Yo everyone! All my fans and supporters of AzureBalmonk, I'm back under a new name because my old account malfunctioned. I've stopped writing "Where Do I Belong" but I've decided to redo it and this is it! I plan on making this better. I will use the same characters (reals and OC's) but the storyline will be different and hopefully a lot better. I'll try to remain patient with the NaruSaku bits and stretch it out over a while. I'll use themes from other mangas as well, but not as drastically as I did in my previous work. This story will be a bit more AU but I hope to keep the Naruto theme. I also feel I've grown as a writer and this story will be of greater quality.
For my OC's they'll be the ones from "Where Do I Belong" but I'll try not to make them the focus of the story. I'll give them better backgrounds and back stories, but their abilities will be similar and they characters will stay how they originally were planned out to be.
PLEASE DON'T EXPECT FREQUENT UPDATES!!! I am very busy, seeing as I'm in grade 12 and this year determines my University entry so I am doing a bunch of night school and weekend courses [I hate my life :( . My updates depend on reviews, that's the only thing that allows me to keep writing passionately.
I will also use bits that I liked from my old story, in this new one. So if you see similar things (or things that are exactly the same) don't criticize me on that because I'm telling you right now! Be patient with it please.
I might also need Beta Readers so if you're interested, message moi!
On with the show, I expect this story to be long hopefully entertaining.
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!
Finally! I do not own Naruto.
He entered the room they always met in. It was an amazing place. Unlike any other in the world. A safe haven for them, not that they needed protection. It was calm and serene. Beautiful and breathtaking.
He walked on the black, glass-like floor. The entire room seemed to go on and on with no end. It was illuminated by stars yet seemed so very dark in it's ambiance. The stars seemed so very far away and were reflected on the black glass floor that resembled a dark and still lake.
Though he'd been in this place countless times before, he always felt as if he was walking through the depths of space, in this chamber where time, physics and all the laws of nature held no authority.
He arrived among his peers. Ten in all, with him included. They were all dark and cloaked, not that it mattered for he knew who they were. They'd been his companions, his kin for the last five years of his life. They'd been with him when he'd left his past life, his former dreams and aspirations. His blinded and foolish history.
"You're late again... Kurotaiyou's (Black Sun) meetings aren't to be taken lightly" spoke a dreary and calm voice which the man recognized instantaneously.
"Relax Gaara, I know you guys would never start without me"
"Hn." snorted the addressed figure, "When will you grow up Uzumaki?"
"Not anytime soon, hopefully"
"Why must I be paired with him?"
"Because we've got history" chuckled the blond.
"Enough bickering" sounded the stoic voice of an irritated male. His face hidden under the hood of his cloak.
"Hn, you know that'll never stop them. They always joke around. They're among the most powerful ninjas in the world... no the history of the world, and yet they fight like children" explained a calm female voice.
"We do not act like children Kiara-chan!" whined Naruto.
Though it couldn't be seen said female shook her head in disapproval and sighed.
"We can always argue over this stuff later. Now lets do what we came here to do" spoke a strong and loud male voice.
"I agree" responded a calm, yet deadly voice. It reminded Gaara much of the way he spoke when he was younger and blood thirsty.
"You honestly need to raise your voice an octave Kai. Every time you say something I get creeped the fuck out man" said Naruto.
"Tsch" hissed Kai through his teeth.
"Naruto!" spoke the strong, loud voice
"Sorry Vegito"
Then the feminine voice of Yugito Nii sounded throughout the canvas of stars "Honestly, I don't know how you ever thought you were going to be Hokage when you act like-"
The room fell quite, and Naruto's joking and happy demeanor became that of sorrow and seriousness.
"I'm sorry Naruto" responded Yugito quickly and desperately, "I shouldn't-"
"No... you're right. It was a stupid dream and I'm smarter now. I'll be serious. Go on Vegito"
The room without bounds was quiet as all the members of this organization were calm and feeling sorrow in bringing down the spirit of their most lively member.
Then the one named Vegito spoke up, "Well today we're here to elect two leaders for our organization's plans. We've been together for five years and we've grown famous and feared. We need two representatives to the world on our behalf"
"So we're finally taking things into our own hands eh" chuckled and amused voice for the first time that night.
"Yes Shujinko. It is time that we created our own Nations" spoke the stoic voice from before.
"Then who do you suppose the leader should be Raiden?" came a new voice which was the closest to Naruto's in terms of being light hearted.
"Vasto... Kurotaiyou has no leader. It has always been a majority vote. The leaders we are choosing will be the Kages of the two new nations we are going to create" answered a new female voice.
"I see"
"Narya is correct" explained Vegito, "We've done unspeakably dangerous and daunting tasks, we've amassed a lot of money over the past years and we've created a name and a legendary status. Now it is time to take all this work, all this investment and follow up on our plan"
"To destroy Akatsuki, and Amegakure, to be free of our titles as monsters" spoke Naruto.
"Yes" followed Gaara. "Too long have we had to fight for our right to exist. Now we can create places were we are looked up to. Where we are the heroes not the monsters"
"This was Naruto's dream" said Yugito, her voice giving away that she was sorry for her earlier comments, "I say that Naruto be a Kage of one of the new nations we create"
"If one of our tasks be that we destroy Amekagure, then why make a new Nation in the first place? It's been destroyed by one man in the past. Us combined is more then enough to wipe that place of the face of every single map" offered Kai.
"Too many innocents would die. Then what would the point of our goal be? We want justice, not vengeance" said Vasto.
"Sometimes, justice is vengeance" said Shujinko.
"That may or may not be true. However the bottom line is that the most efficient way to achieve our goal is through the creation of two allied Nations on different ends of the continent so that we have as much area in our grasp as possible" said Gaara, "and if that is to work we must elect our two Kages. I also am for Naruto as one of the Kages"
Naruto smiled, but it was a sad smile, "Thank you for the vote of confidence, but I decided a while ago that the title Kage was not for me-"
"Nonsense" interrupted Shujinko, "Of all of us, you are the most suitable for the title Kage"
"Why? It isn't as if I'm the strongest, we are all equal and-"
"To be a Kage is not solely determined by physical strength, but through passion and character as well" said Kai.
"You've been the glue of this organization Naruto. You'll be one of the Kages for you can do the same for a great Nation" added Kiara.
"You were my choice as well" added Vegito
"I agree" spoke Raiden
"It's official" motioned Vasto
"Now as to which country Naruto should be in control of-"
"Mikazuki Island" spoke out Naruto, "It is in the South .That is one of the nations which we sought to make a major Shinobi country. It is one of the wealthiest nations on the continent and it usually has to pay for defense. It would be a good idea to place a Kage there. Mihciru-san has retired and Hikaru-san is now the king of the nation. He unfortunately has no clue in the workings of Shinobi politics. He has talked to me about buying defense for a long time, since his country has no Shinobi. When they needed missions done they always hired us and payed top dollar because of my connection with him. I feel that me being a Kage there would be ideal"
"That's a very valid and well thought out point Naruto" said Kai.
"Yes, your friendship with him will prove that we have no ill intent. You will also be able to protect and make use of the ports as it is a seaside country. This is fantastic" exclaimed an enthusiastic Vasto.
Then Raiden began "I'll send a message to Hikaru-san and see his response. If we are able to have a country given to us instead of taki-"
"We will not be controlling the country like their sole purpose is our benefit Raiden!" spoke Naruto, "Those people were among the few that treated me well and accepted me, I seek to protect them as any Kage would"
Raiden looked apologetic, it was very rare to see him this way, "I did not mean it that way Naruto, and yes I can understand you want to protect them. That is why you are the ideal choice for being a Kage"
"What about reputation?" asked Narya, "I know Naruto is a great leader, but we are about to hand him one of the wealthiest nations on the planet. How do we know that they'll accept him as a leader, he has no background in these political matters"
"Naruto is capable as anyone in terms of running a nation. He'll make a great leader" said Vegito.
"I know that" answered Narya, "but the citizens of Mikazuki Island and the rest of Umi no Tsuki don't"
"First of all, they'd listen to their king, who has never steered them wrong so far, and also, since they are a monarchy they have no troublesome council" said Gaara before pausing and smirking, "plus... didn't you know, Naruto is the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze?"
"Yes that should help to sway peoples opinions" added Yugito.
"But then wouldn't my father's old enemies come after Mikazuki once they found out?" pondered Naruto.
"They wouldn't dare" said Kai, "We have many ninja supporting us"
"It's true" followed Kiara, "When Orochimaru was temporarily removed from power, we were able to save a lot of his slaves and test subjects. They are all very capable ninja and have moved with their clans to support us. We can give them and their families homes along with amnesty within our new nations. Also with the money these nations have we can school more ninja for the future"
"Everything is stable Naruto. Take up your position as the Shodai Tsukikage and bring them through a golden age" expressed Raiden.
"Now who will our second Kage be?" started Yugito before Naruto could even grasp the fact that he had been made a Kage.
"Our second Nation is up North, near Umi no Yuki. It's land we've invested in for four years. It's became highly industrialized and has unbelievable mining. We export most Diamonds and other precious gems from the nation and have created it from the mountainous terrain with our own funds. Therefore it is rightfully our own land. All that remains is to assign the Kage and name the city" announced Vegito.
"I say we name it Umi no Kane" proclaimed Gaara.
"That's awfully depressing" said Vasto skeptically.
"I name it so because the mountains produce the mining and metal that funds that lands economy" explained Gaara.
"I guess it fits" sighed Vasto.
"So then all that's left is to name the Shodai Dakukage" said Kiara happily.
"Dakukage?" asked a confused Shujinko, "Why would the leader of Umi no Kane be called the Dakukage?"
"Because" Kiara answered, "Umi no Kane is covered by mountains so tall that they block out the sun at some times, and the city is illuminated by the electrical systems and lighting that we've built into it, otherwise the city would be dark for a lot longer"
"I guess that fits too" said Vasto again.
"So who's the Shodai Dakukage going to be?" asked Narya.
"Gaara" Vegito stated, "He has the most experience in this line of work"
"No" answered Gaara simply, "I'm not interested"
"Why not?" asked Shujinko
"Being a Kage was not for me" answered Gaara, "I was trying to be like Naruto in a sense so I could understand what drove him. What helped him conquer his inner turmoil. I tried to do so by recognizing his dream. For a while I was content, but I realized it wasn't what I wanted. I want to protect people but I don't seek recognition. In fact I try to avoid it. People throwing attention at you all day, it gets tiresome. I'd much rather be backing Naruto up when he is running Umi no Tsuki"
"Very well then, I believe the position should fall to Vegito" said Kiara.
"Why?" asked Vegito
"Because it was your idea to invest in the region that Umi no Kane was built in. Without you it wouldn't have been as great a success" followed up Raiden.
All of the others in Kurotaiyou agreed and Vegito nodded in thanks.
Though much progress had been made within the mystical realm where Kurotaiyou held their world-altering meetings, many things still needed to be discussed.
Many things had occurred over the past five years. Three new Kages (not including the two that were just given their titles in Kurotaiyou) had emerged to help their countries develop. Now there a total of 8 Kage villages. The world was a very competitive place and peace treaties and negotiations were being handled very carefully. Politics complicated relations between countries that hated each other, yet knew they couldn't afford wars.
One new development had been the resurrection of Orochimaru. He had come back with help from Kabuto and seized control of Otokagure (Sound Village). He was the new Otokage and made it clear that he held great distaste with many of the other ninja countries. Yet after problems with the Akatsuki many nations had been damaged and could not afford a full scale war with anyone else.
It was in these low economic times that Kurotaiyou took advantage of deflating prices and costs and decided to fund their plans to make two new Kage nations, bringing the total up to 10, though the rest of the world knew nothing about this.
"Whom do we ally ourselves with?" brought up Naruto, who had let his intellect show through these last, recent years.
"Well Umi no Tsuki and Umi no Kane will be allies with one another, seeing as both you and Vegito will be the respective Kages. That will buy us great insurance, for no Nation will attack us to catch us in our developing phases in order to steal our resources" added Gaara.
"I believe we should ally ourselves with Umi no Aisu. They too are a new nation that hold many of the same ideals we do. They also happen to be a mainland nation just north of the Umi no Gurasu " said Kiara.
"Impossible, we do not even know who their Kage is and his or her agenda is" interjected Kai.
"The same could be said for us", pointed out Kiara, "if they agree to our offer we will hold a meeting and have our Kages meet. How this will be done is yet to be thought of, but we will decide when the time comes. We must first see if Umi no Aisu will agree to a peace treaty"
"The alliance with Umi no Aisu is a necessity" added Vasto, also showing that he had brains in his head, "We must contact them before they are pressured by Suna and Konoha"
"Yes their alliance is indeed powerful" decreed Shujinko, "Especially since they have also aligned with Umi no Raikou. They are three economically stable nations united. Together they are the most powerful. If we were to get Umi no Aisu to join up with Umi no Kane and Umi no Tsuki then the odds will no longer be stacked against us and we would not have to succumb to their will as a greater force"
"Then it's agreed that we will make contact with Umi no Aisu's leader the Hikage, and explain our intentions of an alliance" declared Yugito.
All of the members nodded in agreement.
"I believe this meeting has covered enough" voiced Raiden, "I say we converse on the downfall of Akatsuki and Amegakure a couple of months later when our nations are on the map and are bit more stable"
Another nod of agreement.
Then in blinding flashes all but two figures disappeared from the dark make-shift reality where Kurotaiyou held meetings.
All that remained were Naruto and Gaara.
Naruto lowered his hood and let his spiky blond hair free. At the age of twenty two he'd grown taller (to about a height of 6'2") and almost resembled his father completely. Gaara also lowered his hood. He stood at about the same height as Naruto, maybe half an inch to an inch shorter.
"You always stay behind after everyone leaves... why?" asked the red-haired jinchuuriki.
"I like this place... It's calm and my problems are absorbed into the darkness and tossed among the stars" answered Minato's son as he sat down on the black glass floor which reflected every star in the sky.
"You still think about it huh?"
"All the time" muttered Naruto mostly to himself as he pulled his katana out and examined it's black bade and silver edge.
"You hold on to your hate?" pondered the Ichibi's host.
"As if my life depended on it" responded Kyuubi's host as he gripped the long handle tightly and ran his finger along the thin rectangular hilt. The guard was a black sun that was very artistic and Gothic at the same time.
"You've changed"
"So have you, more so then myself" said Naruto as he read the silver inscription on the blade of his straight edged katana 'Azura' .
"Change is an inevitability"
"I wish I'd been able to change my feelings. To not have wasted so much time. I wish I'd listened to Jiraiya when he first told me to give up when I had the chance"
"You did manage to save him"
"Hehe", Naruto's laugh was bitter as he processed Gaara's words, "that I did... that I did. But I can't help but shake the feeling that it wasn't worth it"
"I could imagine... Just remember now, that even though you may not have accomplished your original goals you will be part of something much larger. You're the Shodai Tsukikage. The first Kage of Umi no Tsuki. You'll never be forgotten, you'll never be behind anyone else" were Gaara's final words as he disappeared in a flash of bronze.
'I'll get my revenge. I'll get my glory. I'm a Kage now. I'll make you all regret not choosing me. You'll all know that I'm somebody... somebody great. I'll be loved and I'll be remembered. I know where I belong' thought Naruto to himself as he walked the endless abyss of space and stars before disappearing in a flash of gold.
He sat in his desk overlooking the village. He'd never have thought that he would grow to love this place again. When he was younger he had decided that he'd leave, never to return. Then again he didn't return by choice exactly.
He was brought out of his relaxed and unaware state, which was rarely seen, by the light voice of a female he knew so well. It was his ex-wife.
"Are you listening!?" shouted Sakura.
"Yes" growled Sasuke, "What can I help you with?"
"It isn't you that's helping me baka! I'm the one bringing you urgent reports because your informant and strategist is too lazy to do his own job. I swear that Shikamaru makes me so mad sometimes. Does he expect me to run the hospital and be his messenger-"
"Sakura!" interrupted Sasuke, getting annoyed "What do you want?"
"Geez you could never put up with me for more then a moment could you Sasuke?" said Sakura in a joking manner.
"When we were younger, that was the case. But, and correct me if I'm wrong, you were the one to divorce me Sakura" stated Sasuke in a bored tone as if the statement had no relevance to him at all.
"Well when the only responses I received were grunts of acknowledgment, I knew something had to change" chuckled Sakura.
Sakura and Sasuke had been married for three years and had divorced shortly after Sakura turned 21. The two remained very close friends. Even more so they were like brother and sister. If you had asked them what went wrong in their relationship, Sasuke wouldn't know what to say because he was always very platonic. Sakura, however, would tell you that she wasn't the same person anymore. She wasn't the girl who swooned over Sasuke, or that couldn't hold her own in a rough situation. So as Sakura changed, her feelings followed suit and she realized that and an ideal life wasn't one were Sasuke was her husband. 'Oh how time changes people' Sakura would think to herself.
"Nostalgic feelings aside, what did you want?" questioned Sasuke as his patience was running thin. Sakura had interrupted him right before he was going to take a nap. A habit that no one else besides himself and Sakura knew existed for the lone Uchiha.
"There's been word that two new and very great economic powers have shifted their interests into Shinobi affairs. They've elected Kages and set up political borders and boundaries" explained the pink-haired medic.
"Right under our noses" asked Sasuke, now intrigued and surprised, "Who are these people?"
"These Nations are governed by members of an organization known as Kurotaiyou. They're extremely powerful and hold no allegiance to any major nations"
"What have their first official actions been?"
"They've made contact with Umi no Aisu. They want to create an alliance with that nation seeing as it also is fairly new"
Sasuke realized that there could be a major shift of power. So far Konoha and its allies were on top. Sasuke intended to keep them there. "Get a Anbu team ready to escort me Sakura. I'm headed to Umi no Aisu"
"As you wish Rokudaime Hokage-sama" answered Sakura as she left the room.
Two nations being brought into arms at the same time. Nonetheless, they were nations that Konoha had become friendly with. Such as Umi no Tsuki and the lands near Umi no Yuki. Both places that had accepted Konoha as a friend. They took both took convincing, but with Naruto's help they realized Konoha as an ally.
'Something is up and I'm going to get to the bottom of it' thought Sasuke as he adjusted his red and white Kage hat to his head and looked out over his city while mentally preparing himself for the journey that lay ahead.
Waaa Waaa Weee Waaa!! There you go... the first installment of my altered fic. As you may noticed the group is now called Kurotaiyou instead of Azura (which is now Naruto's sword).
The characters are the same but I decided to reveal more about them as the story progresses instead of right away. I hope you like my plot. I don't know where the story is going yet but I will take some suggestions as the story moves along.
I will admit that some themes of this story were inspired by the story Mizukage, but I honestly believe that there are enough differences so that I am not accused of copying because I know Dragon6 underlines the theme of Naruto going away and becoming the Kage of another country. I wanted to use it as well but I am going to go in a different direction with mine.
Glossary
Kurotaiyou – Black Sun (The Organization Naruto is a part of).
Umi no Yuki – Land of Snow
Umi no Kane – Land of Metal
Umi no Tsuki – Land of Moon
Mikazuki Island – Crescent moon Island.
Umi no Gurasu – Land of Grass
Umi no Aisu - Land of Ice
Tsukikage – Moon Shadow
Dakukage – Dark Shadow
Hikage – Ice Shadow
Hokage – Fire Shadow
I hope you liked the first installment. I tried really hard to make it interesting because I know the first chapter attracts readers a lot and it can make or brake you story. Thank you for reading.
Please Review, I greatly appreciate reviews.
Till my next update, your going to have to wait a long while (sorry), Farewell!