Author's Note: Whoot just cranking em out. This was an idea my roommate and I had based off that one epic pic in chapter 567. You know the one I'm talking about. Oh yea, if you don't get the title...you didn't watch epic TV as a kid.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, or any of the other series I reference

The Jinchūiki Are Darn Epic Team

Chapter 1: J.A.D.E.-Team Assemble!

-Iwagakure-

Two men headed for the gates of Iwa. One was an older man, though with solid red hair both on his head and in his beard. He wore a long-sleeved purple shirt and pants, with a mesh-armor shirt underneath and brown armor atop it. He had a bag tied around his waist and a large headpiece on his head, bearing the symbol of Iwagakure. Towering next to him was an incredibly tall man dressed all in red armor. He had a red kasa on his head and a sleeveless black gi over his armor. Noticeably, everyone on the streets either ignored or glared at them as they walked by.

"Stubborn old fool; never listens to me."

The older man stormed off, still brooding over his last meeting with the Tsuchikage.

"You're as stubborn as he, Roshi."

The taller man easily kept stride with his older companion.

"Don't give me that, Han. I know you feel the same way."

The two paused at the gates for only a moment; then set out of the village.

"I never said you were wrong."

The Tsuchikage and his two assistants, one huge man and a smaller female, watched from the top of the Tsuchikage's office.

"Grandpa, I know you're angry and all, but it is truly wise to let them go?"

The tiny, old Tsuchikage grunted.

"I don't care. It's not like that stubborn old fool helped us against him, what point is there in keeping him around."

The larger man folded his arms.

"Besides, think of what would happen if we tried to stop them."

The Tsuchikage spun around and started walking away.

"They'll see I'm right and come back soon. If not, we don't need them. Now come o…GAH!"

The girl laughed as the Tsuchikage threw out his back.

"Maybe you should retire, Grandpa."

-Unnamed Country-

Han and Roshi walked silently forward. They walked with no apparent direction or purpose. Suddenly, both of them tensed.

"You feel that?"

Han nodded. Both men prepared for battle as they saw two figures approach from a distance.

"Please train me, Utakata-sensei!"

The figures came into view. Utakata was a tall, thin young man with pale golden eyes and black hair. He wore a long, light blue kimono and a pair of black pants with an orange sash. He was carrying a bamboo jug and a pipe. Next to him was a young girl with blond hair and dark-green eyes wearing; a light-violet and white top, black shorts, a black skirt, black high boots, and light violet wristbands.

"I told you not to call me sensei, Hotaru."

Utakata suddenly noticed he and Hotaru were no longer alone. He eyed Han and Roshi warily.

"What are two Iwa-nin doing here?"

Roshi scoffed.

"Former Iwa-nin. Getting away from that place. Where are you and your pupil going?"

Utakata was about to protest Hotaru being his pupil when a kunai with an explosive tag attached shot into the middle of the group. Han and Roshi quickly jumped away while Utakata quickly blew a bubble around him and Hotaru that defended them from the explosion. A man with pale skin, dark hair, and yellow, snake-like eyes, wearing a Konoha forehead protector with a scratch through the symbol and a black cloak with red clouds on it stepped out.

"Kukuku…It's been a while since I've fought a jinchūriki."

Roshi and Utakata spoke in sync.

"Darn, he's after us/me."

Both turned to each other in shock, again speaking in sync.

"Wait, he's after you?"

The man's eyes narrowed. 'This wasn't part of the plan. There was only supposed to be one jinchūriki, not three.'

Another figure stepped out, this time a short, hunched over man wearing similar clothing except with a Suna headband and a conical straw hat with small ornamental torques and tassels.

"Hurry up, Orochimaru. We don't have all day."

Orochimaru licked his lips with an unnaturally long tongue.

"Now now, Sasori, where's the fun in that?"

Orochimaru bit his finger and slammed his palm on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A giant snake appeared in a cloud of smoke and launched itself at Utakata. Utakata began blowing dozens of bubbles.

"Kibakuhō!"

As the snake began colliding with the bubbles they exploded in bright yellow and white flashes. The snake roared and began slowing down, eventually falling to the ground right in front of Utakata, dead.

While Utakata attacked the snake Roshi performed hand signs, before blowing lava out of his mouth.

"Yōton: Shakugaryūgan no Jutsu!"

The lava solidified into a barrage of molten boulders that launched themselves at the two opponents. Orochimaru leapt out of the way, only for Han to slam his foot into Orochimaru's face, steam streaming out of his armor. Orochimaru's face melted and began turning brown, and his body fell into a puddle of mud.

"Kukuku…it seems the jinchūriki are quite strong. Shall we take our leave, Sasori?"

Sasori grunted.

"You know the leader won't be happy about this, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru continued to chuckle.

"Oh well, it can't be helped. Farewell, jinchūriki. Akatsuki will be waiting for you."

With that, Sasori shushined away while Orochimaru sank into the ground. Han, Roshi, and Utakata all looked at each other while Hotaru was still frozen in fear.

"This is bad," said Roshi.

Utakata nodded. "Orochimaru of the Sannin, and Sasori of the Red Sand."

Han nodded as well. "This 'Akatsuki' is quite powerful, and after us jinchūriki it seems. Had we not stumbled upon each other, one of us would have been captured."

All three jinchūriki looked at each other. Roshi grunted.

"Well no one in Iwa is going to help us; it looks like we're on our own."

Han replied, "You could apologize to the Tsuchikage."

Roshi snorted. "The day won't come when I'm soft enough to do that. Besides, I have an idea."

Utakata raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Roshi continued. "One jinchūriki can't handle this Akatsuki, especially if its other members are on par with these two. But three jinchūriki sent them packing in three jutsu."

Utakata and Han both nodded, seeing where this was going.

"So what would happen if all the jinchūriki banded together?"

The three men looked at each other.

"It could work," said Utakata.

Han grunted. "If the other villages are anything like ours, they'll be more than happy to see their jinchūriki vanish."

Roshi nodded. "I say we start with Kiri. If Yagura agrees to this we'll have an entire village on our side."

Utakata shook his head. "I just left that place. It's in the middle of a bloody civil war. Yagura decided he hates kekkei genkai. It won't be safe for us to go there until we have more firepower."

"What about Kumo?" Han proposed. "The Hachibi jinchūriki supposedly mastered his bijū."

Utakata nodded. "We can't really find Taki yet, Suna's is the Kazekage's son, and we don't know if Konoha has one or who it would be."

Roshi turned back to the road.

"It's decided then."

-Valley of Lightning and Clouds-

The group of four stood on a mountain. In the valley below, one Kumo jōnin was fighting three Kumo genin. The jōnin was very muscular; dark skinned, and wore sun glasses. The four nodded at each and leapt down in front of the group.

"Yo, stop fighting Team B. Turn around and see, some fools came after me."

Utakata put his hand up.

"We have not come to fight. Are you Killer B, the Hachibi jinchūriki?"

Killer B put his hands in front of him in his distinctive style.

"No no no, that's Killer B-sama, Lord Jinchūriki of the Hachibi-sama."

Roshi scoffed.

"Enough of that, boy. I'm Roshi, jinchūriki of the Yonbi."

Han nodded.

"I'm Han, jinchūriki of the Gobi."

Utakata waved. "And I'm Utakata, jinchūriki of the Rokubi."

Bee smiled.

"A visit from four, five, and six? This all must be some sort of trick. You found your man, now what's your plan?"

A vein bulged in Roshi's head.

"He's more irritating than the Tsuchikage. Anyways there's a group hunting jinchūriki that calls itself Akatsuki. Their members include Orochimaru of the Sannin and Sasori of the Red Sand. We're gathering together since our villages don't care. Come with us and bring any other jinchūriki with you."

Bee looked contemplative. One of his genin, a dark-skinned girl, shouted out.

"Bee-sensei you're not really thinking about going with them, are you? We need you here!"

Another genin, a dark-skinned male, looked down.

"Oh man, what if Bee goes with them, and then we don't have a sensei, and all the other sensei are taken, and we're sent back to the academy, and then we fail, and then…"

Bee suddenly smiled.

"Whoo! Vacation time! Don't worry team, it'll all be fine. Since you need to train, come and don't complain!"

Roshi and Utakata smiled.

"Are there anymore jinchūriki?" Han asked.

Bee kept his smile.

"There's Yugito-san, she's real strong, Samui run along, sing her our song."

Samui and the other two genin sweat-dropped.

"Whatever."

-Raikage's Office-

"WHAT?"

Everyone in the room sweat-dropped as the Raikage smashed yet another table.

"THAT NO GOOD…HE'LL TASTE MY IRON CLAW!"

A blond-haired kunoichi stepped forward.

"Raikage-sama, if I may."

The Raikage glared at her.

"Continue, Yugito."

Yugito looked extremely relieved.

"Thank you, Raikage-sama. You know Bee is going to run off again. You also know this Akatsuki, if what's been said is true, is a major threat."

The Raikage raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying, Yugito?"

Yugito continued. "Why not let Bee and I join this jinchūriki squad? We'll even the playing field by gathering all the jinchūriki, but since we still are loyal to Kumo we'll prevent them from acting against you. I can also help you keep tabs on Bee so you'll know where he is instead of him running off all the time. I'm sure he'll come running back the moment Kumo is in danger. And if everyone else also loses their jinchūriki, you don't need Bee to guard the village anymore."

The Raikage rubbed his chin and thought about it for a moment.

"If only half my shinobi were as smart as you, Yugito. Very well! Yugito, Samui! Your A-rank mission! Follow Bee and join this jinchūriki team and report to me any developments!"

-Kirigakure-

Utakata led the group forward, guiding them through the thick mist that barred their view. Roshi looked around, irritated.

"You sure we're going the right way?"

Utakata nodded.

"In Kiri, those who can't get back don't come back. We're almost there."

However, Utakata's eyes narrowed. Out of the mist in front, three silhouettes appeared, one carrying a very large sword.

"Good work, Ao. Go ahead and introduce us."

The three silhouettes came into view. In the middle was a slender woman with ankle-length auburn hair, wearing a dark blue dress. To her sides were a man in a green robe with an eye patch, and a younger man with glasses, a blue pin-striped shirt, and camouflage pants carrying a large, bandaged sword with two handles on his back.

"Greetings. This is Mei Terumī, and Chōjūrō. I am Ao. What business do five jinchūriki have in Kiri?"

The jinchūriki exchanged nervous looks. Had they been so obvious? Utakata shook his head though.

"Ah Ao, that eye of yours comes in handy I bet. We simply wish to speak with Yagura."

Now it was Mei's group's turn to exchange looks. Ao spoke up.

"I wouldn't advise that, Utakata. Surely you must know?"

Utakata held up his hand, cutting Ao off.

"You and I both know Yagura's being controlled. We intend to fix that."

Ao looked back at Mei, who smiled.

"Well with five jinchūriki, a Seven Mist Swordsman, a Byakugan, and two kekkei genkai's we have as good a chance as ever. Come, we'll show you a way in."

The group followed Mei through the mist, coming to an entrance to a sewer.

After traveling through the sewers, Mei signaled for the group to stop. She, Ao, and Chōjūrō moved out into the open. They stepped out onto a brick walkway, a wall to one side and a river to the other. In front of them was a large archway leading to a tunnel. Soon, a short, young man stepped out of the shadows.

"So Mei, you've finally decided to make your move?"

Mei smiled. "Indeed I have, Mizukage-sama."

Yagura bent his head to one side.

"I see, but do you truly have the strength to defeat me?"

Mei continued to smile. "No. But that's why I brought friends."

Back in the sewer entrance, Utakata turned back and nodded at Bee. Bee stuck his hand into the air, red chakra exploding out of him as he charged out of the sewers.

"WHEEEEE! LARIAT!"

Yagura's eyes widened in shock at the jinchūriki's sudden charge, and he leapt out of the way. However, Bee ignored him, continuing forward…

Straight into the figure hidden in the shadows behind Yagura.

Mei smiled once more.

"Also, we aren't here to defeat you, Mizukage-sama. We're here to save you."

Yagura dropped to his knees, holding his head. On top of a building overlooking the walkway, a man in a black cloak with red clouds and wearing a one-eyed, orange mask with a swirl pattern swirled into existence.

"Well done, even I didn't see you bringing Kumo's jinchūriki. But do you think one…"

However, as the man was speaking Yugito leapt out of the sewers next. She spit a flaming ball of hair in the shape of a mouse out at the man.

"Nezumi Kedama!"

As the man leapt to the side, the mouse exploded into many smaller fireballs which pursued him.

"Two jinchūriki? That's a bit much. And I suspect this isn't even all you've planned. Very well…many doors are still left open to me."

The man swirled out of existence right as the fireballs collided and exploded at his former location.

"Uhhh…Mei? Wha…what's going on?"

The other jinchūriki filed out of the sewers as Bee and Yugito helped Yagura to his feet. Mei smiled at the now free kage.

"Come with me, Mizukage-sama. We have much to discuss."

-Mizukage's Office-

Yagura sat back into his seat taking in everything he had just been told.

"So let me get this straight, I've been controlled by some man in the shadows for years, turned Kiri into a bloody nightmare, and enacted genocide against any clan with a kekkei genkai?"

Mei nodded. Yagura sighed.

"And now the jinchūriki are gathering into a group of their own as a group of S-class shinobi that call themselves Akatsuki are hunting us down? A group that, from your description, includes the man who was controlling me?"

The five jinchūriki all nodded. Yagura sighed again.

"All I wanted was to protect my village. Instead, I turned it into a land of unspeakable horror."

Mei walked up to Yagura and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes but now you're free, Mizukage-sama. You can set things right."

Yagura shook his head. "No, I can never atone for this as the Mizukage. That is no longer my path."

Yagura stood up and moved to where the Mizukage's hat rested on the wall. He picked it up and walked back over to Mei.

"Mei, you must fix what I've broken. Can I leave Kiri to you?"

Mei smiled at Yagura. "You can count on me, Mizukage-sama."

Yagura sighed and closed his eyes.

"Thank you, Mei."

Yagura turned and walked over to the jinchūriki group. He allowed himself a slight, sad smile.

"Well then, shall we depart? I know a few places we should check out next if no one else does."

-Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire)-

Roshi grunted at Yagura's newest intelligence.

"Let me get this straight, Konoha has the Kyūbi jinchūriki…"

Yagura nodded.

"Yes."

Roshi grunted again.

"And he is currently listed as an Uzumaki, the clan of ridiculous stamina and longevity and globally feared fūinjutsu?"

Yagura nodded again.

"Indeed."

Roshi frowned.

"And not only that, but he's the spitting image of the Yondaime Hokage, possibly the strongest ninja of all time and no other village has figured this out, and the only reason you know is because Akatsuki knows and they were controlling you."

Yagura nodded once more.

"That about sums it up."

Roshi looked at Yagura.

"How is it that Konoha hasn't crushed us all?"

All the other ninja responded at once.

"Softies."

"Naruto…"

Iruka watched as his student ran off into the distance, the fūma shuriken in his back preventing him from giving chase.

"Hehehe, Naruto isn't the type of person to have a change of heart. I think he's planning to use the scroll to get revenge," Mizuki taunted, "You saw those eyes earlier; the eyes of a real demon."

Iruka pulled the shuriken out of his back.

"Naruto…isn't like that!"

However, both Mizuki and Iruka froze. Mizuki suddenly began to smirk and laugh.

"Hehehe, looks like I know him better than you. Just feel that chakra that just appeared. Only one kind of person has a chakra signature that strong…."

Naruto ran, tears streaming down his eyes. The tears blinded him, which is why he ran headlong into a tree.

Naruto rubbed his face, crying some more, as he looked up at the 'tree' he hit. He then discovered he hit no tree at all, but a large, muscular, dark-skinned man.

"Yo yo yo, little Naruto! Don't cry now little Nine, with the Hachibi here, everything will be fine! Yeah!"

Naruto looked up at the strange man.

"W-Who are you?"

Bee began his signature pose, with his hands held out in front of him.

"When you've got power to spare, you shine, you glare! The Hachibi is the quintessential Killer Bee! Hip-Hip-Hooray!"

Bee got down and pointed to the 'Iron' tattoo on his shoulder.

"Now, you see, you're just like me! Demons with in, we're the jinchūriki! Whee!"

Naruto blinked.

"Just…like me?"

Yagura walked out from behind a tree.

"Yes, Naruto-kun. We all have bijū sealed inside of us, just like you."

Bee smiled.

"We're the jinchūriki family!"

Naruto blinked again.

"F-Family?"

"That's right, Naruto-kun."

Yugito stepped out from another tree behind Naruto and knelt down, giving Naruto an embrace and a warm smile.

"We'll take care of you, and protect you with our lives."

The unexpected display of affection was too much for Naruto, who broke down and resumed crying, then turned around and grabbed onto Yugito.

Suddenly a fūma shuriken shot at Naruto and Yugito. As Bee grabbed it out of the air, Mizuki leapt into the clearing.

"Aha! Die you little demon bra…GAH!"

"LARIAT!"

As Mizuki landed, Bee slammed his arm into Mizuki's chest, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

"Don't you mean 'may I please attempt to fight you oh mighty and powerful jinchūriki lord?'"

Naruto watched as his new family easily crushed the man who had called him a demon and tried to kill him. A smile crept onto his face.

"Yeah! Don't mess with me! Uzumaki Naruto, jinchū…whatever it was, dattebayo!"

The other jinchūriki chuckled. Mizuki remained silent as he was completely unconscious and having trouble breathing as it was. With that, Naruto grabbed Bee and Yugito's hands as they led him off into a new life.

Back in the Hokage's office, Sandaime Hokage was rubbing his temples after what he saw with his crystal ball.

"Well, Kushina would probably approve and the council will shut up now. Jiraiya and Kakashi are going to kill me for this though…"

-Entrance to Takigakure-

Fū swam to the edge of the lake and plopped herself on the beach. She crawled up to the nearest tree and leaned against it. She wrapped her arms around her knees as she started to cry.

"How on earth do you know where the entrance to Takigakure is?"

"I'm the former Mizukage and pawn of Akatsuki."

"You use that for everything."

Fū looked up and saw a strange group of people approaching her. A young, blonde boy around her age suddenly smiled, waved, and ran over to her.

"Hey! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What's your name?"

Fū tried to hide behind the tree.

"G-Go away!"

Naruto looked stunned.

"Huh, why?"

Fū looked down and her eyes began watering again.

"Because no one wants to be friends with a demon like me!"

Fū began crying again. The boy would now run or call her names and the adults with him would start beating her, but she didn't care anymore. Let them.

However, Fū was utterly surprised when Naruto grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Like heck that would matter to me! Come on, you can be my friend and join our family!"

Fū was stunned. This boy…wanted to be friends with her? Even when he knew she was a demon? This was too good to be true. She looked up at the adults, expecting a disapproving look and a fist. However, she was surprised again as the entire group was smiling at her.

"What is your name, little one?"

Fū let out a sniffle as she wiped new tears from her eyes.

"F-Fū"

Naruto gave her a massive grin.

"Hi Fū! I'm Naruto! You can be my little brother, dattebayo!"

All the adults face-palmed while Fū suddenly stopped moving. Naruto turned around and looked at her, completely oblivious to his impending doom.

"Huh? What's wrong, Fū?"

-Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind)-

Four Suna shinobi gathered around a fire, silently eating. Three of the ninja continuously and nervously glanced at the fourth, also the youngest of the group. The youngest suddenly stood up. The eldest of the group cleared his throat.

"Gaara, where are you going?"

The youngest glanced back at the group.

"To confirm my existence."

The three Suna nin gulped and quickly looked away. When Gaara got like this, trying to stop him was suicide.

Gaara walked a ways from the camp when a large, dark-skinned, muscular man stepped in front on him. Gaara began smiling maniacally.

"Let me feel alive!"

Gaara thrust his hands forward, sand rising behind him and launching him at the man. The man launched his hand into the air, forming a rocker symbol.

"WHEEEEEEE!"

Red chakra exploded out of the man, stopping Gaara's sand. The man launched himself at Gaara, pulling his arm back.

"Lariat!"

Gaara's eyes widened as the man easily burst through his sand shield and slammed into his chest, sending him rolling across the ground.

"Whee! Can't touch the Hachibi jinchūriki!"

Gaara's eyes widened further.

"J-Jinchūriki?"

"Yes, Gaara-kun, all of us are."

Gaara's eyes widened more as seven more people stepped out in front of him. One blonde boy ran straight up to him and reached for his hand. To Gaara's surprise, the sand didn't try to stop him, as if the boy meant no harm.

"Hi! My name is Uzumaki Naruto and we're you're new family, dattebayo! What's your name?"

Gaara just stared at the boy holding his hand.

"F-family? But…"

Gaara suddenly clutched at his head. However, Bee placed a hand, still covered in red chakra, on Gaara's shoulder. To Gaara's surpise, 'Mother's' shouting suddenly stopped.

"Come on, listen to little Nine. Come with us, everything will be fine!"

Another child Gaara's age ran up and grabbed one of his hands while Naruto again grabbed the other.

"Hi! I'm Fū! Let's go play, Gaara!"

Gaara's eyes widened as images flashed before his eyes. Suddenly, he felt desires and emotions well up inside of him that he hadn't felt in many years. Gaara looked down at the hands holding his, then looked up into the smiling faces of the two children in front of him. He let a smile creep onto his face.

"Y-Yes…Let's…."

The adult jinchūriki gathered and sat in a circle while Naruto and Fū introduced Gaara to the other children in the group. Yugito spoke up first.

"Now that we're all gathered, what are we going to do?"

Yugito looked to Roshi.

"Why are you looking at me, lass?"

A vein bulged in Yugito's forehead.

"Because you started this, old man! Didn't you think of a plan besides let's all get together?"

Roshi shrugged.

"Seemed like a tough enough feat by itself at the time."

As Yugito sighed, Yagura pulled out a scroll.

"If I may?"

The other jinchūriki nodded.

"I propose our next course of action is to establish a base of operations, perhaps even the start of a minor village of our own."

Utakata raised an eyebrow.

"You have a location in mind?"

Yagura nodded.

"A location few people ever visit, yet that may hold some important secrets. A location that, if the report I just received is correct, may still possess the facilities we need."

Yagura pointed to his chosen location. The other jinchūriki smiled.

"Ah, that makes perfect sense," said Han.

Yugito nodded. "Not to mention we conveniently brought the only key."

Roshi stood up.

"It's decided then."

Bee, to everyone's dismay, began rapping.

"All right! This trip's going to be cool! Let's make our way, to the hidden Whirlpool!"

-Uzushiogakure-

The group made their way through the deserted island. It was eerie how little lived here. Even Naruto and Bee were abnormally quiet under the oppressive atmosphere. Yagura held up his hand, stopping the group.

"Here we are, Uzushiogakure."

In front of the group was a dismal sight. A river separated the once mighty village, which now consisted of broken high rises and the ruins of old structures. Everywhere on the devastated buildings were the swirl patterns of Uzushiogakure.

"Hey, those are the patterns on Iruka-sensei's jacket!"

Yagura nodded and patted Naruto's head, despite being only slightly taller than the young boy.

"Yes, Uzushiogakure and Konoha were once the closest allies. Konoha adopted Uzu's symbol as a token of friendship. However, that friendship outlasted the village itself."

The group made their way through the ruins, Naruto and Fū moving closer to Yugito as they did. Hotaru similarly moved towards Utakata, to his dismay, while Omoi began listing all the bad things that could happen. Yagura held his hand up once more, stopping the group. In front of them was what once had been a town center. In the center of the clearing was a large pond.

"Here we are; the entrance to Uzushiogakure's final stronghold."

The other jinchūriki looked around and then sweat-dropped.

"So, how do we get in?" asked Roshi.

Yagura motioned for Naruto. Yugito pushed Naruto forward. Yagura took Naruto and knelt by the pond.

"Hold on, Naruto-kun, this might sting."

Yagura pulled out a kunai and pricked Naruto's finger, then held Naruto's hand over the lake. As Naruto's blood hit the water, it began swirling towards the center of the lake instead of diffusing. Soon, the water began spinning and a whirlpool formed, draining the water down. In the now dry lake stood an entrance to a stairway. The group made their way down the stair case. At the bottom stood a massive wall with the symbol of Uzushiogakure on it, with two torches hanging from the side walls. Yagura motioned for Naruto to step forward once again. As he did, the symbol on the wall lit up, and the wall split apart and began sliding open. In the center of the opening stood a man; a man who was transparent and glowing.

"Greetings."

"G-GHOST!"

The man chuckled while Naruto (and Fū and Karui) all screamed and hid behind Yugito.

"Do not be afraid, young one."

The ghost stepped towards Naruto and held out a hand. Naruto gulped, but took a step out as Yugito nodded at him.

"Who are you, ghost-man?"

"Naruto!" Yugito yelled, "Show some respect!"

However, the ghost simply chuckled as he took Naruto's hand.

"You are definitely Kushina's. I am Uzumaki Kiyomori, last leader of Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto suddenly grinned.

"Hey, Uzumaki! That means you're part of my clan, dattebayo!"

The ghost again chuckled.

"Well, technically it's my clan, young one, seeing as I'm the leader."

Naruto frowned.

"But, you're dead! So doesn't that make me the leader now?"

The Uzumaki ghost laughed at Naruto's response.

"Tell you what, you can be the leader of all the living Uzumaki, how's that sound?"

Naruto grinned and nodded, satisfied with this arrangement. Yugito, emboldened by the casual exchange, asked the question on everyone else's mind.

"Kiyomori-sama, how is it that you are still alive?"

Kiyomori turned around and smiled at Yugito.

"Excellent question, Yugito. As you all may know, Uzushiogakure was destroyed by a joint sneak attack by Konoha's enemies. The attack was brutal, only our pre-emptive trap seals allowed any of us to survive the first wave. Konoha didn't have any forces in the area at the time, so we knew they wouldn't be able to respond in time. However, we didn't want our sealing techniques to fall into the hands of our enemies. In order to protect our secrets, we sealed all of our valuables and techniques in this hidden, underground fortress. I sealed my own soul and chakra into this hideout, thus binding myself to it and becoming its eternal guardian even beyond my body's limits. I am able to continuously adjust the seals and add new ones to the defense, preventing anyone from entering against my will. This kept Uzushiogakure's secrets safe, and allowed several Uzumaki clan members to survive the attack. However, no one wanted to remain in a village now destroyed, so the rest of the survivors spread out into the world. Ah, here we are."

Kiyomori led them to a central chamber with the Uzushiogakure symbol engraved on the ground.

"I sensed you are all jinchūriki, I assume the jinchūriki are gathering together and forming their own village?"

The jinchūriki nodded.

"Good, for far too long the people of this world spat on you for the protection you provide them. Now, if you'd all line up in the center of the room I would take a look at your seals. Don't worry, if I was your enemy you never would have gotten this far. I just want to see if everyone's seals are up to standard."

The jinchūriki all lined up in order of tail number. Kiyomori walked up to Gaara first, and Gaara revealed his seal. Kiyomori immediately frowned.

"Who made this seal? An Uzu academy student could have done a better job than this! The way this seal is designed provides no protection whatsoever against the bijū within; the bearer would suffer insomnia lest the Shukaku immediately devour him." Kiyomori's hand began glowing, and he began drawing over Gaara's seal. It took him around fifteen minutes before he was satisfied. Once he finished, Gaara immediately fell to the ground.

"Gaara!"

Kiyomori smiled. "Don't worry. His body is simply trying to catch up on sleep now that he no longer needs to resist Shukaku. Now, who's next?"

One by one, Kiyomori examined the jinchūriki's seals, altering them as needed. Kiyomori was quite appalled at the shabby seal work, though not as appalled as at Gaara's seal. Everyone could see the relief on his face when he got to Bee's seal.

"Ah, finally. Your seal wasn't ideal, but it wasn't bad either. I assume though you have the most control over your bijū."

Bee smiled.

"Hachibi-sama and I are partners, for the Hachibi is the quintessential Killer Bee! Whee!"

Kiyomori chuckled.

"As I thought, your seal didn't need as much work. Finally you, young one. May I see your seal?"

Naruto lifted his shirt and began channeling chakra. Kiyomori stared at the seal for a bit, rubbing his chin. Suddenly he smiled and laughed.

"Your seal has 'Kushina' written all over it, yet it doesn't seem to have been her work. There's something there I never thought she would come up with. Come, Naruto-kun, I have a surprise for you."

Kiyomori led Naruto and the group down one of the hallways. They walked for about ten minutes before stopping at a door covered in seals. Kiyomori raised a glowing hand and touched several of the symbols, then opened the door. The room inside had many glowing crystals, and an elaborate seal on the far wall.

"This is where I am sealed to this building."

All the jinchūriki looked around, taking in the room. Kiyomori went to the far wall and began drawing on it with a glowing hand. He continued to draw in silence for about twenty minutes before turning back to Naruto. There were now two more seal symbols on the wall, similar in design to the original symbol but with minor differences.

"Naruto-kun, please hold still."

Kiyomori performed some hand-signs, then placed his palm on Naruto's stomach. A seal appeared over Naruto's bijū seal, and soon two streams of glowing energy began growing out of the seal on Naruto's stomach. The streams moved slowly towards the seals on the wall, connecting and causing the wall seals to glow. They lasted for about five minutes, then vanished. The symbols on the wall kept glowing for another minute, then began fading.

Two more ghostly figures walked out of the wall from the two symbols. One was a young woman with bright red hair. The other…well, everyone in the room immediately recognized the other. The young woman looked at Naruto, and then a giant smile grew on her face.

"NARUTO!" The woman leapt at the boy and smothered him in a hug. Naruto was stunned as the ghostly woman cried.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto! I wanted to be there for you! Your life was so hard and it was all my fault."

Naruto, however, along with everyone else in the room, had their eyes glued on the other figure.

"Yon…Yon…"

The ghostly man chuckled and rubbed Naruto's head.

"YONDAIME HOKAGE?" Everyone in the room cried out in shock.

Kiyomori smiled.

"Naruto, it's my honor to introduce you to Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, your parents."