Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does. Also any series referenced in the story, yeah I don't own them either.

Speech - Well hey there Iruka-sensei

Thought - So what's the best move here.

Bijuu / Summon Speech - I'll show you some serious honorbound duty!

Bijuu / Summon Thought - Kit, show me that you're different from other humans.

Technique - Rasengan!

Text - I have sent this friendly little letter to inform you.

Shingetsu - Yo, I'm Shingetsu!

Annotation [0]

Chapter 2, Training Days.

It had been two weeks since Naruto had decided to not take the exams. Currently it was morning and Naruto was looking at himself in the mirror, admiring the new outfit that Kurenai-sensei and Hinata had helped him pick out. Of course they did it on the suggestion of the hokage, but still it was nice of them. His current attire fit him rather well.

He wore a burnt orange long sleeve shirt. Black anbu style pants with black combat boots. The boots were designed for shinobi who tended to rely on kicks in battle, as they protected the user's feet better than the sandals worn by most shinobi. Of course they were made of the same chakra conductive material as the regular shinobi sandals.

Around his waist was a dark blue utility belt with five different pouches, useful for carrying various scrolls. Over his shirt was a short-sleeved red coat with a black flame pattern around the hem [1]. He didn't know why, but Kurenai had said the Hokage had suggested it. His Hitai-ate was now tied to his left arm. On his head was a wide brimmed black hat with a blue plume. Hinata had suggested it to him, as she said it looked good on him. He already had a few fun ideas for the hat. Most of which involved the wonders of Fuinjutsu. To finish off his look was a burnt orange and blue scarf that Hinata had chosen for him.

Little did Naruto know, she hadn't bought it, she had knitted it herself. Hinata enjoyed knitting as a hobby and had knit this scarf for him as a birthday present. She had just decided to give it to him early to go with his new outfit.

Naruto smiled as he attached his kunai pouch to his right leg. He was looking forward to today. He had a big plan for today, today he would try to meet Kyuubi. Yesterday the hokage had given him a book about Jinchuruki. It had mentioned that it was possible to visit the seal and converse with the Bijuu. Naruto planned to do just that, as he wanted to meet the fox face to face.

He would of course send out his usual several hundred shadow clones to train in other things, like Fuinjutsu, trap making, and his chakra control. But the real him would be trying to enter his mindscape so he could visit the seal. With those thoughts, Naruto left his apartment with a smile on his face. Today was going to be a good day. Little did Naruto know how right he was. Because today would be a day that would change his life forever.

Hinata walked through the village, looking for Naruto. The past couple weeks had been both good and bad. Things at home had been difficult thanks to her dropping out of the chunin exams in the first round. Most of the elders had been quite upset at that, but luckily both her father and grandfather stood up for her. So she wasn't at risk of losing her place as heiress, but it didn't mean that things weren't tense at the clan compound.

On the bright side though, she had gotten closer to Naruto-kun. She had gotten to spend quite a bit of time with him when he wasn't training, and she had even managed to give him the scarf she had made. A fact that Kiba had teased her about when he found out. Currently she was heading towards the training ground that she knew that Naruto preferred to use, watching him always gave her a boost of confidence.

Little did Hinata know that today would be a day that would change everything for her, and when she looked back on it, would be the best day of her life.

(Training ground 41)

Naruto walked into the empty training ground and looked around before smiling, this place would work perfectly. After summoning the various clones and assigning them their jobs, Naruto sat down and began to meditate. This was what the book said to do. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

(In Hokage Office at time)

Hiruzen sat in his chair looking at the tall white-haired man sitting on the other side of the desk. The white haired man was his student Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, as well as Konoha's Spymaster. "It's been a while Jiraiya."

"It has sensei. How's Naruto doing? I heard Kakashi was training him, I bet he's gotten pretty good if the bridge in Wave is anything to go off of."

Hiruzen sighs as he pulls out a folder and hands it to Jiraiya. The Toad Sage accepts the folder and begins to read. "Naruto's education was stunted and sabotaged, this had only come to light recently. I told Kakashi that he would need to help Naruto fix the damage that was done. Instead Kakashi neglected his job and focused on Sasuke and he gave Sakura occasional tips. He completely ignored Naruto, instead using him as a way to help train Sasuke."

Jiraiya put down the folder as he frowned. "I can't believe Kakashi would do this to Naruto." Jiraiya took a deep breath to calm down before shaking his head as he closed the folder. "Well either way, we have officially proven that Naruto is a genius just like his dad. I mean he made that much progress in just two weeks?"

Hiruzen nodded as he puffed on his pipe. "Yes, he began to train on the day of the first exam and he quickly learned the things he needed. The Shadow Clone jutsu is perfect for him. At this rate I'm certain Naruto will surpass both me and his father by the time he is twenty-five. But please don't call him a genius. Naruto hates that term, he believes that the only thing that matters is hard work."

Jiraiya nodded. "I agree with that, I was the dead last of the class, but look at me now."

Hiruzen chuckled before he said. "I was planning to tell him about his heritage soon. Would you prefer I do it while you're here?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, it's time to face the music."

"Should I call for him now? Or would you like a few more hours before you get castrated?"

Jiraiya shivered. "You don't think he would do that do you?"

"Him personally? No, not at all." Jiraiya relaxed, but the next words made him tense up again. "But knowing him, if you don't earn his forgiveness, he will likely make certain that you're never able to do your research in Konoha again without being caught."

"Um, you know, let's wait a few hours. I need to get some things to make sure Naruto doesn't kill me." With those words Jiraiya jumped out the window.

Hiruzen chuckled as he watched Jiraiya flee before he said quietly. "Probably a good idea."

(At the Training ground)

Naruto had been meditating for an hour. He was getting tired of sitting still. "Damn it, this just isn't working." With that thought Naruto opened his eyes, only to find he was no longer in the training ground. Instead he was in a massive sewer and was floating on top of water. "What the hell?" He stood up, not noticing the fact he was standing on the water without using chakra. "Did someone throw me in the sewer again? No that's impossible, I'm pretty sure I would notice being carried."

It took a few moments for Naruto to realize where he was. "Am I in my mindscape? But why is it a sewer?" As he wondered this, he began to walk forward, after a few minutes he arrived in a large room with a cage. The doors of the cage were held shut by a paper that read. "Seal."

Naruto walked forward to try and see into the darkness when suddenly a pair of huge red eyes opened. Suddenly a claw shot from the cage and stopped an inch from Naruto who managed to stop from jumping back. He knew the seal would stop Kyuubi from hurting him. A grin appeared

in the darkness as a deep voice sounded. "Well this is surprising. I thought for sure you would have jumped from that. So why does my jailer honor me with his presence?"

Naruto sat down "Nah, I know the seal stops you from actually hurting me unless I enter the cage. For why I'm here, well I thought it might get lonely being stuck in a cage all alone for fourteen years. So I decided to come and try and lighten up your day."

Kyuubi just stared at the young blond in confusion. "What?" The Kyuubi was struck dumb by what Naruto had just said. He could sense that Naruto wasn't lying. He really was here to try and make his day better.

Naruto gave Kyuubi a sad smile as he said. "It hurts when you're forced to be all alone doesn't it? I've been through that, I didn't have many people who cared about me growing up. Since I know what it's like I decided that I would make sure you don't have to go through it as well. So I'll be your friend dattebayo!"

Kyuubi frowned as he said. "Boy do you know who I am?"

Naruto frowned. "How could I know who you are, if you've never told me your name?"

Kyuubi was once again struck speechless. Other than his youngest brother Asura, no one human had ever cared about his name. As he looked at Naruto he swore he saw the image of Asura overlap with Naruto's own for a few moments. Kyuubi thought for a few seconds before he said. "My name is Kurama."

Naruto grinned. "It's great to finally know your name, Kurama. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Future hokage of Konoha." As he said this he tipped his new hat.

Kurama couldn't help but grin as well, it was infectious. Naruto looked around before he said. "I guess I give new meaning to the saying mind in the gutter huh? But seriously, why is my mind a sewer? Is it possible to change it?"

Kurama chuckled at the joke before he spoke. "Sadly Naruto, your mindscape is stuck like this. It's a reflection of what your experiences have done to your psyche. Maybe in time it will change, but for now you're stuck with a sewer. If it makes you feel better, it already looks a bit better than it did while you were a child."

Naruto sighed. "Oh well, is there any way I can make your time here a little better?"

"Well you could allow me access to your senses. It gets boring just sleeping and looking at a sewer all the time. All you would have to do is think about allowing me to do it and the seal will let me share your senses."

Naruto grinned."Sounds good to me. Anything else I can do while I'm here?"

Kurama waved his paw. "Nothing else right now. You can feel free to leave, because I'm going back to sleep." With that Kurama laid his head down on his paws and closed his eyes.

Suddenly Naruto found himself back in the Training ground. He smiled as he sat there. He felt like he made some progress. He really did want to be friends with Kurama.

Naruto frowned as he heard something. It sounded like someone had stepped on a twig. Naruto stood up and moved over to the area where he heard the sound. There was a shuffling sound. Naruto looked behind the tree to see Hinata. "Um, hi there Hinata."

Hinata had spent the last hour watching Naruto meditate. She had been confused as to what he was trying to do. A little ways away was his army of shadow clones, all practicing various things.

She smiled seeing Naruto growing stronger. He never gave up, no matter what anyone said. She was also happy to see that he was wearing that scarf she gave him. Seeing the scarf brought up her hopes that one day she would be able to walk by his side. As she smiled at the thought, she accidentally stepped back, right onto a twig, snapping it in the process.

She froze when it happened, and a moment later a voice sounded from beside the tree. "Um hi there Hinata." Hinata looked up to see her crush standing there looking at her.

She began to panic, unsure of what to do, until a small part of her mind whispered the answer to her. So she repeated exactly what that small part of her said. "H-hello Naruto-kun, sorry to surprise you. I-I was wondering if you needed help with training."

Naruto smiled as he said. "Well that's nice of you Hinata-chan, sure I would love some help."

Before she could start jumping for joy, an anbu appeared in a body flicker. The anbu was a woman with long purple hair and a cat mask. "Genin Uzumaki, you are to report to the Hokage's office as soon as possible."

"Jiji needs me? I'll be there shortly,"

The anbu nodded as she disappeared. Naruto turned to Hinata as he said. "Sorry Hinata-chan, I need to go. But you can feel free to help me anytime, I'll even treat you to ramen afterwards."

Hinata gave a small smile. "O-ok Naruto-kun, maybe we can train together tomorrow."

Naruto smiled as he gave her a thumbs up. "That sounds like a plan, dattebayo. I'll see you then." With that Naruto quickly hurried out of the field to see what the hokage needed, leaving his clones to finish what they were doing. As well as a blushing Hinata who was excited for tomorrow.

(Hokage's office)

Naruto opened the door and entered. "Hey there, jiji. Neko said you needed me." That's when Naruto noticed the man with the white hair standing in front of the Hokage's desk. Strapped to the old man's back was a large scroll, with a black sheath that held a katana positioned above it. "Who's the old guy, jiji?"

Jiraiya grinned as he said. "I'm so glad you asked." Suddenly Kabuki music began to sound and he did a dance. "I am the conqueror of women everywhere, the being who rules over all things manly, the great super pervert and toad sage of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya of the sannin!" He slammed his hand on the ground and a large toad appeared under him while he struck a pose.

Naruto looked at the toad sage before shaking his head. "I'm so disappointed."

Jiraiya fell off the toad and landed face first on the ground. Meanwhile the toad gave Naruto a thumbs up before disappearing in another puff of smoke. Jiraiya slowly stood back up and dusted himself off as Hiruzen chuckled.

"Naruto-kun, please have a seat." After Naruto had sat down Hiruzen made several hand signs which caused the windows to go black. It was a high level privacy seal which would make sure nothing they said could be overheard. Once that was taken care of, he began to speak again. "I called you here so you could meet Jiraiya. But also so I could tell you about your parents."

Naruto froze as he said. "My parents?" His voice trembled as he spoke. "Who were they?"

Before Hiruzen could speak, an old, and almost metallic voice spoke up. "Hiruzen, why don't you let me explain the next part." Naruto turned to where the voice originated from, only to see that the katana strapped to Jiraiya's waist had somehow unsheathed itself slightly. It was the source of the voice. "Hey kid, my name's Shingetsu, and I was your mom's sword."

The shock of seeing a talking sword overrode his shock of finally learning about his parents and he couldn't help but state the obvious. "Did that sword just talk?"

Before Jiraiya or Hiruzen could answer, the sword did it for them. "Thank you, thank you, and for my next trick I shall perform the dance of my people."

Naruto couldn't help but ask. "Can you really dance?"

Shingetsu let out a short laugh before he said "Damn, you really are Kushina's kid. She asked me the exact same thing the first time I said that around her."

Naruto frowned as he asked. "Who is Kushina?"

Shingetsu sighed as he said. "Right, I need to explain that to you. Kid, Kushina was my previous wielder, as well as your mother. You are the son of Kushina Uzumaki the previous Jinchuruki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and Minato Namikaze the fourth hokage. The white haired pervert who's back I'm on is your godfather, who apparently abandoned you for the last fourteen years. Do me a favor and kick him in the balls for me."

Jiraiya looked at the blade with betrayal in his eyes before he fell over cupping his balls. Naruto hadn't just kicked him in the balls. He had kneed him right in the groin with full force. Jiraiya spoke in a high pitched voice. "How could you, Shingetsu? I thought we were friends."

"Hey, I might like your book thanks to Kushina introducing me to it. But you lost any credibility the moment you abandoned your godson."

Naruto looked at the blade as he asked. "Wait, this guy wrote a book?"

"Yeah, a really good book called The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, you were named after the main character. The rest of his books are trash. Keep away from them, they're called Icha-icha paradise."

Hiruzen coughed before he said. "As much as I enjoy watching this. I think we should continue the discussion."

"You have a point Hiruzen, I'll leave the rest of the discussion to you." With that Shingetsu resheathed himself and went silent.

Hiruzen sighed and muttered something about the damn sword being just as mischievous as any of its wielders. "Well I guess I should give you the full story, after all you're finally mature enough to hear it."

With that Hiruzen began to explain everything. How Minato and Kushina met, how they married and how she got pregnant with Naruto. The day he was born someone attacked and ripped the Kyuubi out of Kushina. How only an Uzumaki could hold the Kyuubi without dying and Naruto was the only one available. How Minato's last wish was for Naruto to be seen as a hero. How Hiruzen wanted his identity to be kept secret, but a leak from a civilian council member destroyed that idea. Said council member was later executed for doing so and this led to the civilian council losing almost all its power. How Jiraiya had to leave to kill the rumors of his survival to protect him. How Kakashi fell into depression and became an anbu, spending all his time not on missions, watching over Naruto.

Naruto stared out the window that was completely blacked over. His eyes were full of tears as he said. "So my parents did love me."

Before anyone else could speak, Shingetsu spoke up. "Kid, your parent's were insanely happy to know that you were going to be born. I can't tell you how many times Kushina would just sit at the house rubbing her pregnant belly and humming a song. I'm certain if the Kyuubi hadn't been ripped out of her, she would have spoiled you rotten. Hell it got so bad that one day I told her to be quiet, because I was trying to sleep. She locked me in the kitchen cabinet for that. I caused Minato quite a bit of confusion when he opened the cabinet to get a glass only to find me there."

Naruto was confused as he asked "But why the cabinet? Not to mention, what happened to the glasses?"

Shingetsu didn't speak for a second. When he spoke, his voice was filled with confusion.. "That's actually a good question. I don't know what happened to the glasses. As for why the cabinet, I'm not really sure. All my wielders have been Uzumaki clan members. Yet I still don't understand your clan. But then again, the clan is made up of hyperactive red heads who seem to cause chaos like it's their personal duty."

Hiruzen coughed. "Moving on, since you have managed to fix most of the damage done to your education, I have decided to give you access to your family home early Naruto-kun. This way you can have access to the training material you need. Jiraiya will actually be escorting you there. He also plans to take over your training so I'm sure you'll become even stronger soon."

Naruto turned to Jiraiya as he said. "Alright Pervy-sage, lead the way."

Jiraiya facepalmed, ignoring the laughter coming from Shingetsu. "Don't call me that brat." With that Hiruzen had dropped the privacy seals so that Jiraiya could lead Naruto out of the office.

Jiraiya soon led Naruto to the Uzumaki compound. Naruto gasped as he looked at the place. It was big, not as big as the other clan compounds, but it had three houses already set up. Each had two stories, there was also plenty of space for new buildings to be put up. The land around it was as large as the entire Hyuga compound.

"Is this where my mom and dad lived?"

"Yep kid, this is the Uzumaki compound. A compound that was built at the same time as the Senju and the Uchiha compounds. It was built for Uzumaki clan members who were visiting Konoha. Sadly after the destruction of Uzushio, it went basically unused except for Kushina and eventually your father. But one thing that can be certain, this is the best defended compound in the entire village. I bet the Kyuubi could fire a Tailed beast bomb at it and not do any damage."

Jiraiya coughed awkwardly as he said. "Um, actually that has been proven. During the attack one of the three fired Tailed Beast Bombs hit the compound. It was completely fine." With that said Jiraiya turned to Naruto, ignoring the laughter coming from the sword strapped to his godson's hip. "Naruto, I need you to place your hand on the gate. It will read your chakra and key you in as the one in charge of the estate. We can enter together."

Naruto did as he said and placed his hand on the gate. The seals began to glow and soon the gate swung open allowing the three into the compound. "Hey Pervy-sage, if you couldn't enter before, how did you get Shingetsu?"

"Because I wasn't in the house. I was in the hokage's vault for the past fourteen years. Your mother brought me with her when they sealed the Kyuubi inside you. One of my abilities is that I increase the healing factor of the Uzumaki clan for my wielder. She was using that to stay alive long enough to seal up the Kyuubi. Honestly, If she hadn't been impaled through the stomach, she would have survived the whole incident. The Uzumaki clan is just stubborn like that."

Naruto nodded in understanding. Unwilling to speak as he stood in the living room of his parents home. On the mantle of the fireplace was a picture, it was of his father and mother, but his mother was pregnant. He moved closer and just stared at the picture, unable to look away.

Jiraiya stood behind Naruto as he looked at the picture and said. "I remember when this picture was taken. It was actually right after they decided on your name and named me your godfather." He sighed as he shook his head and thought to himself. "Sorry Minato, Kushina, I failed to be there for him when he was younger, but I'll try to do better from now on."

After a few minutes of staring, Naruto spoke up. "Pervy Sage, do you think I could become as strong as dad?"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto and smiled. "Naruto, I'm sure that not only will you be as strong as your dad, I believe you will surpass him." He rests his hand on Naruto's shoulder as he smiles. "And I'll help you as much as I possibly can. So I hope you're ready to train hard."

Naruto returned the smile with a nod. "I'm not afraid of hard work, Pervy Sage. I'll make mom and dad proud, and become the strongest ninja the village has ever seen in the process."

Jiraiya chuckled as he said. "I'm sure you will Naruto."

(A Week Later, Training Ground 41)

Hinata entered training ground 41 for her training with Jiraiya-sensei. When she had come to train with Naruto the day after the hokage had called for him, she had found him training under a tall man with long white hair. Naruto had introduced Hinata to the man, who turned out to be Jiraiya of the sannin. Who let Hinata join in on their training after Naruto explained everything. He had of course gotten Kurenai-sensei's permission as well as that of her fathers before he made it a regular thing.

Kurenai-sensei had allowed her to join in on training with Naruto and Jiraiya-sensei twice a week. On the condition that Jiraiya didn't try anything perverted towards Hinata. Jiraiya had of course denied the allegation, saying that he wasn't a pedophile.

The more surprising thing had been her father giving his permission. What had been even more surprising was learning that Jiraiya-sensei had taught her father, and he had been in the same team as the fourth hokage. Although it explained why he had no issues letting her train with the toad sage.

The Training ground was filled with Naruto clones, all practicing various things. Some were practicing kenjutsu with wooden swords. Others were going through the katas for Raging Tides Style. While other groups were working on chakra control and nature transformation. The last group was off to the side practicing the first stage of the Rasengan. In the center of the training ground was Jiraiya and Naruto, in front of Naruto was a large scroll.

Jiraiya looked up and said. "Ahh if it isn't my respectful student. Glad you could join us today Hinata." He looked at Naruto as he said. "Sign the contract while I talk to Hinata real quick." He stood up and walked to Hinata. "So are you ready for your training assignment Hinata?"

Hinata nodded, she was ready. In the last training session Jiraiya had tested her elemental affinity. She learned that she was a Fire and Lightning type. After learning about her affinity, Jiraiya had taught her the elemental training for those two types.

"So last session we learned about your chakra affinities and began training in it. I assume you have continued those outside these sessions?" Hinata nodded once more, Jiraiya smiled as he said. "Good, now I have a Taijutsu scroll that I got from the Uzumaki clan library. With your body type you need a Taijutsu style that is flowing, as opposed to the regular Gentle Fist which keeps in place. This style is called Gentle Steps. This Taijutsu style was developed by your mother Hitomi."

Hinata gasped as she asked. "Why was it in the Uzumaki clan library?"

"Your mother was very good friends with Kushina. When the Gentle Steps was declared as an abomination by the elders. Hitomi entrusted her scrolls to Kushina. Thus it was stored in the Uzumaki clan library. Hinata, you will be learning the Gentle Steps." He handed her the scroll.

Hinata accepted the scroll in shock and hugged it to her chest. It was something written by her mother. A Taijutsu style that would likely suit her perfectly. She couldn't help but smile at Jiraiya. "Thank you so much Jiraiya-sensei." She bowed her head to the man.

"No problem Hinata, now why don't you go and study it for a bit. I'll check on how you're doing shortly."

Once she had walked off, Jiraiya turned to Naruto who had finished signing the Toad Contract. "Good, now you remember the hand signs right?" Naruto nodded eagerly. "Now I want you to perform the jutsu. Try to put as much chakra into it as you possibly can. You need to summon Gamabunta to get his approval."

Naruto went through the hand signs and bit his thumb before slamming his hand on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" The sheer amount of chakra he released caused a visible aura of chakra to appear around him.

With a puff of smoke nothing appeared, instead Naruto himself disappeared. Jiraiya's mouth dropped. He recognized what had just happened, Naruto had just been reversed summoned. That meant that there was a contract that had a higher claim to Naruto than the toad contract he had just signed.

That's when it hit him, the Uzumaki had a summon contract, but no one was sure what it was. The only thing that was known was the summons were last seen during the fall of Uzushio, it was because of those summons that not a single member of the enemy army survived. The Konoha reinforcements had only reported seeing clouds fill the sky, while lightning rained upon the island. Along with this was the roar of something massive, and a flash of red amongst the clouds.

That's when he heard a voice behind him. "Um Jiraiya-sensei, where did Naruto-kun go?"

Jiraiya was not looking forward to having to explain exactly what happened to Hinata, or Sensei for that matter. He just hoped that Hinata didn't have the protective streak of her mother.

(The Lost Valley)

When the smoke cleared Naruto found himself in a beautiful valley. The grass was a vibrant green and the very air felt as if it was alive and happy to see him. Suddenly there was a rumble behind him and a female voice spoke up. "Boy who are you, and how did you get here?"

Naruto turned and was shocked to see a huge dragon standing behind him. It was easily three times the height of the Hokage tower. The dragon had white and blue scales, on its chest and shoulders were four purple orbs. It's wings were feathery, white, and each movement the wings made caused some kind of dust to get released into the air.[2]

That's when Shingetsu spoke for the first time in a week, after yawning of course. "Naruto, what's going on? Why did it feel like we were just summoned."

The dragon's eyes went wide as she said. "Shingetsu, is that you?"

"Hmm, Selene, it's been much too long. But why are we in the Lost Valley? Naruto, what were you doing before we got summoned here?"

"Pervy Sage had me sign the Toad Contract and perform a summon."

"That explains it, the Uzumaki clan contract most likely sees you as the clan heir. Thus the moment you tried to summon a toad, you were instead reverse summoned to the Lost Valley to sign the dragon contract."

"Wait, this boy is an Uzumaki? But he has blond hair, not red."

"He has his father's hair. But there's no doubt that he's an Uzumaki. Fuinjutsu talent, hyperactivity, and a natural love of causing chaos included."

"I will need to take him to his highness then, he will want to meet him." The dragon leaned down and extended out a hand that could easily carry a horse. "Young Uzumaki, I will take you to see our boss." Naruto who was still stunned to hear his clan could summon dragons climbed onto the dragon's palm before she took off. [3]

Ten minutes later, Naruto found himself in a large grotto with an opening in the ceiling. In front of him was a massive red serpent-like dragon. The dragon was coiled in on itself so Naruto couldn't tell exactly how big the dragon was, but even curled up, the dragon was large enough to curl around the hokage monument several times. On its head were two mouths, the bottom one opened and the dragon began to speak. His voice was extremely deep and caused the air to shake as he spoke. "It is a pleasure to see a surviving Uzumaki clan member. Especially one with the ancient blade Shingetsu by his side."

"Hey who are you calling old, you senile old worm! I'm a spring chicken compared to you Slifer!"

Before an argument could begin Naruto coughed. "Um, could we move onto why I was brought here?"

"Of course hatchling. Now, please stand still, I need to see what kind of person you are."

"Um, how will you do that exactly?"

"Oh don't worry young one. Just stand still for a few moments." With those words Slifer gently placed one claw tip on his head. After a few seconds he pulled it away and said. "You've had a hard life hatchling. But you never gave up, you would have made your clan proud." Slifer waved his claw and a smaller humanoid dragon raced off to grab something.

"Does that mean I can sign the contract?"

"Indeed hatchling, I will allow you to summon the dragons. But know if you ever abuse our power, there will be consequences." The human shaped dragon came back with the contract in its claws. Naruto quickly took it and signed it, noticing that the previous signer was named Ashina Uzumaki. Naruto remembered that Shingetsu mentioned he was the Clan head during the fall of Uzushio.

Once Naruto had finished signing, Slifer spoke again. "I shall send you back home hatchling. I look forward to the day you call upon my clan's strength to aid you." With those words Naruto vanished.

As he left, Slifer rested his head on his paws. "To think Asura's reincarnation would be our latest signer. I am certain that he will become a great shinobi. I just hope this isn't a sign that I will one day have to be summoned again." With those thoughts, Slifer closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep. In his dreams he floated in the sky as he faced down a massive beast with ten tails. With him were three other summons, as well as his long gone friend who stood on his head as they prepared to battle.

(The night before the Chunin Exam Finals)

Naruto rested on the roof of his apartment building, watching the stars. As he did, he thought about the things he had learned over the course of the past month. They made him question his dream. How his father sacrificed him for the village, jiji's rocky relationship with Asuma-sensei because of the hokage position. Would he have been able to sacrifice his own son to save the village. Would he be able to put his family second to his job? Naruto shook his head, as he realized the answer. No he wouldn't be able to, in his mind, family was sacred, something to be cherished. An ideal that came from growing up as an orphan.

He spoke up, asking a question of the blade resting beside him. "Shingetsu, do you think mom and dad would be disappointed in me if I gave up trying to become hokage?"

"Depends on why you would be giving up on it."

Naruto was silent for a moment before he began to speak. "I really don't think I could make the choices necessary to be hokage. Having to choose between family and the village. Knowing that the mission I send someone on, could be their last. I don't think I could do it."

Shingetsu laid there for a moment before he answered "Then no, I don't think they would be disappointed. In fact I think they would be very proud of you for realizing your own shortcomings. But what would you aspire to be instead."

"I want to become the strongest shinobi in the village, and help Konohamaru become hokage. I want to become strong enough to protect those I love, no matter what."

"That's a good dream to have, Naruto. Reach for that peak Naruto, and don't give up on it. Don't worry about those who can't see you for you Naruto, Focus on those who see you as the person you are. Remember these words Naruto, to reach your dreams you must abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate. If you keep those words in mind, then I will always have your back partner." [4]

Naruto grinned as he said. "Then I will always push forward Shingetsu. I will become stronger than any shinobi this village has ever had."

"That's good to hear, partner. I look forward to watching you reach your dreams."

(At the Uchiha compound)

Sasuke growled as he threw kunai at the target. He wasn't training, no he was taking out his anger on the target."How dare the hokage remove me from the shinobi roster! I need to get stronger so I can avenge my family. Why not remove that useless dead-last instead of me. He's nothing more than a traitor, just like Itachi."

Unnoticed by anyone, the more he ranted in his mind, the more his eyes changed. The pupils disappeared as more and more sulfur yellow color began to bleed into his eyes. At the same time, the seal holding back the Curse mark started to change to the same sickly sulfur yellow color. This color began to spread to the containment seal, slowly eroding it.

Then suddenly it was gone and everything was normal as Sasuke walked over to pull his kunai from the target. Unaware that he was changing on a fundamental level. That he was being corrupted. But even if he had known, would he have cared?

(At the hokage tower)

Sarutobi smoked his pipe as he stared out the window at the night sky. He didn't move when he heard the door open and someone enter. He knew who it was and simply asked. "Are your forces ready for tomorrow?"

The man who had entered the office was Danzo Shimura, Hiruzen's oldest friend. While at one point the two had been fierce rivals, to the point of fighting at every chance they could. They had long since buried the hatchet.

The bandaged man closed the door gently as he said. "Yes, my Root forces are ready for tomorrow. Hiruzen, are you sure you don't want me to stay with you tomorrow? You know what could happen when you confront Orochimaru."

Hiruzen sadly shook his head as he said. "No, it is my duty to take care of my own mistakes. I'll entrust you with making sure our defenses repel the invaders Danzo."

Danzo sighed. "If you are certain, my old friend."

(Omake, what happened to the glasses)

Kushina sat in her chair resting her hand on her belly happily. She couldn't wait for her little maelstrom to be born. Leaning against her chair was Shingetsu, the sentient sword currently asleep until Kushina needed him. In front of her was her best friend Hitomi Hyuga, who was drinking some tea. "You know Kushi-chan, me and Hiashi learned what our child's gender will be today."

Kushina smiled at her friend. "Oh. it's a girl isn't it?"

Hitomi giggled as she said. "Yep, I've even decided on her name, even though Hiashi doesn't know yet. She's going to be named Hinata, because she's already bringing so much light to my life."

"I bet my little Naruto-kun and Hinata will be inseparable growing up. Oh wouldn't it be amazing if the two ended up getting married?"

Before Hitomi could answer an irritated and sleepy metallic voice sounded out "Urgh can you keep it down you damn tomato headed tomboy. I'm trying to sleep here." Let it be noted that not only is Shingetsu grumpy when he is woken up. But he also lacks tact and any form of survival instincts.

Killing intent flooded the room as Kushina's hair turned into nine waving tails. "Oh I'm a tomato headed tomboy am I?"

"Um, I said that out loud didn't I?"

"Oh yes you did Shingetsu. But don't worry, you won't have to deal with our discussion much longer."

Shingetsu actually gulped, he might be a sword, but that doesn't mean he can't feel pain.

A couple hours later, Minato had entered the kitchen to get something to drink. He opened the cabinet to grab a glass. Only to freeze when he saw what was in the cabinet. Inside the cabinet were no glasses, instead there was a katana and its sheath. The sheath was purple with red polka dots. While the katana had a pink blade with a rainbow hilt and tsuba. It took a moment for Minato to recognize the blade. "Shingetsu, how the hell did you get in the cabinet, not to mention why are you pink?"

"My insane wielder did this to me. She woke me up from my nap by being loud and then punished me for snapping. She put a seal on the cabinet that makes the sound of nails on a chalkboard constantly play while the cabinet is closed. Not to mention, look what she did to me! Please Minato, save me!"

Suddenly a shadow appeared behind Minato as a sickly sweet voice sounded. "Oh Minato-kun, you wouldn't be thinking of helping Shingetsu escape from his punishment would you?"

"No of course not sweetie, I was just curious why he was there."

"MInato, you cowardly traitor!"

"Now Minato, why don't we go have some fun." With those words Kushina closed the cabinet and dragged Minato away from it. The screams of the poor katana sounding even through the silencing seals in the cabinet.

(At the Hyuga Compound)

Hiashi walked into his office after lunch to continue working on his paperwork. But when he entered the room he stopped. His desk was covered in various types of drinking glasses. "Where did all these come from?"

The glasses would later be returned to the Uzumaki compound. While Shingetsu would spend an entire week pink, much to the sentient blade's horror.

Author's note: Okay, I'm ending it here. So as returning readers have no doubt noticed, there are a few scenes that I accidentally left out in previous writing of this chapter. Such as what is going on with Sasuke. As well as Danzo and Hiruzen, which was supposed to show that this world's Danzo isn't a total war hawk asshole.

Also, I have removed the exiled Hinata sub-arc I was working on. I decided on a different way to bring the two sides of the Hyuga clan back together. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the remastered version.

[1] - I decided to change out the blue trench coat with the Sage coat. I mostly want him to have a coat for a later technique as returning readers know.

[2] - For those who haven't realized, this is the first of the two yugioh cards referenced, this is Stardust dragon. Although in this, the dragon is known as Selene, the Cosmic Dragon

[3] - Yes, the boss is Slifer the Sky Dragon. It's fitting seeing as I wanted a badass dragon. I mean Slifer is massive and just pure awesome.

[4] - Yes I used Quincy Zangetsu's words, they work well, so thanks Tite Kubo!