DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto.
"hello"- speech, common jutsus
"hello"- thoughts, or other Japanese words (hope they're right though)
"hello"- contained individual talking, or some other major jutsu
"hello" – thoughts of the contained individual
Hi guys, sorry for the delay, but my brother and sister-in-law just had their very first son, and also the very first nephew in my family. I was quite busy helping them out as errand boy and doing what I could for the baby. Thank God for diapers.
Also, I decided to break down the Revelations edition into 2 chapters because I'm really sleepy and it's already 4 am here. Anyways,
rasengan86 – you're still right on the money so far. Keep it up.
ArmorOfGeddon – I didn't know that. Thanks very much for the info.
Evelsaint93 – yeah, I thought she was attractive too.
Jpalacio – my source site states that Nekomata only fought with Kyuubi no Youko once and even teamed up with Gobi to try and defeat the 9 tails. Can you PM me the URL of your source so I can extend my research some more? Thanks!
Mortalone – 1.) Tsunade only knows about Kabuto, nothing else. Jiraiya is the one pulling the strings on the rest. As the story unfolds, more will be explained. 2.) Hope the PM I sent you answered this question. If not, this chapter should be able to shed more light.
Takashi U. – as requested, here is the next chapter.
Joan Mistress of Magic - hope the wait wasn't that long :p
Now on to the story.
Naruto: Chapter 8 – First Revelation
Outskirts of Kumogakure no Sato. A glimpse of the past
Golden sunlight streamed down from the open window. In this spotlight, dust motes floated and danced gracefully without a care in the world. He sometimes wished he could be like that…not having a care in the world. One could guess that this was his equivalent of cloud gazing. And although he was one who didn't do this kind of thing, he allowed himself to be hypnotized this time.
This once.
Just this once, he allowed time for himself. Besides, what else was there to do?
It was well into their second year of training. Before coming here, they had been to many different places, seen many different and unique things. They stopped every now and then on any clearing not frequented by people to train.
At this point, the toad hermit would leave the jinchuuriki behind to gather information. The training area would be pristine and calm when he left. And in his return two or three days later with an obvious hangover, the area would seem ravaged by a storm.
A shattered boulder here, a few uprooted trees there, and large craters spread out everywhere.
Currently, they were at a house where one of many of Jiraiya's informants worked.
He was a carpenter.
Naruto loved the simplicity of this line of work. He also loved the need to work with your hands, drawing out honest sweat. It was mindless, repetitious work. The scent of sawdust mixed with freshly lumbered pinewood appealed to him.
He took all this in while waiting for Jiraiya talk with his friend. Naruto loved that quaint little house, and as he and Jiraiya walked away from it, he stole one last glance to solder it into memory.
Outskirts of Kumogakure no Sato. Premonition of the future
The house now lay in shambles, predestined by fate to destruction during times of conflict like so many other structures. The carpenter was long gone, and a new but very, very brief tenant now occupied the debris.
He was in hiding, although whatever madness drove him to hide in this poor excuse for cover, we will never know.
Maybe it was out of pure, raw fear. Two were after him, but not just any average shinobi…oh no…the ones after him were highly skilled. Exceeding too much in power even for a seasoned ninja such as himself.
He tried to slow his breathing so his pursuers wouldn't hear him. His heart was pounding into his ears. He hoped his enemies wouldn't find him, but they knew…they knew exactly where he was. Unfortunately for the prey, he didn't detect the jutsu-shiki stamped onto his left calf.
He heard a noise to his left. He quickly drew out a kunai at the ready only to jolt at the sight of a stray black cat. The cat looked at him in a bored manner, lied down and proceeded to lick its groin. Cats are amazing animals.
This time, he heard a different crunching noise. Soles stepping on soil.
Two pairs…
One heavy, the other lighter and faster paced, probably a female. He risked a peep. The first thing that caught his eye at the distance was red clouds emblazoned into black cloaks.
Akatsuki.
It was the same two, and they seemed to be approaching his location. Taking advantage of the still long distance between them, he ran for it. The poundings of his heart threatened to burst his eardrums, but he paid it no heed, running as fast as he could with adrenaline pumped legs.
He glanced over his shoulder if the two had increased their pace of pursuit and smiled on seeing that they hadn't. They just kept on walking after him at a leisurely pace.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light quickly followed by the boom of thunder overwhelmed his senses. He was deaf, blind, and dumb as his body fell face first into the dirt, unable to avoid the leg sweep.
Now there were three.
The man felt the sharp tip of a blade on the small of his back, at the base of his spinal column. He lay still, fearing a single movement would trigger the severing of his spine.
"Need help with this?" asked the sword wielder.
"No…we can manage", replied one of the approaching two, who then proceeded to ask, "What's the status on your end?"
"The attacks to Konoha and Suna have commenced."
"Then I think your help is much more needed there than here."
The sword wielder smirked and sheathed the long blade. And just as he arrived, he instantaneously disappeared in the same blinding flash of light, the sonic boom echoing a few seconds later.
The prey, from his position on the ground, slowly turned his head to look at his two pursuers, sweat pouring profusely down his face. One was male, the other was female, but his eyes couldn't leave the gaze of the man.
Slitted pupils with crimson red irises stared back at him. "I'm a dead man…"
"If you don't mind, Master Naruto…I'd like to take care of this one myself", said the woman.
"As you wish, my lady."
Present Day
She felt very tired. Every single part of her felt so heavy and breathing in itself was arduous. She had been resting for a long time now, but it still felt like it wasn't enough. She slowly opened her eyes to see slitted pupils in crimson orbs.
The eyes mesmerized her, looking into the depths of her soul for any mysteries kept dark, kept secret, kept safe.
These eyes of fire chilled her to the core and she had to summon all her inner strength to ask, "Who are you?"
The person in front of her looked no more than a juvenile. The blonde hair fell down on his head with feather like quality and the boy's frame seemed to be in the middle stages of adolescence.
But the eyes dictated wisdom and experience in contrast to the body…seemingly containing knowledge far beyond its years. This puzzled her. She was what…seventeen? eighteen years old now?
The preservation cell had really confused her track of time, but surely she was older than this person.
The blonde opened his mouth, his lips making an attempt to form a reply. His voice was raspy and dry to her ears, as if he hadn't spoken for a lifetime.
There seemed to be an internal struggle and finally, the words came.
"I am the Ky……my name is Uzumaki Naruto."
"Like hell it is!! What the HELL am I doing in this cage?! And how come you're the one now controlling my body?!"
Kyuubi cringed at the unexpected onslaught into his thoughts. He turned to face the wall, away from Yugito and the door so the annoyance on his face could not be seen.
"Impudent boy... why did he have to bother me now?"
"I heard that! Get back in this cage and lemme out! Now!!"
"Silence!! I do not know how the exchange occurred; therefore I do not know how to undo it. I will discuss this situation with you at a later time. Cease you're ranting this instant, otherwise, I will find your precious Sakura-chan and take her life with your own hands…"
"…"
Yugito was very confused with her present situation. The last thing she could clearly remember was of two Akatsuki members viciously defeating her. After that, it had all been blurry.
No...wait. She could recall dreams of floating in green liquid, then being carried by a hideous creature which resembled a person being eaten by a plant, and lastly being cared for by a blue haired woman…was any of this real?
She was about to ask Naruto another question when a light knock followed by the creaking of the opening door interrupted her. She found herself staring at an orange-red haired man with the same orange colored eyes.
Along the bridge of his nose, on both left and right sides was what looked to be pierced metal orbs and the same ones on each ear.
Now there were two pairs of eyes staring back at her.
She opted being quiet as the wiser choice and waited. She figured that the Akatsuki robed man was of higher authority, so she decided to stare back at him rather than at the blonde, her spirit demanding defiance. The silence was heavy in the room and the atmosphere tense.
The Akatsuki Leader calmly formed the ram seal and closed his eyes. He sensed around him for any other chakra signatures, and upon detecting none, was satisfied that the coast was clear.
He quickly did a long series of hand seals and said, "Shitai Kaihen no jutsu!"
At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then a small blemish appeared on the Akatsuki Leader's cheek. The crack then quickly spread all across his face and even in his eyes.
As the thin hairline cracks spread out until it reached his hands that were still maintaining the seal, his color started to fade into a dead pale grey as of a flower withering away to the slow decay of time.
The cracks continued to spread until the body of the Akatsuki Leader appeared to be formed out of pure clumped dust and the slightest touch would bring the figure tumbling down.
Suddenly, the multitude dust moved as if shaped by the invisible hands of a master artisan, changing the contours and features of the man in front of her.
The hair changed in definition. The long, wide nose became slender and shorter, and the metal orbs along it disappeared. The long elfish ears rounded somewhat and the earrings vanished as well. The cheekbones protruded less and the mouth lessened in length. The black tainted nails turned clear, and the thick stubby fingers thinned down and lengthened out.
After the realignment, a face could now be discerned, and as life and color began to seep into the body, the dust started to solidify, like cement powder poured with water and left to dry.
The once red colored hair now bloomed into yellowish gold. The crazed orange eyes turned into crystal azure and with the metal piercings no longer marring the man's new handsome face, Yugito couldn't help but admit that he was very attractive.
"Tell me your name", she whispered.
A smile formed on the man's lips, and the sparkle in his eyes danced at the paltry light. "My name is Uzumaki Arashi."
A look of confusion appeared on Yugito's face. "The Yondaime Hokage…Konoha's Yellow Flash…but I thought you died…"
"I did…and still am…dead", replied Arashi in a matter-of-fact tone.
The crease on her brow only deepened. "Then how are you here? Now?"
"Edo Tensei", replied Kyuubi/Naruto who was still facing the wall.
Yugito's eyes widened in recognition of the jutsu and said, "But that is a forbidden jutsu! A human sacrifice is needed to perform it!"
"Yes, a human sacrifice was used, albeit an unwilling one." Seeing that Yugito was about to protest, Konoha's Yellow Flash held up a halting hand and continued. "Be at ease, the body used for this jutsu was that of a criminal in the bingo book. Nothing to fret over."
Her manner became incensed and the glint in her eye hardened at hearing his words. She reminded herself that she was among criminals, and as such thought poorly of them whatever rank they may be.
Fifteen or Sixteen years ago.
Nii Yugito grew up in a well to do family. Her mother, Akane Yukiko, was a good and noble kunoichi and the favorite cousin of the current Raikage.
She was very accomplished and tantamount in skill to the legendary Sannin of Konoha and was next in line for the title of Raikage. Although she made a good living, it was not enough to live a luxurious life. Fortunately, love developed between her and a young entrepreneur.
Yugito's father, Nii Tonomo, owned several shops in the Hidden Village of the Cloud, but the most prosperous one was a shop that sold women's accessories, necklaces and such. He traveled frequently to sustain his thriving business, and sensing the time ripe, he presented a ring and an engagement present to her into their third year as a couple.
The ring held the largest diamond Yukiko ever saw in her life, and it possessed a slight shade of purple, her favorite color. The present was a belt formed by beads made of purple jade.
From the ends, the hue of the jade would turn a shade darker as the beads progressed to the center, each one carefully chosen to a have a continuous flow of color. Three years worth of work collecting and refining each piece to perfection.
They married shortly after that, and within a year, his wife became pregnant. Coming home from one if his trips, Tonomo made it just in time for the delivery. It was a baby girl, and they named her Yugito. Yukiko gave the belt, her most prized possession, to their daughter with her husband's blessing.
After recovering from the delivery, Yukiko resigned from the world of the ninja and dedicated herself to a life of motherhood and loving spouse. For Tonomo, business was booming, his products in high demand even at other countries. Life was good. Life was blessed.
And it was about to come shattering down.
When the second birthday of Yugito was drawing near, Akane Morioka, the Sandaime Raikage, was invited by the Daimyo of the Lightning Country to his palace for a viewing of the Cherry Blossoms in his private garden as they came to full bloom.
The Raikage, wanting to spend time with his cousin, invited the young family to come along. The trip to the Daimyo's castle took four days and was uneventful.
They were received with pomp and ceremony, and allowed a brief time for the guests to relax from their travel. It was well into the night when they were summoned to dinner. They followed the servant into the grand dining room. The dining table was long and serpentine, elegant under the large chandelier which gave off a nice saffron glow.
The food was bountiful, the wine robust, and the company exquisite.
It was while they were eating when a servant came running into the large room and shouted that the castle was under attack. The royal guard quickly surrounded the Daimyo and began to plan his evacuation, but the Daimyo stood his ground, ordering his guardsmen to attend to his many wives and children first.
"What has happened?" asked the Raikage of the servant.
"A beast has come!! It has come to consume us all!!"
The Daimyo slapped the servant to bring him to his senses. "Snap out of it!", then turning to the Raikage, he said "Quickly, to the balcony so we can see!"
They immediately rushed to the balustrade outside, Yukiko handing Yugito over to her husband and telling him to stay put. As she rushed out to the opening and saw the creature that they were up against, all color drained from her face.
There, stood the two-tailed demon cat, Nekomata. Although many of the Daimyo's soldiers and samurai were present, a single swipe of its paw decimated their numbers. Then and there, she decided that she would be the one to seal this creature.
The Raikage quickly turned about to head for the exit and face the beast, when a hand held on to his shoulder to stop him. He looked at Yukiko and understood immediately of her intentions.
"No…I am the Sandaime Raikage, it is my duty to do this, not yours!"
Yukiko smiled serenely and lifted a hand to touch her cousin's face. "Life has been kind to me. Allow me this one request…"
"You have a daughter to love…you have a husband who needs you…me, I have nothing to lose."
"And that is why it should not be you who should go. You have yet to enjoy the fruits of life, my cousin. Mine has been blessed and I've received happiness worth two lifetimes."
Tears began to well up in the Raikage's eyes. He knew his cousin, and she was as hard headed as ever. He also realized deep inside that he was not yet ready. Not yet prepared to meet death as she clearly was, and for this, he hated himself.
"As your Raikage, and most of all, as your loving cousin, tell me your wish of a lifetime now, and I shall fulfill it."
Yukiko looked lovingly at her husband and daughter through the glass doors and said, "Take care of Yugito and Tonomo for me."
"I will. This I promise."
Yukiko gave her cousin a last embrace, wiped a tear that trickled down his cheek with a kind finger, and walked back to her family and tell them her last farewell…
Six or Seven years ago.
Yugito followed in her mother's footsteps and soon enrolled in the ninja academy knowing even then that she was a jinchuuriki. Although the news of the beast's attack had reached the Hidden Cloud Village, the influence of both the Raikage and the Lightning Country's Daimyo had completely hidden the truth of the incident.
They weaved lies and myths on the actual account, using gossip as a means for the news to travel. It spread like wildfire through a forest of dead grass and logs, each ear to hear the news believing it without any doubt.
She studied hard, trained long hours by herself and sometimes with her uncle, and spent all her free time with her father. Through sheer persistence and focus, her rise in the shinobi world was steady if not spectacular.
Tonomo, by then, was a broken man. Although he tried to look forward to a new future with his daughter, he knew it was futile. So, he wore his mask to hide his emotions and kept himself busy with business to hide the pain from his daughter.
But such pain should not be kept inside, and on the day that Yugito graduated into the rank of Jounin, Tonomo died of an internal disease that kept eating inside him and was to be much later known as cancer.
Yugito wept, and mourned for him until the very day that Hidan and Kakuzu paid her an unwelcome visit.
Glossary:
Kumogakure no Sato – Hidden Village of the Cloud in Lightning Country
Jinchuuriki – container of a tailed demon
Jutsu-shiki – trigger markers
Shitai Kaihen no jutsu – Corpse morphosis technique (I've never taken Japanese lessons before, so feel free to correct me if my grammar is wrong.)
Edo Tensei – a jutsu which revives the dead. A body is needed to execute this jutsu, and the dust of the soon to be revived dead is sprinkled all over the sacrificed body. Performed by Orochimaru during the Sand/Sound invasion of Konoha.
Raikage – Lightning shadow. The head of the Hidden Village of Cloud.
I want to thank all my reviewers and people who've added me/the fic to their favorites.
If you have any wishes or desires of events that you want to happen that would normally not happen in canon, post it up and I'll see what I can do to fit it into the fic.
Next Chapter's Title: Second Revelation
