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Naruto's POV (Mindscape - Hokage Summit - Hidden Leaf Village)
Naruto stared down at the cause of most of the grief in his life. The beast was massive. Most of its form was concealed by shadows, but it easily rivaled the size of Hokage Rock. The only part clear enough to make the detail of was one side of its head. It had lowered its head to properly glare at the blonde. Its large red eyes and pupil the size of him were worthy of awe. Its teeth and claws that were visible were huge and surely capable of cutting through buildings with ease. The beast should've inspired fear in the blonde. But the recent events had drained him; he felt utterly spent. As such, he merely looked back at the beast in annoyance. Besides, it surely couldn't harm him from within the seal.
"Why did you bring me here?" Naruto demanded.
"One wanted to personally gaze into the eyes of one's jailer. It seems thou have finally faced the truth of our fusion."
"What the hell does that mean? Why is everyone so convinced that being a jinchuriki is a terrible thing." Naruto argued. In truth, he had a suspicion of what it meant. Gaara had said something similar after all.
"It means our union is one that isn't a natural occurrence, ye. Thy were sacrificed along with thine mother to contain One's power. A living sacrifice used as a weapon. Our union is nothing short of an abomination." The Kyuubi responded dourly.
"Well, I didn't exactly ask for this." Naruto countered with a glower.
"You speak truthfully. Ones of ye never fail to burden others for oneself. Yet as all of those before have, Thy have not hesitated to use upon One's power. Thine are nothing more than a weapon. A parasite that seeps upon One's strength in order to achieve thine own selfish desires." The Kyuubi replied bitterly.
This stunned Naruto. While he had known, another was being inside of him. He had figured it was a mindless beast focused wholly on destruction. His mother had described it as an evil, malevolent force. And while Naruto could see how they had come to this conclusion, he noticed it seemed to not only be capable of complex thought but also to hold its own set of morals.
"I never thought of things that way…" Naruto thought simply.
"Thou never do, always focusing on their thine narrowed perspective. Tis' why you suffer so extensively as jinchuriki, cursed." The beast explained. "It's why you can only wield a small amount of thy power, and One does its best to ensure you are limited."
"I see… Can we work something out?" Naruto asked plainly.
"What?" Kurama asked in the absurdity of the situation.
"Listen, my name is Naruto Uzumaki! I am a shinobi of the Leaf Village and future Hokage! Let's be friends!" Naruto said simply as he stood before the cage, smiling in place. He doubted the beast would accept it, but he needed to try. "What's your name?"
The Kyuubi was silently shocked. The blonde had approached it as an equal asking for friendship. It must've been a ploy to gain more of his power. As if a beast of his stature would be fooled.
"One merely brought you here to inform you of your place. DO NOT presume to be my friend. One hates all humans." The Kyuubi said simply as it was.
With this declaration, Naruto felt his vision darken, and he suddenly lost his footing, sinking into the water slowly. He looked back at the Kyuubi, who seemed surprised. "I'll show you I'm different." Naruto said confidently. "Maybe we can get along?"
"Ah, the behavior expected of one contracted to us." Both Naruto and the Kyuubi looked over to seal an odd sight. Before them was a small raccoon. "Excuse me for interrupting your heart-to-heart, as sweet as it was. But I must interfere with this attack on his character."
"You dare intrude-" The Kyuubi roared.
The raccoon held up a hand, and suddenly, he and Naruto seemed to fade away.
Naruto gasped as he suddenly shot up. He had collapsed on top of the head he was resting on. He rubbed his head, disoriented, and looked around before his eyes landed on the same raccoon he had seen in his head looming over him. Naruto screamed in shock and kicked back the raccoon in his surprise. He rolled to his feet, observing the raccoon that seemed to glare at him.
"Ouch, what was that for? I save you from big and grumpy, and you kick me? Maybe we were wrong." The raccoon complained.
Naruto blinked at the strange talking being. Did all animals secretly talk or something? The raccoon had dark brown fur that coated his body a darker brown stripe wrapped around its midsection. Its face was a paler brown, making it stand out compared to the rest of its body. As if speaking wasn't confounding enough, the creature also wore clothing. A blue bandana was wrapped around its neck. The raccoon was so small the bandana hung off its back like a cape. It also wore a pair of working boots that shone inordinately bright.
"Of course not; we are a unique class of animals. We're closer to toads, snails, or monkeys. Though not wholly the same either. But I suppose we should get to business."
"Business?" Naruto asked, confused. He was worn out, and this sounded like just another problem to add to his growing list.
"My apologies, I got distracted by your powerful tenant. My name is Muri Okama. I come from the great Okama Clan, the mystical tanuki group. I am here to offer you a deal." The raccoon explained as a bag suddenly appeared next to it. It started to dig into the bag suddenly.
"What sort of deal?" Naruto asked tiredly. "I can't really afford to offer you much time."
"Yes, quite the busy man you are. I scanned your mind before showing myself. It seems the next month will be difficult, the events following even more so. You seem to require assistance. And it just so happens we could use some aid ourselves. It won't take any of your time. We recognize that it is a commodity for you. See, we were at once the contracted summons of the Uzumaki clan." Muri explained.
"You all were the summons of my clan?" Naruto asked, shocked. If so, he could learn even more of his heritage. His mother had always been somewhat in the dark. Having been sent off from a young age as part of the alliance of the Leaf and Uzumaki.
"Indeed, well to a degree anyway. See, after one of you aided us unknowingly, we aligned ourselves with you. But we are different from the type to work with many. We may only have one summoner at a time of our choosing. We have chosen you; you are the most suitable candidate."
"But why now? And why not someone like my mother? She's stronger than me and would probably be the best choice." Naruto asked with a frown.
The raccoon seemed to laugh at this, seemingly amused by his response.
"Well, to answer your question in order. We, for years, have lacked a summoner. This is due to the last summoner of us going missing. After nearly fifty years of a lack of contact, the contract binding them was seen as void. We considered this a showing of the cost of having a summoner. As such, for years now, we have not chosen another one. It seems though another Uzumaki seeks our aid. We rejected him, of course. He lacked the characteristics we look for. Yet he does not intend to allow us to leave. He seeks to control us. He is a powerful and crafty man. Enough to where we fear he will eventually find a way to make us subservient through our summoning contract. As such, a decision was made. We needed a summoner to ensure he would not get his hands on the contract. We considered your mother as she is a full Uzumaki. But she does not fit the criteria either." Muri said.
"And I do?" Naruto asked, confused. This creature had been the voice he heard encouraging him. But Naruto needed clarification about why they wanted him.
"The best out of our current options, but yes. You are strong, brave, determined, kind, considerate. A man capable of great things, as well as a man who has not lost his humanity. Kushina, or your mother as you call her. It is, in many ways, fitting of a summoner. But she lacks ambition and patience. Ikam, the man intending to force our partnership, is murderous and manipulative. You are the only fitting choice." Muri stated plainly. "So we offer our contract. Keep in mind you will gain the aid of our kind as well as the teachings of us as well. But the enemy pursuing us will likely attempt to kill you. You may call us when you make up your mind. We will hear it wherever you may be." With its piece said the raccoon formed a hand sign and disappeared.
"Wait! Did you just say Ikam?!" He started before it disappeared into smoke
Naruto was stunned into silence at this. Ikam was pursuing the raccoons for reasons Naruto could only guess at. It was clear he would one day get them as much of a threat as he was. He had sent Mizuki after him, saved Mizuki from arrest, attempted to kill his mother, and exposed his secret. It was easy to see that stopping a man like that from getting what he pleased could surely only be a good thing.
He needed some advice. He needed a break. He needed his friends.
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Neji's POV (Training Ground of Team Seven - Hidden Leaf Village)
Neji had never been used to being defeated. He had quickly grown powerful in his training in the clan. To the point, even the main house people tended to avoid him. Sure, the Jounin ranking and higher could more than likely match him, but that was merely a matter of time. He could see how he would eventually close the gap. When Naruto had defeated him, it had undoubtedly been humbling, but he had seen ways to avoid it in the future. It had only been Kakashi who had ever been beyond him. Kakashi and now Eagle.
Losing to Eagle hurt his pride in ways he couldn't quite describe. The man was a self-admitted, banished Hyuga. Yet his level of mastery of Hyuga was damn near comparable to Hiashi. Worse yet the man seemed to use it as a mere tool of his arsenal. He would frequently use his tanto and water jutsu in conjunction with his Gentle Fist.
While effective, the Hyuga clan would never allow one of their prominent members to fight in such a way. The Gentle Fist had been an art mastered over the years. Powerful enough to make the Hyuga feared. To fight in a way that differed was seen as a direct insult to the Hyuga legacy. That being said, Eagle had seemingly perfected the Gentle Fist in the process.
Often in brutal fights, Neji had lamented the small number of faults of the Gentle Fist. It was a style limited by range; they trained their speed and developed the air palm to combat this weakness. But they were mere bandages on a much deeper wound. It also struggled against Kenjutsu, a weakness a novice swordsman Naruto had been able to take advantage of. Undoubtedly, the next time they fought, it would be an even more difficult struggle. Finally, if their enemy could survive the chakra attacks of the Gentle Fist, it limited their power. Eagle suffered none of these flaws.
He would use a tanto and Gentle Fist at once. Making it nearly impossible for Neji to engage without suffering a blow of some sort. Whenever Neji sought distance, he would bombard him with Water Jutsu until Neji was forced to draw a close.
After Eagle had defeated him quickly, he had Neji practice his earth Nature. Neji wanted to rebel against this training, but he needed to be stronger. Much stronger. As such, he adapted the training as required.
Now he lay collapsed in the training field. The beautiful field with a small creek cutting through it had craters throughout. Even trees seemed to have been smashed down. Neji lay in the center of the destruction, Eagle a short distance away, standing casually sipping from a bottle as if he had not spent the last two hours thrashing him.
"Well done, Hyuga," Eagle said simply. The Anbu was a man of few words. Neji originally had not minded, him himself being similar. He supposed it was Naruto and Ino's fault, but he had slowly grown annoyed with the long silence. He had grown used to the babble of his teammates and did not like the stoic silence they often worked in…
Neji had recently tried to break that himself. Unfortunately, it seemed he wasn't a social genius. Instead, he carried on bluntly. It worked for Naruto; surely he could do the same.
"Why do you say Hyuga with such venom?" Neji asked plainly.
Eagle stared back at him silently. Neji started to understand why Kakashi wore a mask besides his aloof nature. It was unnerving to match a stare with a person whose face was concealed. Even with his Byakugan, he struggled to make out expressions from the man. Neji was sure he had pushed too far, and Eagle may have been upset before the man sighed heavily. Seemingly bothered by the question but not annoyed with Neji deeply.
"I feel my banishment was undeserved. Our clan is much too closed off."
"Why were you banished?" Neji asked.
Another stretch of silence. Neji could tell this time he definitely crossed the line. Eagle's body language screamed defensively. But Neji merely stared on. He felt the man's story would be enlightening.
"I chose to save the wrong life," Eagle answered simply. "I will see you tomorrow. I will find you." The Anbu answered before suddenly fading away.
Neji sat in silence, debating the man's words. He had saved the wrong life?
A sudden shout knocked him out of his pondering.
"Neji-baka! Kakashi-sensei said you'd be here!" Naruto's voice cut into the field. "I wanna play~"
Neji debated hiding himself but knew Naruto was not so easily deterred. "I'm over here; it is good to hear from you, Naruto. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Naruto being here was unexpected but not necessarily unwelcome. The blonde was indeed in need of support after recent events. Neji would offer it in any way he could. Then, he would defeat the Uzumaki in the Chunin Exams. Balance.
"Stop being so formal, you big dork!" Naruto taunted. Making Neji frown even as it amused him. Naruto was an expert on complicated things. "I wanna hang out! Relax a bit! Enjoy our youth! I also have some serious intel on the man who leaked my identity."
"We have exactly one month to prepare for the most important days of our lives," Neji replied with a raised brow. "Not to mention, a large portion of the village may react negatively to your presence."
"The perfect reasons we need to cut back and relax." Naruto decided with a foxy smile. "Surely you can see how a mental recess would be useful."
"I suppose."
"Annnnnnd, it's at my place, so no villagers…" Naruto added while wiggling his brows playfully.
"A sleepover then? Seems rather childish."
"My mom got that rice wine you like…" Naruto stacked his final chip. His smile was downright devious now.
A team gathering wouldn't be the worst idea. Neji decided with a nod.
"I knew you'd see my way, buddy." Naruto smirked as he and Neji set off to gather their final teammate.
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Naruto's POV (Yamanaka Head Residence - Hidden Leaf Village)
Naruto and Neji landed on the street outside their teammates' homes. They have had to take alleyways and roofs to avoid Naruto being spotted but had managed to avoid detection. They both paused outside the door, both feeling slightly awkward outside Ino's home, especially uninvited. But Naruto, being the bold young man he was, stomped forward toward the home. He knocked on the door firmly and stood with his best smile facing it. Neji merely shook his head, hoping the blonde wouldn't shame Team Seven too much.
The door opened, and a woman who looked quite similar to Ino opened the door. She had short blonde hair done in a bob. Her blue eyes were identical, holding the same mischievous shine her daughter did as well. She was a short woman and unquestionably beautiful, enough to where Naruto felt his confidence in grabbing Ino die a vicious death. He had never been good with beautiful ladies. Even Ino had been a chore only made accessible by Neji being such a tool. He nervously rubbed his head. "Is Ino home?" He asked in what he hoped was a likable tone. Based on the sound of Neji's face-palming, he supposed it didn't quite work.
"Ohhh, you're blondie; my sweet daughter has mentioned you often." The older woman crowed. "You as well, Hyuga, though less sweet, though as of late, you've performed better according to my daughter."
"I see." Neji said, sounding somewhat suspicious. Naruto was sure Ino would be interrogated at some point today. If not Neji, then himself; she had never mentioned talking about him to her mom. He supposed he did, too, but still, it felt odd.
"MOM NO!" Ino's voice suddenly boomed.
"Is that Blondie?" Inoichi's voice rang out from the back of the house.
Ino suddenly appeared in the doorway, offering a beautiful smile to her teammates before slamming the door in their faces.
"Neji?"
"Yes," Neji answered.
"Women are strange." Naruto concluded with a nod.
"At least our teammate, yes." Neji agreed.
The door opened as suddenly as it closed Ino popped out, looking somewhat disheveled. Before she could say anything, the door opened. Inoichi was revealed looking just as disheveled. His eyes landed on Naruto. Who flinched, thinking the man disapproved of him. Before he could plead his case, Inoichi spoke.
"I disagree with how people have treated you as of late. I'm sorry I can't offer more aid." Inoichi said, his tone held something Naruto couldn't quite identify; it sounded like guilt.
"Not your fault." Naruto replied awkwardly.
"Daddy!" Ino complained, shoving her father back inside her home, and then she slammed the door in his face. "I'm sorry, my dad has been weird since the last council meeting."
"It's fine," Naruto started quickly to move on from the odd words of Inoichi and his wife. "We wanted to know if you wanted to chill at my place? Maybe crash."
"To chill? We're supposed to be training." Ino remarked.
"I said something similar." Neji chimed in.
"You two are sooo boring," Naruto complained. "There's so much going on, so much to worry about. Aren't you guys feeling stressed out?"
Ino pondered this silently as she saw Neji begrudgingly nod his head yes. She supposed if the mature and intelligent Neji agreed…
"I guess that is a great idea." Ino concluded with a small smile. Neji seemed to agree but, as always, was too stubborn to voice his disagreement.
"Awesome! Knew I could count on my teammates!" Naruto said joyously. He wasn't sure they would agree initially, but he was glad they did. He just wanted one night to relax. Forget his issues… well maybe he should seek their answer on his latest one. "So… you guys know anything about summoning creatures?" He asked.
"Not particularly," Ino answered honestly. "My clan doesn't have one, and they are sporadic. I do know the three Sannins are all famed for having powerful summons. They say even an unknown summoning contract is worth a fortune."
Naruto slightly frowned. While he supposed money was excellent, he would feel wrong selling it.
"I know little else except for having access to such a thing would certainly be a boon," Neji added.
"Well, I brought it up because one appeared today," Naruto explained.
"You should explain in full." Neji stated with a raised brow.
Naruto explained his meeting with the raccoon, admitting his meeting with the Kyuubi. While he trusted them, he preferred to keep it to himself that he could hear and see the beast. It would only complicate things.
"Ikam…" Ino growled. She seemed to dislike the man. All the better for Naruto. If he caught the bastard, she could help him kick his ass.
"Accepting would be wise." Neji concluded. "Even if they're useless, keeping them from Ikam would be beneficial."
"How do you figure?" Naruto asked, having an idea but unsure of what Neji was suggesting.
"Allow me if you don't mind." Muri chimed in suddenly on Naruto's shoulder. Ino and Neji looked at the small creature…..
Ino suddenly cooed at it, declaring it cute, while Neji seemed somewhat disappointed.
"Don't be alarmed; I have been chosen to be your personal summon!" The small raccoon crawled onto the top of Naruto's head, posing. "Now allow me to explain. See, while you, as a novice summoner, do not know our true worth, an intelligent man like Ikam knows our true value."
"Furthermore, he's aware that if he gets our contract, it saves him from having us as enemies. But by proxy, if we find another summoner, as long as they live, he cannot become one, even by force. Our clan is limited to one summoner by a power even Ikam cannot challenge."
"So cute…" Ino said, seemingly not focused on the serious conversation.
"So signing up with you guys would screw him over?" Naruto asked.
"As well as make you a target." Neji added cynically.
"Already am." Naruto shrugged. "Go back and tell them, after tonight, I'll sign up.
"So bossy to think he is blessed to have Muri as his summon." Muri rambled before poofing away.
"Ok, now we're ready to party?!" Naruto asked.
"Hell yeah!" Ino roared.
"I suppose."
Ino and Naruto stared at Neji with frowns.
"Stick in the mud." Both echoed. Neji frowned back.
"I see Naruto has already gathered you all." Kakashi suddenly chimed in, somehow having sneaked behind them. "I'll take us to Kushina's home." With this decree, the man somehow body flickered with the three Genin.
They arrived just outside the door of Naruto's home. Anko, Eagle, and Jiriaya waiting. Naruto heard Ino and Neji gasp at Jiraiya. He often forgot he was a legend. The man was usually a giant goofball. The door of his home flew open. Naruto had sent clones to ask and help his mom prepare for the get-together.
As they were about to start the party they were stopped by Naruto saying, "Before we start this guys, I want to introduce you to someone." A puff of smoke masked the arrival of Muri who was now perched on the shoulder of a grinning Naruto excitedly exchanging glances with his summon.
"Hello there, summoner! I have arrived! I have come to inform our allies of our enemy!" Muri said excitedly, flexing as if he was a bodybuilder.
"My, is that a raccoon?" Kakashi asked quizzically.
"Isn't it called a tanuki or something?" Anko added. "My snakes could use a snack…"
"I am much too valuable for a snack! I have info on our shared enemy! As well as the contract for you, summoner!" Muri said, with a large scroll in hand.
"Hey, I was gonna!" Jiraiya complained.
"Sorry, Pervy Sage." Jiraiya screamed out in pain at this. "But I promised." Naruto said simply. Naruto then raised an arm for Muri to climb it and unfurl the scroll.
"Indeed, we prefer not to interact with humans. If not for Ikam, we would not be here."
"Ikam?" Jiraiya asked, now serious. "You have info."
"Tell us." Kushina also added, now interested.
"That bastard's lieutenant spared me. I'll make him regret that." Anko promised darkly.
"Perfect, we all hate the man!" Muri cheered happily. "See, he is forcing us to be his summons."
"Such should be impossible." Jiraiya said. "You must sign the master scroll. Even if you tried force, they would hide it somewhere it would never be found. They would rather be slaughtered than allow that to be used against them." He explained, seeming somewhat unhappy to hear someone was trying to force a clan of summons to be slaves.
"He uses his knowledge of Fuinjutsu to attempt to bind our leader. He frequently attacks; should he manage to gain control of him, the rest of us would be forced to follow." Muri explained.
"But why should this be the Leaf's problem?" Eagle asked. Neji was the only one who seemed to agree.
"Ikam seeks to reap the souls of all Uzumaki. Last I checked, that included the two in this room." Muri said casually.
"Point taken." Kakashi replied. "Naruto, you may as well. They may be helpful.
Naruto signed his name on the scroll, which poofed away once he did.
"My clan and you will talk business soon enough." Muri said before poofing away.
Silence filled the room.
"Anyway," Kakashi said, interrupting the loud silence.
"Let's party!" Kushina declared excitedly. The assorted group cheered quickly, rushing into the home.
His mother had decorated their home with various flowers and banners. The banners read multiple sayings, such as Happy Birthday, Miss You Dearly, and even one that said 50% off. But it mattered little to the group. They drank, they played games, they sang and danced. Naruto had yet to have this much fun. His mind completely forgot, at least for a short while, his woes.
Neji seemed to truly enjoy the rice win, as he said before. They drank heavily but obviously had learned from their previous stints of doing so. He is nursing the drink and managing his liquor much better. Eagle sat with him, a silent drinking duo. But based on Neji's smile and the Eagles' rare relaxation, they were enjoying the night.
Ino stuck to Naruto like glue. She seemed guilty for some reason, just like her father. But he didn't ask; instead, he ensured to be as entertaining as possible. The shaky smile held by Ino became a beaming one over time.
His mother, similarly to Ino, stuck close and also seemed to enjoy herself. He bet she was happy. Naruto seemed happy. Moms were weird like that, he supposed.
Jiraiya got roaringly drunk. Hitting on Anko without shame and being hit by her without shame. He told half stories, usually forgetting them as quickly as he told them.
Anko also got drunk, seemingly aiming to outdo Jiraiya. But seemed to fail soon, singing and dancing loudly for the rest of the night. Kakashi seemed to egg this on, taking several pictures of it in joy.
Naruto wasn't sure he had had a better day. Even as they left, he felt overjoyed. At least until he heard a gasp of shock and the loud chattering of a crowd. Kushina and him joined their guests outside to see what had bothered them. It was once again a sign. The familiar message now came back to haunt him.
Naruto Uzumaki is a Demon
Kushina Uzumaki is a Demon
Ino Yamanaka is a Whore
Naruto felt his stomach drop at this. Looking over at Ino in dismay. She seemed stunned. Her face showed that she was offended. The crowd then started to cruelly jeer at them. Insults and rage screamed with ease. The crowd was deafening.
"Wow, the slut had a lot of customers." A drunk voice rang out cruelly.
"To think the Yamanaka have fallen so low." An old man complained.
"She associates with Orochimaru's toy, too." A shinobi mocked.
"Fitting for a slut to train a slut." A female voice concluded.
Kushina, Kakashi, Anko, Eagle, and Jiraiya moved quickly, attempting to dispel the crowd.
But Naruto could only focus on Ino, who seemed to collapse to her knees from the hate. Tears welled in her eyes. She…ran…..ran away.
And it was all his fault.