The Chains of Fate

What if Naruto had a Bloodline from the very start of the series, a minor one but useful none-the-less? What would change for Naruto if he had access to the Uzumaki's Special Chakra?

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On the day he was born Uzumaki Naruto was orphaned.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked Konoha and his parents, he would later be told, had died in the attack. The truth of that night would be kept a secret from much longer though. Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato's names would be scratched from almost all public records, the files destroyed, the truth of the Yondaime Hokage and the Nidaime Kyuubi Jinchuriki would be lost to written word…

At age four he joined the Shinobi Academy.

It was a surprised Sarutobi Hiruzen that received the request. Naruto had seemed like such a peaceful boy whenever he visited the orphanage, never mentioning the possibility of becoming a Shinobi. The fact of the matter would have depressed him so much more: The orphanage caretaker and Naruto had come to an understanding, if Naruto became an Academy student and showed that he wouldn't be dropped from the program, then one or both of them could request that Naruto be removed from the building. The two did not get along, but they both wanted Naruto out of the place. In fact the old caretaker, a retired Shinobi of little renown, had gone as far as to show Naruto a few tricks when he was struggling, just so Naruto wouldn't be dropped from the program before the first year was up.

At age five he got his own apartment.

When the first year was finally over Naruto and the caretaker had jointly gone to the Hokage and requested that Naruto be removed from the orphanage. As a member of the Academy, the caretaker had said, Naruto was learning dangerous skills that could, even unintentionally, harm his other wards. Naruto on the other hand agreed and put in that he would have a harder time studying with the distractions caused by the civilian's and the fact that they seemed, ignorantly, interested in messing with his Shinobi supplies. In the end Naruto was set up with an older apartment that was near the Konoha Market District and a monthly stipend. Amicably the caretaker and Naruto parted, only getting along when Naruto was set up to leave… The irony was not lost on the caretaker who was actually starting to regret his actions towards the boy…

At age six he failed the graduation test for the Academy for the first time.

Though by any estimation he had tried to take the test entirely too early. The Academy was set up in a manner that allowed students to try and graduate early, provided three things: The student has been in Academy for at least two years, with no less than two years between attempts at the graduation test. The student must be passing in all subjects, even if just barely. And last they must have permission from at least one teacher. When Naruto had tried for the first time he had felt confident, though the mere fact that he hadn't been taught any of the ninjutsu in order to pass had been a problem. The young teacher who had given him the ok had seemed to of forgotten that Naruto didn't have a clan to teach him the Academy basics, as many others did… Meaning he should have waited at least another three years to try and graduate anyway…

At age seven the Sandaime told him about his Clan.

The year that had followed had shown a depressed Naruto, who couldn't find anyone to teach him the Basics Three, as they were called: The Clone Technique, the Transformation Technique, and the Substitution Technique. In his depression he had received a visit from the Sandaime, who had asked him to tell him what was wrong. The young boy had responded with how unfair it was, that so many of his schoolmates had been able to learn the Basic Three from their families and how he couldn't because he was just a clanless orphan, that others were taught all kinds of abilities while he and so many others worked as hard as they could to no end, since those with clans were able to perform so much better by using their Bloodlines, Clan Techniques and Taijutsu styles, and the help of their large families to receive all kinds of training and equipment that others, like himself, couldn't.

Hiruzen decided to cheer the boy up by telling him something he hadn't known: Uzumaki was a Clan name.

"Your father, Naruto, was a great Shinobi, but your mother was the one from a Noble Clan." The man had told him, making the boy go wide eyed. Noble Clan's were those that had helped found one of the Hidden Villages. "The Uzumaki Clan came from the small but powerful village of Uzushiogakure no Sato. The Uzumaki made them feared throughout the Elemental Nations for their amazing abilities with Fuinjutsu. In fact they were also allied with the Shodai Hokage and the Senju Clan of the Forest and that fact is actually why Konoha Shinobi have the Spiral on their uniforms, to show that Konoha is loyal to the Uzumaki still, trusting them to fight alongside them when the time comes."

The remainder of the day and into the night was spent with the Hokage regaling Naruto of his mothers clan… Never once mentioning the woman's name. At the end of the night Naruto asked if his clan had any techniques, to which Hiruzen answered truthfully that he didn't know of any that he could use, but would look into it…

At age eight he tried to graduate early again.

He failed once more, though many said that it was rare for Shinobi to graduate early without a Bloodline of some kind. This time though he didn't get depressed, he didn't cry of the injustice of it all, instead he went to the Hokage, who had been much too busy lately to visit him. Once more they talked into the night, this time though the Sandaime had a gift for his student.

"Naruto, you asked me last time if I had any techniques from the Uzumaki Clan." The man started, seeing the young boys face light up, "I am sorry to say that I have not found any." And like that he was frowning, "Instead I have decided to give you something that I believe is rightfully yours. I was going to wait until you were older, a Chuunin perhaps, but I feel that now is the right time." And with that he handed the boy a letter before taking his leave of Naruto's apartment, where they had made their way to after dinner.

'Ojii-san said that it was mine…' the young blond thought to himself, turning the blank envelope that the letter resided in.

After a few hesitant moments he broke the seal, pulling free the slightly yellowed paper with black script…

It was from his mother!

'My Dearest Child,

I'm sorry I can't be there right now; I don't know what could have happened. I felt I should say that first, as it is the only way you would be reading this, I'm sure. You've barely been conceived and yet I'm already afraid that your father or I might not be there for you. I remember that Mito-sama would tell me to write a letter to myself when I was feeling bad, so I could tell someone what was wrong without worrying that they would make fun of me for it. So I decided I would instead write a letter to you my unnamed baby, so that if it should truly happen then you can at least have one word from your mother.

Your four months old now little one, still inside my tummy and now I know you are my precious little boy. Will you be like your father, so strong and ironed willed, or like me, a bit of a menace and more than a little afraid? While I hope you grow up to be like your daddy I can't help but wish that part of me will live on through you. It will be dangerous, or so I am told by Biwako-sama, the birth that is. I am a member of the Uzumaki with our Special Chakra, as Mito-sama called it, so I was chosen as her successor. I hope it all goes well… but if it does not then I hope you too have Mito-sama's and my Special Chakra, it will help so much if Minato-kun and I fail.

Your fast approaching my little Naruto-chan, and I can already feel that you're so strong. You kick like a true Shinobi and punch as good as your mother. I am worried once more what the future may hold for us Naruto-chan. Will you have a mother? A father? A Bloodline? A Burden? I realize now that you have no Clan any longer, the Uzumaki have been gone for nearly a decade, the Chain's that bind the Uzumaki to Uzu no Kuni cut down to one… and soon two.

It seems like I am writing to you more and more as we get closer to October; that's when you'll be born by the way, right in the middle of October. I guess I'm feeling more and more worried as it goes. I remember my mother, when she gave birth to my brother Matahachi. She never seemed to have these worries. She was so calm and serene. I do remember though, before she passed away, she brought my baby brother to her, imparting words of wisdom to him before telling me that I should remember her words too. So here are some things to remember Naruto from what my mother told me and what I've added on since then:

Don't be a fussy eater, eat a lot and grow to be a big boy. Take your bath everyday and go to bed early and sleep well. Make friends, it doesn't matter how many, just make sure they're real friends, people you can trust… even a few is enough. Study your Ninjutsu, I was never very good at it, maybe you will be. Everyone has things they're good at and things they're not, so don't feel bad if you can't do it all. Make sure you listen to the teachers at the Academy. And remember to avoid the Three Vices of Shinobi. Don't borrow money if you can help it and save what you can from missions. No alcohol until your twenty and don't overdo it or you'll ruin your body. And as for women… Well… just try not to pick a weird one. Remember who you are, find a goal… a dream… And don't stop trying until it comes true… And Please don't cry like I am now sochi-kun.

One more month until you come into the world Naruto-chan, I just can't wait. I can feel it already, the Chains that Bind us together. It was a unique skill of mine, even among the Uzumaki, I could feel how people and places were bound to each other. I felt it with your father when we first met, though I wasn't too impressed with him at first, and I can feel it now with you sochi-kun. I don't know if anyone has told you, or if there will even be anyone too tell you, but you have a powerful Bloodline Naruto-chan. We Uzumaki can control the Chakra Chains that are inside us and make them real… Oh there is so much I could tell you… I know, I'll write another letter to leave to you… The Chakra Chains will come Naturally to you, just as it did to me…

Hello once more Naruto-chan. I can't wait to meet you my baby. I wrote that second letter to you… I hid it near the Memorial Stone with Kashi-kun's help. He's promised to make sure that no one touches it until you find it, he's there enough as it is. I want to say that-

Oh dear, you're here!

Love your mother, My Sochi,

Uzumaki Kushina The Nidaime Kyuubi Jinchuriki.'

He didn't know what to do, what to say… It was from his mother… it was special, it was from the heart.

She loved him.

In the morning he walked to the Hokage, asking him where the Memorial Stone was.

At age nine he awoken the Bloodline Limit he had inherited from his mother.

He was nearly a year into the New Academy session when it happened. The boy had undergone quite the change since he had failed last. When Hiruzen had asked where it had come from Naruto responded,

"My mother told me to listen to the Academy Teachers Ojii-san, so I will… How else will I reach my goal?"

Laughing in delight that his gift had done so much good he asked, "So Naruto-kun… What is your goal?"

Smiling brightly the boy looked up at the older man, "One day, I'm going to be the greatest Hokage who's ever lived!"

The Academy was still hard for the boy though, as he struggled to do the Basic Three still. He just couldn't get them! It was the Chakra Chains that did it, he knew, but it was still so frustrating. When doing jutsu the natural shape of their chakra messed up jutsu, since the handseals were supposed to give chakra, which was normally formless, shape. His chakra already had a shape, one that didn't like to be changed. According to his mothers second letter an Uzumaki with the Chakra Chains had to wake up the Bloodline before they could ever really do jutsu.

For Naruto it took a life or death situation to awaken his ability.

While the boy had not had an easy life, that was sure, it was far from a cruel one. There had been no mobs gathering to kill him, no landlord charging him an arm and a leg to stay in his apartment, and no, he wasn't kicked out of every shop and charged triple at those who would let him shop there.

There were a few shops that would not serve him, true, and a couple of times he had been swindled good. But as far as physical torment went it was just a few older civilians, Academy students, and Genin that liked to rough him up a bit. Once he had spent some time in the Academy the civilians had given up on pushing him around; a few bloody noses had solved that problem. And the Academy students weren't as much of a problem as they once were.

The Genin on the other hand were still a problem.

It was two in particular, a girl by the name of Ami and a boy named Takezo.

Ami was somewhat of a 'school bully' during the Academy, Naruto remembered, picking on everyone when she got the chance. Unfortunately she also had the skills and power to backup her antics. When she had graduated a sigh of relief had been let out by most of the students in the Academy… then they had run into the girl out and around the village. She was the epitome of Shinobi corruption, what the Shodai had placed the stepping stones for by gathering so many Shinobi in one place, the Nidaime had enabled by being more of a war leader than moral leader, and the Sandaime and Yondaime had devoted themselves to ridding Konoha of in vain. She used her position as a Genin to order the younger students around, stealing from them, using her own greater physical prowess to keep them quite, and informing the more naïve of them that she could guarantee their success or failure upon graduating from the Academy.

Takezo was nothing more than a tool to Ami, to be completely honest. They had ended up on the same team when they graduated and Ami managed to get him to go along with whatever she wanted. The boy was little more than an animal in a way. A towering specimen who studied the sword and had an amazing bloodlust. Yet like all animals he had basic needs and Ami was willing to provide one of the most physical of those needs to keep him tamed. Yet even on his own he was cruel, 'practicing' with nearly anyone he wanted, including civilians, other Genin, and Ami's 'friends' still in the Academy. If it weren't for Ami he surely would have been found out and locked away long before.

For Naruto it really was a little worse than for others. Naruto didn't have any parents for one. True, he wasn't the only orphan in the Academy, but in his case he was already a bit of an outcast compared to the standard orphan. The only real contact he had with others outside the Academy were the Sandaime, the father/daughter duo from Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, and the occasional crossing of paths when he went out to the training fields. The fact that anyone else he could try to turn to for help would probably turn a blind eye on his woes didn't help much either.

Unfortunately for Naruto also: Ami and Takezo's team used the same training field that the Sandaime had him assigned too. Since he wasn't a Shinobi he couldn't use all the training fields, but he HAD gotten permission to use one… the one Team Mitarashi used…

It wasn't everyday that the Uzumaki ran into the duo but still often enough that he had asked the Sandaime for a new area to train at.

The day his Bloodline activated was one of those days… turned terribly wrong.

As usual the sun kissed boy was out in the wooded area, today focusing on his Kata's for the Academy Style of fighting. It was a vastly inferior style to those used by the clan's, but it was all he had. One of the instructors had actually tried to teach him the style improperly once… but he wasn't stupid enough to do the style differently than what the OTHER twenty students using the style did. But I digress.

He was training in the wooded area when he heard the voices. A girl was talking calmly while boy's voice could clearly be heard screaming in pain. Running over the boy hid in the bush's, not knowing what he would see. Would it be missing nin? Or a training accident gone wrong?

No; it was an assault. Takezo was standing there grinning manically as Ami sat on top of a young boys chest. The silver haired boy was screaming at the top of his lungs, his round glasses broken in half and the glass shattered all over. It was the knife point being dragged across his bared chest that made the boy yell though.

The blond was sickened. He remembered the boy from one of his earlier classes two years ago. Ami and Takezo's teammate: Kabuto.

"What did she think she would accomplish?" he would later ask himself when he next met the tortured genin, and mere hours from now he would think "What did I think I would accomplish?"

Grabbing one of his kunai the boy leapt from his hiding spot, rushing past the intimidating older boy and tackled Ami off of Kabuto's chest, trying to hit her with the ringed pommel of the tool. He managed to get flipped over and found a boot in his back and his arm being pulled up in a most painful manner.

"Fucking brat!" the girl yelled, quickly twisting his arm and making his shoulder scream out in main.

Naruto could feel the pain, the pressure slowly rising, 'She's going to dislocate it!' he realized, preparing himself for the pain that never came.

Her words were muffled to him, but Takezo was following her orders when he came up and lifted his great block of wood that he called a bokken. No, Ami wasn't going to hurt him, she was going to KILL him! As he watched the wood come down he was suddenly jerked away by his arm painfully, as Ami was tackled away once more, this time by Kabuto. A loud cracking resonated through the clearing.

Looking up the child saw Kabuto wrestling indignantly with the smaller girl, his leg bent an awkward angle and a slight bulge in the middle of his shin, while the much bigger kenjutsu used marched towards him, a terrible grin on his face. With a wordless shout the boy brought the stick down and Naruto his hands up. A loud cracking coming about once more, this time as the bokken broke, having landed on the sturdy metal that covered the Uzumaki's arms.

Both of them looked dumbfounded at the shiny blue-grey chains that covered the nine year olds arms, until Naruto reacted and jumped up, clothslining the older boy with on of his now much bigger and heavier arms, getting a satisfying crackle and choking sound. Thinking quickly he unraveled his 'chains' and tied the other boy up. As he secured him the adrenaline began to fade and the chains still on his arms disappeared, retreating slowly into his palms where they had apparently come from.

At some point when he was working the chain had separated from itself and he was able to knot the chain shut, watching amusedly as the chain seemed to tighten itself of its own accord…

And then, when he realized what had happened and the last of the chains slithered into his palms Naruto stopped and stared at his hands.

"YATTA! I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT!" the blue eyed boy said jumping up and hugging the silver haired genin as he tied up Ami in wire, clearly having disabled her while grappling.

The other boy smiled in bewilderment, offering congratulations before wincing in pain and` getting dragged off to the hospital by the blond, where shortly after they reported Ami and Takezo.

At age ten he decided to wait the extra year to graduate instead of taking the test early once more

He truly felt it was for the best. He still didn't know the Basic Three, his Taijutsu was subpar at best, and while his accuracy was fairly decent he was, to put it lightly, failing the academic's portion of his education.

Naruto realized he had been putting too much time into his personal interest. While the training he was doing was important, his school work wasn't improving and he would never be graded on his skills with the Uzumaki's Special Chakra, or the Chakra Chains as it was also known.

Well… not entirely true: No he would never be tested on it, but he had been able to help his school work a little. After all, now he could use the Kawarimi jutsu nearly perfectly and was close, he was sure, to figuring out how to move his chakra chains to do a Henge. It was slow going though; Chakra Chains would move where he wanted, how he wanted, and quite quickly, but they did not like changing their shape.

It was like a blacksmiths puzzle. You look at it and it seems impossible, that the parts couldn't possibly be moved properly without breaking of bending them. Once you move it though, make it contort within its own parameters the puzzle would click, everything would fall into place and, most importantly in the case of the Uzumaki, you now knew the secret to the problem and could solve it with ease from there on.

But for the time being he would just keep practicing.

At age eleven Naruto failed to graduate from the academy.

For the last time…

The opening chapter to a little idea that has been hopping around in my mind for a while. I have a million and one ideas for stories and no decent writing skills, so here you go, enjoy. If you want to use it or flesh it out more let me know so I can read the story. If you want I also have quite a bit of the Chakra Chains Kekkei Genkai planned out and will post it if you want.