Watching The Knight and The Fox
Disclaimer: This is a fictional fan made story and thus is not canon to anything mentioned. I do not own any of the properties that are also mentioned in this story. They all belong to their original creators and I highly suggest you go check them out and support them.
Chapter One: Watching Chapter One
KONOHA
Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves, was said to be one of the most beautiful places in Fire Country. Not only that, it is home to some of the most powerful Shinobi in the world. One of these Shinobi was Kakashi Hatake. He is known as the copy ninja of Konoha due to him possessing the Sharingan eye. Right now, he is currently sitting in front of a memorial stone. This stone was different from the one he showed his genin team. This stone was to commemorate the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, along with their infant son.
To think that twelve years ago, Konoha would suffer the greatest tragedy in all its history. Being reduced to mere rumble when the Nine-Tailed Fox broke free from its seal and wreaked havoc. Killing thousands of Konoha citizens, both Shinobi and civilians alike.
"I wish it didn't turn out this way sensei." Kakashi lamented. He then sensed three people approaching him. He didn't react violently as he knew who they were. He turned to see his genin team. They were composed of Sasuke Uchiha, survivor of the Uchiha massacre, Sakura Haruno, top Konichi of her year, and Sai, an orphan.
"Yo." Kakashi gave them his usual greeting.
"Morning Sensei." Sakura said with a bow. Sai and Sasuke simply nodded.
Kakashi got up and began to walk, "Alright, today we're going to be doing a D-rank mission." Kakashi's students mentally groaned, they hated doing D-rank missions. They were pretty much glorified chores! Nevertheless they shrug it off and follow their sensei.
Only for them to vanish in a flash of light.
Inside the Hokage's office Hiruzen Sarutobi was filling out paperwork when he suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.
Maito Gai and his team were currently training when they vanished in a bright light.
Team Asuma were on their way back from a D-rank mission when they suddenly vanished in a bright light.
Team Kurenai were in the middle of doing a D-rank mission when they vanished in a flash of light as well.
Anko Mitarashi licked her lips hungrily and rubbed her hands in delight. She picked up one of the dango from her plate. She was about to take a bite before she vanished in a flash of light.
At a random bath house, Jiraiya giggled perversely as he spied on naked women in the hot springs. He frivolously wrote in his notebook before vanishing in a flash of light.
At a random bar, the slug sage Tsunade was drinking away bottle after bottle of sake. Her niece Shizune couldn't help but look in disappointment. She was about to drag Tsunade out of the bar when the two vanished in a flash of light.
NEXUS ROOM
Inside of a comfy living room with a big TV, a flash of light appeared. The light died down to reveal those that were taken from the elemental nations.
"What the? Where are we?" Sakura asked out in surprise.
"How are we supposed to know, flaty?" Sakura turned to glare at Sai. While Sai himself looked undisturbed.
"Enough. First we must analyze the situation." Kakashi said. The cyclops turned to see his fellow Jonin. "Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Anko, I see you're here as well."
"Yeah." Asuma said.
"Yes." Gai replied.
"Yeah-huh." Kurenai nodded.
"Yup." Anko said, a little pissed that she showed up here before she could eat her dango.
"Nice to see that you four are immediately taking the situation seriously." The five Jonin turned to see the third Hokage approaching them. Next to him are Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya
"Wait, are those?" Kurenai's eyes widened at the sight of the two sanin.
"Lord Jiraiya? Lady Tsunade? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked in surprise. He hadn't seen the two sanin since the funeral of Minato and his family.
"We are clueless as you are Kakashi." Tsunade. admitted. She turned to Jiraiya who was examining the room. 'He's most likely trying to see if there is a seal here.' She thought to herself.
Meanwhile, the genin couldn't help but look in awe at the sight of two of the legendary sannin.
'Wow! It's really her!, Tsunade Senji, the legendary slug sage!' Sakura and Ino squealed mentally like fangirls.
'She looks so intimidating.' Hinata thought.
'Looking at them up close, I can see they are truly powerful.' Thought Lee.
'How are they so huge!' Tenten mentally cried out in outrage as she looked at Tsunade's breasts.
'That guy is the legendary toad sage? He doesn't look like much.' Kiba thought.
'Taking the Sanin and Hokage is understandable but why take us? We're only genin and jonin.' Shino, Shikamaru, and Neji thought.
'Two of the Sannin? Whoever brought us here seems to be powerful enough to drag the two sannin and hokage with us.' Sasuke thought. His eyes narrowed, he did not like this one bit.
'Jiraiya and Tsunade, well I can say this is quite the predicament.' Sai thought.
"So what is this? Some sort of Genjutsu?" Asuma asked.
"No, this doesn't feel like it. If it was then it's on a whole other level." Kurenai said.
"Hmmm. Jiraiya, have you found anything?" Hiruzen asked.
"Nothing. No seals, no Genjutsus, nothing. This is just an ordinary room." The toad sage told his old sensei.
"That's because it is." Everyone jumped in shock before turning around. In front of them was a robed figure.
'How did we not sense him? There's no place to hide in here.' Kakashi thought. "Who are you?" He asked cautiously, as he and the others prepared for a fight.
"My name is Arcanus and I am but a simple scribe. I am also the one who has brought you here." Arcanus introduced himself with a bow. The declaration that he was the one that brought everyone here made everyone frown at him. They were about to say something until Hiruzen stepped forward.
"Why have you brought us here?" Hiruzen asked.
"I have brought you here to watch both the past and the future." Everyone had their eyes widened at that reveal. Not so much about the past but mostly about the future. "Of course that's if you're interested."
Everyone looked at one another, not sure how to decide. Eventually they all came to a decision.
"Very well, we accept your offer." Hiruzen spoke for everyone.
"Good, now everyone, take a seat." They all did what Arcanus said. "Alright, let's begin." With a wave of his hand, the TV turned on and various foods appeared on the table. Anko smiled widely as she grabbed a plate of dango and dug into it. Kurenai simply sighed at her best friend's actions. She swears one of these days Anko is going to eat too many dango.
Everyone turned their attention to the screen as a blonde boy appeared on it.
~
Jaune Arc, a 13 year old boy with a black hoodie, walked along the woods near his home. He was currently on his way back from his secret training spot
~
"Huh? Who's the gaki?" Anko asked.
"That is Jaune Arc." Arcanus explained. This caused everyone to turn to him. That was a strange name for a boy to have.
"Jaune Arc? That's a strange name." Sakura said.
"Yeah, but you have to admit, he's kinda cute." Ino said. Asuma heard this and couldn't help but sigh, Ino was one who would prefer to talk about boys than training. Especially about that Uchiha kid.
"Out of curiosity, just who is he?" Kakashi asked.
"Jaune Arc is the eldest and only son of Nicholas and Juniper Arc. The Arcs are a family of warriors who have achieved many great deeds, making them quite famous." Arcanus explained.
Kakashi hummed. So this Jaune kid was the heir to this Arc clan, interesting.
Sasuke looked at Jaune and quietly scoffed. He looked really scrawny, he wouldn't be able to hold his own in a fight.
~
Why was it a secret you may ask? It was because he was working hard to achieve his dream of becoming a Huntsman.
Not because he wanted fame or glory but because it was the right thing to do. To help and protect the innocent against the creatures that plague his world. The creatures of the Grimm. That was his dream.
~
"Kid's got a noble dream, that's for sure." Asuma said with his father nodding in agreement.
"Indeed it is." Hiruzen said.
The adults in the audience couldn't help but agree, there were Shinobi who's motivation was to simply protect their home. It was quite noble indeed.
However they all raised their eyebrows at something. What was a Huntsman? Was it something similar to a Shinobi? Also what the heck is a Grimm?
"What's a Huntsman?" Hinata asked.
"A Huntsman is a warrior who protects the four kingdoms against the creatures of the Grimm." Arcanus explained.
"Kingdoms?" Kiba asked.
"Grimm?" Ino asked.
"I will explain everything after the second part of the viewing." Everyone couldn't help but frown at the withholding of information but gave in.
~
However, his family had wanted a different path in life for him. They wanted him to live the civilian life, get a normal job, meet a girl and start a family of his own. He knew why they didn't want him to become a huntsman, he wasn't stupid, he knew that that profession was incredibly dangerous. With the high chance that he might not come back home at all. But being normal was something that Jaune wanted in life. He knew that he was meant to do great things, he just didn't know what.
~
At that tidbit of information made everyone raise a brow, why didn't the boy's family want to train him?
"Why didn't his family want to train him?" Lee asked.
"They probably saw it as a waste of time." Neji said bluntly.
"Don't be rude Neji." Tenten lightly scolded.
"Students!" Team Gai all turned to their Sensei. "Let us not make any opinions until we learn more. Besides, I believe our youthful host will tell us more information later on." Gai said. His students nodded at his words.
"Thank you, Gai. As I said earlier, I will explain everything after the second viewing." Arcanus thanked the green jumpsuit Shinobi. Say what you want about Maito Gai, he can be one of the most dependable people to have your back.
Everyone nodded as they went back to the viewing.
~
"Man, what a long day." Jaune stretched his arms, "I think I'm getting better, though I still have a long way to go before I become a huntsman." He said.
The blonde continued to walk home, until he stopped. His ears twitch ever so slightly, it was faint but he could hear it. The sound of an infant crying.
~
"The kid has some good hearing." Tsunade complemented. However, when she realized that the noise was coming from a crying infant she immediately grew worried.
"To hear something so faint is impressive." Jiraiya added but he too was worried for the baby that seemingly lost in the woods.
~
Jaune turned to where the source of the crying was and ran towards it. The wails of the infant got louder and louder as he got closer. His mind went back to when his youngest sister cried, it always brought out the protective side of him. Now, there was an infant all alone in the woods. An infant that needed his help
After a little while longer of running, Jaune finally reached where the cries were coming from. He let out a gasp at the sight before him. There was a woman with red hair who was bleeding profusely from the chest. In her arms was the baby that was crying.
~
All of the adults froze, all of their eyes went wide. They knew who that was.
"Kushina-san?" Kakashi spoke.
"Kushina." Kurenai breathed out. There on the screen was her big-sister figure.
"B-but-but how?" Jiraiya asked.
"I thought she and her son were never found." Tsunade said as she turned to her Sensei.
"They weren't." Hiruzen replied as a stern look adorned his face.
While the adults were processing this information, the Genin were trying to think why this woman looked familiar.
'Kushina. Kushina. Why does that name sound familiar?' Sasuke thought to himself.
"Who's Kushina?" Sakura asked.
"If I remember correctly, Kushina Uzumaki was the wife of the Fourth Hokage." Sai explained. Remembering what Lord Danzo had taught him. At that, all of the Genin realized that he was right.
"That is the fourth Hokage's wife?" Ino asked in disbelief. She and all others who had gone to the academy were aware of who she is. Due to her role in stopping and killing the nine-tailed fox.
"If that's the case then that baby is her son." Shino added in.
~
Wasting no time, Jaune ran towards the two. Once he got closer, he knelt down in front of her, placing two fingers on her neck. There was a faint heartbeat, but by the looks of it, she wasn't going to make it. He then turned his attention to the baby, moving aside the blanket that covered part of his head, he saw that the baby had blonde hair and whisker marks on each cheek.
~
All of the women couldn't help but coo at how adorable the baby is.
~
Jaune then heard a groan, he turned to see that the woman had woken up. "Where am I?" She asked weakly.
"Are you alright?" Jaune asked.
"Who?" She asked, trying her best to stay conscious. The cries of her son made her look down. She smiled warmly as tears started to form. "Naruto. My sweet Naruto, thank kami you're okay." The woman brought Naruto closer to her in a tight embrace. She looked up to see the concerned Jaune. She didn't know why but something told her that he wasn't a threat.
"Young man, what's your name?" She asked.
"Jaune. Jaune Arc." Jaune answered.
'What a strange name.' She thought before giving him her name, "Kushina Uzumaki." She then coughed up some blood, thankfully none of it landed on Naruto.
~
Everyone tensed at the sight of Kushina coughing up blood. The sight also made those who knew her feel heartbroken. They all know what that meant. Kushina Uzumaki was dying.
'No, please no. Kami, please let her live.' Kakashi mentally thought to himself. His hands gripped his knees tightly. The sight was too much for him to bear. For his teammates, then his Sensei, now her? Life can be very cruel sometimes.
~
Jaune reached out and gently lifted her up, careful not to hurt her.
"Jaune." He looked at her when she called his name. "I want you to promise something."
"What is it?" He asked. He was then surprised when Kushina handed Naruto to him.
"I'm not going to make it, there's no denying that." Kushina solemnly admitted. "But please, promise me that no matter what you will always protect my son."
Jaune was stunned, he had no idea what to say. Here was a random woman, a stranger he didn't even know, making him promise to take care of her son.
~
"She's asking her to protect her son? But she doesn't even know him?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Sure this Jaune guy doesn't seem to be a bad guy but you can never be too sure.
"When you're a parent, the only thing that matters to you is the safety of your child." Arcanus said, gaining the attention of everyone. "While it's true that she doesn't know him, trust me when I say that Jaune Arc is one of the most loyal people ever."
All of them turned to one another, they wanted to disagree but couldn't. Besides for some of them, something tells them that this Jaune kid is a good person.
~
"I know you're asking yourself why, but the truth is, I don't know myself. However, I can tell you have a good heart. So please, protect my son. Can you do that?" Jaune looked at her before giving Kushina a determined nod.
"I promise to always protect your son. I'm an Arc and an Arc never goes back on his word."
~
Everyone smiled at that, except for Sasuke who didn't care.
~
Kushina gave him a teary smile before looking down at Naruto. Who at this point stopped crying and fell asleep. Jaune noticed this and brought him closer to Kushina. The red head then planted a gentle kiss on Naruto's forehead. "Naruto," She whispered. "I want you to know that mommy loves you with all her heart." Her eyelids started to feel heavy, her body becoming colder by the second. "I will always be with you, never forget that." With one last breath, Kushina's eyes finally closed for the last time.
~
Everyone didn't say anything, they all sat quietly. The Genin stayed silent to pay their respects to the wife of the Fourth Hokage. While those who knew her personally, they let out a few silent tears.
~
Jaune looked on in shock, for the first time in his life, he witnessed death. He grew saddened by the loss of life. It reminded him of painful memories. He gently placed her down, and stood up. He then looked down at the sleeping infant, he smiled as he gently stroked his cheek.
"From this day on, I promise to always love and protect you, Naruto."
~
'Jaune Arc, I may not know you, but I feel like, no I know that Naruto is in good hands.' Hiruzen thought to himself.
To Be Continued
Audience: Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, Maito Gai, Rock Lee, Tenten, Neji, Kurenai, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, Azuma, Choji, Ino, Shikamaru, Anko, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, and Hiruzen.