Naruto 1. Don't want me fine I'll leave

**Ok now I know I said I wouldn't start my third Naruto story until I finished my first but if you haven't learnt by now, I am notoriously unreliable. Another thing I have learnt is that when inspiration hits, you sit down and type because once it goes you are not going to write much at all. So of course when inspiration hit me, funnily enough in the shower, I knew I would be writing this. For instance for my Dxd story, which is doing rather well, I was inspired and was able to crack out 15 000 words over three nights equating to a total of 4 hours… those of you who write know that is nothing to scoff at, so now when my muse says write a new chapter for this story you better believe I am going to.**

Now this story is following along the theme of my other Naruto stories: The Tails of Naruto Uzumaki being a good Naruto story, Naruto Guardian Of The Mist being a neutral Naruto story… so can you guess what this one will be?  
>That's right, this will be a dark Naruto story and when I say dark I mean subjugate the world and ruthlessly kill anyone who tries to stop him dark.<p>

Some of you might be wondering why would a story called Naruto Senju Uchiha Uzumaki feature a dark Naruto. Answer, because I have yet to find one. Every time I read a story with Naruto being somehow a part of the three main clans, he is always good or at the very best grey. Those of you who have read more than one of my stories will know I like trying out strange abstract ideas that are rare, if not unique. As for why I am calling him Senju Uchiha Uzumaki… well you need to read the story for that.

Another thing, is with the manga currently making Madara an absolutely badass killing everyone, I feel motivated to try my hand at a dark Naruto story.

Enough with the preliminary notes let me explain a bit about the story. Naruto leaves the Leaf Village (shocker) but not in a cliché way (my first story had enough of those) and finds his way to the Uzumaki shrine and makes a deal with death, literally.

That is all I will reveal at this stage but the things you can expect from this story include: strong Naruto, powerful not god-like Naruto, dark/evil/cruel/manipulative/sadistic Naruto and since I just can't seem to shake it in the Naruto genre, a harem which will mostly feature characters who were wronged, some of which are canonically dead but I did mention a deal with death didn't I? Who will be in it right now is undecided but the one person who I am sure will be in it is Pakura since I can't find a decent story with her.

As for updates, since I am currently churning out a new 6000+ word chapter for my Dxd story a week I will update this once a month until my Dxd inspiration dries up. If this gets amazing reception (either 30 reviews a chapter or 100 favourites and follows within a few chapters) I will try my best to get a new chapter up every 3 weeks. The thing is uni literally takes all my time up and it doesn't help that I am trying to get a job now either so I can't promise anything better than that.

Oh and to stop a problem before it develops here is my customary quotation mark note.  
>Quotation marks can be either one mark 'word' or two marks "word" neither is correct over the other. In fact I looked through my bookshelf and I seem to have a 6040 split in favour of my quotation mark usage. This is because in America " " is usually talking and a majority of writers on this site are American hence why some people think it is the only correct way. I am Australian and two of my favourite series; Deltora Quest and Harry Potter use quotation marks just the way I do so I will say this now: I am never changing this. It is solely authorial choice. If you cannot handle this then don't read on as frankly I am tired of being insulted for using single quotation marks to denote speech and double quotation marks to denote thoughts and being told how dumb, stupid, illiterate etc. I supposedly am.

Hope you enjoy the story.  
>SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.<p>

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Naruto anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

'**Heavily demonic voice'**

'**Fox or Death talking' **

"**Fox or Death thinking"**

*expression*

**Jutsu **

_Flashback_

Chapter 1 – Don't want me; fine I'll leave

A five year old boy of small stature, with golden blond hair that was marred with dirt and a tan complexion, was walking through his home village. Home could he really call it that?

"This place is no home of mine." Thought the boy clad in a white shirt with an orange spiral in the centre and black shorts which were well aged and fraying slightly.

As he walked along the streets he felt all the disdainful glares on his back, their contempt for his very existence was rolling off them in waves. It was as if he was nothing but a pest in their eyes; taking up space, eating their food and breathing their air.

"Why am I even still here? I have three people that even acknowledge me, two because I eat at their restaurant, even if they do give me free meals some times, and the old man. If I left would they even care? I know Ayame would probably be sad for a little but I am no one special to her, she has her dad and friends as well. Ichiraku, well I guess he will miss his best customer, but with his food, losing one customer won't really affect him that much. The old man… why does the old man even care for me? There are plenty of other orphans in the village; it can't just be because of that Will of Fire he keeps going on about." Thought Naruto a scowl plastered on his face as he walked receiving disdainful looks from both sides.

Naruto finally reached the end of the market district and turned left instead of right leading him away from his apartment.

"Well if that's the case I might as well leave and try and find someplace better." Thought Naruto resolutely as he headed towards the entrance of the sewers.

As he neared the entrance which was more or less a large manhole his eyes quickly darted around looking around to see if anyone was looking at him. There were two people who were drunk and lying on the floor, no doubt unconscious and a stray black cat looking around a trashcan near the two drunks.

'Perfect.' Muttered Naruto as he quickly lifted the manhole and slipped into it and then slowly pushed the cover back over and embraced the darkness.

Naruto stood there for a few minutes waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness which only took a couple of seconds. Naruto always did have surprisingly strong senses, sight and hearing being the best with smell coming in a close second. Naruto walked along the sewer heading down the right path, his small sandal covered feet splashed against the miniscule amount of water in the sewer. Eventually reaching the end of the single directional sewer path, the path opened up into two new paths, one leading to a small building underground constructed out of steel and silver so it didn't corrode from the sewer water and one leading outside the village.

On certain days when Naruto wanted to be alone and not have anyone glare at him he would sneak into the sewers since no one would voluntarily go into them. The best part was that as long as he made a noticeable appearance in the village at least once every two days; no one noticed he was gone. He found this particular path six months ago just before his birthday, the glares were even more intense then, most becoming looks of loathing and outright hate. He had briefly entertained the notion of leaving then but he wasn't ready to leave yet.

As Naruto walked over to the metal building he remembered all the times he snuck down here bringing as much imperishable food he could along with stray items like blunt kunai, broken swords and cloth. He might have only been five but having to fend for himself since he could walk made him grow up fast, giving him an eye for spotting the usefulness of anything and a rather perceptive mind. For this reason when Naruto entered this building for the first time and saw all of the dead bodies, organs floating in jars, notes and medical books he knew two things. The first that whoever ran this place before abandoning it was absolutely sick, but at the same time a genius and the second thing was that there were a lot more aspects to medical Ninjutsu than just healing someone. The books he found here were initially hard to comprehend but with the help of a handy dictionary and thesaurus along with a rather detailed chart that was bigger than him on human anatomy he found that something about the stuff he was reading just clicked with him.

As Naruto entered the lab he walked over to the small section he had assigned for all of his worldly possessions that he had managed to get his hands on, which just so happened to be inside a single scroll. He didn't have much aside from kunai, shuriken and ninja wire but he had at least three useable swords which, if he ever learnt how to forge weapons, could be melted down and reshaped into one spectacular sword. Luckily for Naruto the lab also had many senbon needles, thousands in facts and many vials. The best thing that Naruto found in the lab by far was the storage seal which had multiple sealing circles. It had seven separate circles which Naruto took advantage of using one for all metal weapons he had minus the senbon, one purely for the senbon and vials, one for each and every book Naruto had found value in, one for all of his food, one for all non-metal materials Naruto had, such as the cloth he had collected via various means while the last two were currently empty as Naruto didn't have a need for them yet. The scroll was a metre in height and thus dragged on the ground when Naruto walked with it strapped to his back. Naruto sealed all the new stuff he had scrounged today before rolling the scroll up and strapping it to his back.

As Naruto left the lab and headed for the path leading out of the village he internally thanked his lucky stars that he was able to access his chakra, granted he didn't have good control over it but just being able to release a small burst of chakra made him capable of using the sealing scroll.

As Naruto took his first steps outside the village he paused and took a deep breath in while enjoying the feeling of being away from the oppressive walls of The Leaf Village which he could see in the distance a good kilometre away.

"Alright now which direction should I take? Left has worked for me so far... left it is then." Thought Naruto before walking left aimlessly, not knowing where he was going or what he would do when he got there, only that he wanted to get away from his cursed village as soon as possible.

_-line break-_

After an hour of walking Naruto glanced back and noticed that he could just barely make out the sight of the main gate of his now former living area and couldn't help smiling.

"Soon I will be free of that blasted place altogether." Thought Naruto in contentment as he kept walking.

After a short time Naruto spotted a building, even though curiosity killed the cat Naruto Uzumaki was no cat and therefore walked towards the temple. As he neared the entrance he saw a decrepit worn out building which just so happened to have the same symbol as the one on his shirt on the entrance.

Naruto grabbed his shirt and looked down at the symbol then back up to the building.

'This must be a sign, coincidences like this don't happen often.' Muttered Naruto as he entered the shrine.

Within the temple a central podium, which also had the symbol from his shirt on the top of it, had a bunch of masks hung along it.

'Masks? What could be so special about a bunch of masks?' Asked Naruto to himself.

Naruto looked at all the masks before reaching for one but then paused halfway to it.

"No something is telling me… not this mask." Thought Naruto in confusion as his hand hovered over the other masks until one elicited a tugging sensation from him.

As Naruto grasped the mask he felt compelled to put the mask on, almost as if it was calling out to him. As he put it on an intense burning feeling spread through his body, it felt like he was being electrocuted as every neuron in his body started firing at full capacity causing immense pain while his heart pumped blood twice as fast around his tiny body. Golden spectral flames burst around his being as a spectre appeared behind Naruto, not that he noticed. However the spectral figure sensed something within the body it was currently possessing and broke off its connection allowing the pain the boy experienced to cease as he dropped to his knees, the mask falling off his face.

**'Do you have any idea what you have just done?' Asked the spectre in a voice absent of all emotion that chilled Naruto's very being.**

'No *huff* why don't you *huff* enlighten me?' Retorted Naruto as he breathed heavily trying to recover from the immense pain that had previously wracked his body.

**'You who bears the seal powered by my very essence, the very notion that you managed to summon me is quite the coincidence, however I don't believe in coincidences.' Said the figure.**

'Who are you anyway?' Asked Naruto now having regained his bearings.

**'I am an existence as old as time, in the beginning I was there and in the end I shall be there as well. The only certainty in life is that sooner or later all will come to me. No matter how hard some try to prevent it, no one is a match for death, as the Reaper of Souls I would know this fact very well.' Said the ghostly figure now identified as the Reaper of Souls, Death itself.**

Naruto looked up and gazed at the spectre; it was translucent and possessed a demonic visage. It was much larger than an average human, possessing long, shaggy white hair, from which two red horns protruded, and dark greyish blue-coloured skin.

It was draped in large white garments and carried a set of prayer beads wrapped around its right hand. A small blade was held by the figure in its left hand and its mouth was full of sharp, jagged teeth as well as a very long, almost serpentine tongue.

'Not that I'm not thrilled about meeting the Reaper of Souls, truly, I am actually humbled getting to meet death itself while still being alive, but what did you mean when you said I have a seal powered by your essence?' Asked Naruto in what he hoped was a respectful voice.

Death stared into Naruto with its cold black eyes, its red pupils focused solely on Naruto who unflinchingly stared right back.

**'You have courage to be able to even look at me, greater men than you have crumbled at the very notion of me, for that I applaud you. As for the seal I referenced, a foolish human, who bore a close resemblance to you and now sits in my belly for eternity, summoned me in order to separate the yin and yang chakra of a tailed beast and then; seal the yang chakra of the beast inside you, while the yin chakra was sealed into him.' Said Death as Naruto stood their quietly absorbing what he had just heard.**

"Death has literally been claiming every single deceased person's soul since the beginning of time itself, for him to mention the human who summoned him looked like me… so let's see the only chakra beast that could be sealed in me would be the Kyuubi which was supposedly killed by the Fourth Hokage, however he said a human summoned him and split the beasts chakra and sealed half into me. That would mean the Fourth Hokage was no doubt the one to summon death… I see my own father cursed me to a life of isolation. However I have death standing in front of my right now… such a rare occurrence can't be ignored." Thought Naruto rapidly.

'Why exactly did I feel compelled to wear that mask and how did you get here?' Asked Naruto pointing to the mask that had fallen off his face.

**'That mask, aside from the technique that the being currently in my stomach developed, is the only way to summon me to this realm, as for why you felt compelled to wear it, that is because you possess the blood of the clan which built this shrine.' Answered Death in reverse order to what Naruto asked him.**

'I see. Say Death, or Reaper of Souls, which ever you prefer, would you like to make a deal of sorts?' Asked Naruto bravely locking eyes with Death.

**'What could you possibly offer me, in time everything shall be mine?' Questioned Death, a hint of amusement entering his tone.**

"Damn didn't think that through." Thought Naruto.

'An avatar.' Said Naruto cautiously.

**'You? Well while you do possess the abilities to become an Avatar of Death in time why would I need you, since as I said, all life comes to me eventually?' Asked Death.**

'So you are perfectly content to sit back and wait for everything to come to you?' Asked Naruto.

**'Why not?' Asked Death.**

'Surely an entity as powerful as yourself would want to have some impact on the world?' Pressed Naruto trying to find something he could use to his advantage.

**'Your efforts are amusing but I couldn't care less about this world, honestly to me a million years is the equivalent to the blink of an eye.' Commented Death.**

'Well if you have no interest why not help me out anyway, I mean doesn't simply waiting for souls and doing nothing get boring?' Suggested Naruto.

**'I am an entity above such emotions, I am neutrality at its finest, if the world ended tomorrow I would not care and if the world ends in ten billion years I would not care either.' Said Death.**

'Well in that case why not make things more interesting for me? If you don't want to have any impact on the world, why not let me since you said everything ends with you anyway?' Asked Naruto.

**'Hmm I suppose I could, that being said I would gain nothing, but I would also lose nothing… very well mortal you have piqued my interest. I will temporarily bring back the soul of the person sealed inside of you, I will allow you one of your earthly years to train solely in the art of wielding a scythe, I will provide you one as well. The soul I bring back will also be your instructor.  
>To test if you are worthy of my attention I assign you the mission of harvesting one hundred souls for me within one of your human days at the end of your year of training. The soul may come from anyone, as like I have said I am a being of neutrality and do not have a petty moral judgement on the souls I collect, that is the job of another, I merely harvest.' Said Death before raising his tanto and pointing at Naruto's navel, which he briefly stabbed into, before pulling it out and dragging out a spectral cloud of white smoke with it.<strong>

Death raised his right hand covered in prayer beads and created a ball of ethereal flames which he plunged into the white mass causing it to suddenly take shape. A woman begun to take shape, she possessed long fiery red hair and a feminine build she was clothed in long white garments similar to Death. When she opened her eyes violet orbs were revealed which darted around quickly widening slightly at the sight of Naruto before the figure turned around and nearly died at the sight before her.

'I leave you with this.' Said Death as its right hand glowed an eerie black before a long black pole started to materialise in its grip. The pole extended up to a metre reaching Naruto's height before a black, curved and serrated blade started growing out of the pole. The blade was two metres long and was serrated on the underside while the top was as smooth as possible to enable it to cut through the air with minimal resistance. The scythe was peculiar in its measurements as most scythes hand a long handle and short blade to assist in harvesting of crop, but this scythe, this scythe was purely made for the harvesting of souls.

Death placed the scythe down before fading away leaving Naruto and the woman recently brought back into existence.

'So who are you exactly?' Asked Naruto after a few minutes.

'Me? I'm your mother you know.' Said the figure claiming to be Naruto's mother.

'Now why exactly would death bring you back to life of all people, I doubt Death is sentimental.' Said Naruto aloud in thought.

'Maybe because I was the best bladed weapon user of my generation you know.' Said Kushina with a slight tick mark on her head.

'Hmm I suppose that is a good enough reason… but boy is this awkward believe it.' Commented Naruto at the strange force-field like feeling in between the two.

'Believe it? I guess you got a verbal tick from me after all.' Commented Kushina with a smile.

'I suppose. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself before we start training since we will have a whole year together?' Suggested Naruto trying to remove some of the tension between the two.

'Very well my name is Kushina Uzumaki and my hobbies include pulling pranks and chatting. My favourite food is salt ramen and I hate coffee and anything bitter.' Said Kushina.

'My name is Naruto Uzumaki but I guess you knew that already, my hobbies also include pulling pranks and watering plants. My favourite food is Ichiraku ramen and red bean soup while my least favourite foods are fresh vegetables. Guess I know who I take after in the attitude department.' Said Naruto with a small smile which Kushina mirrored.

'Well that's enough talk for now why don't we start trying to teach you how to wield a scythe you only have a year after all and a scythe is one tricky weapon to use.' Said Kushina.

'Right.' Said Naruto as he walked over to the scythe and picked it up.

'Now for a scythe the first thing you need to do is lower your centre of gravity, this scythe has a particularly long blade so to deal with this you need to take a slightly wide stance and lean forward while keeping it close to your body. The main thing to remember is that a scythe cleaves and thus one body blow is usually the end, in order for this to happen though you need to be quick hence why you lean forward, it also helps to stand on the balls of your feet to help you kick off the ground faster.' Explained Kushina which Naruto listened to before doing as told.

The weight of the scythe proved too much for Naruto and he toppled forward slightly.

'Guess keep balancing will be my biggest problem since I have decent manoeuvrability and speed but this weight is completely throwing off my centre of gravity.' Muttered Naruto as he readjusted himself getting in position again and tensing all the muscles in his legs in order to keep him upright.

'Alright here is how we will start off, you need to stay in that stance and the only thing you can move is your scythe, your legs need to remain in that same position.' Said Kushina.

'Why what are you going to do now?' Asked Naruto curiously.

'Me? Well I'm going to be launching chains at you in a single linear path and you need to either dodge or block them without moving got it?' Asked Kushina as she stepped back a bit.

'Got it, believe it.' Said Naruto with a smile.

'Alright here we go.' Said Kushina before launching a chain at Naruto's right shoulder.

Naruto leaned to the left avoiding the blow before another chain aimed at his left side shot at him. Knowing he couldn't dodge Naruto reversed his grip on the scythe so the blade was facing down and away from him and swung the scythe in a semi circular arc which pushed the chain away from him.

'Well you have quite a bit of ingenuity, that is good as it means I can step up your training.' Said Kushina before three chains shot at Naruto.

Naruto blocked the first in a similar manner as before with his scythe but the other two ploughed into his stomach launching him back a metre with the secondary effect of pushing him over onto his back. As Naruto regained his bearings Kushina stood there waiting. As he got to his feet he stepped back into his original position and took the same stance.

'I'm ready.' Said Naruto which caused Kushina to grin.

'That's my little maelstrom.' Said Kushina before launching another three chains aimed at Naruto's head and shoulders which he blocked by using the pole of the scythe to push the chains up before another chain ploughed into his stomach sending him back again.

'Never haphazardly raise you guard: opening your stomach up for attack is asking for trouble, the blade needs to be a part of you but also needs to work with your body, using the scythe to block something and leaving yourself open is a poor choice when ducking would have enabled you to dodge them all and keep your guard up.' Lectured Kushina.

'Got it, again.' Said Naruto before Kushina started launching chains at him again as soon as he was back in position.

The chains were coming faster now, at all times two chains were passing by Naruto but he skilfully managed to dodge fifteen before one clipped his hand which opened up his guard allowing Kushina to hit his left shoulder.

'Always keep a firm grip on your weapon; even in death you should never let it leave your hands.' Said Kushina.

Naruto nodded and got back into his stance before the cycle of dodge, block and get knocked back by a chain or two that snuck by him persisted for another hour before Kushina decided to take a break.

'Alright that's enough we will take a break for now.' Said Kushina before Naruto pulled out his scroll and unsealed a protein bar which he chewed slowly.

'So you already know how to use seals.' Commented Kushina offhandedly.

'Just the basics like sealing and unsealing as well as the general idea behind seals, yeah, drawing or making them, no.' Said Naruto as he continued to eat his protein bar.

'You know Uzumaki's are experts at Fuinjutsu, if you like I can teach you?' Offered Kushina kindly.

'I'd like that.' Said Naruto with a small smile which caused to Kushina to smile as well.

'I always imagined this is what it would be like having a kid. Getting to train you in Kenjutsu and Fuinjutsu, watch over you and give you handy tips here and there *sigh* still it is a shame I couldn't be with you since you were born.' Said Kushina wistfully.

'If you don't mind me asking how exactly did you die?' Asked Naruto curiously.

Kushina sighed before sitting down in front of Naruto. Naruto finished up his protein bar and looked at Kushina in anticipation.

'I suppose I should start from the beginning.' Said Kushina before revealing everything that had happened in her life right up until her death.

_-line break-_  
><strong><br>**'That's everything I suppose.' Finished Kushina before looking up and seeing Naruto deep in thought.

'Is something the matter?' Asked Kushina in concern.

'Yes something is wrong this doesn't add up. The way you describe the Uzumaki barrier seal no intruder would have been able to invade Whirlpool unless they were an Uzumaki themselves, or they had the blood of one. You described tens of thousands invading meaning that there is no way they were able to gather that much blood and thus the only logical conclusion is that the seal was tampered with from the inside.' Said Naruto ominously.

'That is impossible! No Uzumaki would ever sell out their village; every Uzumaki held a frighteningly close bond with every other Uzumaki, no one would want to betray their fellow Uzumakis.' Protested Kushina vehemently.

'Maybe it wasn't an Uzumaki… maybe it was an ally of the Uzumakis. After all it makes sense, the first host of the Nine-Tailed Fox was Mito, an Uzumaki and she grew frail and old despite our longevity. The Leaf knew this and also knew only an Uzumaki can hold the chakra of the fox meaning a new, young Uzumaki needed to be attained in order to ensure they didn't lose their weapon in the form of a tailed best holder. At the time the Uzumaki's would not have wanted to give up another Uzumaki just to help the Leaf since Mito, the wife of the First Hokage, sealed the fox into herself by her own hand and with her passing the fox be released once again but with Madara and the First Hokage dead at this point in time no one else could control the fox aside from another Uzumaki. So in order to keep the strongest tailed beast the Leaf instigated a series of events in order to get their hands on another young Uzumaki who they could control, who better than the Uzumaki who also had the ability to mould chains out of chakra which can hold down a tailed beast.' Finished Naruto.

Kushina was stunned mouth slightly agape.

"It can't be did the Leaf betray us?" Questioned Kushina internally.

'That means that the real reason the Uzumaki's were wiped out, was because of the Leaf.' Said Naruto dropping the bombshell.

Hope you liked it and just in case you are worrying Naruto is not just going against the Leaf. Far too many stories have Naruto going against the Leaf and immediately tag him as dark or evil Naruto. Going against the Leaf doesn't make someone evil, after all, if that were the case every non-Leaf shinobi is evil then. Naruto will in fact be against more than just the Leaf as this will be a true Dark/Evil Naruto.

Now aside from Naruto I have some very good news, I have Pokémon Y and as of now I have completely caught all 718 Pokémon ever in existence including all event legendaries at 401 hours and 25 seconds of game play. Just thought I would share this achievement with you all since I am really happy about it.

In any case please let me know what you thought of the story.  
>SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.<p> 


	2. Kushina

_**Update: Proofread.**_

_  
><em>**Happy Birthday to me :D  
>Well at least as far as fanfiction is concerned, it is actually April 27 right now where I am but hey it is still April 26 somewhere.<br>As a special present to all of you I made a new chapter for all my stories… or at least that is what I was aiming for. I couldn't finish one for To Be the Best or Naruto Guardian of the Mist but have no fear I haven't forgotten about them.  
>Also I have yet to proofread these chapters so there may be a few typos but I will look over them now and upload the fully proofread chapter.<br>In the mean time though, enjoy :D  
>SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.<strong>  
><strong><br>NSUU specific note.**

**So this chapter isn't very rich in terms of plot/story development but it does set the scene for what is going to happen next as well as giving Naruto some much needed mental stability as well as setting some other things up.  
>Also, since I know many will care about this (although honestly I wonder how many people would continue to read this story if their favourite wasn't paired with Naruto) the harem is not concrete and I have many ideas. This harem will probably be rather large, but it will be so because of the design of it, that being said Pakura is obviously in and after this chapter, the second person I have in mind should be very obvious. The harem will have a central theme of people who were wrongedslighted in life and it will include some filler characters (another big hint).  
>Also some of the stuff brought up in here, namely stuff related to the Senju is not exactly canon but to be fair very little is given on them so I am taking some creative liberty.<br>Enjoy.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Naruto anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

'**Heavily demonic voice'**

'**Fox or Death talking' **

"**Fox or Death thinking"**

*expression*

**Jutsu **

_Flashback_

Chapter 2 – Kushina

After the reveal of the Leaf's treachery Kushina trained Naruto much harder than before, on occasion, accidently running him through with her chakra chains but Naruto recovered quite quickly from each incident thanks to the fox. A couple months had passed before Kushina finally came to terms with what had happened to her clan and Naruto wasn't pierced by chakra chains on a daily basis anymore.

'I'm really sorry about that by the way.' Said Kushina as she scratched the back of her head with a silly grin.

'It is alright, with you actually trying to harm me I have now become much better at dodging, honestly I think you were going easy on me at the start.' Replied Naruto happily.

'You didn't happen to turn into a masochist did you?' Asked Kushina warily.

'Maso-what?' Asked Naruto in confusion.

'Nothing, never mind.' Said Kushina quickly.

"I forgot that despite how smart he is, he is only five." Thought Kushina in embarrassment realising that if she hadn't been more tactfully she might have had to have the talk… with her five year old son, boy that would have been awkward.

'Well do you want to start sparring practice I mean being able to dodge almost everything won't help if I can't actually attack myself and end up getting hit with counter attacks?' Suggested Naruto.

'I suppose but why don't we take a break for the rest of the day and talk and start fresh tomorrow?' Suggested Kushina.

'Sure I don't mind, maybe you can tell me some more stories about your life or about the Uzumaki clan.' Said Naruto as he sat down cross-legged in front of Kushina. ****

'Well I've told you just about everything about my life except for what it was like in Whirlpool so I suppose I can tell you a bit about the Uzumakis.' Said Kushina before mirroring Naruto and taking a similar seating position.

'Well the Uzumaki clan in the past held close ties with the Senju.' Began Kushina getting a frown from Naruto.

'We in fact were distant blood relatives and as a result quite similar to each other, you see both clans possess an incredible life source, unlike the Uzumakis though the Senju were different in the fact that their life force enabled them a strong control over an aspect of nature, Hashirama and Tobirama each had a unique nature ability in which Hashirama could control wood and life while Tobirama had an unparalleled control of water which no Mizukage has been able to match. Tsunade the granddaughter of Hashirama wields great power over the cells of the human body capable of committing many feats which none could surpass except for Hashirama.  
>The Uzumakis on the other hand didn't have a specialised life force ability and thus instead of control over a specific ability, we were granted a fierce longevity with the ability to live up to around one hundred and twenty years, sadly very few every reached this age aside from a few past clan heads. Despite that though our life-force granted us immense power which is why only an Uzumaki can contain the Nine-Tailed fox inside them without being torn apart from the inside and we are the only people who have the potential to survive a tailed beast extraction, as I showed.' Said Kushina with a bit of pride at the end.<p>

'So we are similar in a sense due to our life force.' Said Naruto slowly.

'Yes essentially, however we also excel in sealing techniques which no one can match, your father.' Said Kushina mentally noting the thinning of Naruto's lips at the mention of the person who sealed the fox into him.

'Was said to be a legendary seal master, but the truth was he was only as skilled as a middle aged Uzumaki. The clan heads of the Uzumaki clan had seals which would make him look like a petulant child playing around with seals for fun. In fact, I helped him learn almost everything he knew about sealing, aside from the basics he learnt from Jiraiya and the seal he used on the Kyuubi which he developed on his own for the most part, only asking me to check over certain sections of it.' Finished Kushina.

'What about those chains you talked about?' Asked Naruto curiously.

'Well I wasn't the only one who could use chains, there have been some users of them in the past but it was generally a female exclusive ability although I think there may have been one or two male users, but I can't be sure. In any case I was the only one of my generation to be able to use them… but that might have been because the Uzumaki clan was destroyed. It is very likely that there is at least one surviving Uzumaki out there capable of using chains similar to me. Maybe you'll find her one day and restart the Uzumaki clan.' Said Kushina with a laugh.

'Why is that funny wouldn't it be a good thing to restart the Uzumaki clan?' Asked Naruto in confusion.

'Uh.' Said Kushina once again cursing for forgetting her son was only five.

'Well I suppose if you could gather up the remaining Uzumaki's you will have a better chance of restarting the clan, that being said make sure they know about our abilities, an Uzumaki's heritage is something to be cherished.' Said Kushina skilfully avoiding the previous train of thought the conversation was heading towards.

'No worries. As soon as I am strong enough I will set out and search for them, I'll make sure to rebuild the Uzumaki clan.' Said Naruto firmly.

Kushina smiled at this, ever since she found out she was the only known survivor of the Uzumaki clan she wanted to track down any who managed to flee, she wouldn't accept that she was the last Uzumaki and hearing that Naruto would one day fulfil one of her strongest desires brought joy to her troubled heart.

'So Naruto what exactly are your dreams?' Asked Kushina realising she knew very little about her son.

'Well I want to rebuild the Uzumaki clan… that's about it I suppose.' Said Naruto flatly.

'Nothing else? Don't you want to become powerful, maybe have a family of your own, visit distant lands?' Asked Kushina prodding for more information.

'…Not really all I really wanted was to get away from the glares of the villagers.' Said Naruto quietly causing Kushina to fume slightly.

"To think me and Minato gave our lives to protect a bunch of bigots who can't tell the difference between a child and a demon fox." Thought Kushina in anger.

'Well you did get away now so isn't there anything else you want to do? There really isn't a wrong answer.' Said Kushina kindly.

'Well there is one thing but you won't agree with me.' Mumbled Naruto.

'How will you know if you never say it?' Asked Kushina.

'I-I want the villagers of the Leaf to pay for what they did to me.' Said Naruto hesitantly.

Kushina absorbed this for a moment while Naruto looked down thinking his mum was going to hate him now. A warm feeling wrapped around Naruto making him feel safe and loved, he looked to his side and saw Kushina's smiling visage.

'Why do you look so upset? I'm you mother aren't I? I could never hate you, you know?' Said Kushina kindly as she hugged her son.

'B-but you died to try and protect the village.' Said Naruto in surprise.

'No I didn't. I died to protect you, to ensure you lived, it just happened to turn out that making sure you survived made sure the Leaf Village survived as well.' Said Kushina sternly.

Naruto stayed silent enjoying the embrace before shifting slightly getting Kushina's attention.

'I think I have another goal.' Said Naruto quietly.

Kushina didn't say anything and waited for Naruto to go on.

'I think that I want to go and help all the people like me with Bijuu sealed inside them. I want them to know that someone cares for them and to have them care for me. I want us to be a big, happy family that can't be touched by ignorant people, people who will look after each other and always help each other when they need it.' Said Naruto passionately.

'That is a beautiful goal and I know you will succeed, believe it.' Said Kushina with a smile.

'I will, I will make it come true, you know.' Said Naruto with his own foxy grin.

_-line break-_

The next day

_-line break-_

Naruto stood in front of Kushina with a focused look on his face, his scythe was gripped tightly in both hands, legs and body lowered into the stance he had been practicing for ages now.

'Alright are you ready?' Asked Kushina.

Naruto didn't speak, but nodded slightly, showing he was ready.

'Alright first off, I will only be using one chain to attack and defend, however keep in mind that there are dual wielders out there so don't think this will be as hard as things get. What I want you to start with is wide-arced scythe swings, a scythe is normally used in a side-to-side motion or a top-to-bottom motion as scythes are not suited to clash against gravity. A scythe will always be used to swing downwards or sidewards, never upwards.' Said Kushina getting another nod from Naruto.

'Ok let's start with side-to-side swings as they are easier to master; one thing you must always remember though is to never swing too widely, if you swing too far you will end up weakening your guard making it easy for people to take you out as you will be off balance. By the end of all this you will have forearms of steel to make sure when you swing your scythe it goes exactly as far as you want it to, not a single hair more or less.' Said Kushina causing Naruto's grip on the scythe to tighten.

'Now, attack!' Shouted Kushina to which Naruto kicked off the ground.

Naruto held his right hand on top of his left, this ensured his strikes were as accurate as possible and also meant that if he needed to free up a hand for whatever reason, his dominant right hand would have a firmer grip on the scythe to ensure he didn't accidentally drop it or become too weak in his strikes.

He slashed from right to left colliding with the chain before jumping back as it surged towards him. Naruto charged once again while Kushina looked on impassively. He swung from right to left again but this time when the chain shot at him he ducked under it and tried a left to right slash aimed at Kushina. Kushina waited until the blade neared her before ducking into Naruto's guard and grasped the pole before kicking Naruto in the stomach making him flinch as all the air left his lungs but never let go of his scythe. Kushina then followed up her kick with a palm thrust causing Naruto's grip to slacken on the pole after which she yanked it out of his arms giving him slight friction burn.

'Not bad, your grip has improved a lot if a kick to the gut didn't even shake your grip, but it needs to be stronger.' Said Kushina as she held the scythe back out to Naruto.

Naruto's hands healed becoming slightly more calloused in the process, it seemed the fox realised that simply regenerating the cells on Naruto's hands would do nothing to stop repeated friction burn so it decided upon toughening up Naruto's hands.

'Thanks.' Said Naruto as he accepted the compliment and took his scythe back.

'Another thing that would be important for you to learn is how to take a hit, as well as speed. As you saw, if someone is quicker than you, they can get inside your guard and nullify your scythe meaning you will be at their mercy and if you can't take a hit you might just be finished.' Said Kushina.

'So what should I do then?' Asked Naruto curiously.

'From now on every day we will have a pure Taijutsu spar after sealing lessons to make sure you become fast and strong, if you rely only on your scythe in combat, losing it may just be your end and I'm not letting some weak ninja kill my only son with a lucky shot.' Said Kushina.

"Although I doubt Kyuubi will let him die easily anyway, it really is a curse to have a Bijuu sealed inside you, but one can't deny the benefits that come with them." Thought Kushina remembering Naruto's newly calloused hands.

'Got it, I will be the fastest and the sturdiest so no one will be able to take me out.' Said Naruto.

'Alright let's do this again.' Said Kushina as Naruto got back into position.

_-line break-_

Six months after Naruto met Death

_-line break-_

Naruto was nudged slightly from his sleeping position on the floor. He groggily opened his eyes and blearily looked at the offending appendage that had roused him from his sleep. It was Kushina's hand so he questioningly brought his gaze up to meet hers.

'Happy birthday Naruto.' Said Kushina with a tender smile.

It took Naruto a moment to process these words before he sat up. He scratched the back of his head a bit and rubbed his eyes before blinking a few times. He then quickly tackled Kushina with a hug and wrapped his arms around her stomach.

'This is the best birthday ever.' Said Naruto with a sniffle.

'What's wrong, you can't be sad on your birthday?' Chided Kushina softly.

'I know, but usually on my birthday people would actually insult me and sometimes even throw stuff at me instead of ignoring me like they usually do.' Said Naruto sadly.

Kushina hugged Naruto closer.

'It is alright you have me with you now and the villagers won't be able to touch you ever again.' Said Kushina even though the words felt hollow in her mouth.

Death had said he would only bring her back temporarily which probably meant that at the end of the year Death had allocated for Naruto to train, he would in fact have to lose her. The thought caused a bittersweet feeling to swell up in Kushina's chest. On the one hand she got to see, train, talk to and help guide her son and he also got to have a mother for the first time in his life. On the other hand however, she was going to have to leave soon which meant Naruto, after having a mother for only a year, would have to lose her.

"Fate sure can be cruel sometimes." Thought Kushina as she continued hugging the child whose arms had a death grip on her sides.

'Naruto while I don't have a present for you now there is something I want you to have.' Said Kushina as Naruto pulled back somewhat but didn't let go.

'On the outskirts of the village on the northern side behind the Hokage monument there is a building, it will be destroyed but there will be a tree behind it with a spiral carved into it. When you find it swipe some blood on the spiral and you will receive the gift, from me to you for all the birthdays I've missed and all the ones to go.' Said the red head before spending the rest of the day playing and laughing with her only son as he finally experienced what a birthday should be like.

_-line break-_

One year after Naruto met Death

_-line break-_

'Now Naruto I want you to remember these words carefully, it will be the most important advice I have for you.' Said Kushina seriously with her hands on his shoulders, crouched down so she could look him directly in the eyes.

Naruto focused his eyes on Kushina's intensely making sure he heard all she had to say.

'From today you are a proud ninja of Uzu, never forget who you are and always carry yourself with pride. Some say pride is a sin but as one of the last Uzumaki your pride is what is needed to bring the Uzumaki back to glory. Lastly, when you take a life do not dwell on it, many have killed some and some have killed many but at the end of the day, cherish that you and your loved ones are still alive. If anyone should try to hurt that which is close to you show them no mercy and feel no regret. One can kill thousands and as a ninja you will have to kill, but do not do so needlessly. Life is precious and must be respected however even more important than life is love. Do not love easily or carelessly, love is precious, the bond between two people can take down, what one who is on their own would fall to. Never forget though, that I will always be proud of you and that I will always love you.' Said Kushina softly as tears trickled down her face.

Naruto too was in tears and embraced his mother in a soft hug, one filled with love and emotion, knowing that this was mostly likely the last time he would see her.

Death was hovering off to the side silently and let them have their moment, while to him it made no sense, as when the boy died he would be reunited with his mother; he let them do as they wished. Mortals truly confused Death but to be fair, he never really cared much for them anyway. Why should Death care for the actions of those who would all come to him in time?

Kushina pulled back before standing up. Naruto took one last look at Kushina before walking over to Death and nodding. Death's hand glowed before it seemingly pierced the air. When the hand was pulled back a small purple vortex was revealed which steadily grew until it was two metres in diameter. Naruto nodded before walking into the portal and upon doing so was whisked away to a random location.

'It is time.' Said Death.

'I know.' Said Kushina with a sigh as she started to fade away into nothingness.

Her feet disappeared first and slowly the rest of her body stared to vanish, when only her head was left she had one last thought before she closed her eyes and vanished.

"Good luck Naruto."

**Also I received possibly the worst flame ever last chapter. Not that I had made a huge mistake or that I was affected deeply by it, but rather, because it made no sense. The review is from Doom Marine 54 and it is still there but to save you time "**Overpowered gary-stu Naruto, cliched plotlines, immature character bashing this story sucks di[*]ck."  
><strong>Instead of "rustling my jimmies" this made me laugh, for one thing how is Naruto, a weak five year old with the only thing going for him being an analytical mind OP? As for a clichéd plotline… how can someone guess the plotline of a story after one chapter? Trust me I have some serious twists and turns in mind. Lastly, as for character bashing… who have I bashed? Everything as far as the villagers actions go is completely canon (with a little inspiration from some of the filler eps).<strong>

**In any case the reason this made me laugh instead of get upset is because of all of you who favourite, follow and review my stories. For that, thank you and I hope to continue providing you all with good stories.**


	3. Biting the hand that once fed you

**I doubted that I would be able to get a chapter up this month with all the exams I've had over the past five weeks but luckily I worked on this chapter every weekend for a few hours at a time and was able to create something. Not to jinx myself but I honestly think this will be the year I actually get at least one update up every month like I originally wanted to do when I started writing…3 years ago. Oh well better late than never right? In any case I will hopefully be able to put up more chapters next month after I finish my last round of exams (more seriously?) and finally get a break.  
>In any case enjoy the chapter and as usual if you have any questions, concerns, comments, want to tell me how good I am at writing or simply to get stuffed, please do so I will be happy to read and answer, (less so if you say to get stuffed), or explain anything not directly related to the plot.<br>SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Naruto anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

'**Heavily demonic voice'**

'**Fox or Death talking' **

"**Fox or Death thinking"**

*expression*

**Jutsu **

_Flashback_

Chapter 3 – Biting the hand that once fed you

A small tear in space appeared in a valley currently shrouded in mist. The tear widened and lengthened until it was two metres in diameter at which point a blond haired boy; wearing a black cloak with a mask in the motif of a demon strapped to his waist stepped out of it. The boy had no shirt despite the cool conditions and only had tattered dark brown shorts on in addition to the cloak. Wrapped around his torso were two separate layers of material, made of various separate pieces of clothing stitched together crudely, strapped diagonally to his body forming a large cross shape on his back. A scythe rested on the intersection of the cross with a third strap of material holding it in place which wrapped over the boy's stomach, just above his navel.

As the boy stepped out of the tear in space it slowly disappeared leaving him in the misty terrain.

'It is time.' Said Naruto as he strapped his mask on.

The act of doing so was not only symbolic, but served another purpose as well. Naruto knew from the very beginning his hands would be heavily stained in blood in order for him to achieve his goals, lofty as they may be. For this reason once Naruto donned the mask he was no longer Naruto, but rather, he was the will of the Uzumaki and nothing would stop him, no man, woman or child would ever stop the will of the Uzumaki.

Naruto walked through the mist, not sure where he was going but followed his instincts. His scythe seemed to know where to go in any case as it subtly tugged him without him realising. One hundred souls would meet death today and the scythe knew it. Naruto walked in silence, his footsteps as silent as the grave thanks to years of needing to sneak around for whatever reason; be it stealing or leaving a scene discretely.

The mist started to form shapes, people were now visible, or at least their silhouettes were. Naruto's keen eyes picked out the form of two adults; one appeared to be male while the other was female. Naruto ghosted through the mist slowly approaching them as they walked, not making a single sound when the male suddenly pulled out a kunai. Naruto reached back and gripped his scythe preparing for a fight but instead was surprised when the man stabbed, who Naruto perceived to be his comrade, in the back over her stomach and held the blade in place.

'Your village thinks that by giving us your head we won't get in their way but this is only a small piece of our hatred, your village is foolish.' Said the man before jumping back as the woman slumped to the ground as hundreds of kunai and shuriken rained down from the sky on her position.

"Is this… how it ends?" Thought the woman before hearing lots of clanging of metal on metal, instead of feeling sharp steel pierce her body before her vision started to blur.

'I already had something against all of you due to your part in the destruction of my clan; however you now just gave me a reason to make you my first hundred.' Said a soft spoken voice.

'Who are you, some snot nosed brat?' Snorted the man who had previously stabbed the woman who was currently semi-conscious, able to listen in but unable to move.

'I. I am not a person. I am the will of the Uzumaki and as of today, your reaper.' Said Naruto as he disappeared in a burst of speed and tried to bisect the man from the head down.

The man, wearing a Mist forehead protector raised two kunai and crossed them over his head blocking the scythe but was shocked when he felt something sharp stab through his left lung. Shakily looking up he saw he had only blocked the pole while the blade had slipped under his overhead guard.

'H-how?' Gasped the man knowing he was finished, the serrated blade plunged into his lungs making every breath agonisingly painful.

'This scythe is no ordinary scythe.' Said Naruto as the blade glowed a bright white before going pitch black after which it returned to its normal silver state.

The man's eyes were a glassy white once the glowing stopped and Naruto kicked his body of his scythe before giving his scythe a swift twirl causing its blade to be unblemished once again.

'Ninety nine to go.' Mumbled Naruto before twelve ninja jumped down from the surrounding valley outcrop.

The twelve charged in a single line at Naruto before breaking off into groups of three surrounding him.

'**Water Style: Water Trumpet**.' Cried twelve different voices from around Naruto.

Having no other choice, all the while knowing how disadvantageous it would be, Naruto jumped high but kept his scythe held down to reduce his height and allow him some manoeuvrability. Two new ninja jumped at him each brandishing a kunai looking to rend Naruto's head from his body. Naruto slackened his grip on the scythe letting it pick up some speed as it started to fall before grasping it once again resulting in him being pulled down, allowing him to avoid the two kunai which then clashed against one another. Taking the chance Naruto used the falling momentum to spin around and ripped through both ninja from the groin up going through a full revolution and covering himself in blood and innards.

'Three.' Uttered Naruto emotionlessly before four of the group of twelve went through hand-signs while the other eight launched a multitude of shuriken.

The four clapped their hands together and a gale of wind burst out and sped up the shuriken which tore into Naruto sending viscera and blood everywhere. As the body started to fall it was replaced by the torso of the first ninja Naruto took out.

The four wind users simultaneously fell to the ground as the heads slipped off their shoulders with a dull thud.

'Seven.' Said Naruto before charging the remaining eight.

During his charge, twelve more ninja dropped down to reinforce the remaining eight, but Naruto continued charging undeterred. In a move none of the ninja were expecting Naruto took his right hand off the scythe and reached into his coat before throwing four senbon at the group of twenty. The group scattered, six jumped to the right and fourteen to the left but the six suddenly dropped to the ground, frothing at the mouth as they had missed the fact that the four Naruto threw initially were to get their attention so they wouldn't see the ten he threw off to the right.

Naruto internally lamented the fact that they didn't split evenly as this meant he wasted four needles.

'Thirteen.' Said Naruto darkly before he seemingly shimmered out of view and suddenly appeared behind the group of fourteen.

'Twenty seven.' Said Naruto panting before he dropped to his knees and gasped while clutching his left leg which he slightly overextended during his last move, still, the fourteen couldn't capitalise on this moment of weakness as they all suddenly found their heads missing.

Naruto stayed down clutching his leg when three more ninja dropped down.

'What the hell, this brat almost took out the whole platoon?' Ranted one of the three who looked clearly agitated.

'Well he looks tired now, what do you think we should do with him?' Asked one of them sinisterly as the three were finally within half a metre of Naruto.

'Thirty.' Said Naruto before slumping to the ground as he slammed a vial on the ground which released a pale white gas almost identical to the mist surrounding the area.

'Heh must have been a dud, nothing happened.' Said the first man before walking over to Naruto and kicking him across the ground.

'Ha, not so tough now, are you kid?' He sneered.

Naruto suddenly sat up straight at the waist before looking straight at the man.

'You lose.' Said Naruto before the man knew no more.

Three headless bodies slumped to the floor in reality while Naruto took his time getting up, coughing heavily as he tried to do so. While Kushina was brutal on him at times having to fight thirty is nothing like fighting one. It was only Naruto's luck that they were only Genin with a few lucky, or in this case unlucky, Chunin. It seemed they had planned the ambush from the beginning and the woman was taken unawares. Luckily for Naruto though, since thirty Jounin would have easily crushed him, even three would have done the deed easily.

Naruto strapped his scythe to his back and slowly walked over to the still bleeding out woman, checking her over she seemed to be from a different village than those thirty Naruto had just taken out, her clothes being a rather large indicator since they were clearly suited for warmer climates. Upon closer inspection she seemed to be bleeding out very slowly, luckily the kunai was still wedged in her back and thus her blood loss was somewhat mitigated. Nonetheless she seemed to have bled out already, roughly a quarter of a litre, not a life threatening amount but definitely enough to weaken someone and possibly knock them out.

'Now tell me, why should I not make you number thirty one?' Asked Naruto coldly as he placed the scythe blade very close to her head.

'Help…you, I.' Wheezed the woman tiredly.

'What do you have of interest?' Asked Naruto uncaringly.

'Scorch release.' Said the woman before passing out.

'Hmm that is indeed a rare ability.' Said Naruto aloud to himself as the woman was now well and truly unconscious.

'I guess it is your lucky day then.' Said Naruto taking off his mask and strapping it back to his waist before he bent over the woman, plucked the kunai from her back and cleaned and dressed her wound.

After the initial management of the wound was taken care of, Naruto hefted her onto his shoulder, finding that she was quite lighter than she appeared, possibly due to the blood loss. Naruto walked out of the valley and found a small dry area under a few trees to set her down, being exhausted after his ordeal Naruto sat back against another tree and closed his eyes to rest.

_-line break-_

After a couple hours or so Naruto opened his eyes wide in surprise feeling a hand pressed against his mouth and a kunai against his throat. He gazed impassively into the light brown eyes of his would be assassin.

'I should kill you right now, the only reason I'm not is because you are a child and you did somewhat look after my wound, now tell me: who you are and what village you belong to as well as what you are doing here? No one was supposed to know of this meeting outside of Sand and Mist and since I've never seen you before and you just butchered a platoon of Mist shinobi, you clearly don't belong to either.' Said Pakura in a low tone of voice, almost whispering the callous threat before removing her hand.

'Who I am? I am Naruto Uzumaki, I belong to no village, I am a civilian.' Said Naruto before feeling the blade pressed deeper into his throat.

'Don't, lie. No civilian can butcher that many ninja and not react at all, in fact, most civilian would be dead before they even knew it if they tried to take out a group of ninja. Now tell me the truth!' Demanded Pakura harshly.

'Fascinating.' Said Naruto in awe confusing Pakura.

'What do you mean?' Questioned Pakura.

Naruto leant forward pressing the blade further into his throat drawing a small drop of blood.

'Your eyes, still full of pride and a sense of duty for your village, the same village which very clearly just set you up to die, fascinating, that you are still loyal to them.' Said Naruto in slight amusement with a small grin.

'I am a shinobi; my life is dedicated to my village.' Said Pakura quietly.

'You don't believe that, you fear death, you don't want to die. It is not for selfish reasons though, you honestly still want to serve your village in some way by trying to find out who I am, even if you don't realise it. You believe you are doing this for yourself but you are not.' Said Naruto darkly as he grasped the blade against his throat.

'You don't want to kill me, you are angry at your village for throwing your life away and lashing out accordingly.' Said Naruto as he tried to pull the blade of his neck only to be met with resistance.

'Did I say you could move?' Questioned Pakura darkly.

'Very well kill me then, kill the person who saved your life.' Prompted the blond as he took his hands off the blade.

'I don't fear death, do you? Clearly you do since your near death experience has shaken you.' Continued the enigma that was Naruto Uzumaki.

'I can make you fear death, I am skilled at torture and I can have you grovelling at my feet in minutes.' Threatened Pakura.

'So you don't want to know?' Questioned Naruto disinterestedly.

'Know what?' Asked Pakura.

'The answer to your question of course, you cut me off after all.' Replied Naruto cheekily.

'What?' Replied Pakura with narrowed eyes.

'You wanted to know what I was doing here correct?' Probed Naruto.

'Indeed, what are you doing out here?' Asked Pakura pulling herself together.

'I am here to kill one hundred people, regardless of who they may be.' Said Naruto coldly.

'Why?' Asked Pakura with a raised eyebrow.

'Do I need a reason? Wars have been started for petty reasons, at the very least doing this is an act not motivated by material gain or some other trivial reward.' Said Naruto offhandedly.

'So you just decided to kill one hundred people for no reason? That's insanity.' Commented Pakura dryly.

'No, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I on the other hand am not expecting any results; I am doing it for the sake of doing it.' Replied Naruto coolly.

'How old are you anyway? Seven? Eight?' Questioned Pakura with narrowed eyes.

'Does it matter? I am the reason you are alive now and to repay my kindness you interrogate me.' Said Naruto.

'I heard what you said before I passed out, if I didn't reveal that I had scorch release you would have killed me too.' Retorted Pakura.

'Ah, I suppose you got me there, but I didn't, did I? Doesn't that at least earn me the right to be able to speak without a blade to my throat?' Questioned Naruto.

'What is to stop you from trying to kill me if I do?' Asked Pakura mockingly.

'Why would I want to harm someone just like me? Betrayed by your village, set up to die and merely a pawn to be sacrificed in the end. The hand which once fed you has signed your death warrant, after all, those butchered ninja, they were certainly not what your village wanted of you, no, they wanted you to obediently walk to your death and die like a weak dog. Why would I kill someone with no reason to live, it would be pointless?' Said Naruto rhetorically before pushing the blade off his throat, standing up, and walking back in the direction of his kills.

'I'm not stopping for you princess so if you don't want to be left here alone with nowhere to go you better hurry up.' Said Naruto as he continued leisurely walking away.

'Tch jackass.' Mumbled Pakura.

_-line break-_

'Where are you going now anyway?' Asked Pakura as they walked closer to the ravine after catching up to Naruto and walking in silence for some time.

'That's easy, to get seventy more sets of blood on my hands.' Said Naruto flatly.

'And you still won't say why?' Asked Pakura in confusion.

'I already told you why but you didn't understand so drop it, you don't have to follow me after all. You can always go back to the village that betrayed you, the village you are at war with, the village that will breed you for your bloodline, the village that tried to kill you for petty revenge and also hates bloodline holders, or the village of ultimate hypocrites, your choice.' Said Naruto coldly.

'So you are from the Leaf then?' Asked Pakura slowly piecing together what Naruto said.

'Your smarter than I gave you credit for, but yes I was born in that despicable village but I am not…from there. I may have had to grow up there for years but I will never associate myself with that cancer of humanity.' Said Naruto angrily.

Pakura went silent not knowing what to say and honestly, didn't care too much, it was his life after all.

'So what are you going to do now anyway?' Asked Naruto.

'I am following you.' Replied Pakura with a small smirk.

'Funny.' Said Naruto with a small smile of his own as he two continued walking.

'What is your name anyway?' Asked Naruto offhandedly.

'Why?' Asked Pakura suspiciously.

'Unlike the people I plan to kill, I prefer to know the names of the people I spare so I will know in the future if I made a mistake and change my ways accordingly.' Said the Uzumaki.

'Pakura of the Sand.' Said Pakura.

'Interesting, you are still aligning yourself with the very same village that tried to kill you.' Said Naruto slowly.

Pakura went to say something before Naruto raised his hand.

'I would prefer if you stay here for now, outside this small grove is something I must handle alone.' Said Naruto as he strapped his mask back on before dashing off.

'There is something not right with that kid.' Muttered Pakura to herself, opting to stay where she was seeing no need to get involved in Naruto's business.

"Although, he did make a good point; where am I going to go now, all my options look bleak at best, the Leaf seems like the best choice but based on that kid, maybe they aren't all that." Thought Pakura before hearing the clash of metal on metal and a loud cry of pain and looked to see what was happening.

_-line break-_

Eight Mist ninja on border patrol had just stumbled upon the gruesome sight of thirty fellow Mist shinobi butchered or beheaded, it looked like whatever killed them changed how it killed them every few seconds.

'This is horrible.' Said a Genin.

'This is war; harden your heart because if this isn't happening to us, we will be the ones doing this.' Said a Jounin.

'You mean we will have to butcher our enemies without remorse like a monster?' Questioned a female kunoichi who was slightly hysterical.

'Oh I wouldn't call myself a monster.' Said a voice from seemingly all around the Mist ninja.

'Show yourself!' Demanded the other Jounin.

'If you insist.' Said the voice before a small child of six years or so walked out into the open.

'It's just a kid, look, that was pretty scary and all but go home before you get hurt, this isn't a place for children.' Said one of the Genin with a laugh as he walked over to Naruto.

'I know.' Said Naruto before a rapid series of movements occurred in a few seconds.

First, Naruto swung his scythe from its position on his back with his right hand, sweeping it across his body to the left. Next the first Jounin who spoke appeared to the right of the Genin and tried to pull him back while drawing a kunai. Then Naruto's scythe met the blade of the Jounin, the Genin now lacking his left hand which had just been sliced off in between the two blades.

'AUGH!' Cried the Genin giving a bloodcurdling scream of pain.

'Shit, run all of you, he needs medical aid. The two of us will take care of this kid but in the meantime you six go and get help now, if you get there fast enough you might be able to save the hand now go!' Said the Jounin barking orders to everyone.

Another Genin quickly grabbed the dismembered hand and slung the distressed boy's arm over his shoulder before taking off with the rest following.

'Two Jounin. I'm not sure whether that makes me lucky or unlucky.' Said Naruto conversationally as he jumped back.

'You are no normal kid, Yagura will like you.' Said the other Jounin as he came to stand next his partner.

Both Jounin wore the standard Mist shinobi Jounin uniform except the one who just spoke had a sword strapped to his back, a small tanto. The sword wielder had dark blue hair while the other had brown hair.

'Sorry, but I've had enough Kage try to manipulate me in my lifetime to last me for a while.' Said Naruto before charging the pair.

The sword-wielding member of the duo pulled his tanto off his back and met Naruto's blade head on and easily overpowered him.

'Heh, no matter how good you might be with a scythe your brute strength can't compare.' Said the Jounin before kicking Naruto in the face sending him up in the air.

While this clash occurred the other Jounin was not idle and launched a multitude of shuriken at the airborne Naruto and all around him. Not having enough time to substitute Naruto curled up into a ball and protected his face and vital organs and took the full brunt of the attack on his arms which stung in pain at having chunks of metal forcefully shoved into them.

Naruto flipped in the air and landed outside of the range of the shuriken scattered on the ground and quickly pulled out two kunai which he launched at his adversaries. The two Jounin didn't even blink and batted the blades away before converging on Naruto's position. In the time it took for them to bat the kunai away and charge Naruto, Naruto pulled out the shuriken embedded in his arms and threw them back at their original senders before charging the one who had kicked him in the face with his scythe.

Naruto swung downwards aiming to dismember the swordsmen but found his attack blocked by an upwards block. After blocking the Mist ninja swung, both his sword and Naruto's scythe, to the side, and opened up Naruto's guard before kicking him in the left side of his ribs. The second ninja was waiting for an opening and launched a few small bullets of water at Naruto which caused him to cough up blood as they painfully struck his right side. Naruto slumped to the ground dropping to one knee as the pair charged him once again

Naruto gripped his scythe and prepared to defend himself when an overwhelming heat surrounded him causing him to close his eyes lest he be blinded, when he looked again he saw two smouldering corpses which looked severely dehydrated.

'You're not bad kid, but you are still just a kid, consider us even now.' Said Pakura as she stepped in his line of vision.

'I didn't need your help; I was perfectly fine on my own.' Said Naruto, inwardly thinking he was always alone as he took his mask off.

'Besides I'm fine.' Said Naruto raising his arms to show Pakura as steam came off the puncture wounds.

'Arrogant aren't you? A child really should know his limits, rapid healing or not, if I wasn't here just now you would be dead.' Said Pakura as her gaze bore into Naruto's skull.

'The same could be said for you.' Replied Naruto starring back at Pakura.

'In any case, I repaid you for saving my life; you're on your own from this point.' Said Pakura as she turned around and walked away.

'And you're not?' Asked Naruto halting her in her tracks and causing her to look over her shoulder at him.

'No, while the major five are out of the option there are many other villages I could join which would be happy to have me and not try to exploit me, on the other hand, I am a well seasoned Jounin and can take care of myself if need be.' Said Pakura before facing forward and walking away once again.

'Fine, we're even.' Said Naruto sharply before dashing off in the direction that the Mist Genin had fled.

_-line break-  
><em>  
>"Damn what was I thinking, getting attached to someone. I should know by now, I can't trust anyone, no one." Thought Naruto harshly as he followed the weak scent of the Genin before abruptly stopping.<p>

Naruto looked a little off to his left, in the distance was a medium sized building; however that is not what was important, no, the building bore a striking resemblance in structure to that of the Ninja Academy back in his old village.

"It couldn't be, could it?" Thought Naruto with a laugh as he changed his path to get closer to the building.

The building was still heavily shrouded in mist but it was clear that the various rooms inside it were classrooms. Naruto gave a hollow chuckle before taking a deep breath and strapping his mask on once again.

'It is time.' The soon to be appointed Avatar of Death said before disappearing and starting the bloodshed.

**Now I recently had a thought; what is a good way to productively improve fanfiction while simultaneously getting the things that annoy me the most off my chest?  
>My answer, Kyuubi's corner, where I take anything that is constantly done incorrectly, like anatomical info, honorific use, and general things like that and tear it to shreds.<strong>

**Today's/Tonight's issue is: The cliché gastric acid torture scene.**

**Now first thing is first, almost everyone knows our stomachs contain gastric acid which digests what we eat right?  
>Well that is 100% true, however what people DO NOT know is that our stomach only secretes gastric acid, when we ACTUALLY BLOODY EAT SOMETHING!<br>Do people really think we walk around 24/7 with acid at a pH of 1, which could chew through a standard soft drink can in about an hour or so, inside our fleshy stomachs?**

**It really annoys me when I read something like this.**

**Naruto plunged his claws into Danzo's stomach before quickly pulling them out while the red corrosive chakra cauterised the wound allowing the gastric acid in his stomach to eat away at him from the inside until there was a gaping hole in his stomach killing him.**

**When it will not happen!  
>I mean really, if we walked around with copious amounts of strong acid in our stomach we would be in agonising pain, a couple drops of hydrochloric acid would burn your tongue severely, (DO NOT TRY THIS!) so just imagine what a stomach full would do to our insides.<strong>

**That wraps up the first ever edition of Kyuubi's corner, let me know what you thought about this and/or the chapter and what you liked or hated.  
>Until next time, this is SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan out.<strong>


	4. Fox in sheep's clothing

**Ok, I know it has been a while but life was very busy. To make a long story short, PS4, Uni and watching Fairy Tail and Death Note and reading through a massive back log of fanfiction chapters (I'm talking about hundreds of updates here) pretty much took the past 6 months or so of my life. That being said I have been writing and have amassed about 30K words spread out over a bunch of my stories and a few new ones I will put up soon.**

**I was holding off on updating until I had a few more chapters done for each of my stories but my house got broken into yesterday and the first thing I thought of after "Oh crap my Uni work on my computer" was "Oh crap my 30K+ words of fanfiction on my computer".**

**Believe me, having that taken would have absolutely killed my motivation as I've spent much of the miniscule spare time I have during Uni to write a little each week. For this reason I've decided that it is better to update what I have for now lest I lose it and crawl into a hole of annoyance and self-loathing for not posting this stuff earlier.**

**Enjoy :)  
>SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.<strong>

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Naruto anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

'**Heavily demonic voice'**

'**Fox or Death talking' **

"**Fox or Death thinking"**

*expression*

**Jutsu **

_Flashback_

Chapter 4 – Fox in sheep's clothing

"Man I really hate this, I just know the next few years are going to be a pain but it has to be done." Thought Naruto tiredly.

The now seven year old Naruto softly walked in the direction of his least favourite place in the world: The Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Naruto could just briefly see the large structures making up the gate to the village and was already starting to develop a small scowl before he quickly wiped it off his face.

'This has to be done, just bear it for now, you've already dealt with it for a few years, a few more won't hurt.' Muttered Naruto to himself, but even he didn't believe his own words.

Having grown a little bit Naruto was now able to carry the scroll filled with all his possessions comfortably without having it drag on the ground. He was still slightly short for his age but his sporadic eating was to blame for that more than anything else. His scythe was still strapped to his back but there was now cloth covering the blade making for a less imposing sight. His hair was just as unruly as it had been before he left, however his sideburns were short and well-trimmed.

Naruto ventured to where he knew the entrance to the sewer that would lead him back to the lab was before pausing to glance at the village in the distance.

'Prepare yourself Leaf Village, you judgement is coming.' Naruto said with steely eyes before disappearing from view.

_-line break-_

Naruto softly pushed the manhole open and surreptitiously glanced around, making sure no one was around, before emerging from the hole. Quickly covering the manhole once again Naruto then stood to his full height before heading off to his apartment all the while sticking to the shadows and back alleys. Luckily for Naruto it was late at night and no one was awake aside from the few guards and patrol units prowling the village. Reaching his apartment Naruto looked at the graffiti scrawled on his door and laughed hollowly. Before sneaking around the back and entering through one of his windows. No civilian had ever gone inside Naruto's apartment because it was, as they liked to say, the "Demon's den" but of the few that had tried, all found that the whole door was one big booby trap and that trying to open it led to something pushing the person away or blasting them with a knockout gas and if the invader was really persistent, getting stones launched at them. It was a childish trap that no ninja would fall for, not even a Genin, but it did its job of keeping the particularly drunk and brave, or rather stupid civilians at bay.

Naruto upon entering his house cringed slightly at the smell of rotten food.

'Next time I leave the village and plan on returning after a while I need to throw away anything that can rot.' Commented Naruto as his fruit basket looked like a gigantic mass of fungus.

Naruto walked closer to the fruit basket in disdain before his eyes gleamed in curiosity.

'Although, I may just be able to use this situation to my advantage. Mould is something that can be very useful on a biological level and if for nothing related to ninja matters it can cripple a countries crops… hmm this might have been a lucky break for me.' Muttered Naruto before pulling the massive scroll off his back before unrolling it about halfway after which he placed the fruit basket on an empty circle and channelled some chakra causing it to disappear.

Rolling the scroll up before putting it on his back again Naruto stood up.

"Now, time to remove the fog." Thought Naruto before moulding a large amount of chakra which seemed to seep into his apartment before vanishing.

'Ah that was really unpleasant.' Muttered Naruto as he stretched his neck from side to side.

"Time to put my plan into action." Thought Naruto with a smile.

_-line break-_

Life at the village for Naruto was virtually unchanged from how it had been before he left; being ignored along with the occasional disdainful glare, from someone particularly aggressive being sent his way. This however, worked extremely well for Naruto as no one seemed to realise that he had vanished for two years as even if he had been there, no one would have cared and thus, no one even seemed to notice he was gone.

Naruto made sure to keep a relatively low profile for the most part as him suddenly showing up and causing a ruckus was sure to draw attention and so he limited his time outside to only an hour a day at the most, or at least, during which time he didn't hide. Truthfully Naruto spent most of his day prowling around the village studying anyone and everyone, trying to find something he could use to his advantage.

He found a particularly promising avenue in the form of Yakumo Kurama. She displayed talent and a strong connection to her emotions, something which Naruto could work with. What made carrying out his plan difficult was that she had a great deal of scrutiny on her. Not only did she have a, rather weak willed sensei in the form of Kurenai Yuhi, but the Hokage himself was also keeping an occasional eye on her. Naruto acknowledged that getting noticed was not the best idea so he bided his time until the right opportunity presented itself: which luckily came a month later.

_-line break-_

'But why Kurenai-sensei, why are you giving up on me?' Pleaded Yakumo Kurama, a girl with light brown hair and eyes coupled with pale skin, desperately clutching her bed sheets in sadness.

'I'm sorry Yakumo, I really am but I don't believe I am capable of helping you become an active ninja. I'm so sorry.' Replied Kurenai Yuuhi, a woman with wine red eyes and black hair clad in a strange thornlike dress.

'So just like that you are giving up on me! WHY?' Questioned Yakumo tearfully as her body shuddered in grief.

Kurenai knelt down so she was now eye level with Yakumo.

'I'm sorry Yakumo, this breaks my heart but I don't want to get your hopes up.' Said Kurenai trying to reason with the girl.

Yakumo didn't respond and kept crying which caused Kurenai to grimace as she took this moment to place Yakumo under a sleep inducing Genjutsu before sealing away her powers.

Kurenai laid the girl down and tucked her into bed before leaving with one last sad sidelong glance.

'I'm sorry.' Kurenai muttered one last time before closing the door.

'Don't be you did me a great favour.' Said Naruto as a portion of the wall opposite Yakumo's bed suddenly morphed before revealing his smirking visage.

'Now I could break the seal right now, however, this sealing may just help further my plans just a little more. I should give it a few more days but soon Yakumo, you will be mine.' Muttered Naruto before fading away again leaving the heartbroken girl alone.

_-line break-_

True to Naruto's words as he continued to observe Yakumo he noticed she initially closed herself off to everyone before slowing coming out of her self-imposed silence and begun to reflect on what had happened to her.

'I was betrayed. I was tossed aside because I was weak and frail.' Muttered Yakumo despondently.

'Frail you may be, but weak, you most certainly are not.' Echoed a voice from within Yakumo's room.

Yakumo looked up in surprise before narrowing her eyes as she tried to pick out where the voice came from before finally settling on the portion of the wall directly in front of her.

'See, you were able to spot me within my Genjutsu something which not even most ANBU can do, is someone who can do that truly weak?' Questioned the voice before the section of wall shimmered revealing a blonde haired boy not much older or younger than Yakumo.

'Who are you?' Questioned Yakumo suspiciously.

'Really? You didn't know of the pariah of the Leaf Village? I figured a fellow user of Genjutsu would be able to see what is happening in this village, perhaps I gave you too much credit.' Said Naruto in surprise, trailing off at the end.

'What do you want?' Yakumo asked with some disdain.

'What I want? What I want is not important. No, I am here to help you get what you want.' Said Naruto with a grin.

'How exactly can you do that, the best medic ninja in this village have been unable to help me; how can a six year old boy do what hundreds of experienced adults could not?' Questioned Yakumo sceptically.

'Firstly, I am seven, same as you. As for the how, well those medics who looked after you had other things going on in their lives and have an ingrained doctrine that they follow. For instance if someone has a problem with a vessel in their heart the medics try to heal said vessel instead of grafting another one which, while also delicate work, would work out better in the long run. What many don't know about the mystical palm technique is the drawback it has to the person it is being used upon. Excessive chakra antibodies and a smaller chakra capacity just to name a few but they are not the worst side effect. You see the technique is not a true healing technique, rather it is a temporary fix and a crude one at that. If anyone cared to notice as the same area is repeatedly healed it becomes more prone to injury and weaker because it does nothing for the individual as a whole and only looks at them as a collection of tissue, although I believe I am rambling now. Let me spare you the technical details of it, but, what I have is a solution to your walking problem. I can make your legs strong and allow you to walk like a normal person. I wish I could say I could help you run as well but I need help for that, however if you trust me I can ensure you will be able to run in no less than seven years.' Said Naruto.

Yakumo stared at Naruto with an unreadable expression for a few minutes before answering.

'If you can make it so I can walk normally I will trust you.' Said Yakumo simply.

'Before that though let me ask you one question, what do you think of Kurenai, what do you think of the Hokage who ordered your powers be sealed, what do you think of this village as a whole? I don't want an answer right now but think about it. The ones who are supposed to help you, cursed you and the one who many believe is a demon will now help you walk normally, a feat they all thought to be impossible. When you are ready tell me what it is you think?' Said Naruto before he walked up to Yakumo and withdrew a syringe from inside a pocket of his tattered brown shorts.

'In three days you will feel a slight tingling in your legs, by the fifth I suggest you try to move your legs lightly, wiggle your toes, bend your knees and massage your legs, if you do that for an hour a day after the fifth day by this time next week you will be able to walk without any pain and if you keep doing so by the time fourteen days from now have passed you will have enough strength in your legs to walk unaided for how long you want and even slowly jog. Give it time though and don't push it.' Said Naruto before he injected half a syringe-full of an odd looking green liquid into Yakumo's left leg before injecting the rest into her right leg on the lateral aspect of her thighs.

'I'll be back in two weeks, oh, and do think of what I said.' Said Naruto before fading from view once again.

_-line break-_

After leaving Yakumo, Naruto set out to find what his mother had left for him. It was laughably easy sneaking around the Hokage monument. For such a vast and important structure in terms of history, it was woefully unprotected. It baffled Naruto how lax the Leaf had grown since the Third had taken over again but Naruto wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Stumbling across a busted up building, no larger than a shed, almost appearing to be a single bedroom apartment, Naruto observed the area around it. It was clear a battle had been fought here sometime in the past and that no one had saw fit to fix the building, or even clean the area up.

The blond circled around the building once before heading to what appeared to be the back of it, which was hard given that the building had been thoroughly brought to the ground. Naruto's keen eyes spotted the tree which had a small spiral, no larger than his fist, carved into the aged wood of the moderately sized oak tree. Placing his hand against the wood, Naruto traced the curve fondly knowing that his mother had been the one to carve it. Bringing his thumb to his mouth he bit in swiftly and drew blood before slathering it on the tree along with sending a burst of chakra from his hands into the plant causing a cloud of smoke to appear and reveal a scroll now resting gently in his hand. Naruto opened it and noticed it had more things sealed into it. Deciding not to stick around any longer Naruto placed the scroll into his cloak and took it to his lab to investigate the contents of it. What he found caused him to laugh heartily and smile in unrestrained excitement.

"Thank you mother, I will be sure to get justice for you." Thought Naruto.

_-line break-_

After Naruto had left Yakumo, the Kurama clan heiress did exactly as Naruto had instructed, at first she was sceptical but after three days she did begin to feel a tingling and by the fifth she started moving her legs lightly and felt no pain, by day seven she was even walking around her room without any pain at all by the time two weeks had passed. When Naruto showed up she slowly walked up to him and hugged him with tears in her eyes.

'Thank you.' Yakumo whispered.

'This is only the beginning.' Replied the blond as he smiled over Yakumo's shoulder.

**Sadly, I only have 1 other chapter ready for this story so far which I'll put up in a few days before I'm back to no chapters ready to go for this story.**


	5. Playing God

**Now the issue has been raised that some people are worried about Naruto not really being too evil yet. When I said Dark/Evil I also meant shrewd, calculating and manipulative, as in he isn't going to do something stupid and cruel like randomly go around killing people and leave the village in a big flashy explosion. Naruto is biding his time and working his way towards his goal and won't act rashly. Rest assured he is going to be evil, very, very evil, but it needs time to develop, people don't just become absolutely evil unless they fall into a vat of poison which permanently disfigures them…  
>That being said, Naruto will do things in this chapter which can be considered very evil, especially if you consider doing things against the natural order of life evil.<br>In any case enjoy this is the last chapter I had stored up for this story, after this I'm back to ground zero so it might be a few months until I update this story again.  
>Enjoy.<br>SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.  
><strong>  
>Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Naruto animemanga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

'**Heavily demonic voice'**

'**Fox or Death talking' **

"**Fox or Death thinking"**

*expression*

**Jutsu **

_Flashback_

Chapter 5 – Playing God__

After Yakumo had steadied herself Naruto told her that he would need to stay away from her for some time now to avoid any suspicion falling onto him, but that in a few years they could both attend the ninja academy and interact there. Yakumo understood and nodded sadly. They decided that they would explain her being able to walk as a result of her using her particularly powerful Genjutsu on herself to cause her mind to perceive her legs as fully functioning, thus enabling them to actually become so.

The medic ninja were understandably shocked, however, as there was an explanation for it, albeit one met with a great deal of scepticism, they were forced to accept it as the results spoke for themselves. Yakumo also explained that it only worked on her and wouldn't work on others because it was only possible due to her body's innate ability to use very strong Genjutsu, that she was able to do so to herself. Due to this, further investigation into the matter was stopped as it was accepted that it would only work on a very powerful Genjutsu user, such as Yakumo herself, with strong innate abilities, the likes of which no one else in the Leaf Village possessed to their knowledge.

Naruto discretely kept an eye on Yakumo to ensure nothing that would hinder either her or his plans for her occurred, but at the same time shifted his attention to the only other thing which had caught his attention in the village: The Uchiha Clan.

Naruto had followed members of the clan without their knowledge and had observed great disdain for the village among many and at least some degree of annoyance from all of them. However, Naruto didn't care for the masses, no, he cared for one particular person who had caught his attention. From her reserves and mannerisms Naruto was able to deduce that she too was a Genjutsu specialist. What really made her stand out to him however, more so than any one thing, was that Naruto realised exactly who this woman was, this woman was one of the only friends his mother had made in the village that she held dear to her heart. This woman was none other than Mikoto Uchiha.

Naruto spent most of his time following Mikoto in her day-to-day routine and after three weeks had every single detail about her memorised. From the time she woke up at six sharp each morning to the daily shower she took before going to bed at a quarter to ten. Curiously though, during his observations he was briefly distracted by what appeared to be growing animosity between Mikoto's husband and older child, Itachi Uchiha who had very nearly spotted him on multiple occasions. It would seem that the unrest the Uchiha clan felt towards the village was reaching a boiling point and Naruto could feel that a great change was coming soon, therefore, Naruto decided that the time to approach Mikoto was now and not a day sooner.

Naruto picked the perfect opportunity, Fugaku had left for work and Itachi had been assigned a mission to subdue a boar nearby, which Sasuke had sunk along on leaving Mikoto alone, inside her house. Naruto waited for the time he knew Mikoto would have finished doing the dishes from breakfast and would soon head out to buy fresh supplies for dinner. Honestly it somewhat saddened Naruto seeing what had become of his mother's best friend, who he was told was an equal match for her, being reduced to a simple housewife. However, while she did these things she had not lost her abilities, her senses however were somewhat dulled though which allowed Naruto to discreetly sneak into the kitchen behind her and silently take a seat at the kitchen table, as he waited for her to finish washing and turn around.

Mikoto placed the last plate on the dish rack and dried her hands before turning around and nearly having a heart attack.

'Hello Mikoto.' Intoned Naruto smoothly.

'Naruto?' Whispered Mikoto in surprise at seeing the local Jinchuuriki in her house.

'I see, you do know my name, although whether it is because I am the local village pariah or because my mother told you what she was to name her son I am unsure.' Commented Naruto thoughtfully.

Mikoto quickly picked apart what Naruto had just said and realised he seemed to knew at the very least, a little about her.

'Don't be alarmed Mikoto, I'm not here to hurt you or anything, if anything, you have my thanks for being Kushina's friend despite your knowledge that she possessed the Kyuubi inside her.' Said Naruto in a soothing voice.

Mikoto stiffened at this and looked at Naruto suspiciously.

'How do you know all of this?' Questioned Mikoto curiously.

'Would you believe me if I said I met my mother's soul and learned from her about her life? Although I suppose, me saying "you know" as she would've might persuade you further.' Said Naruto casually as if he was talking about the weather.

'Very well then, let's say I believe you, why are you here Naruto?' Questioned Mikoto as she sat down at the table sitting opposite of Naruto.

Naruto met Mikoto's gaze and held it for a while looking deep into her very being. Mikoto didn't flinch and returned the gaze resolutely but with some kindness to them.

'Are you really going to throw your life away in a failed coup attempt?' Asked Naruto bluntly.

Mikoto would have been surprised but Naruto's words prior had somewhat dulled her reaction from outright shock to a single raised eyebrow.

'If need be, yes, although why do you say it is a failure already, forgive me, but you are a child and I doubt you can see the future.' Replied Mikoto softly.

'True, I am a child. Although, not a normal one by anyone's description. The good anything about being a child, even one as… special as me, is that it is easy to sneak around. I have to say though your son definitely came close to catching me multiple times, although I suppose that is why he will be the one that will be used to quell your rebellion.' Said Naruto causally.

'Why should I believe any of this?' Asked Mikoto after a pause.

'For the simple reason that I gain nothing by lying to you.' Replied Naruto quickly as he fixed Mikoto with an intense stare.

'You are one of the few people who see me for who I truly am… well perhaps that is an exaggeration. You at least see me as human and not a monster or weapon. You see me as a person, the same way you saw my mother as a person. That is why I wish to help you.' Explained Naruto kindly.

The black haired beauty fixed the blond in front of her with a searching look. She looked at his face and saw Kushina's face reflected in the face of her son. She looked into his eyes and saw the unwavering determination of Minato. Most of all though, she noticed his expression which betrayed the intellect that belied his childish frame. Naruto Uzumaki was truly not a normal person at all.

'How exactly can you help the Uchiha clan? At this stage there is already no turning back.' Queried Mikoto curiously.

'True, however I never said I was going to help the Uchiha clan, no, I would help, just you, Mikoto Uchiha.' Replied Naruto carefully.

'I won't abandon my clan, I knew the risks going in and have no intention of leaving my clan to rot.' Declared Mikoto firmly.

'I expected no less of you. If the Uzumaki clan was still around today I would fight with all the breath in my body to keep it thriving, alas, it is already gone, well for the most part. However, I will let you do everything you would have done as normal, I just want to inject you with something. It will have no effect on you at all and if your coup is successful it will most likely never even carry out its purpose.' Requested Naruto as he removed a vial and syringe.

Naruto extracted some of the fluid from the vial into the syringe and passed the vial to Mikoto.

'I know that you are quite handy with poisons and your ability to see through illusions is that which surpasses most of your clan's even without your Sharingan. See for yourself the substance is not harmful at all.' Offered Naruto easily.

Mikoto took the vial and examined it. It was a simple green fluid with the consistency of water. It glowed somewhat in a manner similar to the Mystical Palm Technique but only very faintly. As Mikoto rolled the vial in her hands the fluid sloshed around slowly, clinging somewhat to the vial.

'And just why should I let you inject me with this anyway, true it isn't poison but I can't identify it whatever it is?' Asked Mikoto as she placed the vial on the table after which Naruto pocketed it once again.

'I should hope not as that would mean someone has stolen my research notes.' Commented Naruto cheerfully.

'So you mean to tell me you created this?' Asked Mikoto a hint of surprise in her tone.

'Ah, perhaps you doubt me… I suppose you have heard of the Kurama clan heiress no?' Questioned Naruto to which Mikoto nodded.

'Well, would you believe that I was the one who helped her achieve her miraculous discovery?' Asked Naruto.

'So am I to believe that you are some sort of medical prodigy?' Questioned Mikoto sceptically.

'Prodigy, honestly I detest that word. No, I am no prodigy, my growth is no faster than that of anyone else's, I just look where others don't dare to tread. To push the boundaries of the human body is quite easy being a Jinchuuriki, it is at least one thing I am thankful about.' Explained the blond cheekily.

'Why should I trust you? Tell me one good reason as to why I should allow a child to inject a foreign substance into me?' Asked Mikoto curiously.

'Hmm, the truth; you shouldn't. I make no promises about what I am to do now. In fact, you won't remember any of this unless your coup fails because I have already injected you with this compound, I just wanted to let you know.' Said Naruto as he stood up.

Mikoto's eyes widened before she felt herself relax suddenly. Bringing her hands up to dispel the Genjutsu she realised there was none.

'Have no fear, I saw to it that you would faint at this time and your memories of this conversation would be blocked. If your coup does fail and we do meet again and you regain you memories, a helpful tip, do check you shampoo before using it, there is no telling what someone might have put in it. Nighty night Mikoto.' Said Naruto in amusement as he walked out of the Uchiha house as the woman inside slumped on the table.

_-line break-_

Naruto was nothing but patient, why wouldn't he be, he wasn't even ten yet and thus had no trouble waiting until the Uchiha either acted or forced the village to act. To pass the time Naruto spent most of his time in his lab carrying out experiments. His knowledge of the human body and various compounds available to him provided him endless endeavours to pursue. Naruto frequently scoffed at the so called medical experts in the village right now, they were fools. They stuck only to chakra based healing techniques and their meagre poison expert team, and he used the term expert lightly, was a complete crock. The things Naruto had created and found counters to would have left the entire medical corps of the village baffled and ashamed at how a child had utterly lapped them in all their endeavours. That aside, Naruto did enjoy the large amount of substances he was able to steal from them and put to better use under him than under the incompetent monkeys of the Leaf Village.

Poisons and elixirs aside, Naruto was also testing out new ways to utilise elemental jutsu with medical jutsu and it was proceeding quite well. Lightning was the easiest to work with, seeing as how all parts of the body worked via electrical impulses, but Water proved to be very workable as well. Earth, Fire and Wind were still in their infancy but proved to be promising with Earth showing the potential to strengthen bone density and Fire being particularly good at combating infection. Wind however was currently at a standstill and Naruto was currently struggling to find a way it could be implemented.

As Naruto was working in his lab just about to add a small drop of purple fluid from a pipette, to a beaker containing yellow fluid, a brief alert signal glowed yellow on the wall opposite him. Carefully setting his tools down Naruto incinerated the latex gloves around his hands before heading over to his cloak and scythe which he strapped along his back and headed out into the village. As he stepped into the village he could feel it in the air, chakra, there was fighting going on. Quickly but silently Naruto took to the rooftops heading towards the source of the chakra. Naruto already knew where he was going and didn't hesitate as he passed through the entrance of the Uchiha compound heading back to the same home he had visited only weeks prior. Disinterestedly he noticed Sasuke Uchiha pitifully running away in fear only to find his brother standing in front of him. Briefly pausing to see if Itachi would kill his little brother he was slightly surprised seeing that Sasuke had activated his Sharingan in a pitiful attempt to fight against the prodigy of the Uchiha clan. Naruto's interest was further piqued when he saw Itachi shed a tear and moved closer to the brothers.

'I'm so sorry Sasuke.' Whispered Itachi just loud enough for Naruto to hear before his Mangekyo was directed straight at Naruto.

Naruto jumped down from the building he was on and calmly walked to the butcherer of the Uchiha clan.

'Naruto, so you are the one I have been trying in vain to spot for the past few months.' Said Itachi calmly despite the blood speckling his clothes.

'Yeah, I have to admit you are really quite perceptive for someone who isn't a sensor, even with those eyes of yours.' Confirmed Naruto as he walked closer until he was just outside of arm's reach from the Uchiha.

'You may just be a better ninja than me Naruto.' Stated Itachi after a brief pause.

'Me? You flatter me. I am merely good at exploiting the fact that no one cares for me and thus I can do much in secret.' Replied Naruto jovially.

'Naruto can you do me a favour? Please look after Sasuke for me.' Requested Itachi.

'Hmm I'm not particularly inclined to, especially since if I hadn't come her a while ago Mikoto Uchiha, one of the few people who saw both my mother and I as human would be dead.' Said Naruto shocking Itachi.

'M-mother is still alive?' Uttered Itachi shocked before fixing Naruto with a stern glare.

'Oh that look is scary, is that really how you should look at someone you are asking a favour of?' Questioned Naruto with a gleam in his eyes.

Itachi smiled at Naruto. Of all things Naruto was expecting a smile was not one of them.

'Yes, you are a far better ninja than I. I see that I will need to provide you something to look after Sasuke then… will me reporting to you on a certain masked Sharingan user be sufficient?' Questioned Itachi knowingly.

'Ho, I see you are quite a crafty ninja yourself Itachi.' Said Naruto as malice rolled off him in waves upon hearing about a masked Sharingan user.

'Do we have a deal?' Questioned Itachi already knowing the answer.

'You are a shrewd businessman Itachi… yes we have a deal, however I will not baby Sasuke his whole life, I will see to it that I help him in my own way and once he becomes a Genin I will do nothing… although I know what you really want and Danzo's head will be mine.' Said Naruto shocking Itachi.

'How do you know all of this?' Asked Itachi now very curious.

'Well my mother told me "On the outskirts of the village on the northern side behind the Hokage monument there is a building, it will be destroyed but there will be a tree behind it with a spiral carved into it. When you find it swipe some blood on the spiral and you will receive the gift, from me to you for all the birthdays I've missed and all the ones to go." And believe me the gifts she left for me were extensive, including, but not limited to; her diary which contained information on the functional and political main powers behind this villages operations, thanks to her paranoia in joining a village in which she knew no one and let's just say, those who took an eye will find their heads taken in retribution.' Explained Naruto with a small smile on his face.

'Very well before I go, one day I may be sent to hunt you down, I am joining a group called Akatsuki.' Warned Itachi.

'Yes I know, whose goal it is to hunt down the Jinchuuriki. While we have an agreement of information I would also request that you provide me information on the whereabouts of the Jinchuuriki and when your organisation will move on each of them. If you do so I would be willing to protect Sasuke at least until after the first Chunin exam he attends, if he fails to become a Chunin however, I will still be free from protecting him, agreed?' Offered Naruto.

'That would be agreeable. I must leave now, I can feel Root ANBU coming here now, please, protect Sasuke and my mother.' Said Itachi before disappearing.

'Yare, yare I had best move before that relic gets his clutches on Mikoto.' Muttered Naruto before running off towards the house of the last remaining Uchiha in the Leaf Village.

As Naruto arrived at the front door he followed the scent of blood and found Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha both dead, or so it appeared.

'Tsk, tsk Mikoto, I would say I expected better but then again I did see this coming hence the vial.' Said Naruto to the slumped form of the Uchiha matriarch.

Naruto placed his arms under Mikoto's body and lifted her over his shoulders.

'Well off we go.' Said Naruto in amusement before disappearing and leaving the Uchiha compound altogether arriving at his lab.

'Ah the wonders of medicine, to be able to push the boundaries of the Body Flicker to such an extent.' Muttered Naruto before carrying the Uchiha still on his shoulders to a tube filled with the same liquid he had in the vial he had showed her.

Naruto pushed Mikoto's body against the tube of glass and she slowly started to sink into it until she was fully inside and immersed in the tube.

'And the wonders of Fuuinjutsu, truly remarkable.' Concluded Naruto.

Naruto walked over to his bench and grabbed a sealing tag that he had specifically placed in the centre of it for this moment. Grasping a vial, containing the same fluid Mikoto was currently immersed in from a shelf under the bench, Naruto uncorked it and poured it on the seal as the fluid clung to the tag and slowly spread out. Naruto waited until it had reached the corners of the tag and covered it completely before going through the boar, snake and rat hand-signs before pausing on the dragon seal for a full fifteen seconds before slamming his palms together.

'**Summoning: Pure Heavenly Ascension.**' Declared Naruto before the green fluid started to convulse and twitch before rising off the seal and forming a ball that rapidly shifted to an ethereal white, smoky mass with flecks of grey throughout it.

'Hello Mikoto.' Said Naruto to the ball of ethereal energy. 


End file.
