Chapter 3: Lost Heritage – 3 and Progress

Naruto: The Rising Shadow

Chapter 3:
- Lost Heritage – 3 and Progress -
By MasterZap 777

The skies were grey, columns of smoke bellowed from the charred earth, as three figures were seen, clashes of steel, collisions of jutsu, and the everchanging battle ground, scenes shifted like horrid nightmares as once there was a darkness that enveloped them whole, in the next a meteor was striking the ground, then a summoning of a thousand blades ready to skewer it's adversaries, but even that changed with another pulse of chakra, as the figures parted for a brief respite. Dirt and grime marred their features, upon closer inspection one could make out two men and a woman, garbed in the attire of the shinobi era gone by, all with manic grins on their faces, as even the one titled 'Kami' was a human in the end, and nothing excited them more than battle against worthy adversaries.

The moment passed as soon as it came though, with just a single hand sign and a flex of chakra, the battle renewed, as the most monstrous of fire streams were launched, covering the battle field, doused by a sea of trees, which were all promptly turned to dragons made out of paper…for this battlefield was devoid of logic as a God, a Monster, and the Most Unpredictable Ninja this world had seen clashed…

Hiruzen awoke from his reverie, it seemed as though he was lost in thought again, though the image of the two men and the woman looking over the village reminded him of the power that united this Great Tree in the most tumultuous of times. The same Tree was in grave danger again but he had contingencies of his own ready, the God's blood, though now diluted spread around to strengthen the roots of this Tree, still ran strong in one, and though he had failed another one of that same blood he vowed that he wouldn't for this one. The Monster's line protective as they were of each other, had shut themselves in, and though they were strong they were no where near the power they possessed previously…there was a remedy for that too, …a young boy with black hair and red streaks came to mind and he smiled. As for the Unpredictable Kunoichi…well Hiruzen feared everything was going too well for him it seemed fate had blessed him with another leaf to nurture…

—3 weeks ago—

—Sandaime's Office—

The Sandaime sat in his chair, puffing his pipe as he listened to Murakumo's plea. The man before him was of high standing, a clan head and a shinobi of the village. And yet, he knelt before the Hokage, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Yes, my Lord, it has finally awakened again in my own daughter no less, it was astounding really when we discovered the branches had become real," Murakumo said, his voice catching in his throat.

The Sandaime nodded slowly. He knew what Murakumo was referring to. The girl had inherited a rare ability, one that could be of great value to the village. But there was a catch, as there always was.

"Well, the future seems bright," the Sandaime said with a wry smile. "Surely, informing me of this development isn't the only reason you are here, Murakumo?"

Murakumo bowed deeper, "Indeed my Lord, as you are aware, my clan suffered heavy losses in the attack 6 years ago...and though our old guard still stands strong, my daughter will need guidance to make the best use of her gifts..."

"If an instructor is all you require, I'm sure we can arrange something," Hiruzen replied calmly.

Murakumo hesitated, then continued, "There's one other issue, my Lord."

The Sandaime tilted his head towards him as a gesture to continue.

"Her constitution is weak...we have lost the knowledge of 'the ritual', even so she's determined to be a shinobi...I'm sure you're aware of the consequences of this power...I am a clan head, a shinobi of this village, but I am a father too, my Lord I don't want to see my daughter die..." Murakumo's voice trailed off, tears welling up in his eyes.

The Sandaime knew the man was desperate. He could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. But he didn't show any sign of sympathy. Instead, he chose his words carefully.

"You do realize the opportunity that girl presents?" he said, his tone measured and even.

Murakumo nodded, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. "Of course, my Lord. But..."

"But you want to make sure she's safe," the Sandaime finished for him. "I understand. And I believe I may have a solution for you."

Murakumo looked up, hope flickering in his eyes.

"There was an Ancient Scroll, something I had to dig up...the details weren't clear, but it held knowledge...knowledge I believe may aid in your endeavours..." the Sandaime trailed off, letting the words sink in.

Murakumo's eyes widened. "Anything...anything for my daughter," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The Sandaime puffed on his pipe and looked at Murakumo with a benevolent smile. "Your vote," he said simply.

Murakumo's expression changed. He knew the Sandaime wanted something in return. He could not give up the power his clan held, but he also could not risk his daughter's life. He was trapped, and the Hokage knew it.

The Sandaime continued, "Leave the training of your daughter and the state of your clan in my hands. I will ensure that she receives the guidance she needs to control her power and that your clan will prosper once more."

Murakumo bowed, the clan had held strong through the trial of times, working as an independent entity, no alliances, in the pinnacle of its power it could be compared to the great Uchiha, and the Senju, but…he sighed inwardly there was no point in thinking about it…after all it wouldn't be so bad, it was the Hokage after all.

"I shall summon you when the time is right," the Hokage dismissed the man, who bowed and left the room.

With a swift hand sign and a surge of chakra, the room was sealed. Another hand sign, and Tiger, one of the Hokage's trusted ANBU, materialized before him, kneeling respectfully.

"Fetch me your charge," the Hokage commanded.

The tiger-masked ANBU nodded and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, swiftly carrying out the Hokage's order.

As Hiruzen contemplated the situation, a sense of urgency gnawed at him. Time was of the essence, and both the boy's progress would determine the course of action. He bit his lip, considering the challenges that lay ahead. The more the girl grew accustomed to her situation, the harder it would be to guide her effectively. But there was no time for hesitation.

His musings were abruptly interrupted as he sensed the arrival of two familiar presences.

Akio and Tiger knelt before the Hokage. The boy had visibly grown stronger since their last encounter, both in physique and chakra. Hiruzen felt a surge of satisfaction. Offering his customary kind smile, he addressed the young boy.

"Have you been working on the things I asked?" the Hokage inquired.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the boy replied, excitement colouring his voice.

"Perhaps a demonstration, then?" the Hokage suggested.

Eagerly, Akio rose to his feet. With a single-handed seal, a whip of water materialized in his grasp. Another seal, and a whip of earth encircled his hand. As the boy dropped both whips, he observed the Hokage's pleased expression.

"Impressive. With only minimal instructions, achieving this at your age is quite remarkable," the Hokage commended.

Akio withheld a smirk as he continued, "Actually, I took it a step further..." He paused, meeting the Hokage's inquisitive gaze. "You mentioned that every shinobi has an affinity for one or more chakra natures, and that combining different natures leads to advanced bloodline techniques. So, Moukoton is a combination of Water and Earth, right? Well, I did this..." With deliberate grace, he performed a snake hand seal. Slowly, everyone in the room sensed the merging of water and earth chakra, witnessing wooden vines emerge from the ground.

Hiruzen was astounded. He had never anticipated that a six-year-old would grasp the technique with such minimal instructions. Even Tiger appeared taken aback by this development. Quickly regaining his composure, the Hokage wore a smile on his face.

"I'm genuinely impressed. You have exceeded my expectations, my boy," the Hokage praised with a smile. "Your achievements deserve recognition. We shall proceed to the next phase of your training, which Tiger will oversee."

The boy bowed eager to learn more as Tiger kept a hand on his shoulder disappearing in a swirl of leaves

The Hokage's thoughts then drifted to his other charge, a ghost of a smile drifted across his features as he remembered the events of last week,

—1 week ago—

'I think you should go look at your reflection'

He gasped as soon as he saw his reflection, there it was like jewels on his face, the feared eyes of the Uchiha, The Sharingan, and he grinned despite of himself he wasn't a no name orphan anymore, he was, Kazuo Uzumaki Uchiha.

Then his feet buckled for some reason a feeling of weightlessness came over him, he tripped kneeling to the ground panting, as he saw the world in more vivid details than ever, a moment later the Hokage was by his side picking him up, 'This usually occurs when you awaken the Sharingan for the first time' said the Hokage.

'Rest for now and come see me tomorrow at the Tower, if you are determined still that is, we'll have a lot to discuss'

Before Kazuo could get a word out the Hokage vanished in a swirl of leaves as he too embraced slumber

—The next day—

—The Tower—

As Kazuo made his way towards the corridors of the massive tower, at the end of which was the Hokage's office he couldn't help but marvel at the murals depicting the legendary battles of the past, he recognised a few, Senju Hashirama, The Shodaime, fighting what seemed to be a platoon of enemy Shinobi, alone atop a wooden golem, The Nidaime and his mastery over water, The Sandaime with his staff and monkey summons, another mural that caught his eye was of a man and woman fighting side my side, both had katanas in their hands, and a short sword fastened on their belts, fire and wind seemed to surround the two figures, but it didn't engulf them…no, the way it was depicted almost felt like they controlled the two elements, as if it was but a extension of them, so mesmerized was he that he didn't notice the approach of another person right in front of him

'Kazuo-san , I presume', said the beautiful lady in front of him with a smile

'Y-yes' Kazuo stuttered out

'Nice to make your acquaintance, I am Shirone the Hokage's receptionist' said Shirone smiling, 'I see you that are quite taken by these paintings?'

'Yes, they are beautiful'

'Indeed, the tales of most our heroes lie here, immortalized for all to see, was there any particular scene that caught your eyes?'

Nodding his gaze directed to the last image he was studying, the attention to detail was quite stunning, but there was something else too…

Shirone following the boy's gaze saw the object of his curiosity and couldn't help but chuckle with mirth, 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree' she thought, as she said 'The Hokage will see you now, Kazuo-kun'

He nodded as he moved forward, stepping into the office, he could see the Hokage looking over the village in deep contemplation, he thought to himself how cool the Hokage looked in his robes fretting over the village…but a movement in the corner of his vision caught his eye, the Shinobi moving about in the shadows, always protecting the Old Kage, they seemed cooler.

He was broken out of his musings as the old man cleared his throat, 'Ah it seems you made it on time Kazuo-kun' he remarked gently

He bowed his head, 'Not doing so would be a shameful act, my lord'

'Ah, such a polite boy you are, but there is no need for such formalities, come you must have questions of your own, don't you?'

Taking a seat, Kazuo contemplated all the revelations he had received—the names of his parents, his Uchiha heritage, and his true identity. He was ecstatic about being an Uchiha but couldn't help but feel a deep longing for answers. 'Who were the Uzumaki, Hokage-sama? Are any of my father's kin still alive? If so, where are they?'

The Hokage nodded in understanding, aware of the whirlwind of emotions Kazuo was experiencing. 'It's not surprising that you haven't heard of the Uzumaki,' he began. 'In their prime, the Uzumaki were a formidable clan. The name Uzumaki was synonymous with longevity and power, they were the sister clan to the Senju, who helped establish Konoha, and later even ruled over Uzushiogakure no Sato. With vibrant red hair, and enormous amounts of chakra, the Uzumaki were feared practitioners of Fuinjutsu and Kenjutsu, they were our eternal allies, many of the security measures this village uses to this day are made by them, every Jounin vest even has the insignia of your clan on the back of it, even I, bear their mark', the Hokage showed him his left sleeve a bright red spiral embroidered on it.

Kazuo, sat there his mouth agape, his palms sweating, he swallowed a lump in his throat as he asked 'Then why haven't I heard of them?'

The old Hokage bows his head, 'The Second Great War was at its apex, and Konoha was fighting a war at many fronts, both Iwa , and Kumo were knocking at our doors, and we were barely holding the line, that's when we got the news, an army contingent of a hundred thousand comprised of Iwa, Kumo, Suna, and Kiri, banded together, to launch a full scale annihilation of The Uzumaki Clan, such was the fear our enemies held, a battalion of a hundred thousand was sent to massacre a village of ten thousand, I was ready to send reinforcements the instant news reached, but the letter signed by the Uzukage at the time asked us not to, he said, "As long as Konoha lives, so will the Uzumaki, we make our last stand here, but this is not the end for us, the Uzumaki will rise again, our blood is of the old and it will speak through the generations, so will the world feel our terror again, Uzumaki, the Great Spiral that devours all" scouts later reported that none of the enemies survived the massacre they had launched, but there were no traces of the Uzumaki either, instead at the centre of Uzushiogakure there was nothing but a giant red spiral.

Kazuo's heart ached at the tragic fate that had befallen his clan. However, his quest for answers persisted. 'But the reports suggest that there were no traces of my people. Does that mean we are still out there somewhere? And if so, why did only my father come to Konoha?'

The old man brightened considerably at the question, 'To honour the alliance between our villages it was custom to have the presence of an Uzumaki in the village, since at the time, Uzumaki Mito – sama, the Shodaime's wife had grown old and weary, Uzushiogakure's first and only Uzukage, Uzumaki Ashina, The Wise, sent his second son, Uzumaki Futaro to be raised in Konoha, and maintain the seat of power as the Uzumaki Clan Head in our village. He arrived with Uzumaki Kushina, his cousin, loyal vassal, and your aunt. Those two made a name for themselves in the second war as Konoha no Fujin , and Konoha no Aka Shi, but…

The silence that followed the old man's words, made Kazuo realize that their lives too had ended tragically, he put his head down as tears streaked from his eyes…sensing the boy's tension Hiruzen broke the perhaps most hopeful news this evening

'The Uzumaki were our sworn allies, they still are, I don't believe that they are gone, not yet, scattered…yes, but gone, no, they were too strong, too proud, too stubborn to all be wiped out, in my heart I still believe that your people are out there, waiting for the day to be called again.'

Kazuo's head shot up at the Hokage's bold declaration, and he made a vow too, 'Then, as the last heir to the Uzumaki line, I, Kazuo Uzumaki Uchiha will scour the land for my lost brethren, the Uzumaki shall rise again, and all the Elemental Nations shall feel our wrath'

'Well said my boy, " .Honour" , you truly exemplify the words of your clan', Hiruzen beamed with pride, 'But this path you wish to follow will be treacherous, you'll have enemies in your way that don't wish to see your clan rise again, what will you do then?

'Then they shall face "Fire and Blood" ', the famous words of the Uchiha resonated with him as he made his declaration, cold fury in his eyes, for all who stood in his way.

The Hokage smiled a true smile, time to put the final nail in the coffin he thought, 'Then allow me to aid in your quest, my boy, for I shall allot you lands for each of your brethren that you find, rebuilding the Uzumaki in Konoha, as well as presenting you the Last Legacy your parents left behind…"

—Present—

As the old man finished reminiscing, he called for Cat, a newer recruit to his ANBU forces, possessing immense skill with the blade, the boy had asked for a sparring partner, and he had provided with his best, as she appeared kneeling in front of him, he commanded for her to report on the boy.

Cat, better known as Yugao to the shinobi and civilian populous of Konoha, stood up straight, with a quiver in her lips, she began, 'Magnificent, that is perhaps the only word I have, the boy has taken to swords as a fish takes to water, not even a week, and I can't even believe that he is self-taught, and with each spar he only get's better. I dare say, it's only through my experience and stature, that I manage to edge out a victory each time, and each day it just gets harder. And his style, I understand not what it is, I see glimpses of the famed 'Dance of the Whirpools' and 'The Dragon's Breath' but both disappear as soon as they come replaced by a flurry of jabs and strikes, that defy all sense and rationale, it's like fighting a fiery storm.' She ended breathlessly

'And his eyes?'

'What of them?, the little shit, didn't even use them once in our fights, I shudder to think what would happen if he did so.'

'I see' the old man intertwined his fingers, things were getting interesting now, but he couldn't have the boy neglecting his gifts…perhaps he thought…

'Fetch the boy, for me will you'

'At once my lord' Cat disappeared in a swirl of leaves

He then gestured to his shadow a code only he knew

As the boy then appeared, with his steel on him, two blades fastened on his waist, magnificent short swords with red hilts, and black as midnight lengths, they were short swords, that fit the boy, acted like normal swords for a child of six. He gave him a look over, muscles were defined under the baggy black shirt, no doubt a trick to hide his movements, the chakra flowed was smoother too, tempered, and rather massive for his age, though that should be no surprise.

Just then a blur of black shot from beside him though to him it was rather slow, mid chunin speeds at best he thought, and it went straight for the boy.

Akio heard the unsheathing of the blade first, sensed the approaching presence second, and saw the black blur approaching him last, instincts took over then, as he sensed the tipless tanto coming for his head, 'Kaze', the short-sword his father had left him went to block the incoming blow, as he raised 'Honō' his mother's sword for a vertical slash, intending to bisect the stranger, the blur dodged, blurring two feet backwards, and poised to strike again when a booming 'Halt' was commanded by the Hokage. The blur reluctantly sheathed his sword, as Kazuo did the same.

Getting a good look at the stranger Kazuo realized that the man was in fact an ANBU with a falcon mask on him. He could feel Cat emanating a smug satisfaction at the corner of the room looking at them, then the Hokage chose to speak again.

'Splendid, simply splendid I must say young one, your parents would be proud!'

Kazuo bowed respectfully, and the old man pressed on

'Reacting to a seasoned shinobi and even counterattacking, that too at a tender age of six, I'm pressed my boy, yet I am concerned, Cat tells me you never used your eyes in your spars, and even now you didn't even try to activate them, what's the matter young one?'

Akio flushed in embarrassment on getting caught like that, yet he collected himself, 'Mother wrote in her letter, not to be over-reliant on the Sharingan, said it spelled the end of a great many Uchiha'

The old man weighed the words carefully but there was more to it, 'Your mother speaks truly, Hikari was a true master of those eyes, yet over-reliance is one thing, and neglect is another, what good is a tool that's never used' asked the Hokage

The boy's head drooped in embarrassment.

'Yet I know you not be naïve enough to let such a resource go to waste, the Sharingan are an Uchiha's pride after all, so out with it, boy'

Kazuo looked around anxiously and then spoke, 'I can't handle it'

The Hokage was perplexed, 'What do you mean?' he asked gently

Tears pricked at the edge of his eyes, 'I don't understand, its just I hear first, sense first I don't see, I don't need to, but when the eyes are on, all is slow, and details, details so many details…' the boy was hysteric, surely not being able to use a part of his lineage troubled him

The Hokage knew not, what to say to the boy, that's when Falcon spoke up 'Sensory overload, happens to the talented young one's, happened to Itachi when he was five, you do know him don't you boy?

Kazuo stopped shaking, of course everyone knew Itachi Uchiha, the pride of the Uchiha Clan, the man was comparing him to Itachi, the Itachi?

The old man coughed 'then, I suppose you can fix the boy' asked the Hokage

'Only if you command it, my lord'

The old man nodded, 'Do it then, train the boy Falcon'

'As you wish my lord' he said and when he looked his charge in the eyes…

Kazuo saw a red pair of eyes with comas swirling about them….

AN: PHEW! I know it's been a while since I uploaded so here's a longer chapter to make up for it. Overall I am not super impressed with this one, so I'll probably rewrite it sometime later….but it does what I intended it to do now that the pieces are sort of set next time we may get into some juicy action, I cant wait for the character's to meet, and the proper story to begin, anyways aside from all this I hope you all enjoyed, please leave your remarks and reviews and stay tuned for the next chapter

Kami – God

Uzushiogakure no Sato – The Village Hidden in The Whirpools / The Village Hidden in The Eddys

Fuinjutsu – Sealing Arts

Kenjutsu – Sword Arts

Iwa – Stone

Kumo – Cloud

Suna – Sand

Kiri – Mist

Konoha no Aka Shi – Konoha's Red Death

Kaze – Wind

Honō – Flame