Third POV

Naruto walked out of the house with a deep frown on his face as I looked at his two sisters out of the corner of his eyes. Naruko and Mito Uzumaki-namikaze as they talked with their friends as the birthday party went on around them. Unknown to him, both his sisters looked at him out of the corners of their eyes. They frowned as they watched their parents just walk past Naruto as he stood in the doorway. Naruto didn't see them as he walked out of the house and sighed as he walked to the gate.

'Why do they always ignore me? Why do they only train my sisters and not me?"

Naruto walked out of the gate and started to walk down the street. As he walked, he wished they would teach him how to use chakra or how to use a sword like his sisters. Naruto stopped when he heard a dark laugh.

"Hey fox demon."

Naruto felt his blood run cold before he started to run. He knew only the ninja and the civilians that wanted him dead called him that. As Naruto ran, he moved as much as he could to throw out the ninja's aim if they threw kunai or shuriken at him. As he ran, he was heading for the gate, knowing he could give them the slip in the forest out the village walls. But, as Naruto reached the forest, a kunai buried deep into the back of Naruto's right foreleg. Naruto slammed down face-first to the ground and balled up, knowing what was coming. Naruto heard them coming up fast. Just as Naruto readied himself for the beating, a voice, he didn't know called out.

"Leave that boy alone."

Naruto looked up as a tall and muscular old man with silver hair, wrinkled skin, sharp eyebrows, and brown colored eyes. Walked out of the darkness of the main gate and looked at the ninja that we're chasing, Naruto. He was wearing a red and orange haori with numerous flower patterns and a hakama with a darker shade of the same color tied with a red ribbon. He also wears toe-less leggings that are black in color. On his back was a long katana with a red handle. Naruto seeing a chance to escape the beating, pulled the kunai out and got up, and quickly hobbled over to the old man. The man quickly rushed over to Naruto and picked him up, holding him close to his chest protectively, and Naruto saw scars all over his arms. Naruto looked back at the crowd.

"Old man dropped at demon and walk away."

Naruto heard and felt the old man laughed as he reached up and grabbed ahold of his katana's handle.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that. I'm holding a young boy not a demon. Now, leave before I'm forced to make this young boy see death at such a young age."

The standoff lasted until one ninja decided the old man was bluffing. He jumped at the old man, kunai in hand. As he got close, the old man smirked as he slid his feet over the ground, kicking up dust as he dodged the kunai, drew his sword, and swung it down at the ninja. The ninja looked panicked as the blade stopped an inch above the ninja's head. A blast of air slammed down onto the ninja throwing him to the ground. With a smile, the old me turned his sword around and tapped the man on the head several times.

"I guess you understand now right?"

The ninja nodded before he got back up and quickly ran off. The old man looked at the rest of the group, and they quickly turned and ran, seeing they were outmatched. The man laughed as he watched the runaway. Naruto sighed as he looked down at the wound on his leg. The man sheathed his sword before he turned and walked over to a bench. He sat me down and looked at the wound on Naruto's leg.

"Hm, I'm glad to see the wound isn't too deep. But, still, it needs to be treated."

The man took out some ointment and bandages.

"Um, mister what is you name?"

The man looked at him for a second before applying the ointment.

"Kojiro Sasaki, a master swordsman. Now mind telling me why a young boy like you is being chased by an armed group."

Naruto looked away from the man as he wrapped the wound. Kojiro sighed, pulled his sword off his back, and sat on the ground in front of Naruto. He rested his sword on his shoulder and smiled at the boy.

"Come on now, son. You know I helped you, so you should at least tell me why they were after you or maybe a name."

Naruto frowned and looked down, not wanting a man who helped him to attack him too.

"W-well, I don't really know why. They all call me fox demon or monster and many other things too. And my name is Naruto."

Kojiro hummed as he looked at Naruto and smiled as he did.

"Well, I don't see a fox demon nor a monster of any kind. But, young maelstrom you need some meat on those bones and maybe some training to defend himself."

Kojiro smiled when he saw Naruto's face light up.

"Well, come on, young maelstrom, I have a small camp just outside the gate near an old shrine. I hope you like fire cooked fish." Naruto nodded as he stood up and grabbed onto Kojiro's hakama. Kojiro smiled as he slowly walked, keeping Naruto's wounded leg in mind. Kojiro and Naruto walked down the road. They listened to the forest around them as Kojiro turned a, and Naruto looked at faded path and started up it when Kojiro nudged him to walk through the grass. As they walked, Kojiro started to talk again.

"So young maelstrom, how old are you?"

Naruto smiled as he started to smell a fire and fish.

"Eight. Today was my birthday actually."

Kojiro hummed before he picked Naruto up from a fallen tree and set him down on the other side.

"I see, well did you get any gifts?"

Naruto nodded his head as Kojiro stepped over the tree, and Naruto grabbed Kojiro's hakama again.

"I see, well I maybe able to help with that as well."

Naruto smiled as they walked into a clearing in front of an old run-down shrine. Naruto stopped when he saw a beautiful woman sitting next to a fire with fish cooking over it. When she noticed them, she smiled and stood up. She was a tall woman with long dark purple and straight hair with bangs covering her right eye and a long braid going from the left side of her head to her waist. She also had a white garrison cap on her head and a white opened-up military jacket with a dark purple strapless corset exposing her cleavage along with white jeans underneath. She also wearing white high-shaft boots with metal knee guards and black fingerless gloves with detached cufflinks. She walked over and kneeled down in front of Naruto. Naruto blushed and got behind Kojiro and looked at her out from behind Kojiro.

"Hello little one."

Naruto gave her a small wave, and Kojiro laughed before he moved a hand back and rested it on Naruto's head.

"Hrist, this is Naruto your new wielder."

Naruto looked up at Kojiro, and Hrist laughed into her hand as she looked at Naruto.

"Oh, so you found me a little maelstrom hm."

Kojiro pulled the sword off his back and then held it out to Hrist. Hrist grabbed the blade, and Naruto watched, amazed, as the blade turned green and entered her hand. A second later, her face turned, and she looked pissed off. She shot up and grabbed ahold of the laughing Kojiro.

"You're going to leave me with a damn brat?!"

Naruto jumped and then tried to run. Kojiro grabbed the back of Naruto's shirt and waved a hand as he looked at Hrist.

"Now, now. You know I'll be going to heaven in a few years, and there isn't a need for you to go back just yet."

"What are Valkyries?"

Hrist's face turned nice again as she looked down at Naruto and let Kojiro go. She reached out and touched Naruto's cheek, making him blush again. She ran her hand down his cheek and grabbed the hand that was holding onto Kojiro. Naruto let go of the hakama and let her pull him back around. She smiled and then frowned when she was the bandages wrapped around his leg. Hrist picked Naruto up and held him tight to her chest. Naruto blushed as Hrist pressed his head to her chest before she walked over to the fire. She sat back down next to the fire, and Kojiro walked over and sat down across from them. Hrist sat Naruto beside her, pulled her jacket over, and wrapped it around Naruto's smaller body. Hrist grabbed the biggest fish and pulled the stick from the ground.

"Here eat while I explain what a Valkyrie is and what is going to happen."

Naruto nodded as he took the stick from her hand and took a bite out of the fish, happy to have a hot meal for the first time this week. Hrist and Kojiro smiled as they watched him eat the fish, but their smiles dropped as tears started to form in his eyes. Naruto tried not to cry as he looked at the fish.

"W-why are two strangers treating me better than my own mother and father? Why are two strangers giving me a hot meal when my own mother just leaves me cold leftovers on the table?"

Kojiro clinched his fist as he looked at the crying boy. Hrist hugged him as he cried, and she rubbed the back of his head.

"Shh, shh it's okay Naruto your new Aunty Hirst won't let you have to keep eating cold meals."

Naruto sniffed a few times before Hrist started to talk.

"Now like I was saying. The Valkyries are a group of thirteen demi goddesses that are charged with choosing the most worthy human warriors and guiding their souls on the road to Valhalla after their death. Kojiro was one of the warriors that I chose and in a few years, he's going to be taken by old age. And he's right I don't wish to return to heaven just yet. So leading one more soul before I go back wouldn't hurt. Now Valkyries will bond with their chosen warriors and transform into weapons befitting of the wielder in a pact that would be known as Völundr. The souls gathered by the Valkyries are the force they prepared to fight against the gods should Ragnarok begin. Kojiro will go on and wait for that time while I stay here with you. It will take me sometime to gather everything I'll need to train you but it won't take me longer then a year. In that time you can come here and I'll have a gate created for you to come to my home. But first, let's see if we can find a weapon that fits you well."

Naruto nodded before Hrist stood up and walked over to the shrine's torn-up doors paper sliding door. Naruto watched as Hrist rested her head on the door, and a flash came from the other side. She opened the door, and Naruto saw a field on the other side with a river going past the house that looked like a large ship turned upside down.

Uzumaki-namikaze compound three hours later

Naruko and Mito looked around the compound grounds, looking for their older brother. They wanted to wish him a happy birthday, but their parents just made everyone pay them attention. The two loved their brother, but they were powerless to stop what was going on. Naruko moved her red hair out of her face and looked around for her sister. She saw the gold and red mixed hair and saw her coming out from the training ground.

"Mito any luck?"

Mito nodded and moved her hair away from her face and Naruko looked at the whisker marks that all the kids of the family had.

"No, it looks like he left the compound again. Why can't mom and dad see how much they're hurting him?"

Naruko nodded as she looked at the gate. She sighed as she wanted her brother to come home at that moment. It was as if Kami heard her wish Naruto walked out from behind the wall next to the gate. On his back as a long katana with a black sheath. The handle was wrapped with a red wrapping with a red under wrap. He had a black hakama on and on the back was a nine tailed red fox.

"Onii-chan!"

"Nii-san!"

Yelled out to Naruto as he walked into the grounds. Naruto looked at them for a second before he looked away and head for the front door. Naruko and Mito stopped when he just brushed them out. They were shocked as they looked at their older brother. They'd never just been brushed off by their brother. Sure he didn't reach out to them much but he never just brushed them off. It hurt them but they knew this could happen one day. Their brother may have finally had enough. But, they didn't think he'd ignore them.