..::..

So here we are for chapter 03 of the rewritten story. I'm immensely grateful for the patience and support given by you, the readers.

Not much in the way of notices except that from now on updates may be slow due to health and obligations.

One thing that I need to remind you, dear peeps is that Naruto's Chains resemble and act like Doctor Octopus's Tentacles/Chains from Spiderman ... their just golden and made of Chakra. ^_^

..::..

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER!

..::..

"Ramen" – Speech

'Ramen' – Thoughts

"Ramen" – Biiju/Summon Speech

'Ramen' – Biiju/Summon Thoughts

..::..

Evening had arrived by the time the Fire Daimyo and his entourage arrived at the Imperial City. Naruto was instantly enamoured by the Imperial City's tall buildings and the extravagance that radiated from them. Though he couldn't shake the uneasiness that had descended upon his stomach, there was so much metal, so much metal and not enough nature. Naruto had always been close to nature, well as close as he could be whilst in the care of Konoha's Orphanage but after he'd been unceremoniously thrown out, he found himself surrounded by it constantly.

The peace and serenity that overcame him when he was surrounded by nature was indescribable. Naruto often found his mind wandering aimlessly or even in a calm and light form of meditation when surrounded by it and the peace that overtook his heart and soul was something of a blessing to him.

After being adopted by the Fire Daimyo, Masahiko Shinji and his wives, Kaoru Shinji and Yuki Kaguya-Shinji, Naruto relished the opportunity to spend time in their wonderful gardens that dotted their castle and home. In fact there had been several occasions where Asuma or Chiriku had to collect him from the gardens for meals or baths, but Naruto could resist the call that drew him to nature.

So to be surrounded by so much concrete and metal was not only foreign to Naruto in appearance, but the queasy feeling that bubbled in his stomach was uncomfortable to the white haired youth. At some point his uneasiness must've been visible on his face as Yuki had frowned and asked if he was alright.

"I feel strange Yuki-kaa-chan," Naruto replied "There's not enough nature."

"Naru-chan … what do you mean by 'not enough nature'?" Yuki enquired softly

Naruto frowned momentarily, he wasn't sure himself but he responded as best as he could.

"Nature is relaxing and welcoming." He replied with a tone of thought "This place, feels wrong … not welcoming."

Yuki hummed to herself, of course she and the others had noticed his fondness to nature, but perhaps there was more to it than just preference?

"Naru-chan … there are wonderful gardens at the Imperial Palace." Yuki finally said "You don't need to go out into the city if it makes you uncomfortable sweetie."

"No." Naruto replied quickly before he blushed in embarrassment "I-I want to explore the city, I was just thinking out loud Kaa-chan."

Yuki giggled as Naruto replied quickly, it was so adorable and she could read the emotions on his face like an open book. They fell into a comfortable silence as they passed the many open shops and stalls, each stall offering different items ranging from food to wondrous and exotic wares. Naruto spared a glance to a shop window where a sad little pig watched the people passing by. He could see the intelligence in its eyes and made a mental note to visit the store, after all, the pig was looking lonely and Naruto hated to see such a cute animal in such a state.

The little pig in question spotted him as the carriage rode past and Naruto smiled his soft smile and waved at the intelligent pig. The pig perked up and its tail began to wag in delight at the cute child's antics and Naruto found himself giggling at its antics as well. His laughter and delight drew the attention of many people in the markets and they began to whisper excitedly as they pointed to the caravan that made its way to the Imperial Palace.

..::..

Unsteadily stepping out of the carriage, Naruto marvelled at the sheer size of the Palace. It was a rather grand building and if you looked carefully enough, you could see that it was a mixture of modern and traditional architecture. The central building was built traditionally, but you could see that the outer buildings and extensions were of a modern design. Despite the mixture, Naruto still couldn't shake the feeling bubbling within him as they approached the main entrance. Why he was still feeling that way, Naruto didn't know, but it made him anxious to get inside and feel sheltered from the industrialised city.

Passing through the giant wooden doors, Naruto was met with a pleasantly warm feeling that replaced that feeling of unease inside him, for in front of the white haired child, was an enormous staircase. It was at least three stories high and twenty meters wide, but that paled in comparison to the expertly crafted plants and vines that adorned the sides and base. A wonderfully soft and fluffy carpet fell down the centre and ran down the entire staircase. It was a royal red in colour that beared the Hi no Kuni, or the Land of Fire's Crest in the exact centre of the carpet.

Naruto all but ran to the staircase and sighed in sheer relief as his feet set down on the first step. The staircase felt soothing and radiated the aura of nature. It felt as though the wood was alive and he couldn't get enough of the feeling, it was welcoming and engulfed him like a warm hug.

Masahiko, Kaoru and Yuki stared in disbelief as Naruto all but curled in on himself in comfort on the first step of the grand staircase, it was made and crafted by Hashirama Senju himself as a gift to the Shinji Clan when they united the various clans and formed the Land of Fire's government. It was only half a year later that Konoha had stabilized and become united under the efforts of the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan and of course, the Uzumaki Clan.

Masahiko, Kaoru and Yuki had all discussed Naruto's obsession with nature but he, like Yuki was starting to question if it was something more than just a quirk and more of a necessity for the effeminate child … perhaps the Kyuubi was responsible for it, and then there were Naruto's abilities to bend nature.

'That's it!' Masahiko realised 'Naruto needs to feel connected to nature because of his abilities.'

He spared a look to Kaoru and leaned to whisper his realisation. Kaoru agreed with the notion and watched Naruto with tender eyes as she approached her adopted son.

"Naru-chan … sweetie, we need to get you to bed." Kaoru prompted gently

Naruto shuffled on the bottom step and looked up at his mother. He pouted for a moment and gave her a look that begged to stay on the stairs, but Kaoru remained firm and Naruto agreed to go to bed. The Fire Daimyo asked Asuma to be his guard for the night and looked to Yuki to take Naruto to his new room.

The room itself was rather plain in appearance, but Yuki assured Naruto that he could decorate it as he pleased once they took him into the Market to shop. Naruto was happy with that but sleep crept up on him and soon he was asleep.

..::..

The next morning, Naruto woke to the sounds of a wide awake city. Naruto instantly covered his ears and yelped in fear at the loud noises; Konoha was never this loud but this city? The city was so loud that it hurt his ears and scared him.

Asuma leapt into the room with his kunai drawn, he was instantly on guard as he scanned the room for the threat to Naruto, but when he saw the quivering form of Naruto with his hands squeezed over his ears, he rushed forward.

"Naruto … what's wrong kid?" Asuma asked, keeping his tone steady to help calm the child.

Naruto turned to Asuma with a desperate look on his face; he used his head to gesture to the window, so that he didn't have to remove his hands from his ears.

Asuma's eyes widened 'Of course … he has heightened senses from the Kyuubi and he's not used to the noise.'

Asuma pulled a Silencing Seal from his pouch and set it down on Naruto's bedside table before activating it. Naruto instantly perked up and slowly pulled his hands away from his ears, as soon as he did, he gasped softly before levelling Asuma with the most brilliant smile Asuma had ever seen. Asuma choked on a breath as Naruto turned his expressive eyes onto him, why did he have to be so adorable?

Asuma's thoughts were interrupted by a giggle at the door, he turned and saw Yuki standing there watching the scene with mirth swimming in her eyes. He turned once more to Naruto, only to see him completely fascinated by the Silencing Seal if the sparkle in his eyes were of any indication … huh, typical Uzumaki reaction to a seal – Kushina was the same.

"Now, now Naru-chan," Yuki chided in her soft tone "We need to get ready for the day."

"Okay kaa-chan" Naruto replied "Can we go to the Market today?"

Yuki looked at Naruto apologetically "Sorry Naru-chan but we've decided to just use some of the furniture here for your room until later."

Naruto merely shrugged "Okay kaa-chan … can I stay on the staircase and read then?"

"If that's what you want Naru-chan." Yuki replied with a smile.

..::..

Before he knew it, a week had already passed for the white haired child. Naruto was completely at ease now in the Imperial City now as he'd been using a form of meditation that he'd learnt from his Kura-nee. His first disappointment was that they still wouldn't let him go to the markets, so he was unable to visit the little pig that he'd spotted when they arrived, but he hoped that he could visit soon.

The second disappointment was that every time he inquired about the Uchiha girl, his father had shot him down, informing Naruto that it wasn't the best time to be communicating with anyone from Konoha. It'd really upset him that he couldn't write and apologize properly to the girl, it had been his Kura-nee that'd told him that he'd been very rude, not to mention rather forward.

His father, the Daimyo had explained that after a year he could write but by then it'd be too late to do so. When Naruto asked why his father explained it to him by saying that they had to wait for a year so no one tried to take Naruto from them but in doing so, he didn't get it at first but his father promised to explain when he grew up a bit.

Despite these two disappointments, Naruto flourished at the Imperial Palace, the servants loved the white haired child with every fibre of their being, as he'd been completely polite and humble to them, Naruto knew from experience how tough the chores and tasks were so he always made sure the servants knew just how much he appreciated them and their efforts. He'd spent a lot of time with Yuki and Kaoru, whether that was with learning etiquette, calligraphy or social and political education.

Yuki and Kaoru had been very surprised with how quickly he took to the lessons, and it was soon after their second lesson that they realised just how smart their adopted child was. Naruto had effortlessly retained the information from his lessons, but what Yuki and Kaoru didn't know was that he practised every day with his Kura-nee in his mindscape.

And this was where Naruto was currently spending his time, on the outside Naruto appeared to be meditating in the vast garden, underneath a beautiful and old Cherry Blossom Tree. He'd already picked the perfect spot on a large, smooth rock nearest to the Koi Pond, so that the sounds of the splashing fish helped ease him into a meditative state.

"Kura-nee, I've completed the Bending exercises for the Earth Style." Naruto spoke to his elder sister figure.

"That's wonderful Naru … I want you to continue practicing in your mindscape until it becomes habit. Then you can properly understand the fundamental basics for the real world and its elements." Kurama replied happily, ever since Naruto had become more aware of the environment and his subsequent lessons in meditation, he'd spent a lot more time with her.

"Okay nee-chan" Naruto dutifully replied "You've only taught me Water Style and now Earth Style Kura-nee … when can I learn the others?"

"Good question Naru … to learn the Fire and Air Style you must understand the difference between the flexibility and smooth flow of the Water Style, while learning the firm and rigid aspects of the Earth Style." Kurama responded in lecture mode "True, the Air Style has more to do with flexibility but the Fire Style needs the firm footing that the Earth Style is known for … understand?"

Naruto absorbed the knowledge like a sponge and then right back to practising his Earth Style, soon he'd be able to flow effortlessly between the two styles without pausing, but that was a long way off, due to his lack of training outside in the real world.

"Naru-chan, it's getting late" Kurama spoke after observing Naruto's progress 'Incredible, he's advancing so quickly … I estimated that it'd take twice as long as this before he'd reach this level of proficiency!'

"Alright Kura-nee," he called back; Naruto ran up and hugged his big sister before leaving with a final good night.

..::..

Naruto woke suddenly, something was wrong. He didn't know what was wrong but there was definitely something off.

Naruto opened his eyes and took a deep breath as he sat up. The room that he now called his own was a large room but despite its royal interior it was rather comfortable, if not homely. He stretched like a cat and as he blinked to remove the remaining sleep from his eyes he spied movement, there was someone in his room. Naruto shuffled to the edge of the bed and gracefully swept both feet out of the bed covers and onto the cool floor, the presence hadn't identified with the code for the week so it was either a servant or an enemy shinobi … without Asuma there he couldn't tell, just where was Asuma anyway?

Naruto concentrated lightly and pushed some of his new power through the bottom of his feet, like Kura-nee had shown and taught him in his mind just that day; it was a sensory technique that used his new power and not his chakra, so it was great for sensing everyone and anything while still keeping a full reserve of chakra.

Instantly his mind had created a perfect 3D projection of his room and yes, there was someone with an unknown chakra in his room. He swallowed a lump in his throat, had Konoha found out? Had they come to take him away from his new family? The unknown presence got closer to his tiny frame and when it was close enough Naruto jumped out of its reach and fled out of the room. Naruto heard the curse that followed and he screamed for help as he continued to run in the direction of the grand staircase that separated the sides of the Imperial Palace.

He had almost made it when he was harshly pushed into the ground, just as he'd reached the open room with the staircase. Naruto groaned in pain, he shook the dizziness off and tried to get up but was pushed back down; he smirked internally, despite his fear … now he could see his attacker.

The attacker was clearly male but Naruto was unable to make out his face due to the balaclava covering it, his clothes though were much more telling. They were scruffy and old but well kept, the flak jacket was a single strap off white colour, so a Kumo Ninja then … was he a Missing-nin or was he hired? He couldn't tell because it was unknown without the presence of a Hitai-ate for identification but with the slight odour of Sake permeating through the man's mask, Naruto would guess Missing-nin; no professional Ninja, still in service to their Village would work drunk.

What did scare Naruto was the look in the man's eyes, they were just like the ones he used to receive in the Village and it sent a shiver of revulsion down his spine.

"You sure gave me a workout" came the nasty grated sounding voice of the drunken shinobi on top of him "Why did you run from me my pretty little victim?"

The man laughed a garbled laugh and Naruto grew even more scared.

"No one will come to help you" he spoke nastily once more "My partner started a security breech on the other side of the Palace so we're all alone my pretty, why do you think there was no guard at your door?"

Naruto wanted to be sick, whatever this man wanted to do with him wasn't good, even his four year old mind could process the craziness in the man's tone. Naruto was violently forced from his thoughts when the man ripped the top half of his sleeping yukata open, he fearfully looked up and made the mistake of looking the man in the eyes; there was something in his eyes that told Naruto that it would be all over soon but not in the way Naruto wanted.

"I've never had a chance to cut up such a pretty child before," the man whispered with a clear tone of enjoyment mixed with sadism "I just love cutting pretty things to pieces; it's such a shame to scar that pretty face but from the moment I saw you passing by in that carriage I knew I just had to cut you up!"

-Torture Scene-

The man removed his gloves and started to caress and pinch Naruto's exposed torso, Naruto wanted to scream but was just too scared. He let out a whimper when the man used a Kunai and nicked his neck roughly, the man seemed to like his whimpers if that pleased grunt was anything to go by and the man leaned over Naruto to sniff and lick at his neck where he had nicked him.

"Your blood tastes good my pretty one" the man shivered with pleasure at the taste "I want, no I need more!"

Tears started forming in Naruto's eyes and he felt his heart thumping violently in his chest, they only got worse when the man used the kunai from his pouch and began to slowly drag the sharp tip along Naruto's chest.

"You know I like to scar my prey before I really indulge my love of blood" the man spoke, it was a tone of joy and it disturbed Naruto greatly "And you're just so … delicious! Let's move further down shall we?"

True to his word, the man then followed up by licking the kunai clean before he continued dragging the kunai lower, there, he proceeded to cut at Naruto's exposed legs.

"What cute little toes you have" the man chuckled "I wonder … will you miss them?"

He placed his kunai against Naruto's toes and proceeded to slowly slice at the sensitive padding of Naruto's feet; making sure to make a show of it by telling him what he was using his kunai on and how he was using it.

"Hmmm, you're pain tolerance is amazing!" The man stated in surprise "I wonder how long that will last … what if I did this?"

With a sick twisted grin and a strong thrust he buried the kunai in Naruto's thigh; he ignored the blood and began to drag the kunai at an agonizingly slow pace up the bloody leg to the thigh, he gave a sharp slap to Naruto's exposed wound and using the kunai like a saw continued his fun by carving through his calf … Naruto couldn't take it anymore, so he finally screamed, much to the man's pleasure.

"Y-Yes … that's it!" He yelled with a tone of pure pleasure "Scream for me my pretty."

He twisted the kunai to keep the wound from closing before he removed a smaller but thinner looking kunai from his pouch. Taking his attention from the open wound on the child's leg he turned his demented gaze back to his chest, the man paused at the sight but then he began to slice upwards from the stomach, slowly getting closer to Naruto's neck and face.

The man paused once more before he used his free hand and yanked Naruto's head up off the floor, using the bloody kunai; he proceeded to hack away at Naruto's hair.

"I think I'll keep your hair as a souvenir" the man laughed waving the hair around in Naruto's face "What do you think? Maybe your hair isn't enough; how about your pretty little eyes then?"

He unceremoniously dropped Naruto's head back to the ground. Naruto was dazed by the action but he let out another strangled scream that again, had the man quivering in pleasure. The man heard movement and cursed, he slapped Naruto across the face but it was too late, he'd been busted.

-Torture Scene Over-

..::..

Yuki and Kaoru were very worried about Naruto, when the panic began with an explosion that had interrupted their evening tea; Chiriku had retrieved them not five minutes later, telling them of the seriousness of the situation. They were told that someone would be retrieving Naruto, but that hadn't diminished their worry over their precious child.

However ten minutes later, there was no sign of either the guard or Naruto and Yuki had a bad feeling. She turned to Kaoru and they both nodded in agreement, they needed to find their son. Chiriku had felt the same as he looked to the Fire Daimyo's wives, the two wives both looked at each other before they headed carefully towards the staircase. When the trio heard Naruto's muffled scream, Yuki and Kaoru, both in mother bear mode rushed forward with Chiriku close behind.

Yuki had arrived first, only to see a man in a mask slap her child across the face, there were angry bruises and horrible carved gashes that marred Naruto's skinny frame and the look on Naruto's face was one of true terror and pain. Naruto's body was covered in blood and she could see a bloody kunai with a clump of his dyed white hair stuck to it. There was another kunai buried in Naruto's thigh, leaving a gaping wound, the man that had tortured Naruto now pulling out a fresh kunai and was bringing it up to Naruto's left eye. The vile man had the audacity to smirk once he had spotted her and even with his mask she knew he was enjoying himself.

Kaoru had arrived to see the man smirk and gasped at the scene, she felt rage bubble up inside of her but Yuki beat her to the charge.

Yuki screamed at the man in fury and recklessly charged at him, the man, being a shinobi, was quicker though and before she had even passed through the doorway he responded by throwing the kunai that he had previously held close to Naruto's left eye. The kunai flew quickly through the air; it pierced her straight into her chest and right through her right lung. Yuki's eyes widened as she slid to the floor in a boneless heap, not able to stand the pain, and not able to breath.

"Shit … I missed!" the man growled angrily before drawing another kunai and throwing it at the downed Kaguya.

Chiriku, who was a step behind the two women moved quickly, he managed to stop the kunai from piercing her head, but he failed to deflect the blunt end of the kunai from slamming into her head, he responded by using a high powered wind enhanced kunai to the man's head.

The man's eyes widened momentarily before he fell onto Naruto, Chiriku heard Naruto start to cry and rushed over, he pushed the man's body off of Naruto but once he bore witness to Naruto's marred form that was now drenched with blood, he swore to himself.

Kaoru finally snapped out of her horror struck form and rushed over to Yuki, she wailed as she beheld her fellow wife. Meanwhile, Chiriku saw a curtain and used it to fashion a covering for Naruto's body before he began to apply pressure to his wounds in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

..::..

Naruto watched with teary eyes as the man on top of him die. Naruto felt the bile at the back of his throat, he didn't know why the man had done what he did to him but he felt sick, this man was surely a demon.

The man's crazed looking eyes closed and Naruto finally started to cry. He'd sensed that Chiriku was there now but what about Yuki-kaa-chan, wasn't she there too? Naruto winced painfully as Chiriku removed the man's weight from on top of him as it had dragged across the open cuts on his chest, Chiriku had used a nearby curtain to cover his body with and once covered, applied pressure to his wounds.

Still dizzy, Naruto managed to turn his head to the doorway where he had sensed his mother beforehand only to meet her seemingly lifeless gaze. She was dead? His mother was dead, but they were supposed to live happily from now on right … she promised to be there for him. Naruto's heart thumped loudly in his chest, his body started to shake, his breath sped up and became erratic as he watched Kaoru-kaa-chan wail in despair over Yuki-kaa-chan's downed form. Naruto felt himself speaking, well, repeating a chant over and over again, he didn't register the fact that Chiriku was trying to speak to him, trying to comfort him by telling him that it wasn't his fault … it was only then that Naruto registered that he was apologising over and over again.

Naruto started to pull himself across the wooden flooring to reach his mothers' side when another man bolted through the door pushing his mother's body away with reckless abandon. Naruto felt his chakra boil with a heat he had never felt before, it hummed under his skin and it felt like it was trying to force its way out of his body.

"Shit, I'm surrounded!" cursed the man; this was clearly that vile man's partner, the man spotted Naruto and let out a sick chuckle "So you were the pretty thing that caught brother's eye? I can't say I'm surprised he chose to go after you … you are ever so pretty. Hell, I'm just sorry that I didn't get the chance to join in and cut that pretty face of yours right up kid."

That was it.

Naruto snapped and despite the pain, he stood shakily on his bloody feet. With a scream the chakra that had been restrained burst out of his back, they took the form of several pointed chains that swayed ominously with their own, unheard rhythm.

The chains suddenly lashed forward, they sped so quickly through the room that the man only had time to blink, before one of the chains pierced his heart and continued on by moving cleanly through his chest and out his back. The chain, in a creepy display, curved on itself like a serpent and it, along with the dim golden glow of the other chains, illuminated the room. They gave just enough of their eerie light for the room's occupants to make out that the chain was not only still keeping the man alive, but it was also dangling his severed heart like it was a disgusting piece of garbage right in front of his face.

The man shakily looked to Naruto; he stared into Naruto's eyes and was startled to see his eyes suddenly take to glowing pure blue.

"W-what … a-are … you?" stuttered the man in sheer terror before coughing as the foreign chakra from the chains pulsed angrily.

Naruto simply looked at the man in distaste before eying the Kumo Hitai-ate. Naruto stared at it for a tense few seconds before he glared once more at the man, the man and everyone else watching then bore witness as beautiful yet terrifying blue fire burned the man's heart to ashes. The man gurgled as the chain pulsed once more, as if reminding him that it was only the chain that kept him alive. Naruto followed the action by stomping the ground as hard as he could, he ignored the blood, and the action caused a large pillar of metal to rise up from the very foundations of the building. It was that metal pillar that impaled him from the floor, right through the stomach.

"Y-You're n-not human" the man wheezed painfully "Y-You're an A-Angel … of D-Death!"

Naruto's frown and the narrowing of his glowing eyes was the only response the Ninja received, and seconds later, the man's final vision was of the angel of death's chain opening into a blade like point before it stabbed him right between the eyes, nailing his Kumo Hitai-ate in the direct centre.

As the man slumped flat against the pillar of metal that had emerged from the floor, Naruto's figure could be seen under the moonlight that streamed through the windows, a breeze had begun to blow and Kaoru and Chiriku gasped at the image in front of them.

Naruto stood there, his curtain turned robe fluttering and his hacked off white hair blowing lightly in the cool night air, his eyes still glowing while he caressed one of his chains in a dazed like fashion. The golden chains swayed hypnotically to an unseen or unheard rhythm and Chiriku swore that the chains were humming, almost like they were purring under the touch of the angelic child.

The cuts sealed themselves closed, the blood seeped back into his body and the bruises and angry marks covering his form were slowly absorbed back into his body leaving nothing but blemish free skin in its wake.

'Most likely the Kyuubi's doing' Chiriku thought silently.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the spell was broken. Naruto's eyes returned to their beautiful blue and the mesmerizing golden chains shattered, leaving what looked like a gentle wave of cherry blossoms to disintegrate into wisps of golden chakra before fading completely.

Naruto staggered in his spot for a moment before finally blinking and then running over to Yuki's body. He cried and screamed at the unfairness of it all, his cries alerted the rest of his new family and he paused when that mutinous thought flickered through the front of his mind 'Will they still want me?'

Naruto shook Yuki's body vigorously in his attempts to wake her but Kaoru kept whispering lightly that she was gone. Naruto adamantly refused and the famous Uzumaki stubbornness reared its head as he went right back to shaking Yuki's body.

Once more, Naruto started to apologise over and over again until he felt arms gently circle around him and he turned back to see his Kaoru-kaa-chan weeping, she held him comfortingly while the Daimyo clenched his eyes shut and grated his teeth together as he heard Naruto apologising as if it was his fault and it made Masahiko realise that it was an automatic response, like he was used to being blamed for everything.

He heard Naruto telling Kaoru that he could feel her heart beating, but she just continued whispering soothing things into Naruto's ears to comfort him and after this continued for a further ten seconds or so, Naruto snapped.

He suddenly pulled himself from Kaoru's grip and rushed back to Yuki's body. Naruto didn't quite understand what he was doing, but following on instinct (that he'd later learn was from Kurama's own knowledge), he elongated his teeth and bit down hard into Yuki's neck. Naruto ignored the horrified gasps of the others present as he channelled the pure energy that he used for bending, he pushed it into Yuki's veins and then let go.

..::..

In the depths of Naruto's mind Kurama was watching the whole series of events like they were a movie and she wanted to scream in frustration that she couldn't help her little Naru. It wasn't fair, finally Naru-chan had happiness and love and in the blink of an eye it was ruined by some sick minded man with clear mental issues. She watched everything with hateful cussing and steadily falling tears when she witnessed what had happened to Yuki.

Something resonated with the mindscape from within Naruto's body and she took a glance at the remaining seals, her eyes widened at the impossibility of the current situation; the second was dissolving itself on its own. That meant that the seal could not hold back the power threatening to overcome the child that she'd gladly die for and the power was destroying the seal itself. The emotions running through Naruto's body had accelerated the seal's absorption and Kurama despaired at the cause, the reason why Naruto was feeling all of these emotions.

Then Kurama felt the power and she gasped; that was Kushina's Kekkei Genkai and the hidden and most feared Kekkei Genkai of the Uzumaki Royal Family: The fabled Uzumaki Clan's Kongō Fūsa or Adamantine Chakra Chains but something was different, the chains were purer than Kushina's ever were and that scared Kurama.

'This shouldn't be possible!' Kurama thought in fear 'This power should have ended with Kushina. This power is purer, Naru-chan's chains are stronger; they're just like the very first Uzumaki Chain Wielder!'

Then she witnessed something just as unnerving, Naruto was displaying extremely advanced bending abilities if he was already powerful enough to bend metal so effortlessly. The progress that he was making and his potential would be godlike if he was learning at such a rate. She would have to meet with the Fire Daimyo through Naruto before it was too late. There were two seals remaining; one needed a seal master and the other needed a potent blood source and there were only two that would cut it. Uchiha blood or Senju blood, for while Naruto bore traces of Senju blood it wasn't potent enough and while she detested the majority of the Uchiha for their role in her pain and that of her little Naru's pain, it was necessary to free Naruto of the burden of being restricted further by a village that hated him for her.

She would just have to be patient but if something else happened to Naruto then she'd no longer be a passenger, no; she'd show them why people called her a demon.

..::..

"Oh Naru-chan" he could hear Kurama whisper consolingly "You might have been too late. The technique you used is called 'Spirit Transferal', and like its name says, you transfer Spiritual Energy to another … but … your mother … oh little one, it might be too late."

'The fact that he could use that technique is rather scary … his progress is astounding!' Kurama thought to herself.

Kurama was then surprised when Yuki, suddenly inhaled as if she'd been holding her breath. Her eyes didn't open though and Naruto was worried that he'd done something wrong, though his Kura-nee reassured him, that despite her surprise in him using the Spirit Transferal Technique, he'd used it correctly. Masahiko and Kaoru rushed forward to take a visibly pale Naruto away from Yuki's body, and Chiriku was there seconds later confirming that Yuki was, in fact alive.

Naruto, who still believed that he'd done the technique wrong, had cried himself to sleep, his body mentally and physically exhausted. Kaoru, who had taken Naruto after rushing forward, stood with Naruto in her arms and held him close with a fierce protectiveness burning in her eyes; she glared at Chiriku and simply commanded a single word "Explain!"

Chiriku gulped and upon seeing a similar look in his Daimyo's eyes he sighed and launched into his report of the current circumstances. He left nothing out and described the sights, the smells and the sounds of the entire conflict before describing the death of the second man at Naruto's own hand.

"That's all well and good but I was here, remember?" Kaoru bit out, still stressed out, especially after seeing her Naru-chan in such a state. "What did Naru-chan do and is Yuki really alive?"

Chiriku hummed thoughtfully "I'm no medic Kaoru-sama but yes, Yuki-sama is alive" he hesitated briefly before continuing on "Technically speaking."

Masahiko's fierce look prompted Chiriku to explain quicker "Her vitals have returned to normal and her wound is all but healed, but she had no reactions to being prodded, she may be braindead Lord Daimyo."

The Fire Daimyo and his wife looked as though they'd been physically struck.

"So, you're telling me that whatever Naruto did … it saved her life?" Masahiko asked tentatively

Chiriku nodded thoughtfully "In a way, he saved her from physically dying but we'd need someone like Tsunade Senju to confirm this."

Masahiko nodded; all the more reason to push Tsunade and Jiraiya into acting on his summons but he needed to act now, even if it did seem cold and heartless to do so.

"Chiriku, bring me the ambassador for Kumo at once." He ordered in a strict tone, one that did not quell the look of fury etched into his Lord's face. "Bring him to me to answer why an active Kumo shinobi is consorting with a Missing-nin to attack my family … my family is off limits; all the Daimyo know this so find out who is responsible for this so I may deal with them personally. The will rue the day they messed with me and mine."

Masahiko summoned another Ninja Monk, just like Chiriku and ordered him to take Yuki to her quarters "Also summon the healers for her … I'll be along shortly." The Ninja Monk bowed and hastily did as ordered.

Chiriku also bowed and after a last glance to Naruto and then back to Kaoru, he disappeared shortly, leaving Masahiko alone with Kaoru and their adopted child. His wife whimpered and he circled his arms around her holding bother her and Naruto close to him.

"You and Naruto should stay together tonight, I shall stay with Yuki. We'll summon a healer in a few hours when the sun is up for Naruto but the healers will be here shortly for Yuki" he said softly.

Kaoru nodded mutely and then all three family members moved to the closest room, which happened to be Naruto's room, and she and Naruto snuggled under the blanket while Masahiko just held his wife's hand, gently squeezing it until he had to leave, as the healers had arrived. None of them besides the unconscious Naruto slept for the rest of the early morning but they simply shared each other's warmth and comfort.

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That's all for the chapter peeps. I rearranged parts and completely rewrote the start to fit better. I also added an incentive for Naruto to visit the Market.

Please don't moan about the length of the chapter, the next one might be only a little longer but it doesn't change the fact that you've got a chapter to read.

I received an interesting PM from one of my other stories in that I have 'atrocious' grammar and after re-reading some of my newer stories I'm inclined to agree. You should notice less semi-colons in this version but more commas … apparently that's better. I don't claim to know a great deal in regards to grammar, as it was one of my shortfalls in English Class but meh.

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AS ALWAYS: PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

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\^o^/