Naruto Chronicles: Avian Shinobi
Chapter 4
Speaking: normal
Thoughts, flashbacks, com-link, and notes: italicized
Jutsus, summons, demons: bold
Summons's and demon's thoughts, and mind link…: bold italicized
(): author speaking
…: Time change
~: Scene change
Summary: Slash-fic. After stealing the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage's office, Naruto finds a summoning contract left to him by his father's mother. Konoha will soon be taken by storm as the Avian Shinobi carves his name into the records of time.
Grey Orochimaru, evil-ish Danzo, and heavy bashing of Sasuke and the civilian council will be on the horizon. Minor bashing of Sakura in this chapter.
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is a fan-made story made simply for the sake of enjoyment.
Also, I don't own any references to Harry Potter seen in this chapter.
While everyone at Tazuna's house was currently eating breakfast, a young boy walked downstairs and joined the others at the table. There was a bit of an awkward silence before the boy finally said, "You're all wasting your time. Gato's going to kill you for trying to stand against him."
"Inari," Tsunami instantly reprimanded, "that's not a nice thing to say to the people who saved your grandpa."
Inari shook his head with a frown. "It doesn't matter if they saved him this time. Gato always kills anyone who gets in his way."
With nothing else to say, the child removed himself from the table and ran out of the house. Naruto simply drank from his water before saying, "So, who did Gato-teme kill to make him like this?"
Tazuna sighed before pointing to a picture of a man holding Inari on his shoulders. "His name was Kaiza. He was my daughter's fiancé and the closest thing Inari had to a father. The man openly defied Gato's regime and was publicly executed for it. Since that day, Inari hasn't had anything to put faith in."
Anko looked at Naruto and knew what he was feeling. "Naruto, you now have a new mission. Before we leave this country, you are to kill Gato in any manner you see fit as long as you bring proof of his death. Now, your team will go to the bridge to protect Tazuna-san while he works today."
Naruto nodded and turned to Tazuna. "Takami and Kurama will be your protection, Tazuna-san. It would only be overkill if I come along and I trust those two without a fault to protect you. If anything happens, Kurama has a way of instantly summoning me to the area."
He then turned to Kurama and said, "You know what to do if things get bad, Kurama. I should be back within a total of eight hours."
As soon as Tazuna and the other two members of Team Anko left the house, Anko turned to Naruto and smiled. "So, where exactly are we going today, gaki? I'm in the mood for a decent adventure."
Naruto pulled out a map of Nami no Kuni and pointed to an island due west of their current position. "If that's the case, you've just hit the jackpot. There's an island about two hundred miles due west of our current location. That island just so happens to be surrounded by a ring of eddies."
Kakashi's eyes widened at what he was hearing. "Naruto, do you really believe that you've found it? After all, it was rumored to have vanished into the sea completely."
Naruto placed a hand on Anko's shoulder and rolled up the map. "That island is the one place in the world that can't be hidden from me. We'll be back by sundown at the latest."
Once Naruto and Anko were gone via shunshin, Kakashi grabbed his crutch and said, "While they're all spread out, we're going to do some training for Zabuza's arrival."
Kakashi led his team to a group of trees before saying, "Today, you will all be learning about tree climbing."
Sasuke scoffed as he silently questioned his sensei's status as a Jonin. "We already know how to climb trees. This exercise seems pointless to me."
Kakashi smiled under his mask before moving to the closest tree. "You know how to climb trees, but can you climb them without using your hands?"
To further prove his point, Kakashi stuck his foot to the side of the tree before walking up to one of the branches. He then tossed three kunais down to his students before pulling out his book. "Use those to mark your progress. If you use too much chakra, you'll be blown off the tree. You won't stick if you don't use enough."
While Sasuke and Sakura both ran at the tree, Sai simply gave Kakashi his kunai back. "Sensei, I feel as though I should inform you that I have mastered both this and the water walking techniques."
Kakashi nodded before saying, "If that's true, I want you to go and help Team Anko guard Tazuna-san. Even without Naruto-kun and Anko-sensei there, I'm sure they can teach you a few things."
Just as Sai left the field, Sasuke landed on the ground in a crouching position. "Why do we have to learn this exercise while Sai gets to watch the bridge? Better yet, why aren't the dobe and his team learning this?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes before turning a page in his book. "First off, you're only a gennin and not in the position to question a superior officer. Second, Sai was apparently taught this technique prior to joining Team 7. Third, Anko-sensei teaches her team the way she wants to teach them. It is not for you to dictate her training schedule."
From her position in the tree, Sakura was quick to say, "By the way, where did Naruto-baka and Anko-sensei leave to and why were they being so secretive about it?"
Again, Kakashi was forced to roll his eyes. "Sakura, Team 13 does not fall under my jurisdiction and are not required to inform me of everything they intend to do. However, I will say that their little excursion is very important to the man Naruto-kun will one day become."
Meanwhile~
Naruto and Anko had just arrived at a rundown and abandoned port that had a clear view of their destination. Anko looked out at the violent whirlpools before smirking. "Were you planning to swim across? I hope not because those things would kill you before you even touched them."
In response, Naruto bit his thumb before making a chain of handsigns. "As an Uzumaki, the whirlpools would grant me safe passage. However, I have a less strenuous idea in mind. Ninpō: Kuchiyōse no jutsu!"
In a burst of smoke, a four-tailed grey fox the size of a horse appeared and bowed its head to Naruto. "Naruto-sama, how may I be of assistance to you," the fox asked in a smooth and clearly female voice.
Naruto pointed to the island and said, "Kitana, I need you to fly Anko-nee over to that island without hitting the whirlpools."
The fox nodded and turned to Anko before crouching down. "It shall be an honor to escort your companion, milord. Also, I wish to inform you that some of the younger kits are sad that you do not summon them as often as you do us elder foxes."
"Tell the kits that they won't have to worry about that for much longer," Naruto said with a soft smile. "I've had little time to rest and I do so miss their company."
He then helped Anko onto Kitana's back and gave a firm nod to the fox. With a single leap, Kitana had jump clear into the sky and began sailing in the direction of the island. Once they were out of sight, Naruto walked to the edge of the docks where he saw a faded whirlpool insignia drawn on the last plank. He then cut a thin line into his palm and placed a bloody hand over the insignia.
After waiting for about ten seconds, he was rewarded with the sight of a bridge rising from the depths of the water and stretching out to the island. With a knowing smile, Naruto raced down the bridge to meet with his sensei.
Island…
Kitana and Anko landed in what looked to be the town center of the ruins before Kitana vanished. Anko was seconds away from wandering off when Naruto ran up to her. "Anko nee-chan, welcome to Uzushiogakure no Sato. We now stand at the heart of what was home to the Uzumaki Clan."
Anko gently placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It's a lot to take in all at once, gaki. This is the place where a single clan almost decimated the entire forces of three major countries. Be proud of your heritage, Naruto-kun."
Naruto allowed a few tears to fall before pointing to the tallest building in the city. "If I'm correct, that should be the tower of the Uzukage. I think we should start our investigation there."
The duo silently made their trek to the tower when Naruto felt a strange energy running through him. As they entered the tower and began to ascend the stairs, the energy grew even stronger and made Naruto's chakra speed up slightly. It was upon entry to the Uzukage's office where the strange chakra overwhelmed Naruto completely.
Anko noticed the glazed looked in Naruto's eyes and waved a hand in his face. However, the blonde slowly slid past her and placed his hand on the left corner of the desk. After flaring his chakra through the desk, he was rewarded with the desk sliding backwards to reveal a hidden staircase.
Just as the desk stopped moving, the ambient chakra suddenly flooded Naruto's chakra network before settling itself within the blonde's core. When the chakra finished settling, Naruto snapped back to reality and made three kage bunshins. "I want every book and scroll in this office sealed for transport and any secrets found," he ordered.
As the clones set off to accomplish this task, Naruto pointed to the stairs and said, "We need to go down there, Anko-nee. I can't exactly explain it but there's something really important down there that I need to see."
Anko could only shrug her shoulders as the duo ventured further into the depths of the tower. When they arrived at a large stone wall, Naruto cut his palm with a kunai and placed his bloody hand on the wall. Within seconds, the wall crumbled away to reveal a large room that was lit by bluish-white crystals that were seated in wall sconces.
Naruto looked around the room and saw shelves upon shelves filled with books and scrolls. In the center of the room, there was a wide pillar with a large scroll floating slightly above it. On the wall behind the pillar, there was a large faded family tree with vines that traveled from name to name. As Naruto ran his fingers over the tree, nine names were suddenly illuminated in a bright light and became readable.
"This is my family tree," Naruto said. "The names in red must be the ones who are still alive. I wonder if I've met any of them."
He looked at his own name first and looked up from it to see the faded and worn out names Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze connected. Above Kushina's name, there were the names Kagura Uzumaki and Daisuke Terumi that also had a connection. Next to Daisuke's name, there were two faded names that led to a Mei Terumi. Oddly enough, Mei's name and Kagura's name were both red.
Naruto pondered over this development before moving to the other side of the tree. His eyes quickly latched onto the name Nagato Uzumaki before noticing that Nagato's parents were faded out while his was red. He then allowed his eyes to wander again and saw the illuminated names Karin and Tayuya Uzumaki. Not far from them, the name Sasori stood out to him as well.
Meanwhile, Anko had averted her attention to the tree and gasped in shock. "Hey gaki," she said, "I never knew you were related to Tsunade of the Sannin."
Naruto turned his head to see that not far from his mother's name were the names Tsunade and Nawaki Senju. While Tsunade's name was red, Nawaki's name was in black. He then looked up from their names to see two faded out names. Upon looking up from there, he saw the names Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki.
Next to Mito, there was a faded out name and the name Saruma Uzumaki. He then looked down to see that Kagura's name was connected to Saruma. He then decided to look further up the tree and saw that three faded names were connected to another that finally led to the name Kaguya Ōtsutsuki at the top.
Naruto pressed his hand on the family tree again and watched as blue, silver, and green lines connected the names together. He then studied the lines before noticing the blue line between his parents and the silver line between him and his parents' blue line.
"I think I get it," Naruto said. "Blue lines represent marriage, silver represents children, and green is for siblings. However, I'm confused as to why the name Kagura is lit. If anything, she should be dead."
While he was thinking on the act that his grandmother might be alive, Anko noticed that another name was lit up on the family tree next to Kagura and was connected by a green line. "Gaki, you might want to look at this."
Naruto looked back at the tree and saw the name Serana Uzumaki. However, as soon as he read her name, the red color changed to white. At the same time, his name had also become white. With a great curiosity, Naruto placed his hand over his own name and gasped at what he saw.
An astral projection of Naruto had suddenly appeared in the room and was now looking directly at him and Anko. He then removed his hand from his name which caused the projection to vanish. "Anko-nee," he slowly said, "I think I understand this tree a little better. The red names are those who are living, but white must mean that there here in the village. I wonder…"
He then placed his hand over Kagura's hand and watched as the room he was in completely vanished.
Unknown location…
Naruto's projection appeared in what looked to be a prison cell where a woman with long black hair was chained to a wall. Trying his luck, Naruto decided to speak. "Excuse me, but would you happen to be Kagura Uzumaki?"
The woman looked up from the floor to reveal a face that appeared as one in their mid-twenties. Her red eyes widened in shock as she rasped, "Who are you and how are you here? Only an Uzumaki can use the special gentō hontai that was placed on our family tree."
Naruto turned his back to her to show the Uzumaki spiral on the back of his trench coat. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm standing at the family tree back in Uzushio. When I placed my hand over your name, I ended up in this cell. Tell me, where exactly are you obaa-chan?"
Kagura gave him a look of confusion. "Did you just call me your grandmother? That couldn't be possible unless…"
Her eyes suddenly widened in glee as she realized who Naruto was. "You must be Kushina-chan's son. Now that I think about it, you do have some of her features. Is she there in Uzushio with you?"
Naruto winced before bowing his head. "She was killed along with my tou-san on the night I was born. I'm an orphan now."
"You poor boy," Kagura said. "Losing my daughter to become a jinchūriki was painful, but nothing hurts like losing a mother. I have to know, are there any other names glowing on the tree?"
Naruto nodded before listing off the names that he saw. When he got to Serana, Kagura gasped. "Naruto-chan, if my sister is truly alive, I ask that you find her and free me from this prison. I swear that Orochimaru is dead when I get out of here. Find Sarutobi and tell him I'm in Otogakure out in Oto no Kuni."
Naruto crouched down and locked eyes with his grandmother. "I'll be back for you, Kagura obaa-chan. I swear it on my nindō."
Kagura smiled as Naruto faded away. "You swear it on you nindō, huh? In that case, I have nothing to worry about."
Uzushio…
Naruto ripped his hand away from the tree and turned to Anko. "My grandmother is alive and someone named Orochimaru has her."
Anko growled as she unconsciously gripped her cursed mark. "Naruto-gaki, Orochimaru-teme is one of the most notorious traitors of Konoha. If he has your grandmother, we'll need a lot of help getting her back. After all, we can't just leave your family to the wolves. Did she give you a location?"
"She's being held in Oto no Kuni in a village called Otogakure. Also, she wants me to find her sister, Serana."
Before Anko could reply, Naruto placed his hand over Serana's name. However, instead of ending up in some far-off location, Naruto found himself standing in the exact same room as his actual body and Anko. He then looked around the room for any clues until he noticed the Uzumaki spiral on the pillar.
After removing himself from the tree again, Naruto cut open his palm again and placed it on the pillar. The pillar somehow absorbed his blood into the spiral before rotating in a clockwise direction and lifting from the ground. When it finally stood to a height of ten feet, a section of the pillar slid into the ground to reveal a woman with pale skin and mid back-length black hair.
(If you've played the Dawnguard missions in Skyrim, imagine Serana without the vampire concepts but still with fangs and the same clothes. Also, she has a slightly slimmer face and hair as long as Tsunade's.)
The woman slowly opened her eyes as the light hit her face and groaned. "Ugh, what happened to this place?"
She then finally opened her eyes fully and looked around before stepping out of the pillar. As the construct closed and sank back to its original position, Serana noticed Naruto and said, "I can only assume that one or both of you are a part of the family. Tell me; has the battle outside finally ended? Is it safe to leave the chamber?"
Naruto cleared his throat before saying, "I am Naruto Uzumaki and this is my adoptive older sister, Anko Mitarashi. To answer your question, the battle ended decades ago. Uzushiogakure is currently in ruins and our clan was wiped out save for a handful. We and a few scattered others are all that remains."
"I see," Serana said in a downtrodden tone. "Did we at least hold up a decent front?"
Naruto nodded and gave a sad smile. "The history books show that only a combined force of sixty invaders made it out alive but most of them died before they could make it home. Even to this day, our name is still one to be feared and respected."
Serana gave a brief smile before pulling the large scroll away from the pillar. "There is something I have to know, Naruto. Have you at any point seen my sister Kagura?"
The elder Uzumaki gasped as she saw the briefest flash of rage in Naruto's eyes. "She's being held captive by a man named Orochimaru. It was Kagura obaa-chan who wanted me to find you."
"Grandmother," Serana asked. "More time has passed than I imagined. I can imagine that Kushina-chan has grown into a beautiful young woman. Still, I can only hope she has been able to live happily what with being the jinchūriki of the fox."
Naruto looked away from Serana before pointing at the family tree. "My okaa-chan died thirteen years ago. Now, I am the new jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune. So, what will you do now?"
Serana thought about her options before smiling. "I think I'll take up refuge in Konoha for a while. Besides, it'll be easier to find Kagura-nee with the help of the Nidaime Hokage. Let's gather everything of usable value from the village and go. Maybe we can rebuild someday but…now is not the time. For now, let's let Uzushio rest for a little longer."
Naruto instantly shook his head before saying, "Tobirama Senju is dead. Our Sandaime Hokage is Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Saru-kun is the Hokage," Serana asked with a bit of excitement. "I remember when I first met him. I had just become a Chūnin when Tobirama-kun was assigned to be his sensei. I have to talk to him now more than ever."
As the trio left the room containing the large family tree, none of them notice a tenth name suddenly light up on the wall. The name at first was faded out with a dull glow, but it slowly repaired itself as the red light shined brighter until it clearly revealed the name of Kushina Uzumaki.
Somewhere near Nami...
Deep within the reaches of a hidden Root medical facility, an unconscious woman with long flowing red hair was strapped to a table with an IV needle in her arm. The Anbu who was watching over her sneered at her unmoving form from under his mask as he looked at her medical chart. "I still can't believe that this is the legendary Kushina Uzumaki. You've been in a coma for more than thirteen long years and yet your muscle structure has yet to decompose. Maybe those infusions of Senju DNA are helping you along more than Danzo-sama expected."
He then stopped his rant as a doctor with white hair walked into the room. Nonō Yakushi turned to the Anbu with a smile on her face that made the Root soldier nervous. "What can I do for you, Nonō-sama?"
The medic simply waved him off before saying, "You are dismissed for the moment. I need to check over her and will not be able to do so with you in my way."
As the Anbu vacated the room, Nonō closed the door before placing a privacy seal on it to block out all sound. "Now," she said, "we will see if those transfusions of Hashirama-sama's genetic material did you any good. If this works, we will soon get you back to young Naruto-san."
Somehow, at the mere mention of Naruto's name, Kushina's chakra went into overdrive. Nonō watched as the woman once hailed as Konoha's deadliest kunoichi arose from a thirteen-year long coma at the sound of her son's name. "Wh-where am I? What is this place," came Kushina's hoarse voice.
Nonō helped the woman sit up on her bed and handed her a glass of water. "You're in a hidden Root medical facility, Kushina-senpai. For the past thirteen years, you've been in a deep coma that nobody thought you'd wake up from."
Kushina looked at Nonō as her sight fully adjusted to the room's lights. "Nonō-chan, what's going on here? Why am I in a Root headquarters? The last thing I remember was talking to…oh Kami-hime! Where is my Naru-chan, Nonō? What happened to my baby?"
"Calm down, senpai. Naruto-san has been doing fine for the past thirteen years. You'll get to see him as soon as I get you up and running again. For now, we have to see if the Shodaime's cells have any adverse effects on you before you can…hey, wait a minute! You can't move right now! You just woke up from a coma!"
Kushina had gotten tired of listening to Nonō's medical lecture and chose to jump right out of bed. Much to the doctor's surprise, Kushina only stumbled around for a few minutes before being able to fully move again. "Dear Kami-hime," Nonō said, "it's unheard of for anyone to be able to do this after waking from a coma. It looks like we'll have you smuggled out of here in…what are you doing!?"
The redhead had sat down in a meditative position and began allowing her chakra to circulate through her system at a slightly faster than average pace. When she felt nothing wrong, she simply formed the handsign for 'dragon' and said, "I'm finding my son. This is going to take a while so I'll need you to guard my body until I return. Gentō hontai no jutsu: Reizō shoji!"
Before Nonō could try to argue, the jutsu took hold and Kushina passed out. After only a second of being unconscious, an ethereal Kushina seemed to step out of her body before vanishing into the unknown. Nonō just shook her head with a smile as she placed the woman's body back on the bed. "Never underestimate a mother's love for her child. Kushina-senpai would even tear down Kami-hime to get back to Naruto."
Sundown…
Sasuke had just mastered the tree-climbing exercise when he noticed that the sun was beginning to fall from the sky. However, he couldn't bring himself to be pleased with this achievement. The reason being was that during the entire time he was training, he couldn't keep his mind off of Team Anko's three gennin.
During the academy, Naruto was the only person he would ever even give the time of day. Granted, it was usually nothing but insults being thrown around, but it still counted for something in his mind. As time slowly crept forward, Sasuke began to feel that he should've been the only one who could hold Naruto's attention and got jealous when the golden blonde would chat with someone other than him.
To make matters even worse, his graduation day revealed that the Naruto he thought he knew was nothing more than an elaborate hoax and that the true Naruto was not only more attractive, he also wanted absolutely nothing to do with Sasuke.
It was at that thought that Sasuke's mind drifted to Kurama and Takami. He had never seen either of them in the village and they both seemed to suddenly appear around the same time that Naruto went through his change of heart. "I don't know about the brunette," Sasuke thought, "but my dobe didn't change until that red-haired kid came into the picture. Wait, when did I ever start calling the dobe mine? Do I even like Naruto like that?"
While Sasuke didn't understand where that line of thought came from, he clearly understood that he didn't want Naruto anywhere near those two any longer. He was just about to go inside to clear his head when Sai and the current objects of his ire walked up. Sai gave Sasuke a fake smile before saying, "Kakashi-sensei wants us to come inside before it gets too dark. However, I'm sure an emo-tastic arsonist like you will feel right at home surrounded by the darkness."
Sasuke chose to ignore the comment and settled for turning his gaze on Kurama and Takami. Takami simply raised an eyebrow while Kurama said, "Get out of the way, baka. Takami and I are hungry and…"
"I want you to stay away from Naruto," interrupted Sasuke.
Kurama simply pretended to clean his ears out before cupping a hand over the left ear. "Would you like to repeat that? I think I had something crazy in my ear."
"I told you to stay away from Naruto," Sasuke repeated. "Ever since you came into the picture, Naruto's been acting completely different. His attitude has changed towards a lot of people and I know you're somehow involved. I don't know what you did to him, but it needs to stop and it needs to stop now!"
Kurama gave Sasuke a blank look for about five seconds before breaking out into laughter. When the laughter stopped, Kurama wiped away the tear that formed from laughing so hard. "I see what's going on here. You're jealous of the fact that I have Naruto-kun and you're in denial about the fact that Naruto-kun never really even once acknowledged you in the slightest."
Before Sasuke could even try to respond, Kurama punched him in the gut and kicked him to the ground. "Lemme make one thing clear, Uchiha. Naruto-kun is mine and nothing you do will ever change that. You mean nothing to him and you never will."
Sasuke could only grunt in pain as he watched the trio walk back to the house. When he finally made his way back, he was greeted to the sight of an almost full dinner table with three empty chairs. Just as he sat down, a small white fox appeared in front of Tsunami.
The fox looked up with a pair of bright yellow eyes before saying, "Are you the one named Tsunami? If so, Naruto-sama asks that you set one more chair for a very special guest."
Tsunami scratched the young kitsune's ears before placing another chair at the table. As soon as the chair was in place, the fox jumped down to the floor and said, "Ninpō: Gyaku Kuchiyōse no jutsu!"
Everyone watched as Naruto, Anko, and Serana appeared in a burst of smoke. Naruto then handed a scroll to the fox and said, "Thank you for aiding me, Kintaro. I'll be sure to summon you and the other kits more often."
Kintaro nodded before vanishing in a third puff of smoke. When he was gone, Naruto led Serana to the table and said, "Guys, this is my great aunt Serana Uzumaki. Serana oba-chan is coming with us to Konoha."
As the three sat down to the table, Inari huffed in annoyance. "You're wasting your time here. Gato's just going to kill you if you try and stand up to him."
"Kid," Naruto started, "I want you to describe this man to me. Tell me everything you know from his size down to his habits."
Inari scowled at the thought of the man that killed Kaiza. "He's a fat midget in a gaudy suit with a bunch of thugs who do his dirty work because he's too afraid to lift a finger."
Naruto nodded while listening to the boy rant. When Inari finished, Naruto was quick to say, "So, he talks a tough game while hiding behind an army of thugs. Kid, was Kaiza a ninja or a civilian?"
Inari glared at was he thought was an insult against Kaiza. "He was a civilian but I don't see what that has to do with anything. Is there a point to any of this?"
Naruto simply tapped his hitai-ate. "Kaiza-san might've been strong, but he was only a civilian. There was no possible way for him to have been able to overtake that many goons. Had he been a properly trained shinobi, I'm more than sure that the outcome would've been completely different."
Feeling even more insulted, Inari threw down the fork he was eating with and pointed an accusing finger at Naruto. "You don't know what you're talking about. Why don't you just go back to your village and leave us alone. This country's in pain and people like you who've never suffered have no business being here."
As Inari's words lingered in the air, the temperature of the room was literally dropping at an alarming rate. It was only Anko's quick reflexes that stopped Naruto's hand from tearing out the child's throat. "Do me a favor and shut the fuck up. You're nothing but a whiny little child who needs a wake-up call."
Although Inari couldn't see Naruto's face with it being blocked by Anko's body, he knew that the glare he was receiving would've turned him to ash if looks could kill. However, the moment Anko moved away from her student, Inari could clearly see tears falling from those enraged eyes. Naruto pulled his hand back before saying, "I know more about suffering than anyone else in this room. I have been beaten, starved, tortured, and even almost raped at one point. Never tell someone what they do and don't know until you get to truly know them."
Without waiting for a response, Naruto removed himself from the table. "Anko-sensei, I'm going out. Do not look for me."
As Naruto vanished in a swirl of feathers, Tsunami turned her attention to Kakashi. "Kakashi-san, was he being honest with what he said?"
Kakashi's only response was to bow his head. Anko patted the man on the back while saying, "To be honest, that was a severely sugar-coated version of his life. Even now, I still don't see how he's able to deal with it all and keep a smile on his face."
Sai cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention once he was sure that Anko had finished. He then held up a large scroll and stood it by his chair. "From my observations, Naruto-san is truly a strong character to live the life he lives. Whether Konoha accepts it or not, Naruto-san is indeed a hero. Still, why do they treat him the way they do?"
Sai knew the answer already, but he wanted to see if either Kakashi or Anko would betray the blonde's secrets. If they did, Sai would not hesitate in silencing them for speaking of that night.
Kurama looked down at his hands and sighed in contempt. "A lot of the hatred dealt towards Naruto-kun…is my entire fault. Before I opened my eyes to see what a wonderful person he is, I did nothing but cause him pain and anguish. Even now, it amazes me that he forgave me the way he did."
Anko shook her head with a frown. "Kurama, you have to let that go. Naruto-gaki wouldn't want to see his boyfriend moping around and neither do I. If you're still upset about this later, talk to him when he comes back."
Giving only a terse nod as an answer, Kurama excused himself from the table and went upstairs. Kakashi wiped a hand over his eye and pretended to yawn so as to break the awkwardness. "I think I'll turn in as well. Anko, we'll talk in the morning."
Anko nodded while looking out a window. She knew that Kakashi had faked his yawn as well as rubbed his eye to stop the others from seeing his tears. As the kunoichi allowed her thoughts to wander, she was reined in when Serana placed a hand on her shoulder. "Anko-san, will Naruto-kun be alright? Shouldn't we go and look for him," she asked in concern.
The Tokubetsu Jonin chuckled before moving away from the window. "I know Naruto-gaki better than most people. Leaving him alone right now is the best thing to do. He'll come back to us once he's relieved some stress."
Next morning…
Haku was calmly walking through the woods in search of a few herbs when she spotted Naruto sleeping against a tree. As she slowly moved closer to him, she noticed that a small bird had decided to use the sleeping blonde's shoulder as a perch. "If I snap his neck right now," she darkly thought, "he won't be able to stand in Zabuza-sama's way later."
However, when Haku reached out a hand towards the blonde, her kindness took hold and she simply shook him awake. "You shouldn't sleep out there. You're likely to catch a cold that way."
Naruto slowly opened his eyes before taking in a full view of Haku. "Wow," he thought, "she really is pretty. I'd totally tap that if I were straight. Hmm, I wonder if Hinata-chan is still looking for a girlfriend because I think I just found her one."
Elsewhere~
Hinata was currently sparring against her cousin Neji when a rather perverted thought crossed her mind. "My yuri senses are tingling," she thought. "I think I might be getting laid soon."
She then dodged a strike to the chest and kicked Neji in the balls. "That's for interrupting my fantasy…I mean strategizing moment."
Hiashi, who was watching the entire fight, couldn't help but be reminded of his late wife, Hitomi. "You would be proud of her," Hiashi thought. He then pointed to Hinata and said, "Unnecessary ball-kicking: ten points from Gryffindor."
Neji looked at his uncle and wheezed out, "That's…the wrong…franchise."
"Unnecessary smartass remark: ten points from Slytherin," Hiashi calmly replied in his best Snape impression.
Neji's eyes rolled back in pain as he said, "I'm a…Ravenclaw you…asshole."
Nami no Kuni~
Naruto slowly stood up from his sleeping position and shook off the drowsiness. "You don't have to worry about that. I've never gotten sick in my entire life. So, what's a girl like you doing all the way out here in the woods?"
Haku pointed to her basket and said, "I'm looking for certain herbs to make a medicine for a friend of mine. He hasn't been feeling well lately and I thought I could help him."
She then made a motion towards Naruto's hitai-ate. "That looks like a ninja headband. Am I correct to assume that you are a shinobi?"
Naruto nodded before giving off a light smile. "Yeah, I'm a proud shinobi of Konoha. One day, I'm going to become the Hokage of the village just like my hero, the Yondaime Hokage."
Haku giggled while placing a few herbs in her basket. "You have a very noble dream. Tell me, do you have anyone that you consider to be precious?"
Naruto's mind was suddenly flooded with images of certain people. There was Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku, Anko and Iruka, Kakashi, Hinata, Shino, Konohamaru and Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and even Shikamaru. He also thought that way about Harribel, Serana, Takami, and Kagura. However, the most prominent image that currently stood out to him was Kurama. "Yeah," Naruto started, "I do have a few people like that. I'd do anything for them."
Haku's smile became brighter as she closed her basket. "You must be very strong then. I believe that when you fight to protect the things you hold dear, you will become even stronger."
As Haku turned to leave, she looked back at Naruto and said, "By the way, I'm really a boy."
Naruto chuckled before saying, "That was funny but you can't fool me. Even though you're wearing a loose kimono, I can tell that you're wearing chest bindings."
Haku took a step back in caution. While preparing to defend herself from a possible attack, Naruto simply turned away and began walking. "Living in this country gives you a good reason to be discreet. Your secret is safe with me. Oh, and tell Zabuza-san I said not to trust Gato-teme."
Out of pure reflex, Haku tossed a single senbon at Naruto's back. However, another senbon came from out of the trees to deflect hers. Naruto turned his head to face the girl and said, "A good shinobi never travels unprepared and I never go anywhere alone."
To prove his point, ten kage bunshins emerged from the trees before dispelling one by one. Naruto turned his eyesight back on his path and gave a single wave before vanishing in a swirl of feathers. Haku let out a breath of relief once she could no longer feel his chakra before taking off in a sprint back to the hideout. Had she been paying closer attention, she would've noticed a small black fox following her from a distance.
Tazuna's house…
Naruto appeared back at Tazuna's house just in time to witness one of the most hilarious things he would ever see. Sasuke and Sakura were both running up and down a pair of trees that were surrounded by a ring of fire while Anko, Takami, Kakashi, and Serana were watching. Just as the blonde opened his mouth to question the scene, his vision was suddenly obstructed by a waterfall of red hair.
It only took him a quick second to realize that Kurama had him in one of his famous death-grip hugs. Still, Naruto returned the hug with equal strength and kissed his demon on the forehead. "I'm here now," he whispered. "Don't cry anymore, my angel. Tears of sadness only serve to mar your beautiful face."
Kurama swallowed a small gulp of air as Naruto wiped his freshly fallen tears away. "Naruto-kun, I'm so glad you're alright. You were out there all night and I never once bothered to check on you. I'm so sorry, Naru-mpfh."
The blonde quickly silenced Kurama by locking their lips together. When he pulled away, he placed another kiss on the demon's forehead. "Kura-chan, you can't keep feeling guilty about the past. All that matters is that you're here with me now. That's all I could ever ask for."
Kurama sniffled as a smile graced his features. "As long as you'll have me, I'll always be here with you. I won't let anything or anyone change that."
At seeing the kitsune smile, Naruto found himself sporting a warm grin as well. "You are so much more beautiful to me when you smile. As long as I get to see that smiling face of yours, I'll always know that my past will never become me. I will always love you with everything I am, Kurama Ōtsutsuki."
As the duo of blonde and redhead kissed again, the group over by the trees was having multiple thoughts of the scene. Serana was smiling as her heart filled with joy and pride for her nephew. "I haven't even known you for a day and I'm already proud of you, Naruto-yūshi. Kushina-chan and Kagura-nee would feel the same way."
Takami watched on with feelings of joy, awe, and a sense of hope. "They look so happy together. I'm glad for you, Naruto-sama, and honored that you both are willing to share that happiness with me. I swear that as long as I am able, I will never fail you."
Sakura was only interested for a brief second before her thoughts ventured down another road. "They do make a cute couple…but Sasuke-kun and I would make an even cuter one."
Anko was sporting a grin that could warm the heart of even the most unfeeling bastard to walk the elemental countries.
(*cough**Danzo**cough*)
She looked at Naruto and could only see the young man who had made her believe in the world again. "If anyone deserves to be happy," the Jonin proudly thought, "it's definitely you, Naruto-otouto. I'll never let anyone take away your smile, Konoha no Eiyū."
Still, out of everyone there, it was Sasuke who looked upon the scene with a sense of loathing. "I thought I told him to stay away from Naruto. That should be me in the dobe's arms. Well, it looks like I'll have to remedy this little situation."
The moment soon ended as Kakashi and Sai appeared. Sai took the time to hand Naruto the scroll he had prepared from last night and said, "I want you to have this. You'll understand when you look at it."
Just as Naruto said his thanks, Sasuke came up to him with a small frown on his face. "Fight me, Naruto. I want to see just how strong you really are."
The blonde gave him a blank look before brushing past him without a second glance. "You don't interest me in the slightest, Sasuke-teme. I'm not going to waste my time or my charka on dealing with you and your oversized ego."
Angry at being both ignored and insulted, Sasuke whipped out a kunai and tried to stab Naruto in the back. To his surprise, the kunai he was holding suddenly snapped in half. He then looked up to see Takami holding a foot-long feather in his left hand. "You truly have no honor," he said in a harsh tone. "My master has made no attempt to fight you but you dared to raise a weapon at his back. I should eviscerate you for such a cowardly…"
"Takami, that's enough," said Naruto. "While I usually don't use my parents' statuses to my advantage, I'm about to maliciously abuse that privilege when we get home."
The blonde then turned to Sasuke with a cruel smirk dancing on his lips. "Sasuke-teme, you just tried to attack the son of two clan heads who is also the son of a former Hokage. Be lucky that I don't feel like having you stripped of your shinobi status for attacking me."
As Naruto turned away, Kakashi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and gave him a look that promised him a future of trouble. "You just attacked the son of the Yondaime Hokage who was also the clan head of the Namikaze Clan and Konoha's greatest Anbu who was both the Uzumaki clan head as well as the daughter of a foreign Kage. Also, both of Naruto's parents trained under two of the Sannin and named them his godparents. By all accounts, Naruto could ask me, Anko, or even Hokage-sama to kill you for trying to attack him and we'd be honor-bound to do it."
Kakashi then turned away from Sasuke before saying, "You should actually be lucky that you're not worth his time. That just means you're not even worth killing in his eyes."
Sasuke sneered before slapping his sensei's hand from his shoulder. "That's a complete load of bullshit, Kakashi. And even if it was true, it would just mean that by proxy, I should be the only person in the village save for the Hokage that's worth his time. I'll just have to show him that I'm more worth his time than that freak hanging off his arm."
The Jonin sighed as his student walked away. He then moved over to Anko and pulled out his book. "So, I give it about another year before Naruto makes the first attempt to kill him."
Anko snorted before pulling a stick of dango from her sleeve. "I'd give it about a month at the latest. Naruto-gaki has very little patience for idiots and Sasuke has already made him play the status card. Naruto-gaki almost never plays the status card."
From behind them, Sai made a noise to gain the attention of the two elite warriors in front of him. "I'm sorry, but I do believe you are both wrong. I feel as though Naruto-kun will make his first attempt at killing the arsonist no later than tomorrow evening."
Serana, who was listening to the entire conversation, couldn't help bet interject at Sai's words. "I have to agree with the young one. Being the prideful and arrogant child that Sasuke-san has proven to be, he will more than likely say or do something that will either offend or endanger Kurama-san and Naruto-kun will react accordingly."
Anko thought on the situation for a moment before turning to Kakashi. "I'll get the casualty report ready if you carry the corpse back."
The scarecrow turned a page in his book while flipping a kunai at the same time. "Fuck that noise. We'll torch the body and write it off as a freak accident if worse comes to worse. After all, these things do tend to happen on missions."
Three days later…
Tsunami was silently washing dishes when she heard the door being kicked in. she ran into the living room with a knife only to find a pair of thugs unconscious on her floor and Serana dusting off her shirt. "Tsunami-san, these two were sent by Gato to kidnap you and Inari. Naruto-yūshi has already seen to your son and is now on his way to protect your father."
The younger woman nodded as she looked down at the thugs. "Do you think Naruto-kun will be ok? Gato is ruthless and won't stop until he either wins or dies."
Serana smirked as her eyes began to take on a red tint. "In that case, Naruto-kun will simply kill the fat pig. I've read up on Gato and he stands no chance against my nephew. Now, excuse me while I go and assist my nephew. If you need anything, talk to the large fox named Kitana hiding in the trees."
Before Tsunami could say anything, Serana vanished in a cloud of bats. The woman then turned to the tied up goons when she suddenly doubled over in pain. As she tried to regain her bearing, she could feel Inari's small hands helping her up. "Kaa-chan, are you okay?"
Tsunami finally got to her feet before unconsciously placing a hand over her heart. "I'm fine, Inari-kun. But the pain I just felt…it was like a mother watching her child's heart get ripped out. Inari-kun, when did you last talk to Naruto-kun?"
Inari got his mother a glass of water before saying, "It was just a few minutes ago before he left. I asked nii-chan if he had someone close to him and he told me about the guy on his team with red hair while smiling the whole time. Kaa-chan, do you think Naruto nii-chan is in love with his friend?"
Tsunami's eyes suddenly widened at her son's question. It was almost as if there was a voice in her head that was crying out for her to go to the bridge. "Inari-kun, I need to get to that bridge. Naruto-kun is in trouble!"
At the mention of his new surrogate brother in trouble, Inari reached behind the couch and grabbed a crossbow. "I'll go try to get some help while you go to nii-chan."
Tsunami nodded and an out to the tree line to search for the fox. "Kitana-san, are you out here? I need your assistance."
From within the trees, Kitana slowly walked forward so as to not scare Tsunami. "What can I do for you, Tsunami-san? You seem to be quite frantic."
"I need you to take me to the bridge," the woman answered. "Naruto-kun is in serious trouble."
"I am sorry," Kitana said, "but Naruto-sama ordered me to protect you at all costs."
Just as the fox began to turn around, Tsunami quickly came up with a counter to Kitana's words. "He told you to protect me, but I'm willing to bet he never said where to protect me."
Kitana gave the woman a grin that Kurama would be proud of. "You have the cunning of a kitsune, Tsunami-san. Hop on my back and I'll take you to him."
Bridge…
Anko stood back to back with Kakashi as the mist began to roll in. "It looks like the party's about to start," she said in an almost sadistically happy tone. "I've been dying for a rematch since last week."
Before Kakashi could reply, the mist cleared enough to reveal both Zabuza and Haku. Zabuza yawned before stabbing the Kubikiri Hōcho into the ground. "I hate to disappoint you, but you're going to have to wait on that rematch. There's only one person on your team that I want to fight but I don't see him anywhere. Therefore, I'm just going to wait until the blonde kid arrives."
Sasuke scoffed before stepping forward. "Why waste time waiting on him when you can fight an elite like me? As an Uchiha, I can definitely give you a run for your money."
Zabuza just gave Haku a blank look while trying not to laugh. "Haku, would you be as kind as to shut that kid up?"
Haku simply pulled out a handful of her senbon. "I was hoping you would ask me to do this, Zabuza-sama. Kicking self-absorbed pricks in the ass is a favored hobby of mine."
As Haku rushed in with the intent of taking Sasuke out, the Uchiha managed to block her attack with a kunai. "It looks like we're almost even."
In response, Haku chuckled under her mask. "I don't think so, Uchiha. You currently have two handicaps in play. One is that we are surrounded by water and the second is that you have only one free hand. I am not limited by this restriction."
Sasuke was confused until he saw Haku weaving handsigns with only her free hand. When she finished, the kunoichi quickly shouted, "Hyōton: Sensatsu suishō!"
The Uchiha watched in shock as the water rose into the air and formed multiple needles of ice. It was only pure luck that he was able to jump back in time to avoid being skewered. However, Haku did not want to allow him any room to recover and held up her hands in a handsign that only Kurama recognized. "Sasuke-teme, get away from her! She's a member of the…"
"It's too late to stop it," Haku said. "Hijutsu: Makyō hyōshō!"
Before anyone could do as much as blink, Sasuke was surrounded by a field of mirrors that entrapped him from all sides. When the last mirror formed, Haku stepped into one and readied a handful of senbon. "This is my ultimate attack. You have no hope of escaping."
Sasuke simply smirked at what he thought would be an easy win. "An attack like this is nothing to the eyes of an elite Uchiha like me. Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!"
As the fireball collided with one of Haku's mirrors, Sasuke watched in shock and awe as his attack…did absolutely nothing. Haku simply shook her head in knowing disappointment as her image began to occupy every mirror. "An attack like that is useless against me," she said. "As long as I have chakra, the mirrors won't fail me. Now, prepare to be turned into a pin cushion."
Meanwhile~
"So," Anko started to ask, "What's your beef with my gaki?"
To answer, Zabuza simply tapped the flat side of his blade. "That gaki used a very familiar battle maneuver against me. It was the same one used by the only woman I would've ever called sensei when she singlehandedly kicked the asses of me and the other six swordsmen. And I say singlehandedly because I cut off her fucking arm when we first met before the fight. By the way, how did she grow back her entire arm in under two weeks?"
Anko was about to make a counter statement when she suddenly realized exactly who Zabuza was talking about. "Zabuza, you wouldn't happen to be familiar with Kushina Uzumaki would you?"
Zabuza scoffed at the absurdity of Anko's question. "Who else could I be talking about? Kushina-sama took me under her wing for a few years after that beating and turned me from a random punk with a sword into a true swordsman. It's a shame I was never able to make it to her funeral."
"I see," said Anko. "Well, I guess it's only fair to tell you that the blonde you want to fight so much…is her son."
With Haku~
The ice user was actually enjoying herself for a change. While she was never one to enjoy fighting, turning an arrogant prick like Sasuke into a pin cushion was too much fun. "I see the fabled Uchiha clan isn't all it's cracked up to be. Honestly, you're nothing but a conceited prick in need of a reality check...and a better hair stylist."
Sasuke growled as he struggled to stay standing. "Don't think you've won just yet. Only an Uchiha can defeat another Uchiha."
Haku rolled her eyes as she prepared another set of senbon. "Sasuke-san, I see that you are not familiar with sensing chakra levels. If you were, you would've realized that out of everyone on this bridge, you have the second lowest chakra level if you don't count Tazuna-san. The only shinobi out here with a lower chakra level than yours is the pink-haired nuisance."
Sasuke simply scoffed as he pulled some of the needles from his limbs. "I don't believe that for a second. An elite like me can't have chakra levels that pitiful."
"Believe what you want," said Haku in a bored tone, "but the fact still stands. You have about as much chakra as a rookie Chūnin. The woman in the trench coat and the emotionless one both have high-Jonin level chakra with me being around low-Jonin level. Zabuza-sama, Kakashi-san, and the one with brown hair all have high-Anbu level chakra. The one with red hair has as much chakra as a rookie-level Kage. Finally, there's the blonde one whose chakra level dwarfs all of you."
Sasuke couldn't believe that Naruto of all people had more chakra than he did. Still, if what Kakashi had told him was true, then Haku's words could be more than plausible. However, he was forced to push the matter aside as Haku unleashed another hail of senbon upon him. Only this time, the needles seemed to be moving slower.
As Sasuke jumped out of the way, Haku noticed something that could become a potential problem. "So, you have awakened your Sharingan. I need to finish you before you can become a problem."
Unlike the last time when Haku unleashed a torrent of needles, she sent out three waves from each mirror to make sure that the job would get done. Meanwhile, Sasuke knew he was running out of chakra and wouldn't be able to get out unscathed unless he did something fast. With a quick handsign, Sasuke pulled a kawarimi to save his hide.
After seeing the smoke from the jutsu, Haku pulled out another handful of needles to be safe. She then dropped the senbon in shock as the smoke dissipated to reveal a wounded Kurama. The girl quickly jumped out of one of the mirrors and ran over to him just as he fell over.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she said while swiftly removing needles from his body. "That attack was not meant for you. You weren't supposed to get hurt."
Kurama coughed up a little blood as the light in his eyes slowly faded. "I understand that, little Yuki. This wasn't your fault. Please, tell Naruto-kun…I love him. Tell him…that I'll always…love him."
Before Haku could say anything, the boy in her arms became slack. She quickly ran a diagnostic on him only to discover that she could no longer feel a pulse. With a heavy sigh, she ended her jutsu and lifted the boy into her arms. As the last mirror in front of her fell, she was surprised to see Takami appear on the other side.
The boy quickly took Kurama into his arms and said, "Naruto-sama will not be happy about this. I can only pray that this wasn't intentional."
Haku shook her head and removed her mask to reveal a face full of tears. "The Uchiha used him in a substitution to avoid my attack. I tried to help him but…I was too late. He…wanted me to tell Naruto-kun…"
"Tell me what," a voice suddenly said.
Haku and Takami both turned around to see Naruto running up to them. As soon as the blonde noticed Kurama in Takami's arms, he quickly ran over to Takami and asked, "Is he…"
Takami looked away from his summoner for a few seconds before turning back to him and shaking his head. "The Uchiha used him in a kawarimi to avoid taking a hit," said Haku. "I couldn't remove the needles in time to save him. He wanted me to let you know that he…he loved you...and that he always would."
Naruto took a step back before falling to his knees in shock. He simply couldn't believe that Kurama, the one who had been with him since the beginning, had been taken from him by the actions of a soon to be dead gennin. As his anger slowly spiked, everyone in the area could suddenly feel a malevolent chakra fill the air. The blonde then stood up to reveal a pair of red fox eyes in place of his blue ones.
Haku reached out to try and comfort him, but Naruto simply vanished in a burst of speed. "Shit," Takami said, "he's going to try and kill the Uchiha. Normally I wouldn't interfere but the council will have his head if we don't stop him."
With Tazuna~
The bridge builder had been shocked when he saw Sasuke slowly approach them. He then watched as Sakura left her post to check up on him. "Sasuke-kun," she screeched, "are you alright? You look like you fought a really tough battle."
"I'm fine," Sasuke said. "I was getting low on chakra and Naruto's friend decided to jump in and help. I think he's probably wrapping things up right now."
Sakura bought every word of Sasuke's lie but Sai knew better than that. After all, you don't train for years under someone like Danzo without learning how to tell when someone's feeding you a load of bullshit. "Why don't you tell us what really happened," Sai said in his neutral tone. "I know for a fact that Kurama-san hates you enough to not actually try and help you unless Naruto asks him to."
The pinkette was seconds away from calling Sai a liar when the entire area was flooded with a level of KI that dwarfed anything that Zabuza could pull. He then watched in morbid fascination as Sasuke was lifted into the air by Naruto's clawed hand. "You are the lowest of the low! He was everything to me and now he's gone because of you! What do you have to say for yourself!?"
Sasuke choked for air as he gripped at Naruto's hand. "He was…poisoning your mind. With him gone, you'll finally…go back to acting…normal."
At hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto's grip began to tighten. "The only one here with a poisoned mind is you. I should snap your neck for what you did."
"Naruto-kun, stop," shouted a voice.
Everyone watched as Tsunami ran up to the group. "Naruto-kun, I know what he did but killing him won't solve anything. I know how you feel about Kurama-san but killing Sasuke-san won't bring him back."
She then placed a hand on Naruto's arm and whispered, "Be a better person than this thing in your grip. Let him go."
Naruto glared at Sasuke until his eyes changed back to their blue color. "I hate you so much, Sasuke. You had no right to do what you did and I'll never forgive you."
Tsunami quickly wrapped the boy in a hug as he broke down into tears. "Let it out, Naruto-kun. Don't bottle anything up. You know he wouldn't want you to."
Sasuke slowly regained his breath before scoffing. "You'll thank me later for this dobe. That bastard was nothing but trouble."
Haku was only seconds away from actually killing Sasuke when said Uchiha was approached by Sakura. "What do you want now, Sakura? I don't have time for…"
*smack!*
Everyone stared on in awe as Sasuke's biggest fangirl literally slapped him to the ground. "I can't believe I ever liked you. You're nothing but a heartless monster! The baka…no…Naruto was right about you. I might not have many skills as a kunoichi, but you are just pitiful. Kurama never did anything wrong to you and you used him for your selfish gain."
"You little tramp," Sasuke growled out. "How dare you put your hands on me!?"
Just as Sasuke was about to hit the pinkette, he was stopped by a giant blade in his face. Zabuza looked at Sasuke with nothing but contempt in his eyes. "That was a disgusting tactic. Normally, I'd let your sensei deal with you, but that redhead over there…"
"Kurama," said a still enraged Naruto. "His name is Kurama Ōtsutsuki. I was…going to ask him…to become Kurama Uzumaki one day."
Zabuza simply nodded before turning back to Sasuke. "Since Kurama was the kid's boyfriend, and the kid is my master's son, this is now a more personal issue for me. So, you've got one chance to tell me why I shouldn't kill you."
Sasuke simply smirked as he reactivated his Sharingan. "I'm the last Uchiha of Konoha. If you kill me, the village will demand your head. Also, that guy was poisoning the dobe's mind. Ever since he came into the picture, Naruto hasn't been the same. If anything, you should all be thanking…"
*smack!*
Unlike the last hit that came from Sakura, Anko dealt a much more severe blow by using her chakra. Kakashi quickly stopped her hand from swinging at the gennin again and shook his head. "Don't waste your energy on this fool. I'll see to it that he's sent to the gallows for this."
Anko just pulled her hand out of Kakashi's grip and moved over to Naruto. The masked Jonin started to walk away from Sasuke but turned back to glare at him. "One of the first things I taught you was that those who abandon the mission are trash, but those who would betray a comrade in arms are lower than trash. Itachi may have murdered the Uchiha clan, but you have destroyed your clan's honor."
Sasuke just rolled his eyes while nursing his cheek. "What do they know," he thought. "I know I did the right thing. Once Naruto's back to normal, they'll see that I was right."
The emo was about to rejoin the group when everyone heard the sound of someone laughing. The shinobi all turned to see Gato and about five hundred thugs on the end of the unfinished bridge. Gato strolled forward and said, "I knew you were all talk, Zabuza. You had one task and you couldn't even do it right. Well, it seems as though I'll be turning you in for your bounty sooner than I thought."
He then turned to his men and shouted, "Loot the city and kill anyone who tries to stop you. However, spare the women and children. The kids should make good slave labor and the women…"
As Gato's goons started laughing, Tsunami began to get worried. She was about to collapse from fear when she saw a crossbow bolt pierce one of the thugs between the eyes. "You aren't touching our home, Gato!"
Everyone turned to see Inari leading a group of townsmen who were all armed to the teeth with makeshift weapons. Gato turned back to his men and laughed. "Don't be discouraged, boys. We still outnumber them by a heavy margin. Also, there's a nice bonus for the man who brings me that brat's head."
Just as the horde of thugs tried to step forward, a tornado of water appeared in the center of the bridge. When the water died down, Naruto gasped at the figures standing at the epicenter. "Harribel baa-chan, what are you doing here?"
Zabuza however was taken aback by the other figure. "Yagura-sama, why in Kami-hime's name are you here? Wait, does this…does this mean that the war is over?"
Yagura slowly approached Zabuza before giving a polite bow. "Yes, Zabuza-taichō, it's all over. I am no longer the Mizukage. Also, I am here to see my fiancé. Now, which one of you is Naruto Namikaze?"
As soon as Naruto raised his hand, Yagura walked around him as if to inspect him. When he finished, he gave the blonde an approving smile. "You are in top form for a thirteen-year old. I hope to bear you many beautiful children in the near future."
Almost everyone on the bridge facevauled while Kakashi was stifling a giggle. "Man, Jiraiya-sama's gonna love this one. Naruto's got his own little harem going."
When the blonde got back to his feet, he surprised everyone by taking Yagura's hand and kissing it. "It's a little too early to think about that but I'm sure that any children you bear me will be beautiful indeed."
"Okay, can we get back to what we were doing," shouted a confused Gato. "I came here to teach you all a lesson! Men, get to work!"
With Gato's army back on the advance, Naruto pulled out a crimson scroll with black tassels on the end. "This is as good of a time as any to use this. I can only hope you're watching over me, Kurama-chan."
He then unrolled the scroll and passed his hand over a seal to release a crimson Jian that had a four-ft. long blade and a one-ft. long black handle that had two crimson tassels on the end. The guard of the sword was a snarling fox head that was biting down on the blade and had a golden chain wrapped around the muzzle. "This blade is called Shuiro Shūsoku. It is the very blade that brought the warring kitsune clans to an era of peace. Now, it shall once again taste the blood of the wicked and bring peace to this nation."
The army of thugs paid Naruto little mind as they continued to advance. This proved to be a mistake as the blonde tore into them like wet paper. Within minutes of the initial attack, Naruto had cut down over a quarter of their fighters. To everyone watching, Naruto was nothing but a blur among flying limbs and dropping corpses.
During the battle, he noticed Gato trying to make subtle advances to the edge of the bridge. Naruto, feeling sure that the man had an escape boat waiting for him, turned to Kitana and said, "If there are any boats that belong to Gato in the water, burn them to ashes! We will not allow him to escape!"
Kitana gave a quick nod of the head before flying off of the bridge. Much to her surprise, there were three large boats with a total of about two hundred men waiting in the water. Sadly for them, their wooden boats couldn't stand up to foxfire and were quickly reduced to nothing. Kitana also made sure not to allow anyone to escape alive.
Back on the bridge, Naruto had decimated almost half of the thugs when he started to feel the withdrawal of energy from his previous rage. "I guess I need to finish this quickly. It's time to face your judgment, Gato-teme."
Kakashi and the others watched as Naruto removed the gold chain from around the fox's maw and allowed the jaws to open. Almost instantly, the blade was encased in a pulsing aura while Naruto felt his energy returning. With a twirl of his blade, the blonde ran back into the fight and started cutting thugs down at a faster rate.
From where Kakashi and the others were standing, Naruto had become little more than a blur. Kakashi himself couldn't decide whether to be proud of Naruto for accomplishing so much or scared of him for doing almost exactly what Kushina had done during…that incident. "Naruto-kun, you really are something special. You might just get that mask after all."
When the last thug had fallen, Naruto turned his gaze on Gato. As the fat man tried to back away in fear, Naruto took one final step before vanishing into thin air. Gato thought he was safe until a voice whispered, "You don't get off that easily, Gato-teme."
The midget of a man turned to see Naruto with a deep scowl on his face. "Please, don't kill me! I'll give you anything you want but don't kill me!"
Naruto simply raised his blade and snarled. "I don't make deals with monsters like you."
Before the tyrant could utter another word, Naruto swung his arm out and rendered the short man headless. He then picked up Gato's head and held it in the air for the people of Nami no Kuni to see. "This marks the end of Gato's tyranny. He will no longer be able to hurt you."
As the crowd broke out into cheers at Gato's death, Naruto sealed his blade away before walking over to the group. He then cupped Kurama's limp hand and said, "I wish I hadn't left your side, my angel. If not for my foolishness, this wouldn't have happened. Now I'll never get the chance to…"
*cough! cough!*
Naruto gasped as the still form of Kurama slowly became animated again. The redhead placed a hand behind his back before giving a sharp tug at something. "Man, those things really do smart. Naruto-kun, don't ever let anyone stab you in the back of the neck with an ice needle. It's not fun in the slightest."
As Kurama dropped the needle to the ground, Naruto pulled him into the strongest hug he could muster at the time. He then pulled back from the hug before kissing the demon on the forehead. "Don't ever scare me like that again. I thought I lost you."
The blonde helped his boyfriend to his feet before turning to Tsunami. "How did you know to come out here?"
The woman simply smiled before placing a hand over her heart. "A mother always knows when her child is hurting. Back at the house, I could feel your heart breaking and I knew I had to come."
Before Naruto could reply, Kurama looked at Tsunami and noticed that something was off. "Tsunami-san, I thought your eyes were black."
As everyone drew their attention to Tsunami and her now amethyst eyes, Serana saw something that shocked her to the core. "Tsunami-san, this is going to sound shocking to you but…"
"You're going to tell me that I'm possessed," the younger woman finished. "I've been possessed by this spirit for about three days now. She didn't give her name but it was her who led me here to Naruto-kun."
Serana was trying to wrap her head around the situation. "How did you come to be possessed by an Uzumaki? There aren't many of the clan who can actually project themselves as an astral form and possess someone."
Tsunami tried to think about the situation at hand but was unable to give a decent answer. "I'm sorry," she said, "but her voice is fading. I can't even register a faint…"
The woman was unable to finish her sentence due to her eyes turning black and passing out on the spot. Zabuza gently lifted her into his arms and turned to Tazuna. "You don't have to worry about me trying to kill you anymore. Gato-teme is dead which puts me out of a job…and a paycheck."
Naruto chuckled as he lifted Kurama onto his back. "I wouldn't be too worried about getting that paycheck. Let's just say that you won't be walking away empty-handed for having to deal with the fat one."
He then gave a sharp whistle and watched as a small black fox with yellow eyes ran up to him with a scroll in its mouth. Naruto took the scroll and gently scratched the kit under his chin. "When I met Haku-chan in the woods, I summoned Kagero here to follow her back to Gato's hideout and rob him blind. That paranoid idiot literally kept his entire fortune in that building and now it all belongs to me. Plus, with the info to his banking account just laying on his desk, everything he owns is mine now."
Kakashi smiled as everything seemed to be in order. "Well, it looks like this mission will have a happier ending than I thought. For now, let's get back to the house and get some rest."
One week later…
True to Kakashi's prediction, the rest of the mission went rather well. With everyone pitching in at the bridge, mostly Naruto and his liberal use of his clones, Tazuna was able to fully finish his bridge in under six days. To him, Naruto was practically a gift from Kami-hime that he was blessed to receive. Not only had the blonde been instrumental in finishing the bridge, he pretty much restored the much-needed hope of a dying country.
The only person who didn't do much to help with the bridge was Sakura. However, that was only because she spent those days training with Naruto and Anko. When the girl had first approached them, Naruto had been rather dubious. Still, Sakura proved that she was willing to do the work and now had the chakra levels of an average gennin. In everyone's eyes, that was a major improvement.
When the day of departure came around, Tazuna asked the shinobi group to stay long enough to attend an important ceremony. Upon arrival to the bridge, they noticed that there were thirteen seats in the front next to Inari and Tsunami. Tazuna waited for everyone to sit down before saying, "Ladies, gentlemen, and one annoying emo, we are gathered here today to celebrate our freedom from Gato."
He then pulled out a wine bottle and handed it to Inari. "At this time, I now ask that my grandson Inari do the honors of christening this bridge. Just don't drink the stuff, kid or your mom'll kill us both."
Inari smiled as he walked over to the edge of the bridge. "People of Nami no Kuni, we have all reached a mutual agreement for the name of our bridge. Therefore, I hereby christen thee 'The Great Naruto Bridge' in honor of the hero who gave us both our hope and our freedom!"
As the bottle smashed against the bridge, the entire crowd save for Sasuke and Sai broke out into thunderous cheers. Anko ruffled the blonde's hair and gave him a quick hug. "You really are a hero, Naruto-gaki. I can't tell you how proud I am of you."
Three hours later…
The Konoha contingency, Serana, Zabuza and Haku, and Harribel and Yagura were all headed back to Konoha when Kurama suddenly stopped moving. "Everyone hold on for a minute. There's a very familiar chakra source coming our way at a rapid pace."
"Do you think we can pass it by," asked Sakura.
Kurama shook his head while looking off into the distance. "Whoever this is, they're purposely coming directly at us. I just can't tell if it's a good thing or not."
The entire group silently reached for a weapon when they saw a figure enter their line of sight. As soon as the mysterious person stepped into full view, Kurama dropped his kunai in surprise. "This isn't possible," he said. "You died thirteen years ago. How are you here?"
Sakura turned to Kakashi only to see that the Jonin had dropped to one knee and bowed his head. She then turned her head to see that Zabuza, Sai, Anko, Takami, Yagura, and Haku had all done the same thing. Seeing that they wouldn't be able to answer her, she turned to Naruto for an answer. "Naruto, who is that woman and why are our senseis bowing to her?"
Naruto only watched in silence as the woman cautiously moved forward. The blonde's lips slowly curved into a smile as tears fell from his face. "Sakura, this is Kushina Uzumaki. They're bowing as a sign of respect to Konoha's greatest Anbu commander."
Sakura gasped as the gears all shifted into place. Looking at Kushina, she could see the truth in what Naruto had told her and Sasuke so long ago. As she looked closer, it dawned on her as to why Naruto looked so happy to see her. "So that means that she's…"
Naruto nodded as his smile grew bigger. "She's my mom."
Chapter end~
Hello, one and all. It's King Cairo here to wrap up another chapter. As you will have noticed, Kushina is indeed alive in this story. My reason for bringing her to life is because I need a character who can eventually help bring Danzo and Root down. By the way, Kushina will not be receiving the Mokuton. I've got something else planned for her.
Oh, and for anyone who might question Kagura and Serana about their black hair, let me put it into perspective for you. Tsunade, is one-fourth Uzumaki and has blonde hair while Naruto is one-half Uzumaki. If they can have blonde hair, why can't there be an Uzumaki or two with black hair.
As for the others on the tree, Masashi Kishimoto never confirmed or denied if they came from the Uzumaki clan except for Nagato and Karin. Therefore, until I get solid proof, they're a part of the family.
Before I forget, there will be two polls for this story on my profile. One will end on the last day in April and the other will start on May 1st and end on the 31st. I'm doing this because I won't be posting another chapter until the month of June. With my current job demanding more and more of my time, I have little time to write like I used to. Just know that I'm still here and still posting.
Btw, if you don't vote on these polls, THE UPDATES WILL TAKE EVEN LONGER! The outcome of these polls will aid me in writing the next chapter faster. If nobody votes, it'll throw production off of its course.
Also, mondo props to whoever can guess where I got the inspiration for Yagura's line to Naruto.
And now it's time for the translations.
Jutsu/Translations…
Uzushiogakure no Sato/Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides- the homeland of the Uzumaki Clan.
Uzukage/Whirlpool Shadow- the leader of Uzushio.
Gentō hontai no jutsu/Magic lantern body technique- this technique casts an ethereal image of the user to appear in a specific location. It's based off of the technique used by the Akatsuki when they hold their meetings.
Gentō hontai no jutsu: Reizō shoji/Magic lantern body technique: Spirit image possession- this is a variant of the gentō hontai no jutsu that allows the caster to inhabit the body of another being. The only influence the jutsu caster has on the host is that their eyes change color and they can have a limited conversation with the host.
Konoha no Eiyū/Hero of the Leaf- the title Anko awarded Naruto for being able to overcome the bullshit he deals with.
Hyōton: Sensatsu suishō/Ice style: Thousand needles of death- the upgraded version of its suiton counterpart. This jutsu actually freezes the needles to give them a better attack power.
Hijutsu: Makyō hyōshō/Secret technique: Demonic crystal ice mirrors- the strongest technique in Haku's arsenal. This jutsu creates a dome of mirrors that Haku can stand in and spam attacks from. She can also travel from mirror to mirror and do melee attacks with ease.
Shuiro Shūsoku/Vermillion Convergence- the blade that was gifted to Kurama by Inari-sama in order to unite the feuding kitsune clans into one family. Kurama has deemed Naruto worthy of the blade and has given it to the blonde as a token of trust.
That's all for now and I'll see you in chapter 5.