A/N: What's up guys, it's Kozu here, and I'm bringing to you a new installment of Naruto! Now I know that I have been gone for a long time, and I've made some promises that I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. The readers deserve better than this, I know. I've been around the site, trying to find some inspiration for some of my stories. Safe to say I failed. To be honest, I felt so conflicted about beginning new stories because I had really wanted to finish my previous ones first. Bu t I can't keep my thoughts all bottled up anymore. This story now, I gained some inspiration from the samurai naruto fics out there, such as The Ninja Samurai, as well as Better Left Unsaid and Drifting, all great Naruto fics.(I highly recommend you check those out.) I pray to whatever higher power that is out there to keep me on track with this story. Wish me luck.

Disclaimer. I don't own anything Naruto franchise nor anything of the One Piece franchise.

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

"Inner conversation"

"Higher Entity Speaking"

Techniques

Naruto had always been a curious boy. Whenever something peaked his interest, he did what he could to find out about it. One time, he had seen a small orange book that had a man and lady running about, hearts all about the cover. He had asked his jiji, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, what the book was about. Hiruzen refused, telling Naruto that he will tell him when he is older. So Naruto asked his Onii-chan, Inu. Inu was reluctant, but Naruto persisted, even threatening to tell Neko-neechan about the time where Inu peeped on the ladies in the bathhouse. And that, my friends, is why Naruto knows where babies come from.

That being said, one day, he had heard of the word Samurai, said by the Hokage just as young Naruto entered his office for one of their annual meetings, Naruto questioned him about it.

"Jiji-san, what's a samurai?" Naruto asked. Hiruzen cleared his throat and addressed the boy.

"Well hello Naruto, it's good to see you." Naruto hurriedly jumped into Hiruzen's arms, embracing his surrogate grandfather. "Why did you want to know?"

"It's cuz I just heard you talking about them, and about a place called Tetsu no Kuni. Are they like shinobi? Do they use cool jutsu that can, like, make iron fall from the sky or something?" Naruto was very anxious to know about samurai, and was bouncing in Hiruzen's lap. The old man sighed, and prepared for a long explanation.

"Yes, Naruto, samurai are somewhat like shinobi, but they don't use jutsu. You see Naruto, the samurai are experts of the blade, some are even masters. They are from a time before shinobi, before the world of ninjutsu. They are fierce warriors, fighting by and for honor, as their code, Bushidō, dictates. The samurai can use chakra like shinobi, but use it as a way to empower their blades, through the use of form manipulation. Though they are rare in this day and age, they still hold a very notable place in the world, as the main military force of Tetsu no Kuni." Hiruzen noted that Naruto had hung onto every one of his words, his eyes wide in admiration.

"WOW! That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. He then froze for a moment, his expression forced into a form of wonder. "Jiji, why is it that samurai are rare nowadays?" Hiruzen gave the boy a solemn look as he regaled the fall of the samurai.

"It's because, Naruto, their code of Bushido limits their abilities to service the daimyo. It prevents them from carrying out assassinations and other activities that the code deems dishonorable. Us shinobi have no such limitations, which has allowed the daimyo to expand their power through use of subterfuge and political intrigue. Also, the invention of ninjutsu had allowed for faster combat, much quicker than the usual swordplay of the samurai. With ninjutsu, a single shinobi could take out whole armies in the time a battalion of samurai took to destroy one. As shinobi grew more popular with the daimyo, the samurai fell out of favor. Soon after, the shinobi had replaced the samurai as the daimyo's main military might."

Naruto became silent, his developing mind processing this information slowly but surely. The way of the samurai interested him very much, and such an honorable way of life seemed a lot more appealing to the young blonde. Momentarily, Naruto looked up to Hiruzen once more.

"Do you think I'll ever meet a samurai, Jiji?" Hiruzen thought it over for a bit, deciding whether or not to instill false hope into the boy. The odds of meeting a samurai in this day and age were slim, unless one were to go to Tetsu no Kuni. He decided to be optimistic.

"Yes Naruto, I'm sure that one day you'll meet one of these magnificent warriors." As Hiruzen stared at Naruto, he witnessed one of the boy's signature grins, and Hiruzen himself smiled from it.

"Yatta! I'm gonna meet a samurai, dattebayo!" Naruto jumped to his feet and rushed out the door. As he left, Naruto called out. "Thanks Jiji! I'll see you next week!"

"Good-bye Naruto, take care!" Hiruzen called out. With Naruto gone, Hiruzen then returned to his previous task of doing paperwork. He gave one last mournful sigh before working on the bane of his existence. 'Okay, shipment of a thousand logs of chakra-infused wood to Nagao Korekata, Samurai of Tetsu no Kuni. Approved. Petition for one "Uzumaki Naruto" to be sent to the Kagoshima Orphanage. The same orphanage that abused Naruto until he was six? Denied. Honestly, how foolish can people be?'

Naruto next ventured to Ichiraku Ramen, one of his favorite places in the world. He had a spring in his step, and couldn't wait to tell the Ichirakus what he had learnt. The young Uzumaki had arrived at his destination, and pushed back the curtains that lead into the establishment. Taking a seat, he was soon greeted by the head of the Ichiraku family, Teuchi.

"Welcome Naruto. How have you been?" The old chief asked.

"I've been great Teuchi-jiisan. I learned something really cool today! Oh, and I'll take three bowls of miso please!"

"Coming up Naruto. Ayame, three bowls of miso!"

"On it dad!" Ayame yelled from the back.

"So what did you learn today Naruto." Teuchi leaned against the counter as Naruto recited all he had learned about the samurai. As they were discussing, a man with short white hair entered the stand. He was dressed in a black haori and hakama, wearing geta sandals with dark blue tabi socks. The man was tall and lean, his face unmarred except for a large scar stretching from his left eye to his jawline. His eyes were a cool onyx, relaxed yet hardened. Hanging from his obi was a katana, its saya and tsuka black, and the tsuba depicted two dragons chasing each other. The saya had the kanji for "Justice" and "Honor" engraved in it. Teuchi stopped Naruto and greeted the man.

"Hello, welcome to Ichiraku Ramen! How may I help you today?" Teuchi said cheerfully. The man looked at the menu for a brief moment.

"I'll have a seafood ramen, with extra vegetables." The man replied. His voice was deep and a bit gritty. Teuchi nodded and went to prepare his order. Naruto looked at the man in wonderment. He wondered if this man was a samurai. The Hokage did say that Naruto would meet one someday, maybe today was it?

"Hey, mister!" The man's attention drew to the little blonde, a piercing gaze met the blue orbs of the boy's eyes.

"What is it, gaki?"

"Are you a samurai?" The man raised an eyebrow at that.

"I was a samurai, gaki. I'm not one anymore." Naruto beamed at the man, who became a little disturbed with how intently the little boy was staring at him.

"So what are you then? How come you're not a samurai anymore?" The man sighed, little kids were annoying.

"I'm a rōnin, kid." Teuchi had returned with both Naruto's and the swordsman's orders

"What's that?"

"Rōnin are masterless samurai, akin to mercenaries." The man began to eat his food, trying to ignore the young blonde. Hopefully with his food here, the boy would stop asking so many questions. Despite the ramen waiting to be consumed by him, Naruto pressed on with his investigation.

"Samurai have to have masters?" Naruto inquired. The man grunted in affirmation as he slurped up his noodles. "What happened to yours, mister?" The man tensed up, his eyes hardened and glazed over as if zoning out.

"I don't want to talk about it..." The man murmured.

"Please mister! I really want to know!" Naruto insisted. The man's grip on his chopsticks tightened.

"No."

"But I-"

"I said leave it alone boy!" The man slammed his chopsticks down in annoyance and scowled at the boy. " Why are you even talking to me? Didn't your parents teach you to not talk to strangers?"

Naruto grew silent at that, his gaze drew to the bowl in front of him. "I... I don't have any parents. I'm sorry mister. I'll stop asking you stuff, 'ttebayo." Naruto began eating his food, but with not as much gusto as he usually does. The man silently stared at the boy, feeling a bit guilty for making the child sad. He sighed, and fully turned to face the boy.

"Hey, gaki. I'm sorry all right?" Naruto faced the man, his large blue eyes attentively staring at the stranger's visage. "It's just a sore topic for me, and I'm not completely over it. I'll answer anything else besides that." Naruto's frown turned upside down, transforming into the bright grin he is infamous for.

"Thank you mister! Let's start over. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konohagakure dattebayo!" Naruto stuck out his right hand in an offer of friendship. The rōnin stared at the small boy's hand, and slowly clasped it into his own.

"The name's Hitsugaya Kisuke, former samurai of Yuki no Kuni. You can call me Kisuke though." With a small shake, the two acquaintances returned to their meals. After the two finished, they paid for their food and left the ramen stand. Naruto bombarding Kisuke with questions all the while.

"So samurai are taught how to deal with politics as well as fighting?" Naruto asked, his hands in his pockets. Kisuke smirked, an arm resting on the hilt of his blade.

"That's right. Samurai are not just warriors, but politicians as well. We are taught from a young age the formalities and etiquette required at a formal gathering or court. We cut our enemies apart with both words and steel."

"You sure don't talk like one of those stuck-up people though, Kisuke-san. You talk like a regular person." Kisuke let out a small chuckle.

"There are two reasons for that, Naruto. One, I only speak like an aristocrat to other aristocrats, or to the people that I serve and respect. Two, I'm not a samurai anymore, so those rules don't apply to me. I don't have to worry about how I speak if I have no lord to embarrass."

"And what about your armor? Aren't samurai supposed to wear like heavy plate or something?"

"Well, gaki, armor is something to be worn for formal occasions and battle. Considering I'm not going to either, I'm not wearing my armor. Also, the type of armor the samurai wear depends on the occasion. If we are going to a party or meeting, we wear flashy, ceremonial armor. If we go into battle, then we wear strong, durable segmented plate.

"Hey, Kisuke-san?" Kisuke stared at Naruto, who had a hopeful expression on his face. "Do you think you could teach me the ways of the samurai?" The rōnin just stared down the blonde in response.

"...Why? Weren't you gonna be a shinobi or something?" Naruto shook his head.

"I did, but not anymore. The samurai seem like a lot cooler people to be than shinobi. Yeah, sure, a shinobi can spit fireballs and make giant dragons out of the elements, but they have no honor. I don't want to kill people, Kisuke-san, I just want to protect my precious people. If I do have to fight someone, I want it to be a fair fight, not one where I have to kill a defeated enemy." Naruto's voice grew more passionate the more he spoke, causing Kisuke to want to both smile and frown. He wanted to smile because the kid was so enamored with the ideals of honor, but he wanted to frown because the kid idolizes the idea of not killing anyone. Kisuke gently put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto, as much as I appreciate your respect for the way of the samurai, you need to understand that a samurai is but a servant of their lord. If your lord wishes you to kill someone, you are to do it without hesitation. Besides, shinobi are not so bad. They only wish to protect their precious people, though they will do it by any means necessary." Naruto's gaze was downcast.

"Does that mean you won't teach me, Kisuke-san?" Kisuke kneeled to meet the boy's eyes.

"I never said that Naruto. I just want you to understand that the path of the samurai is not as luxurious as it seems. If you decide to travel down this path, know that it will not be easy. You will face hardship in many different forms, and will be expected to conquer them all, never faltering in your pace. And you won't ever be able to become Hokage Naruto."

Naruto gasped. 'Never become Hokage?'

"A samurai can never become lord, we exist only to serve." Naruto stayed silent for a moment, contemplating. "You are still young Naruto, only seven years-"

"Seven and a half, 'ttebayo!" Naruto protested indignantly

"...Seven and a half years old. I don't want you to make a decision you might regret."

"... I'm sure, Kisuke-san." Naruto got on his knees, and bowed before the rōnin. "Please, train me in the way of the samurai!" Kisuke's gaze was locked on the prostrated form of Naruto.

"...All right gaki, I'll train you. Meet me by the ramen stand tomorrow at seven sharp."

"Arigatō, Kisuke-san!I promise, you won't regret this, dattebayo!" With that, the two parted ways, Naruto anxiously awaiting tomorrow.

Naruto patiently awaited by Ichiraku Ramen, already having ate his breakfast just minutes before. He suddenly spotted Kisuke, who was carrying two wooden swords and a large bag. Naruto quickly rushed out to meet him.

"So, Kisuke-san, what are we gonna do first?" Naruto asked.

"First, for the duration of your training you will address me as Hitsugaya-sensei. You must get into the habit of addressing your betters, and this is good practice. Second," Kisuke dropped the bag in front of Naruto. Naruto peered inside the bag, spying clothing.

"You are going to get dressed. I'm sorry to say, Naruto, but your sense of dress not only looks horrible, but also very impractical. Jumpsuits like yours tend to restrict your movement, and even orange is not a popular color amongst samurai." Not to say orange was a bad color. The Tokugawa had orange in their clan symbol. It's just that the amount of orange that Naruto wore was... unsettling. "Then, we are going to test your physical abilities and your skill with a sword, so I know what I'm dealing with." Naruto grabbed the bag and ran to a behind the ramen stand. After a few minutes, Naruto reappeared, wearing an outfit similar to Kisuke's. "Good, follow me." Naruto quickly followed his new sensei to a nearby training grounds. When they reached the center of the field, Kisuke turned to Naruto, and pulled out a timer.

"Okay Naruto, I want you to do four laps around the area as fast as you can. Go!" At that, Naruto began to sprint as fast as he could around the training grounds When Naruto finished, He came back to Kisuke, slightly panting. Kisuke paused the timer. "A mile in eight minutes. For a kid your age that's not bad. Next, do fifty push-ups."

"Hai, sensei!" After Naruto was done, his arms were shaking and sore, and he was panting. Kisuke nodded in satisfaction. He tossed a water bottle to Naruto.

"Take a little rest gaki. We'll continue in five." Naruto panted out a thanks as he hugged the water, savoring the cool liquid as it ran down his throat. After five minutes, Kisuke tossed Naruto one of the wooden swords. "Pick up your shinai gaki, break's over." Naruto hoisted himself off the ground, shinai in hand. "Come at me with all you got."

Naruto let out a battle cry and charged with a over head swing. Kisuke easily deflected the strike and quickly poked Naruto in the chest, making the boy recoil in pain.

"Owwww! That hurt Kisuke!" Naruto was struck with another blow, this time to his left hip.

"That's Hitsugaya-sensei, remember? And don't charge in like that, it leaves you vulnerable and telegraphs your movement." This continued for a while, Naruto trying his best to land a blow against his sensei and getting struck in return. By the time the session was over, Naruto was bruised and battered, Kisuke was left completely untouched. Naruto was splayed on the ground, too sore to move.

"I thought you were testing my skills sensei, not giving me a brutal beat down dattebayo." Naruto groaned in pain.

"I was testing your skills, gaki. I was also correcting your form. Every time you came at me, you left yourself wide open. I was encouraging you to stay a bit more guarded." Kisuke approached Naruto and offered the young boy a hand. With a grunt, the boy got back on his feet, nursing his wounds while doing so.

"So what exactly are you gonna teach me, Hitsugaya-sensei?" Naruto asked tiredly. The sun was falling and he really wanted to go to bed and rest. Maybe grab some more ramen on the way home.

"I will be teaching you all aspects of the way of the samurai. You'll be learning formal etiquette, kenjutsu, kyudo(1), taijutsu, bajutsu(2), and the tenets of Bushidō. I hope you've prepared yourself Naruto, because there will be no turning back after this point. The days will get harder and harder, but know that you will become stronger for it. " Kisuke escorted Naruto back to his home, sure that the blonde would collapse half-way there. When they got to Naruto's apartment, Kisuke felt a sense of uneasiness. The building was in shambles, graffiti decorated the walls with word of "Demon" and other ill-mannered phrases. 'Does this kid really live here, all by himself?'

Kisuke felt something squeeze his waist. He looked down to see Naruto embracing him.

"Thank you for training me, Hitsugaya-sensei. I promise, I won't make you regret this." With that, young Naruto rushed into his apartment, the door closing with resounding click. Kisuke let out a small smile before returning to the inn where he was staying.

3 years later...

"HAH!" Naruto let out a yell as he slammed his shinai onto Kisuke's. "I WILL hit you sensei! I will get my own blade 'ttebayo!" Naruto broke the lock and swung low. Kisuke blocked the strike and pushed him back.

"Then you'll be waiting for quite a few years Naruto! The only places you've been hitting is my shinai and my dust!" Kisuke rebutted. Naruto has grown over the years. Because of a change in diet (Kisuke had forced Naruto to eat things other than ramen.) Naruto grew rapidly in height. His head now leveled with Kisuke's chest now. The years of training had bulked up the boys muscles and stamina pool. Almost of traces of baby fat were gone from his now lean form.

Naruto continued with his assault, putting Kisuke on the defensive and driving his sensei back. However, Naruto overextended one of his strikes, allowing Kisuke to parry and disarm the boy, knocking Naruto on his back.

"Damn it." Naruto cursed. He had him on the ropes! Naruto pushed himself to his feet, wiping off the dirt from his clothing. "I was so close 'ttebayo!"

"You keep getting too confident Naruto. And keep in mind that you will be getting your blade when you graduate the academy. But no, you wanted to get it sooner then that." A few days ago, Naruto made a deal with Kisuke that if he could land one strike on his sensei, Kisuke would have to give Naruto his sword earlier then intended. So far, Kisuke has been teasing Naruto, letting him get very close to reaching his goal, and then taking that away from him at the last second. Kisuke looked to the sky, dusk was fast approaching. He turned to Naruto.

"Okay, we're done for today. Get some rest and prepare for bajutsu training tomorrow. I hope you've been taking care of Shirayuki. You know how she gets when not tended to properly." Kisuke lectured.

When they began bajutsu training, Kisuke had brought Naruto with him to the stable to pick his own steed. One in particular caught his eye. It was a beautiful young mare, barely reaching adolescence. Its fur was snow white, and was very shy. It was easily startled by many who approached it. The stable master had tried to turn Naruto's attention to another horse, telling him that no one has been able to keep the mare still long enough to mount her. Naruto insisted he try, so the mare was brought out to a track. The mare was indeed very scared, but somehow, with a gentle touch and soothing words, Naruto calmed the mare, mounted her, and rode around the track in record time. He bought the mare and named her Shirayuki.

"Yes, sensei." Naruto replied irately. With a bow, the two men parted ways for the night.

Half-way to his apartment, Naruto sensed something in the shadows. He continued on his way, but remained cautious. When he got to the building, he turned around and shouted into the shadows.

"Whoever that is, come out now! I know you're there!" Slowly, two figures dropped in front of Naruto. They were both males covered head to toe in black, and wore headbands depicting four snowflakes. One seemed to be slightly taller than Naruto with the same build, the other was a bit bulkier and a full head taller than his comrade.

"Well, it seems that we've been caught Yoshi." The smaller of the two said, his voice light but sinister.

"Let's just get this over with Takahara. Dotō-sama will want us back quickly to crush the other runaways." The larger man's voice was much deeper, almost sounding like a bass drum. Naruto grimaced. 'Shinobi? What do they want with me?'

"Who are you? What business do you have with me?" Naruto asked calmly.

"We are shinobi are Yukigakure." Takahara responded. "I'm afraid to tell you, my boy, but your sensei is a wanted man back in our country. We've merely come to collect him and make him face his crimes." The way he said it filled Naruto with dread.

"And what are his crimes exactly?" Naruto pushed further, wanting to know more about Kisuke's past.

"He is wanted for desertion, a crime punishable by death."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Naruto placed a hand on his shinai in preparation for the inevitable fight.

"You, my dear boy, will be used as a bargaining chip to insure that that blasted samurai will come quietly. Now, if you don't want to get hurt, please come with us. Or don't. That makes it a lot more fun for us then." Takahara began snickering.

"If you want me, you'll have to beat me first." Naruto drew his shinai, taking a defensive stature.

"That's fine gaki, we'll just beat you bloody then take you with us. Yoshi, if you would? And please try to keep it quiet, we wouldn't want the ANBU to come for us, would we?" With a small grunt, Yoshi charged the young blonde. Naruto charged as well, quickly sidestepping before the two made contact, and swung his shinai into the back of the shinobi's knee. Yoshi gasped as he tumbled forward. Naruto didn't let the man recover, and swung the shinai into the back of Yoshi's head repeatedly. Takahara watched on in annoyance.

"What are you doing you blubbering buffoon? Stop playing around and knock out the fool!" Takahara yelled in anger. As Naruto swung again, his shinai was caught by Yoshi, who glared at the boy. With a clench, he broke the shinai in half and kicked Naruto in the gut, launching the boy next to Takahara. As the boy groaned in pain, Takahara laughed.

"Ufufu, you see what happens when you don't listen to us boy!" Takahara wasted no more time and quickly bound Naruto in rope and gagged him. "Come on Yoshi, clean yourself off and fetch mister Hitsugaya. Tell him to meet us outside of the East Gate in the next four hours or else we kill his apprentice." With that, Yoshi left. Takahara slung Naruto over his shoulder and shunshin'd away.

Kisuke was currently residing at the Nagaki Inn, where he was trying to go to sleep. He felt on edge, like something bad was about to happen, but he didn't know what. Kisuke had his blade at hand, just waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, he heard a small pop inside his room. He turned to face the noise and was confronted with a large man dressed in black. Kisuke glanced at the man's headband and his blood began to boil. 'Dotō!'

"What do you want shinobi. I pose no threat to Dotō." 'Not yet at least.'

"As a matter of fact, you do. Dotō-sama wants no loose ends, and you are the most unraveled of them. We have your apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto." Kisuke gasped at that. "You'll meet me and my partner outside the East Gate within the next four hours, lest your apprentice has his throat slit." With that, the shinobi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Kisuke grit his teeth. 'Don't worry Naruto, I'll save you!'

Naruto grunted as Takahara kicked him once more. The shinobi began to laugh.

"Ufufu, look how weak you are. Don't you see how wasteful it is to become a samurai? They are but remnants of the old world! The age of the samurai is over, and the only place they have in our world now is in the history books!" Takahara began to laugh maniacally as he abused Naruto again and again. He heard a pop come from behind and turned to face his comrade.

"Took you long enough. Is the samurai coming?" Yoshi nodded in confirmation. Takahara grinned wickedly. "Good, we'll execute him right here in front of his apprentice. Oh the sweet joys of misery, ufufu!"

"Yes, I'll especially love the look of despair on Dotō's face as I gut him for his deeds." A new voice cut through the air. Both shinobi and Naruto turned to the voice, and saw an armor-clad figure on a large black stallion. The man's entire body as covered in white segmented plate, and what parts the plates didn't cover was protected by black mesh and clothe. The head was protected by the kabuto, the face from the nose down covered by a respirator attached to the helmet, leaving only the eyes exposed. The respirator was fashioned into the shape of a hanyou mouth.(3) Naruto scrutinized the figure. 'Is that... Kisuke?'

"Well look who came here in a hurry!" Takahara mocked. "Are you so eager to face your death?"

"No," Kisuke responded, his voice distorted by the respirator. "But you seem eager to face yours. Untie my apprentice. Now." He threatened. Kisuke's hand was on his katana, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

"Or what, samurai?" Takahara taunted. "Oh, I do believe that time is of the essence. Yoshi, please kill this relic while I watch over our guest."

Yoshi grunted before flashing through hand signs. "Suiton: Mizurappa! (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)"A large stream of pressurized water gushed from Yoshi's mouth, speeding towards Kisuke's direction. Kisuke urged his horse toward the jet of water, the large animal obeying without hesitation, and veered right of the stream, riding alongside it. Yoshi cut the water off, sneering at the oncoming samurai. He prepared another jutsu.

"Fine, take this! Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Bullet Technique)" Yoshi fired off multiple balls of water, of which Kisuke dodged them all. As he neared the shinobi, Kisuke stood on his horse, his hands firmly grasped on the sheath and hilt of his blade. Yoshi let out a roar of frustration.

"Stay still and die! Sui-" Kisuke didn't let him finish. When he was but a few feet from the shinobi, Kisuke lept from his horse and drew his blade mid-air. With the drawing of the sword, Yoshi screamed in agony as his right arm fell to the ground. Yoshi grabbed his stump of an arm and fell to the ground, screaming and trying to stop the blood spouting profusely from the wound. Kisuke landed gracefully to the right of the fallen shinobi. He glared down on the whimpering form of the Yuki ninja, and stabbed his blade through Yoshi's head. The screaming stopped immediately, and blood leaked from the wound as Kisuke withdrew his blade. His sword now free, he slowly approached the terrified form of Takahara.

The craven shinobi stared in disbelief at the swift end of his comrade. He was terrified of Kisuke now, and quickly grabbed Naruto and held a kunai to the boy's throat.

"St-Stay back! I-I'll slit his throat if you c-come any c-closer!" The man's stuttering grew worse the closer Kisuke got. "S-ST-STOP!" Kisuke was right in front of the man now. Takahara had dropped Naruto, his whole body beginning to grow weak. But then, Kisuke just walked past him, his sword arm not even raised, just held to the side. It was after three steps behind Takahara did Kisuke pause. Then, he flicked off whatever blood remained on his blade and slowly began to sheath it. Just before the blade clicked back into place, Kisuke spoke.

"Hanauta Sanchō: Yahazu Giri. (Three-Verse Humming: Arrow Notch Slash)" With the click of the blade, Takahara's head fell off, and a fountain of blood spurted from his neck. Naruto, having still been gagged throughout the entire scenario, squirmed away from the body and towards Kisuke. Kisuke quickly rushed to Naruto and cut Naruto free of his bindings. "Naruto, are you all right?" Naruto removed his gag.

"THAT WAS AWESOME DATTEBAYO!" He screamed to the heavens. "I haven't even seen your armor, and its sooooo cool! And that technique you used on Takahara, th-the one where you just walked past him and his head just fell off! Are you gonna teach me that!? Oh, and when you jumped off Khan, and just cut that guy's arm off as you were drawing Ryū no Ishi(4)! And-and-"

"Woah there gaki, calm down. Did they hurt you?" Naruto snapped out of his fanboy stupor, and blushed in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah, they roughed me up a bit, but its only bruising. Besides that, I'm fine." Naruto embraced Kisuke. "Thank you for saving me Hitsugaya-sensei." Kisuke returned the embrace. Both teach and student mounted Khan and rode the stallion home. Kisuke glanced back at the blonde.

"You sure you're all right Naruto?" He did just witness the bloody end of two people. Naruto shook his head.

"I've seen worst, Hitsugaya-sensei." Naruto responded in a tired voice. Naruto hugged Kisuke even tighter, and rested his head on his back.

Naruto passed out along the way, and was slumped against Kisuke's back. When they reached Naruto's apartment, Kisuke dismounted Khan and slung Naruto over his shoulder. He took Naruto into his room and tucked him in. Kisuke stared at Naruto's sleeping form for a moment, then left, making sure the room was secured before he did so. Just as he was about to mount the warhorse, he spoke aloud.

"I know you were there shinobi. I know that Naruto was your charge, and you were supposed to protect him. Know that you have no honor for abandoning him, and that your shame shall curse you for generations to come." With that, Kisuke rode off, leaving a squad of shocked and angry Anbu in his wake.

Next time on Return to Prominence

"So Naruto, tomorrow is your first day at the academy. Are you prepared?" Kisuke questioned the blonde. Over the years, he and Naruto have become close, as if Naruto was the son the he never had. He would gladly lay down his own life for the boy.

Naruto grinned confidently at his surrogate father.

"Hai, Tou-san," Naruto rested his hand on the hilt of his blade. He will restore his clan, and head its rebirth. He would return the samurai to prominence, even if he had to use his bare hands to do so. He was Uzumaki Naruto, apprentice of Hitsugaya Kisuke, the last samurai of Konohagakure. On his honor, on his Bushidō, Naruto would make his goals reality or he would die trying.

"I am ready."

A/N: So how was it? Give me some feedback and I'll improve upon my work. And if you are reading my other works, know that I have fully committed to this one and that they will be put on haitus until this one is complete. I may or may not be releasing more stories as well, depending on what's floating in my head. But they will only be secondary to Return to Prominence.

1. Kyudo is the way of the bow, or archery

2. Bajutsu is horsemanship, entailing horse riding and combat

3. I wanted to get more in depth with the description, but I knew that must of the terms would go over most of your heads. So here is a link (Remember to take out the spaces and parenthesis!) to both a diagram and picture of what Kisuke's armor is like

fc06 . deviantart (.net) /fs70/i/2012/105/9/8/samurai_armor_yoroi_by_magnus_stark - d4waiv2 . jpg

4. "Ryū no Ishi" "Will of the Dragon"

So, again, if you enjoyed it, please leave a review. It really does encourage me to work harder on my story if other people like it. And if you have any criticisms, please don't be afraid to tell me. Criticism is appreciated.