..::..
I have returned. You may cheer now. T_T
As far as notifications go, you will notice the change in both Story Summary and the Disclaimer. I have recently caught up with my anime and finally seen more of the Avatar Series. It has altered my original plan for the story and I'm sure you'll all agree it's for the better.
Sorry for the delay, my reasons are on my profile and the last chapter of Red Eyed Master.
So, dear ladies and gentlemen … please sit back, relax and enjoy the next instalment. ^_^
Here we go!
..::..
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR THE AVATAR SERIES.
..::..
"Ramen" – Speech
'Ramen' – Thoughts
"Ramen" – Biiju/Summon Speech
'Ramen' – Biiju/Summon Thoughts
"Ramen" – God/Deity Speech
'Ramen' – God/Deity Thoughts
..::..
"I said that I don't know if I can heal her," Tsunade reiterated. "But I know who can!"
"Really, who?" he asked quickly, desperately even. "Who can heal Yuki-kaa-chan … who?"
Tsunade hesitated briefly, and glanced to the Fire Daimyo and his wife. She silently asked them if she should answer the boy, and after a tense minute, Tsunade finally answered his question.
"You can Naru," Tsunade finally breathed out. "You're the one that placed her in her comatose state, and using the same knowledge of how you put her into that state, we can use it to get her out and heal her."
Naruto blinked, was it really that simple? Naruto instantly and adorably scrunched up his face in deep concentration. He desperately searched through the memories from Kurama; looking for even the smallest of pieces of information to help his mother … but there was nothing. There was nothing that could help him free his mother from her slumber. Instantly, tears started to gather around his eyes and he violently shook his head.
"There's nothing," Naruto all but shouted. "I can't think of … I don't know!"
Tsunade knew this would happen, and luckily she'd already anticipated this outcome.
"Shhh, it's all going to be alright Naru-chan," Tsunade soothed while gently petting his long hair. "I know you can't think of anything now, but your body hasn't completely adapted to its new changes. Give it a little time Naru … Kurama has already guessed that this could happen as well."
"Did you honestly think that an ageless old Guardian's memories would be so easy to understand?" Tsunade queried.
Naruto sniffled miserably, but he looked to Tsunade's face, "I-I just want to help Yuki-kaa-chan."
"And you will Naru-chan," Tsunade promptly replied in a soothing manner. "But you need to be patient; I promise that your Kaa-chan is going to be fine. She's already completely healed; she just needs to be woken up."
Naruto wiped his tears away with his dainty hands, "You promise?"
"I just promised you Naru," she replied again. "But I'll say it again anyway: I promise."
Naruto smiled softly but as he glanced to the others still in the room, he let out a tired yawn, "I'm still tired."
"It's understandable Naruto," Tsunade spoke as she held up a glowing hand to his head. "Hmm, your mind is still processing everything; you'd best go and sleep again."
Naruto yawned tiredly once more, but he nodded and snuggled into his bed's blankets. Tsunade smiled at the sight and managed to resist the urge to squeal … he was just so adorable now. Nevertheless, Tsunade turned and quietly directed the others from the room.
It would be another three days before Naruto would re-awaken and be ready to dive headfirst into training.
..::..
A few extra days had passed before Tsunade allowed him to leave the temporary prison that was his bedroom. Never in a million years would Naruto ever admit that he had secretly enjoyed the pampering that he'd received from his precious people. He would never live it down if Kurama ever found out.
Nevertheless, it was on a rather lovely morning that he found himself standing across from Asuma, his recently identified Godparent Jiraiya, and his Grandmother Tsunade. He was ready to begin his training, but they'd decided that a rundown of the knowledge that he'd absorbed was in order; listing this information would allow them to improve his body to suit the styles and skills of his parents and an ageless Kurama. Reality reared its head when Naruto informed his teachers of the knowledge and skills. Why you ask? Well, as it turned out … about three quarters of the knowledge was useless to him.
As it turned out, his father's knowledge was based upon his speed, Taijutsu, Fūinjutsu and Ninjutsu. The Fūinjutsu and the Ninjutsu were … adaptable but essentially useless until his body matured, and his father's Taijutsu was something that he could never learn to use, as Naruto's body wasn't built the same way, and given his body type … never would be built for the style. No, the only true useful knowledge that he'd inherited from his father was the knowledge of his signature move: the Rasengan, and his Fūinjutsu.
Similarly, his mother's knowledge was equally useless to him. His mother specialised in Taijutsu, Fūinjutsu, Ninjutsu and finally, Kenjutsu. This time however, his mother's Taijutsu could fit him, but it was not a style that he could properly use, as it revolved around quick strikes that did a tremendous amount of external damage … not only were they unsure of his strength to learn the style, but it also didn't match his personality. His mother's Ninjutsu was another thing though; Kushina relied on her Kongō Fūsa for long range fighting, and that knowledge was easily adaptable to Naruto, as his chains were far more … deadly, than those of his mother's.
Other than his mother's Kongō Fūsa, she used Kage Techniques, or Shadow Techniques. They, unlike usual Ninja Techniques, consumed a lot of Chakra, and despite Naruto's amazing control over his seemingly endless reserves, they were better suited to the Uzumaki Heir. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, or the Shadow Clone Jutsu was exceptionally useful, as the memory recall from the Clone's learning anything, transmitted back to Naruto … the only problem was that despite Naruto's immediate healing, his mind couldn't handle the strain, so he was limited to only ten Shadow Clones to aid his learning.
Then there was his mother's godlike knowledge in the field of Fūinjutsu. Being an Uzumaki by blood allowed that part of her knowledge to seamlessly meld into his brain, as the art of Fūinjutsu was as natural as breathing to any pureblood Uzumaki. Finally, there was Kushina's amazing prowess with Kenjutsu … that was another sad revelation for poor Naruto. Her Kenjutsu style was based on a Katana, that had a longer blade than normal swords, and they discovered that Katanas just didn't work for their precious Naruto … spears, bo-staffs or lances perhaps, but not Katanas.
In the end, the only usable knowledge from his parents were a few Ninjutsu and their Fūinjutsu knowledge … it was an incredibly sad outcome for Naruto and he cried for the rest of the day as a result. His teachers could only stand by and allow the feminine child to let out the tears; they did console him of course, but they still let the boy come to grips with the situation.
Kurama's knowledge was equally as useless. Her immense knowledge was mostly historical in nature; sure she had memorised an endless supply of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Kenjutsu … along with her knowledge of Bending … but that too provided a nasty revelation. Out of her knowledge, only Bending, Taijutsu and Genjutsu fit.
The Taijutsu style that Naruto chose was a surprisingly good fit for the boy, and his enhanced bone structure aided the style immensely. The style was no longer used, which was a boon, as no one would be able to counter it, unless they learnt quickly and possessed a natural immunity to it. The style was called Chi Blocking, not a terrifying or flashy style by far, but it was the Chi Blocking Style that allowed the Hyūga Clan to design their infamous Gentle Fist Taijutsu. It worked similarly to the Gentle Fist, but allowed for a flowing style, as opposed to the rigid and unyielding style of the Gentle Fist.
The user would use the Chi Blocking Style to hit the body's pressure points, as well as being able to hit Tenketsu, or Chakra Pressure Points. A well-executed strike would leave the enemy without the ability to utilize their chakra, while their bodies would be immobilized by strikes to the nerve clusters in the body. This style of Taijutsu, along with the incredible flexibility that Naruto now possessed would be a frightening style to face.
Genjutsu was an interesting choice for Naruto. At first none of his teachers, bar Kurama, could see someone like Naruto, who held incredible reserves of chakra perform the art. Kurama enjoyed rubbing it in their faces when Naruto thrived under the lessons, the somewhat godlike chakra control that he'd inherited from the unsealing, pathed the way for him to learn the arts effortlessly. Of course Naruto practised like crazy to perfect them but the fact that he could use Genjutsu so freely had Tsunade humming in thought … perhaps she could teach Naruto medical chakra control lessons to further aid his training, the techniques themselves couldn't be used as his chakra was now far too dense … that didn't matter though, as Kurama had informed her of the Water Bending Healing Style.
So that was where they started. Asuma, Tsunade and Jiraiya used each of their individual talents to train Naruto in the basics, light Chakra Control training, along with his Taijutsu, Genjutsu, basic level Fūinjutsu and Ninjutsu.
Jiraiya was the first to depart; after all, he was the Land of Fire's Spy Master, especially now that he'd aligned himself with the Daimyo, instead of Konoha. Tsunade was required to make rounds throughout the Imperial City, to check the Hospitals and Clinics for anything that needed to be improved, but Shizune often stayed by Naruto's side and just talked with the child. It proved to be a good idea, as often all Naruto could think about, was the horrible thought that, while he was training and enjoying himself … his Yuki-kaa-chan was suffering as she was still comatose.
Kurama had been summoned back the moment his training had begun, and she provided the stances for the more advanced tiers of the Bending Arts; just because Naruto knew the stances due to the integration of her memories, it didn't mean he could instantly perform them without ample practise and training.
..::..
Naruto shifted his stance, the flawlessly graceful movement in which he then brought his arms to each other met with a powerful display of two separate water streams; gracefully meld into one, before being propelled at amazing speed and power into the target standing across from him. Upon the completion of the movement, Naruto glanced up and let out a rather girlish squeal of joy. He'd done it … at last; he'd completed the Water Bending Stances without stopping.
It'd taken him 11 months to get it right, and now all he had to do was to continue performing the stances until he could do them without consciously thinking about them. As Kurama always stated: There is no such thing as a perfect Bender … skill was only as good as one's effort and training.
Naruto had taken that to heart. It was no longer enough for him to perfect a Jutsu; regardless of how well he could perform them, he trained all of his Jutsu every day without fail, his complete mastery over the Water Style Taijutsu and Bending, only meant that he was capable of moving on to higher tier bending. He'd already memorised and mastered the Earth Style Taijutsu and Bending, but aside from the Bending itself, he preferred to use a less rigid style of Taijutsu. Kurama had told him that it was because his Natural Affinities before the merging, were aligned to more flexible elements, namely the Air Style and the Water Style, though he would have little problem with the Fire Style either … due to Kurama's natural affinity.
That didn't mean he was a slouch in the Earth Style Taijutsu. No, it was to the contrary … Naruto was exceptionally good at the style, so much so in fact, that ever since that fateful night where he'd used Metal Bending for the first time, he'd even excelled in the style … but it was his new body structure that made him less likely to use it. It was discovered by Tsunade, that Naruto's bone density and structure had completely changed, in fact, his bone structure was eerily similar to that of a Kaguya's, in that they could capitalise on their unique body types. With Naruto though it was much different, unlike the Kaguya's ability to use their bones as weapons … Naruto merely had the bonus of denser bone. That, coupled with his almost freakish flexibility, left him with amazing strength, and Tsunade was completely certain that if he ever learned of the secret to her inhuman strength, then he'd be able to incorporate that effortlessly … it was a frightening thought to the Senju.
Naruto could be found in his new, deep meditative state. After his frustration at not being able to unearth the memories needed to help his mother, he'd been instructed by the Kitsune Clan, to use their meditative state … and by mastering that, he was already on his way to learning the form of their Senjutsu. Though that would have to wait until much later, his body wouldn't be able to handle such a strain until he was probably sixteen at least.
The new, deep meditation allowed him to dig into the darker memories of Kurama. The downside was the horrible memories that had come with them, such as the utter despair that Kurama felt, once her brothers and sisters fell to their hatred and were sealed by man. Despite the memories, Naruto soldiered on … he needed to find a way to make his Yuki-kaa-chan better again … and after the 11 months of deep meditation … he'd found the answer!
It was locked deep within Kurama's memories, and it involved using a similar method of transferring Spirit Energy into his mother's body. The problem was that Naruto didn't possess the refined skill necessary to use the technique … the fact that he'd used it the first time was a complete fluke, and that meant that if he tried before he knew the technique inside and out, then his kaa-chan was as good as braindead. Needless to say, that was instantly added to his training.
The other … negative to learning the deep meditative state, was that he was open to the Spirit World. It made him very sensitive to the world around him; something that took 8 months of training to correct. The moment he'd successfully achieved the deeper state, Kurama had warned him that frequent travelling between worlds was dangerous until he was officially appointed a Guardian by Kami. The longer he spent there, the longer he was at risk of losing himself, his sense of self there … and once that happened … there was no way out.
..::..
Two years had now passed by since Naruto's training had first begun, and despite the training being harsh and often difficult for Naruto to understand, Naruto excelled without complaining. Jiraiya and Tsunade had not pulled punches during his training and despite just turning six; Naruto could now equal Gennin and possibly even a few Chunin in combat. His training in Politics and Etiquette had been stepped up by both his mother, Kaoru and also his father Masahiko, who decided to use the time to spend as a family unit as well as drilling the finer workings of government and business into his son's head. Not that this was a difficult process as they all quickly discovered just how smart Naruto was, his ability to retain and recall information was outstanding and more than once Jiraiya had mentioned that Naruto was definitely smarter than even his biological father.
Training in the Bending Arts had definitely been successful. Naruto had mastered, but continuously practised, all four of the stances now, and Kurama had even stated that he had mastered all basic forms in both their Taijutsu Styles and their Bending. That led Naruto to learning the higher tier Bending. Metal Bending, and the Sensory Technique was already something that he'd mastered but once he learned of Ice Bending, his world opened up to the possibilities of the Bending Arts. The only one form of advanced Bending that Naruto truly abhorred … was the art of Blood Bending.
At first, Naruto had vehemently denied the desire to learn the art of Blood Bending, and Kurama had originally agreed to skip the art … but when it became apparent that he needed to learn the art to properly grasp the true concept of healing through Blood Bending, as well as the control over the enemy … Naruto acquiesced to learning. Naruto was truly ashamed to admit that he excelled in the advanced Bending Art … his ability to manipulate his foe's body came so effortlessly to the effeminate child, that he could even use it without consciously thinking about it. This, in turn, taught Naruto the effects that particular Bending Arts had on his soul. Continuously using Blood Bending, left him unable to show care to others, and ignore the sanctity of life … evident by the way he'd taken his first life.
It was a routine training session gone wrong, as one of the more … outspoken Fire Monks, had offered to be the child's training partner. The Fire Monk soon learned that underestimating Naruto came with consequences; Naruto wiped the floor with the Monk, but instead of accepting defeat, the Monk launched an attack aimed to kill when the boy had turned his back. Naruto had Blood Bended the Monk and crushed his brain without remorse. It tore Naruto up inside, and it took the combined effort of his entire family, TonTon and Tora, to break him out of his funk.
In that time, it became apparent that Naruto favoured Yuki as a parent, and Masahiko and Kaoru couldn't fault Naruto over it. The two shared an unexplainable bond, and they could see how much her absence affected Naruto.
..::..
It was into the second week of his two years of training, that Kurama deemed Naruto skilled enough to use the Spirit Transfer Technique once more. Naruto chewed on his bottom lip, constantly doubting that he was truly ready for the job … but his desire to be held and feel close to his first mother figure overpowered his nerves.
Naruto approached the bedside of Yuki and proceeded to enter his deep, meditative state. After achieving the appropriate synergy with the Spirits, Naruto surged forward and bit down into Yuki's neck with his elongated fangs.
Energy pulsed through the room. It was so powerful that even the monks patrolling the perimeter could feel it, and with the many Uzumaki safeguards in place, that was an incredible achievement. Naruto soldiered on though, undeterred by the rising level of power, he could hear the warnings … warnings to stop the technique, but Naruto continued … he would not be without Yuki any longer.
Naruto was forcibly stopped from continuing by a sudden and tremendous force. It sent the effeminate boy flying backwards, though he was saved from any impact as Kurama leapt in and cushioned the boy from further harm.
Naruto stirred and looked imploringly at Kurama. "Did it work?"
Kurama turned from Naruto's face and in the direction of where Yuki's bed used to be, as it had been vaporised under the near-insane level of power. Searching through the smoke left behind, Kurama was about to give Naruto the bad news when a faint heartbeat caught her attention. It was Yuki's heartbeat … that much was obvious, but the rate in which it was beating was stronger than it was before the Sprit Transfer Technique.
Suddenly, the room's door was all but forced open by Asuma. He and the other remaining family members rushed in and began to hound the effeminate boy and his familiar for answers. They of course, didn't know that Naruto was even performing the technique, and oh were they displeased by Naruto and his actions. The room's occupants were interrupted by a soft and delicate groan.
"W-Where am I?" the voice asked, before it suddenly rose to a near hysterical cry, "Naru-chan? Where's Naru-chan … Naru-chan?"
Naruto immediately surged forward, he'd recognise that voice from anywhere … it was his mother's voice: Yuki was alive. Naruto's throat let out a strangled sob as he approached his Yuki-kaa-chan, and nervously he presented himself to her.
Naruto hadn't really grown per say, though that was due solely to Tsunade's efforts to rid him of his malnourishment. Naruto had become the average height of a six year old, and his long, flowing blood red hair, still reached his knees in length. His two toned eyes worriedly gazed into his mother's … an uneasy feeling formed in his stomach as he waited for her to respond.
..::..
Yuki felt like she was drifting, gently swaying along a current of air without actually moving. Her body was still, that was what she knew, but no matter how hard she concentrated on moving, her body refused to obey her … it was as if her mind wasn't connecting with her body. She felt herself drift in and out of consciousness regularly – time had no meaning to her, and her mind's ability to focus was getting more and more difficult each and every time she was conscious.
Yuki knew she was dying. Then she felt power … so much pure power entered her body and revitalised her, granting her body new life, and then she was awake. Her first thought was of her precious child, no matter if he was adopted or not, he was hers – and the last thing she remembered was her precious Naru's assault by the Kumo Ninja.
Yuki groaned as feeling was returned to her weary body, she was vaguely aware of the fact that the room wasn't empty, and that instantly alarmed her. Where was Naruto?
"W-Where am I?" Yuki asked softly, before her voice suddenly rose to a near hysterical cry, "Naru-chan? Where's Naru-chan … Naru-chan?"
Yuki heard a soft, strangled sob and she instantly knew that it was her Naru … though when she turned her head to look at him, she noticed that his appearance had changed; he'd aged as well … how long was she gone for?
..::..
Naruto grew tense as his Kaa-chan stared at him. What if she didn't recognise him? What if-
His rampant thoughts were interrupted as Yuki spoke. "Naru-chan, look at you … you're so cute."
"Mou. I'm not cute Yuki-kaa-chan," Naruto pouted instantly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm cool now … not cute."
The reply was so instant and so adorable that Yuki couldn't stop herself from giggling. Naruto pouted even more and the tension in the room automatically shattered. The room's occupants instantly surged forward, Tsunade at the forefront with her infamous Diagnostic Jutsu already at the ready. Yuki recognised the woman, she understood her to be the world's most prominent medics, and she smiled as Tsunade scanned her.
"She'll make a full recovery," Tsunade announced, just a little surprised herself. "Her vitals are even stronger than a woman of her ages' should be."
Yuki eventually grew tired, far quicker than she would've liked but her mind had just been restored to her body, and it needed to properly recover. Naruto vehemently refused to leave her side and so Yuki soon found herself drifting off to sleep, as a happy Naruto hummed softly.
..::..
Thanks to Naruto successfully performing the Spirit Transfer Technique, Yuki had recovered far quicker than her body would have normally allowed, and Naruto loved it. Naruto spent all of his free time with Yuki, Kaoru and Masahiko, and it was clear to see that Naruto was happy, for a beautiful and serene smile could be seen on his face wherever he went. In the time spent with his parents, they filled Yuki in on everything that had occurred since the attack, and Naruto took great delight in regaling Yuki with the many tales of his training adventures.
One of his favourites was when he was learning to Water Bend. He discovered a way to Bend the water that lived in some of the tree vines, and nearly gave Tsunade a heart attack when she'd arrived for their training session. Hearing Tsunade scream and declare that Mokuton lived was hilarious, especially since the shock caused her to faint. When she came to, courtesy of Naruto Water Bending cold water on to her face, she increased Naruto's training tenfold for the day as punishment. To Tsunade's surprise, Naruto thrived off of the more difficult training. So she and her fellow instructors all increased the intensity of his training.
Yuki laughed so hard over some of the tales that she'd been told of, and though she was saddened by the fact that she wasn't there for all of this, she smiled at the child that had wormed his way into her heart with little effort. Naruto was her son and now that she'd been given a second chance, she was going to show her son just how much his mere presence was something she could no longer live without.
..::..
Training continued this way for some time. Naruto training with an intensity that could put many trained Shinobi to shame, but soon after Yuki's recovery, they decided to add another form of training to his schedule … tactics. So to aid in his mind's development, especially in strategy Asuma and Chiriku introduced Naruto to Shogi, and there they saw his already highly advanced intellect skyrocket … Asuma often chuckled and remarked that Naruto was going to be smarter than a Nara and it spiked an interest in Naruto as he took it as a challenge to, in fact be smarter than a Nara.
Thus Naruto continued his training every day in such a manner from early in the morning to late at night and when he had spare time, he found himself sitting in the gardens and feeling the comfort that his Chakra Chains afforded him when they hummed contently as they circled his form. If he wasn't there, he was sitting on the grand staircase in the Imperial Palace. There he felt at peace as he often felt suffocated by the industry that was a major part of the Capital City. Yuki often found time to simply sit with Naruto whilst he enjoyed either location, and they revelled in each other's company.
Naruto always smiled and was exceedingly polite to those he'd meet and soon he had a rather sizable fan base within the Imperial City, as both the elderly and the young were enamoured by Naruto's beauty, grace and manners. It endeared Naruto to the courts as well, as they felt rather protective of the Daimyo's adopted child and now sole heir. The fact that he also possessed and controlled the full political and commercial power of the Uzumaki Clan's Royal Family only made him all the more respected in the eyes of the Elder Council and the people of the Imperial City, as he was always humble and never boasted or oppressed those 'beneath' him.
Naruto's lessons with the Kitsune Clan had had an amazingly big impact on his life; not only were they all accepting of him but he had taken their lessons to heart, as a result Naruto continued to dress as a girl despite his circle of friends and family knowing that he was male. When asked why by Asuma, Jiraiya and Masahiko; Naruto merely responded with 'Deception is one of a Ninja's greatest assets' and if clients or other Ninja mistook him for a female, then he had an advantage.
Regarding his deception, the Kitsune Clan taught their newest summoner their unique transformation or Henge; it was a complete physical change and if others got 'too close' to discovering Naruto's true sex, then he could simply apply a little chakra to the technique and physically become a girl until he desired to change back, despite this fact Naruto preferred to be his natural born sex but learned to fight as both a male and a female for simply deception's sake. The addition to learning to fight as a girl as well as a boy opened up a chance for Naruto to learn how the body of a girl was different to a boy.
Tsunade, Shizune, Yuki and Kaoru didn't mind the change as much as they now had an adorable little doll to try new clothes and accessories on. A rather embarrassing quirk of Shizune's was revealed in the process though. It started small with an overly cute and frilly dress here or pretty accessories there, but Shizune couldn't stop once she'd started. Shizune was excessively passionate over playing dress up with Naruto, and the others would often see her with flushed cheeks and a trail of blood leaving her nose.
Once her quirk was revealed and exposed, instead of being embarrassed by it, Shizune took it as a sign that she could go all out and became even more excited and involved. Surprisingly, to the men anyway, Naruto put up no resistance to the activity and saw it as bonding with his honorary family.
..::..
Three years into Naruto's training saw him turn seven and had the practical introduction into Weapons and Fūinjutsu or Sealing Techniques and it was there that Naruto blossomed, whether it was attributed to his Uzumaki Blood or Namikaze Blood, it wasn't clear which as both Clans had an affinity to both skills, but nevertheless Naruto excelled. It was during his Fūinjutsu training that Jiraiya and Tsunade received permission to escort Naruto to the Uzumaki Clan's hidden compound underneath the Imperial City.
The City itself had grown derelict over time, as even Uzumaki Seals needed to be maintained, but that's where they were, currently venturing towards the entrance to the Hidden Compound.
"I don't understand," Jiraiya huffed in annoyance. "The Seals should've automatically granted you and Naruto entry Tsunade-hime – I swear!"
Tsunade eyed Jiraiya with a look that swore retribution should he be lying.
"That's what you said at the start of our little expedition," Tsunade hissed back. "If it wasn't for Naru-chan, we'd have never left the Imperial City."
They were arguing about the start of their journey, in which the Uzumaki Seals that identified friend, family and foe by blood and intent, had degraded too much, and had barred the start of their journey. It was due to Naruto's incredible knowledge in Fūinjutsu, passed on from his mother and father's memories that provided him with the way to pass, and pass they did – though Jiraiya bugged the poor boy for the next four hours of hiking through the catacomb-like maze that the path resembled.
They were currently camped at the giant gates that blocked them from properly entering the compound that had been lost to time; even Tsunade had never set foot on the grounds, but had been taught the path by Mito. The reason that she'd never set foot on the ancient grounds was because of the Blood Ceremony that had been performed on Mito once she married Hashirama Senju. She left her family in the physical sense as was the custom of that time, by being adopted into the Senju Clan. In fact, the only reason that she and Jiraiya had gotten so far along the path was Naruto.
Because his mother Kushina hadn't followed tradition and hadn't joined her husband by blood on their wedding night, she wasn't formally adopted into the Namikaze Clan. So Naruto was essentially a pure blooded Uzumaki – just with extra perks from the Senju and the Namikaze Clans. It was due to the Uzumaki's dense and unique chakra that allowed this. By performing a Blood Adoption Ceremony, the Uzumaki Blood was split and became a part of the Clan that the partner belonged to. Sure, any Uzumaki inherited traits from other sources from either of their parents, but without the formal and sacred ceremony, all they got were perks and not a complete joining of the bloodlines.
"Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-baa-chan … perhaps you should quiet down," Naruto commented quietly.
"What's wrong Naru-chan/Naruto?" Tsunade and Jiraiya asked instantly.
"We are not alone," Naruto whispered. "There is … something alive and it's watching us."
Tsunade practically teleported to Naruto's side at the revelation, as she hadn't sensed a foreign presence whilst Jiraiya tensed and scanned their surroundings cautiously – after several tense minutes, Jiraiya relaxed and spoke.
"There's nothing here Naruto," Jiraiya shrugged. "I'll enter Sage Mode just to be on the safe side, so don't let your guards down okay?"
Tsunade nodded with a serious look on her face as she stood protectively in front of her grandson. Naruto frowned at the action. It wasn't that he was displeased by it, but because they were still treating him like a defenceless child. Sure, he was a child, but with his bending he was at least as good as a high level Gennin. Instead of vocalising his thoughts, Naruto took off his sandals and stood up; he then slammed his bare feet onto the ground, sending a pulse of energy in the process to scan his surroundings.
Concentrating on getting the most distance and detail out of the Earth Bending technique was still difficult, but his ability to resonate with his surroundings to receive the most out of the technique was amazingly high – something that Kurama often commented on … wait, Kurama!
Biting his thumb and channelling the appropriate amount of chakra he calmly called out, "Summoning Jutsu: Kurama!"
In a puff of smoke, the aforementioned Kurama now stood, though confusion marred her face as she assessed their surroundings.
"Why did you summon me here Naru-chan?" Kurama asked in confusion. "I believe you mentioned that you and your teachers wanted this to be a journey for you and them alone."
"I didn't say that, they did," Naruto corrected. "I wanted you to come but that's beside the point right now Kura-nee. We're camping in front of the Great Uzumaki Gates under the Imperial City, but there's … something else here, I sensed it moments ago and Jiraiya is using Sage Mode to determine a location, but they can't sense it like I can."
"I see, perhaps it isn't physical but spiritual Naru-chan," Kurama reasoned whilst Naruto slapped his head in frustration of not thinking about that in the first place.
"You can sense it as the newest Guardian, but as the Kitsune Clan are still in sync with the Spiritual World and until you can calmly communicate with them, I suggest you summon me whenever you sense one … am I clear Naru-chan?" Kurama continued in a deadly serious tone.
Naruto nodded quickly in agreement, as even the slightest slip in communication or custom could lead the spirit to going on a rampage. The last occurrence of this happening was the Spirit Priest in the Land of Wind. The man foolishly tried to calm a spirit of madness on his own and became ensnared by it instead, he unleashed untold amounts of chaos to the land's inhabitants and the One Tailed Bijuu Shukaku had to go forward and eliminate him. The problem was that the Kazekage at the time decided that they were all demons and sealed them all together in the same vessel, and that caused them to fuse – hence the Mad Priest Shukaku nickname to the Ichibi.
Tsunade whipped her head to face Naruto the moment she sensed chakra and was about to tell him off, when she heard what he and Kurama had to say to each other. It made sense to her, after all, the Uzumaki Clan Gates were rumoured to be protected by a great entity … and what greater entity than a great Spirit Guardian? Jiraiya soon reappeared, though to Naruto's amazement and secret amusement, the Toad Sage now possessed a larger nose with a wart, right on the side. He'd also gained red sage markings that covered his face and had acquired two older Toads that happily sat on his shoulders. Naruto was immediately pleased to meet Ma and Pa Toad again, he'd met them when Jiraiya had tried to coerce Naruto into signing the Toad Clan's Summoning Contract, where they appeared quite quickly to inform Jiraiya that the Elder of the Kitsune Clan had personally journeyed to their lands to inform them of their newest summoner and that he was off limits to the Toad Clan. They were quite furious over the whole thing, as to them, it was terribly rude to show up just to say 'hands off' but after meeting Naruto, they were smitten by the effeminate child.
They often appeared at random to … ensure that Jiraiya was setting the proper example whilst training Naruto. Naruto had become quite familiar with seeing Ma and Pa Toad beat Jiraiya in the back of the head with a special wooden stick – especially when he was caught being a pervert … which was most of the time.
"Ah, Naruto-chan," exclaimed Ma Toad. "It's so nice to see you again, my dear."
Never one to forget the manners instilled into him he replied with a polite bow to the both of them and offered a small, but sincere smile.
"Elder Toads, it's ever so nice to see you again," Naruto replied softly, still hesitant with the unknown Spirit lurking about. "I'm pleased to see you both in excellent health."
While Ma Toad gushed over Naruto and his manners, all the while fussing over his tired and dishevelled appearance, Pa Toad looked on sympathetically. Ever since meeting Naruto, Ma Toad had become borderline obsessive over keeping Naruto free and 'pure' in regards to Jiraiya's influences. His pleasantly polite nature certainly endeared him to the Toad Clan as well, even Gamabunta fell victim to the child.
They were teaching Naruto how to properly mould his chakra, in order to summon the Kitsune of his choosing and Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta as a visual guide. In typical Naruto fashion, he was awed and praised the Chief Toad on his impressive visage and the aura he gave off – one smile and a gentle petting later, Gamabunta was all but goo in the adorable child's hands. It was rather humorous to see the giant toad rumble in pleasure at a belly rub like a pet.
Kurama flicked her tail and stood up; she then used her tail as an antenna to sense the Spirit's location – it was near, and she could tell that it was watching them intensely.
"I believe that we should confront this Spirit," Kurama proposed. "At the very least we can then confirm as to whether or not the Spirit's intentions are hostile."
Tsunade, still unsure as to whether or not their plan was a solid one, tensed and surged her chakra within her muscles in preparation while Jiraiya, who was still in Sage Mode, nodded in consent.
Meanwhile Naruto's attention was drawn to the Spirit, as he felt the Spirit's energy respond to Tsunade's own surge … could it be that this Spirit was anticipating their plan? If that was the case then it was clearly an intelligent entity, and it raised the question as to why such an intelligent Spirit dwelt in the ancient compound in solitude.
Further surges of chakra drew Naruto's attention and he glanced at Tsunade. Once again he felt the Entity's own energy surge to match.
"I-I don't think that you should surge your chakra like that baa-chan," Naruto interrupted quietly. At Tsunade's confused look, he reiterated. "This Spirit or Entity isn't a mindless beast, it can sense each and every time you surge your chakra … it reacts and surges its own energy to match."
Kurama remained silent as looked at Naruto as he interrupted Tsunade's 'stretching'.
'His perception to the spiritual side to being a Guardian is already so advanced, he hasn't even received proper instruction yet … and yet he's already this adept at sensing. I'm going to need to add Spiritual Training to the list and quickly … he doesn't realise the danger that he's in.'
Clearing her throat, Kurama finally nodded, "Naru-chan is right. The only type of Spirit that could remain here in Duty is a Guardian Type Spirit. That means that it is likely to be highly intelligent and durable. Naru-chan, what else can you sense – your perception is strong and I'd like to hear your thoughts."
Naruto turned to the others and frowned. His face scrunched up adorably in thought and concentrated.
"I can sense water," Naruto started. "And I smell salt … so salt water – It might be affiliated with the ocean?"
Kurama nodded as the two Sannin and Elder Toads looked on impressed with Naruto's ability.
"Correct Naru-chan," Kurama praised. "Being closely affiliated with the Uzumaki Clan means that it is most likely a Water Type Spirit, and if that's the case then we need to be very careful. As far as Guardian Types go, Water Types can fall prey to anger and loneliness."
Tsunade and Jiraiya, along with the two Elder Toads nodded seriously in agreement, but Naruto looked pensively in the Entity's direction. He had the strangest feeling, like he should speak with the Spirit alone, but he refrained from vocalising his feelings.
As a team united, the three ninja, two Elder Toads and a Kitsune approached the Great Uzumaki Gates.
..::..
Loneliness … anger … hatred.
These emotions were the most prominent in the Spirit as it carefully watched the humans that had entered its domain.
It was once loved, cared for and revered by the once prominent Uzumaki Clan, but the Clan's Bloodline had been broken, their numbers scattered into the far reaches of the Elemental Nations and they'd forgotten it … it couldn't even remember its own name.
It remembered the oceans, but could no longer remember feel the cool sea air, or the smell of the salt, or the sound of the crashing waves on the shores of the Uzu Coast.
It remembered following the Uzumaki Clan to the Imperial City, but it longed to return home. It was lonely – very, very lonely but it stood firm in its Duty to guard the Great Uzumaki Gates.
It was angry at being forgotten. They'd just left it there without warning and without company. That anger had festered like a slow acting infection that attacked at its resolve and had turned to hatred. Hatred of the humans that had left it there alone, but it would still remember … it was a Guardian and it would fulfil its Duty. It could never be free of its Duty unless released by those that the pact existed with in the first place, and they were gone.
So here it was, watching the humans.
It grew curious as they were joined by a Kitsune and Two Toads – summons they were – it remembered something new! It was spotted by the pretty red headed human that was saturated in Spiritual Energy. It was an addicting energy and the human was a tempting target, but it remained firm … it was a Guardian.
It felt the blonde pulse her energy – chakra it was called – it remembered something else and it was curious as to why it remembered these things. It pulsed its energy to match the blonde and grew even more interested as the pretty child's energy fluctuated in response – could the pretty one sense its power?
It no longer felt so hostile to the humans, but it would wait. If they were like the others, the treasure hunters and fame seekers then they would be ended by it. They were approaching the Gates now, its Gates and it tensed in preparation for combat.
..::..
Naruto felt goose bumps crawl over his skin as they drew closer to the Great Uzumaki Gates, he could almost taste the Spirit's energy now and he trembled slightly – training was one thing but facing a hostile entity was something that he hadn't prepared for. A voice whispered in the back of his mind, warning them to cease in their approach, but he remained silent and tried to focus. His very blood screamed at him, as if it was trying to right a wrong done, but it confused him – why would his blood wish to fix something?
He felt something that recognised the Spirit as kin … as something that he should know, but he hadn't met the Spirit before – had he? So many confusing feelings mixed with his own now, his blood, senses and the Entity's own emotions were clouding his mind and it caused him to feel tired emotionally, as well as mentally.
It must've shown on his face, as Ma Toad had sensed his distress, Kura-nee was seconds behind her and ran quickly to Naruto.
"Breath Naru-chan, breath," Kurama soothed, her tail wiping the sweat that had gathered on his forehead.
"I can't think straight Kura-nee," Naruto gasped out. "There're so many conflicting emotions, so much confusion."
Tsunade and Jiraiya watched on as Naruto suffered from a minor panic attack, but they couldn't do anything. They were confused by it to be honest, enemy Ninja they could handle, but Spirits and the like caused them to draw a blank. Tsunade in particular felt pained by the sight of her Naru-chan in pain. She could sense … something but it was more like the annoying presence of a bug than anything else.
Jiraiya growled softly in frustration, even with Sage Mode he couldn't sense anything. Ma and Pa Toad immediately sensed his irritation and channelled their chakra into him to calm him – having an emotional Toad Sage wouldn't benefit anyone at that time.
Eventually, with Kurama's help, Naruto found his centre and calmed down and together, they re-joined the rest of their party and proceeded to continue towards the looming gates.
The Gates themselves stood tall, preserved by the various Seals put in place years ago. It was at least twice as high as the infamous Konoha Gates and was a pure white in colour. It was a truly ethereal sight in the otherwise dark cave network that they traversed.
Once they stood directly in front of the Gates, they were assaulted by an overwhelming stench. It smelt of death and disease and it grew more and more intense as they could sense the approach of a powerful entity.
"The Spirit comes," Kurama barked. "Do not attack unless I do so first, am I clear?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade didn't like the foreboding feeling that had overcome their senses, and they certainly didn't like the idea of waiting for it to get close, but they nodded nevertheless.
The Spirit was big – very, very big. It easily matched Gamabunta in size, both in height and width, but it was slow though, as it lumbered towards them in a weird side style walk. The Spirit was hideous, with an ancient and stained rock-like body that was covered in equally old and smelly seaweed and refuse, probably from the sewers of the Imperial City. Its face couldn't be identified but two very old and equally tired eyes could be seen if you squinted into the seaweed covered head. The monstrosity didn't appear to have legs, but when they considered the state of the spirit; its legs were most likely covered by the same slimy filth that covered the rest of the creature.
As it turned to face them, Kurama stepped forward and spoke.
"Great Guardian Spirit," Kurama started politely, though she grew worried when it didn't answer her, it simply stared at Naruto. "We have come here to seek entrance to the Uzumaki Compound. With me before you, stand a Full Blooded Uzumaki and a Half Blood. I humbly ask you to allow them to complete their journey to the sacred lands of the Uzumaki Clan."
Silence was Kurama's answer and she too, started to get a sense of wrongness to their situation. Perhaps the Spirit had lost its sense of self after all this time.
"None … worthy … duty," was the response at last.
It was gravely, likely due to the extent of time dwelling there alone with no-one to converse with. It raised an arm like appendage and thrust it forward and it slammed into the ground in front of the party … it was a warning.
"None … worthy … duty," repeated the Spirit, a strange clicking noise coming from another giant appendage that joined the first one.
Tsunade huffed in frustration and ignored the cries of Naruto as she charged forward, fist raised and chakra flaring. How dare this thing stop them – they'd tried to do things Kurama's way, and that failed, so they'd do things her way and see if that blob of slime could stop them.
Jiraiya shouted a war cry and charged in to join his teammate in the fight, the two Elder Toads on his shoulders trying to stop him, though with little success. Kurama watched on with dismay as the Spirit, despite its size and the speed shown earlier, effortlessly fought back and even seemed to be speeding up to match the flow of combat. She glanced at Naruto and felt her heart break, for there he was shouting at them all to stop, however both Spirit and Non-Spirit alike ignored the pleas of the child and continued to attack the other with progressively more lethal attacks.
It continued in the same manner for the next 30 minutes. Jiraiya and the Toad Elders fighting alongside Tsunade as they weaved through attacks and unleashed their own upon the Spirit, there was no end in sight for the battle. All the while, the crying voice of Naruto begged them to stop, with Kurama trying to pacify the Spirit.
Naruto knew that he could do something, he just instinctively knew, but that didn't matter if either side refused to listen to him. Kurama's memories and those that came from a strangely dressed man before her thumped in his head, as if they were trying to tell him what to do but he couldn't understand them, but what he did understand was that he had to stop them from fighting … but how?
The fight was getting even more violent now, with Tsunade using a strange jutsu that caused purple tribal marks grow on her face, and Jiraiya unleashing some sort of Toad Song. They were getting ready for a big finish, Naruto realised. He turned and saw Kurama rushing forward and blocking an attack to cripple the Spirit, angering it would only make matters worse, but that single moment caused the whole tide of battle to shift.
The Spirit lunged forward and managed to throw the annoying Ninja off of it, but that caused the battlefield to shift position and now, Naruto was in danger of being swept up in the attacks. Kurama was the only one to spot the danger and managed to push Naruto out of the way of one of the Spirit's massive appendages. In doing so however, Kurama had been thrown back and hit a nearby outcrop of rocks, thus causing her to dispel rather violently.
It snapped Naruto out of his daze though, and after screaming seconds too late over his familiar, he focused on the fight that was now right on top of him.
Anger, sheer anger flooded Naruto's veins. Why wouldn't they just listen to him? He shouted again at them to stop, he could see Ma and Pa Toad trying to do the same now, but in their moment of distraction, they caused Jiraiya to be trapped by the seaweed like substance that covered the creature. It wrapped around him and Naruto could see the substance draining his godfather of his chakra. Seconds after that, Tsunade lunged too far forward in anger and she too, was trapped by the substance.
Panic joined the anger in Naruto's veins, it gripped at his heart and his heartrate increased as it threatened to consume him.
Ma and Pa Toad dispelled as there was no longer the chakra to sustain their presence, and Naruto now stood alone against the Spirit that clicked dangerously as it faced him. His heart's rhythm thumped in his ears and he could no longer hear the clicking that grew closer with each passing moment, and right when he felt faint it happened.
Peace.
His mind and body felt at peace, and then the surge of Spiritual Energy came forth and Naruto felt the various memories fill him, and he understood what they were trying to tell him. Naruto simply closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, as if he was going to meditate. He let the memories fuse with his own, allowing their knowledge to become his and when the process was complete, his eyes snapped open.
His eyes were glowing a bright blue when they opened, and his blood red hair whipped around in all directions as a sphere of wind surrounded his body. His gaze snapped to the Spirit's and he growled dangerously to it.
The Spirit didn't know what to do, it'd never faced such an entity before, but it remembered! Guardians – there were nine of them once but like it, they fell to hatred and loneliness. This child emitted the very same aura as one of them – but that was impossible, a child shouldn't be able to handle that much power, spiritual or not.
"Spirit Guardian, you have failed in your duty and fallen into the darkness that you swore to defend against," Naruto's powerful, clear voice echoed through the caves. "You must be cleansed."
The mass of energy condensed into Naruto's body and he started to gracefully dance before the Spirit. At first the Spirit wanted to attack but a soothing feeling surrounded it, it felt peace and stilled in its attack. Fresh water slowly rose up from a nearby pool and as gracefully as Naruto's dance, swirled around the monstrous Spirit, until it surrounded it.
Tsunade and Jiraiya felt their chakra return to them, but instead of fighting further, they watched on with fear and doubt as Naruto danced of all things in front of the Spirit. Then they noticed the water flowing around both them and the Spirit, and they too felt the peace that came with the technique. Tsunade was the first to finally understand that Naruto was Water Bending on a completely new level than the training that she'd watched him perform before, and she relaxed her body. Jiraiya followed suit and less than a minute later, they felt their bodies leave the substance and slip to the ground.
They then watched transfixed as the water shone like gold, with the Spirit's own body following the change in colour, and less than ten seconds later, the Spirit was completely gold as well. It stood there still as the water slowly returned to its pool, while Naruto bowed respectively to the Spirit that watched him calmly now.
"Go in peace," Naruto simply spoke. "And leave this poor summon in harmony with itself."
The substance and gunk melted away and instead of a monster, now stood a giant Crab, it was still the same size, but it looked far less disgusting. The crab was a bluey, green with a white underside and possessed giant pincers that looked like they could crush a mountain with ease.
[IF YOU WANT A MORE ACCURATE PICTURE, GO TO GOOGLE IMAGES AND TYPE IN FFXIV – NAHN.]
The light in Naruto's eyes faded and he groaned softly as he blinked away the odd sensation of having new memories once again, merge with his own. Tsunade ran forward and caught the boy before he fell and scanned him with her Diagnostic Jutsu, while Jiraiya re-summoned Ma and Pa Toad. They were all wary of the Giant Crab that remained still, watching Naruto breathe deeply to calm his body.
"You released me from my anger," the Crab clicked to Naruto.
"You weren't in complete control of your actions," Naruto responded softly, though loud enough to be heard by all. "You're an Uzumaki Summon, aren't you?"
The revelation had Tsunade and Jiraiya snap their gaze to Naruto in shock, whilst Ma and Pa Toad nodded in recognition.
"I am," the Crab simply stated. "I have not seen my Kin since the fall of the Uzu."
Naruto nodded sadly, while he had never been to Uzu, the land somehow called to him nonetheless.
"You wish to be free of your Duty," Naruto recognised. "If you desire it, I will free you but I do not know the words Sir Guardian."
The Crab Summon clicked its surprise, but nodded in response. "You must simply grant me freedom from my Duty. The words are not important, merely the intent young Guardian."
Naruto blinked at the title, he'd never actually been called a Guardian before, and due to his lack of Spiritual Training he felt that he hadn't earned that title, or deserve the honour that came with it.
"I am no Guardian," Naruto replied with a smile, he felt his resolve break slightly when the Crab clicked its agreement, but it then spoke again.
"Not a Guardian? Yes, you clearly aren't," the Crab Summon thought out loud. "You are something new. Not completely Spirit, but not completely human anymore either. You are a being of both worlds now … a bridge if you will and only time will tell if you are worthy to be revered as highly as a true Guardian."
Naruto smiled as he bowed to the Crab Summon, "Thank you Sir."
"Who knows, in time you may become even more respected than even a Guardian," the Crab continued. "And where are my manners, you may call me Coral, so named for my patterned shell and camouflage abilities."
"Coral, an interesting name but I can see that it suits you," Naruto commented. "I, Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto do hereby release you from your Duty, be free and join your Kin once more."
The now named Coral felt the compulsion to remain at the Gates leave her and she shivered as her power as a summon reconnected her to her homeland. With it came the memories that for so long seemed out of reach, and she almost wept as she felt her Kin embrace her energy once more in welcome.
"You have done me a service My Lady Uzumaki," Coral began to blubber, before Jiraiya giggled in laughter at the comment. "Did I say something wrong – why are you laughing?"
"That would be because I'm male Coral-sama," Naruto responded flatly. "Never mind, everyone gets it wrong until I tell them otherwise."
"B-but you're so cute," Coral started only to cough and straighten herself up. "I see, um … thank you My Lord Uzumaki. If you seek entrance to the Uzumaki Compound, I suggest you offer your blood and chakra to the Sealing Array in the centre of the Gate."
Naruto mumbled about everyone calling him cute, but bowed in response and wished her a peaceful life. Coral left in a cloud of dust and those that remained looked on amused as Naruto continued to grumble, he then sighed and re-summoned Kurama.
They recounted the events after she'd been dispelled and she excused herself to think.
While Kurama was thinking about the events that lead to her Naru-chan facing a possessed summon of all things, Naruto had located the Sealing Array that Coral had mentioned. He cut his hand on a Kunai and pressed it to the centre, he then sent a wave of chakra into the Seal with Jiraiya's okay, and watched on in fascination as the Giant Gates groaned in acceptance to the offering. They creaked open and revealed the ancient compound that had fallen into complete disrepair.
They all decided that it would be better to find shelter in the most secure location there: the Uzu Temple. It doubled as a vault for the Clan's assets, so they weren't quite sure what security they'd face, but whatever they were had to be less trouble than fighting a possessed summon … right?
Wrong.
The moment they tried to enter the Temple, the Security Seals activated and aside from Naruto and Kurama, who held Naruto's chakra essence, Jiraiya and Tsunade were almost electrocuted, burned alive, shot with poisoned darts (that Naruto kept to study the poisons) and finally they hit a solid wall made of air, despite Naruto and Kurama effortlessly walking through it as if it wasn't there.
Naruto and Kurama were beside themselves with laughter over the situation. Tsunade and Jiraiya were looking less like powerful Sannin, and more like a comedy duo, with their simultaneous dodging and awkward poses to dodge the incoming attacks. The difference between Naruto and Kurama though, was that Naruto had been analysing the Seals on the interior of the temple.
They were works of art, each and every one of them, and Naruto was mesmerised with each elegant swirl, and every graceful arch that they possessed. He became so enamoured by them that he entered his own little world, his eyes traversed the countless seals and as he did so, he failed to hear Kurama call his name, or the fact that his Godfather and Grandmother were still wrestling with the Seals of the temple – all he could see and smell and hear was the Uzumaki Seals.
Naruto stood from his crouched position and started to walk towards the Seals in a trance, he flared his chakra as he passed them with an instinct that he shouldn't have and walked passed Jiraiya and Tsunade, not acknowledging them or showing any indication that he even knew they were there at all. The Seals deactivated as Naruto passed them by and Jiraiya went to stop Naruto physically, until he was forced to the ground by a hissing Kurama.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she hissed menacingly. "He's entered an Uzumaki Seal Trance and won't stop until he arrives at whatever destination the Seals were designed to lead those that can read them."
Tsunade sighed and levelled a glare at Kurama, "Yes or no, did you know this would happen?"
At first Kurama was silent, she still didn't completely trust the Sannin, and the feeling was clearly mutual, but she eventually relented. "Yes, I knew that this might happen. You chose the Temple as a secure camping ground, I accepted because the stores of Scrolls here in this ancient compound are necessary to Naruto's growth. The Seals recognise Naruto as the new ruler of Uzu, and therefore they've activated and are leading him to where he needs to go. I merely suggested to him that there were Scrolls here, his mind and the Seals did the rest."
While Jiraiya wasn't pleased with how Kurama had gone about things, he was impressed by her cunning in the matter, still they needed to follow Naruto, and as he seemed to be dispelling the Seals as he went, it should be safe to do so. He informed the ladies in the group of the plan, and they agreed rather quickly – so they followed Naruto to the Royal Palace in the Compound and carefully waited for him to come to.
..::..
Naruto felt dizzy, one moment he was watching the Seals in the Uzumaki Temple, and the next he felt as though he was floating. Kurama had mentioned Seals and Scrolls and that the Scrolls would help his training, and that was what had him look at the Seals in the first place. The Seals were glowing when he looked at them, had he done something to activate them? He didn't know but what he did know was that he was watching a gruesome battle unfold in his mind. He felt himself being drawn to the Palace, he didn't know how he knew it was the Palace, but he was drawn there nevertheless.
He watched as the events in his mind reached the Uzumaki Compound, which meant that the previous battle was Uzu – that should be impossible though! As impossible as it seemed he was brought out of his thoughts when he saw a regal looking man and woman arguing.
The man was a typical looking Uzumaki; he was tall, with broad shoulders and messy hair that seemed to sprout off in any direction. He had glasses and gave off an air of assurance of oneself.
The woman was a true beauty. With perfectly straight Uzumaki red hair and matching red eyes, she gave of an air of playfulness, while looking to strike at a moment's notice.
-Vision Scene Start-
"We shouldn't hide here," the woman said. "We should be helping our people Sanosuke."
"Do you think that I want to be here?" Sanosuke replied heatedly. "I wish with every fibre of my being, that I could be defending our home with my brother, the King!"
The woman looked sad and the man, Sanosuke moved behind her and embraced her.
"I'm sorry Karin," Sanosuke addressed the woman. "I shouldn't have snapped at you, but my brother tasked us with sealing our Village's History and all our Techniques here in case the Royal Family survives."
"I-I know Sanosuke," Karin replied as she shuffled in his embrace to face him. "I'm just scared that we'll return to a ghost village, instead of the proud nation of Uzu."
He kissed her forehead gently and smiled.
"I promise you Karin," he spoke with determination. "When we return, Uzu will still be there."
"Idiot," she reprimanded. "Of course I care about the fate of Uzu. It's just … if Uzu isn't standing; I want you to promise me that you won't run off for revenge. Our niece, Kushina is expecting us to return and we have a Duty as her aunt and uncle to raise her if Uzu does fall."
"Kushina is like my sister Karin," Sanosuke replied. "She's strong and she can already use the Kongō Fūsa better than my sister ever could. Not only would my sister be proud of her daughter, but Uzu is proud to have her as a heiress to the Nation."
Karin rubbed her own stomach in response.
"And what about our child Sanosuke?" she questioned. "What about our unborn son?"
Sanosuke hummed in thought. "We'll be fine Karin; we won't let this enemy destroy our way of life just because they don't agree with it."
Karin nodded and tightened her embrace, they'd survive and they'd endure … as a family – that was the Uzumaki way.
"If we get separated Sanosuke," Karin began quietly. "If we get separated, we can meet at our safe house in Kusa, can't we?"
"As a back-up plan, that was always our spot," Sanosuke commented. "Yes, if we get separated, we'll meet in Kusa. Now, let me finish placing our prototype weapons in the safe sweetie."
Karin giggled and left to wait for him.
"If only she knew that I have orders to rendezvous with our forces," Sanosuke murmured as he slid against the wood of the door; he hated to let his wife see him cry.
It was then that Sanosuke made a decision. He sealed the rest of the weapons and scrolls into the safe and marched out the door. He had a Duty to Uzu true, but he also had a Duty to his wife and family.
"Karin," Sanosuke spoke. "I want you to get to the Safe Zone, take Kushina and go to the Safe House, don't stop for anything and if I don't …"
"If you don't, what …" Karin started. "If you don't what Sanosuke, survive?"
Sanosuke frowned but nodded quietly. "I have orders that I didn't tell you about Karin. It's my Duty to Uzu and my family to see them safe … for both of their futures. You said it yourself; Kushina needs us and our unborn son cannot defend himself! Please don't argue with me on this and just do it Karin!"
Karin was speechless, never had her husband spoken to her in such a manner, but the message had been received. "You will return to us, you got that Sanosuke!"
Sanosuke smiled. "Of course dear, you'd never let me rest in peace if I didn't."
"Damn right, now come here," Karin responded, as she pulled him in for a kiss.
-Vision Scene Over-
..::..
The vision ended and Naruto blinked, he shakily turned to see Tsunade and Jiraiya there, along with a clearly ashamed Kurama. She didn't know what he saw, but a reaction like that couldn't be a good thing.
"What did the seals show you?" Kurama asked softly.
Naruto explained the vision, and then took a deep breath to calm himself. The silence that followed was a tense one, with Kurama licking Naruto's hand in apology and Tsunade pondering the names and possible dates. It was Kurama though that added the necessary information that put the pieces together in Tsunade's head.
"That man you mentioned: Sanosuke," Kurama spoke. "He was your mother's uncle. The woman was an Uzumaki born in Kusa; Karin was one of the strongest sensors in the Uzumaki Clan's history, only beaten by your mother's father, who ruled the Clan."
There was a moment of silence before Tsunade continued.
"I remember grandmother Mito talking about him," Tsunade commented. "Sanosuke was a gifted Medic; her tales about him inspired me to become a Medic in the first place. Despite being an Uzumaki, he didn't share the burden of needing chakra control to master the arts – just like me and having near perfect control without having to constantly maintain that control through training."
Jiraiya frowned and was about to dismiss things, when Naruto looked at him pleadingly. He sighed and threw up a smile and an intrigued hum.
"I guess that means I have some research to do," Jiraiya spoke with an excited tone; he flinched when Tsunade shot him a look and he reiterated. "If Karin made it to Kusa, then I might be able to track her family – you might even find some relatives brat."
Naruto's heart soared in happiness and hope, never in his wildest dreams did he imagine there being other Uzumaki alive and well. Jiraiya watched his godson's face light up in hope and he knew that he had a lot of work to do, if Karin Uzumaki had lived, then she had to have some seriously amazing skills to hide her family.
Naruto turned to face the office nearby and mimicked the actions he'd done at the gates by offering the sealed door his blood and chakra. Like the gates, the door groaned loudly, but they opened after a moment or two. The scent of fresh scrolls hit their noses and they opened the door completely to find a literal treasure in scrolls and texts, the problem? Only an Uzumaki could read them, they found that out when Tsunade and Jiraiya had tried to read a medical scroll and a scroll on Fūinjutsu respectively. It revealed blank paper to them, but Naruto who was watching them, could see Fūinjutsu Formulae and Medical Recipes.
He then said something that both impressed and annoyed the two Sannin. Naruto promised to review them and pass on any translated scroll for them, as they could contain Uzumaki Clan Secrets. They were surprised that Naruto wouldn't trust them with such a matter, but then they realised that if the situations were reversed, then they too, wouldn't allow him to read them without reviewing them first.
The two Sannin nodded in acceptance and Jiraiya gathered nearby Sealing Equipment to seal the treasure of knowledge away for Naruto to review later. Meanwhile Naruto approached a seemingly innocent looking wall that simply held a painting of his grandfather, the ruler of Uzu at the time of its demise. He carefully sealed the painting away in his own pack before feeding the wall his chakra at certain intervals, like a safe combination.
The wall suddenly popped and moved aside to reveal two boxes, the same boxes that were in Naruto's vision … Uzumaki Prototype Weapons. He cautiously walked into the newly extended room and up to the weapons that sat innocently on their pedestals. They were suspiciously dust free, when the entire room was blanketed with the annoying stuff. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and moved to open the ornate box/chest that contained the first item.
He yelped in surprise when the box nipped his finger with a retractable pin, but then realised it was verifying that he was an Uzumaki. The lid popped open and he cautiously opened it. There sitting in the long chest was what appeared to be an enlarged spear-like blade on an ornately crafted but shortened metal pole. He carefully picked up the weapon, but this time didn't flinch when it took his blood into itself. The spear like weapon grew into a larger version of its original form, and resembled the length of a Bo-staff.
[PLEASE USE GOOGLE IMAGES AND SEARCH FOR: PRINCE NUADA – SPEAR, FOR A BETTER LOOK AT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.]
Naruto couldn't resist the urge and began to weave through basic Weapons Stances with the spear, and was pleased when it enlarged at when he needed it to. It was the perfect close quarter weapon for him, and even the Sannin and Kurama agreed with him.
On a high from discovering the item in the first chest, Naruto practically skipped up to the second, and let it take his blood like the first chest/box. This one was smaller than the other box and once open, he felt excited beyond measure, for inside sat two battle tessen, or Battle Fans that were identical to each other.
Both were large, single handed Battle Fans. They were made of Uzumaki Steel, far stronger and durable than even Chakra Metal, and were maintenance free. They weren't as ornate as the spear like weapon, as they were simply a pale golden colour, and were rather plain with simple looking black lines and small dots on each section.
[AGAIN: PLEASE USE GOOGLE IMAGES AND SEARCH FOR 'AVATAR KYOSHI'S FANS' FOR A BETTER LOOK.]
If you were to look closely though, those 'simple' black lines and dots were actually tiny Uzumaki Seals that enhanced everything to do with the tessen, including the ability to channel any elemental chakra type. That meant that Naruto could use such tessen in battle, in conjunction with his bending. The thought had Naruto giddy and giggling like a school girl … oh the potential for these weapons.
Jiraiya was certainly impressed, as they'd finally found suitable weapons for Naruto to use. Tsunade was sceptical over the Tessen though, as they looked flimsy and weak in comparison to the spear-like weapon. Naruto was quick to correct the assumption with a demonstration, he stood in a basic Earth Bending Stance and using the Tessen as a guide, Tsunade had a front row seat in seeing a building getting crushed and flattened without any effort at all on Naruto's part.
Naruto stared at the weapons for quite some time before he turned and stated that he was going to use the staff/spear as a last resort and rely on the Battle Tessen for standard combat. It was a good plan too, considering that Naruto seemed to possess a strong affinity to using Tessen, ever since he first held one with his disguise.
Jiraiya and Tsunade had both agreed and approved of Naruto's decision and commended his attitude, as he wasn't acting like a child on a sugar rush over what was perceived to be the 'cooler' weapon, though it didn't stop them from smiling softly as Naruto continued to play and practise with the Battle Tessen with delight and a child's curiosity … it was then they realised that despite his mature attitude, he was still a child.
They remained at the Uzumaki Compound to pay their respects and to search for any extra weapons or scrolls before they re-sealed the Compound and journeyed home – Naruto had a lot of training to look forward to.
..::..
Their return and report had astounded Family and Friend alike and it led to Asuma teaching Naruto, the way of the Staff as was the Sarutobi Clan's Sacred Art. Naruto didn't stop there as he utilized his biological mother's memories of her legendary Kenjutsu skills and integrated said skills and the Sarutobi Clan's skills and meshed the styles together. When he had accomplished that he further continued by adding that to a style that had been revealed when he had reviewed the Uzumaki Scrolls that they'd picked up in the Uzumaki Compound.
The Battle Tessen were easier to master as Chiriku had a friend that was well versed in the art of Battle Tessen, at first the man refused to teach a 'spoilt' Nobleman's child but after observing one of Naruto's training sessions he relented and taught Naruto everything he knew. Kurama was able to help in Naruto's training as she also; had borne witness to various styles and skills during her time as a Guardian.
Naruto trained like a person possessed, he read as many scrolls as he could and kept his promise in allowing Tsunade and Jiraiya to read the ones that he reviewed.
..::..
The rest of the years flew by rather quickly and soon three years had become six years and saw Naruto turn ten years old. It was shortly after his birthday that he was summoned to his father's throne room and made his way there swiftly.
Naruto had changed drastically with his training showing its results. Naruto stood taller than most for his age, but still short enough to appear overly feminine. Feminine … that was an appropriate description for him as he'd grown even softer and daintier in appearance, with his still creamy, pale skin and delicate features. His two toned eyes shone with a light of their own and had captured many hearts over the years, despite only being ten. His blood red hair had remained the same in length in the way that it still fell to just below his knees, but the style had changed. Naruto had had it cut short around the neck area and had braided the remaining length of hair into a tight, rope like design with a sharpened two pronged kunai like weapon braided into the end. Not only did it keep his hair in check, but he could use the length like a bladed whip if he needed to.
The only other change was that he'd kept the braid on the side of his head, only that it was now adorned with an Uzumaki Seal Tag at the bottom. This Seal Tag though was special, as it was a Storage Tag. It resembled a decoration mostly, but that was the beauty of it, a simple flick of the Tag and a bit of chakra, and he had access to thousands of different seals at a moment's notice – plus it paid tribute to the greatest Uzumaki Seals Mistress, Mito Uzumaki-Senju.
Clothing wise, Naruto still chose to dress ambiguously. He dressed in a short robe like dress that had long sleeves. The sleeves covered his hands and kept others from seeing the one handed seals that he could now use, not proficiently yet, but practise made perfect. It was mostly pale blue in colour, with darker blue borders and a white underside covered an armoured mesh shirt that men would think hid 'her' bust. The robe was held closed and tight with an Obi-like belt that also helped the illusion of possessing said 'bust'.
[GOOGLE IMAGES: AVATAR KYOSHI – JUST THE OUTER ROBE, THOUGH SHORTER WITH LONGER SLEEVES AND DIFFERENT COLOURS.]
Instead of pants, he wore a short pair of bike shorts, to not only go along with the ambiguity of his clothing, but because they were the perfect material to ingrain seals in to. Naruto had two Kunai Holsters that were brim full with Kunai, Shuriken and Senbon, that were full of Uzumaki Poisons that most no longer had cures to. Both Holsters were also lined with seals, so that if an enemy thought that he'd run out of weapons, a seal release would restock them. Visibly, you could also now see his Battle Tessen kept in his Obi/belt.
His look was completed by black battle sandals suitable for both sexes. They did have a little heel on them, but they were there for extra support when travelling at high speeds while tree hopping.
After a polite knock on the door, he entered his father's throne room. Naruto was surprised to see that there was another person bowing in respect to the Daimyo.
The person was a boy with standard ANBU styled clothing and possessed shoulder length black hair, which was tied at the nape of the neck into a ponytail.
"Ah, Naru-chan," Masahiko greeted warmly to Naruto, and then gestured to the other member in the room. "I wanted you to finally meet the one who is to become your official and personal Guardian!"
Naruto tilted his head softly, his knee length blood red hair swaying softly with the gesture as he watched with scaringly sharp eyes as the other person slowly turned to face him.
Both Naruto and the other person gasped quietly as they finally saw each other, as they both recognised each other instantly.
"Naru-chan, I'd like you to meet Itachi Uchiha!" Masahiko beamed to his child.
"I-It's a pleasure to remake your acquaintance Itachi-san," Naruto bowed gracefully before levelling the Uchiha with a perfect smile. "I'm rather glad that it's you that my father has chosen."
"T-The pleasure is all mine, my lady," Itachi bowed respectively. "You've only grown far more beautiful than before."
"Why don't you both get reacquainted properly," Masahiko suggested, though he glared briefly at the Uchiha – he'd watch this one with a critical eye.
"An excellent idea father," Naruto beamed once more. "Please follow me Itachi-san, I shall show you to my private garden."
The two ninja left the Fire Daimyo in solitude and as soon as they'd left, he sighed. 'It seemed Naru-chan understood my hidden message, to watch him carefully. I'm so proud of the young man that he's become.'
"Oh well," he muttered. "Back to finishing my paperwork."
..::..
And that's all I wrote dear readers. I certainly hope that it was worth the wait for you. Those that read my Original will know that this was where I ended the last story, so the next update will be completely new stuff, including Itachi's story and training, as well as what's become of Konoha since the events that have already taken place, have occurred.
Please continue to be patient with me dear readers.
..::..
AS ALWAYS: PLEASE READ AND REVIEW.
..::..
\^o^/