A/N: Naruto is learning more about his abilities! He won't be able to master every elemental ability, he's not gonna be THAT OP, but I will allow him to learn complimentary Jutsu for each element just to make him a little bit more deadly in combat. Hence him learning Endan and Suidan and maybe Raidan from Kakashi later... definitely a couple Earth Jutsu will be in his repertoire though!
"Speaking"
Biju Speaking
'Thoughts'
*Actions (will not be used much)*
Japanese Jutsu Names(English Translation)
I do not own Naruto. All rights go to Kishimoto.
*Story Start*
"Uzumaki Naruto." Hiruzen began.
Naruto gulped, looking back at Kurenai and Kakashi for support. The two Shinobi were only staring directly at their village leader and Hokage. He looked to his left and saw Akari doing the same, Anko on his right doing the exact same. He gulped and looked at his leader, nodding his head like the Jonin he was surrounded by.
"...Yes. Your Kaa-san was Uzumaki Kushina, the formerJinchūriki(Power of the Human Sacrifice) of the Kyuubi No Kitsune (Nine Tailed Fox)." Hiruzen said, ripping the bandaid off. "Your father will not be revealed to you at this time. He had many enemies, and he did not want his sins to be reaped onto his son. I apologize for the secrecy, but it was for your safety in the long run."
Naruto's eyes had started to tear up as he talked, causing him to nod. He started to take a step forward but Hiruzen held his hand up, the seasoned Hokage knowing how difficult this was for the boy.
"However", he continued, "your mother adding a secondary seal onto your first one is not something we were planning for. Likewise, your rage when using the Kyuubi chakra was immense and immeasurable. As such, you will be relocated to missions inside of the village for the time being, until we have a better idea of what that new seal on your shoulder does and how dangerous the Kyuubi chakra will be to you or your friends. Do you understand?"
Naruto nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama. My mother told me my seal collects energy, specifically designed for the Kyuubi's chakra, to store and filter out the impurities in the energy. As such, the more I use the Kyuubi chakra the more energy I will get into my seal, and it acts as a life saving fail safe whenever my life is in danger."
"Would it work for any other energy?" Akari asked. Hiruzen shot her a withering glare, causing her to slink back, even as Naruto looked up at her in surprise.
"I... I don't know? Kaa-San only talked about the Kyuubi chakra, and I didn't think far enough ahead to ask about other chakra."
"Quite." Hiruzen said. "Naruto, you and the Jonin inside of this room will be going to Training Ground 44, The Forest of Death, to explore your seal and your new connection to the Kyuubi. Likewise, we will be inviting a fifth member, an Anbu, to help you explore your new found capabilities."
Hiruzen snapped his fingers, and an Anbu dropped from the ceiling. He removed his mask and smiled lightly at the group when they could see his relatively plain face. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief over Naruto's shoulder, causing the young man to look up at him to see a happy feeling building in the man's eyes.
"Nice to see you again, Tenzou." Kakashi said.
"You as well, Kakashi-taichou." The newly named Tenzou replied, bowing lightly.
"Good, at least some of you are already acquainted." Hiruzen said. "This is Tenzou. Tenzou has a distinct ability that makes it easier for him to help contain and control Kyuubi chakra. He will be joining you on your training for the time being." Here, Hiruzen looked over at Anko and Akari as before he continued. "Tenzou will also be your third team member going forward. The five of you Jonin will be Naruto's protection squad, tasked with making sure Naruto doesn't succumb to his newly discovered powers. Any questions?"
"Why do I need my own protection? What about my team? Why am I so-"
"Naruto." Hiruzen cut in. "As the village Jinchūriki, you are a special case. You are our last line of defense when you get older, which means you need to be trained to be able to use your abilities to the best of... well, your abilities. These Shinobi will be tasked with making sure you're able to do that as safely and quickly as possible, so what happened to Haku won't happen to anyone else you care about.
"And you don't have to worry about your team, or Kakashi's. This group is not going out of their way to prioritize your time and space compared to their own. However, if you are in the village and would like to train your Kyuubi chakra, you will have to seek out one of these people to help you do so."
"We're just your glorified babysitters." Anko supplied helpfully.
"Quite. Now, in three days teams seven, eight, and ten will be doing a joint training session, hosted by Kurenai-san over there. Until then, you will be essentially living in The Forest Of Death and practicing your abilities. We do not know the limits of your seal, nor do we know the limits of your power. We will be discovering them so that your team does not receive any... nasty surprises that you have no control over. Understood?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" All the Shinobi chorused.
"Good. You're dismissed!"
*Day One*
"This place is totally wicked!" Naruto screamed.
Anko watched Naruto run up and down a tree while surveying the forest with a giddy feeling bubbling in her chest. Training Ground 44, The Forest Of Death, was Anko's baby. She had taken and cultivated this place as her ultimate safe haven, somewhere she could run away from the scrutiny and scorn of the villagers and be at peace and as happy as she wanted to be. It was her home away from home, and whenever she got overwhelmed or in an argument with anyone and needed to destress, she came right here and took all the time she needed to refocus on her life.
Watching Naruto, the only kid she really cared about, embrace her space and seem to love it there filled her with a level of happiness she couldn't even put into words. Sure, Kakashi and Akari and Kurenai would come around and hangout, but it always felt like they were trying to rush to get out of the forest as fast as possible. Naruto seemed to breathe in it and revel in it in a way that... well, in a way that only Anko did.
Probably had something to do with the way the villagers treated him as well.
Not thinking too hard on that, Anko shook her head and whistled for Naruto to come down. He did so reluctantly, sliding to a stop in front of three of the five Jonin, but with his eyes still traveling the expanse of the forest. Anko allowed herself another small smile before focusing, rapping Naruto on top of his head to get him to look at her.
"Paying attention, Naruto?" Anko asked breezily.
"Hai Anko!" He chirped.
"Ah ah ah, while we're together training in this forest I'm your Sensei. So that would be 'Hai, Anko-sensei' from you." She cooed.
"Eat a bug and die, hag." He replied instantly.
"Why I outta-"
"Anyways!" Kurenai cut in. "Right now Tenzou and Akari are setting up barrier with chakra suppression seals and chakra masking seals as well. Plus Tenzou is apparently adding something to 'bleed off the excessive demonic chakra in the area' as he put it. Which means that you should have no issue with anybody in the village feeling you accessing the Kyuubi's chakra and making a big stink about it."
"So Naruto, what do you remember from your fight with Haku?" Kakashi asked.
"I don't.... I don't remember anything after Sasuke was taken out." Naruto told him.
"Well then", Kakashi said, pulling up his headband to reveal his Sharingan. "Let me fill in the gaps." Naruto watched as the tomoi in the Sharingan spun slowly, hypnotically pulling him in... until everything went dark.
*****
"HAAAAKKKUUUUUUU!!!!" Naruto bellowed, the swath of purple chakra enveloping him as he did.
Haku looked up in alarm, watching the swirl of chakra collect and coil around Naruto's rapidly healing body. She took a step back, her eyes darting to Zabuza's naturally as the chakra and energy coalesced and changed as she stood there.
Before she could do anything else, a blast of chakra slammed her backwards over the bridge. She rolled up gracefully before getting back onto her feet, her eyes widening as Naruto was immediately in her face. She brought up her hands to "block" the next attack Naruto sent at her. The block was laughable as he easily overpowered her and started to send her flying. Before she could go too far, though, he snaked a hand up and yanked her by the leg, stopping her momentum and turning to slam her into the bridge.
A splatter of blood shot out of her mouth, her Shinobi training allowing her the presence to roll backwards slightly. She tried to catch her breath but immediately crumbled, the leg Naruto had yanked on not giving her the support she needed to stand. She looked up fearfully at Naruto as he stood over her, his clawed hand pulled back and posed to slash into her.
"Raagghhh!" Zabuza yelled, his sword shooting out to bisect Naruto. Instead of bisecting him, though, Naruto bent back and let the blade slide over him. Slipping his hand into the hole of his sword, Naruto tilted the blade ever so slightly to turn Zabuza's momentum against him. Zabuza had to take the second to correct his swing and recovery, allowing Naruto the space to jump backwards and release a shockwave of energy at both Haku and Zabuza, backing them away from him.
"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled, running towards him. "Calm down!"
Instead of listening, Naruto shocked everyone watching by throwing a shot at Kakashi, the Jonin easily dodging the few attacks he shot his way. Zabuza ran up and slammed a kick into Naruto's side, shooting him across the bridge as he also release a slash in Kakashi's direction. Kakashi blocked it hastily, earning a small cut on his arm for the effort.
A growl from Naruto distracted them both, Kakashi blanching as he noticed Naruto had grown a cloak covered in one tail worth of chakra. The chakra on Naruto's body cleared up into a dark orange color, flecks of purple streaking across the chakra cloak as well. Naruto released another roar, the Shinobi on the bridge bracing for the shockwave as he ran directly in Zabuza's direction.
Zabuza and Kakashi both prepared their guards, sending each other a look before focusing back in. A claw slash from Naruto was met with a boot from Zabuza, a concurrent blast of water from Kakashi right after. Naruto shook it off only for Zabuza to try to decapitate him; Kakashi, not allowing that to happen, punched Zabuza in the spleen to force him to curse and curl in on himself. Both men were forced to throw a guard up for the double clothesline from Naruto, the force behind the attack sending them flying slightly. They landed easily, Kakashi pushing Zabuza down to engage Naruto again first.
Naruto wasn't going in their direction, though. The boy had turned at a splatter of ice needles on his back, the Ninjutsu melting before it got through his chakra cloak. "HAAAAKKKUUUUUU!!!" He bellowed, turning and bolting in her direction as her eyes widened fearfully. She folded back immediately, her leg protesting, as Naruto immediately stood over her, his fangs barred in anger.
"Naruto! That's enough!" Kakashi yelled, running towards Naruto in front of Zabuza.
Naruto grinned evilly at Kakashi. His tails wrapped around Haku's arms, pinning her to the bridge as he turned towards Kakashi. He gripped on Haku's leg and pulled, her eyes widening in pain and anger as Naruto ripped her leg from her body, using it as a weapon and throwing it in Kakashi's direction.
Kakashi caught it in shock, sliding down and rolling under Naruto as he dropped the leg back in front of Haku. The girl had bit through her thumb to stop herself from passing out in shock, her eyes widening in pain and suffering as she focused on staying upright. Kakashi immediately punched Naruto away and then kicked him further, both Konoha Shinobi pausing at the wave of chakra that came from the edge of the bridge.
"KONOHA BRRAAAATTTTT!!!" Zabuza yelled, his body shooting towards Naruto instantly. He swung his sword horizontally, faster than Kakashi could track, aimed at once again trying to bisect Naruto. What both Kakashi and Zabuza didn't expect, though, was for two of Naruto's tails, the original and a new one, to reach around along with his hands to stop Zabuza's blade from hitting him. Zabuza tried to pull it from him but both the tails wrapped around tighter, while also snaking onto Zabuza's wrists and arms, burning him easily. One of them turning towards Naruto's mouth and focused around it, Naruto laughing as it did. A build up of chakra started to coalesce in front of his mouth, causing Zabuza's eyes to widen in fear. He started to yank harder on his sword, ignoring the feeling of his arms and joints burning from the acidity of Naruto's chakra, but was not able to release himself.
Kakashi pushed on Naruto's arms, the tail in front of his mouth pushing Kakashi away from him. Kakashi held onto the tail and leaned down towards his legs, ducking under the swipe to maintain his closeness to Naruto.
"Sorry about this Naruto!" Kakashi said. He stabbed Naruto in the back of the knee with a kunai, watching in dismay as the wound healed almost instantly. He bent down and did it again, wrapping his arms around Naruto's legs to try to take away his base, but the boy was not moving.
At that time, the chakra in front of Naruto's mouth had reached an all time peak. The boy took another deep breath and pulled his head back, Kakashi and Zabuza both bracing for impact as the build up of chakra intensified. However, the chakra slowly started to drop lower and lower, Zabuza feeling the chakra on his arms receding as well. The two of them looked up fearfully as the chakra receded into Naruto, the boys eyes clearing as he looked around fearfully.
*****
"And that's when you came back to us." Kakashi said. Naruto's eyes cleared up to notice that almost no time had passed since he was in that memory. That was all he could notice, though, before he leaned over to his right and vomited instantly, the bile thankfully not hitting any of the Jonin.
The three Jonin stood there and watched it happen as Akari and Tenzou showed up at the same time next to him. Akari rubbed her hands on the back of Naruto's neck to help him, but the boy shrugged her off, turning back to the group with tears in his eyes. The Jonin looked at him confused but Naruto just slowly dropped to his knees in despair.
"How could I... How could I do that?" Naruto asked himself.
Kakashi bent down instantly, pushing his hands into Naruto's face. "That wasn't you, Naruto." He said. "That was the Kyuubi influencing you and your actions, to the point where you don't even remember them. That's not you and you can't feel bad about that."
"B-but I hurt you and Haku and-"
"Stop." Kakashi replied. "You didn't do anything. The Kyuubi did it in your body."
Slowly, Naruto nodded, allowing Kakashi to help him stand up to his feet. Kakashi patted him on the back as Akari ran up to hold his cheek and Anko rubbed her hand into his head. The tears in Naruto's eyes didn't completely disappear, but they cleared up slightly. This was his family, the three people who cared the most for him and kept him on the path of being a Shinobi; and none of them cared or judged him for what the Kyuubi did in his body. He looked around at the three of them and broke out into laughter and tears, the team just hugging him as they did.
They spent the rest of the first day making sure Naruto was mentally okay, playing games and running around the Forest of Death.
*Day 2*
"Alright!" Tenzou started bright and early the next morning. "Hokage-Sama's is NOT happy with us for, in his words, 'squandering' the first day of our training! So that means today we're going to get into the meat and potatoes of why we're here! Any questions?"
The four Jonin and one Genin nodded, Kakashi and Naruto both rubbing the backs of their heads nervously. Akari had her head held in shame while Kurenai was sternly looking down at Anko. Tenzou nodded at successfully cowing the group, having them all sit in a circle on the ground.
"Now, Naruto, talking to the Kyuubi is your task alone. Have you contacted him at all since the bridge?" Tenzou asked.
"No, not since Kaa-san left." Naruto admitted.
"And how did the Kyuubi feel last time you saw him?" Kurenai asked.
"Well, Kaa-san made him promise to help me use his chakra when I decided to access it."
"And he agreed? Just like that?" Kakashi asked incredulously.
"Yeah! He was actually really nice." Naruto said.
The five Jonin looked at him confused, before looking around at each other. A lot of looks were passed that Naruto couldn't decipher before they looked back at him and nodded.
"Well, if you're sure... then why don't you talk to him and we see what we can do about it?" Akari said.
"Hai!" Naruto cried. He sat down on his haunches before going criss cross to meditate. He ignored Tenzou in his face as the Jonin raised his hand and put it in front of Naruto's face, the Harashima clone using his Mokuton (Wood Style) to watch for the Kyuubi's influence.
*Naruto's Mindscape*
Naruto showed up in front of the Kyuubi's cage. Showed up, literally; one minute he wasn't there and the next minute, he was. Naruto expected to fade into the place or be woken up in the water like last time, but he closed his eyes to meditate and opened them in front of Kyuubi's cage.
The Kyuubi took a second to wake up as Naruto waited outside. He slowly crept towards the front of the cage, looking down at the small Ningen in front of his cage. 'Pitiful' he thought, looking at the small boy in front of him.
"What do you need, Ningen(Human)?" The Kyuubi asked.
Naruto blinked to himself immediately. "You can't hear or see what's going on outside? I thought cause you were inside me you knew everything that was going on."
Kyuubi blinked slowly. This was not the way he expected this conversation to go. "No brat, I'm completely cut off from the outside world. The only time I get anything other then perfect peace and quiet is when you come to interrupt it."
Naruto looked up at Kyuubi with an... expression Kyuubi couldn't grasp. "That sounds... incredibly sad." Naruto said after a pause. "I know I hated being alone and bored before I had my family. I got one now, and I couldn't bear the thoughts of being alone again. Do you know what a family feels like?"
Kyuubi growled, the slight unappreciated. "Of course I do, fool! I'm the Kyuubi No Kitsune(Nine Tailed Fox)! The other beast are... I consider them my siblings. You will not patronize me with your pitiful mortal-"
"When was the last time you've seen any of them?" Naruto cut in immediately.
Kyuubi paused in his ranting instantly. He took the moment to reflect on the question, before taking another to truly think about it. He sat back down on his haunches, his eyes darkening as he did, looking down at the small Ningen in front of him.
"It has been... quite some time." He admitted.
Naruto once again looked at him with the expression Kyuubi couldn't recognize. The small smile on his lips started to infuriate the Kyuubi, but before he could respond, Naruto looked around the space and sighed to himself.
"If this is my mind... I should be able to fix things right?" Naruto muttered. He focused to himself and imagined a small window in the ceiling of the cage. The window appeared directly outside of the cage, but Naruto looked into it and smiled; it was pitch black the way he thought it would be. He looked up at Kyuubi and smiled, his eyes shimmering as he did.
"I... I think I just gave you a window into my eyes and ears? You should be able to see and hear what I'm experiencing so you're not so lonely."
"Foolish brat. I am not lonely." Kyuubi muttered to himself.
If Naruto heard him, he didn't react. "So if you want to watch what I'm up to, you can. But if you don't wanna, you can just go back in your cage and ignore me and what I'm doing."
The Kyuubi paused for a long moment. Enough for Naruto to feel uncomfortable standing there under the unyielding gaze of the demon. He didn't know what the Kyuubi was thinking; he could have been considering accepting the gift, or spitting on it in defiance. He was the Kyuubi's jailer, after all. Friendly to the beast or not, the fact was the only reason Kyuubi wasn't running around was because he was sealed into his gut. It would make sense for Kyuubi to hate him, yet he didn't pick up a lot of malice or hatred in the stare he was seeing. It mainly seemed to be a searching, sincere feeling as the Kyuubi continued to just look into and through Naruto. After a long time, the Kyuubi laid back down and closed his eyes, basically ignoring Naruto. Naruto took the slight for what it was, bowing slightly as he sat down onto the ground.
"And what is it that you need, Brat? There's no reason for you to visit me like this. And you couldn't have visited me just to talk." Kyuubi growled.
Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Well... you're not wrong about that. See, y'know how Kaa-san gave me the seal on my shoulder?" Here Naruto showed off his seal like the Kyuubi had forgotten it. Could have forgotten about the most recent time he saw Kushina. "Well she gave it to me to help me master your chakra. So I was wondering if you could give me some of your chakra for a while so I can see what the seal does?"
Kyuubi surveyed the seal, before huffing to himself. "The seal doesn't change anything when you're using my chakra. It just allows you to contain and use it later without my hateful presence enveloping you while you do. When I flood you with my chakra, it will work like it did before on the bridge."
Naruto looked up at him, eyes sparkling. "Wow! You figured that out just from looking at it? You must be really good at seal work, Kyuubi!"
Kyuubi rolled his eyes, fighting the small feeling of pleasure that shot through his body at the child's pure adoration. "Being sealed enough times gives you a good idea of what a seal can do when you look at it. I've had nothing but time to study up on the seals I've been stuck behind." Kyuubi admitted.
Naruto nodded, accepting those facts for himself. "Got it! Well, still. Can you let me access your chakra so I can practice using it, and using your seal?"
Kyuubi looked at Naruto again. It felt like all he could do was look at the Ningen and try to figure him out. He was so... so happy and polite, no matter all of the hardships he had endured his whole life. He was treating Kyuubi like a person for once, and not just a monster, and that wasn't something Kyuubi had had happen to him in so long. The Ningen was excited to talk to him, trying to understand him... and Kyuubi didn't know if that was appreciated or despised.
He remembered the ask Kushina had for him. His former jailer, the one who strapped him to the rock and stopped him from even moving or thinking without some form of pain. For over 20 years. Yet this Ningen, this brat, assumed he was sad that he couldn't see outside and made the demon a window, just like that. With no remorse or ulterior motives; he just wanted the Kyuubi to not be lonely.
Him, an ancestral Demon. Just like that!
So yeah, Kyuubi was looking for... for something in Naruto. But he just couldn't find it.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he looked down at Naruto and growled. "I will provide you with my chakra, Ningen." Before Naruto could start to gush, he continued. "However it will be years before you will be able to grasp what my chakra can do for you, let alone master it. And it will NOT be easy for you. If you relax for even a second I will do everything in my power to envelop you and release myself from this cursed seal. So be ready for the fight of the rest of your life."
Naruto looked up at Kyuubi. "You really hate being sealed away, huh?"
Kyuubi looked down at Naruto. "More than you can ever know. It's been more than fifty years since I felt proper sunlight."
Naruto looked at Kyuubi again before looking around his place. He imagined really really hard and a pseudo-sun popped up directly behind him, flowing into the room with a grace he didn't know he could think of. He turned back around to smile at Kyuubi, but all he got was a head nod as Kyuubi turned and started to head back into the cage.
"It's... not the same, Ningen." Kyuubi seemed to say sadly.
Naruto pouted to himself slightly. This was not the way this conversation was supposed to go! He and Kyuubi were supposed to be friends, and like each other, and have an agreement and a camaraderie. Not... whatever this was. He was immensely annoyed, and wasn't afraid to let Kyuubi know it. "Hey!" He yelled to get his attention.
Kyuubi looked back at him slowly.
"My name's Uzumaki Naruto, Genin of Konohagakure! I'm a wind nature Shinobi, with twenty-four D-Rank, one C-Rank, and one A-Rank mission under my belt! I consider myself a budding Ninjutsu specialist, with denominations in Kenjutsu and Fūinjutsu! I'm a Sensor as well. My dream is to become Hokage... but I have a new dream now! I dream of coming after all the hatred in your heart, and releasing you from this seal so you can see the sun! Dattebayo!!" He told the Kyuubi with conviction. He held his hand out, hoping that the demon can see his passion and the truth behind the words he just told him.
And Kyuubi just stared at him. Again. Naruto felt like he was getting a lot of looks and stares from Kyuubi today. And as he was just a kid and the Kyuubi was a thousands of years old demon, he could not decipher what he was thinking or how he was feeling. He was left in the dark, and that was exciting the same way as it was terrifying-
"My name..." Kyuubi started. Before he shook his head, and glared at Naruto. "I am the Kyuubi No Kitsune. I am a being of unending malevolence and hatred. I have been sealed in Ningen for over 70 years in a row. My dream is for... my dream is to get out of these seals and experience the sun again. And I will not let anybody get in my way."
Naruto nodded, starting to head back towards the way in. Kyuubi watched him leave in a small amount of mirth. Naruto looked back over his shoulder, his eyes piercing Kyuubi in a way he didn't expect.
"One day I'll earn your respect. One day I'll release you from this cage. And one day, you'll tell me your name. That's the promise of a life time! Dattebayo!"