"spoken"

'thought'

"summon speech"

[summon mind-speech]

Seven Forbidden Summons

isdh

ch 03

Naruto sat on the roof of his building.

He had a long day; when he and his team finished their meeting, he had followed the memories of a few popped clones to a clearing where fourteen of his clones were trying to climb trees.

"Anko-Sensei, why am I getting memory flashes of you killing me?" he asked

"mm?" Anko looked up from her supply of travel Dango. "Oh, that. The greatest asset of the Kage Bushin, you get the memories when the clone is dispelled. It can help in the learning of Jutsu, as it is helping you right now with tree climbing." she slid the skewer across her tongue, "Get over there and climb the trees!"

Naruto had jumped to. It was not until he was hanging from a branch, thirty feet above the floor, panting that he knew what he had done...

Now, after a quick shower, a few cups of instant ramen, he was in a pair of shorts, on the roof, watching the sun set, as Valefore danced on the last of the golden rays.

'Why did I have better control when you picked me up?' he cast his thoughts to the skyward.

[simple, you focused through me. Unlike your clones, I am not a chakra construct, but I...feed on your chakra. All of of us Aeons do. As you grow stronger, both in power and in control, so will we. Now I will never match say Bahumet, in raw power, but as your summon, I could beat Bahumet summoned by another.]

'who?' Naruto frowned.

[He would be your fifth summon, if you grow strong enough.] the Phoenix dropped to hover before the boy. [I must tell you, there are three ways we can aid you. There is like how I am now, your partner, a separate unit, able to fly overhead, carry you, and scout ahead. My attacks are wing buff, tail slap, and snatch. Once every ten minutes or so, I can use 'cosmic ray' to inflict great damage, but it takes time to recharge. The next step is bonded. This is where I become part of you. My tendrils pierce your flesh, and you and I are fused. Our gifts are not just combined, but greater then the sum of power. Third, you become the Aeon. Our power is doubled again, weaknesses are limited, but not removed entirely. The last step, is known as the finial Aeon. You will not learn that until you have mastered all Nine of Us.]

'nine? Thought there were only seven of you.'

[There are at least nine of us, but only seven were sealed to that scroll. You will have to to face the Gods themselves to take Yunalesca. Only she can grant you the finial Aeon.] the avian head rubbed into his chest, [but that I will not allow to happen, not at this time. If you have mastered the summoning of all seven of us, and the bonding with all seven of us...] the great head rose, as the beast returned to the night sky. [ we will see, Master.]

Naruto stretched, and returned to his apartment, and to bed. His dreams that night were filled with images of fly, of fighting dragons, and of pretty girls dancing in the light of fireflies.

The next morning Naruto arrived at the bridge, chewing on a bean bun, and running twenty minutes late. Two facts that his pink haired teammate was quick to point out. Both at the top of her lungs, in his face, and she tried to reinforce them both with her fist. The first one Naruto just ducted, the second, he caught.

"Sakura-Chan. In the Academy, I took your abuse, for the attention that it was. As your teammate, I will not, can not. Because we are genin teammates, and the rules clearly state that we can not date, not without risking our Hitai-ate, you are nothing but my teammate. You are the light on my path to getting stronger."

"Where did you hear that pile of crap, dobe?" the Emo Uchiha asked from where he leaned on the rail of the bridge.

"Hokage-Jiji told me back before I joined the academy. 'The best way, both in speed and power, to grow stronger is to keep your friends and teammates close, for they light the way to greatness.'" the blond smiled, "The elders are his teammates from when he was a genin himself. Danzo is his rival. The whole team/rival thing has worked for them, it should also work for us. I am strong from my gifts, but only through training with and against you, will I become stronger." he pulled another bean bun from under his jacket, offering it to his team, "want one?"

"We were told to skip breakfast." Sakura scowled at the boy.

Naruto looked at the Uchiha who just shook his head. "He said, no breakfast unless you like vomiting. It takes a lot to make me vomit." Naruto hopped up on the bridge rail, and began to munch on the bean bun.

Twenty minutes later...

[He approaches. He is reading his book.] Naruto saw the Jonin-sensei from the aeons view point, due to the meditative state he was in. [should we attack?]

'No, not at this time.' Naruto sent back, as he unfolded from his position. 'the fact that you almost always with me, needs to be kept quiet for now.' He stretched, "Sensei approaches."

"About damn time!" Sakura-san yelled as the gray haired Jonin-sensei arrived.

The Jonin just shrugged.

There they stood, two bells hanging from the belt of the Jonin-sensei. Naruto jerked his head at where the other two genin had run off to.

"Something tells me that this is more then it seems." the blond scratched his head. 'Did you see where they went?' he cast his thoughts upward.

[I did. The male is in the tree off your 7oclock, the female in the bushes on your 5.]

"You were not fully clear on the instructions." Naruto squatted, 'How do I Summon the Fire Beast?' he sent to his bird in the sky, "the only goal is to get the bells? Or is this something bigger?" he cocked his head. "I am facing off with the Ninjutsu master of the Village, a former ANBU captain, who only took off his mask and accepted a team because only he could help train us, the two orphans, in our Clan Arts."

[a bit of blood and a mass of chakra applied to your seal that he gave you. Are you really going to summon him?]

'Not if I do not have to. I just want all my options open for the time.' He grinned. A quick hand seal and twenty clones surrounded him. A nod at two of them, and they puffed into smoke. Naruto showed the two bells to Kakashi. From his position squatting three meters from the Jonin-sensei, waved the bells in his fingers at the one eyed man.

The man clutched the bells hanging from his belt, only to have them puff into smoke as the clones playing the bells on his belt were popped. "How?"

"My Henge crossed with the replacement jutsu." Naruto shrugged "The things you pick up in the back alleys of the Village." his fist closed over the bells in his palm. "As I was saying, there is no way a genin could have a chance against you unless we were 'suppa ninja'. I doubt we could get you even if we worked together. Sasuke is good, he is from one of the best Clans the Village ever had. But he is not that good. The Only reason I am so good in taijutsu, is because I can soak damage that would cripple most chunin. The Villagers have helped me by beating me, poisoning me, and even starving me." he heard a small gasp from the bushes off his right. "I learned a few things about my Clan. We are power horses in the chakra reserves. But as the last son, I am needing teaching." he stood, and waved the bells at Kakashi-Sensei. "Taking these, from a Jonin of your skill..." he spat. "impossible!" the bells popped into two clones.

"And the real bells?" the eye brow cocked.

"Snagged, with a replacement jutsu, like I said. I just never took them, myself." the blond shrugged. "now I got the bells off you, but I did it alone. I pass the basic test. Now the real test, is not the bells, but rather teamwork."

"And your teammates?" the Jonin asked.

"Sasuke is good. Maybe the best of the rest. Sakura is the best in the academy, but outside those walls, she will be an easy target, her hair, her scent..." his grin turned feral, "Her voice."

"Just like her mother, then." the jonin reached over and shut off the alarm clock. "Team Failed!"

"What!" Sakura stood up, "Why!"

"Because, we entered this thinking it was a test of personal skill." Sasuke dropped from his tree. "When it was a test of our teams abilities." He nodded to the blond, "the Dobe was correct, my skill alone against even a basic jonin of this Village, is not enough to claim one of these bells." he pulled a bell from his pocket, before tossing it to the jonin. "He has lift, but his placement needs work."

Sakura started patting her pockets before she found the bell. "How did I get this?"

Kakashi-Sensei frowned at the blond. "You three have one week to improve. I want real team work here, not just what looks good before the council." the Jonin vanished.

"So, Naruto. How did you know where we were?" Sasuke strolled forward.

"A little bird told me." Naruto put his hands in his pockets. "So, what are we going to do?"

Sakura-Chan slammed the door behind her as she swept into the house.

"Home so soon?" her mother called from the kitchen, "Knew you could do it!"

"That's just it." the girl called back, "We failed."

"What?" the pink-haired mother and high councilor swept into the room. A plate of cookies in her hands. "How can you have failed? You and the Uchiha were the best in the academy?" She frowned, "Was it that blond-baka that cost you your victory?"

"No Mom." the girl sighed, "If anything, he was the one to come closest to passing. He got the targets off the Jonin's belt. He then split them between Sasuke-kun and me. Then he went on to babble something about how the test was not about getting the bells, but rather how well we worked as a team." she picked up a cookie, and nibbled on it. "We cost him, but he held no anger on that, as this a team test, and we were not a team."

"Now what?" her mother frowned. Plans running through her mind. She had worked hard, traded favors, even paid, to get her little girl on the Uchiha's team.

"We were the best in class. Now the dead-last just beat the test given to a team, by himself." she sighed before looking at her mother, "We have a week to improve, before we are tested again. Naruto was willing to do some team bonding, but Sasuke-kun wanted to the day to think. We are meeting early in the morning. Naruto said something about a breakfast meeting. Then some commit about where to go, as he knows that I dislike ramen." she smiled weakly, "What did he mean about that?"

"As a favor to me, many places about the village will not serve him. Those that do, over charge. The only one to ignore my request was that Ramen Cook and his daughter."

"Why?" the young Kunoichi asked, "If I am to be his teammate, mother, you are going to have to reverse that request."

"Then we will see about removing him your team."

"Why Mother?" Sakura pulled away from her mother.

"Because that Demon killed your Father!" the woman hissed. "Just as it killed the Fourth, and what did our precious Hokage do? He coddled it!" the hate really took over the the gentle face that she knew and loved. "It Destroyed our Village, killed half of our Ninja, Butchered the Fourth! The only thing keeping us safe from War with the Iwa and Kumo."

"What Demon?" the pained look on the girl's face triggered a wave of feelings in her Mother.

"The Kyubi." she hissed, "And to mock us, It is using the face of our great Fourth."

Sasuke wondered into the private clan Library. He passed the area that he normally went to, the Jutsu section, heading instead to the history section. He moved into the founding of the Village. Pulling out a

scroll from the shelf, he skimmed through it until he came to a section where the historian was writing right at him

Beware those who threaten the Uzumaki. Masters they are of the very seals that this Village and Nation take for granted, Uzumaki, while not of the Village at this time, are the main reason we still stand. Our own Madra tried to take this Village, and it is through Uzumaki that he failed. Even as I write this I feel her eyes boring into me. The First has taken her as his wife, but the ties between the Senju and the Uzumaki have always been tight.

The Uzumaki are a threat to our power, yes. But only because they hone our blades. Never think you are better then them, for they are the best of all. They may be few, but those damned few have held off great forces of enemy nations, and walked away with losses of maybe a dozen, compared to the losses of their enemies numbering in the hundreds if not thousands.

They are not called the bloody Naruto for nothing.

He frowned, 'complete garbage, as if they were so great, what happened to them?' he tossed the scroll back with a grunt of disdain. As he turned away, he saw another scroll, labeled 'Fall of the Uzu'

he pulled it from the stacks.

It is with great pride, and greater shame that I report the fall of the Village hidden in the Whirlpools. Great pride in that through great stealth, cunning, planning, We have all bur destroyed the Uzumaki. It took the combined might of three Villages, but the Whirlpool fell this morning. The battle lasted six days, and severely crippled the Assaulting Villages. We would begin our mission to loot...ah, to scavenge the scrolls and artifacts that are buried with in the ruin, but we lost a platoon of thirty this afternoon, as they encountered a barrier jutsu so massive that it blinded those watching.

Our best Seal master says that to pass the jutsu, we will need a blood heir. Young Fugaku has accepted the mission of wooing the young female Uzumaki in the village. It is our only hope of claiming the vast treasures that lay sealed away, below our very feet.

'How could Father have failed?' the young frowned as he rolled the scroll up to take with him. This called for more research.