AN: Story number seven. The final Story Froggy slice will begin until at least two others are complete. Hope you like it as well as the others. Here are some things I think I'll clear up right now.
1: Gaara is not a Jinchuuriki and neither is Naruto. However Gaara does control a type of sand. It's black and made of iron.
2: The Biju are all free, not sealed away.
3: The Kyuubi did attack Konoha. You'll find out why later.
4: The Biju are all going to be female.
5: The characters are all three years older then in Canon
Now here's the story.
---
PrologueEvery type of creature has one or more leader. Weather it be a demon lord of hell, a great god of heaven or a ruling king of the earth. Even summons have bosses to them. A higher force of their kind that sits at the top and give the commands. But there was one type of creature that had no such thing until about fifteen years ago.
It came in the form of a boy. His stunning blue eyes had captivated all. But on that day something happened. Something that no one would ever be able to expalin until later.
The day he was born every bird, cat, mouse and dog began to cry out in excitement and happiness. This had generally confused the populous of Konoha.
And things only got weirder over the next three years.
He was an orphan. His parents died the day he was born. Both killed within the horrible ravages of the ninja world. Minato Namikae, assassinated by someone that had found a way to duplicate the Hirashin no Jutsu and therefore eneded up in a draw with the unknown nin. Then Kushina Uzumaki. Killed from complications during child birth. Only the third Hokage knew of his lineage.
The boy became distant to people over the next three years. Because the people were distant of him. They were afraid of his ability, and even more so when he began to display unnatural powers with the element of fire. Abilities that could not be explained. But thats not all.
No matter what they were or who owned them, animals of all sorts would bow to him whenever he passed by. This had caused the villagers to begin to veiw the boy as a freak. An unnatural force. Something that didn't belong. The Hokage had been greatly saddend by this but he could do nothing to stop it.
Then a history changing moment occurred.
It was an attack.
But no normal attack.
The attack came in the form of the legendary Kyuubi no kitsune. No one knows where she came from or why she showed up. But when she began to decimate the village the ninja had no choice but to fight back. They stood no chance.
But once again something odd heppened.
As the fox stepped over the broken walls of Konoha she laid eyes on the boy. He was standing there amongst the destruction and chaos defiantly and looking with fascination into her eyes as he tried to use his power to gain control over her and failed to do so.
The third Hokage and the remaing forces of Konoha could only gape in astonishment as the fox stared down at the boy for a whole two minutes before turning and walking away with a satisfied grunt.
That only served to scare the villagers more. What kind of child was he to be able to get the fox to leave? He obviously could not control the demon but to get her to leave anyway?
Even the Hokage found himself questioning the boy.
Just who was he? What was he?
For the next three years it got worse for the boy. The villagers were getting bolder. Openly calling him freak and monster. They jeered at him and alienatied him from their children. They began to refuse him service at stores and he was veiwed as a threat to Konoha by the council.
Finally they drove him away. One day the boy had just vanished. Finally running from the people and the fears they had for him...
There is a story. It is a tale of a creature that dwells deep within the forest of death. It tells of a being of astounding power that rules the forest and will lash out at any hostile being in the forest. No one knows where this creature came from or even why it lives in the forest of death instead of the more lush and beautiful forests of Konoha. There is couple that claim to have encountered the creature but they gave vastly different descriptions of the thing. One man claimed it had snake-like yellow eyes and enormous white wings and a reptilian tail while another clamed it had canine like claws, teeth and a tail.
They say it has the ability to manipulate fire and had a good level of control over the beasts within.
Whatever the tale may be, the Hokage has heard many. The fabled King of Beasts that lives with the deepest parts of the forest of death has been on the forefront of his mind for nine years. He knew what the thing really was. How no one else had caught on yet was beyond him.
"Hokage-Sama the preparations for the second stage of the Chunin exams are done. Shall we get ready at the tower?"
The Hokage nodded.
"Yes. It shouldn't be long now for the contestants to finish their written tests. Lets go."
"Hai."
Sarutobi is his name. Nicknamed the Professor of Konoha with over one thousand mastered jutsus under his belt. He is among the most powerful of shinobi to have ever existed and he wears the title of Hokage proudly.
He and the proctors for the chunin exam moved swiftly towards the tower in the center of the forest of death.
My how he felt about this. There were several extremely talented rookies this year and he wanted to see how far they'd get.
That got him to thinking about something else.
"If he was here he'd definitely be participating. My how I miss that boy."
The other proctors didn't say anything, for they knew whom he was talking about.
"Um Hokage-Sama why do you waste so much time worrying for…HIM? He's not important."
This proved to be the wrong thing to say as the ignorant fool to have just said than found a katana at his neck, courtesy of the one named Hayate.
"Do not insult him. That boy deserved none of the shit he was put through," he growled out. Sarutobi felt the same way. If only the village wasn't so afraid of his Strange power then maybe the boy would still be around, dazzling the populous with that bright smile of his.
He looked to the side and saw a larger then what would be considered normal, wolf looking at them curiously. It had golden eyes and silver fur. It wasn't part of a pack.
He gazed at the creature before continuing on his way. The beasts of this forest were quite the sight to see. That is why this place would make such a great ground for a test. And the king of beasts didn't seem to mind them being in his forest since they haven't been attacked.
"I hope the genin can survive in here," commented one of the Jounin.
---
"All right! This year we're going to be using an older training ground for our second test. This will test your survival skills to the limit Heh heh heh," bellowed out the second exam proctor with an insane smile on her face. This woman's name is Mitarashi Anko. She's twenty-one years old and a holder of the title special Jounin. Specialty is assassination. She grinned down at the group of nervous looking teens and continued her speech.
"Now those from the leaf surly know what this place is hmmm?"
There were a few nods then someone near the back bellowed out, "Are you nuts!? That's the forest of death! The place where the king of beasts resides! I ain't goin in there!!!"
Anko grinned and shunshined over to the panicking boy. He had short brown hair and a triangle marking on each cheek. He was sitting on the back of a huge floppy eared dog and pointing at the forest.
"Well if you'd rather turn tail and run like a little puppy then go ahead. Besides the king of beasts is just a story. No one has ever seen him so relax."
The boy shrugged and looked over at his teammates. They were giving him the, 'Quit now and die' glare though one was hidden behind a pair of shades.
He started to sweat the said, "Fine but I see any thing weird and we're running away. I ain't fighting nothing labeled the King of beasts."
His teammates seemed satisfied by his answer and backed off. Anko grinned and said, "Yeah well if you do meet him describe him to me next time we meet. That is if he doesn't eat you heh heh heh heh."
Now others were interested, namely, the team from Suna, the team from Oto and a team from Kusa.
"What is this King of beasts?" asked the redhead from Suna.
"Yes I too would like to know," said the girl from Kusa with a creepy smile.
Anko just grinned and said, "The story says that he arrived about nine years ago. They say he has the power over fire itself and the power to control beasts and bend them to his will. Some say he can transform into said beasts and they say he's some kind of powerful entity. There are a couple who claim to have met him but I think they're full of it. Not even Konoha knows much about him. They just go on what others claim to have witnessed. Though I suspect that the king of beasts is actually someone who was outcast by the villagers. A young boy that that the animals bowed to when ever he walked by."
"And you're having us take a test in there?" asked the long-haired girl from Oto.
"Oh quit whining. If the King of beast does exist which is doubtful. I doubt he'd be looking for his next human meal, now sign these and get your scrolls so we can get this started!"
---
"Hmmm this King of beasts interests me," said the Kusa nin.
"I agree. Power over fire and animals. It seems to be some sort of special ability. A Kekei Genkei perhaps?"
"Hmm maybe. But for now continue on with the plan. I will locate Sasuke-Kun.
"Hai."
The Kusa nin then melted into the ground and took off to the east.
---
"Sabaku Soso!"
"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"
As the black metal sand retreated back into the redhead's gourd he looked to his left where three more nin were hiding in terror.
"Alright we have the scroll let's go Gaara," said one of his teammates, a young man dressed in black and had face paint on.
Gaara continued to eye the spot where the other three were hidden then he began to gather sand.
"I want to find this King of the beasts."
"Uh I'm not sure that's a good Idea. Lets just get to the tower."
Gaara glared then said, "You think I cannot defeat this foe?"
"No I'm saying we're in the middle on an exam."
Gaara glared then said, "If you weren't my teammate I'd kill you."
The boy just shrugged and said, "Well lets just get to the tower. Then we'll look for the King alright? Hell he might even show up at the tower to find out what all the commotion is."
Gaara looked over at his teammate then sighed. "Alright lets go. And to the three in the bushes be lucky I feel satisfied right now,"
He then faded away leaving behind three shocked genin and a shivering dog.
---
All over the forest the teams battled it out and even killed each other. They fought using everything they had in their arsenals and they stole the items of their defeated foes. Completely unaware of the presence that was watching it all.
You see the rumors and the story are true. There is something living in the forest of death and he does have the ability to control animals. He is their leader. The alpha. The top creature no other is strong enough to defeat him and assume the role of king so he stays at the top. Every beast bows before his presence. It had been that way since as long as he remembered. But that was all old news now. When he entered this ancient forest full of great and ancient beasts he began the process of rising to the top of the ecosystem and he became the established leader of many different species.
He crouched down as a large silver furred wolf approached and made a series of yip growls and smalls barks. The being responded with similar sounds then handed the wolf a large slab of meat. Once the wolf was gone the being stood upright and looked up into the sky. The moonlight finally coming from behind the clouds and shining down upon him, revealing a pair of Sapphire blue eyes. These creatures that had entered his forest seemed so familiar to him. Like he belonged with them. He quickly threw that thought away. This was his home. He pondered the last four days since they had entered his domain. They were doing some kind of test. No doubt to hone their survival skills. They were even killing each other.
He remembered that a couple of these creatures were powerful and abnormally so, like the one that smelled of snakes or the old man that had dashed through earlier. He had observed a couple of teams and saw them use strange abilities. But these abilities also seemed familiar.
He remembered watching as the one who smelled of snake attacked a group and bit one of them in the neck. Then he remembered the power that soon came off of that one as well. These creatures were so interesting to him. They were full of strange abilities.
He was taken out of his thoughts when a large reptile that stood on two legs emerged from the bushes. It looked like a vicious evolved iguana and had a set of wicked looking claws on its feet, Its golden eyes shined with great intelligence and is showed by the body language and series of clicks and growls is was making in the form of the question it was asking as it carried one of the creatures in its mouth.
"Found him dead. Can I eat him?"
After checking to make sure the creature that looked similar to him was indeed dead he granted his permission.
The reptile wasted no time and dug in.
He looked down at the reptile affectionately. This one was still young and brash. Looking for the next thrill. He had no doubt in his mind that the creature he was eating was far from dead when he found him but he really didn't care. Those creatures were taking a survival test. If they cannot survive in his forest then they will get eaten.
He tensed though when the scent of blood suddenly bombarded his nose.
Someone was attacked again, but not by any of the creatures in his forest. It seemed one of the creatures had attacked another of its own kind. Normally he would ignore it but he could smell the pure enjoyment the attacker had exhumed while doing so. It made him a bit angry.
He left the raptor to his meal and dashed over to the spot.
---
He dropped from the tree when he was sure that there were no more of those creatures around and examined the form in front of him. It was a female if his senses judged correctly. She was unconscious and breathing heavily. A deep gash was across her stomach and blood was gushing out like a small stream. She didn't have much time.
"oooohhh O-O Orchi---maru…" she said, causing him to raise an eyebrow. So something called the Orochimaru had done this to her. No matter.
He quickly tore off her shirt and examined the cut. It was nasty and he could see a bit of her insides. This was easily curable.
"Chakra," he muttered as he placed his hands on the wound.
A second later a green glow emitted from his hands and bathed the wound in its light. He could feel the female sigh from the warmth but he ignored it.
The wound took five minutes to heal and with each passing minute the female's eyes opened just a bit more.
When he was done he stood back up and sighed. He didn't really know why he helped this creature. Perhaps it was the fact that she was attacked for a different reason other then to test her survival skills. He was looking back up at the sky when something sharp grazed his cheek.
"Who are you!? What do ya want huh?!"
He snapped his gaze back to the female and saw that she was up on her feet and glaring while brandishing something small sharp and made of something harder the stone or bone.
---
She opened her eyes and saw someone she had never seen before looking up at the sky with a satisfied look on his face. It was then that she noticed that her she was torn off and she immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion. She flung a kunai at him then leapt to her feet.
"Who are you!? What do ya want huh!?" she yelled at the stranger. But when his gaze snapped over to her all other words died in her throat. His eyes were the most stunning of blue she had ever seen. She held in a gasp and examined the stranger more. He stood about six feet tall and had an amazing body build. He had a fine tan and was dressed in a loincloth. His hair was ridiculously long. It dangled a foot blow his feet as he stood on a branch and swayed in the wind. His fingers were clawed and ready to be used. She could see that he was tense.
He regarded her with narrowed eyes for a second before he sighed and turned to leave.
"Hey wait!"
He paused and looked back at her, his eyes swimming with confusion.
"I have some questions and you're gonna answer them. First of all who are you and why'd you rip off my shirt?"
He just continued to stare then he smiled. Almost as I he were laughing at her. She grit her teeth.
"Alright then little boy. Have it your way." She vanished.
Seconds later a kunai was at his throat and he couldn't help but grin even more. Did she really think she could win? Heh he'd show her.
She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Not that I don't appreciate you healing me and all, its just that there's a dangerous criminal named Orochimaru running around out here and you sir are unfamiliar. So its only natural we take you in for questioning."
Suddenly three more drop down. They were wearing cloaks and porcelain masks. He wondered how he didn't sense them coming but the shrugged it off. These creatures were foolhardy and it was time to put them in their place. He turned his head and hissed loudly causing the female to gasp and leap away. But it was not fast enough as his right arm suddenly transformed into a snake, extended then wrapped around her.
"H-hey!" the other three dashed forward intent on rescuing their comrade but it was all for naught. With a grunt, his left arm turned into that of a gorilla and he bashed all three away with a powerful swing. The female gasped and stabbed the snake arm with a kunai, causing him to grunt and drop her.
"You work for Orochimaru!?"
She leapt up and extended her arm.
He held in surprise when several snakes emerged from her sleeves and rushed at him. Who would have thought she had an ability like that?" His Snake arm transformed again into a large turtle shell and blocked the initial strikes.
She widened her eyes when she saw that but held strong as the snakes wrapped around him.
"What the hell are you?"
His answer came in the form of his hair suddenly coming to life wrapping around him the jutting outward in all directions like the spines of a porcupine and dispelling the summon snakes. The three others had recovered as well and they unleashed their attacks.
"Katon: Gokyaku no Jutsu!"
He watched impassively as the fireballs headed to him and gave a lazy flick of his fingers. The four Konoha nin gasped when the fire stopped in mid air then transformed into a pair of clawed hands before rushing back at them! They were so shocked actually that only two were spared a fiery death. Anko and the ANBU in the cat mask.
"What is he!?"
"I don't know! We must report this to Hokage-Sama!"
Their conversation was interrupted when their foe suddenly howled for a few seconds then he seemed to transform on the inside of the neck and he let out a long loud hiss before changing again and letting out a weird vibrating call.
They watched as both arms and his hair returned to normal and two tails sprouted from his back, a wolf's tail and a scorpion's tail. They gasped when a small army of snakes, Raptors and Wolves emerged from the bushes and eyed them hungrily.
But the biggest shock came when a huge pair of white bat wings emerged from his back and gave a mighty flap and his eyes turned black and beady like bat's and he began to speak to the beasts using the right sounds for the right type of beast. They seemed to nod then turned their attention to the two.
It was then that Anko had a stunning realization.
This wasn't some lackey of Orochimaru. No they were facing off against something else.
"Uh Yugao?" she asked the remaining ANBU.
"Y-yes Anko?" replied Yugao while trying to keep her cool.
"RUN!"
The two took off without a second thought.
---
He could smell their fear. Hell he could taste it in the air. These creatures were strong he'd give them that but they could not match him. He had given the orders to his pack mates not to kill them. Just give them a good scare. He could tell they had type of idea who he was so that led him to conclude that the creatures told stories about him. Perhaps those other few he had met in the past had spread the word.
He grinned and watched from above on his wings as the two females made a mad dash toward the structure in the center of the forest, raptors and wolves hot on their heels with snakes lunging out of the trees at them. Oh how he loved the chase. It was so invigorating.
He watched as the two rushed into the structure and slammed the door shut hard then he dropped from the sky and shared a few humored grunts and growls with his pack mates before they all dispersed back into the forest. Perhaps he should go in? See what the sudden interest in this structure the creatures have. He himself has been inside several times and found nothing that interested him. But then again he wasn't in the middle of a test.
Maybe that was it, another part of the test?
His body returned to normal and he walked up to the door. He ignored the nervous clicks coming from the raptors.
---
Sarutobi had just finished his announcement that the third stage of the chunin exams were underway and he and several others were watching as the first match was ready to begin when the doors slammed open and rushing in came Anko and Yugao.
All eyes were instantly upon the two as they looked disheveled if the amounts of twigs, scrapes and dirt covering their person was any indication an they had a combination look of fear and excitement on their faces.
"Hokage-Sama!" exclaimed Anko as she dashed to the middle of the arena much to the annoyance of the two genin that were ready to fight and completely forgetting that her shirt was ripped exposing her breasts and causing several nosebleeds. Sarutobi looked at the two ninja and raised an eyebrow while desperately having a mental battle with his own urge to bleed from the nose.
"We met him!"
"Huh?"
"We met him! It was incredible! You should have seen it!"
Sarutobi jumped to his feet. "Met who? Orochimaru!? Where is he!?"
"Well I met Orochimaru too and he nearly killed me but that's not important! I met someone else Hokage-Sama!"
Now every one was paying attention and the Jounin for Oto didn't look too happy.
"Not important!?"
Yugao stepped forward and said, "Hokage-Sama. Anko, I and two more ANBU who are now dead had a run in with the fabled king of beasts of the forest of death."
There were some gasps and couple of yeah right(s)!" from a couple of the genin.
Anko glared at the genin and said, "I wouldn't lie about something like this! He had extremely long yellow hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen. He was dressed in a loincloth and could transform parts of his body into different animal parts! He could move at great speed and had a master's control over fire. He literally bent it to his will when the ANBU tried to grand fire ball his ass. He was an amazing fighter and when he called forth the snakes, walking iguanas and the wolves from the forest with different animal calls, I realized who he was."
The Hokage gasped and said, "W-what color was his hair again?"
Anko seemed a bit nervous by the Hokage's sudden discomfort but went to answer anyway. "I-it was yellow sir."
Sarutobi flopped down and began to mutter to him self. "Could it be? If so then yes...I was right!"
Hokage-Sama what…?"
Suddenly the doors burst open again and in came the fabled king of beasts, his long hair dragging on the floor as he stepped into the arena and examined all before him.
"T-that's him!" said both females as they leapt away and to Sarutobi.
Everyone gasped and examined him. The girls all blushing when they saw his well toned and tanned body while the guys just gaped.
"H-he's our age!" exclaimed the spiky haired Oto Genin.
The Beast king slowly swept his gaze over the creatures before him until he finally locked eyes with the elder. For a whole minute they stared into each other's eyes until finally the elder snapped out of it and gave a huge warm happy smile while saying one thing that would cause numerous people to gasp again.
"Naruto!"
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I assure you this is my final idea. No more new stories. No more discontinues. The seven stories that are posted as of this moment are the final ideas. And I will finish them all. I hope you enjoy them all.
Froggy slice.
(Jeez it sounded like I was bidding a final farewell form my deathbed)