"Talking"

Thinking

Jutsu/Shouting/Foreign Language

Kyuubi

Chapter 1: Rebirth

Naruto slowly got dressed for team assignment day, his eyes wandering the new set of clothing the old man had helped him pick out after the Forbidden Scroll incident. The set was composed by a fishnet shirt, a black sleeveless overcoat, on the back of which was written "Conqueror", black, Anbu style pants with plating attached to the thighs, and black combat boots. As a special gift and mainly because Naruto had always shown no interest in any weapon other than his fists, the Sandaime had also seen fit to give his surrogate grandson a pair of black metal gauntlets with spikes that went from the wrist back to his elbows where the gauntlets ended.

He had to admit, the old man knew what he liked better than even he did sometimes. Sure he'd tolerated the orange jumpsuit, but that was mostly due to the fact that it had been a present from the old man when he was younger. He looked from the mirror in front of him toward his bed, where his weights awaited. The old man, after a particularly bad beating, had decided enough was enough, and assigned a Jonin to teach him in his down time. Maito Gai the Taijutsu master of Konoha, who had taken Naruto into his under his wing, without question; the man had always wanted to help the boy, after all. He was a strict teacher, but a fun person to be around, and years later when he got his team, with the exception of one Hyuuga Neji, whom Naruto disliked very much, the last Uzumaki thought both Lee and Tenten were great to be around of.

He got to his bed and strapped the leg weights to his ankles, lifting each leg a few times to adjust to the weight, and turned around, leaving his apartment and heading toward the Academy. He let his body function on auto-pilot, taking him instinctively through the streets he knew so well, as he remembered the night before, and the reason he'd been able to become a Genin in the first place.

† Flashback: "Forbidden Scroll Incident" †

Naruto dropped to a clearing as he pulled the forbidden scroll from his back, opening it without wasting time. He knew this was most likely a set-up by Mizuki, but he couldn't waste this opportunity, as he wanted to learn something new to perhaps prove to the old man he was worthy of becoming a ninja. His grades were not great, but he wasn't the fucking deadlast, that had been Kiba! The only reason he'd failed was because he had been unable to perform the thrice damned Bunshin no Jutsu, and Iruka-sensei hated his guts.

He searched the scroll, looking through many of the jutsu inside it, before his eyes came to rest upon one particular technique that called his attention. "Kage Bunshin…I suck at Bunshin man…" He read further about it, discovering that this particular version was considered a forbidden technique for its high cost of Chakra, which could cause the user to die of chakra exhaustion if one was not careful. Deciding to give this new one a try; he'd never been able to use the small amount needed for the normal Bunshin anyway; Naruto looked at the seal needed, the amount of chakra that the scroll indicated as being the required amount and finally the perks of using this technique. "Let's do this!" He exclaimed, before he excitedly slammed his hands together, in a seal equal to the one depicted on the scroll.

He'd been training for nearly an hour, having finally gotten the damned jutsu down to a T, being able to perform it at a moment's notice. Of course, training as much as he'd been doing had the downside of him being exhausted, which in retrospect was quite stupid of him, since he had his suspicions about his sensei. It didn't take long before Mizuki appeared, a wide smile on his face as he, to confirm Naruto's suspicions, instead of asking to see the Make-up Jutsu he'd have to learn, simply extended his arm and asked for the scroll. The blond was tired, almost too tired to give a damn if the fucking thing got stolen or not, but, remembering Hokage-jiji and the kindness he'd been shown by that one person through the years, decided against just letting it go with the traitor and pulled the scroll close, eyes narrowing at the silver haired Chunin.

"Let me think on that for a moment…" He tapped his chin for a second before he grinned at the Chunin, eyes alight with mischief; he could handle himself, Gai-sensei had made sure of that, and fighting Mizuki would be a great way to test how he'd measure up to a Chunin level opponent.

"No." He said simply, his body tensing and he dropped into the Goken Taijutsu stance, the preferred style of his favorite adult other than the Hokage himself. He was ready to fight, but apparently, Mizuki had other plans, since he simply scoffed at the blond and smirked evilly.

"Hahahaha! You really want to protect them, demon? Let me tell you a little secret everyone has been keeping from you…" Mizuki then jumped down from the tree he had been on, and started walking toward the blond, one of his hands already inching toward the Fuma Shuriken on his back. "You are the Kyuubi! The Yondaime couldn't kill the demon, no human can, and so he resorted to sealing it away into a baby. That was you!" His smirk widened as he saw Naruto's eyes widen in realization. "It's starting to make sense, isn't it? The beatings, the "Fox Hunts", the whispers…you're the demon that took away the lives of so many of our shinobi and civilian population. That's why you will never be acknowledged; you will never be accepted, even by your so called friends. What do you think they'd do once they learned about you, Kyuubi?" Naruto's resolve faltered, and that's when he struck. He pulled the shuriken from his back and threw it at the boy, hitting him in the chest, and Naruto fell backwards, his eyes wide in terror as he felt his consciousness slowly drift away.

† Inside the Seal †

"Idiot! You had to go and get yourself killed!" The strongest of the demon lords shouted in anger, unable to fully help the kid as she was using most of her power to contain his inheritance. Kurama sighed, either she relinquished her hold on the ancient, malevolent power of the Konqueror and doom this world, and she could die and never be able to leave Makai again. She was one of the protectors of the world, one of its pillars so to speak, but truthfully, she was a demon first and foremost, and her survival mattered more to her than the world getting conquered by the reincarnation of an old evil.

She turned to the back of her cage, where a mass of green mist was trapped by her youki. It was almost as though the power itself knew she needed to let it go, as it was glowing brighter than she'd ever seen it do. It was almost as though it was mocking her in her helplessness. The Kyuubi growled, but even as she did so, she allowed her youki to recede from the green mist, and return to her body, and from there she immediately started working on the wound on her host's chest, hoping she wasn't too late, she pumped his body with her energy. Let this work, please…I don't want to die!

† Outside †

…I don't wanna die! He pleaded in his mind, his eyes searching for anything, anyone to help him. But then Mizuki's words hit home, there would be no one. There would never be anyone willing to help the demon brat; he was alone, now and forever. His eyes hardened at that, understanding dawning on his face and if he was honest with himself, at that moment, death would be a welcome release.

It was then that something hit him, images flashed in front of his eyes. Images of conquers, of glorious battle, of plans and machinations to add new realms to his Empire. Naruto saw a giant of a man laugh as his opponent lay on the ground, beaten and bloodied, taunting him with demeaning words. He saw the man destroy his opposition, corrupt his enemies, turning them to allies. Naruto then felt a great rush of power run through his body, a green mist covering his form as he got up from the ground, the Fuma Shuriken being expelled from him as his body regenerated, his eyes became red with the power overdose and in his mind he would become like that man, to show that if the people of this Village wanted to fear him, they were right.

But the moment he thought about the Village and its inhabitants, the a picture of the Sandaime came to mind, always helping him when he needed, giving him a new home when he was cast out of the orphanage, buying him food when no store would sell him anything, taking him to Ichiraku's whenever he had a moment of rest from his duties. Another man appeared in his mind, Gai. Taking him in with a smile, rewarding his hard work, listening when he simply wanted to vent his frustrations, being the father figure he never had. There were only the two, of the older generation of shinobi, but for those two he would not become like the man in his memories, he would be better.

For some reason, he also remembered Tenten and the year they spent together, training under Gai. The times he would help her with her weapon practice, and she, in turn, would teach him how to wield some weapons so he knew how to counter them. The times they would eat together when training late, after the other members of her team had left the training ground designed for Team 9. A smile appeared on his face as he remembered the girl, and his resolve strengthened, he would definitely be a conqueror, but not the monster Shao Kahn had been.

Naruto, now healed and feeling stronger than he'd ever felt, turned his attention to Mizuki, whose eyes were wide, such was the shock of witnessing his return from near death. He smirked at the man and began trekking toward him, flexing his hands, as though to become accustomed with his new power. "I am alone, yes." He admitted, raising a hand, a green spear appearing in his grasp. "I'm an orphan after all, I've been alone all of my life…but I digress, you were wrong. I am not the Kyuubi; no…I am so much more than that." He looked to the silver haired Chunin, his eyes now filled with mirth at the scared expression on the man's face. "I am the reincarnation of the Konqueror, the man who raised an Empire from nothing, a sorcerer of such power he rivaled an Elder God, I am the scourge of the realms, Shao Kahn!" As he finished, Naruto hurled the spear in his grasp toward Mizuki, hitting the man on the knee.

As the Chunin screamed in pain and held his now bleeding leg, unable to move, Naruto laughed, before he pointed at Mizuki and shouted "You're pathetic!" and sped toward him at speeds the Chunin couldn't keep up with on his best day. Approaching the Chunin, Naruto prepared for impact, tackling the silver haired adult with his shoulder, sending him flying.

But the reincarnation of Shao Kahn wasn't even close to done with him, and as he began flying from the sheer power of the impact, he was caught by the ankle and swung over Naruto's head in an arc, before he slammed face first on the ground, with such force that it left an impression on the floor of the forest they'd met in. He was barely conscious at this point, his whole body hurt from the two attacks he'd experienced. He was so sure he had the demon in his trap, he had planned it perfectly, lure the boy out of the village, ensure that the Hokage would be too busy to personally join the hunt for Naruto and mislead Iruka and the others into thinking he'd left Konoha altogether.

As Mizuki was going through what had gone wrong in his head, Naruto watched him with an amused expression on his face, arms crossed arrogantly. He had to finish his opponent, as was his right in Mortal Kombat, so he was about to call forth another spear, when from his shoulders came green chains, coming out of his body. The color of the chain was a bright green, like the spear, but the chains had a more ominous glow about them, he couldn't quite figure out what that meant, but deciding it was just his mind overthinking it, he willed the new weapons to attack his enemy, which they did.

They pierced his skin as they dug into his flesh, and he could feel them wrapping around something inside of his body. Mizuki's eyes widened in agony as they pulled, slowly receding from his skin, taking something with them. He only noticed something was wrong when he saw his own body go form screaming in pure agony to limp and lifeless in front of him and that was when the gravity of the situation hit him. The demon had somehow yanked his very soul from his body! He fought against the chains that were wrapped around him, trying to go back to his body, he didn't want to be trapped inside a demon's stomach forever, he wanted to be allowed to go to heaven, and he wanted to be with his family again! He would be crying if souls could afford such an action, his arms flaying hopelessly in the air as he was slowly dragged into Naruto's body, the last thing he'd heard was a deep voice, that seemed to come from within the chains, laughing at him, a dark, sadistic laugh.

Naruto watched everything impassively, having memories of Shao Kahn absorbing souls to become stronger, and he could vividly remember doing it often enough that this was no surprise for him. He watched amused as the man struggled against his fate, before he was silenced as he was finally absorbed, the chains also going back inside his body, and he felt the rush of new power adding to his own, his eyes glowing ominously for a moment before they went back to their new red color.

He walked toward the Forbidden Scroll, as though he hadn't just come back from certain death and dominated a Chunin in battle in a way even the Sannin would be jealous of. Not to mention the soul sucking bit, but Naruto didn't mind any of that, his mind, actually went back to what Mizuki had initially told him about Kyuubi, and instead of a frown, a smile came to his face. So that's why I survived all those attacks with not even a scar to show he thought, his eyes briefly turning upward toward the sky, a silent thank you given to the being that saved his life many times throughout the course of his sixteen years of life. Now he needed to decide what he would do, he could just take the scroll home and deal with the fallout another day or he could go to his jiji and tell everything that happened, and deal with the fallout of that. With a sigh, the blond, already knowing the course of action he would take, even before he listed the options, took the scroll into his arms and began his trek toward the Hokage Tower, where Sarutobi Hiruzen, his surrogate grandfather was waiting with the greatest sermon he would ever listen in his life, no doubt.

He was right, of course. When he arrived at the old man's office, he had been received by a very concerned Gai and a stern looking Hokage who'd proceeded to shoot into a tirade of how foolish it had been to go through with Mizuki's make-up test without consulting him first. Naruto knew it was foolish, but he was also quite sure that had damn near guaranteed that he'd be promoted to Genin, since now his skill as a shinobi could not be denied. It was not every day that a teenager entered the Hokage Tower, stole from the Hokage unnoticed and left. He could have even gotten away with it, if not for the fact that Mizuki had also made plans of his own regarding the situation.

"…and Gai-kun was worried sick when he found out you were missing, we thought the worst could have happened Naruto-kun!" And at this point, the Kami no Shinobi was in tears, his eyes glaring into Naruto's own, but there was no real malice in the stare, but concern and love for him. He had to lower his head at that, it saddened him that he had been the cause of his Jiji's hurt, but he was hurting too, and he was going to make sure both of them knew it.

"…he told me I'm the Kyuubi. The Yondaime couldn't have possibly killed a demon, and instead resorted to sealing it away into a baby, in this case, me." He said, and the Sandaime stopped short, his eyes widening. This was obviously not how he'd planned to tell that little bit of information. "And then, he used the shock of that revelation to…well, kill me." He said, pointing to the torn orange jacket, a hole right in the middle of his chest. "But while I was fading, I felt this rush…" he saw both adults exchange a concerned glance "these memories that weren't my own flooded my head, I remembered taking worlds, destroying worlds. I remembered going against the gods themselves…I remember dying." As he said that he lowered his head again, this time in anger, he had fallen for a trick of Raiden's. Naruto then looked again toward the only two people he knew he could trust and smiled. "I'm still very much Naruto…just, with extra baggage. I still remember all the times we went to Ichiraku's for ramen, jiji. I remember the times you would just hold me while I cried my frustrations away, Gai-sensei…to be honest, the only reason I didn't really become Shao Kahn are the two of you."

They continued their conversation about Naruto's past life as Shao Kahn, his servants, his wife, Sindel, who'd also betrayed him like many did before and after her. As he spoke, Hiruzen noticed how Naruto's eyes would dart toward the spots where he had Anbu positioned, and how he would contain himself from lashing out, probably thinking them a threat to either himself or the other two occupants of the office. It was obvious to the wise man that his surrogate grandson, upon receiving these supposed memories of a past life, had become paranoid, which probably meant he had been betrayed many times, by people close to him.

"And what happened to Mizuki, Naruto-kun?" He asked, and watched as Naruto paused, his eyes growing distant momentarily before he focused again, looking directly into the old man's eyes. "I…I killed him, jiji. The rush of memories was so recent that I lost control for a moment, and I think I actually was Shao Kahn…" The boy turned from the Hokage to Gai, expecting either of them; or both; to scowl at him, reject him now that he had killed someone, but instead, the Hokage simply smiled as he nodded, as he suspected such was the case. Hiruzen turned to Gai, to see the man with his stern expression, the same he'd have before launching into a rant about unyouthfulness, but there was no repulse in his demeanor, and that pleased the Sandaime, the last thing they needed at the moment was for Naruto to feel abandoned.

Naruto watched the two men, and he was relieved to see that he wasn't going to be scorned by the only two people in all of Konoha who'd accepted him from day one. "Did you know the Kyuubi was sealed in me, jiji? Why didn't you tell me?" Naruto watched as Hiruzen sighed, taking a puff of his pipe "I had every intention of telling you the truth, Naruto-kun. About everything, but you have to trust this old man when he says there is a time for everything. Your Jinchuuriki status would come as soon as you graduated. Congratulations on that, by the way." Naruto caught the thrown forehead protector, a smile playing at his lips. "There is more, I'm sure you are aware, but that will come at a later date, that is my promise to you."

Naruto accepted that, as his jiji was right, there was a right time for everything, something he'd forgotten on his past life. He also knew that the old man was quite aware of his trust in him, as he had yet to fail him, helping whenever possible, and wherever he could. Naruto nodded to the Hokage, before the old man asked one last question. "Now…what happened to your eyes, Naruto-kun? They are red." He had to sigh at this, he liked his original eye color very much, but if he had to be honest the glowing red eyes fit him. "I think it's a side effect of receiving Shao Kahn's memories, jiji. I remember having red eyes in those days." The Hokage accepted that answer, more than willing to trust Naruto, the boy had yet to betray that trust, and dismissed him, telling the young Uzumaki to be on time for team selection, before turning his attention fully to Gai, as the two now needed to talk about this new development in Naruto.

† Flashback Ends †

As his mind came back to the present, Naruto noticed he was already in the classroom, sitting on his usual spot and looking toward the window directly to his left. He sighed as he looked around, seeing many anxious faces, waiting for their instructor. He cared little for this team assignment business, he was certain he would be placed in a team that hated his guts, with a Jonin sensei that despised his existence, so he turned his attention once more to the window, watching the nearby forest. He was still traveling through the memories of Shao Kahn, and he had to be honest, he did not miss the politics involved in being a leader. He had always preferred action, even in his other life. Naruto turned his attention as the sound of the door being opened found his ears, and was surprised to see not Iruka, but a female Anbu walking into their class.

She had long purple hair, and was wearing the cat mask. He didn't bother taking in the attire she wore as he was pretty familiar with the standard Anbu clothing. He watched as she stopped at the teacher's desk and turned to them. She waited a while for the class to settle down, helping along by releasing some of her killing intent against them, and then spoke, her voice a monotone. "Congratulations to all who are here, you are now part of the Shinobi forces of Konoha. I will tell you what team you are to be place in and who is to be your sensei…" she then proceeded to list out all the teams that were formed that year, and Naruto tuned everything out, preferring to watch the outside once more, until his name was called "…Team 7 will consist of Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Satsuki. Your team leader will be Hatake Kasumi..." as soon as he'd heard everything he needed to hear, Naruto went back to ignoring the teams being assigned, and waited. He did notice, once the Anbu stopped calling out the teams and their components, the sensei started arriving to pick their students.

His team however, wasn't picked. His sensei didn't appear, for the next two and a half hours. When she did show up, however, Naruto was stunned with how much like Sindel she looked; he was actually stunned actionless during the whole interaction. Maybe it was because of the flowing gray hair, which although tied into a ponytail, still fell to her lower back. Her one visible eye; the other was covered by her lowered forehead protection, with the Konoha symbol on it, much like he wore around his left bicep; was also the same color as Sindel's, before her death and resurrection. Of course, most of this admiration was coming from Naruto, as Kahn, from what the memories told, cared little for her, and simply used their marriage as a means to an end.

She had the same voluptuous figure, although the clothing was quite different. This woman, Kasumi, wore what seemed to be he Anbu uniform, but with the standard Konoha Jonin vest instead of the Anbu one over her sleeveless, skin-tight shirt. He saw the woman disappear in a puff of smoke, and not really sure what their orders were, decided to follow his teammates. It was then he noticed he was the only male in his team. Odd.

Following his two female teammates was the right idea, as not only did they lead him to the right place, he had also been able to know some information about each of them, as they spoke amicably to each other, having apparently formed a friendship during their time in the academy. He had learned that the Uchiha girl, Satsuki, had been name like that because her father wanted a male heir, and since his first child had been a female one, he didn't accept the fact that his second one had been female, and treated her as though she was a boy all her life. Thus her tomboyish personality, she was also the last of her clan and that meant dodging political marriages thrown her way, with the help of the Hokage, of course. The old man felt that forcing her to marry someone just because she was the last of her clan was going too far.

On the other hand there was the pinkette, whose parents were former shinobi themselves, and had raised her so she would be prepared when the day came that she joined the force herself. She had a love for the medical arts, having already learned a few of the minor healing jutsu. She was also proficient with Genjutsu, since it required good chakra control and that was a requisite for medical jutsu as well. Other than that there wasn't much about her he found interesting, she was into one of the guys in their class, wanted to become a good medic ninja…all very boring, really. Where was the fun in healing people? Battle was where the real fun was.

He blinked at that, that wasn't him. Or maybe it was the intake of memories was so recent he was still trying to ascertain where everything belonged. He knew one thing though, both Naruto and Shao Kahn agreed, conquering things was fun.

They arrived at the roof of the academy, where their teacher was waiting for them, reading an orange book with a light blush on her face, before she noticed them and calmly put it away. "Ah, you're here. Good, let's start this little meeting, shall we?" Her tone was enthusiastic and she gave them an eye-smile; another thing he just noticed, her shirt extended into a face mask, covering the lower half of her face entirely; "Come on, sit." She continued when no one moved, and that got them started. Naruto ended up sitting between Sakura and Satsuki, as the two moved to their seats before he could and had decided to trap him in the middle. He was fine with that, both girls were good looking after all, and he would be mad to say otherwise.

"Okay! We'll start this off by introducing ourselves. I'll go first since you guys know nothing about me. My name is Hatake Kasumi, I am a Ninjutsu specialist Jonin, I like a lot of things, I have dislikes too, my hobbies are…yeah, and dreams…well I have a few." The newly promoted Genin sweatdropped at her introduction, and the woman pointed at Sakura.

"Your turn, bubblegum." This earned a growl from the pinkette, but she nonetheless started her own introduction. "My name is Haruno Sakura, I am a Medic Nin; at least I aim to become one; I like learning new healing jutsu, training with my family, dango, and a certain boy…" She looked down and blushed. "I dislike perverts, bullies…I think that's it for now. Hobbies, well, I read a lot, cook all the time, and recently training has become a common theme in my house. As for dreams…I want to start a family one day, and become the best Medic Nin in Konoha's history!" She had sounded unsure about the hobbies and her dream for the future, typical teenager Kasumi thought, but then she had become confident again when she said she wanted to be the best Medic in Konoha's history, and that brought another smile to the Jonin sensei's face.

"Okay, that's good. Now you stripper girl." Kasumi said, pointing at Satsuki. Her words had caused Naruto to actually pay attention to the girl's clothing, and he was amazed at how close her attire was to Kitana's when she worked as his bodyguard. He noticed she had flowing black hair that reached her waist, and honestly, if he wasn't sure there was no way Sindel could have come to this realm, he would say this girl was her descendant. Her torso was only covered on the chest area, leaving all of her abdomen visible. It was a dark blue sleeveless shirt, the front in such a way that she showed more than a little cleavage. She also wore loin cloth that covered her front and back only, leaving the sides of her legs open. The cloth was long, blue in color and going all the way to her ankles, and held the Uchiha's famed Uchiwa. She wore the standard sandals most ninja wore, and on her hands were fingerless gloves, though the one on her right hand went all the way up to her elbow and had a metal arm guard over it.

Naruto didn't know if she looked like a stripper but her attire sure was provocative. In his observation of her looks he almost missed her introduction, but luckily for the Uzumaki she had only finished saying her name when he came back to reality. "My likes are…I don't really have all that many, but I'd say tomatoes, training, my brother and my bloodline. My dislikes are pretty much the same as Sakura's with the addition of traitors. Hobbies…well I train all the time so that's that I guess. My dream for the future is to find out what really happened the day my clan was slaughtered and make the responsible one pay for it…and marry someone I love." Okay, that last bit actually made Naruto mad, why did she say that was a dream for the future? Everyone should be able to marry for love, and not because someone said it was for the best, for political advancement of someone else's interests, that was just disgusting, and the fact that some people actually were okay with such arrangement made him his blood boil. He took a deep breath to calm himself, promising the Uchiha girl, in his head at least, that he would make sure those things were taken care of when he took over.

"That was another pretty average introduction…come on, whiskers, surprise me!" His sensei said excitably, and he had to wonder if she had had one too many before meeting them…it would at least explain her lateness.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I am a Taijutsu specialist, and I like jiji, Gai-tousan, training, learning new moves, battle, conquest, and learning about the history of old." As he said his intro he asserted that it was actually the excitable Naruto, who loved to learn new things speaking, not the memory of Shao Kahn, still fresh in his mind, he would need to sort that out soon. "I dislike betrayers, bullies, politics and people who try to force their will on someone else for their own benefits. My hobbies…let's see, I read a lot, at least I have been lately, I train a lot, and…Soulnado." He would have been able to see his eyes glow menacingly as the word came out of his mouth; he really enjoyed looking at that thing when he rummaged through Kahn's memories. "My dream…well, not really a dream, since I fully plan on seeing it through…I will conquer this realm, and I will find a strong wife to marry and start a family with." Some things never changed, he grew up with no parents, and promised himself that he would be an awesome dad to his children, unlike his own.

"…okay, that was…not creepy at all…" Kasumi said sweatdropping. The female Jonin then turned her attention from Naruto back to the whole team, continuing the meeting as though he hadn't just said he would one day conquer the entirety of the world. She passed it as a teen phase or some such crap. "Okay, now that introduction is out of the way, we can continue with the important stuff…like the fact you are not official little Genin yet." She held back a giggle as two out of three teenagers yelled in rage, and one of them simply raised an eyebrow at her. "What I mean is you still have to pass my test. You didn't think being able to make an illusory Bunshin qualified you as a ninja, did you?" Her rhetorical question was met with a mumbled yes from the pinkette and she eye smiled, looking at an irritated Naruto and a slightly sulking Satsuki. "We'll meet tomorrow for your real test. I'll be waiting at Training Ground Seven for you at…let's say ten in the morning…" As she finished speaking Naruto got up to leave, but Kasumi continued, looking at him amused. "I didn't dismiss any of my cute little Genin, Naruto-kun…" she managed to give him a sad pout even though he couldn't see half her face. "There is one rule before you are dismissed…don't eat, you just might throw up if you do." As she said that, for emphasis, Kasumi released some of her killing intent, which was enough to freeze two out of the three kids she was commanding.

As Kasumi left, Naruto sighed. Intimidation tactic, if that is one thing he would understand after seeing Shao Kahn's memories, it would be intimidation. He turned to his teammates and gave them a reassuring smile, trying to ease the fear that Kasumi had etched in them through her KI. "Don't worry about that girls, make sure to have a good breakfast tomorrow, since we would not be operating at one hundred percent otherwise, and that would interfere with the mission. Remember, we are ninja now, we need to see through such deception." While he was confident both girls would eventually figure the trick out, he wouldn't risk his career on either of them realizing it too late. His piece said, Naruto walked away, letting both Satsuki and Sakura have their bonding moment, he had better things to do, like being able to lock away Shao Kahn's memories, that had him wondering exactly who he was.

The rest of the day had gone by relatively calmly. He had gone straight home from the Academy and used a little of his time to ponder on things he learned today, both about others and about himself, he sat on top of his bed with his eyes closed as he recalled the events of the day. After a while he could hear screams coming for somewhere, and it eventually disrupted his concentration and he opened his eyes, and subsequently screaming.

He was no longer home, he could tell that much. He was now inside Shao Kahn's bed chambers inside his own palace, but it wasn't the right color. Everything here was black and lifeless, there was no one inside his room, and he was sure there was usually at least one concubine there to keep Shao Kahn company. He slowly got up from the bed and slowly walked to the closest window, taking a look outside. This was Outworld, it was clear to see. He recognized a few areas around the castle, but he couldn't possibly be in Outworld, he had only just been in Konoha what's happening here? He thought, looking at his own hands, for confirmation that he was not going insane, that he was still Naruto.

He saw his black gauntlets and a sigh of relief escaped his lips. At the very least he was still in his own body. Moving slowly, unsurely, Naruto walked out of his room, and to explore wherever he was.

He had been walking for a while, visiting every bit of Shao Kahn's castle. It was completely deserted, very unlike the real one, where there was always something to do in one chamber or another. The last place he went to, after having finished his visiting of all other regions of the immense manse that was the castle, were the Flesh Pits. It was there he found the Kyuubi.

He entered the Flesh Pits slowly, scanning the area almost uncertainly, as he remembered the things he created here as Kahn. He wasn't two steps into the chamber, when he heard chuckling coming from a darkened corner of the room. The voice was feminine, so it couldn't be Shao Kahn, and that was the greatest relief he had in a while, but as the figure walked toward him, relief turned to dread.

The first thing that became visible was her orange hair. He could see the animal ears on top of her head, and as his eyes wandered down, he saw her red slit eyes, the whisker-like markings on each cheek, much like he had, and her red lips. His eyes continued wandering, and it was then he noticed, she was wearing absolutely nothing. Naruto, the teenage boy in him, in front of such a scene, started becoming hard, which caused the woman to smirk, seeing the bulge he was creating in his pants, but he didn't dare move, so he simply let his eyes wander, for as long as she'd let him do so.

It was only when looking at her breasts that he noticed that her skin was white, a pale white to be exact. Of course that information became unimportant the moment he saw the size of her breasts; not that he had seen many as Naruto anyway; they were as big as Sindel's and that woman had the biggest pair he had ever seen as Shao Kahn! He let his stare linger for a moment, before his gaze went further down, his eyes taking in her lean build, her curves, before he stopped again, this time upon reaching her crotch. It was at this moment she decided to stop him, taking yet another step in his direction and speaking for the first time.

"Sorry to interrupt…but I think we need to have a talk, you and I." She taunted, her voice was enticing, a soft purring sound as she spoke almost spurred the teenager to action, but he stopped himself. This was the Kyuubi he was facing; such thoughts with her were not what he planned… yet.

Kurama smirked again, poor Naruto, he didn't know she could hear his thoughts; she could sense his desire for her. Oh, she wanted it as well, she knew of the sheer power he contained, but she had millennia of experience in her favor, she wouldn't give into her desires so easily, and when it came to her race, the one who caved first, lost.

"These memories…these thoughts that have been entering my mind…I need to be sure that is still me, the change was so sudden…" He looked her in the eyes, his hormones forgotten for the moment, as enticing as her body was, he needed answers first.

"Silly boy, of course it's all you. You have obtained his power and memories, and in doing so unlocked a side of you I kept hidden for so long it is now as foreign to you as Outworld is to this realm." Kyuubi traced his jawline with a finger, her voice still a sensual purr in his ears as she leaned closer, coming face to face with him. It was strange, her being able to see eye to eye with him, seeing as he was a very tall sixteen-year old. He was currently six feet five, and although he knew that in Outworld and other realms had warriors bigger than that, in his own world, that meant he was one of the tallest around, even among the adults. "Don't fear yourself. Embrace all of who you are…" As she spoke, a red energy enveloped her hand and she tried stabbing him with her hand, which he was able to catch, thanks to his newfound powers, and Gai's training helped a lot too. When you have to spar against a man that can give the Sannin a run for their money daily, you're bound to catch up eventually.

The moment he touched her Youki covered hand, Kurama felt her energy leave her, like it was being sucked into his body, and she could see his eyes glow with power as it did.

Naruto for his part was intoxicated, he needed more, and he craved more. He surged forward, all the rest forgotten as he claimed the Kyuubi's lips, surprising even the demon with his forwardness. His still hand her hand, but his other one came around her body, to her rear and, with a firm grasp of the flesh, pulled her to him, flushing their bodies together. The fear of having the Kyuubi in front of him forgotten, the blond gave her delicious ass a smack before squeezing it, causing her to gasp in surprise, followed by a drawn out moan at the action. He used her surprise to his advantage, as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

Kurama didn't know what to do, one moment she had him wrapped around her finger, the next he is dominating her mouth and doing things to her she had never felt before. Part of her brain, a very small part, was worried about the fact he had been able to absorb her power, but a much larger portion of her knew she would regain that strength in due time; and then some; so it crushed the worry-wart in her and decided to enjoy the moment. He sure could use his past life's memories to good use. She grinded her body to his, one of her legs wrapping itself around his as he continued to suck her power away through her hand, and although it wasn't exactly something she seemed to be able to stop…she didn't want it to.

Naruto felt her whole body become enveloped in her energy, and he noticed just what it was she wanted to accomplish with that. He let go of her hand, which instantly found its way to his own ass; he grinned into their kiss at that; and used his now free hand to grasp at her thigh and was about to pull her up, when she broke the kiss and purred into his ear. "You're wearing far too much." He was more than happy to comply, and as he thought about undressing, the clothes on his body simply disappeared. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Naruto simply went back to what he was doing, conquering her body. He would make her his, as every single cell in his body yelled at him to do.

He broke off their kiss once more, getting a disappointed groan from the Kyuubi before he began trailing kisses down her jawline, her neck…he took a moment to suck on one of her breasts, making the demon moan out loud as both her hands came to his head, before he continued his journey down her body, passing her abdomen; and filing the small giggle that escaped her lips for later usage; and finally arriving at his destination, her pussy.

He gave her inner thigh a kiss, one hand coming to play with her lower lips as he trailed kissed on her leg, making the woman groan at the apparent teasing. "Uhn…honey, if you ever plan on making me yours, you stop teasing and eat me." He grinned up at her, one of his fingers finding its way inside her, making her moan again, as he answered. "You'll be mine regardless, and I'm the one in control here, Kyuubi. Remember that." His piece said, he went back to her thigh, although he did start making his way toward her pussy lips.

As he thought about using his bed for this, they reappeared on top of it, transported from the Flesh Pits into his bed chambers. As he noticed that, Naruto pushed the Kyuubi back, making her fall onto his bed, before he crawled once more toward her pussy, reinserting a finger in her, this time accompanied of his tongue. This caused her to moan louder, her hands closing into fists in his hair, pushing his face further towards her.

He continued pleasing her, alternating between licking her pussy and giving gentle sucks on her clit. This continued until, with a roar, the Kyuubi came, and Naruto continued to lick for a while longer, before he pulled away, eyes glazed with lust, he rubbed his dick on her pussy a few times, before inserting himself fully inside her, causing the demon lord to gasp and whisper "So biiig…!" He smirked down at her at that, and figuring she would enjoy a little pain with her pleasure, began thrusting roughly, his speed picking up quickly as he, between Shao Kahn and Naruto, had centuries of pent up sexual energy to burn.

He didn't know for how long he had fucked Kurama; she'd told him her name some time during their fuckfest; but he was sure he would be in a lot of trouble, as it had been more than one day, for sure. Currently the self-proclaimed Queen of Hell was content and asleep on their bed, while he sat, looking out the window of his castle. He glanced behind him and smiled, noticing the cum-covered demon. He had ended up taking every single hole she had. After her pussy became too sore to continue that, he took her ass, relishing the sensation of her tight backdoor, and when that was too sore, he used her breasts and mouth for his pleasure. He remembered the haze going away once she passed out, her power receding into her own body.

As he lay once more beside her, Naruto allowed Kurama to snuggle into his chest, her head resting on top of his form and one leg intertwining with one of his. He closed his eyes and slowly allowed sleep to claim him, deciding his pleasure was worth more than pleasing a team he felt no desire to help.

It felt like he had just closed his eyes, but he opened them again, feeling completely rested and, for the moment, satisfied. He turned to the side, to look out toward Outworld, but this time he saw Konoha, and he feared his time with the Kyuubi had been but a dream, but he could still feel the power he had drained from the Queen of Makai.

It was no dream, Naruto-kun…believe me, and it was plenty real to me! He heard in his head, and recognized her voice, which caused him to grin. We were inside what you can call your mindscape, the place where the seal is located. Since I am trapped inside your body, you manifesting yourself in here is the only way we can ever interact. He nodded as he heard her, it made sense, as he had been looking inward sooner, when he had first…manifested inside the seal. Naruto looked to the clock beside his bed and noticed it was nine in the morning, so he went to the bathroom to take a shower, before dressing once more in his attire and leaving toward the Training Ground Seven, where he would either become a shinobi, or decide between trying again and leaving the village.

He arrived, noticing that both Satsuki and Sakura were already there, chatting away. He got close to the two, and deciding to be polite, greeted the girls, receiving a glare from each for his trouble. Forget them, Naruto-kun. They are not worthy of you, my Emperor. You will find better concubines… Naruto had gotten to a nearby tree and sat down, raising an eyebrow at Kurama's declaration Oh? Concubines? I have yet to find an Empress, dear Kurama. Was his reply, teasing the Queen of Makai. He could almost feel the blush on her face when she replied, embarrassed Ah…I-I mean to say…I will be your Empress, Naruto-kun. Trust me, you will find no one stronger to be beside you when you rise to your fated position in this realm. He had to give it to the demon queen, she was most likely right about that, since the power he had taken from her was enough to make him feel as though he could fight the Elder Gods themselves and come out the victor. And yes, that is most definitely a compliment; the Elder Gods are powerful beings, Kurama. He heard her giggle and laughed out loud himself, causing the two present females to look at him oddly.

They continued speaking privately, but sooner than the young conqueror wanted, Kasumi arrived at the training ground, her visible eye scanning the gathered Genin hopefuls for a moment before she eye smiled. "So you can see through a simple deception tactic. Good." She said, sounding actually pleased with the three. "Now to see how you handle the rest. I have with me these two bells; I want you to attack me and try to take them away. The two that succeed may continue on as my cute little Genin, the one that is left out…goes back to academy, simple as that." She strapped the bells to her hip, before looking at the teenagers once more. "Come at me with the intent to kill, or you will not have a chance…begin!"

No sooner had she said those words, a green light flashed before her eyes and she was slammed away, going through several trees; they were in a clearing at the forest, which was where the Training Ground Seven was located; before falling to the ground, coughing some blood. The Jonin looked up to see glowing red eyes staring down at her, and a mocking laugh escaped his lips as he struck a pose. "Shall I continue trying to kill you…sensei?" He said, his tone mocking her, causing the older female to growl at the kid, and then she saw his hand glow green for a moment, a spear appearing in his grasp the next instant. "Dodge!" He yelled, mocking her at the same time as he threw the weapon. It traveled faster than most Chunin, and Kasumi's eyes widened in realization, if it hit her at that speed, she'd be toast!

The Jonin rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit by his projectile, which impacted with the tree she was leaning against and caused it to explode. But she didn't notice the spear was just a distraction, as a moment later she was in his grasp, his big hand covering her face as he slammed her into the ground repeatedly before throwing her in Satsuki's and Sakura's direction, the Jonin too dazed to do anything about it as the girls rushed her and took the two bells from her.

"You're pathetic!" He mocked from where he stood, his eyes alight with bloodlust, before he took a deep breath to recollect himself from his battle-state; he would call it that as he almost literally became rather sadistic when fighting; and returned to his normal red eyed. He wouldn't explain himself, he was simply too strong for her, and she had to deal with that, quite simple.

"Well, it's quite obvious you have your two students." He said turning away. He knew there was no such thing as a sensei with two students; Gai had taught him about that during their training together. He walked toward the city, counting down in his mind before he heard her, even though she muttered her words, almost wishing he wouldn't listen. "You pass…stupid ass fucker. Meet again tomorrow for mission assignments, dismissed." And with that there was a soft thud as she most likely passed out from having her face smashed into the ground so many times.

After that, they had spent weeks doing D ranked missions, or as his team agreed they should be called, chores. Walking the Inuzuka dogs, helping the Yamanaka in their flower shop, patrolling the Nara forest…all things they did but were sure the clan members themselves were supposed to have done.

It did help in their bonding, however. Satsuki and Sakura saw the treatment Naruto received at the hands of the villagers and resolved to not be like them. Kasumi had was well aware of all that, but she was still sore about his treatment of her during their Genin test, so she turned a blind eye when someone threw a bottle at the blonde's head as they searched for the fire daimyo wife's lost cat, Tora.

Finding it had been relatively easy, once the villagers stopped trying to accidentally kill the blond, and catching it proved even easier, since it was petrified of Naruto. The young conqueror picked the small thing in his arms and turned his back to his team, gently petting the cat as he walked to the Hokage Tower once more.

As they got there, Naruto handed the purring cat to the woman, who proceeded to smother the poor thing in her breasts and thank them before leaving, the cat looking back at Naruto as though he had betrayed her trust. Naruto sweatdropped at that and smiled apologetically at the poor animal, before it disappeared from view.

"Another successful mission, I see…I believe you will want another one?" The Hokage, who always was present during mission arrangement, said with a smile on his face. The Chunin beside him, Iruka, rummaged through a few files before handing them to the old man. "Let's see, we have…clean the Inuzuka veterinary? How about clean Training Ground 9…" He would have continued but a shriek of "Tora-chan!" came from somewhere in the village and the old man sighed, looking at the three in front of him. "Or catch Tora, again." Naruto was about to say something but he was surprised when Kasumi of all people took to the front and interrupted.

"With all due respect Hokage-sama, I believe my team is ready for something more challenging." Her voice was neutral, Naruto couldn't get a read on what he pretended with that, but if that got him away from the dumbasses in the village, he was fine with it. The Hokage looked at Kasumi surprised for a second before smiling once more "Very well…and I think I have just the job for your team then…" he said, looking down at one of the piles in front of him and looking through one of the many files. "Yes, here it is. A bridge builder from Nami is asking for an escort back to his village." He handed Kasumi the file with the more detailed information of their mission, before giving the woman a serious look. "I'll assign team Gai to go with yours; a more experienced team should help yours understand how to behave like a proper cell." He made it sound like he as chastising the woman and her team, and honestly it affected the two girls in his team, but he simply narrowed his eyes at the old man, something his sensei mirrored, before nodding seriously, showing their acceptance of the mission.

"Send him in, please, Iruka-kun." The Chunin beside him nodded and Hiruzen looked to Naruto for a moment. He was glad his surrogate grandson had changed, become more dominant; he could still remember a time when Naruto was close to suicide due to his loneliness. He had heard from Gai, that Naruto would help people he'd see in need; hell, he stopped more rape attempts than all of his Anbu combined; and instead of a thank you the boy would get a beating, from the person he'd just saved.

Naruto might be bitter with the village, he had every right to hate every single villager of Konoha, but Hiruzen knew that given the choice, the kid would save everyone again and again, it was just who he was deep down, and that, no matter how much everything else changed in him, would always stay true. He watched as the Tazuna-san entered the office, with a bottle of sake in his hand, and a flush to his cheeks, showing he had already started on his way to drunkness.

"Wazzat? These the brats goin ta ezcot me?" He stumbled with the words, and Naruto knew he wouldn't like this guy. That could change, of course, weeks ago he'd say he would never consider either of his teammates his friend, and look at him now, he'd defend their honor in a heartbeat; all it had taken was them defending him from the villagers, even though they didn't need to; and to be quite honest, now that they were in talking terms, he was quite fond of both of them.

He got back to the drunkard in front of them. He hated drunks…bad experience in the past. "Dun' look like mush do they? Dose girls look more like whores than warriors." He muttered, but everyone heard them, and both Satsuki and Sakura lowered their heads, for some reason. Naruto growled and his eyes shined with power, he was going to skewer that mother fucker.

"Ah, you are the client, Tazuna-san. I assure you my team is more than capable, and in case they fail, I am a Jonin, nothing will get to you." Kasumi had a smile on her face, but he could tell it was forced, and her hand on his shoulder stopped him from going through with his plan. He wanted to be away from the old man, lest he carry on with his original plan regardless of the old man's presence. "You are all dismissed, go pack for a one month long trip, and meet at the western gate at one p.m." Naruto didn't even acknowledge the order, as he just walked past the old drunk, he needed somewhere to vent.

He had gotten to the training ground of his team and instantly began throwing light spears at the practice dummies, his power flaring in his anger. He had destroyed quite a few of them when he heard a very familiar voice call out from behind him. "Naruto-kun?" It was soft, concerned for him, and as he turned he saw Tenten's face, a worried frown marring her otherwise beautiful features; yes he had a crush on her since they met, but at first was too afraid to ask her out, as the villagers could hurt her just to watch him suffer, and after becoming Shao Kahn, he didn't want to make her a concubine she deserved so much more; and he smiled at her, stopping his rampage momentarily.

"Tenten-chan!" He said, truly happy to see her. She was one of the few people he cared about, and like all the others, merely being near her calmed his mind, allowing him to think clearly. "We have a mission together, your team and mine, so I thought I'd catch up with you before that." She said, the smile never leaving her face as she pulled from behind her a lunch box with his favorite, beef with onions. She'd told him it was a family recipe that her father had taught her, among other family traditions. They sat near a still standing tree and began talking as they ate.

"Panda-chan, this is delicious!" He said, using the nickname he'd come up with for her after hearing stories of her father's homeland, and he thought she looked somewhat like the pandas she liked so much, given her black hair was usually in twin buns, looking like panda ears atop her head, with short fringe-bangs framing her face. She wore long-sleeved, high-collared white blouse with maroon edges, black fingerless gloves, low-heeled sandals and a black forehead protector. She also wore maroon, puffy hakama-styled pants with the exposed parts covered in bandages. He noticed the smirk she had as she'd no doubt caught him staring at her and turned away, blushing.

"Thanks fox-kun." She, of course, also had a nickname for him. His whisker-like birthmarks and the fact that when he grinned he looked quite like a fox, she had dubbed him thusly, unaware how close to the truth she'd come. I like this one, Naruto-kun. I say take her. Kyuubi interjected from inside his head, and he mentally frowned at the fox woman. Shut it, or no fucking for a week. That shut her up; since she would do whatever he wanted as long as he kept fucking her like he did that first time, which he actually did whenever he went to sleep.

"So, I haven't seen you guys in about a year, how are things with everyone?" Naruto asked, turning to face her once more, looking into her gray eyes. "Lee's the same, always yelling about youth, like Gai-sensei and training non-stop to surpass Neji…Neji is also the same, going on and on about fate and how no matter how much a caged bird tries, it'll always be trapped inside its cage." She sighed, shaking her head at her two teammates "I'm still learning more about the many weapon fighting styles there are. I gave up on medical jutsu; it's just not my area of expertise. How about you, fox-kun, I haven't seen you in a year too, you know." Naruto chuckled at that and leaned back, looking to the sky above them.

"A lot changed…I learned I'm the reincarnation of some millennia-old conqueror." To prove his point he used the light spear he'd been using to destroy the clearing moments before, throwing it at one of the few still standing dummies. "These are most likely a bloodline, so you might think I'm lying, but I have these memories…of a life I didn't live, fights I've never been in, of Outworld, of Netherrealm, Elder Gods…" He sighed, looking down at his hand, wanting to avoid looking at Tenten as he was pretty sure she'd either think he was crazy or some kind of demon. "The change I like the least are the eyes, I loved the blue they were before." He said, finally turning back to her, half cursing his inability to lie to her, and the fact that he'd promised to never do so.

"Outworld? Dad used to tell me stories about it, saying that the only reason he left that place alive was some Liu Kang guy. Are you pranking me, Naruto?" The lack of a kun after his name, or even her not using his nickname had him a little worried, but the fact that someone in this realm knew about Liu Kang and Outworld was far too interesting an opportunity. "Of course not, Tenten" he decided not to use her nickname either, this was serious for her "I'd never do that, I promised, remember? Besides, I've never even met your dad, how would I know about his stories?" He said, tilting his head to the side as he finished. "I'd never hurt you Tenten, no matter what." He said with such conviction that the girl blushed, turning her head away from him to hide it.

"A-anyway, fox-kun…" She was going to ask him out on a date; she didn't really care that was not the norm; but the moment she turned to face him, an Anbu with the cat mask appeared before them, ignoring her completely and addressing Naruto. "Uzumaki, lord Hokage requests your presence immediately." Naruto looked at Cat and sighed, it wasn't that the summons bothered him, but he rarely had time to spend with his best; and so far, only; friend. Getting up from his spot on under the tree and approached the Anbu, turning to Tenten as he did so. "See you at the village gates, Ten-chan." He gave her a smile before disappearing in a swirl of leaves along with Cat.

Hiruzen was upset, but he wasn't upset with other people, he was upset with himself and the decision he had agreed to. Danzo, using the Ne Anbu division that he had been ordered to disband; Sarutobi couldn't prove they were still active and as such could take no action against the man, especially since he had wormed his way into the Daimyo's good graces; discovered about Naruto's abilities, and believing they were a bloodline, convinced the Fire Daimyo to decree his surrogate grandson into a law that hadn't been used in so long it had become forgotten by most in Konoha, the Clan Restoration.

But one thing had actually almost got him to become angered at the old war hawk. He had not only forced this issue, he had made it so Naruto had to pick at least two of these wives before his next birthday; and considering they were already in September…that and the fact that by that time not only would he need to have two wives, but he would be required to have at least one of them pregnant by that point. Hiruzen often wondered how his old friend got such political push…

The Hokage sighed as he lighted his pipe; it always relaxed him when something like this happened, where he had no control over the situation. He had been working his mind on how to turn the tides in Naruto's favor, because he just knew Danzo would pick women he could easily manipulate for the boy if it came to that. He heard the telltale signs of the Shunshin and raised his head just as Naruto appeared in front of his desk along with Cat, one of his most trusted Anbu operatives.

"Ya rang jiji?" Naruto asked, taking a seat in front of the old man, his red eyes going from the Hokage to the one eyed man standing next to him. "I called you here Naruto-kun, because the Fire Daimyo has issued an order for you…more specifically to the last Uzumaki of Konoha." Naruto sat straighter at that, since the old man never addressed him like that, the last Uzumaki of Konoha. Something big was happening, and he had a feeling he understood just what it was. "There is a law in Fire Country, created by the Shodai long ago when the village was first created, that states that should a bloodline be endangered of being extinct, and its last heir a male one" Thank Kami for small favors, poor women if it weren't like this "it falls to the Hokage to enact the Clan Restoration. The Clan Restoration ensures that the dying clan will be able to live on through the marriage of its last member to multiple women, ascertaining the continuation of the line." Naruto was listening intently, as this Clan Restoration interested him. He knew they had used it to control him in some way, but if they only knew what they were getting into…

"There are, of course, stipulations. One of said stipulation, set upon the last Uzumaki by the Daimyo himself is that you are to marry at least two women before your next birthday. The other stipulation is that one of said women must be with child before the end of the year, that way should anything happen to you, the future of your clan is secure." Naruto continued looking at the Hokage after he was done, blinking a few times for effect, before he burst into laughter, pounding a fist onto the desk. This went on for a full minute before the blond stopped and looked from the Hokage toward the one eyed man and back.

"Oooh boy, haven't laughed like that in a while…" he said, before he looked seriously to the Hokage. He had to play it safe for now, if he just stormed the Daimyo's palace and slaughtered everything there; he would likely cause civil war, so he needed to be smart about his taking over plan. "Okay, so you're serious…I'll do it; since I have no choice" he pointed at his protector "this makes sure of that. Not that I had many options to begin with…" Naruto then had an idea, his first step, so to speak. "But that also means that the Daimyo-sama is recognizing the Uzumaki officially as a Konoha clan then? Before this I believe there was no record of there being an Uzumaki clan from Konoha. That means I get council seat, seeing as I am the only Uzumaki, and again, seeing as I am the only Uzumaki, I may appoint a proxy to seat these meetings should I be unavailable…" The Hokage's eyes widened as he spoke, and that was true, the Uzumaki, up until that point was a clan from Uzushiogakure, not Konoha, but with the Daimyo himself enforcing the Clan Restoration on Naruto, he was also recognizing the Uzumaki as a Konoha clan, which meant, not only what Naruto was describing, but also that he had more control over this than he had realized. "And of course, I choose the man who taught how to defend myself, the same man who taught me about many of the laws of Konoha, Maito Gai. Should we both be unavailable, Cat will sit the meetings." In the corner of his eye, he saw one eye frown at the revelation, but ignored it, in favor of continuing his little tirade, he felt on a roll at the moment. "As a proper Konoha clan, I expect the Uzumaki to be given land in order to create our compound, and I expect to be given my predecessor's inheritance, as stands to clan traditions of Konoha, clan heirloom stays in the clan." Naruto finished, and at that moment, he felt he had done something right, as he could see the pride in the old man's eyes even though he covered it well.

"Very well Naruto-kun, that is your right as the Head of the Uzumaki clan and your wishes will be granted." Naruto nodded at his jiji, before he started getting up, stopping for a moment. "May I be dismissed, jiji? I have a mission outside Konoha's walls, and it would be a blow to Konoha's image if one of its shinobi is late." He received a nod from the old man and turned to Cat, silently asking the Anbu woman to take him, and she simply reached over, touching his shoulder before they vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"I would say that one turned on you rather quickly, wouldn't you, Danzo?" Hiruzen turned to his one-time friend, a smirk on his face, before turning once more to his desk, starting on the paperwork to guarantee Naruto was granted his wishes.

They reappeared in front of the western gates of Konoha, and Cat pulled Naruto to a nearby alley, before she took off her mask, revealing the purple haired Uzuki Yugao. "What was that about? Making me a proxy for the Uzumaki clan?" Her voice was low and came out in a half-growl, which had the blond chuckling nervously. "You see, Cat-neechan, I remember when I was five years old, and out of all the Anbu, only two would never turn a blind eye when the villagers felt like dealing with the demon boy. One of these Anbu even talked to me on more than one occasion, telling me about her own life, just like I remember having a childish crush on her." He grinned, looking at the surprised face the woman made. "She wasn't all that much older too, she was what jiji calls a genius. I always wanted to do something for that person, and you always seem so sad when acting as Anbu, so what I am giving you right now is mostly a choice since my main pick for a proxy is Gai-tousan. So think on it, you can retire from the Anbu and work for my clan. I won't be able to tell you exactly how well-paid the job's gonna be for now, but I can tell you this…if that ring on your finger is what I think it is you can start thinking about starting a family." The woman was still stunned speechless it seemed, so Naruto turned away and walked back to the village gates.

He figured he still had some time to kill before the rest of his team showed up for the mission, so he sat just outside of the gates, his back against the wall and closed his eyes, concentrating on his bed chambers inside the his mindscape. After a moment he opened his eyes again and this time, he was on his bed, inside his palace in Outworld; at least his mind's recreation of the place; and Kurama was sitting on a nearby desk, reading up on Outworld history, something she had asked him to provide for her.

"What do you think, Kurama?" He asked, getting up from the bed and sitting across the demon on the table, his eyes searching for hers. Although he was sure she had her own reasons to want to be his Empress he had learned that her insight on such matters; politics and the sort; was something he could follow. He had considered making Tenten his empress, promises be damned; he never broke a promise, but he was ready to do so for his Panda-chan; but she obviously had experience being a leader, and dealing with the bullshit that was politics and traitors.

"I think you're overthinking this. It's quite obvious the person behind this Clan Restoration bullshit didn't expect your response, so you're obviously at an advantage. You just have to maintain a cool head and you'll stay ahead of the game." Kurama had become, since the start of their new relationship, become a sort of advisor to him. She was the one that had told him that although he possessed the strength to do so, storming the Daimyo's palace was a bad idea without political backing; the backlash would be too much, even for him. He would need to build himself a base elsewhere for this to work as he wanted it to, but he had no idea where.

He nodded at her words, seeing reason in what she said. "Besides, it's not like you weren't already planning on taking multiple women for your own. This just makes it…legal, so to speak." She smirked at him, her red eyed glinting mischievously. "At least now you can explain things to that Panda-chan of yours…" she would have continued, but the demeaning way she had spoken Tenten's nickname angered the blond, and the next instant she was held against the wall of his room, his powerful red eyes glaring into her own. "You don't get to call her that, ever. Are we clear, Kyuubi?" Instead of answering, the demon queen tried to pry his hand away with her own strength, but all that did was make him growl at her and squeeze. "Are we clear, woman!?" Kurama would never admit that, but his dominance turned her on, very much. If it weren't for the fact that she just might have screwed up, she would have begged him to take her then and there, but as it were she resigned to a defeated sigh "Yes, my Emperor." She said, lowering her gaze submissively. And just like that, he opened his hand, letting her go, and allowing her to slide down the wall, clutching at her throat as it still hurt, and it was also somewhat hard to breathe…he may only be there in spirit so to speak, but she was there, period. If he killed her, there was no waking back on her body for Kurama. He disappeared from her view, obviously no longer in the mood to deal with her attitude, and she allowed the terrified tears to fall down her face as she hugged her legs close.

As Naruto opened his eyes back on the real world, he turned his attention to the person sitting next to him, to see Tenten checking over the scrolls she had gotten to take on the trip. "Hey Panda-chan." He whispered, and her head whipped his way, her eyes darting around to confirm they were alone; it wasn't that she didn't like the nickname, but it was one thing when Naruto said it, and it would just be wrong if anyone else tried; before she turned her attention back to the now smirking blond and glared at him. The glare lacked any real heat, as it was obvious he knew there was no one around, but it was still enough to wipe the smirk from his face. "Hey, fox-kun" she whispered back, smiling at him before continuing, louder this time. "You're way too early, my team just got here, and Gai-sensei insists on being a half-hour early to everything."

Naruto chuckled, it did sound like his surrogate father to do things like that. Naruto always believed that Gai had a good reason for that, but had never gotten around to asking why he made a point in doing it. "You know you don't meditate like that unless something is bothering you...so, what is it?" He heard Tenten's voice and sighed, of course she would pick up on that. For a moment he considered not answering that, but the way she glared at him when she, apparently, picked up on his thoughts had him wavering. "It's…" he sighed "It's to do with my clan. Someone went to the fire Daimyo and convinced him to recognize my clan. And in turn that person also persuaded the Fire Daimyo into forcing me into a Clan Restoration law, which essentially means I have to have multiple wives; two of which need to be official before my next birthday; and have an heir on the way before the end of the year." Naruto shook his head and looked down, a sad frown on his face. "I didn't ask for this, and to be completely honest with you, whoever's behind this knows they have me against the wall here. There isn't one girl in Konoha who would accept this; at least with me, let alone two." He sighed again, before looking at Tenten again, this time a small smile playing at his lips. "Huh, who knew…I really needed to get that off my chest. Thanks, Panda-chan, you're the best." He got up from his position, noticing that her team was approaching them, along with his own and the drunkard. He offered the bun-haired girl his hand, which she took, and with a pull he helped her up.

"Let's forget about it for now, we need to focus on the mission." He whispered to her as he walked by her, toward his teammates, whom he greeted with a smirk. Satsuki and Sakura looked ready to murder someone, and even Kasumi seemed to be losing her patience with the old drunk. "So, you seem to be enjoying yourselves." His voice was mocking, and he made no effort to hide the fact he was enjoying the look on their faces. Kasumi looked at the blond; her eyes narrowed "You do know I'm still your superior officer, right? I can have you on guard duty the whole way there." That was enough to shut the blond, who then turned away from his sensei with a childish pout on his face. "So mean Kasumi-sensei…I thought we were your cute little Genin?"

The walk up until that point had been quite uneventful. Tenten, usually the most talkative of her team, was silent, a pensive look on her face. Neji was, as was his usual, brooding to the side where he would be left alone. Lee was trying to start a conversation with Sakura, who for her part, been rather polite in her decline of his advances, much to Naruto's amazement. Satsuki was watching their surrounding intently, sure that something would happen sooner or later. Sakura was giving Lee advices on what he should do if he was actually serious about his requests, and Kasumi and Gai were talking among themselves to the front of the group.

Naruto noticed they had passed a puddle on the road, and it was odd, since it was a sunny day and it hadn't rained in a week in Fire Country. His sensei and Gai continued walking as though everything was normal, so he did that as well, although he did notice how both of them suddenly fall behind, to the back of their contingent. The reason became clear when the puddle disappeared, and in its place, two ninja appeared, already running at Gai and Kasumi.

Kasumi was still acting as though she hadn't sensed the enemy ninja, but Gai had already disappeared, as he took any threat to the safety of his children very seriously. With the exception of himself and Kasumi, Naruto was pretty sure no one saw what had just happened in that forest clearing. At the first sound of their appearance, Gai had dashed back toward them, a roundhouse kick flying to the side of the man's head, which had been so strong there was a crunch as bone was cracked, and the blond was sure that one would not be getting up again. The thing was the two ninja were joined by a chain they no doubt planned on using to shred them to bits, and as one of them went flying, the other one, not ready to react to such a fast attack, sailed backward toward the nearest tree as well.

As soon as that was done, Gai sent Kasumi a glance he was sure was supposed to mean something and walked to the two enemies, one of them still recovering from his attack, the other one out cold. He noticed Kasumi glancing at the client before joining her fellow Jonin, probably to interrogate the captured foe, and while that was going on, and he was going to ask Tazuna a few questions of his own. "So…how'd you get an obviously B ranked mission assigned as a C-Rank, old man? It's not easy to pull one over the Hokage like that…believe me I try every day." His voice wasn't loud, he wasn't mocking the old man, and he sounded genuinely curious about how he had accomplished such a thing.

"I had to. My country is besieged by a tyrant named Gato, owner of the Gato Shipping Company. Nami's income is mostly through shipping, and since Gato arrived, taking over our shipping companies; either through bribery or threats; we have nothing.,," The old drunk continued on and on about how this tyrant Gato crushed their spirit by dealing with whoever rose against him, a special case being a man named Kaiza, who had given the people their hope back, only to have it destroyed yet again when the man was publicly executed in a show of power by Gato.

Naruto found the whole sob-story rather boring, really. But there was one thing about the whole affair that got his attention. This Gato, he ran Nami no Kuni, he owned a fucking country so if he played his cards right he could potentially have found his base of operations. Feigning interest, Naruto pressed on, asking more about the country, how they intended to stop Gato from continuing his reign of terror and what other commerce did they intend to pick up after the shipping companies were done with. "I mean, you just said you're building a bridge to stop the shipments from leaving Nami, which basically kills your only source of income after Gato's gone, so what are you guys thinking of doing afterwards?"

Kasumi and Gai discovered from the downed enemy that they had been hired by someone named Gato to ensure that Tazuna never made it back to Nami. They had also said, after some the promise of treatment for his brother that they worked for Momochi Zabuza, the famed Demon of the Bloody Mist. Kasumi said that the mission would continue, as the Hokage had seen this coming and sent team 9 as their backup, but now they would continue under a more strict formation, with the ranged fighters close to the client, so they provide support to the close range fighters, and said close range fighters were scattered around the first group. With this new formation they continued their voyage, only stopping when Sakura, having sensed a chakra signature close by, threw a kunai at a bush, only for a white rabbit to leap out of it, causing the girl to frown.

"I could have sworn I sensed someone…" she said dejectedly, not really looking at anyone out of embarrassment. Naruto may suck at sensing chakra, not being able to notice people approaching until they either make a sound or they enter his soul magic range; that was what he called Shao Kahn's powers, he knew that wasn't the real name but now they were his powers and he liked that name; but he knew a thing or two about wildlife, and because of that he knew that that rabbit was a snow rabbit. It wasn't that fact that got his attention; however, it was the tiny little problem of the rabbit's fur being white. Snow rabbits' fur was only white during the winter, which meant that cute little thing; being hugged by Sakura was someone's pet, probably having been raised indoors, and that poor little thing had probably just been used for a Kawarimi, something Naruto had a problem with, he found out.

Noticing that neither Kasumi nor Gai were going to voice this, Naruto decided to butt in himself. "Nice job Sakura, everyone keep your guards up. That cute little rabbit is a snow rabbit, but the important this is its fur is white. The fur of a snow rabbit only becomes white during the winter…anyone knows what that means, kids?" Of course, being Naruto he couldn't help but mock everyone else; he was never one hundred percent sure why, but he'd begun doing it ever since he noticed no one would acknowledge his intelligence or his skills.

The others looked at him for a while, Tenten with an exasperated look on her face, when Kasumi seemed to pick up on something, as she appeared near her Genin and pulled them down, doing so herself, while Gai had yelled for his team to duck. From his position on the ground, Naruto watched as a giant blade passed by, embedding itself onto a tree not far from them, and moments later someone was on top of it, crouching on one knee and one hand on the blade's handle.

The blond felt like rating the performance, and deciding to mess with the newcomer, he pulled a plaque from somewhere and scribbled a 6.5 on it, before getting up from his position and raising the sign, while making a gesture with one hand, indicating he found the whole performance so-so.

His team, knowing to expect this type of crap from the blond by now, simply sweatdropped and shook their heads, while Team Gai facepalmed; Gai himself just chuckled at the boy's antics, and Tenten mumbled about troublesome blondes that didn't know when to be serious; and the enemy raised an eyebrow…"HOLY SHIT! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYEBROWS, MAN!?" Naruto, noticing the lack of hair above the man's eyes, freaked out, pointing at the man and shouting at the top of his lungs, while in a corner of his mind he was happy to know he still had enough of his old self in him to have random moments like this.

Kasumi, deciding to take pity on the Swordsman, got up from her position, as though Naruto had never done any of the crazy shit he'd just done and looked at him. "Momochi Zabuza, the feared Demon of the Bloody Mist, and one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. This mission is about to get much harder." Kasumi stated, reaching for her lowered protector, when she heard the man chuckle; he had decided to go back to his original plan of kill the blond bastard after dealing with the real threat; "So, I stand before Sharingan no Kasumi, the woman of a thousand jutsu…you're going to use it from the start, huh? I should feel honored!" Kasumi and Zabuza were watching each other as Gai, to the side of Kasumi cried anime tears while yelling about not recognizing him, Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey.

He may not have shown it, but Zabuza, had already noticed the other Jonin before he made his presence known, and had prepared accordingly. He knew he wasn't the only shinobi Gato had hired, and although he wouldn't admit it, there was just no way he would survive a battle against two of the strongest Konoha Jonin. So he had approached the other shinobi and called for a truce between them, until the Konoha ninja were dealt with, and afterward they could go back to their own thing. So as he stared down Kasumi, she made her move, appearing behind one of the Genin and slicing the kid's throat. The sound of gurgling took the attention away from him, as everyone looked to see Tenten, her hands on her throat, trying to stop the bleeding.

AN: Hey guys. I got the idea for this and got to writing and...well, this is the result. The hiatus on my stories is because I've been in the hospital for the past month and a half due to surgery. Recovery is going to be very slow according to the doctor, so since I'll be spending a lot of time indoors I'll be writing more.

On a side note, after some consideration I've decided some of my stories are going to get a rewrite, mostly because it's been a month and a half, and now that I'm back I can't seem to get anything done for them. Expect those to start appearing soon enough, since I've already started on them, mainly Yokai Devil and Bloody Clown. The Gamer and the Multiverse is going to take a little longer since I'm looking for a game with a system simple enough for the story not to be too complicated stat-wise.

I already have enough for a second, much shorter chapter, so here's the question. I wanted to start making bigger chapters, even if that meant taking a little longer to update them, but at the same time I don't want to make you wait too much so...do you guys prefer big chapters with slow updates, or do you want smaller chapters with quicker updates?

I'll be writing the new chapter in the meantime, so I'll wait untill I have enough for a second, big chapter. So...about a week, and after that chapters are going to be always as big as this one.

See ya o/