Fiori: Huh, looks like I'm going to be continuing this story after all. Gotta say the reactions I've received have bee pretty good so far. Better than i expected actually. Hopefully i can live up to expectations and keep this story going strong. Though I think to do that i will definitely need someone to beta it for me, and you know keep me on task so the mind doesn't wander too much.
As for some questions that are doubtlessly going to show up, like pairings. Well to be honest i have absolutely no idea who I should pair Naruto with. I'm thinking I should just write and see what happens. That's what i did for the prologue and this chapter. And I'm fairly certain that they turned out well. So I'm just gonna do that. So with out further ado.
I do not own Naruto, Kishimote does. After all I'm not obsessed with freaky magic eye powers. I mean seriously, the Sharingan can both rewrite reality and trap people in time loops. What the fuck?
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Chapter one
When Senju Yurirama had returned to what was left of her clan residence, young baby Naruto in arms. It was not just she who was weary. Many of her family members had looked at the young child with a mix of apprehension and fear. It had already been announced that the boy before them held the Kyubi no Yoko prisoner, and while most of them didn't fear the Kyubi overtaking the boy's soul and using the body as a puppet, the remnants of the founding clan were weary of raising the child.
All of this was of course before she had told them that according to the Sandaime, young Naruto was of their clan. After that the reaction was closer to disbelief.
"You expect us to believe that he's one of ours? How can we even be sure, none of the women here were even pregnant before the Kyubi attacked." Spoke Senju Hiroshi.
Hiroshi was one of the older living Senju still in residence to the village. At the age of forty-two he had long dark hair that had the edgings grayed, and left in a braid that reached down to his waist. He dressed in modest, yet nice clothing, befitting his status as a merchant of good standing. As the second oldest Senju still within the village he was left in charge merely for the fact that the eldest, one Senju Iro, had dementia.
"Look I had trouble believing it at first too, but look at him, look." Yurirama defended, presenting the still slumbering babe to the older man.
Hiroshi, while still suspicious of the child was not nearly as narrow-minded as other individuals. While he suspected no small amount of deception involved in the child's origins, he was not going to ignore evidence if it presented itself. So with a deep sigh he began looking over the babe.
What he saw certainly led credence to Yurirama's statement. The boy looked to contain Senju blood. The shape of his face was similar to several members of there clan, and his nose was the exact right shape. The color of his hair was a toss up however. Both the Senju and the Yamanaka were known to have blond hair. The Yamanka's more so than the Senju. But even with that, many arguments had been shot down. Based on appearance alone, young Naruto looked to belong to clan Senju.
But that still begged the question, just who had given birth to him?
"Did the Hokage tell you who his parents were?" He asked calmly as he let Yurirama draw the child back towards her chest.
"Not at all, all he told me was the boy belonged to clan Senju and we should take care of him." She replied as she adjusted her hold on the sleeping infant.
Hiroshi raised his eye incredulously at her very basic summary of her meeting with the Hokage. He had expected more from the young woman. But then again she had been meeting with the Hokage of all people. And while Yurirama could usually spot lies given to her by patients, the Hokage was the leader of a hidden village. The difference between him and some random civilian trying to score pain medication was very far indeed. It wasn't improbable at all that the Sandaime had the ability to pull the wool over her eyes. With this in mind Hiroshi was determined to know exactly what he had said to convince her that she was currently holding a member of their clan.
"I want you to tell me what he said, exactly as he said it." Hiroshi ordered calmly.
"Well he told me that 'The woman who gave birth to young Naruto was not a Senju. But I assure you, this child bears the blood of clan Senju. It falls to your family now to raise him, as hi parents are no longer here to do so.' Is what he said." Yurirama dictated carefully.
"So no mention of names, just knowledge that they were no longer with us." Hiroshi muttered as he examined the Hokages words,
"Yeah, but he said enough to make a few guesses. I mean if it wasn't his mother that was from our clan, I'm guessing that means that it was this little guy's dad who was part of our clan. I'm thinking Gin was responsible." She replied.
"Oh, and what makes you think that?" Hiroshi asked sarcastically. He knew as well as any other member of his clan did. Gin liked to sleep around, and he was very, very good at it. The chance that he had sired a number of bastards was incredibly likely, the fact that his hair was a spiky blond mop, lent credibility to the theory. However it never did well to speak of the dead.
"You know why. But still it doesn't make much sense." Yurirama replied thoughtfully.
"How so?" He asked, curious. Her theory of this being Gin spawn was very likely the case, yet if she doubted even her own theory, she likely had a very good reason.
"Well if he is Gin's kid, how the hell would the Hokage know that? I mean I know he's got a freaky memory, but that's for his shinobi, and people he regularly meets. Before I talked to him that first time with Tsunade-sama, he had no idea who I was. So how in the hell would he know who Gin was? I mean Gin never, ever met the old guy, so how could he have known this kid was a Senju?" She told him, voicing her theories to the older man, hoping that with his advanced years that he could help shed some form of light upon her concerns.
"That is troubling, accurate to a fault, and very, very troubling. Perhaps his mother was a shinobi?" Hiroshi asked.
"That's possible, but that still begs the question on how the Sandaime knew that he was of Senju origins? Gin wasn't exactly known for sticking around with the women he slept with." She replied. Hiroshi said nothing, as it was the truth. Gin rarely ever slept with the same woman twice. Truth was once he'd been in bed with someone; it was unlikely that, that woman would interact with him ever again. So for a kunoichi to bear his child, and the Hokage to know about said child actually being Gin's, it just wasn't very likely at all. Which begged the question of if this really was a child of the Senju clan.
"I want you to get some blood work done." He said after a moment's contemplation.
"I was thinking about doing it anyways." Yurirama admitted.
"So you too do not believe the Hokage words?" Hiroshi asked carefully.
"Well, not entirely, I don't think he blatantly lied about the kids mother, but I'm not sure he was entirely honest either. All i know is that there are way too many questions surrounding the little guy. And while I'd like to make sure he's going to grow up loved. I don't want to face the stigma the village will push onto me while raising him. I could do that for family, but for some kid the Hokage just gave me. Well, I don't think I'm that good of a person."
"As much as it pains me to say, I don't think I'm that noble a person either. If the boy truly is a Senju I wouldn't dream of turning him away. But if he's not." Hiroshi didn't finish his sentence, not needing to.
Most had forgotten exactly how Senju Mito had been treated directly after Madara had tried to kill Hashirama via the Kyubi all those years ago. But the many of the Senju still remembered, if only because several of them had actually met the woman. The villagers had feared her, loathed her even. No one had believed that even she was capable of containing the hatred and power the Kyubi had possessed. Not only that, but the villagers had even cast looks of suspicion upon the Hokage himself for his continuous association with her. It had been years before anyone outside of her family had warmed up to the woman again. And that had only been when the Kyubi had tried to kill the Shodai. With this particular incident the chances that the same stigma would appear was not only highly likely. But Hiroshi was assured that the stigma would be far greater, and the amount of time it would take for anyone to look at the young Jinchuriki and not be reminded of this night would take years more than it had with Mito. And none of the Senju still in the village held a candle to how well loved Hashirama had been by the people.
It may seem hypocritical, but it was the state of affairs amongst those still left. Family would come first and foremost amongst those left in clan Senju, thus if the Sandaime had been truthful, and Naruto was indeed of Senju blood. He would be cared for just as any other child of their clan. However if he wasn't, then it was very likely that he would spend his early life alone in an orphanage. Call them horrible people, but Hiroshi knew that it had been decades since the Senju clan had been noble enough to take a strangers child in, let alone one who would bring such stigma upon his family.
"So whose blood am I comparing his to?" Yurirama asked.
"Every Senju on record."
They needed to be sure; else they would invite unneeded strife upon themselves.
222
(One week later)
There were two hospitals in Konoha proper. One of which, was the one that catered to civilians, and then there was the shinobi hospital. On the surface there wasn't much difference between the two of them. They both treated patients, regardless of whom they were or where they came from. Save during war time, and in those times prisoners of war were always treated after those who were allied with the village proper. The real difference however was in how they were staffed and equipped.
The Shinobi hospital had nothing but those trained in the art of the healing through chakra. To even qualify as a nurse you had to have at least basic in medic-nin training. The security within the shinobi hospital was also far more secure than that of the civilian equivalent. All the people that worked as security within the hospital were Chunin Shinobi in rank, at the very least. Usually pulling hospital duty was the same as pulling gate guard duty, or a shift at the academy. While it could be incredibly boring no one could deny that it was important, since it was at the Shinobi hospital that all of the most detailed medical-records on Konoha's shinobi were stored.
From the most complete physicals of the Aburame, detailing exactly how their internal hives worked, to the weird quirk in Inuzuka genetics that made them allergic to caffeine, and ending in the detailed autopsy reports of a Yamanaka whose brain liquefied from a misuse of one of their family jutus's. All short of files could be found there. And if you knew how to heal someone with a unique physiology, you also knew the most effective ways to kill them. Thus the Shinobi hospital was guarded almost as well as some clan compounds, complete with a dead-man's switch in their records room.
The civilian hospital however was not nearly as well staffed, guarded, and didn't even have access to the fancy toys the shinobi hospital did. After all if you're going to treat someone who houses bugs in their bodies, you're going to need some special equipment to make sure you don't accidentally disturb their hive when operating. Instead it could be considered average at best. In comparison the civilian hospital was only on par with the clinic of the Shinobi hospital. But it was still the place where Senju Yurirama worked.
As a doctor, Yurirama was usually called upon to act as the resident attending physician for all the members of her clan, in addition to her duties at the civilian hospital. Thus when she brought in young Naruto for a checkup performed by herself, it didn't look that suspicious to those who followed her. Not many people would have been able to notice them, but Yurirama was sure that the Hokage had assigned at least one ANBU to look after the child, and ensure that no harm came to him. After all the only Senju shinobi was currently wallowing in grief at some unknown bar in only kami knows where, that or she was gambling. So if someone had really wished to end the young child's life, those caring for him likely wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
However it wasn't just her status as a civilian doctor that provided her with her ambiguity. Two other things contributed towards the little scrutiny turned her way. One was that most in the hospital were far to busy tending the wounded and the dying. Shinobi and civilian alike were laid out in every bed available within the hospital. So many had been wounded in the wake of the Kyubi's attack that both hospitals were overflowing with those in need of medical attention.
The other reason was that those who did turn her way, quickly caught sight of the infant cradled in her arms. After that, most just started glaring.
In retrospect the Hokage presenting the young child to the village at large as he had probably hadn't been his best idea. While most people didn't know exactly what young Naruto looked like. Such as the fact that he had a curious set of birthmarks, most knew that he had blond hair. So it was likely that any child with blond hair would be suspect for the next couple of months, until everyone knew exactly who held the demon at bay. Then things would doubtlessly degrade as more and more people fed off of their combined grief, anger, and hatred for the Kyubi.
If ever there was a time to determine just whether or not Naruto was truly of clan Senju, it was now. Now when those who would grow to hate him didn't know exactly who he was. And thus could not associate him with Yurirama's family.
It didn't take long at all for Yurirama to get a hold of the DNA labs. Though it should have been harder, considering that the lab was actually fairly new to the civilian hospital. Usually such things were only found in the shinobi hospital and were used to ensure the presence of a Kekkei Genkai, especially in the case of clan heirs. However in recent years of peace, there had been a boom in childbirth. And in some cases it was between people who couldn't be entirely sure whom the father was. Not to mention all the occasions that some civilian family had tried to up there standing by claiming that their child was the bastard of one of the members of a prestigious clan. It had taken a while, but finally the civilian hospital had broke down and paid for the installation of the same device used by the shinobi.
If Yurirama had to guess, she would say that she had gotten in so quickly for the same exact reason's why no one had looked at her to closely. After all what use was a DNA test going to serve in the face of people missing limbs. Testing DNA to determine if an orphan had any family left could come after they had tended to the wounded, if ever.
And so Yurirama went about carefully drawing blood from the infant. She could only take a bit of blood, since as a baby; he didn't have much to begin with. But it was enough to compare him to just about every Senju within record.
As she waited for the data to finish compiling she couldn't help but wonder at the two outcomes that could come from this day. Either Naruto was truly a Senju, or he wasn't. If he wasn't then it was an orphanage for him, sad but survivable. If he was however a Senju, he would need to be raised carefully, doubly so since he was also a Jinchuriki. He would have to attend the Shinobi academy, since it was nigh unheard of that anyone containing a demon within themselves did anything other than serve in the military, in one form or another.
However as she contemplated the two most likely futures for young Naruto, she could never have known just what the truth revealed to her would be.
222
(Ninety minutes later)
It was a pale and wide-eyed Senju Yurirama that returned to the currently being rebuilt Senju clan home. It was quite easy to see the difference in her. When before she had left only slightly tired from looking after an infant. Now she looked to have seen a ghost. In her arms slept the young Naruto. But for Hiroshi, he could see a very subtle difference in the way she held the babe. Before she had held him carefully, but clinically. Like any doctor would a child not there own. Now she held the small bundle closely, like it contained something infinitely more precious than someone else's child. In one of her hands was a carefully folded sheet of paper, doubtlessly the results from the blood work. Though he felt that looking at it wouldn't have changed much. Just by looking at the new way she was holding the baby told him all he needed to know.
"He is one of us then?" He asked as he looked towards Yurirama's face.
"H-hai." The woman replied weakly, drawing more of Hiroshi's attention to his younger relative.
"There's something more isn't there?" he asked, taking in her dazed features.
Yurirama only handed him the papers as a reply. In doing so Hiroshi noticed just how carefully she was of young Naruto. Ensuring not to disturb him as she moved her hands. And as soon as the paper was in his hands, Yurirama's had went back to cradling the infant with devote care. Weary to what could have sparked such a change over the woman, Hiroshi carefully unfolded the papers, and began looking through them. It was slightly harder to make sense of than some of his business contracts, but not too much harder. His eyes were first drawn to the words partial-match. From what he knew, he could guess that meant Yurirama had identified Naruto's parent. But when his eyes followed the words to just whose name it was that the young boy's DNA partially matched up was, he began to understand Yurirama's shock.
"Bu-but how?" he asked in shock.
"I don't know. She didn't show any signs at all, but it just might explain why she came back." Yurirama said quietly.
"You told me that the Sandaime said that it wasn't his mother that belonged to our clan. And you're sure that this is accurate?" he asked as his eyes went back to the words on the paper.
"I ran the test three times just to be sure. Naruto's her kid, no doubt about it, even if the hokage spoon fed me that bullshit, blood doesn't lie." Yurirama replied wanly as she shifted the babe up slightly.
"By the Kamis, no wonder she ran off again so suddenly. That the Yondaime used her child to stop a demon; I've suddenly lost a great deal of respect for the man." Hiroshi muttered as he found himself collapsing into a chair.
"I know I'd be pissed off too if the Hokage grabbed my kid and turned him into a Jinchuriki. But keep going, I didn't just triple check because of who the little guys mom is." She said tiredly, as she too sat down carefully.
"There's more? And what could possibly be bigger than this? You're currently holding Tsunade-sama's child in your arms! And you tell me there's more? What more could there be?" He asked incredulously.
"Shh, keep it down. You'll wake him up." She hissed as the young child began to squirm from the loud noises.
"Sorry." Hiroshi recoiled, now far more aware of the risks posed to the child before him.
"Look you just keep reading. I think it might be time to feed the little guy again. But please don't yell too loud when you get there." Yurirama replied as she stood up and began heading to the kitchen. All the while the young child continued to squirm and whine.
Hiroshi could only watch as what was likely the new heir to their clan was taken away to be fed. He couldn't help but feel dreadfully ill as he watched them leave. One week ago he had talked about getting rid of the child to save their clan face. He couldn't believe that he had considered such a notion about the child. If they hadn't tested the blood to be a hundred percent sure, then they would have thrown their clan heir out into the streets. If Tsunade ever found out, he was quite sure that he would die a rather messy death. Worse still he would have shamed himself not only in her eyes, but also in the eyes of all who had made his clan a name so respected. Hashirama, Tobirama, Mito, and so many others were probably rolling in their graves because of him.
"I'm sorry." He whispered to no one and everyone, as he turned his eyes back upon the paper before him. But as he continued to scan the paper, all thoughts of shame, and penance were forced to the back of his mind due to the presence of two words.
Bloodline Positive.
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Fiori: Yes I know this is an evil place to stop, but hey I've ensured that Naruto stays with the Senju's. On that note i want you all to remember. None of the remaining Senju are Shinobi, save for Tsunade, and she's not in the village. Hell the only one who might be a shinobi is the old dude Iro, and that all depends on how funny it would be to see an 81 year old shinobi with dementia. So no naruto's gonna be sort of average to start off with. so don't expect some grand moment when he runs across something that will make him a super badass too soon.
As for that tell me what you guys think of this chapter. Was it believable, good, bad? Just review alright. Review or I shoot the Sandaime!