"Its so hot." Complained a little blonde boy as he walked, with no real destination in mind. He found his way to the top of the hokage mountain. "I gotta get out of this heat." No sooner than he said this that he felt himself falling.

Splash

'Water?' He floated to the surface. 'I'm inside the mountain.' He climb out of the pool of water and looked around. In the distance he could see the faint glow of light. 'Might as well go that way.' Following the light led him into a tunnel. "I wonder whats on the end, hopefully the way out." Muttered the five year old.

The tunnel soon lead to a dead end, but it didn't make him turn around. Something caught his eye. Before him was a sort of altar. It was covered with candles, how long they were burning no one could guess, and candles lined the walls. Behind the altar was a picture of a flame and the kanji for fire in black overlapped it.

"Who dares disturb me?!" Came a booming yet feminine voice.

"Holy shit!" Cried the blonde.

"A young boy using language like that? What has become of the world now a days?" Came the voice, though more calm. "I'm sorry child I did not mean to scare you, I was just having fun. The name is Kaen, and you are?"

"N-Naruto." He almost stopped shaking, almost. After he introduced himself the transparent figure of a woman appeared infront of the altar. She had orange pants, a black tank top, black shoes. The kanji for fire was on her right cheek. She had long reddish orange hair, and only one braid that fell over he left eye.

"Well it has been awhile. Though you're probably wondering what I'm doing here." Naruto nodded. "Well you stumbled upon my shrine. I am the Guardian Fire Spirit, Kaen!" The flames on the candles grew as she spoke. "Now then on to business. Why have you come here?"

"Well I sort of fell into a hole. Now I'm stuck." Naruto started to tear up. "I don't want to die in this place!"

"Don't worry little one, I know the way out. Want me to show you?" Kaen asked.

"Yes please." Naruto followed Kaen for what seemed like an hour.

"Its only been five minutes." Kaen said to the panicking boy. "Beside see that light? I promise its not me this time." She smile as Naruto cheered.

"So what about you?" This silenced Kaen for a moment.

'I guess I could do that. Hagane-kun might not like it much, but I always seem to convince him in the end.' Naruto was confused as Kaen started giggling. "I've decided, I'll stick with you kid. But there is one thing you must do." Kaen then took a step forward, into Naruto's body, and vanished.

"Jiji!" Naruto kicked open the door.

Sarutobi sighed. Thats another door he'll have to replace. "What is it Naruto?" Sarutobi looked up from his paper work to the door, which was hanging on one hinge. 'I swear Anbu loosens those for him.' The he turned his attention to the boy.

"Who are the guardians?" Naruto asked.

"The guardians are ninja who protect the Daimyo" He was about to elaborate but Naruto began waving his hands frantically.

"Not those guardians. The elemental guardians." 'Maybe I should have mentioned that first.' Naruto sighed.

"The elemental guardians. Old warriors of legend. Said to be masters of their respective elements. Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning." Sarutobi said.

"He's forgetting one. Ask him child." Kaen spoke in Naruto's head.

"Aren't you forgetting one Jiji?" Naruto was confused, what other could there be.

"Well that last one is debatable. Officially it isn't an element, but it was wielded like one of the others." Sarutobi starred at naruto, confused as to why he wanted this information. He decided to ask later. "Now it was said that he, or she seeing as we don't know their actual identity, was a master at manipulating metal. The strongest of the guardians."

'Thats my Hagane. I knew I picked right.' Kaen let out a fangirlish sigh, creeping Naruto out a bit.

"Now Naruto, why do you want to know this?" The Hokage asked.

Naruto gave the old man a grin. "Well jiji, I sort of fell into the mountain and came upon the shrine for the fire guardian. She is currently in my head."

"Not right now child." Kaen was now standing next to the boy, but no longer transparent. "I am Kaen, Fire guardian."

If Sarutobi was surprised he didn't show it, not that he wasn't. "What do you plan on doing with the boy? I am very concerned for him."

"I will be watching over him. Sort of like his mother. My spirit has bonded to him, I could not return to the shrine even if I wanted to. As for what I plan, I plan on teaching him. And so will the others, once we find their shrines. He will become the living embodiment of all the guardians." Kaen explained.

"Kaen-kaa-san!" Naruto gave the woman a tight hug.

"Yes child, I will be your mother. Now we need to find Kaze, the wind. Her shrine should be in this region." Kaen pointed on a map. "I can direct Naruto to the shrines."

"I see no faults with your plan Kaen-san. That area is Suna. I'm going there to meet the Kazekage. A perfect opportunity for Naruto to go." Sarutobi smiled. "Be ready to leave tomorrow Naruto."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered and ran out of the office.

"Thats my boy. Wild like fire." Kaen spoke before she slowly vanished.

"Now that was kinda creepy." Sarutobi said. "Will someone fix that door!?"

"Yes Hokage-sama." Anbu appeared and immediately began repairs.

"Woah!" Naruto said, to mostly everything around Suna. "This place is different."

"Sure is. Turn here Naruto." Kaen directed the blonde. He entered a hole in a wall that took him out of the village.

'Now where Kaa-san?' Naruto asked.

"Keep going straight, you'll find it." Kaen said. 'He better.' An hour later Naruto stumble, literally, on a large rock formation. If he hadn't landed on his side and face it he wouldn't have noticed as it was covered in sand. Naruto kicked the rock, only to hurt himself as it didn't move. Apparently it was part of the large formation.

"Damn it that hurt." Naruto cursed.

"Language Naruto." Kaen mentally scolded her 'son.'

'Sorry.' Naruto cleared away some sand, revealing a crack wide enough for him to slid through. Once through he noticed the ground slop down gradually. He took the path and constantly looked for places it might branch off that the shrine might be in one of the branch tunnels. He found none and continued walking. 'Why couldn't your shrine be this straight forward?'

"Just keep walking." 'He could complain about anything.' Kaen sighed.

"Yo I think this is it." The area was similar to Kaen's. The only differences was the picture of fire was that of a tornado and the kanji was obviously different, meaning wind.

"Whose there?" Once again a disembodied voice, but not like Kaen's voice. It was more innocent, calm, scarred?

"Kaze, you here?" Kaen took here physical form.

"Kaen-nee!" Something took hold of Kaen's leg. It was a small girl with blonde hair in two pigtails. She wore a white dress ending at her knees and white sandals. Naruto didn't notice at first but the kanji for wind was on he left palm.

"Kaze, this is Naruto." Kaze hid behind Kaen's leg. "Now don't be afraid. You're going to help him. Join me won't you?" Kaze took Kaen's hand and both disappeared.

'Kaa-san, Kaze? You there?' Naruto asked.

"We are here my child." Kaen said. She was really getting into this mother thing.

"Hai, Naruto-nii." Came Kaze's voice.

'Glad to have you with us. Whats next Kaa-san?' Naruto asked.

"Next we go back to Konoha and get a look at that map again. We'll go from there. I think we should find Rokku next." Kaen explained.

"Yay, Rokku-nii!" Kaze cheered. Naruto smiled. He was enjoying this.

"Jiji." Naruto approached the Hokage in the hotel.

"Naruto, just the person I wanted to see. How did your exploration good?" Sarutobi asked.

"Great." Was all Naruto said before devouring his meal.

"Now where is he?" Kaen muttered as he looked over the map on the wall in the Hokage's office, which was filled with laughter as Naruto chased Kaze around. The sight brought a smile to his face. "Found him!" Kaen called out, capturing the attention to the children. "Rokku is right here."

"Iwa!?" Gasped Sarutobi.

"Is there a problem?"

"Is there a problem?!" Sarutobi almost fell out of his chair. "Oh God. How the hell we're going to get Naruto there?"

"I'll take him." Came a voice by the window.

"You aren't known for your random acts of kindness Jiraiya. What do you want?" Sarutobi questioned.

"I just get the feeling something important is going on. Care to explain?" Jiraiya asked.

"Naruto is gathering the elemental guardians. One of them is somewhere around Iwa." Sarutobi lit his pipe.

"Around is different than in. All we got to do is not get caught. I'm not a sanin for nothing. Pack your bags kid, we're going on a trip. Don't expect to be back for awhile!" Jiraiya announced.

"Kaen-san, before you leave. Copy the locations of the others onto this map." Sarutobi pulled out a smaller version of the one on the wall, but less in detail.

"Good idea." Kaen returned to her work, whenever she came across the location that was lost in her memory she circled it on the smaller map. "I got the other four. Lets go Naruto."

Once they left Sarutobi turned back to Jiraiya. "What do you mean 'Don't expect to be back for awhile?'"

Jiraiya began laughing. "Are you willing to let someone take the genin exam without going to the academy?" With that he jumped back out the window.

The Hokage sighed. 'It could have been worse.'

"Over there." Kaen said. Naruto followed the directions over to a waterfall.

"Kid do you have any idea where you're going?" Jiraiya asked.

"I haven't a clue." Naruto said in a very serious tone that caught Jiraiya off guard.

'Ok! A five year old should not sound that serious. Its creepy.' Jiraiya thought.

"To the right, it branches off." Finally, after a few minutes and stumbles through a dark tunnel. "Oh If forgot, I'm the fire guardian. I could have lit the tunnel."

"Why Hagane-nii married you I'll have no clue." Kaze ran from the beating Kaen was about to give.

"Hey I found it." The image of a mountain and the kanji for earth hung on the wall.

"I thought someone entered my domain." This time the voice only caught Jiraiya off guard.

"Come out Rokku, we need to talk." Naruto called out.

"How does a kid know how to get here? More or less my name?" Rokku took on his physical form. A large man with dark skin, long brown hair in dreads and blue eyes. He wore a brown shirt and black pants and on his feet combat boots. A scar ran across his forehead. The kanji for earth was on the back of his neck.

"That would be my doing." Kaen stood next to Naruto now. Rokku shot Kaen a glare. "Don't be stubborn. You're helping Naruto. Or do I have to get Hagane-kun and bring him here?"

"Alright fine. God, you'd probably do it to." He turned to the blonde. "Nice to meet you kid." Then rokku did the disappearing act like the other guardians, bonding to Naruto.

And where was Jiraiya during all of this? He was standing off to the side writing this down for a report he would send back to Konoha in two months.

Naruto and Jiraiya currently swimming in a lake. In the distance Naruto can see the opening to an underwater cave. They entered and came up for air. Naruto was surprised. The water shrine was right there, with a wave picture and water kanji. No branching tunnels, no stumbling in the dark.

"Gogyuo, get out here." Kaen ordered sternly. Rokku appeared as well with Kaze sitting on his shoulder.

"Oh look, the family is getting together. How nice." Gogyuo had short light blue hair, and ice blue eyes. He wore blue robes and brown boots. Kanji for water on his forehead. "I'm guessing you want me to join you. I won't even try arguing. I know how annoying Kaen-nee can be."

"Four down, two to go. Once we get back to the surface you'll continue your chakra control exercise. Lucky we're by a lake. Then we leave Kiri and head to Kumo." Jiraiya instructed.

Once again Naruto finds himself in a cave, only this time it was lit. "Glad you remembered this time Kaa-san." The group, or dysfunctional family as they like to call themselves, made their way to the shrine. "Erekiteru?" Naruto called out.

"Hello." The figure of a girl sat on the altar, behind it a picture of a lightning bolt and the corresponding kanji. She had long blonde hair down to her mid back, amber eyes. She wore a pink shirt, red skirt and black shoe. Her shirt showed her midriff revealing the kanji for lightning. "May I ask why you are here?"

"Gathering the family." Was all Naruto needed to say. The girl nodded and disappeared, now bonded to Naruto.

"Rokku-kun!" Sounded in his head.

'Good luck Rokku.' Naruto laughed.

"Lets go kid. I gotta teach you lightning jutsu now." Jiraiya dragged Naruto out of the cave.

'Thank God for clones.' Naruto thought.

"Why does Hagane-kun gotta be so difficult?" Kaen whined. They were currently climbing a mountain in Yuki no Kuni. It took them hours to reach their destination, the shrine of steel. The picture was that of two swords crossed overlapped by the kanji for steel. The shrine was completely different. Instead of an altar there was a large throne. Next to the throne on either side was a suit of armor. The one on the right was black and still griped in it's hand was a large sword with a demonic looking head on the black blade. It had no point but was flat on the end. The left armor contrasted with the right. It was white, two shields, one on each side. The shields were as big as the armor. They had a green trim and in the center was a sword with a wing on either side.

"Show off." Rokku muttered

"Hagane!" Naruto called, it sounded more like an order.

"You dare speak to me, dainty whelp." This voice, it was cold. Hagane's figure appeared in a lazy position on the throne. When he did the suits came to life to protect their 'king.' Hagane had long black hair, red eyes. A scar ran straight across his eyes. He wore a white button up shirt, black pants, a studded metal belt and black boots. Tied to his right thigh was a piece of silver plate armor, and on his left thigh hung two chains, one lower than the other. The steel kanji was on the top of his right hand.

"Hagane-kun!" Kaen yelled.

'The true bane of strong men, their wife.' Jiraiya laughed and continued writing for his report.

"Kaen? Is this what I think it is?" Kaen nodded making Hagane sighed. "I take it the rest of the family is here as well?" The other guardians appeared.

"Hagane-nii!" Kaze ran up and climbed into Hagane's lap. "Are you coming with us?"

Hagane smiled down at his sister. "Yes, I think I will." The armor disappeared in puffs of smoke, similar fashion of summons. "You, the one with the white hair. Down that branch tunnel you'll find scrolls. I've written my techniques on them. Go fetch them."

Jiraiya reluctantly did as he was told. He discover two large scrolls, one with the kanji for steel, the other with the kanji for snow. 'This is going to be interesting.' Jiraiya went back to the throne. "Come on kid, we got three years before heading back to Konoha. We got training to do. I don't think we'll be leaving this country either. It's a good environment to train in."

"Hai, Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto said. And so the training began...the next chapter.

What do you think, be honest