Edo Tensi

Alright guys, this is my test run of this story. Please review and tell me what you guys think. I'll accept any and all suggestions seeing as I don't have any set plan to where this is going. Alright, with that said, enjoy!

When Naruto opened his eyes, he knew something was wrong. First of all, he shouldn't have eyes to open, that much he was sure. He wasn't supposed to have eyes, much less a body, and yet here he was opening eyes that shouldn't exist and flexing hands that were supposed to be long extinct. To put it simply, Naruto was supposed to be dead.

Though he couldn't remember actually being dead-it seemed that the tales of death being a mere black void was true-he did remember dying. The next thing he noticed was that there was a person he did not recognize was watching him with interest. Confused and worried about what this might mean, Naruto simply stared at the strange person, quickly thinking over a thousand different possibilities, all of which were ludicrous and impossible. Yet, he could not deny the fact that he, a dead person, was breathing and blinking and seeing-all things that he knew dead people did not do-and that in itself was completely ridiculous, so he supposed he could not rule out anything just yet.

The man in front of him finally spoke, and when he did, dread filled Naruto's stomach (was it really his?) because that voice was all too snakelike and the speaker was addressing a dead person with no surprise and plenty of arrogance.

"Hello Naruto, we have not had the pleasure of, meeting in your past life, so I'll introduce myself. My name is Kabuto."

The man, Kabuto, gave Naruto an unpleasant feeling. Deciding that he would try out his newly revived voice, Naruto spoke. "I know very well that I should not be alive, so why am I here?"

Kabuto grinned in pleasure. "Hearing your voice gives me such a thrill, hero of Konoha."

This gave Naruto pause. Hero of Konoha? That was a new one. Though at his end he had managed to gain the liking and acceptance of the villagers, never had he garnered their respect for such a title.

"How ironic that you, the most famed and beloved shinobi of the people will be their destruction."

This made Naruto freeze in fear. Kabuto chuckled in delight. "Do you know why you are here?"

"I do know that I am supposed to be dead, so why don't you tell me why I am standing here in front of you, when that should not be possible?"

Smugly, as if very proud of himself, Kabuto spoke, "The forbidden jutsu Edo Tensi is a reanimation jutsu that my previous master before me created to bring the dead back to this world in order to do his bidding. You don't know how long I have searched for your soul and a body strong enough to contain it. Even without the Kyuubi, your soul and chakra are incredibly powerful and difficult to contain."

That was something else that had been bothering Naruto. He could not sense any hint of the Kitsune, who had been a part of him since birth. It was rather disconcerting to realize you have lost something that was such a large part of you. He supposed it was only fair that with his death the fox was finally released, and he would be forever grateful for the fox's companionship and help in the end, but that did not stop him from aching over the loss.

Back to the matter at hand though. Kabuto had been speaking while Naruto had been thinking, and though he had not heard what the man had been saying, he knew what is was he had said, for his body was taking in everything Kabuto said and with every word he spoke, Kabuto took control of Naruto's body and will. He was ordering him to become a ninja of the Village hidden in the leaves.

Instead of lashing out at the man, and stopping his plans before they could begin, his traitorous body was obeying everything he said, and restricting him. When he spoke his final sentence however, Naruto's anger strained against the bonds that were Kabuto's words.

"…and when the time comes to make my move, I will crush Konoha and wipe it permanently off the map."

He had suspected already that this would be Kabuto's ultimate goal, but still, hearing it made his blood run cold and despair well up at his inability to stop this madman and protect his home. "Now go, you will be known as the ancestor of Naruto. Ironic, no? I don't care what you call yourself. Also, I won't erase your personality because you have the unique ability to gather people's respect and trust. That will be beneficial to us in your mission. Now go, I want you to integrate yourself into the village and report any important information back to me."

As his body began to move, Naruto made a solemn promise to himself. Even if he no longer controlled his actions, he would not become an instrument of his home's and friend's destruction. He would stop Kabuto and save his village from himself no matter what.