Thanks for those few reviews you did. Sorry for long wait, but I don't have time to write every day, so I'm updating once in a week.
Maybe I should make chapters shorter but update more often? I will think about it.
To answer one of the reviews:
war sage: pairings? well, that is a secret. it will NOT be a harem though.
I updated (as promised) the picture of Naruto's Rinnegan in my profile.
To answer one of the reviews:
serialkeller: thanks for asking. I know it sounds like they had this dream just so that they knew what the other looked like, but it's not completely true. So far my story was quite straightforward so I decided to put some 'mysteriousness', if you can call it like that, to my story. Think about it. It was Kami who sent them this dream. Would she bother to intervene in humans' life just so they knew how the other look like? I don't think so. There's more to this dream than it seems. "Look underneath the underneath" (I think that's how Kakashi says it). I will not reveal what this dream was about, but it will be important later in the story. Have you thought about: Who was that monster? Why did Naruto's Rinnegan looked differently? Why he was alone? How this dream is connected with Alicia and Naruto?
I know that dreams can be about ANYTHING, but this was a dream from Kami. Like a message, if you like. I hope I made it clear.
For those who may ask: 'why not harem?'
I don't have anything against harem, I sometimes even enjoy reading fic with it. But there are many fictions where all the story is about how Naruto sleeps with various women for several chapters and doesn't make any progress into main plot (unless fucking every girl you see is a main plot. *laughs*).
But as I am a new writer, I think I will have some difficulties writing a harem and divide relationship between Naruto and different women. Also, I would like to give other guys a chance. It's always Naruto who gets ALL the girls in town and leaves everyone else with nothing. I know he deserves love 'n' stuff, but you can get enough love from one woman as well. So, Naruto will have one girlfriend who he has deep love and relationship with, but it doesn't mean I can't add some 'sex partners'*wink*wink*.
For example, Naruto is together with, umm... lets say, Ino. He goes to dates with her, makes love (read: fucks) with her and stuff like that. And at the same time he sometimes fucks with Anko and Kurenai as well, but he isn't in relationship with either them (and Ino knows about it and sometimes joins in). I hope you see where am I going with it and made it clear. *wide-smile*
UPDATE 14/03/2013 : the chapter has been beta'ed.
Disclaimer: I DON'T own 'Naruto', but OCs is my own creation.
Chapter 2
Drip!
Drip!
Drip! was the only thing Naruto heard when he woke up. He looked around and tried to figure out where he was. It looked like some kind of sewer or underground bunker with pipes running along the walls and ceiling. The place looked creepy.
"Where the hell am I?" Naruto asked himself. He tried to remember what happened and how he ended up here. Slowly, his memories came back to him.
"Oh that's right. Mizuki and those two attacked us, then someone spoke to me, then I felt some kind of power and then..." Naruto gasped "...oh no.. I.. I-I killed them. A-All of them... W-What have I done? Am I re-really a d-de-demon like everyone talks about?" Tears started to form in his eyes. "I-I need to find somebody. I-I need to find the exit."
He took a step and noticed there was water that reached his ankles. But it didn't make Naruto's feet wet. Creepy.
He was walking through various tunnels, trying to find an exit until he heard something. It sounded like breathing and snorting? Being a curious kid, Naruto walked towards the noises' direction. Plus, he hoped it will be someone who could help him.
After about 5 minutes he reached a dead end. Or so he thought. He was standing in front of huge cage-like doors which were held closed with a paper with kanji for 'seal' on it. In Naruto's opinion, it didn't look reliable enough to keep the door shut. And he couldn't see what was inside the cage, because it was pitch black in there. But the breathing was louder than 5 minutes ago.
Then, before Naruto could go into the cage, two large,red eyes with black slits snapped open. As the eyes opened, a bit of light came into the cage, revealing a huge fox laying inside. But what caught Naruto's attention were the nine tails which was calmly swinging behind the fox.
Naruto let out a scream, and backed away from the cage. He had read about Kyuubi, who attacked Konoha 8 years ago, and he knew what it looked like. But to be so close to it was a new experience for him. He was so frightened, he almost pissed his pants and he was gaping like a fish, afraid to say something or call for a help.
The Fox observed him with curious eyes until it became boring.
"Don't worry kit, I won't hurt or eat you." Kyuubi said with a surprisingly calm voice for a demon.
"H-H-How I-I can b-be sure? You're a de-demon after all. A-And w-why are you h-here? Y-You should be de-dead." Naruto stuttered in fear, although in mind he was surprised "IT speaks!"
"HA! I can't be killed. I'm made of pure chakra and no mortal can kill me!" Kyuubi said with amusement.
"W-What? Then w-where are w-we? Is this some k-kind of d-dream? I-If you c-can't be killed, w-what happened to y-you 8 y-years ago?" Naruto asked. Little by little he was overcoming his fear and stuttering, seeing the demon is not going to kill him. Yet.
"Too many questions, kit. But I will answer them. No, it's not a dream and we're in your mindscape which was created by the seal, which also put me here, in other words, we're in your mind. To answer your other question, although I can't be killed, I can be sealed using potent and strong seals." Kyuubi answered and watched Naruto, hoping he will figure it out himself. Kyuubi knew Naruto is not as stupid as everyone thinks.
"My mind... can't be killed, only sealed... cage with a seal... voice in my head... villagers hate..." Naruto muttered and then he widened his eyes. "No... It can't be! You're sealed inside me?"
"Yes, I'm sealed inside of you. I knew you would figure it out, by giving you obvious hints." fox answered with a grin, showing all its sharp teeth. It looked very intimidating.
"B-But why? Why did the Yondaime Hokage choose me out of all o-orphans?" Naruto asked, tears coming from his eyes, fear forgotten. He just wanted to know why Yondaime ruined his life.
"Should I tell him or not? Nahh, I'll tell him, better now than later. He needs to know the truth anyway. If I'll tell him now, he will be broken just for a week or two. If I'll tell him some other time, he will be broken twice." Kyuubi thought.
"T-Tell me, why? W-Why me?"
"He just couldn't ask another parent to sacrifice their child."
"AND HE JUST CHOSE A RANDOM ORPHAN WITHOUT PARENTS?" Naruto yelled angrily, his voice full of fury and his eyes red from tears.
"Yes and No. Yes, he chose you. No, he didn't choose, as you say, a random child. You're his son, kit. He chose his own son."
"What? What are you talking about, fox?" Naruto asked. His anger and fury settled, and now confusion was in his voice. "I can't be Yondaime's son... It just sounds too good. I can't be the son of such an important person. It doesn't make any sense."
"Yes, you are. Think about it. First, he chose his own newborn son, whose chakra coils didn't develop yet and so he (son) would be loyal to village after sealing. Secondly, before he died, he asked the village to see you as a hero, who keeps in me in prison. Of course he was an idiot, believing they will honor this kind of wish. Thirdly, he knew something dark was coming and this world needed a hero. Who else would be better for this role, than a kid with the strongest of bijuu sealed inside him and enormous chakra reserves?" Kyuubi answered with foxish smirk. "Lastly, you look just like him. Exact copy. Blue eyes, blond hair, the same face, only yours is a bit rounder than his."
After thinking for a while, he admitted that it made sense. He remembered all the pictures of the Yondaime, and he admitted that the Yondaime looked just like him. He still needed to confirm it with ojiisan.
But now he couldn't hate the man. He sacrificed his life for the village, it was something that a true leader would do. And he asked the village to see Naruto as a hero. Something, Naruto had always wanted.
"I see. It makes sense now. But I will confirm it with ojiisan. I have to know if it's really true." Naruto said.
Kyuubi just nodded and waited for some more questions.
It was shocking to find out the lord of demons, Kyuubi no Yoko, was sealed inside him. It was more shocking to find out the man he admired the most, was his idol, was also his father, who sealed the said bijuu inside him. But he will think about it later.
"I'll think about everything later, when I will wake up. Can I ask some q-questions?" Naruto asked. Every time he looked at demon's eyes, he stuttered.
Kyuubi smiled... or grinned. Depends from which point of view one saw.
"Of course, kit. We still have some time until you will wake up."
"R-Right. I've read the Kyuubi is a malicious being, full of rage and hatred and kills everything it sees. But I don't feel anything evil from you. At all. Why?"
"Well, it's simple. Your books lie."
"Huh?"
Kyuubi sighed. "When I was created, along with 8 other bijuu, I was an intelligent creature. Our creator gave us a task and we were scattered about the elemental nations. Slowly, after thousands of years, the other bijuu went berserk because of the long time in the living world or because of unknown conditions. Bijuu are not stable creatures. I too was losing my mind. But then something happened and my mind was healed. So I lived like that for some thousand years. But one day, a man found me and used his kekkei genkai, the Sharingan, to tame me. Then everything went blank. He was VERY powerful if he could tame me. Next thing I knew, I was fighting another man, who could use Mokuton."
Naruto was listening very carefully. In his opinion it was interesting to hear some history.
"Mokuton? You mean the Shodaime Hokage?"
"Yes. Don't interrupt me anymore, kid!" Kyuubi growled. It really didn't like when someone interrupted it. "As I was saying, I was fighting a man with the Mokuton ability and he won the fight. When I was released from the Sharingan's effect, I fled from there as far as possible, my instincts said to do so. But I was unsuccessful. Shodaime found me and sealed me inside a woman. Being tamed by the Sharingan and then being sealed were key factors in losing my mind. It was the moment I lost all my clear thinking and acted only on instinct, rage and bloodlust. I was like a savage animal, like the books described me. Until now. I'm very lucky I was sealed inside you."
To say Naruto was shocked was like saying the village loved him. To think Kyuubi was once an intelligent creature and was fighting with the Shodaime Hokage himself. And lost.
"Any more questions so far?"
After moment of thinking and overcoming his shock, Naruto asked, "If you were sealed, how did you break free and attack Konoha?"
"8 years ago, a man with the Sharingan set me free from my previous host. The same eyes tamed me again and controlled me. The man ordered me to attack the village. After his control of me was gone, everything I saw was red. I was filled with rage and I was on a rampage. Unfortunately, I don't know any details on how was I freed or who my previous host was. And I'm sorry for attacking this village."
"Okay, that explains why books say you're a malicious being. And don't apologize, it wasn't completely your fault. But why until now? What changed you? When you offered power, you sounded evil, but now you don't seem evil or malicious at all."
"I had hoped you will me ask that. You see, when I was flooding you with my chakra, you were subconsciously mixing it with your own chakra and channeling it to your eyes in order to find the last man. You put so much strain on your eyes that you would have become blind, but you got lucky and instead of going blind, you awakened a dormant power. Your bloodline."
"M-My bloodline? I have a bloodline?" Naruto asked, shock clearly evident in his voice.
Kyuubi scowled. Naruto interrupted it again.
"Yes, your bloodline. Rinnegan. Don't ask any questions, I'll explain." Kyuubi said and thought how to explain it clearly, so Naruto could understand it "You don't have a normal Rinnegan though. It's a bit evolved. Also, you were gifted with special chakra, though I don't know why or how. Remember when you suddenly felt pain in your eyes and your whole body?" After getting a nod from Naruto, Kyuubi continued "You were in pain because in here, your mindscape, your own chakra was mixing with a new chakra. When they finished mixing, this new chakra was fighting with me, trying to overcome me, while in real world three chakras were mixing together, which was successful. After your new chakra engulfed me, it started to heal my mind and placed various blocks so I wouldn't go berserk again. As long as I'm sealed inside you I will not become a savage animal again. Plus, even if I get free of you, I will start losing my intelligence only after some thousands of years." Kyuubi finished explaining.
Naruto widened his eyes. He was shocked and awed at the same time.
"Rinnegan? But I thought it was just a legend. How come I have it?" he asked, emphasizing the word 'I' as if it was something UN-fucking-believable.
"In some way, it is a myth. You see, you don't get Rinnegan by blood. When dark times come and when the world is in danger, Kami herself chooses a human who will save the world, or do something else in the name of the better good, and who will wield the sacred eyes. The first human to ever wield the Rinnegan was Rikudou Sennin, my creator. Only one human in the world can have the Rinnegan. Seeing that you have a different one, I presume there is already someone with the original Rinnegan."
If Naruto wasn't in his mindscape, he would have passed out from this kind of information. Kami chose him? Rinnegan? Rikudou Sennin created Kyuubi? It was too much for his poor brain.
"Wait, you said only one person can wield the Rinnegan and then you say there's someone else with these eyes. Can you explain that?"
"I am not sure, but I presume the original Rinnegan wielder did something that could bring more disaster to this world. Like, he chose the wrong path, did something wrong or something along those lines. Remember this, kit, humans are not perfect and when given power, they will not always walk the correct path. But if Kami chose you, I will trust her judgment and help you."
Naruto just nodded in understanding. He didn't know why, but he understood everything the Kyuubi was saying to him. He didn't have as many questions as most kids his age would have. Maybe it had something to do with this new Rinnegan? He didn't think too much about it.
"Umm, what do you mean by "helping" me?"
"I will train you. Kit, Kami chose you and my mission is to train you."
"Awesome! An overgrown fox with nine tails, who also happens to be a Lord of Demons, will train me! How awesome is that?" Naruto said, excited and all fear lost, bumping his fist into the air until he heard Kyuubi's growl.
"Watch your mouth, kid. I'm not an overgrown fox."
"Umm, sorry." Naruto said with sheepish smile. "Oh, what do you mean by 'mission'?"
"I will tell you later. Our time has come to an end. Do you have any other questions?"
"Actually yes. How will you train me? I mean, do I always will have to come here to speak to you?"
"I'm afraid so, yes, kit. The seal is very powerful and it will not allow me to speak to you, unless you're enraged. Next time when you come here, I will tell you your training schedule."
"I see. Do you have a name or I will I always have to refer to you as Kyuubi? And are you male or female?" Naruto curiously asked. A Demon Lord should have a name or gender, at least he thought so.
Kyuubi let out a small chuckle "Yes, I have a name, but I will not tell it to you now. And I don't have a gender, I'm a being made from chakra and given intelligence and consciousness. Why?"
"I guess you will tell me your name when you trust me more. And it's uncomfortable to refer to you as 'it'. From now on I will refer to you as 'he', okay?"
"So the new Rinnegan boosted his intelligence? I'm glad he found out I will tell him my name when I get to know him better. Still, it's surprising." Kyuubi thought and answered "Sure, I don't care. Anything else?"
"Yeah, last thing. How do I activate my Rinnegan?"
"Well, you just channel chakra to your eyes and think 'Rinnegan'. I think that's how it works."
"What do you mean by 'you think'?"
"You see, the original Rinnegan has one con. Once it awakens, it cannot be deactivated and always stays on. But yours, somehow, is different. While you will rest outside, I will analyze the recent battle and try to find out the new abilities of your Rinnegan. Go on, try and activate it." Kyuubi answered, emphasizing word 'your'.
"Umm. Kyuubi-sama. Ho-"
Before Naruto could finish, Kyuubi growled a bit, "Kid, don't -sama me. Just Kyuubi or Kyuubi-sensei. I hate all that honorifics stuff."
Naruto was a bit surprised "And here I thought, the lord of the demons will demand respect. I guess not..." He thought and then continued, "Right. Kyuubi. So, I can channel chakra to my eyes the same way I channel it to my feet, right?"
Kyuubi rolled his eyes for such a stupid question. "Yes. The same concept. Try to close your eyes. Usually it helps when activating dojutsu for the first time."
Naruto nodded and did as Kyuubi instructed. He closed his eyes, imagined the chakra in his body and how it flows to his eyes, when he felt it was enough he thought "Rinnegan!"and quickly opened his eyes.
He gasped. It became much lighter now, as if they were outside, in a field on a sunny day. Then, with his Rinnegan, he looked at Kyuubi. Directly at his eyes.
Kyuubi's eyes widened when he saw the slits in both of Naruto's eyes begin to spin rapidly, and he knew something was going to happen. And it happened. He felt how a portion of his demonic chakra was being drawn out; it lasted for just 2 or 3 seconds. After that, he saw a ball of dark orange chakra floating in front of him. Then, the orange chakra quickly moved through the sealed gates and engulfed Naruto, who was sitting there as if nothing happened, his slits still spinning, and then was absorbed by him.
His Rinnegan stopped spinning, deactivated itself and Naruto snapped back to reality.
"What just happened? When I looked in your eyes, I passed out for some seconds."
Kyuubi, panting slightly, said "I don't know, kit... It looks you awakened a new ability. You just took a portion of my chakra and absorbed it. It wasn't much though, less than half of the one tail chakra amount."
"But I didn't do anything. Will my Rinnegan always do stuff by itself?" Naruto asked. He just hoped he didn't make Kyuubi mad. He sighed in relief, when he didn't sense any anger from the demon.
"No. I guess it will only happen when you awaken new abilities. Okay, our time has come to an end. We will meet again in the near future. Take care, kit." Kyuubi said and closed his eyes to go back to sleep, in order to regain all the strength he lost after the 'Battle in the Mindscape' and now.
Before Naruto could respond, bright light entered his mindscape and blinded him. He blinked a few times, and after the 4th blink he opened his eyes.
"Where am I now?" Naruto asked himself as he stared at the white ceiling.
"You're in the hospital, Naruto." someone said. "How do you feel?"
Naruto turned his head and saw someone who he thinks of as grandfather.
"Ojiisan!" Naruto almost shouted in excitement. "I'm okay, I guess. What happened and how long have I been here?"
"Well, to answer your second question, you've been out for two days." the old Hokage answered.
"WHAT? TWO DAYS?" Naruto shouted. "What the hell! Why so long?"
"For some reason you had slight chakra exhaustion, as well as... blindness. Even so, for you it is a long time. And to answer your first question, that's what I would want to know. Can you tell me what happened?" He asked.
"Blindness? Was it because of my ...?" Naruto muttered. Hokage couldn't hear the last word though. "Yeah, I can tell you what happened from what I remember." Hokage nodded, telling him to continue. "We arrived at this awesome field in the forest. It was really beautiful. Then, we set up our tents, we made campfire and then we had some free time before Iruka-sensei would start his lecture. When he started, I suddenly felt very tired and wanted to sleep, but I somehow resisted it. I saw how the others were falling asleep. Then Mizuki appeared with someone. There was Mizuki, one more man and a woman. I didn't recognize which village they were from, but I remembered their hitai-ate. There was musical note on it. After that, they split up - the two strangers went for Iruka-sensei and Mizuki approached me."
"A note? I don't remember such a village... Maybe a new one?" Hiruzen thought. "I see. What happened next?"
Naruto thought a bit, whether tell him or not. He decided to tell him, he trusted the old Hokage after all and he didn't want to lie to him.
"Ojiisan, promise you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Promise or I will leave this village." Naruto said with serious expression.
Hiruzen was a bit shocked at such a statement. "I promise. But would you really leave? And I doubt you could do that."
Naruto just grinned. "Well, if I can escape ANBU after my pranks, escaping the village wouldn't be that hard, would it?"
The old Hokage looked at Naruto with amusement. But it was true, if Naruto could escape ANBU, then leaving village wouldn't be that hard either. "You're right, it wouldn't be that hard. But would you do it?"
"Of course not. I just said that so you would promise and realize how serious what I'm about to say is. Even after everything this village did to me, this is still my home and I love it." Naruto said with a bright smile.
ANBU, which were hiding nearby and guarding the Hokage, sweatdropped. "This kid..."
"You're very sneaky, you know that?" Hiruzen said with a sigh.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Oh, and place a privacy seal a round the room and tell your ANBU to leave."
Now both ANBU in the area and the Hokage were surprised. They were surprised because some first year academy brat could sense them, although they had suppressed and masked their chakra.
Overcoming his shock, the Hokage asked, "I don't even know how you sensed the ANBU, but I believe it's something to do with what you're gonna tell me, right?" After receiving a nod, he continued, "Is it so important?"
Naruto's face was very serious, and he had that face only when something really serious happened. "Yes, it is. Besides, I completely trust you, but not ANBU. I don't want any rumors to spread."
After thinking a bit, Hiruzen nodded and signaled the ANBU to leave. After a second, the tension in the air was lighter.
"Ojiisan, there, in the corner," he pointed at the far right corner of the room "is one more ANBU. I told you, I can sense their chakra."
Once again, the Hokage was surprised, but he just lifted his hand, signaling the last ANBU to leave. Then he made some hand seals and room walls flashed blue, before returning to normal, indicating that the privacy seal was now set.
"Now tell me, what was so important that happened?" Hokage asked gently.
"Right. When Mizuki approached me, he started to talk some nonsense. Then, I saw how Iruka-sensei was being beaten and how everyone was laying there, helpless. It appeared Mizuki was after me and Hinata for some reason. When I heard that, I was very angry and then someone offered me power... and I accepted it. Suddenly I started feeling angrier and my body moved by instinct. I... I-I k-killed Mizuki with a stab from my hand to his heart. A-And then I-I killed that w-woman." Naruto answered, tears forming in his eyes. He had killed three people that day. "A-Am I a mindless k-ki-killer? Am I really the d-demon ev-everyone talks a-about?"
Hiruzen, again, was a bit shocked when he heard about someone talking in Naruto's mind and offering him power. "Kyuubi... And those damn villagers, still calling him names, even after I forbade it..." he thought with a scowl on his face. Hiruzen then calmly asked "Tell me, Naruto. Why did you kill them?"
Naruto looked at Hokage with teary eyes and said "To protect my friends, of course. When I saw my classmates laying there, and Iruka being beaten, I remembered how Iruka-sensei once said to me 'you can become even more powerful if you have precious people to protect'. That's why accepted that power in the first place."
"I see. Now tell me, did you enjoy killing?" Hiruzen asked.
"I-I don't know. I mean, I felt nothing when I killed them, but after my small frenzy disappeared, I realized what I did. It was h-horrible. I killed so-someone. I ki-killed my se-sensei..." Naruto answered with small sobs in the end.
The Hokage put his hands on Naruto's shoulders gently, with a warm smile, which showed how much he cared for Naruto, said "Don't cry, Naruto. You did the right thing. Mizuki betrayed us and our village. He wanted to hurt your friends and classmates, as well as Iruka. Kami knows what would have happened if you hadn't been there. The most important thing was that you didn't enjoy it and that you felt sorry for the actions you had to perform. It means you won't become a mindless killer. You also did it for the right reasons. But remember, when you become a ninja and go on missions, you will have to kill in order to complete the mission. Just remember, you do it for right reasons."
Naruto's sobs became quieter and he hugged the Hokage "T-Thanks, ojiisan. Your words mean a lot to me."
"No problem, Naruto. Remember that I will always support you. But I believe your story doesn't end like that... there's something more to it, right? You didn't tell me what happened to the third person."
"Right. After I k-killed the woman, I..."
And so he told the Hokage everything that happened. Including his new bloodline and Kyuubi, though he didn't mention that Kyuubi told him who his father was. After Naruto finished retelling what happened, old Sarutobi sat there silently, staring at Naruto stupidly and blankly for about one or two minutes. Then...
"WHAT?" shouted Hokage. "So let me get this straight. You heard Kyuubi, it was evil and you accepted its power. Then you got new chakra and it mixes with your own. Then your new chakra heals Kyuubi's mind and it happens that Kyuubi is not evil... After that you find out that you have THE Rinnegan, and shoud I mention, an evolved one, because you've been chosen by Kami to help this world, or so the Kyuubi says. Then Kyuubi offers to train you because of some unknown mission. After that, you activate your Rinnegan in your mindscape and something happens. Am I right so far?"
Naruto sheepishly smiled and rubbed back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, that's pretty much what happened."
"I need sake. I'm getting too old for this..." the Hokage muttered. "Can you show me?"
Understanding what the ojiisan wants, Naruto closed his eyes, channeled some chakra to his eyes and thought "Rinnegan!"and then opened his eyes, showing the Hokage his Rinnegan with two slits around his pupils.
While Hiruzen stared at Naruto's Rinnegan with an opened mouth, Naruto examined his surroundings. He couldn't believe how well he could see, he could see everything in much better detail. Naruto then saw flower pots near the window, which was at the end of the room, and tried to focus on the leaf. Slowly, he could see more and more detail on the leaf - two drops of water from the morning dew, green veins running along the leaf. After 2 seconds he could also see a small dust layer on the leaf and a small bug running there. He then lost his concentration when the Hokage called for him.
"Naruto... Your right eyes' slits are slowly spinning. What are you doing?"
"Huh? Oh, I was focusing on the flower over there." He then pointed at the flower, "After some seconds I could see almost all the details on the leaf, even the dust and a small bug. And you said my right eye? I think my right eye gives me the ability to see further. Maybe there's something more to it. I hope Kyuubi will find out." Naruto finished and deactivated his Rinnegan just by stopping the flow of chakra to his eyes. Somehow, it was easier to manipulate chakra in his body than it was before when he did tree walking.
"Right. I don't really like the idea of you being trained by Kyuubi or talking with him, but I will trust you. Itachi, the ANBU who was watching you, said that your chakra cloak changed and wasn't radiating anymore bloodlust. Your story explains why. So I will trust you." Hokage said.
"Umm, if you already knew everything, why did you ask?" Naruto asked, curious. Then he got it. "Oh, wait. Don't answer. You asked because you wanted to see how everything happened from my point of view and to fill in some holes from Itachi-san's report, right?"
"That is correct, Naruto. I'm impressed. One week ago you couldn't get it so fast." Hokage replied.
"I think it has something to do with my Rinnegan. When I found out Kyuubi was sealed inside me, I wasn't so sad about it as I thought I would be. I just accepted it. In my opinion, the Rinnegan somehow boosted my intelligence, though I'm not sure. I still need some time to think about everything Kyuubi said to me." Naruto said.
"I see. Then I will leave you. I have to return to my duties. You will stay here for 2 more days and then return back to the academy." Hokage said as he stood up. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I approve of this training, but when you become a genin, you will show me your skill and what you've learned. Understood?"
"Yes, ojiisan. See ya later." Naruto said as he laid back in bed and went to sleep.
The Hokage just smiled and left the hospital, returning to the tower to resume his duties. To be more precise, to be tortured by damn paperwork. Again.
-Village, somewhere near Kaminari no Kuni borderland-
It was deep night in a small village near Kaminari no Kuni (Lightning country) borderland. The full moon shone in all its glory, illuminating lone streets with its mysterious light. You could hear some wolf pack, hidden near the forest's shadows, howling at the moon and ready to hunt their unsuspecting prey. Most of the villagers were already asleep, their homes embraced in darkness, dreaming about various things. Though some houses still had their lights on.
And one of these houses was the Tsukiko clan's main building.
The Tsukiko clan was a very ancient clan with a very rare bloodline and summoning contract. Why were they rare? Because only once in 400-500 years a single member of clan can awaken their ancient bloodline and only this one person can sign their sacred summoning contract. The bloodline was very strong, so strong it could cease wars or heal injuries; it could summon souls to aid allies, or rain death on their enemies. In order to awaken the bloodline, one needed to meet various conditions. One may think that one of these conditions is high emotional or physical pain, but that's not true. At least, not completely. The condition is unknown. Each member who ever awakened the bloodline did it in different ways - one suffered emotional pain, the other suffered high physical pain while someone else got it out of the blue.
But the last member, who had this bloodline, died 1500 years ago. No one knows why the bloodline had suddenly disappeared, but it is the reason why this clan is now extinct. The last two members of this clan, a girl and her grandfather remain on their sacred ground, in their home; their village which they built. It was a rather small village too.
They say the bloodline has disappeared, that it's nothing but a myth. But they are wrong. The ancient power is going to be awakened again. By the sole survivor of the said clan.
The main clan hall was lit by many candles on the walls. The room wasn't bright, but it was enough too see. This room was sacred and was used only in important clan events, like meetings and deciding clan or clan members' fates. And today, or rather tonight, was an important event for one girl.
In the middle of the hall was a large bed, surrounded by candles. In the bed laid an old man, covered with silver colored blankets. He had short grey hair, and his face had many wrinkles, indicating his old age. It looked like he was in his early 70s, but he looked sick and... dying.
Near the old man, next to the bed, was a young girl. She had a beautiful face - narrow eyebrows, deep brown eyes with black pupils, a small but beautiful nose and thin lips. She had long, light brown hair, which reached a bit past her shoulder blades and bangs hanging down on either side of her face to frame her beautiful face. Although she was only 9 years old, she was beautiful. The girl was on her knees, her face buried in her palm, crying. Why is she crying? Because her only relative, her grandfather will die within some minutes.
"Alice-chan," the old man addressed her granddaughter with weak voice "why are you crying?"
Alice, whose full name was Alicia Tsukiko, lifted her head, showing her red cheeks and eyes, answered with sorrow and anger. Sorrow for obvious reason, but anger for such a stupid question, "Why am I crying? How could I not when all my clan and family has died and you're the only one left. How could I not cry when you're going to die too and I'll be left all alone?" she finished and buried her face in her palms again and started to cry louder, no longer capable of keeping it in.
"I'm old, Alice-chan. You should know members of our clan usually die about this age." the old man said, then he paused as if thinking about something. After minute of silence (except Alicia's crying) the old man continued as serious as he could in his condition "Listen, Alicia. Do you know the prophecy of our clan?"
Alicia lifted her head, hearing how serious her ojiisan was. She just nodded; She knew about the prophecy from the age of six. The man then continued.
"I believe with all my heart the prophecy is about you, Alice-chan..." the man coughed several times.
"B-but it's just that, a prophecy. It is as good as a myth." she countered.
"Alicia!" the old man sternly said. "Listen carefully. I believe in you. You heard me? I. Believe. In. You." he said, emphasizing each his word, "Even if you will do not awaken it, I believe you will do as the prophecy says, because that is my last wish." seeing his granddaughter's widened eyes, he reached into his pocket in his pants, and took out a key. It looked really old and it had some kind of wing-like pattern on it's bow. "Here, take this key. Just in case you're the one. You know where the sacred chamber is." he said as he gave Alicia the key, which she accepted with trembling hands. He continued "From now on, you're heir and sole survivor to our clan. Good luck, Alicia. I love you."
More tears started to form in girl's eyes. She squeezed the key and put her hands on her chest, where heart should be, as if it was the dearest thing left for her.
"T-Thank y-you, ojiisan. I will d-do as y-you ask. I l-l-love y-you t-t-too," she said as she hugged her grandfather for last time. When she let him go, she saw him smiling and ... glowing.
"Thank you. Be the val*cough*kyrie like some of our predecessors were." he quietly said, as he was engulfed in yellow and white light and slowly started to evaporate. Although when someone dies it is sad, but it was beautiful. In five or six seconds, he was gone. Dead.
But Alicia knew better. Her clan didn't just die, and the way they died is not normal on it's own. When the person in their clan dies, they connect with nature around, as if they were creations of nature themselves.
When the last particle of her deceased grandfather disappeared, she was broken, but at the same time you could see the strong determination in her eyes.
"I won't let you down, ojiisan!" she said quietly.
Light started to form around her, but she didn't notice it.
"I will fulfill your wish and heal this world!" she said louder, her voice full of determination, still oblivious to the sudden light around her, which was getting bigger and brighter.
Suddenly she stood up and as if trying to convince someone, shouted "FOR I AM ALICIA TSUKIKO, HEIR TO THE TSUKIKO CLAN AND ITS LAST MEMBER!"
After those words were spoken, she noticed the light around herself. She gasped, but it was too late. The light flared, illuminating all the village through compound's windows, making the night as light as the day. It kept for some seconds, then the light died down.
After the light was gone, Alicia stood there for some seconds, her eyes wide in shock, after which she fel, uncoscious. But something had changed though - her hair changed from light brown to light blonde and was now reaching down to her lower back.
Some of the villagers who were still awake saw the flare, and thought with awe,
"The valkyrie is born."
-Alicia's dream-
She was... flying or floating above the village. The village was huge and almost all the population looked happy. Why almost? Because there was one place which was filled with some kind of grey aura. The aura itself radiated hate.
When she looked closely at that part of the village, she saw a six year old blonde boy walking on the street. What caught her attention was his shadow - it had nine tendrils, which looked like tails. The boy himself radiated a calm and bright aura, while the civilians around him radiated hate and the grey aura towards him. One of the civilians even took a tomato and wanted to throw it at the boy, but was stopped by another civilian who whispered something to the first one.
Although it was just a whisper, and Alicia was very far from there, she could hear what he said. "Don't anger the demon!"
Then she saw how everything started losing color wherever the blonde kid went, various insults thrown his way.
"Demon!"
"Scum!"
"Kyuubi brat!"
"Get away from here!"
"Why can't you just die?"
These were the most often used ones. But despite everything, the kid was smiling and radiating that small aura. And so she watched how the day went for the boy.
When the day was finished, and the boy went to sleep, Alicia was amazed how he kept going after everything the village did to him. She also pitied him.
"Poor kid. He is no older than six or seven, and he has to endure so much. How can he keep going on after everything? He doesn't even have friends. How can he smile? Could I do the same?" she thought, awed at the boy.
Then, the scene changed. She was floating(once again) above a large crater. There were many holes around, some large water puddles. She also saw mountains and forests in the background, but what terrified her the most was HUGE monster standing there. By huge, she meant huge like a mountain. She couldn't see any details of the monster, only it's red eyes, which seemed familiar. She then looked below the monster and gasped. There, not very far away from the monster, stood the same boy from before, but this time he had nine red tails with orange tips swinging behind him. The boy turned and lifted his head and looked directly into Alicia's eyes. She gasped. His eyes were like she had never seen before - ripple-like pattern around the blue slitted pupil with a red iris and purple scalera, it also had three white tomoe around the pupil. Then she noticed the boy had some kind of crimson red pigment round his eyes.
The monster let out a demonic and monstrous roar. Alicia screamed for him to run, but to no avail. Her warnings and screaming were silent. She then saw how the boy closed his eyes and how a single tear fell down.
The monster then shot a large stream of black and purple flame at the boy, engulfing him. When the fire died down, she saw no one there. Only a burning crater.
Alicia started to cry for boy's fate. It was so cruel.
Alicia woke up in a cold sweat, panting, as if she had seen her worst nightmare. Well, she kind of did see a nightmare.
"Who was that boy?" she thought. "It looked & felt so... real."
Then, the pain returned to her body and once again, she was unconscious.
-Naruto's dream-
At the same time, Naruto was dreaming a very familiar dream. It was a usual day when he was six years old, but this time he felt something unnatural. As if someone was watching him. But he paid it no attention, thinking it was the villagers.
After he went to sleep, the scene changed. Now he was standing in large crater-like clearing, alone... facing a HUGE monster. He couldn't see any details of it, only its eyes. They were red with some kind of lines in them. It looked dead familiar.
He then felt, again, someone watching him, from above. He knew it wasn't civilians this time, because no one was around. He turned and lifted his head up and saw a girl no older than 9 or 10. He saw her long hair and her deep brown eyes along with rest of her face.
"Beautiful" he thought. And then he heard he monster's roar. He knew this was the end. He saw how the girl was trying to say something; he saw how she was trying to scream, but to no avail. "Probably wishing me a slow death, like everyone else."
He then closed his eyes and felt how a single tear left his eye, as he remembered his life. Then, without pain or anything, he felt dead.
Naruto woke up in a cold sweat, panting. This was a horrible nightmare.
"Who was that girl? And the monster?..." he thought, "It looked so...real."
Then, he just turned around and went back to sleep, seeing it was still night and hoping he won't see the nightmare again.
-Somewhere in an unearthly place-
It looked like endless darkness, filled with millions and millions of white dots, representing stars. You could also see a large globe, representing Earth itself.
There was a woman of godly beauty, with long white hair, which seemed to glow, reaching her ankles. She had on a long, white dress which went past her feet. Said woman was radiating unworldly light around her.
She was overlooking the Earth. A smile appeared on her face, as she said, her voice sounding like double echo "This is the last time I intervene, Naruto, Alicia. For I believe I made the right choice and you won't make mistakes like the last ones."
That said, she disappeared in a white flash.
It has been a week since Naruto left the hospital. He now continues to go to the academy. On the first day of school after his discharge from the hospital, it was like hell to him. He received so much attention. Everyone was asking him questions about the incident, like: what happened there, why didn't he fall under the genjutsu, etc. He had to lie, saying that he didn't remember much and that everything was like looking through fog, but some kids (Shik*cough*ama*cough*ru, Sas*cough*uke) knew he was lying, but decided not to press him on the matter. At least, for now.
After that first day, class settled down, and then everything was like always - boring lectures, Iruka's shouting, Sasuke's fangirls...
And he still didn't contact the fox to talk about the training.
Now, it was a peaceful Friday afternoon. The sun was shining, birds were chirping and other peaceful stuff was happening. Naruto was in the academy, sitting in his spot and daydreaming.
"I wonder why I can't enter my mindscape now?" Naruto thought "I hope that damn fox didn't lie about the training. I haven't heard anything from him for a week now."
Suddenly a voice rang in his head "Hey, kit. You miss me?"
Naruto was so surprised,he yelped. His classmates gave him a funny look, and Iruka asked him, "Naruto... are you alright?"
Quickly regaining his composure, he sheepishly answered "Hai, Iruka-sensei. I was daydreaming and had a bad dream..."
"Okay... don't sleep in class, Naruto." Iruka admonished, and returned to his lecture.
After that, Naruto pretended to listen to the lecture, but in reality, he was having a chat with his inner fox.
"How can you talk with me? You said it's impossible to communicate outside the mindscape." Naruto mentally said.
"Long story short - when you activated your Rinnegan in the mindscape and absorbed part of my chakra, several things happened to you. One of them is that we now have a mental link between each other and we can talk. About other things I will tell you tonight, in your mindscape. We will also discuss your training." Kyuubi answered.
Naruto grinned, when he heard about training. Finally.
"Okay then. See ya later."
-That night, in Naruto's mindscape-
"Before I tell you your training schedule, Let me tell you about several things that happened to you when you absorbed my chakra with your dojutsu."
When Naruto nodded and sat on the wet floor (it's not like he felt the water anyway), Kyuubi continued,
"You may think the chakra you absorbed increased your chakra reserves, but that's not true. First of all, it somehow created a mental link between us. This means we can now communicate with each other when we want, and also I can smell, see and hear what you can. Secondly, it somehow changed your body. No-"
Kyuubi was interrupted by a shouting Naruto, "What do you mean 'changed your body'? I will look different now? What the hell? I-"
And now Naruto was interrupted by the growling Kyuubi. "Stop interrupting me when I'm talking, brat. It's annoying. Next time listen to what I have to say before asking questions, or I will ignore you for some months. Is that clear?"
Naruto gulped and quickly nodded. "Sorry, Kyuubi-sensei."
Kyuubi merely nodded and continued "As I was saying, nothing major. I looked into your body and saw some slight changes. According to what I've seen, your hair will now grow faster, you will receive back all the nutrition you've lost, meaning you will grow how you should have. By that I mean, you're a midget now because you eat only ramen. You body doesn't get any required minerals for growth, that's why you're smaller than others. But it shouldn't be a problem now, just don't forget to eat healthy food. Also, your eyesight will be a bit better now to adjust to your dojutsu. That's everything I could find out. Any questions so far?"
When Naruto received permission to ask questions, he asked "Does that mean I will grow faster than others and won't be that small anymore?"
Kyuubi rolled his eyes. Wasn't that what he said just now? "No, you will not grow faster than others, your growth rate has returned to how it should have been. Yes, you won't be a midget anymore."
"Yatta! Okay then, what about training?" Naruto asked happily.
"Very well. Now listen carefully. For the next week, after the academy, you will go to any free training ground. There, you will continue to master chakra control. Your Rinnegan allows you to control your chakra more easily, more smoothly, so it shouldn't be hard to master water walking in 3 days. Also, I will teach you Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, which will greatly increase your training speed and effectiveness. After you master Kage Bunshin, I will tell you your training schedule for the next 5 years. Questions?"
"Umm. How will a Bunshin increase my training speed? And why only for 5 years?" Naruto asked suspiciously. "It can't be true that simple Bunshin can do something like that. If it could, why has one used it?
Kyuubi just grinned, showing all its sharp and pointy teeth. "You see, Kage Bunshin is not just a simple Bunshin technique. And I believe you are the only one who can effectively use it for training purposes. I will tell you more when I will start teaching it to you. Also, I recommend you spend the weekend finding and buying a simple training sword. It's for your training as well. Now, do as I said. If you get stuck in your water walking, I will give you some pointers, although I believe you will not need them. As to why for 5 years. Well, that's simple. After 5 years you will have become a genin and you won't have much time for training. It doesn't mean you won't get any training at all. After a week, I will wait for you here, in your mindscape. Take care, kit."
Before Naruto could ask or say something, he was pulled out from his mindscape by invisible force.
-Next day, Hokage office-
"Hey, ojiisan!" Naruto shouted as he entered the Hokage's office by kicking the door open.
Sarutobi sweatdropped. "Hello, Naruto-kun. I see you're quite enthusiastic today. Care to explain what happened?" he said as he gestured at Naruto to take a seat.
"Well, yeah. I will finally start my training. Also, I found out something... interesting." Naruto said, entering his 'Serious mode'.
The old Hokage raised an eyebrow and asked "Hmm? Well, before you tell me what you found out, mind explaining what sort of training you will be doing?"
"Don't tell him about the Kage Bunshin." Kyuubi said, within his mind.
"Huh? Kyuubi? I thought you were sleeping. And why shouldn't I tell him?"
Naruto could feel Kyuubi rolling his eyes "I'm don't sleep day'n'night and wake up only when you come here. I sleep like all humans do. It's strange though, me, a demon sleeping like a human... hmpf." Kyuubi said with a small scowl. And then he remembered the other question. "Uhh, right. Don't tell him because Kage Bunshin is Kinjutsu."
"Kinjutsu? Wow. You will teach me a kinjutsu?! Am I that awesome?" Naruto asked, stars in his eyes.
"Yeah, right. Your awesomeness is so great, it sometimes even blinds me." Kyuubi said with sarcasm, "Anyway, I'll explain later, as promised. And I keep my promises."
With that said, Naruto could feel how Kyuubi disappeared from his mind. Everything happened in less than minute and Sarutobi was still waiting for an answer. He even looked a bit worried.
"Naruto-kun, are you alright? I could swear I saw some sparkling stars in your eyes." He said, with amused tone.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, ojiisan. I just remembered what someone said about my training and I got excited." Naruto answered, emphasizing word 'someone'. He knew there were ANBU listening and guarding the Hokage and he didn't want them to hear about the Kyuubi.
The Hokage understood Naruto meant Kyuubi by 'someone'. "So, what is your training?"
"Well, for the next week I have to master tree and water walking, after that my sensei will give me a training schedule for the next 5 years." Naruto answered with a smile.
"Hmm? Interesting. And why only 5 years?" Hokage curiously asked.
"Because after 5 years, when I'm 13, I will become a genin and I won't have much time for training." Naruto answered honestly. He really hoped it wouldn't be that bad and there will still be time for training. Yeah. Naruto thinks only about training. No social life whatsoever.
"Fair enough. So, what was it that you found out?"
Naruto then regained his serious composure and looked around the room. Then he found what he was searching for - a picture of Yondaime, his father, hanging on the right wall. There were also the pictures of the Shodaime, the Nidaime and Sandaime. He walked closer to it and inspected the picture of his father.
When Sarutobi saw where Naruto was looking and what he was inspecting, sweat bullets appeared on his face, but he tried to look as calm as possible and waited.
"I hope it's not exactly what he found out." he nervously thought.
Naruto then took the picture of the Yondaime from the wall, turned to the Hokage and held it next to his face so both faces were next to each other.
"Care to explain?" He seriously asked.
Hokage widened his eyes, and then returned to normal.
"How long?" He asked.
"Since the incident." Naruto honestly answered, indicating who exactly told him such information. "It's true, isn't it?" When he received a slow nod from the Hokage, he continued "I can't understand how I didn't notice it earlier. All the villagers can't or don't want to notice it either. The same golden blonde, spiky hair, same ocean blue eyes, almost the same facial structure, mine being a bit rounder. Hate indeed blinds people." He let out a sigh and placed the picture back in its place. "Just one more question. Is it true that my father wanted me to be seen as a hero, as athe jailer to Kyuubi?"
Sarutobi also sighed and nodded. "Yes. That's true. Unfortunately, these damn villagers won't respect his wishes." he answered, leaking out a bit of killing intent in frustration. When he stopped leaking it, he continued. "Seriously... Everyone loved the Yondaime, but they don't respect his wishes, nor do they believe in his sealing skills. How far has this village fallen?" He finished by asking the rhetorical question to himself.
Naruto just smiled and answered "It doesn't matter how far it's fallen. If my father's last wish was for me to be seen as a hero, then so be it! I will try my hardest to prove I'm not Kyuubi's incarnation and will help this village to regain its Will of Fire! One way or another, it doesn't matter. That's a promise." He said, his voice and eyes full of determination, a warm and calming aura leaking from him, as he spoke his words, making everyone present in the room feel some warmth and peace, making them believe in the blonde.
The Hokage looked at Naruto with a proud smile. Even after everything the village did to him, he still wanted to prove himself.
"Naruto's Will of Fire burns brightly and I believe sooner or later he will pass it onto the village." the Hokage thought.
-The ANBU in the room-
When Naruto took the picture and turned to the Hokage, the ANBU were a bit confused at why he did that. When Naruto spoke and pointed how how similar they were, it hit them like a ton of bricks.
"No way! That brat is Yondaime-sama's son?" one of them thought with shocked eyes. It's not like anyone noticed it anyway, he had a mask on.
"He... He is sensei's son? Hmm... If you think about it, they look similar. Way too similar." the Dog mask wearing ANBU thought. It was none other than Hatake Kakashi.
When the Hokage confirmed it, they almost all fell from their hiding spots. Everyone had similar thoughts:
"No way! They are indeed similar. And to think that no one noticed it..."
When Naruto began his little speech, all of them felt awe and growing respect for the blonde (the calming aura doing part of the job *wink* ). All of them started to change their opinion about him. He was indeed strong willed.
"I'm so proud of you, Naruto. I truly believe you will succeed. Now, is there something else?" The Hokage asked.
Naruto smiled and answered "Thanks, ojiisan. Yes, there's actually one more thing I wanted to ask. Can you give any suggestions on a weapon shop where I can buy a training sword without the tripled prices?"
The Hokage raised an eyebrow and asked him to elaborate on what he meant.
"Huh? Didn't you know? Almost every grocery store either kicks me out or triples the prices for me, saying 'we don't sell to demons'. And those that do let me in just sell me rotten food. Have you never wondered why I'm smaller than others?" Naruto asked in amused tone. Really, THE Hokage had no idea about what happens in HIS village.
When the Hokage heard this, his killer intent leaked out to the whole village. Some civilians started to sweat a bit, knowing there was trouble coming their way.
When Sarutobi calmed down, he said "Come, Naruto. Let's pay a visit some soon-to-bankrupt grocery stores. Then I will also show you a weapon shop where I'm sure you will be welcomed."
With that, both of them left the office and Naruto had a mischievous smile.
Also, the Hokage really was getting old. He was completely distracted by Naruto's knowledge about his father and totally forgot about the ANBU who were in his office and heard everything. Let's just say, Naruto will now have a bit more protectors and rumors will start to spread. . .
-Time skip, 1 week-
A week has since passed and Naruto felt great. That day when he and Sarutobi visited some grocery stores, his life became a bit more easier. Why? Because the old Hokage threatened the shop owners - if they ever sold rotten food for tripled price again, they will 'mysteriously' become bankrupt. And if Naruto was not treated like any other paying customer, not only will they become 'mysteriously' bankrupt, all their money will go to Naruto's account for emotional and physical compensation for all the things they did to him. Now all the groceries stores were nicer to him, although he still noticed the hateful glares.
Also, he noticed how some citizens, to be precise - high ranking shinobi, like jounins, were looking at him. Those weren't hateful glares, but instead the look of realization and... respect? Those were very, very few and Naruto couldn't figure out the reason for those looks.
Within a week Naruto had mastered both tree and water walking. Actually, he mastered both of them in two days. He was surprised how easily he did that. Kyuubi told him that Naruto was talented at chakra control, despite its difficult and his new dojutsu just increased that control. The rest of the 5 days he spent increasing his chakra control, thereby increasing his chakra amount as well, also doing more physical workouts. His hair did grow a bit, but was still spiky.
Now he was standing in front of the cage, containing the fox, in his mindscape, awaiting further instructions on his training.
"I see you finished your training, kit. Good job. Though I will admit, I was surprised when you mastered both tree and water walking in two days. You are talented... if only the teachers at the academy would see that. Now, about your training. In the next two days I want you to learn Kage Bunshin. Before I will explain how it works, do you have any questions?" Kyuubi asked.
Naruto now knew that interrupting the fox was a bad thing to do, because it pissed Kyuubi off. He now only asked questions and spoke when spoken to. The Lord of the demons acted like a king after all.
"Yeah. I remember you said it will help my training. How?" Naruto asked.
"Ahh, well, the beauty of this technique is that you get all the memories of the clones when they dispel. Meaning..." Kyuubi said, allowing Naruto to finish the sentence.
When Naruto saw the Kyuubi's look, he understood what he wanted "... you will get the memory of all the training. So if I create 2 clones, they will cut my training time twice, meaning I can learn jutsu faster. Awesome! But why has no one used this kind of training if it's so effective?" Naruto asked, excited fire burning in his eyes.
"That's right kit. Kage Bunshin is not kinjutsu for nothing. It requires a lot of chakra to create at least one clone. Only Kage level shinobi can create some shadow clones and remain in good fighting condition. Also, I believe no one else can use this kind of training because of the mental feedback and exhaustion they will get. But you, kit, can create hundreds of them because of your large chakra capacity, and the mental exhaustion will not affect you that much thanks to your natural healing abilities which is also enhanced by my chakra. It means you're one of only a very few peope who are capable of this kind of training." Kyuubi answered. He could swear he saw some sparkling stars in the blonde's eyes. Kyuubi found that amusing...
Kyuubi then continued to explain how Kage Bunshin worked and all its possibilities. After that, Kyuubi showed him required the handseals. Naruto found it very funny and strange on how Kyuubi performed the handseals. Foxes shouldn't be able to do them, right? Also, Kyuubi explained that the more Naruto poured chakra into the jutsu, the more clones he will produce. In addition, Kyuubi explained that Naruto will have truly mastered the technique when he could summon clones without the handseals. Naruto already knew this was definitely going to be his favorite technique.
After the lecture was finished, Naruto bid his teacher farewell and went back to his training.
-Time skip, 2 days-
Naruto stood in the middle of training field 43. It was next to training field 44, also known as the 'Forest of Death'. From time to time you could hear some roaring and hissing from the forest, which was why almost no one used this training field, saying it unnerved them.
Naruto crossed his his fingers, performing the necessary seals for Kage Bunshin no juts. He then collected as much chakra as he could, channeled it through the seal and shouted "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!".
There was a large puff of smoke. When the smoke died down, you could see an entire army of Narutos. The original Naruto looked around in awe. He had created approximately 300 clones and felt a bit winded. He used a minute to catch his breath and then ordered ALL of his clones to do chakra control exercises. When he received 'Hai, boss.' from all of them, he decided to relax. Also, he just wanted to check if what Kyuubi had said was indeed true.
At the end of the day, he dispelled all of his clones at once. He shouldn't have done that though, because once they poofed out of existence, Naruto fell to ground and held his head, moaning. It was painful when he received all the memories and feedback from the clones at once .
"Next time I'll order them to dispel in groups of 10 or 20 in 2 minute intervals." he murmured under his breath.
Later that night, in his mindscape.
"So, I've learned the simple Kage Bunshin and Tajuu Kage Bunshin. What now?" Naruto asked, excited about his training.
"Take it easy, kit. And good job learning those jutsus. What's the maximum number of clones you can create?" Kyuubi asked.
"Well, today I could make about 300 clones before I felt a bit exhausted. After about 1 minute of catching my breath, I felt a lot better." Naruto answered.
Kyuubi widened his eyes, apparently shocked. "300 clones? It's impossible for an 8 year old to make that amount, even with his chakra reserves. I guess his new silver chakra is more potent, thus making the jutsus stronger; and his Rinnegan gives him the passive ability to channel his chakra more easily and smoothly, allowing him to make powerful jutsus while conserving chakra. He can get strong in no time." thought Kyuubi as he grinned, excited.
"Hey, Kyuubi-sensei, you alright? You seemed like you spaced out for a minute." Naruto asked.
"Oh, uhh, sorry. I just didn't expect you to make so many clones at such a young age... Now let me think about your training schedule." Kyuubi answered.
And that's how the next few minutes passed - Naruto sitting in the water, waiting for Kyuubi's answer; and Kyuubi thinking about the schedule.
"Ok, now listen carefully." Kyuubi finally said. "For week one, everyday you will create 200 clones. You will divide them in 5 groups. Group 1 will learn my special 'Kitsune Claw' taijutsu. Group 2 will learn my special 'Kitsune Blade' kenjutsu. Group 3 will learn and practice Fuuton, Suiton and Raiton ninjutsu, as well as your dojutsu. Group 4 will continue on your chakra control, increasing your overall control and amount of chakra you will have. Also, group 4 will do an elemental chakra training. Group 5 will study. And by study I mean go to library and read books on history, tactics etc. And finally the real you will do physical training. Any questions so far?"
Naruto was a bit awed by all the things he is going to do and he couldn't wait for when his training will start.
"Yes, actually. Why do you have special taijutsu and kenjutsu styles You're a huge fox, one swing of your tail can cause tornadoes." he asked.
Kyuubi shrugged his shoulders (well, as much as the fox could). "Remember when we first met and I told you how 'something happened and my mind was healed'?" he then saw how Naruto was deep in thought, but after some seconds Kyuubi received a nod from the blond, so he continued "Well, this 'something' happened thousand of years ago. When villages weren't formed yet, I found a deeply wounded fox in the forest near Hi no Kuni. Rikudou made me like a fox, so I had a fox's instincts and seeing another fox in pain was painful for me. So I decided to help. I took the fox and infused it with a large amount of my chakra. Back then, my chakra wasn't demonic, it was pure and brought life, but it was still dangerous to pour my chakra into other beings. I still don't know how that fox survived, but imagine my surprise when I woke up and saw the same fox, but with two tails and a bit larger. It was the first half demon, half animal. Thousands of years passed, the fox mated and brought kits to life. Slowly, these kits were becoming more and more demonic, gaining more and more intellgence until they become full time demons like me. But the difference was they could never reach my power as well as they would never go insane or mad like I can. In other words, thousands years of later, a Fox clan appeared and I was their head. After that I decided to to create my own summoning contract and brought all the foxes to the summoning realm. Why I did I do so? Because of my mission. When they heard what my mission was, the foxes agreed (obviously) to help me and over time developed these two styles to aid their summoners. After another thousands of years they created and developed their own sage mode and sage style." when Kyuubi finished, he let out a sigh "Uff, I really hate these 'tell me your past' questions... They are usually so long."
Naruto looked at fox with the excitement and awe. To think that Kyuubi, the great Demon Lord had it's own fox clan. How awesome was that? But then Naruto remembered something "Well, that's just awesome. But what is this mission you speak so much about?"
Kyuubi grinned "Well, it's simple. When Rikudou created us, he gave us a mission - IF we are sealed in a person who had the same eyes as his, we are required to help and aid them. That's why before you leave, I will give you a summoning contract to sign. Any questions?"
"Hmm, that makes sense. I can't figure out how Rikudou-sama knew about any new disaster coming to the world, but it makes sense how he would want you to help me. After all, you've got thousands and thousands of years of experience and knowledge as well as at basic information and understanding of his dojutsu. Anyway, I don't have any questions, just a request." Naruto said, with a serious expression, although you still could see some sparks from the stars in his eyes.
"Hm?"
"Can I train my dojutsu on my own, without using clones?" Before Kyuubi could ask him to elaborate, Naruto continued "It's just unfair and seems like cheating if I learn everything using clones. That's why I want to train my bloodline without using clones. Also, it didn't sound like I will have anything else to do, aside from physical training."
"Well, fair enough. It will also be easier to instruct you. Right, let's continue on with the training schedule. For week two, Group 1 will continue to learn taijutsu as well as spar with each other, the same goes for Group 2 with kenjutsu. Group 3 will learn and practice Katon and Doton ninjutsu. Group 4 will work on your kunai and shuriken throwing and dodging skills. Group 5 will continue to study in the library. And you will do physical workouts as well as dojutsu training. Week 1 will be first, after that will be week 2 and after that one, you will do week 1 schedule again and so on. Questions?"
"Yes. When do we start and what about weekends?"
Kyuubi grinned. He had started to like Naruto's excitement for training. "We start on Thursday. And on weekends you can just do physical workouts in the morning and relax for the rest of the day."
When he finished speaking, Kyuubi placed its paws in Ram seal (it looked weird) and a scroll poofed into existence out of nowhere. It was strange how Kyuubi could summon things in his mindscape... Kyuubi tossed the scroll to Naruto and spoke "Bite your thumb and write your full name on the scroll and leave your fingerprint under it."
Naruto opened the scroll and found it to be completely blank. It didn't surprise him though, as he was the first summoner ever. He did as he was told and wrote his full name in kanji and left the fingerprint. After he completed the procedure, the scroll closed and poofed back to its home world.
"Good job, Naruto. I will show you the required handseals later. Now it's time for you to wake up. Soon we will start your training. Oh, and I want you to continue to act as a dobe. Remember, 'deception is a ninja's greatest weapon'. If people underestimate you, it means easier victory." Kyuubi said as he grinned.
Naruto didn't want to show off anyway and acting as a dobe was fun too. And he just knew this training would cause him a lot of pain...
-with Alicia, a week earlier (After the night she got her bloodline)-
It was late afternoon now, the sun was high in the sky, shining brightly and its rays were warming up the small village.
Alicia woke up and moaned, her entire back was hurting. She shuffled slowly to her bathroom, did all her ablutions and then took a shower. She wasn't even surprised at her new hair, because she knew that some things change in the body when the bloodline is awakened. After that, she went back to the main hall and remembered everything that happened - how her grandfather died and how she awakened her Valkyrie bloodline. She then remembered the key and secret chamber.
She went to the far right corner of the room, bit her thumb and smeared some of the blood on the wall. It looked completely random, but Alicia knew better. After that, a red and white seal array appeared on the wall, indicating she was allowed to enter. Then, the seal disappeared and the wall lifted up, revealing a hidden passage going downstairs.
When Alicia got to the basement, the corridor there was very narrow with various line patterns in different thickness and color running along the wall until they reached a door at the end of the corridor. The young girl went closer to the door and noticed how beautiful it was. It was a silver door with a beautiful woman drawn on it. The woman wore some kind of long battle dress, held a wide sword and she had a pair of angel-like wings behind her.
Alicia really liked how the woman looked. "So that's what our bloodline looks like. I only heard the stories and never saw the pictures." she thought.
Alicia then took out the key and inserted it in the keyhole and turned it several times until she heard a 'click' sound. The door started to glow until it vanished.
She went inside the room and couldn't help but stare in awe at everything there was. There was a bookshelf with various scrolls and books in it, there also was a chest with money and various weapons like swords, bows, kunai, shuriken and some ancient weapons. At the end of the room was a manikin. The manikin was dressed in beautiful garb. It consisted of a long, white dress, with a slit starting from its hip on the right and going down until it reached mid shin, fully uncovering the right leg, but hiding the left one. The dress was made up of pure white feathers. *1* Over the dress was a small, dark brown leather vest held in place by tiny ropes. The whole costume also came with very long dark brown leather boots which were also made in the vest's style.*2*. Said costume was completed by leather arm guards with small metal plates in it, which nearly reached the manikin's elbows.
"Wow. It looks beautiful. I bet that's the costume previous valkyries wore. It will be too big for me right now, though. I will have to wait 'till I grow up a bit." Alicia said to herself. Little did she know that there were seals placed on the costume that allows it to shrink in size in order for it to fit the wearer as well as a seal which always keeps it clean.
Behind the manikin was a large metal plate with engraved text -
It will be harsh in the world,
Whoredom runs rife
An axe age, a sword age
Shields are riven
Before the world goes headlong.
No man will have mercy on another.
And then,
The last Valkyrie will be born.
Her pure soul will help the man
With sacred power and eyes to heal the land.
"The prophecy... Now I just need to find this man." she murmured as she read the prophecy.
She then carefully took the clothes off the manikin and sealed it in a scroll. It's a good thing that she learned from her ojiisan how to use sealing scrolls. She continued to pick various jutsu scrolls that will help her in her training as well as some money. When she had finished taking everything she needed, she left the room. The door reappeared with a transparent-white flash, and you could hear a 'click' sound, indicating the door was now was closed.
Alicia left her clan house and walked towards the village's market in order to buy some supplies for her journey. As she walked on the street, she noticed how everyone was giving her looks of awe and respect. Everyone already knew she was the last Valkyrie.
After an hour, she was standing near the village gates. She turned around and saw that almost all the villagers had come to bid their farewell and wish her good luck on her journey.
"Good luck on your journey, valkyrie-sama!" some random woman said.
"Don't forget about us!" another one said.
"We will always remember and cheer for you!" a young man sad.
"Thanks, guys!" Alicia said, tears forming in her eyes. She was leaving her home village after all... But she didn't want to look weak in front of so many people, so she just wiped her tears and with a bright smile said "I won't let you down! Your support means a lot to me."
As the people in village cheered her on, she slowly began to walk away from her village.
Her first destination was some village near Kumo. She tried to avoid large shinobi villages, fearing someone will find out about her bloodline and force her to become their ninja. She couldn't stay in her home as well, because she had a mission - to train, gain knowledge of the world and to find that one man she needed to help. With determination in her eyes and a clear target in mind, she set out on her journey.
END! When I'll finish next chapter (6th chapt.) I'll return to previous ones and do some reconstructing, which includes improving some grammar (can't promise anything on this one), spelling and maybe a little content (nothing major so you won't have to re-read the chapter ^_^)
*1* Imagine Fang's dress (FFXIII), but instead of blue it is white and made entirely of long feathers (like Lightning's skirt or whatever it's called in FFXIII-2)
*2* deviant art (c.o.m / art/Dark-Valkyrie-152442209 Only vest and boots.
And I know that prophecy is a bit lame.
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