Naruto: A Seer's Fable

Note: This story was inspired and based off of Brim Wraiths Fate of the Cards story. I have adopted it and decided to make my own with his permission.

Note: This will be my last new story until I finish one of my old ones. I will never have more than 12 active stories at one time. It would be impossible to make any progress on them if I had any more; it's difficult enough with just a dozen.

Note: As with most of my stories the graduation age is altered to 15.

"Human Speech"

'Human Thought'

"Demon/Summons Speech"

'Demon/Summons Thought'

Jutsu or Card

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fable, or anything other than my own original ideas for this story.

Chapter 1: Prelude

October 10th

In the hidden village of Konoha a great celebration was occurring. On this day, eight years ago, the great demon fox known as the Kyūbi no Yōko attacked the ninja village only to be stopped by the Fourth Hokage who sacrificed his life to destroy the fox. This is the story taught to all of the children both inside and out of the village.

But it is not the truth, at least not the whole truth.

In truth the Kyūbi was not slain, for it is impossible for a human to slay an entity like the Kyūbi. Instead it was sealed away. Not into an object like an urn or a cavern, for those objects could not hold the power of the greatest of the nine Bijū. Instead it was sealed into the only vessel that could contain its dread power, an infant whose umbilical cord had just been severed. That child was named Naruto Uzumaki. It was for this reason that the young blonde was hated within the village of Konoha, cursed by a burden he never wished to bear.

But our story does not begin with young Naruto. No, it begins with an old woman who is currently making her way into the village as the festival took place. She was dressed in strange clothing, a strange, loose, short-sleeved blouse made of strips of red and white fabric held together with leather straps, a skirt with the same coloring and embroidered with strange symbols that seemed to wiggle and glow under the eyes if one stared too long, a hood; colored red with a single strip of white, connected to the back of her dress and hid her face in shadows, and a leather traveling bag looped over one shoulder and carried at her hip. She also wore a great deal of golden jewelry; half-a-dozen bangles on her left wrist, a bracelet set with a single blue stone on her right wrist, an intricate necklace composed of many hoops of varying shapes and sizes linking together, a pair of golden earrings, and several small chains linked to her hood. Her eyes, however, were her most drawing feature; they were empty pits of pale blue that almost glowed with a dull light. As she walked she watched as the children ran around, wearing masks and playing with fireworks, her seemingly blind eyes following them while a soft smile made its way on her weathered features.

"It's good to see children in a ninja village being allowed to hold onto their innocence for just a little longer. But…I feel one young soul is not happy. Whoever this young one is, they are in a lot of emotional pain." Intrigued, the old woman walked towards where the feelings of pain were coming from, avoiding running children, vendor carts, and such with a grace that belied her age and poor vision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto couldn't understand it, yeah people were mean to him and give him mean glares but no one ever said anything truly mean to him except today...on his birthday. He could handle being called Kyūbi brat, and demon spawn, he attributed that to being born the day the fox attacked the village. But what that drunk had said to him truly hurt deep down and he just pulled his knees closer to his chest and continued crying as he remembered what was said, occasionally rubbing his stinging cheek.

Naruto was just walking down the street happily munching on some dumplings he managed to get, and at a normal price too! Normally he had to pay a lot for food but the man was apparently a merchant from Takigakure, the hidden waterfall village. Naruto was smiling and had his eyes closed as he walked along thinking that maybe today wouldn't be such a bad birthday after all. Until he bumped into a man who dropped his sake bottle.

"Oh sorry about that! I didn't see where I was going." Naruto bowed as he apologized.

"Hey don't worr-YOU! YOU LITTLE SHIT! YOU JUST GOTTA RUIN THE FESTIVAL FOR ME, FOR ALL OF US HERE IN THE VILLAGE!" Naruto didn't understand what he was talking about. He could tell the man was drunk and he began backing up getting ready to run in case things got ugly.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"LYING DEMON! I BET YOUR PARENTS DIED WHEN THE FOX ATTACKED! I KNOW I WOULND'T WANT TO TAKE CARE OF DEMON SCUM LIKE YOU! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I GET ANY ANGRIER!" shouted the man as he slapped the boy across a whiskered cheek, knocking the young blonde backward

Naruto didn't give the man a chance to do anything else; he took off running his face becoming stained with tears as he ran to find a place to hide.

'Why did he say that to me? My parents...if I had parents…would love me. They wouldn't call me demon scum...would they? No, no they wouldn't...parents are supposed to love their children.' Naruto looked out from his hiding place and saw a blonde haired girl in a nice kimono with her parents. Ino was her name if remembered correctly. She didn't seem to notice him hiding. He watched as her father picked her up and put her on his shoulders as she pointed towards the festival and told her parents she wanted dumplings making them both laugh.

'Why can't I have that? Where are my parents? Where is the person to hold me and tell me they love me? I know I didn't just pop out of nowhere so where did you guys go? Why did you leave me?' Dozens of questions ran through his mind as he looked up at the sky, the setting sun turning the blue sky into a collage of black, orange, purple, red, and blue. It was beautiful to look at and was one of the few things the young blonde never got tired of watching. While he stared absently at the changing sky the old blind woman stopped about ten feet behind him.

'So this is who I felt. Such sadness and pain should not come from a child as young as he, but what's this? That energy coming off of his stomach…is that? Yes it is, a Bijū; so the child is a Jinchūriki. That would explain why he has so much pain and sadness. The life of a container is never easy but there is something else, some other power, lying dormant within him. Could it be...yes it is, but how?' Before she could continue her thoughts she heard the blonde demon container spoke to himself.

"I just wish I had the power to change things." he sobbed softly

Those words, those simple little words, brought back so many memories to the ancient woman's mind. Overshadowing the young blonde she saw image of a young princess who'd lost her first love to her brother's madness and paranoia, a young boy who'd lost his sister to a madman's delusions and hunger for power, and a another boy, kind and strong, who'd fought with everything he had to rescue his sister and avenge his family. Those images made up the ancient woman's mind. It was at that moment that the old woman made her presence known to the boy.

"But you do child, or rather you can." Naruto turned around startled at the unknown voice only to see an old woman standing there. Well she didn't look that old, maybe fifty or something close to it, but her body stance said she could take care of herself very well, but it was her eyes that drew Naruto's attention. They were pale blue, almost white, which reminded him of another young girl in his class, Hinata Hyūga he thought her name was, only her eyes were milky not the violet hued white which meant she was blind.

"Do my eyes interest you child?" she asked in a kind voice, looking at Naruto with a small smile. Naruto blushed at being caught staring, but he was more surprised that she could tell he was staring at her in the first place. Was she really blind?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. Forgive me." He said with a bow hoping he'd be forgiven. She gave a small chuckle and sat down on a nearby crate.

"There is nothing to forgive child, you were merely curious and I cannot blame you for that. After all, curiosity leads to knowledge and knowledge is the truest form of power. Tell me young man what is your name? And you can sit down, I mean you no harm." Naruto just nodded and sat himself down in front of her, and studied her for a minute. Her attire was strange; he had never seen anything like it when the merchants from the other countries would come to town, but, at the same time, Naruto couldn't help but be fascinated by it. It seemed so familiar, like he'd seen it in a dream some time before but couldn't remember it.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. What's yours?" responded the blonde with a broad grin.

The blind woman gave him another small smile. "My name? My name is Theresa Casthania but you may just call me Theresa Naruto-kun." Theresa replied before she reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of strange cards and some chocolate, the latter which she gave to Naruto. "Here you go Naruto-kun."

Naruto took the chocolate and sniffed it before deciding it was okay and took a small bite. Naruto face broke into a large grin as he tasted it; it was so warm and sweet, like nothing the blonde had ever tasted before. After devouring the small bar the cards she pulled out caught his attention.

"Say Theresa-bāchan, what kind of cards of those? I've never seen playing cards that look like that before."

Theresa gave another small chuckle as she picked up the stack of cards and began shuffling them."Because Naruto-kun these are not playing cards, these are special cards that are very powerful. They can not only tell the future, but each holds a unique power that can be drawn on by the wielder. Would you like a demonstration?"

Naruto was a little skeptical about seeing the future. 'How can cards show stuff that hasn't happened yet?' thought the eight-year old curiously. After a while the blonde decided it wouldn't hurt to have his fortune told, plus he wanted to see these 'unique powers' Theresa had talked about.

"Sure bāchan, could you do my fortune first?" Theresa nodded and shuffled the cards again before setting the deck down. However, before she could draw the first card though Naruto interrupted her. "Bāchan? How do you know what card it will be if your blind? Are you a ninja?" He was expecting her to get mad at him but she surprised him by patting him on the head and messing up his hair.

"Naruto-kun when you become as powerful as me, you don't need to rely on sight. You'll learn that while warriors like the Uchiha and Hyūga take great pride in their eyes, if you remove the powers held in their eyes they are just like any other human. I lost my eyesight a long time ago but losing it has helped me to see in ways others cannot hope to imagine and see much more than my eyes could ever hope to show me. And to answer your other question, no I'm not a ninja. I am more of a seer than anything else, though I do know how to fight and have studied some of the shinobi arts." Naruto's mouth hung in awe at hearing that she could see perfectly without her eyes and decided to test her and held up three fingers.

Theresa merely smiled again. "Three fingers Naruto-kun, now would you like your fortune told or not?" She didn't say it in a mean way at all, in fact she seemed to enjoy that he tested her to see if she was lying about her sight or not.

"Oh yes, please continue bāchan."

Theresa nodded as she drew five cards and laid them down in a straight line before flipping the first one over. Naruto couldn't help but slightly gasp at the artwork displayed on the card. It was the Kyūbi no Yōko, in all its might and glory. Its head hung back as if the creature was howling and its tails were lashing violently into the terrain, destroying most of it. Near the bottom of the image was an open scroll with the words "The Emperor" written in a strange, flowing, script.

"Ah, The Emperor, a great destiny awaits you in your future Naruto-kun. You hold great power within you, but holding that power comes at great cost and will draw many dangers to you. The nine-tailed fox is highly linked to your life." intoned Theresa in a calm voice. She then flipped the next card. On it was a strange image that Naruto recognized as the Sharingan, set on a black background. Like the last card on the bottom in an opened scroll the words "The Pinwheel," were written in that same flowing script.

"The Pinwheel, many challenges await you down the path that leads you to your destiny. The Uchiha clan will also play a great role in your life, but whether it will be as friend or foe will have to be seen." Naruto wondered if this was true since he was going into the academy soon for his second year and Sasuke was going to be in his class this time. Theresa flipped the next card. On this one was the image of a small child holding a teddy bear, with a weird eye with a diamond shaped pupil resting in its center floating in the background. On the bottom was another opened scroll, this one reading out "The Dreamer."

"The Dreamer you will find those who are lost and in pain and only you can help them, for you are the only one who can truly understand them." She flipped the next card over and on it was a coiled serpent, its black scales glistening in the soft light, and below it, still etched onto an open scroll in that odd script, read the words, "The Serpent."

"The Serpent, a great foe lies ahead of you, one whose power is nearly unmatched and whose ambitions refuse to die, but you must be ready to face the darkness ahead." Naruto was in awe, the cards themselves said nothing but the title and she could gather information from just that. Naruto was wondering if it was possible to learn how to use these cards, though he still wanted to see the last card and see what they could really do. Theresa flipped the last card, showing a crimson sunrise over a patch of golden earth. At the bottom the script in the scroll read, "The Dawn"

"The Dawn, many dangers and enemies are aligned before you, but stay strong for the dawn will always pass into the day. Foes from the past, present, and future will come together to fulfill a dark purpose which only you can stop." Naruto at first was worried by the fortunes but it seemed that he had an awesome destiny where he could actually be a hero, be respected.

"Bāchan, are the cards always right?" he asked. She smiled, happy he was curious.

"Not necessarily Naruto-kun. Just as the cards can be changed so too can we change both our own destinies and the destinies of others. Fate is never set in stone; we each forge it with our own decisions and actions. The cards merely tell us the way fate currently flows and serve as warnings for what may come so that we may change it, you just have to know how to interpret them. Now if you'd like, I'll teach you how to read the tarot cards later, but I'm sure you want to see the powers they hold first, correct?" she asked. Naruto's fierce nod made her chuckle as she picked up the card with the snake on it.

"Now Naruto to use the card's power, you must channel chakra into the card, depending on which card you use the amount needed varies. Then you throw, set, or place the card as you see fit before calling out its name to activate it. Now some cards will summon creatures while some do other things, now watch as I show you the difference between the Serpent and the Dawn." Theresa channeled some chakra into the Serpent card causing it to glow blue for a moment.

"The Serpent!" she called out. She threw the card and as it hit the ground it exploded into a cloud of smoke. Naruto watched with excitement as a huge snake the size of a horse slithered out of the smoke.

"COOL!" exclaimed the excited blonde. Theresa could only smile at his innocence.

"Now Naruto-kun to release the card you merely have to either stop channeling your chakra into it or command it to release. Like so, Kai!" The snake vanished in another puff of smoke.

"Awesome! But what happens to the card when you release it? Does that destroy the card?" She patted his head again which made him smile, the only person who did that to him was the Hokage.

"Not in most cases Naruto. In most cases the card reforms in the holster. However, after each card is used it takes a while to reform, the amount again depending on each individual card. While reforming a card reabsorbs its power until it's ready to be used again, then it will reappear in its holster. However, some cards are so powerful or unique that when they are activated the power they hold dissolves completely. Some of these cards are destroyed after they're used or if they're used in a particular way." Naruto nodded, some of it was a little confusing but he thought he understood most of it.

"Now Naruto-kun, I happened to overhear someone say that today's your birthday. Is that true?" asked Theresa, which Naruto answered with a soft nod. "Well then, every birthday boy deserves a present." she said making the blonde smile as she reached into her travelling bag and pulled out a deck of tarot cards. "Here is a deck of cards to call your own. They don't have any powers and are just normal cards," 'seeing' Naruto's slightly disappointed look she continued, "but if you come back here tomorrow morning and have memorized each and every card in the deck I'll teach you how to use the special ones, okay?" she finished with a soft grin

The blonde's answer was to leap at her and gave her a hug, his warm smile and heartfelt 'thank you's warmed her old heart, this child deserved some happiness and if she could she'd give it to him. With one last teary thank you Naruto promised he'd come back tomorrow and be a good student. Theresa could only watch as the blonde-haired container ran off jumping for joy and nearly hitting several crates and trashcans on his way home. She looked down at her deck, still resting in her hand, and drew one last card and laid it down in front of her. On the card was a large man dressed in strange clothing standing atop a giant toad. His head was cast downward hiding his face. Across the bottom read "The Hermit"

"The Hermit...my, my, little Naruto-kun; you seem to be destined for great things. Though it's not truly surprising. After all, the members of our family always seem to have great destinies waiting for them. Isn't that right little brother?" she seemingly asked the wind.

A soft phantom breeze seemed to stir around the ancient seer, seemingly answering her question. Theresa of the Tattered Spire merely smiled. It seems the world was once again becoming a very interesting place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~

END CHAPTER 1

I know a lot of this chapter was just cut and paste, but I promise from here on out it will be mostly original, there's a few things I intend to borrow from Brim Wraith's story but others I want to do own way. Hope everyone likes what I come up with.