Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
A/N: Well, I feel like I've been an absolute prick about this story since I was so excited for it. Seriously, I've got a whole list of things I want to do with this thing but I got writer's block in the beginning. I just couldn't set everything up to flow correctly from the previous chapter. It's been half written for months… but I finally got around to finishing it! I love working on this story just as much as NLSC so hopefully I'll get the next one up soon.
Anyway, I've got quite a bit to say regarding this story at the author's note below so BE SURE TO READ THAT. Sorry for taking too many months to update this story, and I hope you guys like the new chapter. Enjoy.
Settling In
Naruto couldn't believe it. He finally got it! He finally understood why all the villagers in Konoha had hated him so much! He had a big demon inside him! The nine tailed fox that the Yondaime defeated was sealed inside of him! He was a jin… chu… something, and that's why everyone hated him! And while Naruto suddenly felt enlightened by this new understanding of himself, part of his young, immature mind was also confused by his new information.
Naruto quickly glanced down at himself, looking at his hands and feet, even checking his behind for any certain anomalies that suddenly popped up inside his head.
No tail, no claws, no other furry appendages… heck, he never even knew he had a demon in his stomach until just a few minutes ago. He felt fine. Did he look weird to the other villagers? Is that why they called him a demon and a monster back home? As he mulled over this sudden revelation, a question popped into his mind.
Yagura opened his mouth to speak again when he saw a strained hand raise itself in the air.
"…Yes, Naruto?" Yagura said, turning towards the boy.
The boy's expression was thoughtful. An odd expression for him, Yagura decided. The other seven jinchuriki also turned towards the blond kid, some interested with what he had to say, others annoyed by his interruption.
"How did the fox get sealed in me?" Naruto asked curiously. He remembered Yagura saying something about sealing when he mentioned… jin-whatsits.
Yagura sighed. He didn't want to spend all his time lecturing Naruto about jinchuriki. But the boy clearly wanted to know, and based on a few other curious looks from a few other jinchuriki, he decided to give a small explanation.
"Jinchuriki are people who, as I said, act as a living cell for a bijuu to keep it from attacking others." Yagura explained. "Usually, jinchuriki are sealed inside a newborn so their chakra coils can develop to adapt to the demon's foreign chakra in their system. However, there are a few cases where jinchuriki are sealed into someone later in life." He glanced at Bee and Yugito as he said this. "All of us had seals placed onto our bodies that keep the bijuu within us imprisoned. Have you ever noticed any markings or signs on your body, Naruto?"
"There's this really big circle painted on my belly." Naruto answered, earning a chuckle from Roshi.
"That's the seal that keeps the bijuu in." Yagura told him.
"Will the fox ever get out?" Naruto asked.
This drew more curious stares from the remaining jinchuriki. They all stared at Yagura expectantly who quickly elaborated.
"That is why I have brought you here, Naruto. It's why I've brought you all here." Yagura said, turning towards the group of eight in front of him. "By training with me, I hope that each of you will gain some control over your demon. During your stay in Kirigakure, I hope you'll all learn to get along. While I understand that most of you aren't very socially adept, and I won't ask any of you to be friends, please get used to each other for the benefit of your training."
Yagura tried to keep the exasperation from his voice when Naruto raised his hand again. He tried to ignore it but the way he was frantically waving his hand was clearly distracting and annoying some of the other containers.
"…Yes, Naruto?"
"Does this mean you'll teach us how to be ninja?" The boy asked excitedly.
"The exercises I'll be teaching you will certainly help you if that is your career choice." Yagura answered.
"Hooray! I'm going to be a ninja!" Naruto cheered.
Yagura stared at the boy for a moment before noting the reactions of the other containers. Roshi, Bee, and Yugito smiled at the exuberant boy, while Han, Utakata, and Fu looked rather annoyed by his antics, although Yagura could clearly see some excitement in Fu's eyes as well. Gaara just fidgeted as he stood next to Yugito, casting unsure, nervous glances at the assembled group before him.
Yagura glanced at Naruto one last time before resuming his speech. The boy was indeed strange.
"Yes, well, the primary goal here is to gain control over your demons, not to become ninja." Yagura stated. "Now, how many of you are familiar with the bijuu? Have you met your demon?"
This question earned many more looks of confusion from the group of containers. Only Roshi and Han reacted with indifference.
"Yo! I've been trying to do that for months!" Bee proclaimed.
"I've reacted to the demon's chakra, but I have never 'met' the Rokubi personally." Utakata added, confused with the way the Mizukage put it. "Is meeting the demons even possible?"
"Of course. But really, it's all depends on how much control you have over your demon and how you react to its chakra." The Mizukage explained. He brought his hands together as a purple haze seemed to float around him. "Which brings us to our first exercise."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"I will help 'introduce' you all to your demons." Yagura said as the purple haze floated over to the group of eight. "Talk for as long as you wish. Though, if you have adverse reactions to your demon's chakra, I would advise you to take your leave."
Han and Utakata looked like they were about to protest, along with Gaara who seemed like he was going to scream, but each of their world's changed and distorted, with each jinchuriki seeing a different vision.
X.X.X.X.X
Naruto panicked when he blacked out for a moment, only for his vision to come back seconds later, though he wasn't in the room he had been in previously. He was in some kind of sewer. Pipes were lined on the ceiling and a few seemed to be leaking. He also noticed that he was ankle deep in water, though he didn't feel wet at all. He noted with some interest that the water was slightly bluish in color, as was the water dripping from the pipes overhead.
Just as Naruto started to wonder where he was, a deep, rumbling voice resounded throughout the chamber.
"So the jailer comes to visit…"
Naruto's eyes widened as he whirled around, coming face to face with the biggest, scariest looking creature he had ever seen. The monster's lips curled as a sinister smirk formed on his face, showing off its razor sharp teeth. Naruto's chest vibrated as it spoke.
"Hello, fleshbag."
Naruto screamed and fell back into the water. He trembled as blood red eye's stared down at him.
"So YOU'RE my host? Feh, what a joke…" The beast growled. "You humans really are pathetic…"
Gathering his courage and gulping down his fear, Naruto shakily got back on his feet and gave the giant fox a curious look.
"So… are you the Kyuubi no Yoko?" Naruto asked.
"Who did you think I was?" The beast snarled. "I will never be anything less. The great Kyuubi no Yoko, the strongest bijuu in all the land! Even a kit like you must've heard about me."
"Y-Yeah. Jiji-san talks about you sometimes. The Yondaime defeated you back when-"
"He did NOT defeat me. He got lucky, and if it wasn't for…! Nevermind…" The demon growled. The fox stared down at its trembling host with disgust. "Even so, I am cursed with the fate of being sealed inside someone like you…"
"Y-You're the reason all the villagers hated me." Naruto stammered, remembering what Yagura had told him.
To Naruto's surprise, the demon smiled.
"I know. Hilarious, isn't it?" The Kyuubi chuckled, eliciting a confused look from his container. "It is! They're reason for hating you was because they thought a worthless meatsack like you was me. They thought that just because I'm sealed inside you that somehow turned you into me. What a joke! And that Yondaime of yours, oh if he could only see how the villagers he gave his life to save treated you…"
The beast suddenly broke out into uproarious laughter.
"The irony of it all is just too much!" The Kyuubi laughed gleefully as it pounded against the gates of the cage.
Naruto only kept staring at the creature. What did irony mean anyway?
"But yes, I'm the reason the villagers hated you so much. I'm why your childhood has been such a hell thus far. Not only that, but those humans are too stupid to realize the truth for themselves!" The Kyuubi laughed. "How could a child as lowly as you even begin to hope to measure up to someone so great as me? If it really was me in human flesh the villagers had been tormenting all these years, they'd have all been killed by now. Why would the Great Kyuubi no Yoko allow that kind of mistreatment?"
"B-But I'm not you! I got blamed for things I didn't do because of you!" Naruto said.
That single fact had suddenly clarified itself inside his mind. And that made Naruto… angry.
"And what do you want from me, fleshbag?" The Kyuubi sneered. "You never once stood up to those worthless humans who did you harm. Not only does that make me look bad by association, but it proves just how weak you are. You'll always be blamed for something you have no control over, and neither of us can do anything about the misconceptions people have of you."
Naruto balled his fists up. The demon actually sounded like he was amused!
"Really, I would be angry if the whole situation wasn't so damn funny."
The beast reared its head back and started laughing again. When Naruto registered because he thought the situation was funny, that HIS misfortune and suffering were funny, Naruto got angry. He didn't care if the Kyuubi was a giant, scary demon fox living in his stomach or whatever. Naruto Uzumaki does NOT like being made fun of.
So naturally, Naruto responded in the only way young children do when they are being ridiculed.
He started yelling.
X.X.X.X.X
"Well… this is nice."
Roshi smiled as he looked around the lush, green forest. Fruits of all shapes and colors littered the trees above him. Out of curiosity, the Yonbi jinchuriki reached out and plucked a ripe looking apple from one of the branches that dipped near his head. The man looked it over, scanning it for anything strange or uncommon before bringing it to his lips and taking a bit out of the juicy fruit.
It was delicious!
"Wow! The inside of my head is so authentic! Bona fide!" Roshi laughed as he took another bite. His eyebrows went up when he looked down at the fruit. "Well, would you look at that…"
Chakra. He could see blue chakra inside the apple.
"How creative!"
What a metaphor! So all the leaves, trees, and fruits represented his chakra! Who would've thought?
But if that was true, where was his chakra?
Roshi finished off his apple and tossed away the core, noting with some amusement that is dissipated into blue energy when it hit the ground. He moved deeper and deeper into the forest at a leisurely pace. As he continued to walk, the environment went through a startling change.
The trees slowly turned into a sickly brown color and the branches started to wilt. The fruits lost their color and took on a more shrunken, dry appearance or disappeared completely. Soon enough, all the trees and leaves started to take on a deep red hue. Roshi eventually came to a wide expanse, and in the center of it all an enormous oak tree was placed in the center.
But the environment was surprising!
The trees and grass surrounding the largest tree were all blood red, and seemed to change and morph, almost as if they were alive and in movement. The center tree was the most intense feature. It was the deepest red Roshi had ever seen, so much that it almost hurt to look at it. The bark was cracked and charred, almost as though it had been burned. This seemed to be the case, since the leaves were on fire, yet the tree didn't burn to the ground.
Of course, the feature that stood out most was the large cage that hung from a long, protruding, flaming branch. And inside the cage…
The Yonbi no Saru thrashed about inside its prison, letting out screeching cries as the red, four tailed monkey pounded against the cage bars.
"…Well, doesn't that paint a picture?" Roshi remarked, not entirely sure how he should react to this…
X.X.X.X.X
"That FUCKER!"
Han slapped his forehead as the ruined, barren wasteland stretched out in front of him. He clenched his fists together in frustration as the black, stormy sky cracked and swirled above. Even inside the thick, blue fog that was his chakra, Han could still see that damning sky. The cracked earth and bloody ground he stood on complimented the scene perfectly.
A true land of despair and depravity.
"I hate it here." Han growled.
His eyes narrowed as he glared up at the cage behind him. A red fog surround the area around it as chains held the massive cage down. Similar chains adorned the Gobi no Irukauma as it trembled inside the prison. The horse creature shrank back as Han gave it a glare full of venom and hatred.
He'd already taken care of his demon. What was the point in visiting this wasteland?
X.X.X.X.X
Yagura watched the containers as the stand in place, all submerged within their mindscapes thanks to the trance he had put them in. The purple haze had been imbued with the Sanbi's chakra, and it had been meant to stimulate the other bijuus' chakra and induce a mindscape. None of them were asleep, but in a state of subconscious. It was why Yagura had no worries about Gaara's unstable seal, something he reminded himself that he'd have to fix sooner rather than later. The eight containers stared into nothing with open, pupiless eyes as they met with their demons.
Now, this was actually a valuable exercise. Depending on who broke out of their mindscape first would give Yagura some idea as to how much control they already had over their demon's chakra or how much control the demon had over the host. It would let him know who needed work immediately and those who could be left on their own.
The Mizukage was quite curious about who would be the best at controlling their demon. If he had to guess, it would be either Roshi or the two Kumo containers. Roshi was an experienced ninja and from what Yagura knew of him had frequently tried to meet with his demon and could utilize the Yonbi's chakra. Bee and Yugito, however, had actual training on how to control their demons. Whether or not it had worked was another story though.
"Fuck. I hate that place."
Yagura blinked when Han suddenly spoke up.
The teen rubbed his eyes a bit before aiming a glare at Yagura, who gave him a surprised look in response. The Gobi container had the best control? Not only that, but it hadn't even been a minute since Yagura had induced his mindscape. How had Han broken out of it so easily?
"Well, that's forty seconds of my life I'll never get back." Han growled, completely blowing off Yagura and stepping out of the line. He walked towards where his armored plates sat and immediately got to work. He shot one last glare at Yagura before turning back towards his plates. "Don't bother me."
Yagura stared at Han for a few moments before turning back towards the containers.
"Interesting…" Yagura thought as Roshi began to blink his eyes. A small smirk formed on the Mizukage's face.
Jinchuriki were certainly unique, to say the least.
X.X.X.X.X
Gaara shivered as the wide desert expanded in front of him. Was he asleep? Bad things happened when he was asleep. There was that monster he saw in his dreams…
A hand appeared in front of his face. Gaara's gaze turned upwards toward a woman with sandy hair wearing a long robe, smiling down at him.
"Mother…"
Gaara smiled at the woman.
"Did you bring me any blood?"
Gaara frowned at the phrase that he had heard so often before. At first he thought nothing of it, but only after talking with Yagura…
Fear suddenly swelled within the boy's gut. Gaara slowly started to back away as the woman's yellow eyes stared down at him.
"Y-You're not my mother…!"
The woman's face suddenly stretched into an eerie smile. She threw her head back, letting out an insane, screeching laugh as her body started to contort and grow. Gaara didn't wait for the transformation to end.
He ran away, screaming all the while.
X.X.X.X.X
Fu ran with everything she had. When she felt herself slowing down, she ran faster. When she stumbled, she quickly got up again and resumed running. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her.
She finally fell when she heard a loud metal clang resound through the air. Fu scrambled on the ground as she dared herself to look back.
The Nanabi no Kabutomushi flailed its wings about as the black chains kept it from lashing out at its host. When it tried to take flight again it was immediately brought down again. Fu shook as the demon suddenly stilled and turned its head towards her.
"Someday I'll break these chains, fleshling…" The beast promised her in a monotonous, metallic voice. "Just you wait…"
Fu just stared at the giant bug with wide eyes. The vast red sky expanded above her, almost covering up what little blue that showed through.
Fu took off running again when the demon suddenly reared and tried to fly again.
X.X.X.X.X
"U-Uwah… sniff… waaaa…"
Yagura sighed as he finished pulling Gaara out of his mindscape. The small boy rocked himself back and forth as tears poured from his eyes. He clutched onto his teddy bear tightly as Roshi tried to consol the boy. The Mizukage stepped over to Fu, who also need to be brought out of her mindscape. The girl was shaking uncontrollably and the demon's chakra was starting to leak out of her. Yagura placed his hand on her head and exerted some of his own chakra, snapping the girl out of her trance.
"Ten minutes have passed."
Yagura noted that to himself, and in that time only two of the jinchuriki had been released from their mindscape. By themselves, anyway. Roshi had quickly followed Han's surprisingly short mindscape trip and had joyfully thanked the Mizukage for allowing him to meet with his demon. Yagura tried to concentrate on his own thoughts as the man talked amicably about his experience. He had been doing so ever since he had "woken up" much to Yagura's annoyance.
Han had been content to go back to polishing his armor plates, ignoring everything else around him.
Of course, when Gaara started reactingly violently to his experience, added with the Ichibi's chakra spiking, Yagura had to relieve the boy before things got out of hand. When the same started happening to Fu, he acted accordingly.
Based on how the containers were reacting gave Yagura valuable clues. He had induced their mindscape to see where they stood, and how the reacted and how quickly they broke out of their mindscape, if at all, would help him decide who to focus on.
Han hadn't really given him much. The dark skinned boy had immediately broken out of his mindscape and had shown almost no defining reactions in his short trance. Yagura deduced that his demon had no influence on the Gobi container or Han had gone into his mindscape before and was already associated with his demon. The comment Han made earlier testified to the latter. Roshi had shown no signs of discomfort either, and had quickly broken out of his trance a minute or two after Han had. The man had casually told Yagura that he had been trying to get in touch with his demon for years so he could try and understand more about its power, and had even admitted to talking to the demon before. That gave Yagura a very accurate idea about Roshi's relationship with his demon.
Now, there were the jinchuriki who had not yet broken out of their mindscape or when he had to interfere. Yagura had been worried about the younger jinchurikis' reactions to the demons' chakra. It was much easier for demons to influence the young and impressionable rather than the old and experienced. Yugito would fidget once in a while, but remained relatively still. Utakata was in a similar state, though Yagura could see sweat forming on the boy's brow. The remaining four were the most worrying. Bee had been occasionally shaking at first, but now the boy appeared to be struggling within himself as his body twisted and jerked. Naruto would shake violently at random intervals, calm down, and then start shaking again after a minute or so. Yagura wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Gaara and Fu were the two worst cases, since both looked like they had been have mini seizures and their moans and whimpers of discomfort were distinctly heard. Yagura had no choice but to release them from their mindscapes.
Gaara wiped away some of his tears as Roshi tried telling him a few bad jokes. Fu's eyes were wide as she looked frantically about the room, as if she was looking for something. Han ignored them all, though he occasionally glared at Roshi for the horrible jokes he was telling the youngest and most unstable jinchuriki.
Yagura was slowly beginning to grasp each of their positions. He continued his observations, waiting patiently for one of the remaining four to wake up or for his chance to step in.
X.X.X.X.X
Utakata stepped away from the slimy walls of the damp cave as he made his way inside the tunnel. He wiped away some of the blue slime from his clothes as he tried to keep himself from slipping on the slick ground.
He had already met the Rokubi no Namekuji. The slug had been in a cage deep inside the dark tunnels he was currently navigating through. A wide, red chamber contained the massive creature within it, and after exchanging a few words, Utakata decided to leave. He had wanted to get away from the beast as soon as possible.
The problem was getting out of this place.
Utakata sighed as he caught sight of some red slime. He groaned and started going back the way he came.
There had to be an exit somewhere. And he was willing to keep searching if it meant that he didn't have to go back to the Rokubi.
X.X.X.X.X
Yugito was in awe as the blue flames move around her. She'd never seen anything like it! In a way, it was sort of fascinating to watch the elegant flames dance. It didn't even hurt when she touched the flames either. The grass was soft beneath her feet as she made her way through the fiery meadow. The girl panicked when the saw red flames chase away the blue ones.
Her eyes widened when she saw the cage submerged in red, with a larger, flaming beast resting inside it.
A pair of black slitted pupils stared at Yugito. One surrounded by green, the other framed by yellow. The Nibi no Bakeneko stared at its host for a few moments before raising a flaming paw in greeting.
"Hello there." The demon purred.
Yugito's mouth fell open in surprise.
"H-Hello…?"
X.X.X.X.X
"Let me out…"
Bee backed away from the bars of the Hachibi's cage as its tentacles slithered towards him. Sweat ran down the boy's forehead as he tried stepping back, but the murky waters beneath him were thick and made movement difficult. Bee tried to move through the redish muck, but it seemed to get heavier and thicker the more he moved.
"Just let me out of here. I'll get out eventually, so why not now?" The Hachibi growled in annoyance as its tentacles continued to crawl towards its host.
"N-No way that's happening, yo…" Bee said with a shaky smile. "I'm gonna use your power someday, see…"
"Uh-huh…"
"I'm the great Killer Bee! I've got a duty as a host so…"
"Let me out."
"I ain't your bitch. You can't diss me."
"Let me free. Ah, dammit! Now I'm doing it too!"
Bee's eyes widened as the tentacles suddenly seized his legs. The demon Ox grinned as more of its meat tentacles moved to hold down the boy.
"L-Let go, man! Do you know who I am?"
"The most annoying host I've ever had." The Hachibi growled. "Other than that, you aren't any different from the rest."
"They were losers! I'm stronger than them!"
"Funny… the host before you said something similar."
"I-I'm the boss here! Y-You listen to me!" Bee stammered as more tentacles grabbed his arms.
"Mouthy little bastard, aren't you?" The Hachibi smirked as he lifted Bee in the air. "Don't you get it twerp? You're little bravado means nothing to me. I can SMELL the fear on you. All my hosts were the same. I'll get my chance soon, and then I'll break out."
Bee struggled about, but couldn't get free. Just as he felt himself being pulled forward, his vision went black.
X.X.X.X.X
Bee gasped as he suddenly came to, blinking in surprise when he saw Yagura step away from him. Yugito was at his side, giving him a worried look as she clutched onto his arm.
"B-Bee… are you okay?" Yugito asked worriedly.
"Y-Yeah… I'm fine." Bee nodded, still a little dazed by the whole experience.
Yagura left Yugito to help Bee regain his bearings as he turned his attention to the Kyuubi container who had not yet broken out of his mindscape. It had been a little over a half hour since he had induced everyone's mindscape. Yugito and Utakata had both voluntarily broken out of their mindscapes about five minutes ago, and Yagura had been forced to relieve Bee when the Hachibi's chakra started to react. That meant that Bee, Fu, and Gaara would need the most work.
"And Naruto as well…" Yagura thought as he watched the boy jerk and fidget in place.
The boy was reacting just as violently as Gaara, Fu, and Bee had. The Mizukage had actually predicted that these four in particular would be the most trouble. Gaara's only issue with his erratic control was his unstable seal, which Yagura would fix. Fu, Bee, and Naruto, however, were jinchuriki for the three strongest bijuu. The Nanabi, Hachibi, and Kyuubi's strength and chakra levels were far more superior to the lesser six, his Sanbi included. Not only that, but since the three jinchuriki were still young, Naruto and Fu especially, that would make mastering the demon's chakra that much harder.
Yagura shook his head and saved those thoughts for later. He reached out towards the shaking Naruto's head, ready to snap him out of his mindscape.
"SHUT UP!"
Everyone fell silent when someone screamed. Yagura just stared at the boy in front of him, who had suddenly regained his consciousness. The other jinchuriki were also staring at the Kyuubi container in mild surprise, wondering what had caused the outburst. Yagura withdrew his hand as Naruto looked around the room. He looked rather puzzled, but he was clearly upset about something.
"Naruto." Yagura said, gaining the boy's attention. "Why did you yell?"
"It wasn't at you! It was at that stupid furball!" Naruto huffed, crossing his arms. "It's all his fault! And he was laughing at me!"
The Sanbi container was at a loss for words, as were many of the other jinchuriki around him. One moment the boy's chakra had been reacting so dangerously he would've been forced to release him from the mindscape, and the next he was snapping back into consciousness with no trace of demonic chakra leaking out and actually complaining about his demon laughing at him.
Naruto was definitely the strangest out of the jinchuriki.
"But I'll definitely need to prioritize him along with Fu, Gaara, and Bee." Yagura thought to himself.
He may have been able to break out of the mindscape himself, but that didn't take away the fact that the Kyuubi's chakra had been acting up.
"So what now, Mizukage-sama?" Roshi asked curiously. "Since we're all acquainted with what's sealed inside us, what should we do now?
Yagura slowly stood to his feet and calmly strode towards the exit door. Just as he opened it he turned back towards his fellow containers.
"Now I'll show you all where you'll be living during your stay in Kirigakure."
That earned surprised looks from everyone, even Roshi and Han.
X.X.X.X.X
"He we are." Yagura said, gesturing with his hands as they entered through a large gate.
Surprise didn't even begin to describe it. Wonder and awe was evident on the faces of eight of the jinchuriki as the Sanbi brought them to a large compound that was only a few blocks down from the Mizukage's tower. The district wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. It was very traditional looking in nature, and looked like something out of a shrine or dojo. There was a large pond set off to the left of the district with a fair sized dojo next to it. An old storehouse could be seen near the back end of the enormous backyard area with other small buildings placed here and there. The largest building sat in the middle of the compound and was very sizeable. It was half the Mizukage tower's height, but twice its width. Fresh grass, a clean pond, soft dirt, living quarters that weren't trashed or on the verge of falling apart…
Needless to say, a majority of the jinchuriki had never even set foot in a place that seemed so extravagant. To most of them, it was one of the most beautiful places any of them had ever seen.
And this was where they would be living for as long as they stayed in Kirigakure…
"You're such a kind man, Yagura-sama!" Roshi smiled amicably, slinging an arm over the shorter man's shoulders. Naruto, Yugito, Fu, and Bee were already looking around the place with excited gestures and movements. "This place is great! And it's so clean! And you're letting us stay here?"
"Are you complaining?" Yagura asked, frowning as he gingerly lifted the Yonbi container's arm off of him.
"Not at all! Not at all!" Roshi laughed. "I'm just… flattered is all! I'll bet you had men working night and day to set this place up for your fellow jinchuriki! I had expected something similar to where you kept us before our little get together but this is something else! You must've put so much work into-!"
"Not as much as you think, Roshi-san." Yagura interrupted the man with a sigh. "This district was actually owned by a clan that had once resided in Kirigakure."
"Where are they now?" Utakata asked curiously.
"Dead." Yagura replied shortly.
Utakata looked surprised by that abrupt statement while Roshi's wistful smile suggested he had a suspected just that. Gaara shivered when he heard Han's quiet laughter.
"Rest assured, the houses have been cleaned up and anything that had been falling apart has already been repaired. None of you should have any problems living here." Yagura informed them. "If you do find anything that isn't to your liking, don't be afraid to let me know."
"Yagura-san, this place is HUGE!" Naruto exclaimed, waving his arms around for emphasis as he ran around the small plaza area. "And you're letting us LIVE here?"
"Of course. I made sure to- oomph!"
Yagura grunted when the Kyuubi container suddenly shot forward and latched onto the Mizukage's midsection, voicing his gratitude at a mile a minute.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Naruto gushed, his expression one of complete and utter joy. "I've never lived somewhere this nice before!"
"I don't think any of us have." Utakata commented with a light smile.
"Ahem… yes, well…" Yagura said as he awkwardly pushed Naruto off of him and gestured to the main house. "I'll let you explore most of the facilities for yourselves, but I'd at least like to show you around the main quarters. Yugito-san, please grab Fu-san and Bee-san."
Yugito quickly collected the other two wandering containers who also voiced their amazement in a similar way Naruto had, even if Fu was more reluctant to admit it or show her gratitude, and followed Yagura and the rest of the jinchuriki into the large building that they would be staying in. The inside was even more extravagant than the outside by most of their standards. Everyone silently agreed with Naruto and Utakata about never living anyplace so nice. A large living room greeted them as they entered through the sliding door that led inside the house. Couches, a small table, a bookshelf, a desk, and other smaller things were scattered around the room. The kitchen was rather large as well, and rightly so since it would be serving eight people. Yagura said that the refrigerator and pantry were already stocked, but the jinchuriki would have to cook for themselves. The Mizukage politely urged the older containers to cook for the younger ones, much to the annoyance of Han and Utakata. Even Bee looked a little reluctant. The house had all the essentials for a large family to live in and seemed very accommodating. It even had a large open air hot spring in the back of the house, something Han was rather excited about. None of them really had any complaints about the house.
Until they got upstairs…
"You want us to what?" Han asked, glaring at their benefactor as he stared at the four doors that would become their rooms.
The problem with that is that there were eight of them who would be living there. Only four rooms to live in led to only one conclusion…
"The rooms were designed to house two people. Therefore, I'd like all of you to select one person to room with." Yagura stated.
"Why can't we have our own rooms?" Utakata asked, uncomfortable with the idea of sharing his room with another person.
"I want all of you to get along. I felt that this system would help you all get used to each other." Yagura told him. "This will force each of you to interact with one another in some way or another."
"That's cool with me!" Bee grinned. "Now, who wants to be MY roomie?"
"Oh, hell no…" Han muttered in disgust as he took a step away from the Hachibi container. Utakata also took a step back, trying his best not to make eye contact with the rapping teen.
"Fu-chan, would you like to be my roommate?" Yugito asked, ignoring her friend's antics as he tried to convince one of the older containers to room with him.
"Why do I have to stay with you?" Fu asked rudely, scrunching up her nose as though she smelled something terrible.
"Um, well, we're both girls and I've never had a friend other than Bee who was close to my own age, so I'd like it if we got along." Yugito smiled, trying to be friendly. "Plus, I think it'd be improper for you to stay with one of the guys."
"Improper…?" Fu questioned, looking curious.
"Well… guys and girls don't usually…"
"Relax. It's not like any of us are going to molest her if we room with her. I certainly don't find underage girls a turn on." Han scoffed, overhearing the conversation and embarrassing Yugito. He smirked at Bee. "Although I'm not going to say I speak for all of us."
"Hey! Was that an insult?" Bee demanded.
"Oh, look at that, looks like we've got a genius in this house." Han retorted, rolling his eyes.
"Why you…!" Bee said, grabbing the taller boy by the collar. "You wanna go?"
"Please, like you could even be a match for-"
"Han, Bee." Yagura interrupted the two. "Please, at least try to get along?"
"Ah… hehe, sorry." Bee smiled apologetically the Mizukage for trying to start something and turned towards Han. "We cool?"
"No. Get off."
"Why don't you be my roommate, Han-kun? We're both from Iwagakure, aren't we?" Roshi asked, slinging an arm around the boy's shoulders.
Han fixed him with a look of self-loathing.
"…You don't have to look so disgusted by the prospect."
As Bee and Roshi started to argue over who would be Han's roommate, something which annoyed the Gobi container to no end, Naruto made his way over to the small, silent Ichibi container who was trying his best to hide behind Yagura's leg. Sand pooled near the boy's feet, moving occasionally but most of it was surprisingly still. Gaara shrank back when he noticed the blond boy's attention on him, but blinked in surprise when the Kyuubi container smiled at him.
"Hi!" Naruto greeted him cheerfully. "You're name is Gaara, right?"
"Y-Yes…" Gaara nodded uncertainly.
"I'm Naruto!" The boy smiled, reintroducing himself. "I'm seven years old, I like ramen and the color orange, and I want to be a ninja! Wanna be my roommate?"
"R-Roommate?" Gaara stuttered, eyes wide. "Y-You want to stay with me?"
"Sure! We can be friends!" Naruto grinned widely. He gave Gaara an imploring look. "Do you want to be my friend, Gaara?"
The Ichibi container just stared at the blond kid with wide eyes. This boy was asking to be his friend? He wasn't scared of him? He had acted the same why during their meeting at the Mizukage's tower. The boy clutched onto his teddy bear as he looked over the smiling boy. He wasn't going to hurt him, right?
"W-We can be friends…?" Gaara asked, afraid of the answer.
"Yeah! You'll be my first friend ever!" Naruto grinned. "So can we be roommates, please?"
As Naruto drawled out his please, almost as if he was begging for something, despite himself, Gaara smiled.
"Okay…" The boy nodded.
"YEAH!" Naruto cheered, shooting forward and crushing the younger boy in a hug. The sand spiked for a moment, but settled down when Gaara heard Naruto's laughter. The boy looked up towards Yagura. "Gaara can stay with me, right Yagura-san?"
"If he wants to." Came the blunt, indifferent reply.
"Yay!" Naruto cheered as he proceeded to hug the living daylights out of his first and only friend. Gaara was a limp as a ragdoll as Naruto continued to spin him around. When he finally put the smaller boy down, Naruto immediately started tugging on the boy's hand. "Let's go see what our room looks like!"
"Not yet, Naruto." Yagura said, prying the boy's fingers off of Gaara's wrist and pulling the Ichibi container towards him. "There's something I have to do about Gaara's seal."
"The thing that keeps the Ichibi sealed up?" Naruto asked. He silently congratulated himself for remembering what Yagura had told him about the demon's seals.
"Yes. Gaara's seal is unique, or rather, it wasn't a very strong seal." Yagura explained. "The seal makes it so that when Gaara goes to sleep, the Ichibi comes out."
"My seal won't do that, will it?" Naruto asked curiously. Did it do that before? Was that why the villagers hated him too?
"No, no… as I said, Gaara's is unique. Only his seal reacts this way." Yagura explained patiently. "I'll drop Gaara off in your room once I've properly modified his seal. Come along, Gaara."
"O-Okay…" Gaara nodded, not quite understanding what was going on. He gave Naruto a shy wave of goodbye, silently overjoyed when the boy gave an enthusiastic wave back and a "see you later" as well.
As Gaara was led back downstairs, a sudden realization ran through the boy's mind.
"I made a friend!"
For the first time in many years, a true smile full of happiness broke out on the Ichibi container's face.
Back upstairs Han grimaced as the Yonbi and Hachibi containers continued discuss who should room with him. The Gobi container dreaded the thought with rooming with either of them. One was an idiot who rhymed and the other was an overly-familiar drunkard. Neither of the two was an appealing option for a roommate.
"Han-san."
The teen turned when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He found himself looking down at the Rokubi container's lazy looking face.
"I think it'd be best if the two of us were roommates." Utakata said as if he were negotiating something. That was actually close to the truth, since he too didn't want to get stuck with Bee or Roshi. "I promise to keep to myself and not bother you so long as you do the same. Both of us desire little to no interaction and if either of us is stuck with the Hachibi or Yonbi jinchurikis we'll never get the peace we desire. I think we can both tolerate sharing a living space together if it means keeping away from the two of them."
"Agreed." Han said instantly, intent on not letting the generous off slip through his fingers.
Without another word, the Gobi and Rokubi containers stepped into their room and proceeded to ignore everything going on outside of it. Yugito eventually managed to convince Fu to room with her, and they too entered their room without a word.
Naruto, without anyone else to talk to, made his way over to the remaining two containers.
"So you guys are going to be roommates then?" Naruto asked.
"Nah, we were just deciding who…" Bee trailed off when he noticed only Roshi and Naruto remained. "Uh…"
"I suppose we are." Roshi chuckled. "How about it, Bee-kun? You don't mind being my roommate, do you?"
"That's cool with me, foo!" Bee smiled. "Just so long as it's cool with you!"
"Um… Bee-san?" Naruto asked shyly.
"Whassup?" Bee smiled at the boy.
"What's that thing you keep doing?" Naruto asked.
"What thing, kid? You gotta be specific if you're referring to something the awesome Killer Bee did!"
"You did it again!" Naruto said excitedly. "What is it?"
"You mean my rapping?" Bee asked, smiling cheekily at the younger container. "Don't mind it too much. It's just something that I do."
"What's rap?" Naruto asked innocently.
"…" Bee was silent for a few moments before firmly grasping the kid's shoulders. "Kid, I've got a something to teach you."
Roshi chuckled to himself as Bee pulled a surprised Naruto into their room. The Yonbi container followed them with an amused look on his face.
At least things weren't boring in Kirigakure.
X.X.X.X.X
"Y-Yagura-san…?"
"Just calm down and sit still, Gaara. I'm almost done."
Yagura drew a few more kanji symbols on the boy's back before stepping away. The Ichibi's seal was located on the red head's back and Yagura was modifying it to make it more stable. Having already extensively researched bijuu and seals relating to the demons when he was young so he could better understand the Sanbi, Yagura had an ample understanding of seals himself. Discussing theories with Minato and Kushina had also helped him a few times in the past.
"This should be fine…" Yagura muttered to himself.
He checked over the scroll he had written himself that contained all information about bijuu and seals he knew one last time. It looked like he had gotten the formula correct. It was a rather simple modification. While it wouldn't completely seal the Ichibi's chakra, hence sand would probably still follow Gaara around until he gained control of the demon's chakra for himself, Gaara should be able to fall asleep without letting the Ichibi out to play.
"Take a deep breath, Gaara." Yagura said calmly. "It will only take a few seconds to apply the new properties to your seal."
"W-W-Will it h-hurt?" Gaara asked nervously.
"It shouldn't. At least not too much." Yagura replied tonelessly as he made a few hand seals. He slammed his palm into the boy's back. "SEAL!"
Gaara jerked as the kanji drawn on his arms and back glowed red and were absorbed into the spiral like sun that was his seal. The color faded to black once again when the modifications were made to the seal. Yagura nodded in satisfaction when nothing unexpected took place.
"Y-Yagura-san…! I'm feeling sleepy…!"
Yagura arched an eyebrow at the boy's worried tone. The boy was panicking?
"I… I can't fall asleep! If I do… then…!" Gaara could already feel himself nodding off.
He started to hyperventilate. He was trying his best to stay awake but he couldn't! It was going to happen again! He'd start killing people even though he didn't want to! The sands would run red even if he didn't want to kill anymore!
He was so scared! He couldn't…!
Gaara blinked when a gentle hand was placed on top of his head. It was the same hand that had saved him before…
"It's okay, Gaara…" Yagura said softly. "You don't have to kill anyone. You're not going to kill anyone. The Ichibi is sealed away now. You can sleep…"
"I… I'm afraid…" Gaara whispered fearfully. His eyes were starting to droop.
"It's okay… It'll be fine…" Yagura whispered as he comfortingly rubbed the boy's head. "It's okay to sleep, Gaara… go to sleep… sleep…"
"I'm… so… sleepy…" Gaara murmured before his eyes closed completely.
Yagura caught him before the boy fell. The Mizukage stared at Gaara for a few moments, looking for any signs of discomfort or trying to sense if the Ichibi's chakra was acting up. After listening to the boy's soft breathing Yagura was satisfied and picked the sleeping boy up in his arms.
He'd drop him off in his room before heading back to the Mizukage's tower. He had some paperwork to finish before the day was over anyway.
X.X.X.X.X
"Um… Fu-chan?"
"What?"
Yugito shifted uncomfortably when the girl glared at her. The room was wide, but pretty vacant. It had two queen sized beds, two closets, a small living room, and a large bathroom that could probably fit more than four people comfortably. There was even a small stove to cook meals for a snack. Yugito had just finished unpacking what little belongings she had brought from Kumo while Fu and practically jumped onto the bed she took for herself and wrapped herself in a cocoon of covers. It was already getting late, and the setting sun filtered through the windows of their room.
Yugito was happy that she finally had a girl her age she was friends, er, could be friends with. She really hoped that she and Fu could get along with each other and become friends since she had always wanted a girl close to her own age she could play with. Bee was fun and definitely her best friend, but he couldn't understand a lot of the feminine things Yugito took interest since he was a boy.
Unfortunately, Fu didn't seem too keen on making friends.
"What's Takigakure like?" Yugito asked, trying to break the ice.
"It was terrible. People beat me up and hit me with sharp things." Fu growled, burrowing herself deeper into her bed as if to escape from the chatty girl that was her roommate.
"Oh…" Yugito trailed off. Minus three points for that topic. "What… what kind of foods do you like?"
"Apples."
"How come?"
"'Cause that's what I always stole from the marketplace."
"Oh…" Yugito paused again. That didn't help. "Do… Do you have any friends back in Takigakure?"
"That's not funny!" Came the muffled yell.
"O-Oh…" Yugito winced when the girl shouted at her. This wasn't going well. "How… What's your favorite color?"
That was a pretty neutral question, right? She couldn't be offended by that.
The ball of covers was silent for a few moments before two orange eyes could bee seen glaring at her from through the sheets.
"…Orange."
"Why is that?" Yugito asked, interested in her answer.
"My eyes are orange and so's my hairclip." Fu answered, still glaring at the girl.
Yugito covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a few giggles. She couldn't help it. To her, Fu looked kind of cute huddled in a ball on her bed like that. Talking to her was like trying to coax a wild animal into eating food from your hand. You had to be careful so you didn't scare it off.
Though Fu seemed more like the type that would bite you if you scared her.
"My favorite color's blue." Yugito smiled.
"Orange is better." Fu insisted.
"Well, everyone has their own opinion."
"Orange is still the best." Fu said adamantly.
Yugito sighed. The Nanabi container was rather difficult and she couldn't play this game all day. She glanced out the window towards the setting sun.
"Wanna take a bath with me?" Yugito asked out of the blue.
Kunoichi back home always seemed so friendly at the hot springs and never complained when Yugito joined them even though she was a jinchuriki. Maybe she could bond with Fu the same way?
"No."
W-What a quick reply!
"…Why do I have to take a bath with you?" Fu asked.
"You don't have to… but I was thinking it would be a good chance to talk to each other." Yugito said slowly.
"I don't like that." Fu said disdainfully.
"Fu-chan, please? I really want to try and become friends." Yugito begged her."
"…If I take a bath with you, will you stop talking to me?" Fu asked.
"W-Well, I'll try not to bother you."
"Muuu… fine." Fu moaned, throwing the covers off her body and headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Yugito asked.
"To find a river. You take baths there stupid." Fu said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"We have a bathroom to use for that though."
"What's that?"
Yugito fell over from the shock of being asked such a ridiculous question.
"F-Fu-chan, didn't you have a bathroom at your old house?"
"What house?" Fu demanded, crossing her arms. "My parents got rid of me and I lived in the forest near Takigakure. I only came to town to get food!"
Yugito's mouth fell open at that. She had assumed that the other containers had lived a similar life to hers. Surely everyone within their group had suffered some sort of mistreatment, but hadn't the village supported them to some extent? That had been the case for Bee and herself since the Raikage and his advocates watched over them, and Naruto and Roshi seemed so easygoing and friendly that their lives couldn't have been so terrible, right?
Then again, Han face maintained that intimidating scowl no matter what and Utakata didn't seem particularly friendly either. She would've gotten the same vibe from the Mizukage were he not their benefactor. She couldn't say much about Gaara, but the boy seemed afraid of just about anyone and anything. Fu was obviously hostile towards her because of the life she had lived prior to coming to Kirigakure.
Yugito felt a little bad about that. Maybe she had been acting a little insensitive. She always thought that she had had a tough life because of all the rejection and prejudice she face back in Kumo, but how bad did she really have it compared to Fu, Gaara, or Han? Heck, even Naruto or Roshi could just be putting on a front…
Even still, Yugito would try to be friendly with all of them, even if they hated her in return.
Though she had to admit, it was rather amusing showing Fu how to work the faucet in the bathtub. The Nibi container spent at least ten minutes teaching a surprised Nanabi container how it worked.
X.X.X.X.X
Utakata calmly turned the page of the book he was reading, the one he had picked out of the many that were settled inside the bookshelf next to his bed.
The room suited him, the Rokubi container decided. While it was rather empty right now, which allowed him to set things up for himself at a later time, it was a plain design that suited his tastes. A bookshelf with various books had already been set up for him and a small work desk was placed in the corner. Han hadn't really commented on much, simply going about his own thing in the living room while he worked on those red armored plates of his.
Utakata wasn't too keen on getting comfortable with the other containers, and he had agreed to room with Han for their mutual benefit…
…But it wouldn't kill the Gobi container to be a little friendlier.
Still, something about Han rubbed Utakata the wrong way. It wasn't the insults, constant scowl, or that you-even-think-about-screwing-with-me-and-I'll-rip-your-head-off attitude did it, rather it was the older teen's bloodlust.
Utakata was surprised that he hadn't felt it earlier. The intense feelings of loathing and hatred Han felt for… well, pretty much everything was surprising. Utakata had met plenty of maniacs, assassins, and other crazies in his short life, but never had he met anyone as apathetic as the Gobi container.
The Mizukage wanted them to get along, but Utakata knew that it was impossible for Han.
"Well, I suppose I can at least relate to him somewhat." Utakata thought to himself.
Utakata had the exact same feelings of hatred for his late sensei. Han's hatred was just on a much broader scale than his.
X.X.X.X.X
"That's so cool!"
Bee blushed under the praise he was receiving from the happy Kyuubi container, who was practically bursting as the seams with hero-worship. After Bee had explained rap to Naruto and given a few demonstrations, the boy had been in awe with what he thought was a "very cool" way of talking.
"It's… interesting, to say the least." Roshi smiled as he took a sip from his bottle of sake. He wasn't annoyed by Bee's eccentrics in the least. He found them pretty entertaining. "Where did you learn this art of rap, Bee-kun?"
"I read it in a book my big bro gave me once and rap caught me by the hook!" Bee grinned.
"How do you rap, anyway?" Naruto asked.
"Little Naruto, it's actually quite simple, yo." Bee grinned. "Just rhyme the words you already know and soon enough you'll be rappin' like a pro!"
"Hahahaha! That's awesome!" Naruto laughed.
"It's valuable wisdom!" Bee laughed, using Naruto's word to rhyme. "After all, it comes straight from me the cool and handsome Killer Bee!"
Both Naruto and Roshi laughed at Bee's creative rap. Naruto was literally bouncing from the excitement of learning about something so cool!
"Can I try? Can I?" Naruto asked giddily.
"You don't need my permission." Bee said, sitting down on the floor and gesturing to him. "Let's see what you've got!"
"Okay! Um…" Naruto thought hard about some words he could rhyme. "What can I rap about?"
"Anything! It can be about you, about something that happened today, or even what you ate for breakfast." Bee smiled. "Just make sure it rhymes!"
"Right! Uh… H-Hi! I'm Naruto!" The Kyuubi jinchuriki began, but paused when he couldn't think of anything to rhyme. "As… as you all should know! I… don't have any… tattoos…?"
Bee burst out laughing as Naruto continued to stumble over his rhymes. Most of them didn't even rhyme. Roshi leaned against the wall with a smirk of bemusement pasted on his features.
"I like ramen and I like eating it again and again… I like orange 'cause it's… um…" Naruto stopped. "What rhymes with orange?"
"Ah! You stumbled upon the taboo word of rap!" Bee said. "Orange is one of the only words that doesn't have anything to rhyme with it!"
"What? No way!" Naruto whined. "But that's my favorite color too…"
"You can still use it in rap." Bee said. "Just because orange isn't a rhyming color, you've gotta find words that make it flow more. See?"
"Oh… okay!" Naruto nodded his head in understanding. He turned towards Roshi. "Why don't you try it, Roshi-jiji?"
"Jiji? I'm still in my thirties, boy!" Roshi said, giving him a playful glare.
"C'mon old man! Show us some old school rap!" Bee insisted.
"Hmph. Alright brats you better listen to me, I'm still quite young as you can plainly see. I can pull my own weight and I'm not even forty-three. I fight like a bull and can climb any tree. I'm really strong too, don't even test me it's true. You even think about messing with me and it'll be the end for you. I'm fast like a bird and hot as red chili, listen to me rap with these words, this old man's got quite a healthy body! Rapping isn't hard, really words are all the same. Bow down punks, Art of Rap is something old man Roshi just tamed!"
Roshi struck a pose for a moment as Bee and Naruto stared at him with their mouths hanging open. Almost immediately the Hachibi container got down on his knees and pressed his head to the floor, grabbing Naruto's head and forced him to do the same.
"All bow before the Hermit of Rap! May his rhymes always be cool and slick!" Bee laughed as he and Naruto bowed to the Yonbi container.
"Why is it so hard for me to rap?" Naruto pouted, crossing his arms.
"I'm sure all it takes is a little practice, Naruto-kun." Roshi assured the boy. "It was your first time rapping after all."
"It was yours too!"
"Well, some things come easier to people who have years of experience under their belt." Roshi said proudly.
"See, it's that kind of thing that makes you sound like an old man." Bee chuckled.
"What's with that? I'm only thirty-nine…" Roshi sighed. He glanced out the window. It was getting dark. "Naruto-kun, I think it's time you went back to your room."
"Huh? But I want to stay with you and Bee-san!" Naruto complained.
"Yeah. Let's hear some more rap first." Bee agreed.
Roshi smiled a bit. It was both relieving and touching to see that the two boys seemed to like him so much. Definitely different from all the hated glares and fearful glances he was already used to.
"We'll have more time to talk in the morning. Kids should go to bed early." Roshi advised him.
"Ah… you sound just like Jiji-san." Naruto muttered. He pulled a bright smile onto his face as he headed towards the door. "Thanks for letting me talk with you guys."
"No problem! Our doors are always open for you! Right, Roshi?" Bee smiled.
"Of course. We were glad to have you, Naruto-kun." Roshi nodded towards the boy.
Naruto gave them a final wave before shutting the door behind him. After he left, Bee chuckled to himself and struck a confident pose with his chest sticking out.
"Heh, day one in Kiri and I've already got myself a disciple." Bee smirked.
"I wonder what Naruto's life was like before coming here." Roshi wondered, ignoring Bee's comment.
The boy practically radiated happiness and hyperactivity. Just seeing him bounce around and respond so positively to every little thing they did made Roshi feel like an old man. The other jinchuriki, bar Bee and Yugito, seemed extremely antisocial and even hostile, but the Yonbi container knew that was due to their harsh lives brought on by their jinchuriki status. Had Naruto's life been easier than theirs had?
Well, if that was true, there was no point in Naruto coming to Kirigakure, was there?
"Bee-kun, we're friends, yes?" Roshi asked, turning away from those thoughts.
"Totally! We're roommates so it's great if we could be!" Bee smiled.
"Good, good." Roshi smiled as pulled out two cups from a pouch around his waist and handed one to Bee, who took it with a confused look on his face. "Then in honor of our being new friends and roommates, I say… let's drink!"
"But… I can't drink." Bee said. Even while he was protesting, Roshi filled his glass to the brim.
"Sure you can! You were a ninja in your village, right? That makes you an adult and able to share a drink with friends!"
"Um…" Bee was still uneasy. He had never even tasted alcohol before, but he had always been curious.
"I'll let you in on a secret." Roshi whispered, leaning close to the boy. "Being a jinchuriki means we have an advanced healing factor."
"Well, duh! I already knew that!"
"No, but that means we aren't influenced as strongly by alcohol. We won't get hangovers and none of our organs will be damaged by excessive drinking!" Roshi grinned. "I would've keeled over long ago if not for that!"
With the amount of alcohol he inhaled everyday, without that healing factor his liver would have exploded before he had even finished his twenties.
"Hm… ah, what the heck!" Bee smiled. If the healing factor made it so nothing would happen, nothing was wrong with a few sips. He just had to make sure Yugito didn't find out. "Bottoms up!"
Roshi watched in amusement as Bee downed his drink, patiently waiting for the alcohol to take its toll. He hadn't been lying about immunity to organ failure, though he had fudged the truth about hangovers. He would still get one, but not as severe as some others got them. Not only that, but Bee would still get drunk and tipsy. And with the kind of booze Roshi was giving him that was bound to happen very, very soon.
X.X.X.X.X
Naruto flung open the door to his room and looked around the place. The sun had already set but even in the darkness he could tell the room was spacious, fixed, and clean. It was pretty much everything his old apartment hadn't been. So when Naruto caught sight of one of the two big, comfy beds, he immediately acted on impulse and threw himself onto the mattress.
Instead of meeting soft fabric, he landed on something much harder and bumpy.
"Ouch! Is that a pillow?" Naruto wondered as he lifted the covers off whatever he landed on.
He blinked when he saw a sleeping Gaara curled up in the bed. The Ichibi container shifted a bit before blearily opening his eyes.
"Mmph… ugh… hm…? Naruto-san…?" Gaara asked, as he rubbed his eyes. "Where… am I?"
"In our room! I guess Yagura-san must've dropped you off here after that thing he said he'd do with your seal was finished." Naruto smiled. "Sorry for waking you up."
"Wake up…?" Gaara whispered, looking incredibly confused by what Naruto said. His eyes widened when the realization dawned on him. "I was asleep!"
Naruto blinked when the smaller boy suddenly grabbed his shoulders.
"I WAS ASLEEP?" Gaara practically shouted.
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded, saying it like he was congratulating Gaara for something. "…Why are you yelling about that?"
"I… I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" Gaara whispered. "I didn't… kill anyone, did I?"
"What? No!" Naruto said incredulously. "You were sleeping! How could a sleepy person hurt anyone?"
Gaara sat in front of him with wide eyes. Naruto panicked when he noticed Gaara's eyes well up with tears.
"G-Gaara? What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Naruto asked worriedly. He blinked again when the small boy suddenly hugged him.
"I… I didn't kill anyone. I can sleep. Yagura-san really…" Gaara trailed off as he broke out into sobs. "Thank goodness… I so happy…"
Poor Naruto was at a loss. Part of him wondered whether or not he should ask Roshi or Bee for help since he knew nothing about consoling someone when they were upset. But another part of him told him to be there for his first friend who was crying, but it didn't sound like it was because he was sad.
So Naruto, being the goodhearted child he was, simply smiled and gave Gaara the most comforting hug he could. Gaara stiffened for a moment but immediately relaxed, an action that went unnoticed by Naruto.
"So…" Naruto began as he patted the boy's back. "Why did you think you had killed someone?"
Naruto was surprised when he heard Gaara's soft breathing and light snoring.
"Zzzzz…"
"…You fell asleep? Just like that?" Naruto asked the sleeping boy. Naruto laughed to himself and placed Gaara down on the bed, making sure to cover him back up with the sheets after he was done. "You're kinda weird, Gaara."
But that made him fun and interesting in Naruto's eyes! He finally had a friend, no, friends to play with! And they liked him! With a giddy burst of energy Naruto jumped onto the other bed and buried himself within the covers.
For once, he couldn't wait until tomorrow came around!
X.X.X.X.X
"Mizukage-sama."
"Come in Ao." Yagura said, looking up from his paperwork. "Is there something you…" Yagura paused when he saw the huge stack of papers Ao was holding. "…Wanted…"
A small smile made its way onto Ao's face. Yagura had gone through so much in his life that it was extremely hard to phase or get any sort of rise out of the man. The one exception was paperwork, which his leader both hated and feared.
"You disappeared for almost two weeks to gather the jinchuriki together." Ao pointed out. "You'd be surprised how much paperwork can pile up in that short amount of time."
"Indeed…" Yagura said as his advisor placed the large stack on the desk. It actually shook the table.
"Ao-san and I did some of it for you." Came a feminine voice.
Yagura turned his head towards another person who had entered the room behind Ao. His second advisor, Mai Gekidoku. She was a beautiful, shapely woman with shoulder length green hair that was tied in loose braids that framed her face and with bangs that fell in front of her hazel colored eyes. Like Ao, she wore loose robes that hunter ninja often wore.
"Mai-san." Yagura nodded towards her. "You're back from your mission already?"
"I got back just this morning." Mai smiled, bowing before her leader before stepping forward and handing him her report. "The matter has been dealt with quickly and efficiently, Mizukage-sama."
"Survivors?"
"None."
Yagura nodded, grateful that the threat was removed. A small group of ninja had gone rogue and had been causing trouble near the border and blaming Yagura for their actions. There were always people looking to get back at him for some reason or another.
Of course, much of the ire he received was from remnants of bloodline clans still lingering about within their lands. The Purges were still fresh in everyone's mind.
"I… actually came across a survivor of the Kagemusha Clan during the mission."
Ao and Yagura raised their heads towards her in slight surprise. A survivor from the Shadow Warrior Clan Bloodline? That was rare…
"What happened?" Ao asked.
"I said there were no survivors." Mai smiled sweetly at him.
"Good." Yagura said, turning back to his paperwork. "If this was the only survivor then I believe that's one less threat we have to worry about."
Ao and Mai both nodded, accepting the issue for what it was.
These two… were probably the only ones Yagura truly considered his friends. He could call them his friends without hesitation and would not hesitate to place his life in their hands. They had been with him since… well, they had been there for when his life started to improve. The three of them had grown strong together. They were his precious people so it was natural that Yagura made them his two advisors when he became Mizukage. They never undermined his authority, never went against orders, and always trusted his judgment no matter how harsh or cruel it may be. They had faith in him, and Yagura likewise.
The two were more than capable of defending themselves as well, and both were two of the strongest ninja in Kirigakure.
"I was surprised what Ao-san told me when I returned though…" Mai smiled, leaning against the Mizukage's desk. "Jinchuriki…?"
"All nine of them, myself included, are now in Kirigakure." Yagura replied.
"What are your reasons?" Mai asked curiously.
She wasn't criticizing his decision, but was curious about what brought this on.
"I woke up one night and thought to myself that maybe the other jinchuriki needed some help." Yagura answered. "…So I brought them all here to Kirigakure."
"So it was just an impulse, huh?" The woman said softly. "Ao-san told me the same. What are they like?"
"A few of them are pretty friendly, though a few are decidedly hostile." Ao told her. He gave Yagura a stern look. "I have worries about controlling certain jinchu-"
"I am not controlling any of them, Ao." Yagura cut in.
"My apologies. I worded that wrong." Ao said, holding up his hands to pacify the man. "What I meant was that the more dangerous and unstable jinchuriki may be harder to handle. Can we be sure any of them won't harm the village?"
"That's what he has us for, Ao-san." Mai smiled. "We would make such good caretakers, don't you think?"
"Speak for yourself, Mai." Ao deadpanned, giving the woman a small glare.
"If any of them cause trouble you can handle it as you see fit." Yagura answered as he stamped out a few papers. "I want to make things comfortable for them, but we can't just let them roam free either. They'll need constant supervision, and I trust you two are up to the task?"
"We'll help you any way we can." Mai promised him.
"Of course, Mizukage-sama."
"Good." Yagura inclined his head gratefully towards the two. "We'll discuss more of this matter tomorrow. Tell the Seven Swordsmen to meet me here at the tower at eight o'clock in the morning. After you've relayed the message you two are free to go home."
"By your leave." Ao said, bowing towards his leader as Mai did the same. The two of them headed towards the door.
Yagura waited for them to make their final comments of the day.
"Don't stay up too late, Yagura." Ao told him with a small smile as he opened the door. "Trying getting some sleep for once instead of pulling another all nighter."
"Sweet dreams, Yagura-kun." Mai smiled, waving at him before Ao shut the door behind them.
The Mizukage sighed, leaning back in his chair and turned towards the window that overlooked the village. Those two still worried about him and about his demon, even though it had been years since he had reacted violently to the Sanbi's chakra. The only thing that really warranted the duo's concern was the frequent dreams and nightmares the demon plagued him with.
Gaara, Yugito, Roshi, Han, Utakata, Fu, Bee, and Naruto.
Each of them probably had suffered in one way or another, some more than others. Each of them was different, and Yagura knew he would have to take time to get to know each and every one of them if he wanted to help them gain control of their demons.
Yagura sighed again. He had never been a 'people' person, and hadn't really thought of the complications of having all the jinchuriki in one place until after he had brought them together.
Well, he could get through it. Just… it would probably take time for him to get used to things.
The same went for the other jinchuriki too.
A/N: Extra long chapter to make up for the long wait. It came out well, in my opinion. Hopefully you guys liked it. Ten points to anyone who noticed the reference in this chapter.
(ATTENTION! PLEASE READ!) Okay, I've got a lot to say. First off, I made a few edits to the first three chapters. It's nothing too big so that you feel like you should go back and reread the story from Chapter 1 though. It's just a few sentence changes here and there to get a better feel for each jinchuriki's personality. Grammer has been corrected too. The only major change is the age changes (Located in Ch2), and even that's small since added/subtracted one year to each of them. It'll set a better timeline for the story, so don't pay it too much attention.
Anyway, I spent a month or two organizing all the ideas I have for this story and decided on a definitive route to take. This story WILL NOT FOLLOW CANON! I'll definitely still use canon events/characters from the manga/anime, but most of what I'll be writing will be completely original arcs that I'm trying to write up. I've just gotta make everything flow together correctly. Don't start bitching to me about "Hey, that never happened" and "That's not supposed to happen yet" or "That character shouldn't do that" etc. I'll still keep canon characters in character, but certain characters may change due to certain influences (Bee and Naruto). They won't be drastic changes, I assure you.
So whatever is happening right now in the current manga story line, ignore it when it concerns this story. I'm portraying the jinchuriki how I want, end of discussion.
Expect a few OCs here and there. I can't just have Yagura, Ao, and the Seven Swordsman be the only guys from Kiri Naruto and co. interacts with. That's too few. And for those of you who are all "NO! OC bad! OC ruins stories!" calm down, they won't be main characters. The only one who will show up frequently is Mai for obvious/personal reasons.
Mai: I am owned by Kiiam. I hope you'll all like me. I will help move the story along and help characters, mainly the jinchuriki, develop.
Just give my OCs a chance for the sake of the story. Fans of New Life, Second Chances like Yuzura well enough. I ask my readers to have a little faith in me. Despite the stereotype that all original characters ruin a story I will NOT let that happen, I promise.
Speaking of character development, there will be nothing but that for quite a number of chapters. That aspect in a story is VERY important to me, and since we haven't seen a lot of the jinchuriki they're characters are pretty much anything we write them as. These chapters will be for developing the jinchuriki and the people around them. You all should have a pretty good idea of their personalities already, but things will go more in depth in the future chapters. You'll learn about their personalities, what kind of people they are, what their pasts were like, how much their demon influences them, what troubles them, what their goals are… everything you can imagine. I want my characters to EVOLVE and become a part of this story. I know exactly how I want them to develop… I just have to make sure everything is written smoothly to make it so.
Anyway, as for the next chapter I'll be getting around to Konoha's reactions to Naruto's disappearance and we'll introduce a few familiar faces and expect the entire Seven Swordsmen group to make an appearance. Yagura will get his training underway and you'll see where certain characters stand with each other. I'll try to get to issues in Kiri such as the Bloodline Purges, how Yagura became Mizukage and why so many hate him, and how the bijuu (Kyuubi, Hachibi, Ichibi, etc) are reacting to their situation soon. But just because I may not go over certain issues during the next chapter doesn't mean I won't get to them eventually. Feel free to ask questions, people. I encourage you.
Certain things you should all remember right now. Madara DOES NOT have control of Yagura. That never happened. At least not yet. Kisame IS STILL part of the Seven Swordsman, all of whom are still alive. THERE WILL BE PAIRINGS, I'm just undecided right now. I'll mention other things as I remember them.
Anyway, I hope you all like this story. It's going to be a lengthy one and I've got GREAT ideas for it. I just hope you guys will decide to stick around for the ride. Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry for the delay. Have a good one.
Kiiam