes bulged, and wouldn't yours? He'd just gone from the kid with a ninja obsession to the kid in the middle of a ninja village.
"Of course we'll have to put you through the academy for a year until you get the hang of things," Sarutobi muttered, waving a hand dismissively, "but I'm sure you and your friends will do splendidly."
Recca eyed his mother, ever the voice of reason in his recently fucked-up world,
"What d'ya think mom?" he asked, causing Kagero to smile.
"Until we find a way home, why not?" she replied.
"SWEET!" Recca yelled leaping up to bounce around the room, wounds forgotten, " I'm gonna be a real Ninja!"
Sarutobi smiled and stood up, nodding towards the door.
"Your friends should be waking up about now," he mentioned, "what say we check on them?"
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Ishijima Domon was not a happy man.
One minute his life was flashing before his eyes, from the minute he dropped out of his beloved mama to the fiery explosion that was the murder dome, followed by an eerie darkness that made him feel sleepy, and the next thing he knew they were all hurtling towards the ground at a terminal velocity. If it weren't for the giant leveling the ground with Kuchibashi-o there was no doubt they'd have become one with the landscape in a very intimate, most definitely painful way.
However, the force of the blow had knocked him out, and when he woke up, it was to find himself in a hospital room.
"Where am I?" he asked out loud, noticing that he was wearing a hospital gown, and that his belongings lay on a chair to the side. He eyed his precious tiger pattern shorts and winced; they were so badly torn he dare not wear them for decency's sake.
At that moment the door slammed open and Hanabishi Recca barged in, similarly dressed, much to the dismay of his embarrassed mother.
"Domon!" the smaller teen yelled as he leaped forwards, "I thought you were dead Franken-dick!"
"Screw you Hanabishi!" the giant roared, the two getting into their usual greeting/fight.
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Sarutobi chuckled, as he watched the destruction continue, reminding him of his days with the Sannin.
"Such energetic young men." He commented, standing next to Kagero, who was smiling weakly in embarrassment, Ganko held in her arms.
At that minute, someone kicked the door open and two chairs were flung at the boys, who yelped.
"Shut the hell up!" Fuko yelled, "You're disturbing the patients!"
Recca made an impromptu comment about her own loud voice and the trio was involved in a free for all.
Mikagami groaned and covered his face, leaning against the doorway, "Baka Saru Tachi."
Koganei skipped around the outskirts of the fight, taunting all three before Domon put him in a headlock.
Yanagi, who had just entered, was fluttering around at the edge as well, attempting to calm the trio down, only to be ignored completely.
At that minute, a massive figure loomed over the dust cloud, causing the combatants to stop and look up, blinking in surprise at the sight.
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What appeared to be a Sasquatch in drag glared down to them, the mascara and lipstick hinting it was female, though this did little to comfort them.
"No Fighting in the hospital." It murmured in a deep baritone, beady eyes looking over the group predatorily.
The troublemakers slowly nodded and moved away, trying not to agitate the mass of muscle.
"Thank you, Usagi-chan." Sarutobi said delicately, patting the creature's elbow cautiously, "I'll take it from here."
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Recca and company sat in a semi-circle around the Hokage, who was behind his desk.
"Your compatriots, Kukai and his students, have already accepted positions amongst the shinobi populace." He smiled, "I started them off at the chunin level to be safe, but I dare say Kukai could reach jounin within a week, especially if I recommend him to ANBU."
He sighed, looking mildly dissapointed.
"But he declined for the moment, said he wanted time to adjust."
The elder pulled out some documents as he spoke, looking over the group carefully.
"Due to his heart condition, I recommended Saicho start off at the genin level until we found a way to cure him, he seemed ready to accept."
Placing a sheet of paper before the group he smiled yet again, in a manner reminiscent of a doting grandfather.
"These are application forms for the academy," he explained, pushing them across the table, "you'll be joining for one year and hopefully you'll graduate with this year's group."
He smiled down at Koganei, a twinkle in his eyes.
"You I'm afraid, will have to start at the beginning; age requirements you know?"
Koganei grumbled and looked away, while Ganko shivered at the thought of going to school again.
Recca, a shit-eating grin on his face, grabbed a pen and scrawled his name down faster than you could say Hokage.
"This is gonna rock, isn't it Hime?!" he asked, causing Yanagi to flush and look away.
"Hai!"
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Umino Iruka sighed as he overlooked the files in front of him. Apparently the Hokage had seen fit to transfer five new students into his class, who for all purposes hadn't set foot in the academy at all!
'And here I was hoping for a miracle,' the chunin muttered, 'bad enough I have to baby-sit Naruto but…'
He paused, looking around to spot his favorite blonde hell-raiser, before sighing exasperatedly.
"God Dammit…"
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"Kaa-san…" Recca muttered, blinking in surprise at what lay before him, "isn't that…"
Kagero nodded, "It certainly is," she muttered just as bewildered as her son, before looking over at the Hokage, who chuckled.
"This house appeared in Konoha about the same time you did," Sarutobi explained with a chuckle, "I think it must have followed you here."
Recca stared in shock at the Hokage safe house, which if he recalled correctly, had been built in the side of a cliff last he'd seen it; Yet here it sat, in all its rustic glory, even the gardens were intact.
At the moment, several Shinobi were dashing around tidying it up at a breath taking pace.
"The repairs should be finished by tonight." Sarutobi explained, "In the meantime, might I suggest you do some shopping?"
He pointed at their tattered clothes, eyeing Domon's open-backed hospital gown with amusement, holding up a coin pouch.
"This should cover new clothes at least."
Fuko's eyes lit up and she grabbed her friends' arms and dashed off, Recca and Domon flailing behind her like a pair of rag dolls.
Sarutobi blinked and gave the pouch to Kagero, Fuko having forgot all about it I her mad dash to get to the shops.
"I would speak to you afterwards?" he whispered, eyeing the woman cautiously, to which
Kagero nodded, before walking in the direction of her son's cries, the rest of team Hokage at her heels.
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Fuko dragged the boy's to various clothes stores until she grew exasperated, dropping the protesting teens in the street and grabbing her hair in exasperation.
"What the hell? Where's the Gap?!" she cursed, not recognizing any of the stores. Kagero chuckled at the girl's plight, shaking her head slightly.
"This IS a ninja village," she pointed out coaxingly, "it stands to reason most of the clothes stores are shinobi based."
Grumbling the girl crossed her arms and pouted, whilst a grateful Recca and Domon promptly attempted to pop their arms back into place.
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After a brief shopping spree, the trio finally obtained the proper shinobi garb.
Recca was donning a full shinobi outfit similar to the one he wore during the mission to Kurei's mansion, except this time he was sporting the Konoha standard black sandals, and had bandages over the bottoms of his pants.
Fuko had gotten over her initial disappointment and had purchased a pair of brown shinobi leggings and a chain-mail shirt, under which she wore a black tank top. (Think Ayame from Tenchu).
Domon had been the hardest to fit, but was now sporting a brown Shinobi outfit similar to Recca's, only with arm bracers and shin guards. (Rikimaru from wrath of heaven.)
Tokiya had opted for a simple blue Hakama and a white kimono top. Recca had commented how he looked more like a samurai than a ninja, but the swordsman simply ignored the flame wielder.
Yanagi was sporting a short-skirted kimono of a blue color, over black leggings; she also wore Chinese style shoes, rather than the traditional shinobi boots.
Koganei had managed to find himself a red shirt with the kanji for 'game' on the back and was content to wear it with a pair of shorts.
Ganko made do with similar attire, though hers was green and had 'puppet'.
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Recca smirked up at Domon, grinning at how well the giant seemd to take to the shinobi look.
"Whadd'ya think big guy? I think it suits ya!"
Domon nodded, posing in front of the mirror, before frowning awkwardly at the back of his outfit.
"Hey," he muttered, "how come Koganei gets a symbol and we don't?"he asked, causing Kagero to chuckled at the teen's pout.
"The children of this village tend to prefer more colorful themes;" she explained, "you can customize them as you see fit once we get home."
Domon shrugged, accepting the answer, whilst Mikagami coughed to gain their attention.
"It's late," he commented delicately, pointing up at the reddening sky, "we should head back..."
At that moment a monstrous growl knocked the swordsman off his feet. Domon flushed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Sorry, haven't eaten since," he blinked in confusion, "well, the night before the fight with Kurei."
Recca's face grew solemn at the mention of his brother, before snapping back to cheerful as he patted Domon on the back.
"Domon's stomach's right;" he called out, "its chow time!"
Mikagami twitched at the sheer absurdity of it all.
'Animals!" he hissed, glaring at his teammates, "They're all animals!'
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Ichiraku Teuchi of Ichiraku ramen smiled as the trio before him inhaled their bowls of Ramen, while their colleagues looked on in shock.
"This is sooooo gooooood!" Fuko moaned as she lowered her bowl, feeling an enjoyable shiver go up her spine, "Food this good should be a sin…"
Domon grunted in agreement, as he put away his tenth bowl, currently leading the pack by two, with Recca catching up. Mikagami snorted and slurped his noodles up, trying not to wince at the sounds his two teammates were making.
Yanagi giggled and leaned over, napkin in hand.
"Ano, Recca-kun?"
As he paused, she wiped his cheek and smiled cutely, holding up the napkin.
"There was some broth on your face."
Recca flushed scarlet as Mikagami fumed silently, Domon and Fuko grinning evilly at his embarrassment.
At that minute, a man with a scar across his nose and a blonde in an orange jumpsuit entered.
"Ossan! One bowl of Miso ramen!" the blonde yelled, pulling up a stool and grinning.
"Ah Naruto! Good to see you!" Ayame called out, the chef's daughter beaming at the village troublemaker fondly.
"Is that my favorite customer?" Ichiraku called out rhetorically, before smiling at the blonde, "Saw what you did to the monument," he grinned, "those old faces never looked better!"
Iruka coughed, a slight grin on his face, as he spoke up.
"Ichiraku-san, you really shouldn't say things like that, you'll only encourage him."
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The blonde snickered, a very fox-like grin on his face, as Recca looked at him and smirked.
"You're the one that did all the graffiti we saw earlier?" he asked with a smirk, "Nice."
He frowned in thought, holding his chin gently.
"Though it lacked a little…I dunno…spark."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the teen as he continued, smirking evilly.
"You coulda at least wrote a few rude words up there."
"Recca!" Kagero chastised, slapping the back of his head lightly, the teen grinned and smiled apologetically as Naruto cackled.
"BRILLIANT! I'll do that next time!"
"YOU MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!" Iruka yelled, his eyes bulging out of his sockets, pupil-less.
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The travelers returned to the renovated safe house where they each set about choosing their own rooms.
Recca and Domon were bunking together to give Kagero her own room, as were Fuko and Yanagi; Mikagami had closed himself in a room and didn't show up for the rest of the evening; Kaoru had wanted to bunk with Yanagi but a brief fight with Recca ended with him being dragged off to his room, followed by a laughing Ganko and smiling Reiran.
After sorting out their things, the group got into their nightly routine.
Recca and Domon got into a fistfight over who got top bunk, which Recca won after a deciding round of janken. Fuko and Yanagi sat up swapping stories, laughing at jokes, which caused the assorted males to sneeze in confusion. Kagero gazed at the moon through the paper door in her room and sighed, remembering how she would sit next to Ouka-sama like this for hours. Mikagami meditated in his room, trying to clear his mind before turning in. Kaoru was still unconscious after the beating Recca gave him, so he didn't have much to say. Reiran tucked him into bed beside a tired Ganko, smiling as the girl cuddled up to the boy and went to sleep.
Meanwhile…
Across town, in a run down apartment, Uzumaki Naruto ripped the umpteenth poster off his door telling him to die and tossed it to the side, along with the others. Sliding into his bed after getting changed, the blonde tried not to shiver at the chill.
'Landlord turned the heating off again.' he muttered, curled up tightly under the thin cover as wind whistled through the cracks around the window.
'Bastard.'
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Breakfast at the safe house was an interesting affair.
Recca and Domon were literally butting heads over the last sardine, which Mikagami swiped and munched on when they weren't looking. Fuko was egging the two on while Yanagi was trying to stop them. Kaoru was nursing a bump on the noggin and Ganko was cheerfully eating away, while Reiran and Kagero worked in the kitchen.
"Ano, mina-san, aren't you going to be late?" the immortal kunoichi called out, causing the assorted group to stare at the clock.
Reiran chuckled as the dust cloud died down, Recca's faint cries of farewell dying as well. Kagero smiled and bowed to the puppet.
"Could you watch the house?" she asked, "I must speak to Sarutobi-san today…"
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Iruka sighed as he walked into the classroom, shaking his head in exasperation.
'Six late entries, getting into the final year," he muttered, "they're either very good or Hokage-sama's age is catching up to him.'
Looking up at the sound of the door opening he noticed a young man with a bang covering his eye in the hallway.
"Where are the others?" the chunin asked as the boy bowed in greeting
"Ano, I don't know," he muttered in reply, "they appear to be late."
'Well at least HE's polite,' Iruka thought with a smile, 'if the others are anything like this I shouldn't have a problem.'
"Come on in and introduce yourself then." He said, smiling warmly. The boy nodded and bowed to the class, smiling at them as he did so.
"My name is Ku Saicho, Hajime-mashta."
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Several girls developed hearts in their eyes, some guys as well due to Saicho's rather effeminate features. Inuzuka Kiba, for example, had to suppress a glowing flush, whilst chanting a mantra in his head.
'He's a guy…he's a guy…'
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Iruka nodded, running an eye over the class to make sure he had their attention.
"Saicho-kun will be joining us for the remainder of the year, along with some others who have yet to arrive ye-what the?"
The chunin had noticed that the chalk was rattling on the stand, and that his coffee mug was shaking towards the edge of the table, as if caught in an earthquake.
At that moment, the door to his classroom slammed open and a four people tumbled through, landing in a messy pile at the entrance.
"ARGH! Domon you fat-ass! Get the hell off me!"
"Who you callin' fat Hanabishi!? This is pure muscle!"
"Daijoubu-des, Yanagi-san?"
"H-hai Mikagami-sempai."
"Domon! Recca! Knock it off!"
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A vein began to bulge in Iruka's head as he covered his face in his hands, shaking it in miserty as he tried tio recall if any dieties owed him any favors and came up short.
'Why me?' he whimpered, looking towards the heavens, 'Dear sweet Kami-sama why me?!'
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Well there it is, the second chapoter of Hokage no Isan!
If you're wondering why I had them change clothes, it's because it suits them better than the normal clothes they wear, and are less prone to getting destroyed, just look at all the crap Naruto's oragne jumpsuit's taken over the years!
As for Kaoru, well, he had to be put back because Sarutobi thought he'd benefit more, but the others were most definitely too old to start from the begining.
Anyway, send the reviews to the usual place!