Capítulo 4: The Shippuuhime
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tenjho Tenge
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This chapter we're going to introduce a couple of more characters from the Tenjho Tenge series and we're going to learn more about Hinata's Grandmother Hanako. Long postscript at the end.
…
Last time:
The Natsume Clan Home
Maya dragged Naruto back to her house for dinner. She knew he had to calm down before he launched a full-scale prank assault on the Hyūga Compound. "Naruto-kun, calm down and eat. Let the Hokage do his job legally before you do something illegally."
Naruto pouted. "I'm just so frustrated Maya-chan. I want to break something…It's a shame Sasuke-chan isn't around to mop the floor with again…"
Maya grinned and Aya burst into a fit of giggles. "Rumor has it you beat up the Uchiha so bad that he's going to need surgery to fix his face." said the younger sister. "A lot of his fan girls are really upset."
Chuckling, Naruto said, "Well, I did send him to the hospital, but it wasn't that bad except for busting his kneecap. Bastard deserved it for being such a prick to Maya-chan…"
Aya raised an eyebrow. "The Uchiha's been bothering you nee-chan? Maybe he thinks you're pretty."
Maya shook her head. "No, Uchiha Sasuke is all about himself and his ego. He's been acting all high and mighty because 'He and I are both from noble houses' and has been insulting Naruto-kun. I was getting sick of it and Naruto-kun fed the Uchiha a knuckle sandwich like the proper gentleman he is."
"Nee-chan, you shouldn't confuse Naruto-kun with a proper gentleman. He might take serious offense." said Aya trying to keep a straight face and failing utterly.
"Aya-chaaan…" whined out Naruto as both sisters broke out into laughter. At least Naruto had calmed down…
…
Chapter 4
Konoha Ninja Academy, Morning
Iruka stood before his class to introduce a new classmate. "This is Isuzu Emi who some of you might already know." said Iruka as he motioned to the beautiful red haired*① girl beside him. She had blue-green eyes and her hair was done up in exotic ringlets. "Since Iwata sensei's class was broken up due to its small size she will be joining our class for the last six months. Emi, please tell us a little about yourself."
Emi nodded and bowed to everyone. "I'm Isuzu Emi and I originally come from the Fire Capital. My family is all merchants but my paternal grandmother was a kunoichi so I have some shinobi blood in me. I'm honored that I will be in the same class as Uchiha Sasuke-sama and I hope to become friends with you all."
Iruka said to his students, "I want you all to make her all feel welcome. Does anyone have any questions for Emi before she sits down and we begin class?"
Sakura raised her hand and asked, "Isuzu-san; are you in anyway related to the Isuzu family that deals in rare imports and jewels at the Fire Capital?"
Emi nodded and said, "Yes, my Grandfather is the head of Isuzu family. Most of the jewelry in Fire Country comes through my family's business."
Ino's eyes nearly bugged out. "Not to be rude Isuzu-san but isn't your family incredibly wealthy? Why would you decide to become a kunoichi when you could live in luxury?"
"My reasons are personal but let's just say the lifestyle of my family doesn't suit me." explained Emi.
Several other questions were asked like, "Where do you get your hair done?" and "Do you have a lot a jewelry?" and other irrelevant things in the grand scheme of things.
Maya was quietly observing the new girl and noticed she moved like a well-trained kunoichi. Then Maya remembered where she'd seen to red head before; down at the weapons practice field after class let out. Emi was good at throwing kunai; really good. She was fast and accurate as well as agile. Maya had seen Emi do some impressive acrobatics while throwing and she always hit the target. 'It will be interesting competing with her in class; I won't underestimate her.'
"Do you have a boyfriend?" asked Kiba admiring her curves. Several other boys were interested as well.
"No, I admire strength in a man above all else." said Emi seriously. "That's why I'm happy to be in the same class with Sasuke-sama…Ummm, where is he?" she asked puzzled.
Iruka sighed. "Sasuke is currently laid up in the hospital due to injuries he sustained in a spar. He should return next week."
"Sasuke lost bad." supplied Kiba with a smirk on his face. All of Sasuke's fan girls glared at him but the dog ninja seemed to be enjoying dragging Sasuke's sterling reputation through the mud too much to notice them.
"He lost badly?" asked Emi. "I thought he was supposed to be the best and the strongest at everything."
"Naruto-baka didn't fight fair. He cheated!" screeched one a Sasuke's fan girls. The others threw in their insults quickly.
"That's enough!" said Iruka sternly. "Uzumaki Naruto beat him fair and square. I'll admit his methods were a bit unrefined but he completely dominated Sasuke and took very little damage in return."
Emi's eyes glittered with interest. "So this Uzumaki Naruto crushed Uchiha Sasuke?" she asked Iruka and he nodded before she turned back to the class. "I'd like to meet him. Which one of you is Naruto?"
Maya's eyes narrowed at Emi's obvious interest and the fan girls all were screeching like banshees that Naruto was a talentless, dead last loser but Emi didn't seem deterred at all. Finally Iruka yelled "Shut up and sit down! You're not giving a professional image to your new classmate at all." He turned to Emi, "Naruto is meeting with the Hokage right now so he won't be in until later. Please sit in any open seat and I'll begin this morning's lecture."
Emi went up the stairs and sat at the back and thought to herself, 'Uzumaki Naruto utterly defeated Uchiha Sasuke in a spar that left Sasuke in the hospital. Now he's having a meeting with the Hokage. All I've ever heard is he's the village prankster. I don't think I've ever seen him in person. I wonder what he looks like. This is very interesting…'
Maya decided she'd keep a close eye on this new girl…
…
Hokage's Office
Sarutobi Hiruzen was sweating, really sweating. The God of Shinobi was wondering what his implacable foe was going to do. A shorter than average sixteen year old boy wearing orange was sitting on the opposite side of his desk and their eyes were locked.
…
Flashback…
Naruto came in with his usual jovial attitude and closed the door behind him. Hiruzen had been expecting him since Iruka apparently was wanting to bring Naruto in to see him yesterday evening. "Good morning Naruto-kun. You must have something important on your mind to have come this early."
Naruto nodded eagerly as he took a seat. "Say Hokage Jiji; I found the funniest thing this morning when I looked in the mirror and channeled some chakra after my morning shower. It just so happens I have an eight trigrams seal and a reaper death seal nicely painted on my stomach. Both are designed to contain something incredibly powerful and I reckon whoever pulled it off gave their SOUL for it. I don't supposed you'd happen to know why it's there or who might have put it there would you 'ttebayo? I mean, what could possibly require such a seal…? But then again, look at my god damned birthday! I want the truth and I want it now Jiji!"
Flashback end…
Naruto's eyes were like cold blue steel. Hiruzen saw and image of Minato superimposed over Naruto. He knew Naruto wasn't going to let this go and short of locking Naruto up in jail (which might not work either) that Naruto would rain hell down upon Konoha if Hiruzen didn't spill his guts right now…he just hoped he didn't wake up looking like an elderly male geisha in the morning.
Naruto asked, "While we're at it rumor has it I'm a PRINCE Jiji! You wouldn't know anything about that either would you?"
Hiruzen jumped up out of his chair and said, "Who told you?!" with shock etched all over his face.
"So it wasn't just a rumor…" said Naruto in a dark tone.
Sarutobi Hiruzen realized he just fucked up royally (no pun intended) and he quietly said, "ANBU, leave. I will be having a private conversation with Uzumaki Naruto over the next few hours. We are not to be disturbed by anyone or anything short of the village coming under attack."
Naruto saw the ANBU leave in a body flicker and Hiruzen activated the silencing seals. The Hokage paced for a moment and then said, "Gods Naruto; where do I start? It was left in your parent's will that your royal lineage be kept quiet until you were a chunin or eighteen, whichever came first."
"…And the fact I'm the jinchūriki of the Kyubi no Kitsune and that the Fourth Hokage, my hero, did it to me? When were you going to tell me that Sarutobi Jiji?!" asked Naruto angrily.
"Did someone tell you that?" asked the elderly Sarutobi.
"No, someone called me a demon and they were hauled off for Breaking the Third's Law which I'd love to hear all about by the way." Naruto said sarcastically. "When I found that seal on my body, the whisker marks and the fact I was born the night the Kyubi was defeated…it wasn't too hard to piece things together."
Hiruzen sighed. "Is that what Iruka brought you here for yesterday?"
"No, Iruka sensei found out how I could invent seals and wanted me to get them patented through you so no one else could steal them." said Naruto tiredly. "Damn it Jiji! Out of all the people in the village you were the first person I felt I could trust with everything! I trusted you the most! Now I find out you've been lying to me as long as I can remember! You always, always told me you didn't know why people hated me and you did! Damn you old man!" Naruto broke down into angry tears. "I…I loved you like a Grandfather and you betrayed me!"
Hiruzen listened to Naruto sob and it felt like someone stabbed a rusty kunai into his old heart. After a few minutes he said sadly, "Naruto-kun. I'll tell you everything from the beginning. A lot of it is going to hurt you but you deserve to know the full truth. I've made some huge mistakes and I don't know if you'll forgive me for it but I swear to you I'll tell you the absolute truth now…"
Naruto sniffed and looked up through teary eyes. "I'm giving you one chance Jiji. One chance to make it up to me! I don't know if I can forgive you but I'll listen..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was feeling the weight of all his years right now. He feared Naruto would hate him and frankly; he felt the boy would be justified. He'd wanted Naruto to have a happy, normal childhood but that plan was shot to hell the very day that Naruto was born...
…
Ninja Academy Grounds
A recently promoted jonin was sitting back on a bench watching the kids on the playground for the third day straight. It was all such a bother. His name was Tawara Bunshichi (age twenty-six) and he really didn't like putting out an effort. He'd far rather be admiring the bathing beauties over in the hot springs district; or better yet banging one of them. He'd missed Konoha and all the beautiful women here. So what was he stuck doing? Observing Academy students for the Hokage while he smoked cigarettes. He had rather odd white and black hair and was perpetually unshaven with a slim, athletic build.
Bunshichi had been on a deep cover mission for Jiraiya in Kiri the last ten years and now he was back. He recognized his old classmate Iruka from the scar across his face and wondered how the class clown ended up being a teacher of all things. He also recognized Mizuki despite the hot pink buzz cut with the stripe cut out of the middle. He'd have never guessed Mizuki was closeted but hey; who was he to judge? He felt kind of weird seeing his old acquaintances as adults. He also caught a really good look at Mitarashi Anko and saw that she'd developed into an incredibly sexy kunoichi. He'd always respected her fighting skills and abilities but damn she was hot!
'What the hell am I doing here? Oh yeah, looking for promising students.' he thought absentmindedly as he watched Natsume Maya practicing her katas of the Natsume style. 'I'd recognize her anywhere. She's going to be a real looker when she's older. Her katas are perfect. Damn it Shin!' When Bunshichi got back in Konoha the first thing he wanted to do was look up his best friend Natsume Shin…only to find out Shin went mad and slaughtered his own parents a year after Bunshichi left. Shin was now an S-class missing nin with a kill on sight order. With his ryugan Shin would be an incredibly dangerous foe. Bunshichi didn't know what made his friend snap but he was sure it had something to do with that damnable ryugan eye. 'Seeing both the past and future and talking to the dead? It's no wonder he was always so unstable…'
Bunshichi thought about his assignment and looked over his list that was Iruka and Mizuki's class he'd been observing for three days. 'Well, the clan heirs seem competent enough. They all need a reality check but they are Academy students. The only non-clan students that seem to have potential are Haruno Sakura, Isuzu Emi and Uzumaki Naruto so far…' He'd watched the spars and liked Shikamaru's style of doing as little as possible. He could relate. Seeing young Maya destroy that civilian girl yesterday was obviously some sort of grudge match. His observations of Maya showed she wouldn't waste her time that way otherwise –unless she was just making an example of the girl. 'And then there was the fight between the town pariah and the village prince…' The Uchiha never stood a chance in hell. Bunshichi watched Naruto fight with every intention of laying his opponent to waste through mean, underhanded and dirty fighting…'Just the way it should be.'
Bunshichi liked the blonde midget. He was tough as nails and didn't give two shits about anyone's opinion as far as Bunshichi could tell. He was also friends with Maya which was a plus. It was when he heard Naruto utter 'ttebayo when Bunshichi nearly lost his composure though. 'Is he really Kushina-sama's son? She always said 'ttebane.' When Bunshichi was young Uzumaki Kushina had saved his ass –twice. The Red Hot Habanero had saved him as an Academy student when he got in over his head in a fight. His three opponents were wailing on him when a chakra chain came out of nowhere and flattened them like pancakes. The beautiful redhead then took him to the hospital to get him patched up.
A few years later Bunshichi's genin team lost their jonin sensei to a band of missing nins. His teammates were crying in fear and Bunshichi had resolved himself to go down fighting. He knew it was over but then he saw the flash of Kushina's red hair and she viciously killed the missing nins with her chakra chains and her bare hands. The young Bunshichi was absolutely shocked at the sheer ruthlessness she displayed. She fought dirty with eye gouges and every underhanded move he'd ever imagined. He'd never seen anything like it. When she told him 'You have to do anything to win when you were protecting others.' he fell in love with her and adopted her philosophy. When she died he was heartbroken but Bunshichi never dreamed she left behind a son…
'If he is Kushina-sama's son then he's already acting like her and I owe it to her to help him out a bit…maybe I can teach him a couple of moves.' thought Bunshichi as he watched a few of the civilian kids failing. 'I'll have to ask Hokage-sama about it.'
…
Hokage's Office
"Before we begin Naruto I want you to know one absolute truth above all else; your parents loved you unconditionally and gave their lives to protect you from the Kyubi. You'll probably hate your Father but you must understand the situation was desperate. Please don't judge him until you know all the facts, alright?"
"I'll try Jiji." said Naruto bracing for the worst.
"Let's start with you Mother. Her name was Uzumaki Kushina and she was a beautiful woman that was the last living member the Royal Family of the Land of Whirlpools. She was a Princess and therefore you are a Prince Naruto-kun." Hiruzen reached up and pulled out a folder with Kushina's picture in it. "You've inherited your personality and pranking from her."
Naruto started at the picture of his red haired Mother and his eyes moistened. "My Kaa-san was so beautiful. She really looks like a princess."
The Hokage said wistfully, "Kushina was also a powerful kunoichi and a seal master. She liked pranks and ramen too. She could have been our first female Kage."
"She was that strong?" asked Naruto. "My Kaa-san sounds awesome!" sounding a bit more enthused.
Hiruzen smiled and nodded. "She was awesome Naruto. She was known as the Red Hot Habanero because of her temper. You should be proud to be her son. She was so happy to have you...but she had a secret. She was the jinchūriki to the Kyubi before you."
"What?" Naruto gasped with horror etched on his face.
"It was an S-class secret and nobody but a few trusted people knew...just like I meant for it to be with you Naruto-kun." said Hiruzen darkly. "The fact Kyubi is sealed within you was meant to be kept an S-class secret and whoever revealed it to the public should be damned to hell for what you've went through. The 'Third's Law' you've heard about was a law I made that made the subject forbidden to speak of but it wasn't enough to keep people from hating you..."
"What happened to my Kaa-san then?" asked Naruto.
"Let me tell you about your Father first so you can understand the situation." said Hiruzen. "Your Father was one of the greatest ninjas to have graced this world. His name was Namikaze Minato and was also known as the Fourth Hokage."
Naruto sat in silence and stared into space. His hero...the man who damned his existence...was his Father. Naruto wanted to scream but asked, "Please tell me why he did what he did to me Jiji." barely keeping his emotions in check as fresh tears rolled down his face.
Hiruzen explained, "A female jinchūriki's seal weakens during childbirth. When you Mother gave birth to you a missing nin attacked and freed Kyubi from the seal. He killed the ANBU guards and my beloved wife Biwako who was acting as a midwife. Your Father fought him and grievously wounded him. The Kyubi's corrosive chakra finished him off.
"Who was he?" asked Naruto coldly with fury in his eyes.
"He was a ninja of ours we thought died bravely during the Third Shinobi War." said the elderly Sarutobi. "We have no idea why he attacked and did what he did but the point is he's dead and won't cause harm to anyone ever again. Please forget about him or taking revenge. That's not what your parents would have wanted." he added sternly.
"So what happened to my parents?" asked Naruto dreading the answer.
"Your Mother was already dying because the Kyubi was ripped from her. Your Father was out battling the Kyubi alone with the help of his Toad summons. The details are scant but eventually your parents trapped the Kyubi and the only one that could contain it was you -a young Uzumaki. Its chakra would kill a normal person within hours. The Kyubi realized what they were doing and tried to spear you with its claws. Your Mother and Father protected you with their bodies and were run through. Then the Shinigami came and took your Father's soul for payment for sealing the Kyubi."
Naruto was openly crying by now. "Jiji..."
Hiruzen sighed sadly. "Naruto-kun, that day was living hell. You lost your parents, I lost my wife and hundreds of villagers were killed. When I arrived there the only thing left intact in the area was the ceremonial altar with you crying on it. Your Father's last words were that he wanted you to be seen as a hero for holding the Kyubi. I took you away into hiding until I brought order to the village. It was a horrible catastrophe and I had to take up the role of Hokage again."
Naruto sat several minutes to regain control of his roaring emotions. "So how did the secret get out and why wasn't I told?"
"Naruto; the fact you are a Prince and the son of a Hokage would have painted a huge target on your back." said the old man. "Your Parents set up a trust fund for you so you could grow up as a normal child and receive the money and your title when you turned eighteen or a chunin assuming you became a ninja. They didn't want you to grow up a spoiled or arrogant child and I'm proud to say you haven't. That is the reason I kept your parentage and title from you. When you were younger you couldn't have kept it a secret and the enemies of your Father and Mother surely would have tried to assassinate you for your parent's exploits during the Third Shinobi War or to get your money since you have a lot of it. Now that you are older you understand that revealing such things is dangerous. I want you to keep this information to yourself for now."
Naruto looked at him with steam rising again. "So I'm a god damned Prince and you want me to continue living in poverty with people using me as a doormat?" Anger flashed in Naruto's blue eyes. "Is that what you want Jiji?!"
Hiruzen spoke in a placating tone. "No Naruto-kun, I just want you to keep a low profile a little longer. It's for your safety. Please understand you aren't strong enough to protect yourself yet!"
Naruto was steamed but got his anger under control. "Alright; we will work something out…explain to me why I was never told there was a damned demon sealed in my gut! At least I would have understood all the hatred then."
"You were a small child Naruto!" yelled Hiruzen. "That information would have crushed you inside or made you believe that you were actually a demon just like the damned villagers! They can't tell you are a good boy and not the monster you contain. If I could find out who leaked that information to the public, I'd murder them with my bare hands!"
Naruto was shocked by the killing intent rolling off the old man. 'I've never seen him this angry! –and he's angry for my sake?!' "C-calm down Jiji!" said Naruto frightened.
Hiruzen turned to Naruto and quickly reined in his killing intent. He rubbed the moisture from his eyes and said, "Forgive me Naruto-kun. I didn't mean to frighten you." The elderly Kage sat back down tiredly. "I knew if it was ever publicly revealed that you were a jinchūriki you would be hated and ostracized by the public. Your dying Father felt you would be accepted as a hero but I knew you wouldn't."
"The only people I informed were the jonin council and my advisors who were all sworn to absolute secrecy. There was a security leak and within a week the public was clamoring for your death like a mindless mob. There were attempts on your life and those people were publicly executed. After that I instituted a law that your status as a jinchūriki was a taboo subject but the damage was already done. People hated you even though you were an innocent infant!"
Hiruzen paused for a few minutes to gather his thoughts. The cruelty Naruto had to endure all these years could have been avoided but instead Naruto was persecuted for no reason. It broke his old heart. "Shimura Danzo wanted to train you as a mindless weapon for Konoha and my other advisors agreed. The jonin council was split on the subject of whether you should be weaponized or not. In the end I had to put you in an orphanage with other children as an anonymous war orphan but even then, I had my ANBU watching over you. Sadly no one could let go of their hatred and you weren't adopted or treated well. That's why I moved you into your apartment when you were so young."
Naruto looked sadly at the floor. "What do you mean weaponize me?" he asked puzzled.
"I don't know what all you know about jinchūriki Naruto-kun." said the Hokage. "Some are created in desperation like you were to save others from dying but others are created as super soldiers or army killers. If you had been weaponized, you simply would have been trained from birth to be an incredibly powerful attack dog; a deterrent to other nations. Given the fact Kyubi is the strongest of the tailed demons it would make you the ultimate weapon. I couldn't let them do that to you Naruto-kun. As cruel and unkind as your life has been that would have been infinitely worse. All I ever wanted for you was to grow up a happy, normal boy that would eventually become a fine Prince but at every turn I've failed…I cannot begin to tell you how truly sorry I am…" said the old man as tears streamed down his face. He felt this was his biggest failure since Orochimaru went bad.
Naruto was now crying again too. Seeing his Grandfather figure looking so broken made him feel awful inside. Sure, he was still furious at the old man but seeing his Jiji cry was just too much and he sobbed out in anguish at the unfairness of it all…
The pair sat in silence for a long time each wondering what to do next. Naruto understood the nature of the seal on his gut but revealing the information would send people into chaos. The only people he would trust with his secrets for now were Hinata-chan and Maya-chan and he would swear them to secrecy.
…
Hyūga Compound
ANBU Bear and his partner Dove came in to retrieve Hyūga Hanako because she was the only member of the Hyūga clan that Hinata admitted she trusted. The pair were escorted in and knocked on the door to Hanako's room in the main house building. Hanako answered the door wearing a floral print kimono and had her long silver hair up in a ponytail. Bear noticed she was quite striking for someone that was sixty-two. Hanako said in a bored tone, "If you are here to deliver another date invitation from the Hokage tell him I said 'no' because he's too short and too old."
Bear and Dove stood there in shock for a few moments with dumbfounded looks behind their masks. Then Dove lost it and burst into uncontrollable laughter while Bear just shook his head. Bear said. "Hanako sama; we are here regarding your granddaughter Hinata-sama."
Hanako said, "That's different then; please come in." as she ushered them inside.
The two ANBU entered and seeing that Dove still had the giggles Bear reported, "Hanako-sama, it has come to the attention of Doctor Akira, Hokage-sama and the medical staff that you are the only one out of the entire Hyūga clan that Hinata-sama trusts unconditionally. We were asked to bring you to see her and to talk with Doctor Akira regarding her welfare."
"So Hiashi has been deemed an unfit parent?" asked Hanako.
"We are unaware of Hiashi-sama's situation Hanako-sama. We were strictly sent for you, but rest assured you are in no trouble." said Dove having regained her composure.
Hanako nodded. "Well, that's obvious given I haven't done anything. I'll get my things and we can go." she promptly exited to her bedroom.
Dove said, "I like her."
"She is quite a woman." agreed Bear. "I don't think I'd want to be on her bad side though." Dove nodded.
Hanako came out looking quite regal and said. Well, what are we waiting for children? I assume they're in the hospital secure ward."
"You know about that ward?" asked Dove in surprise.
Hanako gently rolled up her sleeve showing an unusual ANBU tattoo-one of a Commander. "I was once known as Raven. Of course I know where the ward is."
Both ANBU gasped. "You mean ANBU Commander Raven of the twin blades?" asked Dove with awe in her voice.
"That would be correct child." said Hanako.
"You are a legend Hanako-sama." said Bear reverently as he and his partner bowed. "We are honored to meet you."
"Enough of that." said Hanako. "That was a long time ago. I trust you two can keep that little tidbit a secret?"
"Yes ma'am!" they answered crisply.
"Then let us go." said Hanako as she slipped on her sandals and led them out.
Dove followed along pondering the living legend ahead of her and feeling humbled. She wanted to ask for an autograph. 'Commander Raven was the youngest ANBU Commander ever and the first female one. During the Second Shinobi War she won countless times against impossible odds. I'd love to hear some of the tales of her exploits.'
Bear was thinking along the same lines. 'It's said her kenjutsu was second to none. I never would have dreamed she was a Hyūga given they are known just for their taijutsu and the byakugan. It's no wonder Hanako-sama looks so fit. Judging by what I can tell I'd bet she's still very formidable.'
They went at a moderate pace since Hanako didn't seem to be in a hurry. She then made an ANBU hand signal and the three vanished in a body flicker so they wouldn't give away the position of the hidden ward. Moments later they appeared inside the ward and Hanako went through the motions of being checked in by the ANBU guards acting as if she was an ordinary civilian. One of the guards who was a sensor said, "Forgive me Hanako-sama but I don't see why a civilian woman of your age would have the chakra capacity of an elite jonin or more. I need to look into this."
Hanako simply looked bored and said, "I'm a retired shinobi and I stay fit boy, that's reason enough."
The sensor said, "Still I-"
That's when Doctor Akira showed up. "I will vouch for Hanako-sama guard. Let her pass." The guards stepped aside and Akira greeted Hanako properly. "It's wonderful to see you again Hanako-chan. I see your feminine wiles have only improved with age."
"Aren't you married Akira?" asked Hanako. "Or did Yano finally wise up and dump you?"
Akira acted playfully affronted. "Your words cut me so deeply Hanako; is that any way to talk to a former teammate?"
Hanako shrugged but then got very serious once they were in more secure areas. "Well…?" she asked.
Akira soundlessly handed her Hinata's medical report and said, "You're not going to like this."
Hanako rapidly went through the report stopping here and there to look at specific details. Her face remained impassive, but her eyes were filled with rage and unshed tears. After wiping her eyes, she said, "This is worse than what Iwa did to me when we were chunin and I was captured."
Akira nodded and said, "She must have inherited her iron will from you Hanako."
"Akira; take me to my granddaughters." said Hanako. Then she added in a tone that would cut steel, "I'll see all those bastards dead starting with my ex-husband. My grandbabies will not set foot inside the Hyūga Compound again while I live."
…
Hokage's Office
Naruto and Hiruzen were quietly sitting as they ate ramen together. The Hokage ordered it delivered so they wouldn't be disturbed. The old man knew that Naruto was still angry and in shock over what he'd found out. He didn't blame the boy. When Naruto polished of his fifth bowl of ramen he asked, "Jiji; did Kaa-san or Tou-san leave behind anything I could have?"
Sarutobi said. "Their house and everything in it were destroyed in the Kyubi attack but there are a few things here in the Hokage vaults that I meant to give to you when your lineage was revealed. Would you like to have them?"
Naruto nodded sadly. "What are they?"
"Things you'll like Naruto-kun. You'll want to keep them in a safe place though so you may want to store them here." said the Hokage as he got up. Making the appropriate hand seals; the Hokage revealed a hidden passage and motioned for Naruto to follow him. After going down two flights of stone steps Hiruzen came to a vault a channeled chakra into it revealing a very complex seal. "Your Mother made this seal Naruto-kun. Some of her fuinjutsu books from Uzu are in here and very valuable. It's one of the things I'd like you to have."
Naruto's eyes lit up at the prospect of seals and followed the old man in. There was a beat-up forehead protector there. "This was your Father's forehead protector from when he was a genin. I'll let you have it now but you can't wear it until you are a genin yourself, okay?" Naruto nodded as they went through various things that Hiruzen pointed out. "That's a book of laws pertaining to the Royal Family of Uzu. I've never read it but it will help you to know your ancestors." The Hokage sat it on the sealing scroll with the stack of fuinjutsu books Kushina left behind and Minato's forehead protector.
"What's in this box Jiji?" asked Naruto looking at a long black box made of ebony wood with intricate gold inlays in decorative patterns. It had the Uzumaki family crest on top of it also in gold.
Hiruzen looked nonplussed. "I'd like to know myself Naruto-kun but the truth is your Mother had it with her when she came to Konoha as a child and it was immediately put into storage down here. I don't know if even she knew what was in it and if she did Kushina took the secret to the grave with her. We made an attempt to open it a decade ago but it has multiple layers of protective seals on it that are very dangerous if seriously tampered with."
"Can I see it?" asked Naruto.
Hiruzen shrugged and said, "I don't see why not; it's yours after all." Hiruzen lifted the box down and sat it on the floor so Naruto could get a good look at it.
Naruto moved around it and looked at the box from various angles (even the bottom) and channeled chakra through it showing a massive seal array. Then he traced his hands over the decorations engraved on the top of the box and nodded sagely to himself. Hiruzen watched with an eyebrow raised as Naruto ran his pointer finger over the decorations once again with his eyes closed. To the old Hokage it was uncanny since he'd seen Kushina do the exact same thing on many occasions. He could practically see the red head's image their superimposed over Naruto's.
Naruto opened his eyes and said in a flat tone, "Let me guess; everyone tried to disable the protective layers and barriers instead of completing the unlocking seals right?"
Hiruzen got a completely dumbfounded look on his face and said intelligently, "Ummm…What unlocking seals are you talking about Naruto-kun?"
Naruto sighed and shook his head as if he was disappointed. He pointed at the Uzumazi Family Crest. "This is a blood seal presumably keyed to my Kaa-san's blood." Then Naruto pointed to the eight inlaid gold inscriptions on the corners of the box. "These are half written seals that must be completed to unlock the box lid." Seeing Hiruzen still had a look of total confusion on his face Naruto face palmed and said, "Here, just watch Jiji."
Naruto bit into his thumb with his lengthened canine and quickly traced over the decorative markings on the box and then continued the fuinjutsu pattern across to the next pattern. Repeating the process four times in a certain order there now was an intricate fuinjutsu pattern around the edge of the entire top of the box. Each side was slightly different and Naruto did it with such deft and artistic movements that Hiruzen felt like he was watching a veteran seal master. When Naruto finished (it took only a couple of minutes) the seals written in Naruto's blood began to glow bright blue and Hiruzen was a bit dazzled.
Naruto bit his thumb again since it had already healed over and said, "Now for the finishing touch." He swiped his blood across the Uzumaki Clan symbol and there was a quiet 'click' noise as the lid of the box unlocked itself. Naruto gingerly removed the lid and said, "Let's see what's in this treasure box Jiji." Sarutobi Hiruzen was totally gob smacked. Some of the best seal masters they had studied the black box for literal months and made no progress yet a sixteen-year-old boy figured it out in ten minutes! Peering into the box he saw it was filled with white silk of the highest quality.
The Hokage said excitedly, "Well, what are you waiting for Naruto-kun? Let's see what's under the silk! I'm dying to know!"
"Patience old man." said Naruto cheekily. "I'm waiting for my thumb to heal over so I won't get blood on the silk."
"Oh, of course." said Hiruzen abashedly.
A couple of minutes later Naruto gently folded back the silk and revealed…a katana in an ornate black sheath.
"Shippuuhime…" gasped Hiruzen with wide eyes.
"Hurricane Princess?" asked Naruto.
Hiruzen nodded reverently. "Naruto-kun; I am positive you hold in your hands the legendary sword of the Uzumaki Royal Family… Shippuuhime."
LONG POSTSCRIPT:
*①: Emi has red hair in the manga but hot pink in the anime. I went with red.
Okay, it's official: Hinata and Hanabi's Grandma Hanako is a badass. As a former ANBU Commander her philosophy is a little more vicious than most grannies. Heads will roll for what went down with Hinata.
A few notes, I took an alternative route with the Third Hokage's outlook. I could see Minato in his death throes (and probably not thinking too clearly with his soul sucked out and massive blood loss) saying that he wanted to see the village treat his son as a hero. I don't see an experienced Hokage and leader of many like Hiruzen having the same blind/misplaced faith in the villagers. He wanted Naruto's status as a demon container kept secret but there was an information leak. Also, Obito is toast and his body was disposed of. His identity wasn't revealed to Naruto because Hiruzen feared Naruto would try to kill Sasuke in revenge.
Also, Naruto isn't all forgiving in this story. He will come to understand the Hokage's reasoning but not right away. There will be an underlying tension between the two of them for some time (and Hiruzen might wake up dressed as a geisha).
As for Emi and Bunshichi; we'll be seeing more of them in the future. I was originally going to flesh them out a bit more but Naruto and Hiruzen's little chat took most of the chapter.
As a final note regarding the sword Shippuuhime; The sword will have some sort of abilities, but I don't know what yet. (It's not going to be like a sword from Bleach). I do plan for it to be damn near indestructible because it's covered it seals though. The major thing is Naruto needed a high-quality piece of steel to learn kenjutsu with. See you next time. Blue out. 5/31/23
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