Disclaimer

Naruto characters and references belong to Misashi Kishimoto
Fullmetal Alchemist characters and references belong to Hiromu Arakawa
Original Characters characters are mine.

Naruto Hurricane Alchemist Chapter 0: The Cost of Living

As the rain continued to pour down on the now silent battlefield a Silver haired shinobi along with a small dog adorning the Konoha leaf headband, landed on the ground as his exposed eye looked mournfully at the only remains of his young charges. "Too late!" He looked away as he saw a badly scarred, limp and lifeless arm in a torn orange jacket.

Pakkun sniffed the scarred headband on the ground "It's Sasuke's" Pakkun said in a low, disappointed voice.

"Then it goes without saying whom the other Hitai-ate belonged to." He walked over to the Naruto's jacket and Hitai-ate and bundled it together and carried it in his arms after placing Sasuke's headband in his equipment pouch "I'm sorry Naruto that I didn't arrive here on time knowing you; you really gave it your all. "The Jonin struggled to fight back a wave of emotions as he gazed upon at the statues before him, while the only remains of his own sensei's son, soaked the orange jacket with blood. "I failed again sensei, I'm sorry." Then leaped up the cliff face and headed into the forest back towards Konoha.

******Konoha hospital******

After finish healing the Hyuga, Tsunade's assistant Shizune came sprinting out of the emergency room, but instead of pride and joy her face was sombre and calm "Hokage-sama! Hyuga Neji is out of the Danger Zone and one more thing Hatake, Kakashi has returned, however Uzumaki Naruto…" her voice trailed off, even thinking about the young boy's death was hard to comprehend let alone accept.

Tsunade immediately turned on her heal and bolted towards the morgue with Shizune following close behind "No." She threw the door open and saw Kakashi with his head hung low with his back to the two women, slowly Tsunade walked over to the autopsy table timidly afraid of what she may find.

Shizune looked at the ground absently, she already had the unfortunate privilege of seeing what remained of the once energetic and carefree boy. "All he could find was Naruto's right arm, jacket and Hitai-ate." Her voice was almost inaudible, the black haired kunoichi knew that seeing the scarred remains would be harder on her mentor especially after she gave Naruto the 'cursed' necklace and once again the recipient had been taken by death, but unlike before that particular item was no where to be seen.

"This was all that was left?" The fifth said in dry voice as she placed her hands on either side of the pasty white arm that had yet to be removed from the orange and blue jacket.
Kakashi nodded his head slowly before answering "Yeah, the body was swept away by the lake's current; even with his healing rate the damage Sasuke inflicted would have caused some problems." He balled his hand into fists, he now regretted teaching the Uchiha that technique and not keeping a better eye on him.

"Are you sure that it was Sasuke?" Tears welled up in Tsunade's eyes and fell down her cheeks until finally dripping on to the autopsy table

.
"The scarring left on Naruto's arm is proof enough; it's similar to that of the Chidori and the fact that Sasuke's Hitai-ate was left behind near the remains further implicates his guilt." he said with venom evident in his voice, while his balled fists shook by his sides.

The receptionist at the front desk of the hospital had told her that neither Sasuke or Naruto had been checked in, but she remembered that she definitely saw Kakashi enter the hospital and when the Tsunade and her assistant Shizune rushed into an isolated room her curiosity had been piqued "It-it can't be true." A rose haired kunoichi with emerald green eyes heard the conversation in its' entirety and walked with a pale face. All of the implications that were being pinned on Sasuke and the murmurs of Naruto's death were taking a toll on Sakura's psyche; she had to know for herself if the rumours were true she had to see for herself.

"Sakura?" Kakashi looked over his shoulder to see his only remaining pupil standing at the door in a half daze, slowly walking up to the table where Tsunade was leaning over sobbing quietly "You shouldn't be in here!" the copy cat nin tried to hold the young girl back but she struggled free. "Don't look!" he tried again to no avail as the kunoichi shrugged him off.

The pink haired kunoichi stumbled forward next to Tsunade and her emerald eyes widened in fear when her gaze met the served arm of the young blonde, the flesh although scarred by Sasuke's chidori was a sickenly translucent, as flesh and muscle hung loosely from where it had once been connected to the shoulder, the hand was scarred the worst, with torn and mangled fingers were disjointed and pointing at odd angles. "No" Sakura said in a shocked, low voice bringing a hand to her mouth as she shook her head, walking backwards in disbelief "This has to be a joke? Sasuke-kun wouldn't do something like that. That's it-it's a nightmare? A genjutsu? It can't be, he can't be…Naruto can't be dead. He's always pulled through." She backed into a wall and slid down, disillusioned by what she had just seen. Her perfect view of Sasuke had been shattered, first he slapped the food she had prepared out of her hand and picked a fight with Naruto at the hospital, then abandoned her and the village for Orochimaru and now, now he had killed his own team mate no someone who was like a brother to him. Tears cascaded down her cheeks more freely than they had for the raven-haired boy.

The silver haired jonin walked over to the young kunoichi and gently shook her trying to snap the girl out of her shock "Sakura! Get a hold of yourself! He's dead, he died trying to bring Sasuke back…but he wasn't strong enough…I didn't get there in time." He said apologetically, Sakura blinked with sorrow filled eyes and got to her feet shaking her head to Kakashi, indicating that he didn't have to apologize.

Three days after the funeral the sky continued to rain and like Konohamaru, Sakura didn't feel any better hoowever not wanting to anyone to worry about her she kept up appearances, but it was just a mask to hide the pain and the nagging feeling of guilt. Why does it still hurt so much? Why does it hurt more than it did with Sasuke? She clutched her chest as she walked the corridors of the Hokage mansion All I did was cry for. I just cried, and reached out, and clung to you…I did nothing and now your gone. You gave me something that I always took for granted and that was courage and strength. I'm not going to let that gift go to waste anymore she knocked on the door before her and waited for a reply.

"Enter!" Came a gruff, commanding voice from the other side of the door.

She opened the door and stared at the blonde woman before her with determined eyes "I've come to ask you a favour." Even if the hokage said no straight away, she would stand her ground and not move until she was accepted.

"Yes?" The Hokage's hazel eyes stared intently at the kunoichi in front of her desk amused by Sakura's boldness.

"Please…" the pinkette started "Take me on as your apprentice!" her eyes had the same look as Naruto's had, when he stated that he would master the Rasengan in three days.

The Godaime sighed at the memory then smiled softly at the girl whole-heartedly "Haruno Sakura. I have heard from Kakashi that you are clearheaded and are able to perservere." she said in an authoritative voice "Fine I'll take you on. But this is not going to be easy, you understand?" Tsunade said with finality

Sakura expected the hokage to put up some sort of resistance, but she wasn't going to turn back now "Y...yes, ma'am!" she saluted promptly.

******Three miles inside Ta no Kuni******

A lone figure walked down a dirt path that followed the river from the Valley of the End, dressed in a black trench coat the man looked up at the sky and sighed at the poor whether.

"Will this rain ever let up? Huh?" he looked over at the river when he saw a muddy figure lying face down against the bank, immediately without hesitation the brunette bolted down the slope, slipping and sliding as his boots tried to get a firm grip on the bank "Hold on kid!" he called out hoping that the boy was still alive "He's lost a lot of blood but he still has a pulse." He took off his coat revealing a navy blue military uniform and wrapped the blonde haired boy in the coat before carrying him back up the hill "That means I need to create a shelter." He shook his head at his rotten luck, but he was relieved that he'd have an excuse to get out of the rain.

Three hours later Naruto awoke to find himself in a log cabin, he heard the familiar sound of flames crackling and sat up slowly, still feeling a little dazed from his fight with Sasuke and saw a stone fireplace and what looked to be a uniformed man sitting with a leg across his lap while in a wooden chair at the foot of his bed while reading a small, thick hard cover book with brass edges. "Ugh-Where am I?" He went to grab his forehead with his right hand but was only rewarded with a sharp pain that echoed though out his entire body "I remember now." he grabbed the bandaged stump as he replayed the fight with Sasuke in his mind.

The man's turquoise eyes followed the murmurs to the bed the boy was laying in and snapped his book shut "So you're awake small fry? Good now I don't have to put you in a shoebox." He said arrogantly walking over to the boy.

There was a crackle from the fireplace as the blonde's eye twitched when the chestnut haired officer called him short and immediately stood on the bed pointing an accusing finger "Who are you calling small you jerk, why I ought to…" the officer placed a hand on the blonde's head while the boy flailed his left arm about punching the air.

He sighed when the boy slumped back onto the bed "Sorry about the accommodation it isn't exactly the Ritz but it'll keep the rain off our heads at least." He pointed to the window with his left thumb.

Naruto looked out the window and droplets of water on the glass and a steady flow of rain coming from the heavens above, his attention was slightly stolen by the navy blue jacket hanging off the chair the man had been sitting in, a gold lanyard was attached to the left breast pocket the jacket and hanging loosely off the arm on the right breast were two rows of bars that signified his rank, it had blue epaulettes with gold bars and stripes and the collar was adorned with a silver lapel insignia which depicted a rampant dragon. He frowned then looked back at the man "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Major Lucas Blackburn, the Steel Fortress alchemist." He pulled out a silver pocket watch from his trouser pocket for the blonde to see then put it back. "If it weren't for me you would have floated out to sea and be giving the sharks indigestion by now." The blonde growled at that comment "I gave you my name, so how about telling me yours?" He stood there with his arms folded waiting patiently.

The boy's cerulean eyes looked away. "N…Naruto Uzumaki." The words tasted bitter in is mouth he felt that he didn't deserve to keep his own name anymore.

Lucas frowned at the boy "I need more than that."

"I'm-I'm a Genin from Konohagakure." He said hesitantly

The major walked over to the chair and picked up his now dry jacket and began buttoning it up "Then once the rain stops I'll escort you back to your village" he then slipped on the black trench coat.

"NO! I-I can't go back" Naruto slammed his left hand on the bed and pleaded with chestnut haired major.

Lucas looked over his shoulder to the Jinchuuriki, concerned "Why?" he said calmly

"I had a hard life there and I made a promise to save someone, but I failed and I can't bear to see their face. I doubt I'll be missed" The blonde admitted.

Blackburn shrugged as he continued to get ready to head to the nearest port. "If that is your choice, then I can't force you to go back if you don't want to."

Naruto gritted his teeth and started to shake in desperation "I have to become stronger, I have to keep my promise." He thought aloud

The rain began to let up and now was just a light summer rain. "Then aren't you just contradicting yourself?" the officer stopped at the door.

"THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BACK!" He screamed.

Blackburn sighed "Normally they don't accept kids, but with some training and luck I'm sure they'll make an exception." The young man scratched his head after an amusing thought crossed his mind, something that hadn't been done in quite awhile.

"Naruto looked at the major quizzically tilting his head to the side "What are you talking about?"

"Well you want to become strong, right? Then why don't you become a state alchemist like myself? We have access to the best resources available" Lucas said bluntly.
Naruto looked at the man wide eyed unable to believe his luck "Really you think I could become one?"

"Yes, however we'll need to get you a new arm. It'll be like your old one but made of lightweight steel, there's a specialist we can see in Resembool" He pointed to the bandaged stump. "We'll also be able to get your training started there."

He smiled at the thought of having an arm made of steel and gave the major a thumb up. "Sounds cool, I'm in." his eyes became a deeper shade of blue and showed confidence that he thought he had lost after the fight with Sasuke.

"It won't just be physical challenges though, but there'll also mental challenges as well." The officer put a hand up stopping the youth's train of thought.

The boy suddenly lost his enthusiasm and crossed his arms pouting "You mean studying? Nope, no way am I going." Naruto didn't want to have to study; he had enough trouble trying to study during his academy days and he didn't want to relive the experience now.

"Which way do you want to head? Do you want to go back to the life that you said yourself that you didn't want to go back to? Or with me where you can reach heights you've never even considered and imagined were possible?" the major asked his focus still on the weather conditions.

"Fine! But I won't like it." Naruto got off the bed and put on his shirt and made sure to tie the right sleeve up as he walked towards the exit.

"I never said that you had to like it, just accept it" He said blatantly "We'll also have to get you a new name, you don't want your people to find out you're still alive and then be labelled as a missing-nin."

Naruto looked at the ground and frowned at the statement, true they label him as MIA or even KIA but keeping his original name may draw unwanted attention, he then looked up at the officer. "Why are you doing this though?" he asked

Lucas clapped his hands together then placed them on the cabin, an electric blue light engulfed the structure as it was broken down and recreated, the stone fireplace had disappeared into the ground from where it had been born, the wood was used to create a bench and two umbrellas and the sheets were used for a black coat and in the creation of the umbrellas, all Naruto could do was stare in awe. "You have the same look in your as another eyes as Full Metal's when I first met him." he handed Naruto an umbrella and started walking down the dirt path "They speak volumes of determination and strength, as if peering into the endless distance, seeing something that I cannot and you have kindness that our military sometimes lacks." Naruto was taken aback by the man's comments, those who first meet him usually call him a fool or an idiot but this officer hadn't "We'll head to the coast before going west." He pointed northwest towards the ocean. "So are you coming?" he asked going back to his smug attitude.

Naruto grinned "Hell yeah!" he shouted triumphantly and ran up to Lucas' side "What kind of jutsu was that anyway?" he asked eagerly.

"You'll find out." The officer smirked at the possible teaching methods that Ed may use for the blonde, but that depended on whether the Elric brother accepted Naruto as his apprentice or not.

TBC

Author's Notes

1. This is a NxS pairing so anyone that is vehemently against it turn back now.

2. For this to work properly a few characters will be OOC and considering this is not only a crossover but also somewhat of an AU it is to be expected

3. Please note that the Full Metal Alchemist series that this is connected to is the first anime series. Changes include: Edward and Alphonse are able to destroy the gate from their side by sending the rocket transport plane as a bomb to our side (They warn the people in the castle first of course); Roy Mustang became Fuerher (All hail the tiny miniskirt army!).