(And here's the fifth installment for this.)
One evening in the Foot Temple, Zabuza, Hun, and Guy were watching as the Foot ninja were training, until Naruto approached wearing his new Shredder armor, and Ino in her own armor as well, "Master." Hun presented himself along with Zabuza and Guy.
"Hun, call the ninja to the meeting room. There are things I wish to discuss with them and the rest of you." Naruto ordered.
"As you wish master." Hun said as he went to inform everyone.
Soon enough in the meeting room the foot ninja presented themselves as Naruto approached them, "Neji Hyuga, Tenten, Yoroi Akado, and Misumi Tsurugi," Naruto called as the four approached, "I've watched and studied your skills and improvements, and am pleased to report that the four of you have earned the right to move up in ranks and become my elite ninja." Naruto explained.
"Elite?" Neji gasped.
"You mean it?" Yoroi asked.
"Yes, and this is what you shall wear and what weapons you may be selected to wield." Naruto said stepping side revealing four outfits that were all decked out in armor, with tattered red capes, and bamboo hats, their were also four weapons that came with each one, a double-blade, a spear, a trident, and an axe.
"Nice hats." Misumi admitted.
"Yes, I welcome you to the ranks." Naruto congratulated them.
Tenten out of sheer impulse, jumped to Naruto and hugged him, "Oh arigato master, arigato!"
"Uh Tenten." Naruto whispered and she realized the position she was in, in front of the Foot clan, and Ino frowning beneath her helmet.
"Whoops, sorry." Tenten said letting Naruto go and took her spot next to Neji, Misumi, and Yoroi.
"Anyway congratulations to our four elite," Naruto declared as they all applauded, "And now I have something very important to show you all, something that could very well change our beliefs in all we were led to think about our Master Oroku Saki."
Naruto walked up to a torch lamp on the wall and pulled it down, revealing a hidden passageway, "Whoa." Haku and Kiba gasped.
"Follow me everyone, and don't fall behind." Naruto ordered as they followed him.
Naruto led everyone down a spiral of stone stairs, leading down further into the earth than the Foot Temple was.
"How further can this temple be?" Shikamaru asked Chouji who shrugged his shoulders.
Soon Naruto approached a pair of doors with a crest on it which looked like the Foot Clan crest, only upside down. He opened the doors, to reveal another temple that was decorated with the upside down Foot Crest, weaponry hanging up, a tapestry of five dragons that appeared to be battling, and ahead was a throne with five throne chairs with four suits of armor standing before it, all four crafter like the original Shredder armor but in different colors, one which was in a big size was yellow, another was green, the third was colored blue, and the fourth was colored silver, "Where are we?" Kushina gasped.
"I discovered this ancient temple by accident a week ago, and I came upon a discovery about the origin of the true Shredder." Naruto explained.
"Which was?" Sakura asked.
"My master Oroku Saki wasn't the first Shredder after all," Naruto explained which got everyone confused, "In fact the first Shredder wasn't even human at all."
"What're you talking about?" Lee asked.
"Wasn't human at all?" Hinata gasped.
"No, you all see that tapestry above us?" Naruto asked motioning to the tapestry of the dragons, "That tapestry tells the tale of the battle between the five Dragons."
"Five Dragons?" Neji asked confused.
"Yes, allow me to explain the tale of the Original Shredder." Naruto explained as he narrated.
"Centuries ago, in the Land of Fire before it was formed. From a dark pit rose up a powerful Tengu demon, who sought to turn the Ninja Land into his own dark kingdom. The demon seemed unstoppable, for no ninja or warrior could defeat it. During that time there were five brave warriors whose courage and victories were legendary."
A buffed up muscle man with a bald head wearing golden robes was wielding a tessen and sliced some training dummies with it, "First there was Hisomi."
A woman with pale skin, white hair in a ponytail, and was wearing a green robes was striking at concrete walls, putting dents in them with her bare hands, "Chikara."
A white faced man with red face paint on his eyes and mouth, while wearing a heavy blue and white robe with long sleeves, and a black hat launched numerous bladed weapons all hitting several targets, "Juto."
A silver clothed man with silver pointed hair and ponytail threw a spear across a row of flames which put the fires out, and nailed a target, "Kon."
The fifth one was a man who looked like Oroku Saki, and wore the same kind of robe as Naruto and his master wore, minus the Foot clan symbols, was practicing with a sword, "And the most skilled and ambitious of them all was Oroku Saki." He narrated, as Oroku Saki used his sword to slice a single training dummy in half.
"What Oroku Saki lived that many years ago?" Kiba shouted interrupting him.
"Quiet Kiba, let me explain." Naruto ordered as he continued.
"These five warriors were summoned before the emperor of the land, who informed them that they were the world's last hope. So he outfitted them with armor made from his finest craftsmen. Special armor engraved with protective spells and talismans of purity."
Naruto's Foot Ninja looked at the four Shredder armors knowing they were the ones the warriors used centuries ago.
"They engaged in battle against the Tengu. They fought bravely and despite overwhelming odds, they refused to surrender, vowing to fight until the very end. Saki's attacks were the most lethal and damaging compared to the other four." Naruto narrated as Oroku Saki in a dark purple and black Shredder armor with red lining fought the demon causing it to fall as he held a sword above it.
"I am Oroku Saki! Demon let my name be the last sound you hear!" Oroku Saki declared as he struck the demon.
"With that strike the demon was defeated," Naruto narrated, "The emperor held a great celebration and decreed that the warriors would be known as the five dragons with no higher honor. He awarded them with their own banner, the three toed sign of the dragon," Naruto explained as they realized that was what the upside down Foot clan symbol was really, "But the celebration didn't last long, for something far worse was to come."
"What no one knew was that during Saki's battle with the Tengu, more went on." Naruto explained.
The demon spoke to Saki through his thoughts, "I sense greatness in you warrior. I can make you a God among these insects. If you wish to fulfill every dream your heart desires, rule all that exists, and have everything. Just allow me inside your soul, and the world will be yours!"
"The demons words ignited a dark part of Saki's heart, and he accepted the offer," Naruto narrated, "The demon's spirit merged with Saki's making him the one of the very first Jinchuriki there ever was. When Saki struck the demon it was nothing but an empty shell. The dark spirit of the tengu filled Oroku Saki, and became the Jinchuriki to the greatest evil of the world."
"His betrayal plunged the land into an age of darkness and chaos," Naruto continued narrating as images of Oroku Saki blasted the towns and emperors palace with red demonic blasts from both his palms were shown, "He created an impenetrable fortress and took on the identity of the Shredder. The remaining four dragons vowed to defeat the Shredder at all cost. In order to do so, they had to increase their powers by seeking out mystical knowledge. So they scoured the ninja lands for masters of the mystic arts, who were willing to teach them. As their knowledge grew, so did their power, until finally they became more than warriors, or humans. The dragons evolved becoming forces of nature."
"At last they were prepared to confront their traitor of a comrade. They fought him swiftly and without mercy, until the Shredder himself had tapped into his true darkness and took the form of a dragon avatar. But the warriors had been prepared and had manifested their dragon avatars as well. Creatures of purity, might, and power. It was an epic battle of dragon vs dragon. It was only by combining their powers they defeated the supreme evil, but knew he could not be destroyed so easily, for his dark magic was too great. It was then they sealed him away into a sarcophagus and separated his powers into three artifacts, his gauntlet, his helmet, and the sarcophagus containing his body. If these three artifacts were to come together, the Shredder would very well be reborn."
"Whoa." The Foot clan was in shock.
"After all this time." Ino gasped.
"The true origin of the Shredder." Zabuza was in equal shock.
"I know. It had a major blow to me as well." Naruto replied.
"But this doesn't explain anything, how can your master be the Shredder, was he an imposter?" Kiba asked.
"Not at all," Naruto answered, "You see those many years ago the first Saki had a twin brother named Oroku Nagi, and like his brother he too was a master of ninjitsu. When he saw the fate of his brother and what he did, he vowed he would clear the Oroku name and use the Shredder's name for good rather than evil while raising his own version of the Foot ninja. For these many years Nagi and his descendants continued the legacy of the good Shredder not wanting it to be tainted by the evil that was his brother, Saki. My master Saki is his descendant, named after his brother."
"It all adds up now." Shino realized it.
"But master, why should this now be a problem for us?" a random Foot ninja asked.
"Because I saw the gauntlet of the Tengu Shredder." Naruto answered.
The Foot ninja gasped until Tenten spoke up, "When was this?"
"Three years ago when I fought my old comrade Sasuke Uchiha in the Valley of the End," He started, "When I went one-tailed Fox on Sasuke, he somehow found the gauntlet amongst the rubble and attached it to his left arm which gave him dark chi power to fuel his cursed mark. When we launched our final attacks in our most powerful forms we were both forced back, and I woke up seeing the gauntlet was gone from Sasuke. It must've fallen off after our attacks collided. I wanted to stick around and look for it, but I had to get him back to the village, and well you all know the rest."
"So what you're saying is if the gauntlet has resurfaced then there's a chance the other two artifacts may surface?" Hinata asked.
"Yes, and I found out exactly who those five were that took Sasuke after we returned," Naruto started, "They are the Five Mystics; Heralds of the Shredder."
"Mystic Heralds?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. Mystics representing in the five elements, Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Metal," Naruto explained, "But what they would want with Sasuke I'm afraid I have no knowledge to that."
"So what can we do about it?" Neji asked.
"Our mission as of now is to find the three artifacts to prevent the Tengu Shredder from returning." Naruto ordered.
"But how can we do that if these mystics are as powerful as they sound?" Lee asked.
"That's precisely why I've summoned you here. Lee, Hinata, Chouji, and Shikamaru," Naruto called as the four present themselves before their Master, "Like Yoroi, Tenten, Misumi, and Neji, you four have been chosen to move up to a higher ranking. I've selected you four to become the remaining new four dragons." He explained as he concentrated and red markings started appearing all over his armor which awakened the energies of the four armors that started levitating and floated over to each of them.
The yellow armor of Hisomi stopped before Chouji, the green armor of Chikara stopped before Hinata, the blue armor of Juto stopped before Lee, while the silver armor of Kon stopped before Shikamaru, "The armors have now chosen you four, but having the armor alone will not make you strong enough to fight the enemies that lie ahead," Naruto explained, "Which is why the four of you shall travel throughout the Land of Fire to the temples honoring each of the four dragons, where you may be chosen to become acolytes and learn the ancient art of ninjitsu."
The four looked at each other curious about what to do until Hinata spoke up, "Well I'm all for it."
"Hinata?" Shikamaru was curious as were Chouji and Lee.
"If this ancient Shredder is as powerful as the legends foretold, then we need all the help we can get should he return. And I have a feeling he just might." Hinata replied.
"True words, Hinata. Master Shredder, I accept this honor." Lee agreed.
"So do I." Chouji put in.
"It's troublesome having this responsibility, but I'm in." Shikamaru finished.
"You four have made a wise choice." Naruto bowed his head.
"Hold on!" Kiba shouted getting everyone's attention, "First Neji, Tenten, Misumi, and Yoroi become elite, while Hinata, Lee, Chouji, and Shikamaru become their own Shredders while the rest of us are stuck as plane Foot ninja?"
"Kiba you will hold your tongue in my presence!" Naruto ordered, "I've said before countless times, all Foot Ninja are treated as equals. Yet you let your ego cloud your mind making you feel inferior just because others have moved up instead of you? It was that sense of inferiority that drove Sasuke to going to Orochimaru, only to end up in the hands of the followers of the greatest evil in history. Do you wish to suffer the same fate as him?"
Kiba was taken back by his masters' words realizing what he's been saying, which made him feel lousy, "You're right, master. I apologize for my behavior." He bowed his head.
"And I apologize for being too rough," Naruto bowed his head as well. "So Shikamaru, Lee, Chouji, and Hinata, we are to meet with your families individually and tell them of these events so that they know what you are destined for."
"Hai." They replied as they bowed their heads and joined the rest of the Foot.
"Until then the rest of you continue training, every new day comes new surprises." Naruto ordered as he dismissed them all.
"Naruto I've been meaning to ask, how'd you do that thing you just did with the markings on your body?" Ino asked.
"Well Ino. I read one of my master's scrolls on my training trip and learned about focusing my chi." Naruto answered as they headed out of the temple only to have Naruto look back at the tapestry of the five dragons and shuddered knowing this may lead Sasuke down a worse path than the one Orochimaru set for him.
Meanwhile far from Konoha by a river side, Sasuke appeared by the river with the five Mystics. He reached into the river, and pulled out the gauntlet of the Tengu Shredder that he once used to fight Naruto with, "I finally found it," Sasuke smirked, "Just like before." He placed on his left arm and felt the dark chi power him up like before.
"Yes, the first artifact has been found, now all that remains is the final two." Fire Mystic said.
"And soon our master shall be reborn." Earth Mystic added. Sasuke smirked as he looked at the gauntlet knowing that not only will the power help him destroy Itachi, but to also defeat Naruto for defeating him years ago.
(And that's the chapter. The stakes of everything has only gotten bigger.)