Chapter 3-Lessons Learned
It had been two weeks since the incident at the Hyuuga Estate and things had evened out during that time between with Sesshomaru and the Hyuuga Clan regarding Naruto. Two days after the said incident Hyuuga Hitomi had gone into labor, as she could no longer contain the seemingly violent baby in her womb, and Hiashi had his broken hand to prove it. As expected, complications arrived with the child, a girl named Hanabi, came out of Hitomi's womb, and screaming as if she saw the devil himself.
(Flashback)
"Hitomi-chan...I...can't...feel my...hand!" said Hiashi wincing in pain as his wife's death trap grip on him having already broke two of his five fingers on his right hand and going for the finger number three.
"Well dear...perhaps YOU...would like...to...give...birth to...this...CHILD!" said Hitomi before screaming in pain while her hand squeezed Hiashi's harder breaking the remaining three fingers the Hyuuga Head had left.
"It's a girl!" said the doctor holding a screaming Hyuuga girl thrashing around slightly in the man's arms.
"Hiashi-kun...I feel...so...so tired," said Hitomi feeling her life draining before the man's eyes and looked to Sesshomaru for help while the Demon Lord moved closer to her with his hand on Tenseiga's hilt.
In less then a second, Sesshomaru swung the blade down upon Hitomi's form the instant he saw the gremlins from the Underworld that had come to take the Hyuuga woman's soul away. The living sword killed the little creatures instantly and brought new life into Hitomi allowing her to continue living to see her newly born child grow. When Hiashi saw she was indeed alive, he gave Hitomi a loving kiss while Sesshomaru left the room to see his son, who was waiting with Hinata in a nearby room.
(End Flashback)
News had soon spread of Sesshomaru's power to save Hitomi from death and the Council soon demanded he share this power with them for future use in terms of saving the lives of their people. Sesshomaru however, declined saying that it was not just him that wished to save Hitomi, but his sword as well since it had a mind of it own, and also chose to save the woman from dying of child birth. The discussion lasted for another half-hour before Sesshomaru had enough and simply left knowing that no matter what they threatened, as such threats would be emptier then a soulless body.
After that was decided it was time to turn to the chosen punishment of one Hyuuga Neji for the attempted murder of Hyuuga Hinata and Namikaze Naruto, which the Hyuuga Elders wanted to show the accused Prodigy leniency. Due to his growing skills in the ways of the Gentle Fist, the Hyuuga Elders felt that punishing the boy on account of the growing stress he was under was hardly fair, and moved for Hiashi to let Neji simply receive a 5 second use of the Cage Bird Seal for his punishment. Sesshomaru of course would had been disgusted by this idea and demanded that justice be done not simply for his own son, but for the honor of the Hyuuga Heiress.
Sesshomaru stated that if the Hyuuga Clan would not punish Neji for his actions against Hinata, then they would have to for his striking the Namikaze Heir, and if they did not, then the Hyuuga Elders would be forced to find other means of compensation out of their own pocket. Sensing the double meaning behind the threat, The Hyuuga Elders gave into the Demon Lords demands for punishment, and handed Neji over to him to deal with as he saw fit when taking him back to the Namikaze Estate for two weeks. Many among the Branch Families were worried that Neji would not come back alive, but Sesshomaru told them he had no intention of killing the Hyuuga Prodigy, just making him aware of the ramifications of his actions, and promised to return the Branch Family Heir back in one piece.
It had done little to ease the minds among the masses of the Hyuuga Clan, including one Hyuuga Hinata, who had been the first to ask for mercy for her cousin's transgressions against Naruto. It wasn't in her nature to hate Neji for what he did, and while she didn't want to betray the trust of her new friend that was Namikaze Naruto, she didn't want the relationship she had with Neji to worsen either. Sesshomaru stated that the fact that Neji was coming back home in two weeks with all of his limbs still intact to his body would be mercy enough before taking the boy with him.
After that problem was fixed a new one came from the Hyuuga Elder's pressuring Hinata yet again on account of her recently born sibling and were also trying to remove Hitomi from the Hyuuga Clan all together.
The Hyuuga Elders did not like Hinata very much just as they didn't like Hitomi and were less then pleased with the woman survived the fatal pregnancy. They had originally wanted Hiashi to marry a woman, who could keep him in line to their ideals of tradition rather then changing, and abolition such traditions of the Hyuuga Clan. They even tried to end the marriage between the two right after Hanabi was born. They claimed Hitomi was no longer Hiashi's wife, but rather an undead body created by Sesshomaru that needed to be exorcized right away. Hiashi would have none of that and told them to stay out of his personal affairs or he would dissolve the Hyuuga Council personally.
As for Naruto, he was unsure what Sesshomaru had in mind when he brought Neji back to the Namikaze Estate, but was not about to question the Demon Lord's judgment on the matter. It wasn't like he could protest anyway considering his training regiment had been doubled since he got out of the Hospital due to staying there for 2 days under the guard of Maito Gai, Yuhi Kurenai, Mitarashi Anko, Uzuki Yuuago, and her ANBU Team.
While staying at the Hospital, Naruto got a chance to say thanks to Kurenai and Anko for all the help they did in protecting him from the villagers and other Shinobi. Kurenai took the apology no problem, but Anko was still new to accepting anything friendly due to her own experiences with the village hating her so she just gave him a nod before staring out the window. Neither woman had met Sesshomaru personally even when they were both assigned to watch over Naruto, as Maito Gai was already guarding the room while the Demon Lord was taking care of business with the Hyuuga Clan. However, it was during that time that Naruto got to know everyone guarding him better, and could tell they were nice people that he could trust.
Maito Gai had just come back from a B-ranked mission not long before Naruto had been admitted and in exchange for taking on bodyguard duty for the boy, the Sandaime offered to increase the Jounin's pay. The man went into a form of interesting words involving "flames of youth", which Naruto himself didn't understand nor did he want to understand at this point considering what the man wore in terms of clothing.
Seriously, green spandex was not the way to go for anyone much less this guy.
Fortunately, the man promised to give him Taijutsu lessons and how to deal with wearing the weights while Kurenai offered to help him understand Genjutsu. Anko couldn't really offer him anything since she didn't really know what she could teach the kid, except offer to watch him if Sesshomaru had business to take care of that couldn't allow him to have Naruto at his side.
Right now Naruto was training hard with Gai, who was showing him his fighting style to use as a secondary Taijutsu to Naruto's family's own style. The man with the super thick eyebrows and bowl shaped hair cut explained such a secondary Taijutsu stance would be useful in order to throw enemies off guard in a fight when changing between them. It was at that time in which Sesshomaru came back to the Namikaze Estate with Neji, who upon looking at Naruto glared at him, as if it was his fault, and the Hyuuga Prodigy wished to strike the blonde demon vessel again.
That was however, before Sesshomaru suddenly lightly slashed at Neji's back leaving slightly bleeding wounds on the Hyuuga's back. This resulted in Naruto and Gai to stop their training to look at what happened in shock, as Sesshomaru then picked up Neji by the back his neck before throwing him into a far off training post. Faster then any of the eyes watching could see, Sesshomaru took some rope he had acquired inside the house, and tied Neji to the post with the boy falling forward in pain.
"For the next two weeks you are mine to deal with as I see fit. I will not kill you, I will not cripple you, but I assure you that before your time here is through, I will make you see the truth behind whatever hate clouds your mind, and remove the hate from your soul," said Sesshomaru before taking out Tenseiga and place the blade on Neji back allowing the boy's wounds to heal if to the point of not bleeding to death.
"You're not going to leave him like that...are you Father?" said Naruto looking between both Sesshomaru and Neji hoping that whatever the Demon Lord had planned wouldn't be too harsh for the Hyuuga Prodigy to handle.
"Just for now Naruto. What Neji needs right now, is to reflect upon himself while he can before I can make him understand the ramifications of hurting you my son. So for now continue with your training and then come in when its time for lunch," said Sesshomaru, who saw the boy nod in understanding yet looked at Neji with an apologetic look.
"I understand," said Naruto though in honesty he wanted to free Neji and tell him to get the hell off the grounds, but knew that would infuriate his Father, and he couldn't just go against the Demon Lord that saved him from the people outside of the clan walls.
"Good. Also I requested that girl from the food stand to come here to make you lunch again," said Sesshomaru since he himself did not understand all the things this world had to offer though he was getting a solid idea, as time passed, and watched the girl that came into the kitchen work.
"YATTA! In that case I better take things up a notch with my training. 'Shadow Clone Jutsu!'" said Naruto making a fresh army of clones, which made Gai's mouth drop to the ground, and creating a large hole in the process.
Each clone got into a fighting stance aimed at Gai and the now heavily sweating Taijutsu specialist had a feeling he was in for a hard days worth of "youthful" training.
(1 Week Later)
By the end of the first week, Neji wished he was back home at the Hyuuga Compound finding that a Demon Lord was a harsher master to serve then any of the Hyuuga Main Family ever were. After Sesshomaru freed Neji from the training post, which included starving him the whole day, the Demon Lord informed the Hyuuga Prodigy that like back at his clan home he would be a servant here, and total perfection was demanded of him. Anything less then that would mean a harsh punishment from Sesshomaru regardless of how minor the error Neji created during his two week stay as the Namikaze servant.
Neji had a total of making of 3 errors with the first punishment beings 3 harsh whippings from Sesshomaru's energy whip attack to the boys back. The second error resulted in the Hyuuga Prodigy feeling Sesshomaru's claws digging into his skin leaving faint marks on his body. The third error resulted in Neji receiving a broken jaw and received no food for the rest of the day while being bound to the training post again to further reflect on his previous behavior back home before Tenseiga was used to heal the jaw.
Fortunately, things weren't all bleak as originally believed, as Naruto tried to cheer the boy up, and try to make a friend out of him. At first, Neji politely refused the boy's desire to be friends, as he did not want to get too attached to the Namikaze Heir, but it seemed that without the blonde's presence life just seemed much bleaker then before. By the end of the first week, Naruto had made Neji smile at least once, and even made the Hyuuga Prodigy laugh at a joke he heard.
It had been hard work to get that much out of the Hyuuga Prodigy, but in the end it was worth it.
"The tea is prepared Sesshomaru-sama," said Neji having walked into the Demon Lord's study, which allowed the man to gaze upon various scrolls ranging from Jutsu's to seal designs.
"Place the tray here. I have something I wish to discuss with you," said Sesshomaru, as he tapped the desk with the clawed tip of his finger to indicate where to place it.
"What do you wish to discus with me Sesshomaru-sama?" said Neji placing the tray on the desk and sat down in the chair the Demon Lord pointed too upon asking the question.
"I wanted to know if you learned anything during your stay here at the Namikaze Estate and if you did I want you to tell me freely," said Sesshomaru looking at Neji, as he leaned back in the plush chair.
"I have seen the punishments a Demon Lord like yourself would and could inflict upon one such as me, which leads me to conclude that my time as a servant to the Main Family of the Hyuuga Clan is by far easier," said Neji hoping that Sesshomaru wouldn't lash out and strike him for what he just said even though he was allowed to speak freely.
I see. What do you think of Naruto? I imagine that him being friendly towards you was the last thing you expected?" said Sesshomaru gazing at the boy with careful eyes to see if his son made impact on the Hyuuga before him.
"I admit that I expected your son to show some form of hostility towards me when you were not around to do it yourself Sesshomaru-sama, but instead he wanted to be friends with me, and for that I am grateful to him," said Neji seeing the Demon Lord nod his head in agreement.
"My son has suffered long before I entered his life Neji. You were never betrayed by the one, who gave you life as he had been," said Sesshomaru seeing the Hyuuga boy's eyes widen in surprise.
"His own Mother abandoned him despite him being the Yondaime's son? Why?" said Neji wondering if he and Naruto were not so different then he originally believed.
"That is a talk for another time Neji, but be mindful of what you just learned about my son, as it is a secret, and a burden on him more then the Cage Bird Seal ever was on you. Next week before you leave, I want to speak with you again to see what else you have been able to learn, and to see if what I've done has born fruit," said Sesshomaru waving the boy off to do what he pleased since he was done for the day.
(Hokage's Office)
"I see. So there is definitely something your clan wishes to keep from me?" said Sarutobi looking at the Weasel ANBU masked Shinobi standing before.
"Yes Hokage-sama. My Father is very keen on keeping secrets of the Uchiha Clan as just that, secrets.. However, I must warn you Hokage-sama that if I am to continue to pursue this, my Father may become suspicious, and try to do his own form of investigating," said the Weasel ANBU, who got a nod from the Hokage having read the current report from the young boy.
"We'll handle that when the time comes and hopefully it won't come down to that. Until then continue on with the investigation as planned and report back to me regarding any new developments," said the Third Hokage, who received a bow from the ANBU before leaving the office to continue his ANBU duties.
'So the Sharingan has a second stage does it? Kakashi told me he is already starting to try experimenting with one such stage, but this supposed stage my informant mentioned in the Uchiha Clan already knows about, sounds like it is something entirely different from that, or else it would have been done it already. How troublesome,' thought the Third Hokage before taking another puff from his pipe and sat back in his chair to think more on this new development.
(Dango Shop)
"So Kurenai what do you think of the great Sesshomaru-sama," said Anko smiling in a somewhat creepy manner though it was all in good fun.
"All I've heard are stories Anko you know that. Every time we try to run into him there is always something preventing us from introducing ourselves properly. It's not like we can just go introduce ourselves at his house, it would seem like were offering to be his wives or something," said Kurenai though judging from the blushes on the faces of several of the women that heard his name, he must have been quite the handsome man.
For a Demon Lord that is.
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing Kure-chan. Why don't we introduce ourselves? I mean we are watching over his kid from time to time so I say let's make an introduction," said Anko taking a sip of some sake' before she ate some dango.
"Well...I suppose we could go just to talk to him since I did promise his son to teach him about Genjutsu, but were using the front door this time! I don't want to have to take out money from my own pocket to fix a window or wall you smash through in order to make an impression," said Kurenai getting up from her seat and going with Anko to see the Demon Lord to gather their own thoughts on him.
(Namikaze Estate)
Gai left for the day limping as he did, after having his body hit several time by so many Shadow Clones of Naruto, and promised to visit the boy in a few days if he wasn't on a mission. Naruto himself waved goodbye to the strange spandex wearing man before he started heading inside to learn more about being a Shinobi in the scrolls in the family library.
To Naruto's surprise, Neji was in the room too looking at certain scrolls that Sesshomaru had permitted him to see concerning various defensive low ranked Jutsus. The Demon Lord told the Hyuuga Prodigy that relying on constant short range combat with their style of Gentle Fist was a weakness the Hyuuga Clan needed to have fixed. Just because no one knew of any weakness to the Byakugan yet, didn't mean one didn't exist already, and chances were one did.
"Hey Neji, I see your reading up on the latest Earth Jutsu used for defense," said Naruto seeing where the scroll came from since his biological dad had every Jutsu in the library categorized in terms of element and ranked by its potency.
"Yes. I was taking to heart some of the advice Sesshomaru-sama gave me concerning my clan. I have much to make up for it seems concerning my hatred for Main Family," said Neji putting a hand on his forehead feeling the Cage Bird Seal on his head feeling the design of it through his fingertips.
"Yeah my dad told me the clean version of that whole thing with Kumo. It's a real shame at what happened to your old man, but you can't blame Hinata for that. She was just 3 years old like me and it would have been impossible for her to simply stand up against that Kumo guy," said Naruto seeing the Cage Bird Seal on Neji's head since Sesshomaru demanded that the seal be visible in the household at all times to remind the boy of how easy he had it back at the Hyuuga Compound.
"But why did my Father have to go in Hiashi-sama's place for the exchange? Why didn't Hiashi make the sacrifice instead of my Father? It's not fair!" said Neji looking at Naruto, who could only shrug since he had no real clue why.
"You could always ask Hiashi when you get back home next week. Granted he may not give you a reason right away, but I'm sure there is one. Its probably one of those 'have to wait until your older' things to understand. Just give it time and until then be nice to both Hinata and her little sister," said Naruto since it would be up to Neji to protect those two from harm again once he got back.
"It is said time heals all wounds so I must wait until the time is right to know the truth. Thank you Naruto-sama," said Neji bowing his head at the boy, who just waved his both his hands at the suffix.
"Please! Please! No 'Naruto-sama' or stuff like that. I'm too young to have such things added to my name. Just call me Naruto or at least Naruto-san. Just because you're being the temporary servant to my adopted Father doesn't mean your mine too. Personally, I think of you more like a friend then anything. All you have to do is be less serious around people and more awake emotionally!" said Naruto before patting the older boy lightly on the back and leaving for Neji to collect his thought on what he just said.
(Namikaze Estate-Sometime Later)
The door bell rang before Neji answered the door and quickly checked with his Byakugan to see who it was just in case it was secretly an enemy at the door. To his surprise he saw two young Chuunin ranked women waiting at the door looking slightly nervous for some reason when he opened the door.
'What could they be doing here? Are they women that wish to court Sesshomaru-sama?' thought Neji having heard of such things being done with various highly prestigious clans both in and out of Konoha.
"Hello Hyuuga-san, is Sesshomaru-sama home?" said Kurenai being respectful since she was at the Namikaze Estate and was trying to see a Demon Lord of all people.
"He is in his private office. Please come in while I inform him of your arrival," said Neji sensing no deceit from either woman that he could see when he allowed them in before heading to see his temporary master.
"Wow! This place is awesome. If I was one of those gold digging women like the Haruno on the Civilian Council, I would definitely try to get in this guy's good graces, and marry this Demon Lord," said Anko jumping over the nearest couch and sitting on it with a sigh at sitting down on something so soft.
"Anko! Don't say such things or else Sesshomaru-sama will think poorly of us for even being here," said Kurenai, who glared at her friend, and even harder after said friend had stuck out her tongue in defiance.
"Kurenai-san! Anko-san!" said Naruto coming out into the living room giving them each a hug while giving Anko a longer hug after the woman noticeably winced at the physical contact between them
"Hello Naruto. Were waiting for Sesshomaru so we could meet him," said Kurenai seeing the boy light up when seeing them since they were always nice to him before his adoption by the Demon Lord.
"Oh so that's where Neji was headed. Dad's been really busy when he's not training me. You should have seen me sparing with Gai-sensei. I made so many Shadow Clones that I whooped his butt good!" said Naruto giving a grin and peace sign at his accomplishment.
"Really? Wow at this rate you'll blow away the kids your age at the Academy in no time when you attend," said Kurenai, as she hoped to reach the rank of Jounin one day to be a sensei herself.
"I would expect no less from my son in dominating the other children in his class, but I also expect him not to become arrogant in his skills," said Sesshomaru entering the room with Neji beside him, who took those words to heart knowing that many people within Konoha both civilian and Shinobi had become arrogant after the Kyuubi's attack 5 years ago.
"I wouldn't do that dad. How could I make friends if I made them feel inferior? It would just make them hate me in the end," said Naruto, who got a nod from Sesshomaru in full agreement with that assessment.
"That is good to hear. Now I believe I was told of some guests that had arrived to speak with me?" said Sesshomaru, who turned to see the gaping and blushing faces of the two women staring at him in awe.
'HE'S GORGIOUS/HOT!' thought Kurenai and Anko, who couldn't help, but admire the Demon Lord's features, and noble like form.
"This is Yuhi Kurenai and M-something Anko. Her last name is really hard for me when I try to pronounce it," said Naruto sheepishly rubbing the back of his head only to be put in a headlock by an embarrassed and slightly angry Anko.
"M-something? How can you not know my name squirt?" said Anko only for Naruto she was holding went "poof" making her yelp and jump back onto the couch in surprise.
'That was a Shadow Clone? But it seemed to act just like the original that I couldn't even tell the difference,' thought Kurenai wondering what else this kid could do.
"Neji could you please find the real Naruto and tell him he needs catch up on his spelling and speaking in terms of complex names," said Sesshomaru, who saw Neji bow his head, and left to find the original among an army of clones.
"It's an honor to finally meet you Sesshomaru-sama," said Kurenai bowing to the Demon Lord, who seemed to be studying her carefully making her blush slightly under the man's eyes.
"My son was right when he said your eyes were pretty, but I believe the term Naruto used did not do them justice," said Sesshomaru finding her eyes were in fact much pleasant to look at then that of the Uchiha's Sharingan Eyes.
Now Kurenai couldn't hold back the blush that now covered her face and she had to look away from the Demon Lord because of what he said since most people never even called her eyes pretty and meant it. Sure Naruto did, but he was a child, and only a child could say such things to her and mean them while grown men would just say it in order to get into her pants. However, she sensed that Sesshomaru didn't hate her eyes nor did he seem like the lecherous type since she had a pretty good pervert detector having been around Kakashi for some time with him reading that horrible book of his.
"My name is Mitarashi Anko," said Anko not wanting to be left out of this little process of introduction.
"Again my son was correct about you too. You have the same eyes as he did when I first found him. Interesting," said Sesshomaru his gaze now on Anko, who couldn't fight back the blush on her face as the Demon Lord looked at her carefully like he did Kurenai.
"Anko was once the student of a former Leaf Shinobi turned traitor. Unfortunately, many people in the village don't trust her because of that, and have constantly been giving her a hard time," said Kurenai, who thought it was best if Sesshomaru understood the nature of the reason behind the villages hate for Anko.
"I see. Once again the stupidity and arrogance of the Leaf village does not cease to amaze me," said Sesshomaru before eyeing her neck and looking at the Curse Seal with slight interest.
"The last parting gift the Hebi-teme gave me before backstabbing the village," said Anko seeing where Sesshomaru's line of sight was aimed at.
"So that is why the faint smell of snakes is upon you," said Sesshomaru calmly, as he had been slightly curious by this information.
Anko herself was confused at how this Demon Lord could say such a thing without being even remotely disgusted though considering that the man was a Demon Lord counted for something. The reason she smelled of snakes was because of the Snake Sannin allowing her to sign the snake summoning contract early on and use the Shadow Snake Jutsu from within the confines of her trench coat to ensnare her enemies. Only those like the Inuzuka Clan with an enhanced sense of smell or those that dared to get close enough, who could detect the scent of snakes on her steered clear. To them Anko was like the second coming of her traitorous sensei even though she had been betrayed by the Hebi-teme and wanted to be the one to kill him.
"You're not offended by it?" said Kurenai seeing no hint of disgust on the Demon Lord's face and wondered if he was masking it.
"No. I've been offended by worse smells then that of snakes and compared to them, hers is quite pleasant," said Sesshomaru before sitting down with the women doing so as well.
"We apologize if were interrupting anything, we originally came over to possibly get to know you better since we are one of the few people the Sandaime trusts to watch over your son when you're unable to," said Kurenai wondering what it was about this man that made seem to make her melt inside.
"There is no need for an apology, as it is only natural considering the task you will have in watching over and training of my son in the skills you have Kurenai-san. As for you Anko, I wish you to watch over my son while he is around the village, as well as teach him how to keep his mind sharp, and focused on his environment. He gained some form of experience with the villagers already, but it lacks focus so I need you to teach him how to keep his wits about him," said Sesshomaru knowing that if anyone could do that it was these two.
"Can do," said Anko smiling in a way that reminded Sesshomaru of Naruto when he was excited about something.
The for the next few hours they talked until it was time for the two women to head home seeing as they had stuff to do tomorrow.
(1 Week Later)
"I can't believe this week went by so fast," said Naruto leaning on the doorway of Neji's room while the said Hyuuga was packing what clothing he had been allowed to take with him from the Hyuuga Compound to the Namikaze Estate.
"Yes this week I found very...insightful," said Neji as if a revelation had been revealed to him and in truth it had been through Naruto.
Neji had thought much about what Sesshomaru had told him during the long yet still very interesting 2 weeks of servitude while under the Demon Lord. This week Neji had spoken to Naruto about his life before Sesshomaru had adopted him and was quite shocked at the harsh life the boy had was quite possibly a living Hell. When Neji asked why people did what they did, Naruto just showed him the seal on his stomach, and carefully explained to the Hyuuga Prodigy what or rather who was behind this complex seal design.
The Hyuuga Prodigy was amazed at his and found that Naruto was bound to a cruel form of Fate worse then any Branch Family member ever had. To hold such a burden inside of you, to have little to no support in life, and to be hated by so many was something no one should have to endure. By the end of the week the two boys had formed a bond of mutual respect for one another for what burdens they held and would do what they could from their ends to lift the others burden if given the chance.
"Remember what you learned here Neji. Not everyone in the Main Family act like stuck-up jerks so just protect those people in your family should you guys ever get attacked," said Naruto knowing that there were some people were saving among the Main Family like Hinata and hopefully in the years to come her little sister.
"I'll keep that in mind Naruto," said Neji shaking the boy's hand before they both exited the room and headed downstairs to meet Sesshomaru, who looked at the Hyuuga boy with his soul piercing like eyes.
"Your time here in my service is over, but before I let you leave I have one question for you that you must answer truthfully. What did you learn?" said Sesshomaru looking the boy straight in the eye.
"That my eyes had been clouded by the hate I felt for Main Family and directed towards the people of my family that did not deserve it. I was wrong to lash out, I was wrong to make an attempt on Hinata-sama's life, and I learned that I am not alone when it comes to carrying such a heavy burden," said Neji knowing that Sesshomaru knew that Naruto had told him about the seal that holds the Kyuubi.
"Very good. I have spoken to Hiashi and he has assured me that you will one day learn the truth behind that day 2 years ago. All he asks is that you wait for that day to come," said Sesshomaru seeing Neji nod his head in agreement.
"I'm ready to go home now Sesshomaru-sama," said Neji walking up to the Demon Lord, who nodded in agreement.
"I believe you are," said Sesshomaru with Naruto walking up to the Demon Lord as well with a grin on his face knowing that his dad was pleased.
Without another word the trio teleported out of the house and to the Hyuuga Compound.
(Hyuuga Compound)
Hiashi and Hinata along with several Branch Family members awaiting the arrival of the Demon Lord wondering if the young Branch Family Heir was still in one piece or quite possibly a shattered mind without a soul. Hinata was beside her Father fidgeting ever so slightly hoping to see her cousin again and maybe the boy young boy, who saved her from death's grasp.
"Nervous Hinata?" said Hiashi seeing his daughter blush slightly in embarrassment since it was considered to be improper for a clan such as hers to be nervous around others.
"I was just hoping for Naruto-kun to be with Sesshomaru-sama and Neji-Nii-san when they get here Father," said Hinata, who had dedicated herself to her Gentle Fist style with more vigor in order to prevent what happened before from reoccurring.
Hinata didn't want anyone dying or remotely close to dying for her sake.
Within moments the three individuals everyone was waiting for appeared in a large ball of energy like before with Sesshomaru looking as stoic as ever, Neji with a smile on his face, and Naruto with a foxy grin that made Hinata blush at the sight of it. When Neji walked over to Hiashi, the man realized the boy was not hiding his Cage Bird Seal, and that his face no longer held hatred in them for him or Hinata.
"Hiashi-sama, I must apologize for my actions towards Hinata-sama 2 weeks ago. They were not befitting of a Branch Family member assigned to protect the Hyuuga Heiress and I humbly beg for your forgiveness," said Neji bowing to Hiashi making several of the Branch Family take a sharp intake of breath since some of them felt sympathetic towards the boy.
"The apology is accepted Neji. I understand what it means to lose a loved one and it hurt me dearly when I lost my brother that was your Father. Give me time Neji and I will do everything in my power to make amends for that day," said Hiashi, who saw Neji nod at his words before hugging the man shocking many others, and even causing a few Hyuuga to faint.
"Hey Hinata-chan!" said Naruto walking up to the Hyuuga girl, who pressed her fingers together, and blushed even redder at seeing him so up close again.
"Hello Naruto-kun," said Hinata fidgeting a little under his blue eyes that seemed to pull her towards him though why she couldn't understand.
"How's your Mom doing?" said Naruto not knowing if the girl's Mother was up and about or still taking care of the new addition to the family.
"She's doing just fine and Hanabi-Nee-san is just as energetic as the day she was born," said Hinata trying to force down the weakness in her legs while being so close to this ball of energy standing before her.
"That's awesome! I'm glad dad could help your Mom live. She really loves you and your sister so much," said Naruto fighting back the hidden sorrow he felt concerning his own Mother not loving him all because of what he held inside.
Hinata saw the sadness in his eyes and gave him a soothing hug that shocked Naruto, but was relieved to have it to help take that pain away.
'Well those two are hitting it off quite well,' thought Hiashi smiling at the sight knowing she could tease Hinata later if he had the chance, but knowing his wife she wouldn't let him.
"Come Naruto its time to go," said Sesshomaru knowing the boy could visit at another time.
"Bye Hinata-chan, I'll see if I can come over again if I get another chance," said Naruto since he really liked his new found friend and wanted to spend time with her.
Hinata hoped he would return soon as well, though for reasons that still eluded her, it was for far deeper feelings of friendship. After a simple wave between the two, Naruto was gone, and Hinata felt a little dizzy from being in such close contact with the boy yet she missed him already.
(Hokage Tower-Meeting Room)
"Am I hearing this right? You want to ban Naruto from being a Shinobi when its time for him to attend the Academy?" said the Sandaime seeing the Civilian Council members nod along with his old teammates from the Shinobi Council, and Danzo smirking at such a move.
"Yes. It's clear this Demon Lord that adopted him is manipulating him into something evil and if he enters the Academy, the boy will spread such corruption to our children," said a Civilian Council, who looked like he could lose a few pounds if his fat chin was any indication.
"This matter is not up to the Civilian Council nor is it with those on the Shinobi Council that you brought with you. Whether Sesshomaru-sama chooses to let Naruto enter the Academy is entirely up to him and I doubt he will give into what you want since he wants Naruto to be strong. You conflict with his interest and as such, he may see fit to take it out on all of you, and possibly...make an example out of you?" said Sarutobi seeing the members of the Civilian Council pale at that.
"Still, Namikaze Naruto is still a civilian and such still falls under their authority whether he is adopted by a Demon Lord or not," said Danzo smirking seeing his chance to spring his opportunity to get Naruto into Root falling into place.
"True, Naruto is in fact a civilian at the moment, but the Civilian Council does not have the authority over a Demon Lord despite his citizenship since his class far out does even mine as Hokage of Konoha. With Naruto as his adopted son, the boy thereby falls under that same category, and therefore cannot be touched by the rules of the Civilian Council," said Sarutobi since the title of Demon Lord was by far much higher then that of a Kage.
"That's absurd!" said Homura, who felt it was bad enough to have Sesshomaru in the Leaf, but had higher authority over all of them was simply too much to take.
"Really? You forget, a Demon Lord is just like a Feudal Lord to us human's, who like any of them commands respect, and wields great power over all those around him. If you disagree with his status, then I suggest you take it up with him, but know that he is within his right to kill you if you try," said the Sandaime seeing the smirk on Danzo's face turn into a scowl knowing that whatever plan he had for Naruto that would be supported by the Council members in his pocket had gone straight to Hell.
With those squabbling members of the Council out of the way the old Hokage redirected his focus back to the evil of paperwork while wondering how the Yondaime was able to get it done so easily. At first, the Sandaime was happy someone else was suffering with the harsh task of the paperwork, but was shocked to see the Namikaze come out of his office 10 minutes later saying it was taken care of, and went to go with his wife to get some ramen.
Man the once retired Hokage was pissed off when he saw the Yondaime's claim was true.
'The one secret the Yondaime knew I needed when I came out of retirement and he just had to take it to his grave,' thought Sarutobi bitterly knowing that if he ever did what the Fourth Hokage did in summoning the Shinigami, then he was going to have a little chat with the man, and let out some of that pent up frustration that he had been building up over the years.
(Konoha-2 Years Later)
Naruto had come a long way in 2 years manipulating the Kyuubi's demonic chakra and was feeling less of the strain of it after he stopped summoning it. So far Naruto could create a decent extension of his arm from the manipulation of the demonic fox's chakra and with the strength to uproot a tree before incinerating it. Sesshomaru also had Naruto experiment in creating his own energy whip with the demonic chakra and while the boy had the power to do it after a few weeks of attempting it, the control of the whip was very difficult to do.
Naruto also got lessons in Genjutsu, which Kurenai during those 2 years explained how to dispel a Genjutsu to the boy either by suppressing ones chakra, or breaking them using a high flux of chakra. The first part was near impossible for Naruto to do on account of his current condition, but the second idea was easier then turning on a light switch All Naruto had to do when in a high level Genjutsu was mold his chakra and let out a pulse from his entire body, which upon doing covered a minimum 10 foot radius around him.
As for creating a powerful Genjutsu, Kurenai helped Naruto practice the boy's very own creation known as the "Perverts Fear Jutsu" on one unsuspecting book reading pervert. After it was successfully performed on the poor victim, Kakashi couldn't stop twitching after being forced into unconsciousness for 2 days. When Jounin Cyclops got treatment from the Yamanaka Clan, he would still continue to twitch occasionally when he saw women nearby laughing or when they were pointing at the small round fruits they held in the market area. When several people had asked Kakashi why he would always twitch occasionally, he just said "you don't want to know", and left before they could ask him anything else.
Kurenai and Naruto were laughing hysterically after it had happened.
Who knew the infamous Hatake Kakashi had a fear of having small balls?
The Sandaime had a headache when he found out Naruto had made that one, with several female Shinobi already asking Kurenai to teach them that Genjutsu before the old Fire Shadow had to make both her, and Naruto promise not to use or teach it to anyone. It was absolutely necessary that no male found out about this Genjutsu, out of sheer fear of them losing their way of perverseness, and he even went so far as to mark it as a mid S-Ranked Forbidden Genjutsu for obvious reasons so neither of the co-creators wouldn't use it for whatever reason. Sarutobi's own Super Perverted student of a Sannin wouldn't last a chance against it and to add insult to injury, the said student would probably die from embarrassment if he learned his defeat was at the hands of a 7 year old child.
That last part made the Sandaime want to smile at the thought, but he also winced since he too was secretly a pervert as well, though the Third Hokage held it in much better then the Perverted Sannin ever could.
Under Anko's tutelage, the boy was able to keep his mind focused when walking around the village, and was able to detect the trustworthy villagers or Shinobi from the arrogant ones. She even helped him with his kunai and shuriken throwing on the targets showing him spots that while not lethal hitting could make the victim slow down long enough to capture if the mission was to that, instead of killing. Anko then gave him an alternative version of sensory awareness training, where he would be forced to handle a day without one of his key senses like sight, sound, and touch in case such senses were lost to him.
During this timeframe of 2 years in training with both women, Naruto had formed a bond with both of them, and found that each woman had a lot to offer outside Shinobi training. With Kurenai, it was the understanding of the female mind, and how women in general should not be seen merely as objects, but as equals in life no matter what life they took.
For Anko, she allowed herself to bond with Naruto on a level of understanding what it means to be alone and have no one be there for you when you need them the most. The former apprentice of the traitorous Sannin found herself acting like normally when she was around Kurenai in private. She became what other people didn't see when she was at the Namikaze Estate when she was around Naruto. It was like Anko could be her true self without the worry of being looked down upon, hated for something that wasn't her fault, and/or despised simply because she was the student of the infamous Orochimaru.
Still, even with such positive results within a 2 year span, there were still a problem that was rising from time to time with both the villagers, and the Shinobi populace as a whole. On several occasions through the 2 years, Naruto's birthday during the Kyuubi festival being one of them, had several drunken would-be assassins trying to break into the once loved Namikaze Estate, and attempted to kill the Demon Lord residing inside of it. The intoxicated fools believed that Sesshomaru was tainting the Yondaime's home with his demonic presences along with the supposed Heir to the Namikaze Clan.
The next day such fools, now dead fools were later found in Konoha's center square area looking like they had been torn apart into slowly before they died, and were made clear examples not to enter a Demon Lord's home uninvited.
(Hokage's Office)
"I see. So you finally were able to find out what the second secret stage for the Sharingan is," said the Sandaime looking at the weasel ANBU, who simply nodded before speaking.
"The reason my Father wants it a secret is because he's waiting for the day you will die Hokage-sama. Once you become the late Third Hokage, Danzo will make an attempt at positioning himself as, ironically as it sounds, your newest successor to the title of Fire Shadow, and create an alliance with the Uchiha Clan in order to begin the process of creating the second coming of Uchiha Madara. In order to do that, they need an Uchiha with the original complete set of Sharingan Eyes, and have him kill his best friend to activate the next stage of the Sharingan. I think this secret stage, depending on the Uchiha wielder's strength has the power to do the opposite of what the Shodaime could do with his power in calming a Demon Lord. Though I'm not exactly certain, but he evidence I have gathered so far seems to support it. I would have gotten more, but I believe that my Father is beginning to suspect something of me, and will probably have someone within the clan investigate me soon," said the weasel ANBU, who got a nod from the Hokage.
"I see. I'll have Sesshomaru-sama bring in Naruto so we can find out more about that day and see just who it was with Uchiha blood managed to do this. It may give me leverage with the Council and the public if they knew that there were other factors that caused the Demon Lord to attack. If anything it will take most of the hostility off of Naruto. You are dismissed Itachi," said the Third Hokage, who got a nod from the Itachi before leaving the room.
(Naruto's Mindscape)
"So you figured it out. It took you long enough," said the Kyuubi staring at Sesshomaru and Naruto, who simply scowled at the large demonic fox.
"Yeah well if you had just told us we could have done more with it sooner you baka fox!" said Naruto, who received a light tap on his head from his Father for those words since he was addressing another Demon Lord.
"True, but then where is the fun in that? Just because you hairless apes think you are so smart doesn't mean you are. Someone has to make you work for this knowledge and unlike what Kami did for your species centuries ago, I have absolutely NO intention of just handing it to you on a silver platter, and expect your so called 'free will' that he gave you to help keep things balanced. I swear he give you feces throwing monkeys a lot more credit then I do," said Kyuubi growling at the boy, who stuck his tongue out at the demon fox.
"As much as this little chat is somewhat mildly entertaining, we came here to offer you a proposition you might find interesting," said Sesshomaru seeing the fox turn its red eyed gaze towards him.
"Really? I think that's highly unlikely given my current predicament, but I suppose out of the sheer curiosity of it all I'll bite, and see what this 'offer' is," said Kyuubi tilting its head as it spoke.
"I want you to assist my son in his training when I cannot or one of his Shinobi teachers is unavailable to him," said Sesshomaru seeing the Kyuubi's eyes narrow at him for what was being demanded of its time.
"That's it? You want me to help this little rodent, who should be kissing my claws for the times that I allowed him to live after the beatings he's endured, and let him have more control over my power? What's it in for me that would make me even consider the possibility that I would want to help you?" said Kyuubi knowing that if there was something he could get out of this deal it better be a damn good thing.
"You want revenge I assume? That is what we are offering you. Revenge against the one, who manipulated you, a Demon Lord as powerful as yourself, into doing something that was against your will, and forcing you to be sealed away inside this boy afterwards," said Sesshomaru, who saw the Kyuubi narrow its fire filled eyes, and drew its face to the bars growling at the two that stood before it.
"Yes. Such a mortal should have that kind of power much less have a way to achieve the ways of Immortality that defies the rules of Kami. At least with the Shodaime, now HE understood the balance, and out of all the humans I have encountered, I find he is the one I have come to respect the most. You have yourself a deal. In exchange for this training I want Uchiha Madara dead. I'll even help you achieve that goal by training the kit in my fox powers, provided that it is the kit, who is the one to deliver the death blow himself, and along with one other thing that must be done in order to solidify this agreement," said Kyuubi seeing Sesshomaru narrow his eyes now and Naruto looking suspicious of the fox.
"What other thing is there that you want? It's sure as hell not going to be freedom," said Naruto folding his arms to his chest and looking at Kyuubi looking slightly insulted.
"As tempting as that would be, I can't given this seal of the Shinigami, and while the thought of seeing you explode before I kill your village does indeed make me drool with bloodlust, I have thought of something almost as satisfying as that. Something that will be done by YOU Sesshomaru or at least someone in my name within one year's time," said Kyuubi his bloodlust growing at the thought of what he had in mind.
"What do you have in mind?" said Sesshomaru watching Kyuubi with calculating eyes, as he thought of what the fox may want.
"The entire Uchiha Clan must die! They must be wiped out from existence and nature. Anyone of them could rise or sire the next Madara and one of him is bad enough in this world. From the eldest member to weakest of children, this clan must die within a time span of anywhere within one year from now when the moon turns blood red. Do this and I will train boy in my demon fox arts of illusions, manipulation of the elements themselves, and other forms of knowledge I possess," said Kyuubi, who saw Naruto look at Sesshomaru, who was deep in thought himself given this would weaken Konoha for some time, and possibly make things slightly more difficult for him with Naruto since the damn Council will want him to help keep their village strong.
"I must inform the Hokage of this part of the deal before anything is finalized, but I think given the situation, he will agree to the idea," said Sesshomaru before he exited the boy's mindscape.
(Real World-Hokage's Office-20 Minutes Later)
"I'm seriously getting too old for this shit," said the Hokage mumbling more to himself then the two people in front of him.
"Do you want to go through with what the Kyuubi desires from us in terms of binding the deal?" said Sesshomaru knowing that this decision could affect him and Konoha.
"What choice do I have in that matter? The Uchiha Clan wants to make a second Uchiha Madara and with from what you just told me, the original one is still alive through some form of Immortality that Orochimaru would love to get his hands on. Not only that, but I've been hearing faint rumors of an organization on the move asking for information on certain people like Naruto, and such a weakening of our forces internally could prompt them to turn their attention here," said the Sandaime seeing Naruto flinch at the Third's words about others like him.
"You said you had an Uchiha loyal to you, correct?" said Sesshomaru tapping his fingers on the end part of the arm from the chair he was sitting on.
"Yes, but his Father is starting to become suspicious of him," said the Sandaime frowning and wondering what the Demon Lord was thinking.
"Let the man become suspicious. Whoever is sent to investigate your Uchiha spy among its ranks will be close to him in order to gain his trust. When the time is right, have your spy kill the one watching him and then soon after set him loose upon the Uchiha Clan. After what has happened becomes public knowledge throughout the other Countries have him seek out this shadowy organization in the hopes that they can protect him and make him stronger. He will be our spy on the inside," said Sesshomaru, who knew Itachi was the spy, but decided not to tell Naruto since it had nothing to do with him at the moment.
The Sandaime frowned while considering this course of action with deep thought and all things considered, the super intelligent Demon Lord did have a point in that regard. With the Uchiha Clan gone, so would Danzo's attempt at an alliance with them, and while the Uchiha Clan would be decimated, it would give the Third a helpful spy in this shadowy organization Jiraiya had started tracking. The Toad Sannin only started investigating it a few months ago since he learned Orochimaru had joined it, but the spy network didn't have a solid connection to any of its higher ups. Given Itachi's skills already as a Shinobi, the boy would become a prime candidate to be one of it members, and hopefully find out what the group wants demon vessels for.
"You said the Kyuubi wants it within a year correct? I'll set things in motion with my spy so he does it on or around the day in question of the blood red moon. Though to ensure there is still hope in this village afterwards, I may have it so there is only one survivor of his choice, and use as bait to lure out our enemies," said Sarutobi knowing that many of bloodline type clans that had been reduced to such low numbers for whatever reason in various Shinobi villages had been sometimes captured by other villages.
"The Kyuubi may not like that, but I think he will considered it, as long as the surviving Uchiha is a weak runt among the clan's stock," said Sesshomaru since it would probably amuse the fox demon to see the Uchiha Clan suffer with the hopes of its supposed revival being in the hands of a weak Uchiha Clan member.
"I take it up with my spy though I'm sure several members on both Councils will want to spoil the chosen Uchiha survivor silly to make him strong," said the Sandaime to which Sesshomaru scoffed at, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Such things will make the child arrogant and believe he is superior to others. Do what you can to keep the Council in check and remind them that arrogance is the greatest of weakness among the human race," said Sesshomaru before rising from his seat with Naruto following shortly after him.
"I'm sure if they found such words came from you they will take them to heart," said the Sandaime with a hint of sarcasm in his voice before he sighed as the Demon Lord and his son were no longer in his office.
Letting out a sigh, the old Fire Shadow summoned a low level monkey summons to send a message to his Super Pervert of a student to inform him of what was going to happen in one year. Sarutobi wished he could get Tsunade back to the village as well, but he knew she'd pound any summons that went after her, and thus preventing any means of him ever reaching her.
'Maybe I should send Sesshomaru to hunt her down? As if he would do it. No the time isn't right and Naruto still needs to gain more allies before he can stray away from the protection of his adopted Father of a Demon Lord,' thought the Sandaime wishing that Kushina had not fallen into her own madness and denied Naruto the Mother he always wanted.
To his credit, Sarutobi did blush slightly at the thought of the two substitutes the boy had acquired in the past 2 years for that role, and the old Hokage knew it would make Jiraiya jealous to no end if the Super Pervert ever found out.
Why could he be a child while snuggled into those two women's breasts when hugged?
(A/N: Love it? Hate it? Does it work for you? I hope so? My mind is so tired right now. LOL! Oh and can I ask one simple favor? Could you guys PLEASE review some of my other fics if you already haven't? Like my Justice League one-shot and my current Teen Titans fic, which I'll probably be updating next, and for those authors who have yet to update their fics that I like...PLEASE UPDATE THEM! Sorry, it's just so hard to update my stuff when the fics I like aren't updating either. Until next time...PEACE!!)