AN: I would like to give a huge thank you to redlox2 to the idea he presented to me in regards to Samehada acting as a guardian of sorts; it will appear later in this chapter. Also, after this chapter, I'm going to be doing a lot more time-skips and summarizing; character building and more. Lastly, remember that this story is AU. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the next installment!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor am I doing this for profitable gain, all rights go to their respective owners.
ITALICS – Thinking
BOLD – Demon speak
Arc One: Beginning of a Legend
Chapter Three
Naruto eyed the opposition in front of him with a vulpine grin, one which seemed all too eager to rend the flesh from their bones. For Kisame, he had flashbacks of Yagura and wondered if Naruto would let the Kyuubi control his mind or if his six year old mind would prevail. Just as the Root seemed to get their second wind, Naruto roared out and began his massacre. Without remorse, throats were ripped out, bodies were bifurcated by the swipe of a claw, and limbs were dismembered by way of biting and tearing. The aroma of iron in the air was unforgiving and the sight of the newly painted walls and small stream on the concrete floor made Kisame shiver. There had to be a way to calm Naruto down, but what?
"Stay back!" One of the cornered Root members said as he stumbled into a wall; his conditioning failing him.
Naruto simply grinned as he grabbed the shinobi's face and let his corrosive chakra do all the work; the screams were pleasure to Naruto's ears. For the remaining Root, which wasn't much, they all began to back towards the entrance of the warehouse in the hopes of escaping this monster, but no such luck would be had. Seeing them trying to escape, Naruto jumped and landed at the warehouse entrance only to roar out a massive shockwave which pushed the offenders back towards Kisame. Just as he was about to advance again, however, Naruto started coughing out blood, but it evaporated as it hit Kyuubi's aura.
"It's too much for Naruto." Kisame thought, worry now in the back of his mind. "If he keeps this up, the Kyuubi's chakra will destroy him from the inside out."
Naruto roared again and advanced towards the Root members just as Samehada worked its way out of Kisame's hands and started to crawl towards Naruto. All the while, the Tailless Beast just stared at the scene in wonder. He knew that Samehada could absorb some bijuu chakra, but could it really absorb that much without dying?
"Naruto!" Hiruzen called from the entrance which made said person stop his massacre to see who dared interrupt him.
As the enraged jinchuriki turned to face the Sandaime, the rest of the Root escaped with their lives, and Samehada got the chance it needed. With a jump, it opened its mouth and engulfed half of Naruto's body within itself. Enraged by this turn of events, Naruto tried to struggle and tear the sword from the inside out, but it was only pushing him deeper inside. With a final gulp, Samehada had finished eating Naruto but it was then the sword began to glow and resemble more of a filled water balloon; a spikey one at that. Two minutes passed before the sword sensed it was OK to let Naruto out, and it did by regurgitating him onto the bloody concrete floor.
Hiruzen, and the others who now joined in, didn't hesitate and rushed in to see if Naruto and Kisame was OK. Tsunade, being the head medic, looked at the two and couldn't help but grimace. Although Kisame was the one who did the most fighting, his wounds paled in comparison to Naruto's.
"We need to get Naruto to the ICU immediately, he has third degree burns over most of his body, and…" Tsunade ran a quick diagnosis and cursed. "…shit, his organs are failing and the Kyuubi isn't helping out for some reason!"
Other shinobi in the area who specialized in the medical field all shunshined to the hospital with Tsunade and Naruto in tow. Meanwhile, Kisame couldn't hold the cough in anymore and his blood soon joined what was already on the floor.
"Is Naruto going to be alright?" Kisame said as he wiped his lips and was helped up by Jiraiya and Hiruzen.
"I'm not entirely sure, Kisame-san." Jiraiya quietly replied. "Never have I seen a six year old use that much bijuu chakra before, by all rights the kid should be dead already."
Hiruzen sadly nodded and helped Kisame over to Samehada whom jumped happily onto its master's back.
"Hai, for him to be alive is a miracle in of itself, but all power comes with consequences. The only question is how much?"
"If…" Kisame started, a chocked sob escaping his lips, "…if, Naruto dies this day, then please, let me commit the ultimate act so that we may both enjoy the afterlife together."
For a small while, Jiraiya and Hiruzen were taken aback by this, but a simple nod by both made Kisame smile as tears started to pour down his face.
"Thank you."
Hospital – ICU
"We're losing him, Tsunade!" Yelled one the assistants who just finished putting in a drainage tube for the lungs.
"I know, dammit!" Tsunade replied as she and others used the mystical palm technique to quicken the boy's healing.
As the seconds turned into minutes, nothing seemed like it was working until Naruto twitched and coughed out a copious amount of blood. Just as they were about to breathe out a sigh of relief, the one sound that everyone feared in the hospital resonated in the room.
The heart monitor had flat lined.
Naruto was dead.
With Naruto
The Kyuubi looked down at the unconscious Naruto in front of his cage with a frown. He had wanted to give the boy a taste of his power, but apparently it was too much too soon. The mindscape started to crumble which meant that his existence was about to end. He wanted to heal the boy with his chakra, but already having given so much, Kyuubi didn't want to damage Naruto further.
The cage was starting to fade away, but it was a moment Kyuubi capitalized on and started to nudge Naruto with his snout.
"C'mon Kit, don't die on me yet." Kyuubi nudged again and smiled as he heard a faint heartbeat followed by a shallow breath. "That's it, come to the surface."
Another breath, this time more steady than before. And shortly thereafter, Naruto's condition seemed to improve by the minute, though time was irrelevant inside the mindscape. Soon, however, Naruto groggily opened his eyes and groaned, but it was here that he remembered what he did and instantly retched out the contents in his stomach.
"I…I truly am a monster."
"You are no such thing, my son." A new voice presented himself.
"YONDAIME!" Kyuubi yelled and attempted to swipe at the Hokage, but found that the bars had reformed; the mindscape healing itself.
"Now, now, you know what happened last time you fought me?" Minato smirked, but it turned into a nervous chuckle as he looked at his catatonic son. "Oops."
"This has to be a dream, there's no way the Yondaime is my father and the Kyuubi is here!" Naruto thought then closed his eyes and opened them again, hoping that everything would vanish; no such luck. "I'M SO CONFUSED!"
Minato sighed and gave Naruto a poignant stare, "This is your mindscape, a place where time is irrelevant and, thankfully, any injuries."
"Hey, don't look at me, I just wanted to test the Kit!" Kyuubi said as he saw the Yondaime glaring at him.
"By almost killing him!"
"WHAT!" Naruto screamed, panic now starting to set in. "I have to get out, I have to see how the others are doing."
"Good luck with that, they put you in a coma, you're gonna be here a while."
Naruto couldn't stand anymore and, as he fell on his ass, let out a chuckle of disbelief, still not believing the facts starting him in the face. With a sigh, Minato sat down beside his son and engulfed him in a hug.
"I haven't much time to spend with you, my son, as I only put a certain amount of chakra inside the seal which keeps the Kyuubi at bay." Naruto looked at his father sadly. "However, we have plenty of time for you to tell me how the village has been treating you and of the legacy I want you to fulfill."
"UGH!" Kyuubi let out a gag at the bonding being shown. "If you ningen need me, I'll be in here, not like that I got any other place to go."
Minato smirked then looked at Naruto whom was looking at his reflection sadly which made the Yondaime let out a sigh. Through his son's eyes, Minato saw that the village hadn't respected his wishes and that a lot had been kept away from Naruto.
"I know it's painful," Minato started as he started to stroke his son's hair, "But know that I will always be with you and respect any decisions you make from here on in."
Naruto nodded, a true smile coming to his face, and slowly began explaining his life thus far.
Back in the Hospital
"We've got a heartbeat!" One of the assistants said which made Tsunade stop doing CPR and run a quick diagnostic.
"And he's somewhat stable, but nowhere out of the woods yet." Tsunade replied then wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Being clinically dead for almost an hour is worrisome, but we won't know his mental state until he wakes."
"Orders, Tsunade-sama?" Another assistant asked.
"Put Uzumaki-san in a medically induced coma and transport him to one of our secure monitoring rooms. Once there, hook him up to a dialysis machine as he's lost a lot of blood."
The assistants nodded and got to doing as told just as Tsunade exited the room. With a sigh, she headed to her next patient; Kisame. As Tsunade arrived, the shark-man let out a variety of obscenities about not wanting to be healed and that he would be fine on his own. The nurse, however, was having none of it and had Hiruzen and Jiraiya help strap Kisame to the bed.
"Well, this is an amusing site." Tsunade said then let out a chuckle to the man's response.
"Bite me!"
"How's Naruto?" Hiruzen asked as Jiraiya and Kisame looked on expectantly.
"Not good I'm afraid, he was clinically dead for an hour, the Kyuubi not helping once." Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and Kisame's faces turned saddened just as the nurse left the room. "He's in a medically induced coma now and we are going to monitor him every hour, but until he wakes we won't know his mental state."
"Brat." Kisame whispered then closed his eyes as tears started to form. "Any reason why Kyuubi would do this?"
"A show of force, or to give Naruto a taste of his power." Jiraiya suddenly said. "It's only a hunch right now, but having dealt with jinchuriki before, it's not out of the question."
"But to almost kill Naruto?" Hiruzen said as he stroked his goatee in thought. "No, this wasn't just a taste of power, but a test of some kind." Everyone's eyes were now on The Professor. "I remember Mito saying that Kyuubi, believe it or not, has a compassionate side under that angry shell."
"You're shitting me, right Sensei?" Tsunade was flabbergasted.
Hiruzen shook his head, "I'm sure you remember Mito preaching that a jinchuriki's best weapon against the bijuu locked within was love." Tsunade nodded. "For years, we have seen the bijuu as nothing but beasts to use for our own gain, to seal them up if they ever get free again. If these bijuu do have emotions like Mito implied, how would you feel if you were sealed over and over again?"
"Dear Kami." Jiraiya let out a gasp while Tsunade and Kisame's eyes widened.
"I see that you understand now." Hiruzen's tone quieted. "They were angry when Hashirama-Sensei had them sent off to other villages to be sealed, and every time they reformed, they turned that anger onto the village that held them before."
"Could this be the answer?" Jiraiya thought. "Could not having bijuu in the Elemental Nations, to let them live as they were eons ago, the true answer to peace?"
A sudden coughing fit by Kisame gained everyone's attention, though for Tsunade it made her narrow her eyes upon seeing the blood.
"How long has this been taking place, Kisame?"
"Six months, a year, I'm unsure." The man in question replied as he wiped the blood from his lips.
"Hmm." Tsunade let out in thought as she ran a complex diagnostic scan, one which made her eyes widen in shock. "Well, now that's a problem."
"And?" Kisame impatiently asked.
"Do you want the good news or bad news first?" Tsunade asked, only to get a stare back in return. "Well, the good news is that I can prolong the amount of time you have to live, the bad…" Tsunade sighed as she cut to the chase. "…I don't know what you came in contact with, but it's eating your lungs and heart to the point where you only have, at most, three years to live."
Kisame's eyes widened as he knew that wasn't even near enough time to get Naruto ready for the real world. However, upon hearing this, he remembered one particular mission Yagura had sent him on. There was a small establishment on one of the islands surrounding Kiri that was supposedly creating bio-weapons, ones which Yagura wanted his hands on. Upon arriving, however, they found the place to be in ruin and on fire, like a massive explosion took place. Telling this to Tsunade, and remembering the strange toxin her, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru was exposed to in the Second War, she came to a shocking conclusion.
"Aspergillosis, it's an infection in the lungs when certain fungal spores are inhaled. (1)" Tsunade looked at Jiraiya, "Remember the Second War at the battle where we got our nicknames?"
"You mean to tell me, that Kiri was supplying them and had been perfecting the toxin ever since?" The Toad Sage, as well as Hiruzen, was shocked as Kisame's diagnosis was the same as theirs, but for them it was treated before it got worse.
"Apparently, but Kisame's infection is too far advanced and I cannot heal it fully like I did with us." The Slug Sage gave the Tailless Beast an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
"Tch, such sympathy hurts my brain." Kisame said with a smirk, but it quickly vanished. "Just help me so that I can teach the brat my legacy, so that I can die knowing I did at least one good thing in my life."
One Month Later
It's been a month after Root attacked, and since then it has been a whirlwind for Hiruzen. Although Konoha was repaired and much was improved upon, the villagers had felt the Kyuubi's chakra Naruto exuded and were more fearful than ever before. It saddened Hiruzen to see this, even more so when Naruto hadn't woken up yet. There was, however, some hope in all of this, which came when the now abandoned Root base was raided.
Apparently, the Root soldiers tried to destroy as much evidence as they could before the attack, but in their haste they missed a few things, some of which added to Danzo's already impressive Bingo Book page. The biggest of them all was his plan to massacre the Uchiha clan only to gain some Sharigan in the process and use them to turn the village against Naruto in the hopes that the isolation would draw the boy to him. For Fugaku, all his anger, and his plotting to coup against Hiruzen, turned south and he became a calm man once again after knowing of the lies Danzo put in his head. The clan head even went so far as to offer his life in apology, but Hiruzen was having none of it.
The Police Force was reinstated, but it didn't just contain Uchiha. Instead, it was a mix of all the clans in Konoha in the hopes that this would ease tensions between them and show that cooperation can exist. So far, it was working well, but, like all hate, it was a wound that liked to fester and was slow to heal. Speaking of healing, Tsunade had done all she could for Kisame and extended his life another three years.
For the Hoshigaki, it was more than enough and he celebrated by doing an all-out training session with the Sandaime. The result of which landed both in the hospital for chakra exhaustion and minor wounds as well as some scolding by Tsunade. The result of this spar, however, showed Hiruzen that his skills had dulled some and he requested that Kisame, Tsunade, and Jiraiya join him on occasion. For the villagers seeing this, it was a huge boost in morale and a warm feeling blanketed Konoha once again.
"Hokage-sama?" Megumi called over the intercom.
"Yes, what is it Megumi?"
"Tsunade sends word that Naruto has awoken and apparently isn't too happy with you."
"Thank you, Megumi, I will be on my way." Hiruzen let his finger off the receive button and shunshined to the hospital with a frown.
Hospital – Naruto's Room
"Glad you're doing well, brat, had me worried there for a while." Kisame said with a smile, one which Naruto returned.
"Thanks." The Uzumaki replied then sighed. "Should I forgive Ji-Ji for keeping so much away from me?"
Kisame remembered the conversation he and Naruto had not moments before about what went on during his coma. To say the Tailless Beast was shocked would be an understatement, but now he had accepted it. Naruto wasn't angry at Kisame as he hadn't known anything until he came to Konoha, but as for the Sandaime, that was another thing entirely.
"It's up to you, but don't go too harsh on him." Kisame laid a reassuring hand on Naruto's left shoulder. "Remember, he's a Kage of a village where politics reign supreme. Hiruzen was probably doing what he felt was correct at the time."
Before anything else could be said, the door was opened to let the person that was being mentioned step inside.
"Glad to see you're awake, Naruto." Hiruzen smiled, but it wouldn't last long.
"Hokage-sama." Naruto replied coldly.
Hiruzen sighed at the formal title being given instead of the usual, but he understood Naruto's anger and knew that he deserved every bit of it.
"So, I guess you met Kyuubi then?"
"And my parents." Naruto replied bitterly, but he wasn't finished. "They aren't happy with you, especially mom."
"How?" Hiruzen was aghast.
"Apparently they left their chakra imprint in the seal, one which would only activate when the Kyuubi was about to break free or control Naruto." Kisame said before Naruto could. "And don't worry about the seal, Minato fixed it as good as new."
Hiruzen sighed as he sat down on the foot of Naruto's bed, his sad eyes gazed into Naruto's angry ones.
"Look, I could make all the excuses in the world for keeping everything from you, but I simply don't have the heart." Another sigh escaped the elder Kage's lips. "In fact, I deserve it all, every bit of anger in that young heart of yours, Naruto-kun. I know it will be while before you trust me again, but may I give one word of advice before I leave you?"
"Sure." Naruto's bitterness was still there.
"Inside the basement of your home, Kushina hid something, of what I am uncertain. However, I have always kept one thing in my possession, one which she told me to give to you when the time was right." Hiruzen reached into his robes and pulled out a small letter which he gave to Naruto. "The seal on the paper reacts to your blood, open it and find what it was your mother wanted you to have."
"Should I trust Kyuubi?" Naruto suddenly asked just as the Sandaime was about to leave.
"If it were any other day, I'd say no." Hiruzen started, then smiled. "But your near death has showed me that I might have been wrong in my assumptions all along. The answers you seek will be in the classified section of the Konoha library, of which I will give you access."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Anytime Naruto, and remember, if you wish to talk, my office is always open." Hiruzen left in a shunshin just as tears started to form.
The room was silent for a while, spare for the sounds of medical equipment and the two occupants breathing. However, after a little bit, Naruto got the courage and bit his thumb and rubbed the blood over the seal on the paper. With a glow, the paper unraveled itself to show what looked like a map with a note on the bottom.
"To never forget family, to forgive when necessary, to kill only when needed. Those are the pillars of the Uzumaki, a trait in which you will need in order to survive the trials ahead."
Kisame and Naruto were confused on why this would be at the bottom of a map, but to get an answer as to why, they would need to find whatever Kushina hid.
Orochimaru's Base – Hidden Sound
One, slight annoyed, Sennin was currently sitting on his throne, tapping his fingers and contemplated on what his next move would be. A month ago, he was supposed to have the ultimate test subject to where he could make an ultimate weapon to bring Konoha, and whomever, to their knees, but Danzo miraculously failed in that regard. According to Kabuto, Naruto used a large amount of Kyuubi's chakra to the point where he had almost died and, thanks to the massive debacle, made Konoha even stronger than before. Something which was making Iwa and Kumo nervous.
Orchimaru's eyes lit up, and his mouth twitched into a cruel smile.
"Oh, I would know that smile anywhere." Kabuto said as he entered the chamber.
"Ku, ku, ku, I knew there was a reason why I kept Danzo alive after his failure." Orochimaru said to himself then noticed Kabuto wanted to say something. "Well?"
"I'm afraid that spying on Konoha will be nigh impossible from now on in, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto sighed. "The new Police Force and updated security following Jiraiya's advice has led to many spies being routed and sent back in a body bag."
That surprised Orochimaru as he always saw Hiruzen as one to negotiate before doing anything rash. However, if Hiruzen was returning to his God of Shinobi title, it meant that Konoha was more than powerful enough to deal with any threats. Now it made sense as to why Iwa and Kumo had started to become nervous and why Suna was seeing a boom in its economy.
"Ku ku ku, it seems my dear old Sensei has grown quite the spine lately, one which is causing a cold war in the Elemental Nations."
"And am I to assume you and that group you joined will be the stick to poke the bear?" Kabuto asked, knowing where this was going.
"Ku, ku, ku, you know me too well, Kabuto-san." Orochimaru stood and motioned for Kabuto to follow. "Come, you, Danzo, and I have much to discuss."
Suna
Rasa, the Yondaime Kazekage, looked at the reports on his desk and couldn't be more pleased with how well everything has been going for them ever since Hiruzen grew a spine. Not only had their economy boomed due to a restructure of the treaty which resulted in an equal share in trade routes and missions, but so did their military thanks to a new program which both Kage's discussed three weeks ago. This program, which was largely experimental, focused on giving all shinobi remedial tests every two months.
These tests focused on their ability to perform on the field; a psychological and physical test. Both would be performed by the head doctor and mentalist specialist with the Kage present. If deemed healthy, the shinobi would go on their merry way, if deemed unfit for duty, however, they would be given two months leave of absence to improve themselves. After this, the same two tests would be performed as well as a spar with an opponent of equal skill. If passed, the shinobi would be reinstated, but if they failed, they would be stripped of rank and sent to remedial program. Upon completion of this tortuous program, another evaluation would be held to determine if the shinobi was fit for duty.
Three strikes and you're out, never to become a shinobi again.
Again, Rasa smiled at how much progress Suna has made, especially now that he has gotten to know Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara a bit better. Thanks to Jiraiya, he fixed the boy's seal, much to Temari and Kankuro's relief, and it was here Rasa understood the mistakes he made all those years. It was still a work in process, but Rasa knew that by time his academy days were done, Gaara wouldn't be a psychopath any longer.
"Kazekage-sama." The receptionist said over the intercom system. "You're children are here to see you."
"Good, tell him I will be out in a moment." Rasa let go of the receive button and stood from his desk.
It was time to have lunch with his children.
Back in Konoha - Hours Later
Although not discharged from the hospital just yet, Kisame wanted to start training Naruto again and, with Tsunade's permission, had reading material brought over as well as some fuinjutsu supplies. Again, Naruto hated reading, but he grinned and bared through the dry and boring material. However, through it all, Naruto found history and, much to everyone's surprise, politics, to be his favorite subjects. Fuinjutsu is where Naruto shined, though, but it wasn't surprising given his heritage. Although still a little sloppy in terms of calligraphy, Naruto had an uncanny ability to look at a seal and see the matrices within, much like his father, Minato Namikaze.
Jiraiya, Kisame, and Tsunade knew there had to be more going on, and so Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka was called in to do a mental/IQ test. The results were surprising seeming that Naruto had been dead for a complete hour, but the results didn't lie. Naruto's brain was perfectly healthy and that he had an IQ close to that of Shikamaru's.
"Let's go over some of the stuff you read today, brat." Kisame ordered as dusk started to settle. "What are the twelve known hand signs a shinobi uses?"
"Monkey, Rat, Dragon, uh…" Naruto closed his eyes in thought, but opened them soon after. "…Boar, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Tiger, Horse, Ram, and Hare."
"Very good." Kisame smiled. "Now, what causes an imbalance in terms of fuinjutsu?"
Naruto hummed in thought then gasped as the answer came to him. "An even and odd number cannot be placed on one another or vice-versa."
Kisame nodded and continued his questions, most of which increased in difficulty. Although Naruto didn't get all of them correct, it showed Naruto how much he needed to improve. After questioning, Kisame had Naruto do some light stretches to see if he was flexible enough and, against Tsunade's orders, shunshined them to a training ground.
"Tsunade's going to kill us." Naruto said, his eyes wide in fear of being strapped to the bed.
"Ah, lighten-up brat, if anything, I'll take the blow for you."
"Thanks." Naruto smirked then looked at all the trees around him. "So, what am I doing?"
Instead of explaining, Kisame walked to a tree, then started to walk up it using his feet. After coming to a rest by hanging upside-down on one of the branches, he called to Naruto.
"Now you try, brat, I know you saw enough to figure it out!"
Naruto shrugged and walked up to a tree and went to put his foot on it, but he was suddenly propelled backwards; the tree exploding where his foot was. Kisame held his sides and guffawed just as Naruto got up and glared at the tree. Not being deterred, Naruto tried again and got the same result.
"Too much chakra, brat, try lessening the amount you use!"
And so Naruto did, but after many, many attempts. It was on his thirtieth try, however, that he got about halfway up the tree before having to backflip off of it. It was now dark outside, and the moon was the only source of light they had. Naruto, determined to get to the top, went to try again when he felt a massive amount of anger headed this way.
"Kisame." Naruto gulped. "We're boned."
Before the shark-man could reply, a fuming mad Tsunade appeared which made the duo hug each other in fear. Without even saying a word, the Slug Sage grabbed the two by their ears and started to drag them to the hospital; both screaming in pain all the way there.
"I thought I told you two no chakra training!" Tsunade yelled as she strapped Naruto into his hospital bed, and strapping Kisame to another.
"But, I'm perfectly fine." Naruto whined only to receive a nightmare stare which shut him up.
"And why am I strapped up, I don't have an injury…"
A crunch was heard in the room which made Naruto and the nurses flinch.
"YOU BITCH!" Kisame roared. "YOU BROKE MY DAMN NOSE!"
Samehada, in defense of his master, tried to bite Tsunade on the arm only to find itself embedded in the wall thanks to being flicked across the room.
"Now what did we learn?" Tsunade grinned at the two in the bed, both shivering in fear.
"Obey your orders." Naruto and Kisame replied with wide eyes.
"Good boys." Tsunade's mood instantly turned back to happy as she left the room.
"Women are scary." Naruto said once the door closed.
"You and me both, brat, you and me both." Kisame replied.
1.) This is actually a disease someone can get, though it can be treated for the most part. If aggressive enough, it can travel to all major organs including the brain and eventually kill a person.