What If Konoha Honored the 4th Hokage's Dying Wish
Chapter 8
-Uchiha Funeral-
Words like massacre, traitors, bastards and other such ignorant obscenities were being thrown around the Konoha rumor mill. Some people were sad, like Sasuke's classmates. Others were mad, like Sasuke, his family and the Uchiha that were loyal and had no idea what was going on. Most were confused. What happened and why? Nobody really knew.
A day before the Uchiha funeral, the Hokage put out a heavily redacted version of what happened that night to the jonin ninja. Naturally, it didn't stay with them long before it reached everyone in Konoha. Most people were grateful to Sasuke's family, although they didn't know how to feel about the rest of the Uchiha. The ANBU Corps, the clan heads and their clans all attended Fugaku's funeral. Mikoto was crying and flanked by her two sons as the Hokage spoke and had Fugaku's name inscribed on the Stone of the Fallen. The traitorous Uchiha were buried by the clan, but since Fugaku died in the line of duty, fighting to protect Konoha, his was the sole name carved into the stone that day.
Mikoto felt robbed. Her husband of 15 years was taken from her. Of those 15 years, only the last two had made her truly happy. The arranged marriage to Fugaku was her obligation to her clan. At the time, she was trying to negotiate with Kushina to get her to share Minato. However, it wasn't meant to be, so she endured a loveless marriage for 13 years. Then, Naruto's impact on Fugaku had a miraculous impact on her marriage. The man began to appreciate her and show her love. Kami damnit, you better hold him there until I meet him again. Now, she had to be strong for her sons and the remainder of her clan. She knew the times ahead were going to be challenging, so she let out the last of her weakness at the funeral to strengthen her resolve for the future.
Itachi took his father's words seriously. An already unexpressive Itachi clammed up even further. Members of ANBU thanked him for his sacrifice and offered consoling words about his father. Nobody could possibly imagine being in his shoes, so it made approaching him hard. Of course, one blonde Uzumaki, heck the only blonde Uzumaki, just looked him in the eye and gave him a big hug. Naruto always had a strange kinship and understanding with Itachi. So, when Itachi's bonded brother gave him a huge hug, the single tear for the day fell from his eye.
Sasuke was generally a kind boy, a bit socially inept and awkward, but his heart was in the right place. After he "severed" his bond with Naruto, he got quite a bit colder and less expressive. He developed a language of grunts and shrugs that he used to handle 90% of his social interactions. Most kids didn't know how to handle that. Only the girls in his fan club, his family and Naruto could translate for him. Naruto hadn't seen Sasuke since his eight-birthday party, but today wasn't the time for that. After the funeral procession, Naruto went up and gave the same big hug he gave to Itachi. No words were needed. Sasuke returned the hug and cried into his best friend's shoulder. Naruto waited until Sasuke composed himself and told him that he would see him around. Naruto wouldn't find out for years-to-come how much this meant to Sasuke.
The rainy day drew to a close along with the funeral. Team Ro had the day off, so Naruto went back to the Namikaze compound. He had something he had been working on with Kurama for a long time. Today was going to be a test run.
"Okay, Kyu, you ready in there?" asked an excited Naruto.
"Hell yeah, Kit! Let's do this! I can't wait anymore to be outside." Replied an overly eager fox.
"What's the worst thing that can happen? We have studied the notes, the seal and everything else we could get our hands on?"
"Oh, I dunno. Maybe trying this will break the seal, kill you and release my wrath upon the world?"
"HaHa, Kyu. Very funny. Now, just in case that does happen, could you maybe promise not to demolish Konoha?
"Very well, Kit. You have my word."
"Alright, thumbs up, let's fucking go!"
Down in Minato's study, Jiraiya and Tsunade watched on with looks of extreme anxiety. They couldn't believe Naruto convinced them to let him do this. I mean, it is better that he asked them, but they were talking about letting a biju out of its seal. Didn't the Kyuubi want to kill them all and everything? These thoughts ran through the couple's minds as they watched Naruto enter his one tale cloak and make the cross-hand sign.
In a large poof of smoke, a shadow clone that looked like a grown up appeared. Then, almost immediately, it started transforming. The blonde hair extended into long, spiky and fiery red locks. Holding the hair back was a black bandana along the forehead. Below the bandana was a sleek face, with four whisker marks on each cheek and two narrowed blood-red eyes and had a slitted pupil. The clone was dressed in a long-sleeve black shirt that was open down the middle showing off an athletic and toned build. Below the eight pack, one white and one red sash hovered above a baggy pair of deep red pants. (AN: Imagine Guy Crimson from Tensura).
Kurama took a second to compose himself and then stumbled forward to Tsunade, clearly not used to a bipedal form. He took her hand, lifted it to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.
"Since I saw you through my Kit there, I have wanted to do that." Said a smirking Kurama.
Tsunade was so stunned that she didn't resist at all. She could not lie, the Kyuubi was hott, with a capitol H. When he kissed her hand, Tsunade's breath hitched in her chest, and she forgot to breathe. The combination of that and being extremely flustered made Tsunade break out in a brilliant blush.
Jiraiya's shock ended the moment he saw the Kyuubi put the moves on his woman. "I mean, even I have to admit that was smooth. Maybe I should put that in my notes late. Wait, what am I thinking, Tsunade-Hime is my gal!" Thought an incredulous Jiraiya.
"Oi, Fox! Hands of my lady!" screamed a jealous Jiraiya.
Kurama couldn't help himself; he could practically taste Jiraiya's jealousy after all. He looked into Tsunade's honey-suckle eyes and hit her with.
"Hey, beautiful. If that Baka there messes up and breaks your heart, you know where to find me." He finished it off with a flourish and a wink.
Before Tsunade could respond, Jiraiya charged at Kurama. A high-level ninja fight ensued for the next five minutes. Then, Tsunade and Naruto said enough was enough. Tsunade clocked Jiraiya on the back of his head and Naruto landed a chakra-reinforced kick on the Kurama clone. Instead of dispelling, Kurama went flying into the wall of the training room.
"Wait a minute, he just took a real hit. Isn't he a shadow clone?" Thought Naruto out loud.
Kurama picked himself up out of the wall and said, "My chakra is denser, Kit. You gave me a full tail worth, so I should be good to take a couple of lumps. Not like King Kong over there could land a good hit on me anyway."
Before Jiraiya could yell at the Kyuubi, Naruto cut in. "Kyu, that's enough. These two helped us with this, and they are important to me, so please play nice."
"Very well. Tsunade Senju and Jiraiya, I am Kurama, the Kyuubi-no-Kitsune, Lord of the Foxes, embodiment of hatred and executioner of evil. I will tell you the same thing I told him, knowing my name is a privilege that only I may extend. In public, you may refer to me as Kyu."
"It's nice to meet you Kyu, as you know I am Tsunade Senju, Slug princess and medic of the Densetsu no Sanin." Said a slightly too eager Tsunade.
"Kurama, eh? Very well, I am Jiraiya, Toad Sage of Mount Myuboku, Woer of Women, scourge of men, Brawler of the Densetsu no Sanin and boyfriend of Tsunade." Finished Jiraiya with his chest out and a challenging tone.
The air frosted over as Tsunade's ice-cold tone said, "Would you mind repeating that second title, Jiraiya-Kun?"
Realizing his mistake Jiraiya threw up his hands in an apologetic manner. That didn't stop Tsunade burying him halfway into the training room wall, though.
"Well, Kit, this test was a success. I am going to check out the compound for a bit." Said Kurama waving goodbye.
"Kurama, wait a sec. You said it was your chakra that made it so you could take a hit, right? Could I infuse a seal with your chakra and apply it to my shadow clones to stabilize them?" inquired Naruto.
"I don't know, Kit. Sounds doable. Why not use your free day to give it a shot? Tsunade, care to join me for some sake while I tell you about my fight with your grandfather?" asked a freakishly suave Kurama.
Jiraiya was going to yell at him that he can't do that with his Tsunade-Hime, but then he realized he really wanted to hear the story, so he just joined them for a drink instead.
After they left, Naruto summoned 100 shadow clones and they set to work drawing up the seal. Each seal would be slapped on a new shadow clone with varying results. Naruto had to admit, watching himself punch another version of himself was amusing. By the end of the night, Naruto had created a stabilizing seal. The seal used chakra to absorb damage done to the clone and repair it immediately. Most clones with the seal could now take 2-3 hits before dispelling. While it may not work when ambushed, Naruto would be keeping these tags on him for his missions. Subsequently, Naruto passed out from all the chakra he burned infusing seals and creating shadow clones. When Naruto went to the kitchen the following morning, he smelled the booze and saw all three passed out on the table and a liquor store's worth of empty sake jars. He just skipped past it, grabbed some breakfast and went to train.
-Hunting a Traitor-
Team Ro was belting through the trees at a fast pace. They were given a mission by the Hokage to capture and return Rokusho Aoi, Idate Morino and the "Sword of the Thunder God", which is a Senju family heirloom. They left the village one day behind Aoi and Idate. Naruto figured they should be close to catching up soon. Inu-Taichou's summon, a dog named Pakkun confirmed as much.
"Inu, they are about a half mile ahead. I still smell two scents. The same two you gave me leaving Konoha." Said the talking dog.
"Ok, team. The Amegakure border is less than 50 miles, and that is a No-Go Zone. We will catch them by surprise. I suggest Kitsune, a clone distraction and some seals maybe?" Drawled out a lazy Inu.
"Okay, Inu-Taichou. Let's keep pretending you want to test me and not just be lazy. Yeah, okay. As long as I can play with him for a bit, I'm in."
The team chuckled as they hopped along. The engaged the stealth seals that Naruto gave them and waited in support about 50meters away from where Naruto was now standing in front of an irate Aoi and a scared looking Idate.
Naruto started the conversation, "Rokusho Aoi, I am charged with returning you to Konoha where you will stand trial for desertion, treason and theft of a clan heirloom. Blah, blah, blah. Your rights, and yeah, fuck this shit. Are you going to put up a fight or come back quietly?"
"Who the fuck do you think you are, brat? I am a chunin and you are barely out of your diapers?" Screamed an awfully piss-off Aoi.
"Aw, shucks mister, I didn't mean it. I was just out her in the middle of nowhere playing ninja. I mean its not like I am wearing a fucking ANBU mask; you washed out instructor." Taunted a smirking Naruto.
Aoi lost all sense of reason, with a scowl on his face and green hair flapping, he charged Naruto. "What an idiot" thought all parties watching. Aoi was mere feet away, thinking that the brat couldn't keep up with his speed. Then he saw the boy glow blue and heard "boom". The shadow clone exploded in a cloud of chakra smoke with enough force to create a small mushroom cloud and leave a 5-foot in diameter crater.
"Get up, washed-out senpai-Kun. I didn't put enough into that to kill you." Said a casual Naruto walking up to Aoi's newly and forcibly relocated position.
Aoi jumped to his feet, looking all disheveled and shit, and screamed, "Now you are going to die brat!" He threw his umbrella spinning into the air and called out, 'Senbon Shower', as hundreds of Senbon sprayed from the umbrella and stuck into Naruto.
Naruto dropped to his knees and said, "Oh no! Ittai! I don't wanna die! Meh just kidding." As another clone went up in a cloud of smoke. Another Naruto appeared on scene and screamed, "Brother! Noooo!"
At this point, Aoi swore he heard laughter coming from somewhere, it may have been the ringing in his ears though. "Enough, brat! I guess it's time to get serious. To think a kid would make me use my new sword. Pitiful." Aoi said softly.
"You got that right. Pitiful was the perfect word, couldn't have said it better myself. Welp, if you are getting serious then I guess I should too." As Aoi activated the Sword of the Thunder God, Naruto made the cross hand sign. Soon, Aoi was facing 10 shadow clones. Now he knew which Naruto was the real one. All ten Narutos made the bird hand sign, and whispered, "Futon – Great Breakthrough." Ten blasts of compressed air slammed into a charging Aoi. The blasts sent Aoi careening back 300meters in the air and he rolled an extra 50meters. Team Ro watched the defector fly end-over-end, like a ragdoll shot out of an air cannon. There were "ooo's" and "ahh's" as the unconscious body of Aoi skidded across the ground and came to a stop in a heap.
"Hibi-Chan, could you go and secure the prisoner for me? Pretty please?" asked an obviously entertained blonde. "Man, Kurama is going to be so pissed he missed this one. This has to be one of my best performances." Thought Naruto. Naruto had left Kurama at the Namikaze estate. The 46-year-old Tsubaki had taken a shine to his charm, and he was more than happy to stay out of the seal.
"Aww, you're leaving the fun part to me. I knew I loved you, Gaki." Said Hibi in a playful voice as she blew a kiss and disappeared in a whirl of leaves.
Naruto turned to Idate. The boy was terrified. Yesterday, he broke into the Senju compound to steal the sword in order to get a promotion to chunin. Then his sensei killed his two teammates and said that he is a traitor now, so his only choice was to defect with him. To an irrational and emotionally compromised Idate, it made enough sense at the time. Now, he has to fight someone younger than himself that just obliterated and humiliated his sensei. Yeah, it seemed to be a bad day to be Idate.
Naruto broke Idate out of his panic, "Look, quite frankly, we don't know what happened. For all we know, you were that guy's prisoner. So why don't you come back to Konoha with us and clear this up?"
Idate didn't know what to say. He thought he was a traitor already. So, he asked, "You, you don't think I am a traitor?"
Naruto responded casually, "Nah, I can feel your fear and distress. You are no traitor. Just a kid caught up in something way too big for you to handle. So, why don't you come back? I know Ibiki will want to see you again?"
"It's not like I could beat you, anyway. Okay I will come with you." Said an emotionally exhausted Idate.
Naruto walked over, slapped some chakra-suppressant cuffs on the kid and called out to his team, "Hey Kuma, think you could save us a day of travel by carrying the kid? I don't want to put him in a prisoner scroll. My clones tell me those are SUPER uncomfortable."
Kuma simply nodded and scooped Idate up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Naruto picked up the discarded Sword and the group returned to Konoha. Kuma really did save them a day, Idate was slow as dirt compared to ANBU speeds.
Team Ro arrived at the Konoha gates the following morning. A worried Ibiki was seen waiting by the guard booth with the Immortal Gate Guards. Naruto was so glad he skipped over those useless duties. Village patrol was pretty boring, but at least he got to people watch.
"Yo, Izumo and Kotetsu! Anything cool happen today? No? Well, get a load of this!" he shouted as he whipped out the Sword of the Thunder God and channeled chakra into it. The blade sparked to life and glowed a vibrant, electric yellow.
"Damn, that is cool. Where did ya get that, Kitsune?" asked Kotetsu.
"Picked it up off a traitor." Was the simple reply.
"Fuck, I knew I should have worked harder. The ANBU get to do all of the cool shit." Pouted Izumo.
Team Ro dropped off Aoi at the Torture and Interrogation building and then headed to the Hokage office. Along the way, they listened to Hibi drone on about how cool she thinks the T and I department is. This brought a smile to Ibiki's face for the first time since his brother left. Team Ro made their report and let Ibiki and the Hokage handle the runaway genin.
-Summoning Fight-
When Naruto returned to the Namikaze estate after a long day of work, he was not expecting a shitload of people to be in his house. It was October 10th, twelve years after the Kyuubi attack. Tsubaki had organized a surprise birthday party for Naruto. Crammed inside his living room were the following from left to right: Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kyu, Tsubaki, Shukaku, Shikamaru, Yoshino, Mikoto, Shisui, Itachi, Sasuke, some pink-haired girl, Ino, Inoichi, Inara (Ino's mom), Chouza, Chouji, Chiharu (Chouji's mom), Hiashi, Hitomi, Hinata, Hokage, Danzo, Kakashi (unmasked but never unmasked if you catch the drift), Anko, Yugao, Hayate Gekkou and Daichi (Bear).
"Surprise!" roared the crowd of people.
"Well, Kyofu, your suppression seal worked. I couldn't sense any of you." Said a bemused Naruto.
The party was a great event. After the surprise, the group moved out onto the patio and ate some of Chiharu Akimichi's cooking. Many of the moms, including Tusbaki and Tsunade, were insanely jealous of the rave reviews Naruto was giving Chiharu. He made it seem likes he has only ever been fed slop before. Am I right, ladies? The glimpse into the female mind is a terrifying thing.
Many cheers were made and presents given. Nobody seemed to know who the super-hot redhead was, Naruto just said he is a long-lost uncle on the Uzumaki side. The gifts were great, and everything was going smoothly until Kyu stepped forward and announced his present. As he stepped forward, he manifested a giant scroll with 'Kitsune' written in Kanji along its length. When Jiraiya saw the scroll, he paled.
"Naruto, I found this scroll in my travels and I wanted to give it to you for your 12th birthday. It is the contract to the Kitsune Clan, and I think it suits you perfectly." Kyuubi said with a wink.
Naruto jumped up and embraced him in a hug. "Thanks, Kyu! I didn't even know there was a Kitsune summoning contract!"
"Well, there has never been a summoner. If you open the scroll, you will be the first." Kurama stated proudly. "That scroll said the Kitsune clan is where the Sage took the Kyuubi from when it was still a kit. Then, the Sage embued it with his power and gave it its 9-tails of power."
Everyone looked on in awe. Some of the adults were exchanging unsettled looks. The Hokage had approved this with Kyu last week. Due to good behavior, Kyu was let out of the compound to explore Konoha. He approached Hiruzen and introduced himself, which made the Hokage nearly die from shock. Thank kami Hiruzen had enough sense to dismiss the ANBU guard; otherwise, there would be panic and mass hysteria in Konoha.
This was the first Jiraiya had heard of this. Damnit why was he distracted by those wonderful works of Kami that were popping out of Tsunade's kimono. He had planned on giving Naruto the toad summoning contract today. He had already approved it with Bunta and Fukusaku. This distress inspired Jiraiya to jump up.
"Wait a minute, Naruto! Before you go and sign that, I want to give you my present!" Screamed Jiraiya as he pushed through the crown to get to Naruto. Once there he ripped the scroll off of his back. "Look, Gaki. I can't tell you all the reasons you should sign the toad contract, but if you are going to be my apprentice, then you should sign this contract."
Kyu took immediate offense to this. Sure, he had moved past his grudges and was definitely not still pouting about that giant toad holding him down 12 years ago. If he were at full-strength and not being controlled by that stupid genjutsu, that toad would have been roadkill. More time for rumination later, now was the time to win the kid over.
"Kit, while it is pretty obvious that foxes are far cooler than toads, I will be the bigger man and let you choose. Just know that this choice could affect your future in a significant way."
There was no way, no way in hell Jiraiya could ignore that jab. The pride of the toads was on the line.
"Kyu, would you kindly go fuck yourself? Toads are one of the three great summoning contracts. The toads are useful in battle and infiltration. They can be used as messengers too! Gaki, I have already talked to the toad elders, you are a shoo in. You should definitely sign my contract." Jiraiya, never the one to learn the subtle aspects of the political arts, insisted.
All parties involved watched the bickering in bemusement. There were more than a few feelings of jealousy that Naruto caught as well. This was a party, not a time to make life altering decision. So, he did the only thing he could, he played both sides.
Holding his hands up in a neutral and calming manner Naruto addressed his two favorite knuckleheads.
"Thank you, both of you. I feel like this is something that needs more thought, so we will continue this tomorrow when we don't have so many guests. Would it be too much to ask to sign both contracts?"
Both men twisted their head away from the other in disgust at the idea of sharing a summoner. It was a pretty big taboo after all. Naruto knew he was going to have to talk to the proud Kitsune about it later.
Naruto took a more serious and direct tone, "Later, you two. For now, just go drink some sake."
Despite how much the two despised each other's company, they challenged each other at everything for the rest of the night. Eating contest, drinking contest, burping contest, push-up contest … are they sure they aren't children? Tsunade provided Naruto with the perfect word later in the night, manchild.
As the crowd was clearing out and Naruto was saying goodnight to the Hokage, Hiruzen spoke up.
"Naruto-kun, could you tell Kitsune to be in my office at 1000 tomorrow? Please and thank you."
"Sure thing, GiGi." With that, Naruto found the comfort of his pillow and laid the day's events to rest.
The next day Naruto woke up and put in his morning workout as usual. He was up to resistance level four on his gravity seal. It made any workout challenging, especially with the weight seals set to 50pounds a piece. It made keeping up with Guy and Lee running around Konoha impossible. Naruto often ran into them during his morning runs. Quite the eccentric pair. Naruto returned to the house, created a horde of shadow clones to deal with the mess left over from the party and then went to wake up Jiraiya and Kyu. They needed to hash this out.
Naruto found the pair passed out on the couch, for two guys that seem to hate each other, they spend an awful lot of time together… A quick water jutsu and some screaming with a side of eggs and bacon later, Naruto led the conversation.
"Kyu, Kyofu, you both know that you are important to me. I need a serious answer, is there a middle ground on this?" They both responded negatively. "Okay, I was thinking about this a lot of last night. Jiraiya-Kyofu, I am bound to Kurama. There is no denying that. So, I make this offer the toads, I will be rebuilding the Uzumaki clan. I plan on enrolling in the CRA to assist me in this. Yes, you pervert, wipe that look off your face. Anyway, what if I promise to make the toads the official summons of the Uzumaki clan?"
The look on Jiraiya's face went from dejected to pensive to content. "I will make the offer to the toads, Gaki. You have no idea how much pressure Ma' and Pa' were putting on me to find a new summoner. They would likely want to meet you and evaluate your character before they make that decision though."
Naruto turned to Kurama, "Kurama, does this mean you are acknowledging me? Will you progress my training in your chakra?"
"Yup, kit. We will start on the third tail. As I have previously warned you, each tail makes it harder to control. With your current physique, you should be able to handle three tails. Once you sign the Kitsune contract, our bond will deepen. We will have to return to the Sage Forest and meet the Kitsune clan. With me by your side, you should have nothing to worry about."
"Okay, Kyofu, can you summon the elder toads here for me? I wish to handle this myself."
"Sure thing, gaki. You are saving me the trouble. Give me a minute to build up the chakra, despite their small size Ma' and Pa' cost quite a bit of chakra."
After a few minutes, Jiraiya went through the hand signs, bit his thumb and smeared the blood on his palm then hit said palm on the table. With a 'Kuchios no jutsu" and a puff of smoke, two small toads in cloaks appeared. The pea green toad with white hair, big white eyebrows and a white goatee spoke up.
"Jiraiya-boy, did you have to interrupt breakfast? We waited for you to summon us all last night."
Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head and replied sheepishly, "Sorry, Pa'. Some things happened. This here is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. He said he wanted to talk to you. Oh, and that there is the Kyuubi."
Both toads turned to look at Naruto and then processed what Jiraiya said. Then their eyes bugged out and they slowly turned their heads to look at Kyu. He gave them a casual wave and a "Yo." Ma' took the reigns as Pa' recovered from a minor heart attack. Ma' is a pale-yellow colored toad with a purple perm.
"Naruto-Chan, it is nice to finally meet you. Jiraiya-Kun has told us so much about you. I am sure there is much to discuss about … him. For now, what did you wish to talk to us about?"
Naruto bowed deeply into and L-shape, "Ma' and Pa', I sincerely apologize for not being able to sign your contract. When I met Kyu four years ago, I made a promise to him that I would earn the right to be his partner. Last night he offered me the Kitsune contract. In keeping to my word, I find it only right that I become the Kitsune's first summoner. I am deeply sorry if I have offended you." Naruto stayed bowed until Pa' spoke up.
"It is a shame to miss out on such a wonderful young man as a summoner."
Before Pa' could close the conversation, Naruto spoke up again. "Kyofu informed me that the toads are looking for a new summoner. As the last known Uzumaki and future clan head of the Uzumaki clan, I promise you a summoner from my line. If you wish, I will formally make the toads the official summons of the future Uzumaki clan. Forgive me if I overstepped my bounds, but I wanted to demonstrate my sincerity to have a good relationship with your honorable clan."
Pa' and Ma' had to roll their tongues up off the floor, even Kurama was impressed with such an offer. Should they refuse, he would have to take Naruto up on that for the Kitsune clan. Little did Kurama know that Naruto planned to make an offer to the Kitsune clan for the Namikaze clan.
"That is a most interesting idea, Naruto-Boi. I will have to review this with Bunta and the great toad elder. When we have come to a decision, we will give our reply through Jiraiya-chan here." Pa said earnestly.
After a little more conversation, the elder toads said their goodbyes and went back to Mount Myuboku. Jiraiya was relieved that he didn't have to do anything at all, and his godson might have set the toads up for the foreseeable future.
-Uzushiogakore-
A little while after his talk with the toads, Kitsune reported with team Ro to the Hokage's office. Hiruzen had four copies of himself reviewing papers and sorting them. The Hokage was reclined in his chair smoking a particularly potent herb.
"Team Ro, I am glad you could make it today. You are to rendezvous with the Sanin Jiraiya and head to the ruins of Uzushiogakore. You are to protect Kitsune while he follows instructions left to him by Lady Kushina. Kitsune will assume command when you have gotten to the ruins. You will meet Jiraiya at the gates in 10minutes. When you leave fire country, you are to remove your masks and assume your jonin identities until you return to the Land of Fire."
With a salute and a "Hai, Hokage-Sama" team Ro disappeared from the Hokage's office and went to pack for an extended trip. They met Jiraiya at the gate, made it out of the Land of Fire without incident and embarked on a boat for Uzushiogakore. The boat captain was nervous, but when Jiraiya paid him double his normal fee, he shut up.
After a day of travel by boat, the captain halted the boat and pointed to the whirlpools. Naruto learned from his mother's scroll how to deal with these. He hopped out of the boat and made a chain of hand signs, bit his thumb and slammed his hand down on the water. The whirlpool collapsed in on itself in a might roar. Naruto jumped back on the boat and ushered the captain forward. The whirlpool would only stay inactive for 15 minutes and they didn't have the fastest boat.
After passing the whirlpools, the island of Uzushiogakore came into view, all at once. Naruto marveled at the power of the security seals that were still protecting the island. The captain parked the boat and said he would wait for the group for up to a week. Team Ro nodded to show they understood and set off to explore the island. As soon as Naruto landed, he could feel that something was off. Such a beautiful island should not have so many negative emotions attached to it. The deeper the group journeyed into the island; the more negativity Naruto felt. The piles of bone and weapons the group walked past only contributed to the negative energy Naruto was picking up.
Kyuubi offered his two cents, "Kit, I know you feel it. This is the energy of souls that have yet to move on. It seems there are a lot of souls that never got the chance to move on here. Our seal is reacting to it as well."
"Kyu, do you think I should summon Him? I know there are risks attached to it, but I can't get past all of this hate. It is clouding my mind."
"I don't know, Kit. He may just take your soul as the price for annoying him. Sage, who am I kidding, I know you are going to do it so just get it over with."
Naruto called the group to a halt getting concerned looks from the group. Naruto gave them a brief rundown of what he is feeling. Naruto ignored Jiraiya's objections, the Hokage clearly stated he was in charge once they got to the island. That is what he would fall back on anyway. Jiraiya tried to stop him, but he only caught a shadow clone.
Naruto distanced himself from the group and positioned himself where he felt the strongest negative energy. Naruto conjured his chakra cloak with one tail and then began the long hand sign sequence that Kurama was sending him through the mental link. For those wondering, Kurama was just reading it off of the Uzumaki scroll from one of Naruto's memories. After a couple minutes, Naruto bit his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground.
Immediately, the air on the whole island turned bitterly cold, a silence filled the air and the environment seemed frozen in time. A ghastly figure with purplish skin and long white hair appeared. Two red horns peeked out from the white hair. In its mouth, among rows of rotted and sharpened teeth, was a knife. The Shinigami wore a billowing white cloak that swayed in the wind.
"Why have you summoned me, mortal?" came the frigid voice of the Death god.
Naruto bowed low, showing complete submission to the god in front of him. "Shinigami-Sama, forgive me for summoning you without your permission, I have prepared this chakra in recompense for your journey."
The Shinigami reached out a long boney finger and touched Naruto's chakra cloaked. It disappeared and Naruto instantly felt drained.
"Your offering is sufficient, now tell me why you have summoned me, mortal."
"Shinigami-Sama, I just arrived in this land. This is the island of Uzushiogakore and a great battle was fought here over 25years ago. I felt many negative emotions and your seal that you gave me reacted to them. I learned of your summoning agreement with the Uzumaki clan and wanted to see if you could lay these souls to rest. This is my ancestral home and I do not wish it to stay clouded in such negativity."
The Death god looked around at something Naruto could not see. He raised and arm and two beautiful, ghostly figures flew out of the cuff of his sleeve. They returned a few minutes later, disappeared into the sleeves and the Shinigami fixed its eyes on Naruto.
"You have done a good deed, mortal. It is not often that Yami forgets to collect nearly 10,000 souls. It must be the barrier around this island. Your chakra offering and the souls collected earns you a favor from me, mortal. Speak it."
"What is up with all-powerful beings and favors?" Thought Naruto.
"It is a code of honor, Kit. Your Father is in the Shinigami's belly, Kit. Just thought I would let you know." With that, Kurama went back to observing.
"Shinigami-Sama, I do not wish to offend by overstepping my bounds. Is it possible for you to pass the soul of Minato Namikaze on to the Pure World and restore the other half of my friend here." He said while pointing to the seal on his stomach.
"That is a great favor to ask, mortal. The souls here are insufficient, though I will grant you this favor. In return for the second part, there are two people that live in this realm that have incurred the wrath of Yami and me. In return for restoring Kurama, you will need to kill these two people. The have cheated death and are long overdue. Do you accept?
"For Kurama, I will do all I can, Shinigami-Sama. Should you have need of me, I vow to answer your call in the future." Naruto said while bowing low again once more.
With that, the Shinigami plucked the knife from its teeth, plunged the knife hilt-deep into its stomach and swipe it across the length of its stomach. It reached a hand in and pulled out a single soul. Naruto watched the soul take the shape of his father. His father wore a confused look until he saw Naruto. Once they made eye contact, Minato broke out in a full smile. Then, the Shinigami used its right hand and pulled out a glowing red orb of chakra. The Shinigami extended its arm and placed the orb on Naruto's seal. The white-hot pain that followed lit up every nerve ending in Naruto's body.
After what seemed like an eternity, the pain faded, and Naruto watched the Shinigami touch a finger to his head. When the ice-cold finger made contact with Naruto's head, he saw the images and names of two people, Kakazu and Hidan.
"It is good to work with the Uzumaki once more. Do hold up your end of our bargain, or your soul and the soul of Kurama are forfeit to me upon your death. If you complete this task, I will call on you again in the future, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze." With those parting words the Shinigami disappeared, along with the icy feeling on the island.
Naruto collapsed to his knees, struggling to catch his breath and regain feeling in his body. Jiraiya raced over to Naruto and caught him before he passed out. Naruto was pulled into his mindscape, and he stumbled across the field to where Kurama normally rested. In his tired state, he wasn't ready to see two twenty-story-tall foxes sitting and talking in the field. Beside the Kurama that Naruto knew, was an identical copy, except it had a darker coat of fur that was more burnt orange.
"Well, Kit. Now you have done it. This is the Yin half of my chakra that your father sealed away. I have shown it your memories and our interactions. He wishes to ask you some questions before he agrees to merge back into me."
The darker furred fox moved from a sitting position on its haunches to a prone position with its head resting on its paws. It took in Naruto from head to toe.
"I can't believe my other half trusted a human child. One so young. Tell me, ningen, why should I entrust you with my power?"
"Um, Kurama? Or should I call you Kyuubi? Oh, no, no, no. It has to be Kyu Two!" Mused Naruto out loud, to the amusement of Kurama and the frustration of Kyu Two.
"Do not play games with me, Ningen. I could devour your soul and end this farce right now!" Roared Kyu Two.
"My apologies, Kyu Two. Names are important to all creatures. Kurama has let me know how important your name is. I needed to know how to address you. That's all. As for your question, you have seen Kurama's memories, have you not? If that character statement is not enough, I will let you think on this. I just made a deal with the Shinigami and now our souls are bound even more tightly together. If you kill me, we all go to his stomach. I don't know about you, but I do not wish to reside there for eternity. In return for your trust, I offer you the same promise I made to Kurama. I will become strong enough to earn the right to your power. I will work with you as a partner to bring peace to the elemental nations an assist your brethren in any way I can. At the end of my life, should I not find a way to free you before then, I will free you before I leave this world." Naruto delivered this with an absolute calm and confidence that added a certainty to his words.
Kurama smirked at his counterpart. "Kyu Two wasn't ready for the logic defying confidence of this blonde gaki." At this thought Kurama paled. "I really need to kill that white haired toad; I am even starting to think like him now. Kami damn him!"
Kyu Two was floored, no Gob-smacked. He had seen Kurama's memories, but nothing could have prepared him for that. Not even 12 years inside that blasted Fourth Hokage could have prepared him for this. This child was … unique. Kyu Two found himself agreeing with Kurama that this was the child their father spoke of. Kyu Two looked up from Naruto and turned to his counterpart.
"Ok, Kurama. Let's get this over with. Naruto, before we do this, I have added a door for you to explore when you have time. I think you will find it worthwhile. That is my payment to you for freeing me from the Shinigami and reuniting me with my Yang half."
Naruto chimed in, "Thanks, Kyu Two! I will be sure to check it out. See you on the other side."
Kurama nodded and both foxes returned to a seated position, resting on their haunches. They then leaned forward and touched their heads together. A brilliant flash of light made Naruto cover his eyes. When he opened his eyes, Naruto bugged out a little bit. Kurama was now twice as big. Naruto could barely see his eyes from all the way up there. Kurama smirked as he caught the look Naruto was giving him.
"I thank you, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. I am Kurama, the true Kurama, as was made by the Sage of the Six Paths. I hereby vow to honor all previous agreements made between us. I will hold you to all promises made as well. A gift was granted you by my Yin half before we synchronized. As for the gift from my Yang half, it asked me to grant you all of my senses. You already had enhanced senses; however, now when you channel my chakra to your senses you will see and perceive the world as I do. Be warned, it is a lot to take in. Now I need my rest. We will continue this at another time."
With that Naruto faded from his mindscape and rested in a dreamless sleep.
-Inheritance-
Naruto woke with a start. Anko was sleeping in his sleeping bag, curled around him. This is no surprise, she did it nearly every night in the Forest of Death. Naruto wriggled out of her death grip and exited the tent. Jiraiya had the last watch and turned to look at him when he exited the tent.
"I see you returned to the land of the living, Gaki. Do you want to tell me exactly what in the hell happened?" His tone sounded strict, but Naruto picked out the concern in it as well.
So, Naruto recounted his encounter with the Shinigami, the halves of Kurama and the full Kurama. Naruto thought he really should start carrying a camera on his person. The pictures he could get from Gob-smacking people would be excellent blackmail. Yes, he thought, yes, I turned gob-smacked into a verb, because I am awesome, dattebayo! Breaking from his thoughts, Naruto waved his hand in front of Jiraiya's face. Finally, Jiraiya broke free of his trance.
"Only you, Gaki. Holy shit, what am I going to tell Tsunade-Hime? She would kill me for letting you summon the Shinigami. Do you have to tell her?"
Naruto answered him with a bemused smirk. Naruto felt good today, he felt like he was whole again. It felt like he was stronger. With this thought, Naruto made the tiger hand sign and let out a "Great Fireball Jutsu" into the air. It was bigger. Almost 1.5 times its normal size, but it wasn't nearly as controlled.
"Kami damnit! This means I will have to do more chakra exercises!" he screamed.
This woke the rest of team Ro. They all checked in on Naruto in their own unique ways. Passing this impromptu checkup, the team ate and then headed to the ruins of Uzushiogakore. Walking through the ruins of the city, Naruto couldn't help but feel sad. Despite encouragement from everyone, even the new Kurama, the grief lingered over Naruto.
Finally, Naruto made the way to the cottage on the northwest edge of the village. It was rundown and looked very simple but looks can be deceiving. Naruto channeled some or Kurama's chakra to his eyes and he had to close them immediately. Everything was so bright and in so much detail. Not to mention the chakra he could see fixed into the seal array on the wall. It was practically blinding. He would have to learn how to control this later. For now, Naruto opened the door, broke the genjutsu hiding the sealing array and inspected it. He had Jiraiya come in too. They both agreed that blood and chakra would need to be provided at three key points on the sealing array. So, Naruto cut his thumb with a Kunai to get enough blood to place on the three points. Then he focused his chakra into those points. The sealing array glowed a vibrant blue and a line of chakra manifested and took Naruto out the door and into the treeline. It stopped at about chest level on what appeared to be a normal tropical tree.
Naruto sighed and he once again cut open his thumb, "What is with the Uzumaki and all of these blood seals? Are they trying to drain me dry?" With a little more blood and chakra Naruto placed his hand onto the free and felt the seal respond. A few feet away a lock clicked open on a door that was hidden in the foliage. Jiraiya opened the door and Naruto asked the group to set camp there and wait for him.
Naruto walked down the staircase and into the dark. He activated his Kitsune eyes and had to admit they were far better in a dimly lit atmosphere.
"Foxes are nocturnal hunters, Kit. We were made to hunt in the dark. With time, you will learn to compensate for the light." With a 'thanks, kyu' Kurama resumed spectating Naruto's journey down the path. After passing through multiple chakra and blood barriers, Naruto came upon a door with an Uzumaki clan crest. Naruto tried the usual and smeared some blood on the crest and pumped some chakra into the crest, but it didn't work. So, he read the writing on the door.
"Speak the thing that is the most important to the Uzumaki" Naruto thought that his was easy. He said, "Family". With that, the first door opened.
The next door read, "Speak. What is the purpose of power?"
Naruto had to think on this one a little bit. He had read over his mother's scroll extensively. He almost always had five clones devoted to working on it. In the clan histories, the Uzumaki rarely, if ever, started a conflict. There were tales of battles fought to avenge the fallen, but most of the Uzumaki clan's battles were fought around Uzu-no-Kuni. That is when it hit him.
"To protect that which we hold most important." The last part was probably not necessary, because the door started opening after he said protect. Whatever, he felt like he gave the better answer.
Naruto came upon the third door. This one was more ornate than the previous two. Illustrations of dragons circling around the whirlpools in the center of each door projected an air of majesty into the gloomy hallway. After examining the seal array, Naruto found a unique blood seal on each door. He had to write out his mother's name in blood over the array on the left. Damn healing factor made him cut open his finger four times for this array alone. He resolved then and there to limit the use of blood in all future Uzumaki seals. This was just getting ridiculous. For the door on the right, he had to inscribe his own name over the array. When this was complete, the doors unlocked, and a barrier shimmered out of existence.
Inside the door were two separate rooms. One room held several scrolls lined up neatly on shelves. In the other room were racks of weapons and armor that still held their sheen after 25 years. Naruto could sense barriers present in front of each room that were linked to a pedestal in the middle of the room. Naruto inspected it for a bit and then fed some of his chakra into the pedestal. A chakra projection brought itself into existence using his chakra.
"Greetings, my fellow Uzumaki descendant. My name is Orashi Uzumaki, the final Uzukage of Uzushiogakore no Sato. I am preparing this message in hopes that a true Uzumaki will return to our ancestral home and never let our storied history die. In these vaults is the summation of the Uzumaki clans' history and achievements. I am proud of all we have accomplished, and I pray to Kami that you will maintain the honor and traditions of the Uzumaki clan. I do not have too much time, but I wish to make a final request. The Uzumaki have always fought for our people and for our home. Do not seek retribution for what was done in the past. Blood only begets more blood. Be better that the previous generations. Seek peace with a strength none dare to defy. Live boldly, so that others may see the example you set. Find happiness in that which is precious to you, do not waste time on frivolous possessions. Finally, use your power and might to help those that cannot help themselves. We will be watching you from the Pure World, dear ancestor. May Kami protect you."
Naruto was silent after listening to the final message of a once great clan. Naturally, Kurama felt he had to chip in.
"Now I see where you get it from, Kit. It is in your blood. I regret never meeting this clan without being its prisoner. It seems they inherited the Sage's teachings. I will leave you to it, but I wanted you to know that I would ask the same things of you."
Naruto couldn't help but smile at his partner's words. Despite the tears falling from his cheeks, Naruto felt the happiness of knowing who and where he came from. He couldn't get that from his father's scroll, it had a time seal on it and wouldn't open for another year. Due to this, he felt fulfilled by getting access to his Uzumaki clan history. At the entrance to each room was a master seal. He channeled his chakra into it and the room of scrolls was sealed into a big master scroll, like the one his mother left for him in Konoha. He secured this one to his back. Before he did that on the armory side, he saw a beautifully crafted wakizashi in the armory. It had a blackened blade that glistened in the ambient light. The edge of the blade was a tinted red metal and thinned down into a razor-sharp edge. The hilt was wrapped in a blood red fabric, and it had a beautiful, cut ruby laid into its pommel. Naruto could see the seals embedded into the blade. At the base of the blade extending out to about a third of the blade's length was the name of this magnificent creation, Uzu no Hashi (the whirlpool's edge). This one, this one he would carry on him. Removing his current blade, he placed the Uzu no Hashi in its scabbard, which was a faded black with red tinting. Kurama growled his approval from the back of his mind.
After making sure he secured all that was left for him and securing his belongings, Naruto made the trek back to his comrades. When he emerged, the sun was setting. They agreed to camp there for the night and then return to the boat. Naruto told them about his adventure under Uzushio and the message left by his ancestors. He was excited to share what he had learned about his clan. He was even more excited to return to Konoha and begin sorting through what was left for him.