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
I felt this chapter was too short, so I added more of the plot into it.
Book of Revelation 12: 3-4
Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red serpent, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down on to the earth. Then the serpent stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.
Naruto: Chapter 9 – Second Revelation
Somewhere in the Hidden Village of the Grass
The room was poorly lit with only two candles aflame and having no windows, gave an ominous feel. The occupants however felt reassured by the darkness, somehow feeling that more light would violate the need for secrecy.
There were three of them, each one seated directly across another, triangulating the round wooden table in between.
"We have been meeting like this for quite some time now, and the plans for the attack have already been completed…why are we risking a final meeting?" asked the first occupant.
"There has been a recent development. Orochimaru was killed. We can no longer count on Otogakure to attack the Hidden Village of the Leaf," answered the second.
The first occupant sighed heavily and looked to the third occupant, saying "I guess that crimps your plans for Kumogakure somewhat."
"No…not really. I have been in contact with a group of mercenaries consisting of ronin, nuke-nin, and bandits in Taki no Kuni. They were a reserve in case strength was not enough in one of the target sectors," replied the third.
"Are they reliable?" asked the second.
"With the amount I'm paying them? They had better be," replied the third.
"Do you need help with the financing?"
"Iwagakure no sato is more prosperous than we lead people to believe and besides, I do not need stolen money from Konoha," scoffed the third occupant.
"Easy there, Tsuchikage-dono. We're on the same side here," the first man stated.
"I just do not understand why I have to be the one having to 'contribute' the most!" replied the Tsuchikage indignantly.
"Because you have the most to gain. With Sunagakure no sato eliminated, the entire Kaze no Kuni is yours. The country with the most mineral deposits in all the land," replied the second man.
The Tsuchikage was placated by this, his greed consuming his thoughts. The second man, seeing the other falling silent looked at the first and asked, "Ishido-dono, how go your negotiations with the Hidden Village of Rain?"
The first man smiled with mirth and said, "Very well. I have convinced them to sign a secret alliance against Konoha. Of course, I had to slip them your name, Danzou-san."
"Good…soon, Konoha will fold to my will…"
Akatsuki Lair. Yugito's quarters.
The silence in the room was deafening, each person left to their own thoughts. And for a strange reason, the heavy silence did not put anyone at unease. Nii Yugito was still recalling how she came into this situation; her purple eyes cast down as each memory appeared in her mind's eye.
The demon fox, still facing the wall, contemplated on what to do and why the woman confused him so much. Uzumaki Arashi was closely observing the female jinchuuriki, his eyes focused on any nuance her body might display.
Then he asked, "Do you know of the legend of the tailed beasts?"
"No…except for the one I contain, not really", replied Yugito.
Arashi nodded once, figuring as much, and began his tale.
"You already know that I died, and during my short death, images of the history of the world appeared before me. And I found out that the world that we know today isn't what it always was.
A long time ago, nine tailed creatures otherwise known as the Bijuu roamed the earth. Wherever these creatures went, chaos and destruction followed. From where and how they came to be, it was not revealed to me.
These creatures did not affiliate with each other, and if one bijuu encountered another, they would battle until one would retreat to fight at another time. These skirmishes continued for centuries, the people not knowing what to do but flee out of harms way.
Then, out of the lands of the west came eight great warriors. They had come to seal the creatures into the earth, and they were nearly successful. The first seven of the nine were successfully contained and sealed away; the Hachibi and Kyuubi were all that remained.
The warriors set out, determined to finish their quest and soon came face to face with the eight-headed serpent.
Battle ensued, and the warriors had weakened the serpent to the brink of death. Thinking their duty done, they moved on to the next Bijuu, not even bothering to seal the serpent away.
Only 2 of the great warriors survived the battle with the Kyuubi. And after sealing him, the pair went their separate ways.
What they did not know was the fact that a Bijuu could not be killed by mortal man. So the Hachibi survived, hid away waiting until the eight warriors faded away with time.
The Hachibi reincarnated itself into human form, momentarily forgetting what it was. And as it grew with age, so did its power and its recollection of past events.
Each bijuu's level of power is determined by the number of its rank. The Hachibi was second in power. And as each level of power reinvigorated him, the serpent emitted a wave of dark power.
Reaching the first level, the first wave reawakened the Ichibi, when it reached the second level; the Nibi was released, and so on and so forth, until upon reaching the pinnacle of its strength, finally awakening the Kyuubi, which was sealed within the borders of Fire Country.
No one knew or had forgotten of the methods of the eight great warriors, and wanting to tame and tap into these great sources of power...or if a bijuu suddenly woke up nearby a village of people, a shinobi would seal the creature into a person, making him or her into a jinchuuriki."
"As is what happened in my case," said Yugito.
"As with mine," replied Arashi. Then he said, "The most powerful of the bijuu, the Kyuubi, attacked the village of the Hidden Leaf during my time as Hokage. During the attack, many of Konoha's shinobi perished, including my wife."
"I'm sorry."
"There was nothing that could be done. When she died, I made a vow to stop all bijuu and cleanse this land of any trace of them…even jinchuuriki."
"How could you?!" cried Yugito indignantly. "Jinchuuriki are not to blame and had no say in the matter! I wasn't even given a choice!"
"I know now. But this I realized to my regret, already in hind sight…"
Flashback to the first time Kazama/Arashi visited Naruto
Naruto studied the Akatsuki robed man in front of him. He was tall, with crazy orange eyes and reddish-orange hair. He held a quiet atmosphere, but Naruto also sensed something else. This man was strong…very strong, but he was guarding it fiercely, not wanting others to know of his true strength.
"What do you want with me?" asked the blonde shinobi, knowing that lack of caution would be a deadly mistake.
The man didn't reply, but his eyes fell on the Shiki Fuujin mark on Naruto's stomach.
"The Kyuubi…" thought Naruto. Unable to bear the silence any longer, Naruto thought to hell with it and formed the seal for Kage Bunshin no jutsu.
"That's pointless. I put a seal on your back. It prohibits the wearer from using chakra."
Naruto ignored the words and tried summoning a hundred clones to help him…but nothing happened. He looked at the man hatefully and reached for a kunai in his weapons pouch, but only managed to grab a handful of air, the pouch missing.
"You aren't very smart are you?"
"Shut up!!" shouted Naruto, not caring anymore.
The man suddenly formed a seal and gazed intently at Naruto's eyes.
"Shitai Kaihen no Jutsu!"
Naruto noticed the orange eyes started becoming blurry and thought "Damn it…genjutsu?!"
Slowly, the form of the Akatuki Leader changed shape before his eyes. The hair, and the skin pigmentation changed, completely altering the appearance of the man before him.
Now standing in front of him was a face he recognized. A person he had looked up to. A person he wanted to become.
A person that was his own father.
"Yondaime..."
"How have you been, Naruto…?"
"I…I've…You're the head of Akatsuki all this time? Why?!"
The senior Uzumaki walked towards the bed and sat down beside his son.
"Moments before I faced the Kyuubi no Youko, I left behind instructions for Jiraiya with Sarutobi. I had heard news then that your mother had been one of the first casualties. I made a promise to myself then and there to hunt down every single Bijuu and that if I should die; the toad hermit was to resurrect me by Edo Tensei.
Jiraiya was not around during the attack, and it was to be 2 years later that he returned to the village and receive my sealed letter from Sarutobi.
After my resurrection, I formed The Red Dawn and began my quest for vengeance."
"How could you do that? Did you also plan on killing me too?!"
"Sometimes, the suffering and death of one is necessary to save the lives of many," replied Arashi calmly.
The statement angered Naruto, but the recollection of the Yondaime Hokage dying to save his village entered his mind's eye, and so he remained silent.
"I know of how they treated you… Jiraiya has told me. "
Tears had streamed down over the whisker marks of the younger Uzumaki, unable to hold the despair that was well enclosed within. Never had he imagined this situation in all the years of solitude; to look at his father now, as an enemy.
Flashback Ends
"Nii Yugito. Danger looms ever closer. You, as a jinchuuriki know of the suffering from the loss of a loved one. Will you allow others to feel the loss you went through?"
"…No…"
"Then will you join me and my cause to eliminate this threat?"
"This threat that you speak of…from what does it come from?"
"The second most powerful bijuu. The eight-headed serpent. The Yamata no Orochi…"
"I see."
Yugito observed the Yondaime Hokage with half-lidded eyes, wondering whether the man had any sanity left.
"If you want me to join you, release this chakra block-seal as a measure of faith from your part," said the Nibi container.
"It isn't a block. It inhibits the flow of chakra to the minimum amount for a person to survive. You've just come out of the containment cell. Your muscles have atrophied. You need to rest, so I will leave the seal on…for now."
The blonde female frowned at him and was preparing for a snappy reply but was interrupted by Kyuubi/Naruto.
"Hokage Arashi, I want to have a word with you outside."
Arashi gazed fixedly at Yugito for a few more seconds before walking outside, followed shortly by the younger Uzumaki who closed the door behind them.
"What is it?" and as Arashi turned to face his son, was bombarded with the memories ofthat night.
Red irises. Slitted pupils. The eyes of a demon.
In less than a second, the Yoshimoto blade sang as it was drawn out and held against the sensitive flesh of neck.
"What have you done with Naruto?!"
"He is now the captive of the seal," was the calm reply.
The Akatsuki Leader's eyes hardened as steel, his face devoid of emotion. If he needed to kill his son to prevent this devil kitsune from escaping then so be it.
"I wish to help you in your cause…" stated the Kyuubi.
"…why?"
"The current situation has piqued my interest. Not to mention my earnest desire to slay my nemesis. Let's just say that the most lasting and significant entity to have walked this earth; that, which is me, has come to give you his aid."
"I don't want it."
"But have it, you will, nonetheless."
"You…killed…my…wife!!"
"Yes…I did."
Enraged azure eyes flashed against indifferent crimson ones, neither wavering; the silent battle of wills encompassing both, transforming mere seconds into a lifetime.
"I give you my word…and my honor," stated the bijuu.
"What?!"
"I give you…my word and my honor to help you slay Yamata no Orochi and any other bijuu that threatens your…kind. And to not harm any people precious to you or to Naruto… I think you know the significance of this…"
"Yes…I do…" thought Arashi.
Even though the tailed beasts might seem as nothing more than mindless beasts, wreaking havoc at their wake, these beings did have honor. And along with it went an unsurpassable amount of ego. A village in its path, a wandering traveler, an innocent child…if they did not bow down before the being's might, then it was an insult to his honor. The fact that the intended victim had no knowledge of what was in front of him called for a defense in the name of honor and face. A stubborn and dim-witted trait it was.
And yet, pledging one's honor to another being, no matter how insignificant, was deemed a binding pact no seal, contract, or agreement could ever be held equal to. Such was the complexity, but yet simplicity of the matter.
"How did this…exchange…come about?" asked the former Hokage.
"I myself am mystified. But it occurred when I entered that room," was the reply as the nine tails implied Yugito's quarters.
"This must be undone." stated Arashi while sheathing the blade.
"How? And if I were returned into imprisonment, I would no longer be able to aid you."
"Even in the present circumstance, you would not be of much help. You are currently unable to use your own chakra, thus needing time for you to get used to Naruto's limited supply."
"Why use the boy's chakra when mine is infinite?"
"In the instant the exchange occurred, if your chakra also exchanged in the process then the chakra-block seal would have come off. The simple seal's limit wouldn't be able to contain such a vast amount."
"Which means…"
"Yes…I believe that only the essence of the mind has been exchanged… Turn around please."
The Fourth Hokage did a ram seal then quickly touched a series of points on Naruto's back, disabling the block seal.
"Now, please summon a shadow clone."
"What is this about...?"
"Please, just do as I ask…"
The demon kitsune eyed the man in front of him suspiciously for a few seconds, and then closed his eyes.
And suddenly a very perplexed looking kage bunshin came into existence beside him.
"What the heck is going on, dattebayo?!" asked the clone while looking back and forth between the demon kitsune and the former Hokage.
"Just as I suspected," smiled Arashi mysteriously.
Glossary:
Otogakure – Hidden Sound Village
Kumogakure – Hidden Cloud Village
Taki no Kuni – Waterfall Country
Sunagakure no sato – Hidden Sand Village
Kaze no Kuni – Wind Country
Akatsuki – Red Dawn
Kage bunshin – shame on you if you do not know what this means.
Next Chapter's Title: Moving Forward
