Naruto: Legacy

AN: I've seen a lot of Marvel/Naruto crossovers. Yet somehow the minor characters always seem to be overlooked. As I've mentioned in previous stories, some of my favorite characters are "minor" ones.

Thus this idea: Naruto obtains powers based on a conglomeration of some of my favorite "cosmic" Marvel characters. Primary character: Genis-Vell version of Captain Marvel, but with powers from other heroes as well (Quasar, Hyperion, Sentry).

I do NOT own Naruto. I would, however, be delighted to 'own' Sakura or almost any of the female characters. (Yes I am a pervert. And I am proud of that. I make no efforts to hide that I am a pervert. Please do not hate or flame me for this. I would cry. And then go on a murderous rampage.)

(Kidding. I think.)

Konohagakure, Oct. 10

A few months pre-series

A small hand reached up to the star-filled sky, as if trying to grasp the twinkling lights.

The body the hand belonged to was lying on its back as it slowly bled out from numerous stab wounds and slashes.

'Why…" Naruto asked himself bitterly. 'Why do they do this to me?'

'Because they fear you. Because they are fools blinded by hatred and grief. Because thus is human nature; to hate and despise what they do not understand.'

'Who…who said that?'

'Close your eyes and let yourself drift into the recesses of your mind. Then you will find out.'

Naruto did as instructed and felt a falling, pulling sensation as he blacked out.

When he came to, he found himself in what seemed to be a sewer, before a gate so large the top wasn't even visible. The only thing holding the gate closed was a small tag that read "seal" in kanji.

Curious, Naruto approached the gates, only to stumble back as a pair of gigantic, burning, crimson eyes flicked open.

"WHAAGH!"

A huge, fang-filled grin split the darkness beneath the eyes.

"Come closer, child. I promise…I won't bite."

"Who…who are you? What are you?"

"Who I am…my name has been lost to time, even to myself. Since I can remember, I have gone by my title-Kyuubi no Yoko, or Kyuubi no Bijuu."

"You…you're…the Kyuubi? But you're dead! Yondaime killed you!"

"You're right, I am 'dead' in the sense that I have no physical body. However, the man you ningen call 'Yondaime Hokage' couldn't kill me. Not even Shinigami-sama himself can claim the soul of one of the Nine. No, the only way he could defeat me…was to rip my soul, my chakra, and my consciousness from my body and seal it into a vessel. A newborn human. The only one available who could even hope to contain my power. You."

"You mean…I'm…"

"No, you are not me. You are both my prison and my jailer. That is why the village hates you, because they think they can get revenge on me through you."

Kyuubi continued.

"You say you want to be their Hokage, their hero. But the one thing humans love more than a hero is to see them fail. Fall. Die trying. No matter what you do for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?"

Naruto looked the ancient demon in the eye as he said without hesitation, "Because it's right. Because of you, I possess great power. And with great power…comes great responsibility. If they hate me, so be it. That doesn't change the fact that I was made your vessel to protect them. That is my gift. My curse. And I will keep on protecting them. Because that is the right thing to do. Because I can."

Naruto was stunned when the Kyuubi began roaring in laughter.

"Well said, kit! Well said! I was hoping you'd say something like that!"

To say Naruto was flabbergasted was an understatement.

"Wha…eh…HUH?"

"Your response determined my own course of action. Had you chosen the path of hatred, I would've aided you…reluctantly I admit, but you can still draw on my power with or without my consent, so there would be no point in working against you. But by choosing the most difficult path of all, the path of the Hero, the Defender and Protector…you have earned my respect. Now, come closer. I have much to tell you. Don't worry about dying; the old geezer you refer to as 'Hokage' has taken you to the hospital."

So Naruto sat, and listened, as the Kyuubi explained certain things to him. The news that his parents were the legendary Yellow Flash and Bloody Habanero was met with shock. The news that his mother had been Kyuubi's previous vessel, and that she had died when an enemy of the village broke her seal during childbirth, and that Kyuubi had been acting against his/its will was met with sorrow and silent fury. The news that his father had no other choice saddened him. But the news Kyuubi gave next threw him for a loop.

"In the years I've been sealed inside you, I have had opportunity to look through your DNA. What I found was, even to me, shocking. You seem to have DNA that isn't…human. Nor is it demon, or celestial in nature."

"Then what is it?"

"Extraterrestrial."

Naruto cleaned out his ear with a pinkie.

"Exsqueeze me? Say that again?"

"Think of it as a bloodline that has been lying dormant for untold generations. It is said that before the world as we know it existed, before a demon called the Juubi arose and was ultimately split into the nine bijuu, there existed another world. It was called…the World of Heroes. It was populated by men and women who possessed powers beyond those of any shinobi; people who could move mountains with their mind, run faster than the speed of light, deities in human form, sorcerers, even demonic Spirits of Divine Vengeance. It is unknown how or why their world ended to give rise to our reality, but it seems you are a descendant of one of those heroes. He called himself Legacy, as he was the son of a famous hero who died, not in battle, but from cancer. If you agree, his powers can be yours, though I know not what form they will take."

Naruto didn't even hesitate before agreeing.

Meanwhile, in Naruto's hospital room…

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama! Come quick!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the iryo-nin who was waving at him frantically.

"What is it, Yakushi-san?"

"It's…Uzumaki…"

"Is he alright?"

"I…don't really know. It's something you must see to believe."

That was all the Sandaime needed to hear before racing off pell-mell to the son of his successor.

Hiruzen threw the door open to see Naruto floating in midair, surrounded by a halo of light as crimson tendrils danced across his skin. Hiruzen stepped forwards, preparing to seal Kyuubi's chakra, before the youki formed a crimson foxes' head above Naruto.

"Don't, old man. If you interrupt the process now, the kit will self-destruct and take the village with him."

"What are you doing to Naruto?" The Sandaime demanded.

"Nothing he did not agree to himself. As he lay dying in that alley, I revealed myself to him. He chose the path of the hero, and for that earned my respect."

"How are we even communicating?"

"It has something to do with Namikaze's seal. If Naruto is knocked out and we are in immediate danger, I can take limited control until he wakes. I am unable to do anything the boy himself would be opposed to. Besides, I give you my word that I mean the boy no harm, nor did I intentionally attack. I was forced to, against my will."

"So the Uchiha were behind the attack."

"Not an Uchiha of this village."

"What?"

"Uchiha Madara lives. I don't know how, or why, but I would recognize his foul chakra anywhere. It was him."

Sarutobi paled.

"Kami help us," he whispered.

"Unfortunately, Kami is rather occupied at the moment, so the kid and I will have to do."

"Which leads me back to my original question: exactly what are you doing to him?"

And so Kyuubi explained about the World of Heroes, and Naruto's lineage. About how his vessel had agreed to take up his ancestor's mantle without hesitation.

"And oh, by the way…the kit knows."

Sarutobi sighed.

"Ah, balls."

(AN: If you're confused as to why Sarutobi accepts Kyuubi's word, here's the short explanation: in most of my sources, they state that while kitsune and yoko are capable of lying and are masters of deception, they will not go back on a promise. I take this to also include that they cannot "give their word" on something untrue; thus Sarutobi knows he can trust Kyuubi's word implicitly and that the fox is telling the truth)

A few months later, Iruka was calling roll when the door slid open.

"Sorry I'm late, Iruka-sensei. Jiji-sama wanted to talk to me about something, and we lost track of time."

Everyone goggled at the new appearance Naruto sported.

He had grown taller (about the same height as Lee), as well as becoming more muscular, his body filled out in rather pleasant ways. His hair, once sunny blonde, had become a silvery-white, his eyes remaining the same shade of blue. The biggest change, however, was his outfit. Gone was the "kill-me!" orange. The pants were form-fitting and a deep navy blue, with boots of a similar color. The shirt was a deep, almost blood, red and there was an orange, eight-point starburst similar to a compass rose in the center of his chest, only the leg that would be "south" was longer than the others and the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast legs were shorter than the rest. Over the shirt he wore a short, form-fitting long-sleeved vest-like jacket of the same colors, with a red spiral on the back in the center of the same star. On his wrists, a pair of golden metal bands gleamed. Several girls, including a certain pair of fangirls, began drooling.

"Nar-Naruto?" Iruka stammered.

"Yep! Sorry if my new look threw ya for a loop, but I had…an accident a few months back and awoke a previously-unknown bloodline."

"A…bloodline?" Kiba asked, dubiously.

"Well, not exactly a bloodline, per se; more like a genetic mutation. A potential bloodline. That's why jiji excused me from class until now. I was getting a handle on my new abilities."

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed. "No matter what abilities you possess, they're still inferior to the Sharingan."

Sasuke had barely finished his sentence when Naruto had him by the front of the shirt and had lifted the Uchiha over his head, both hands glowing.

'I didn't even see him move!' Iruka and Mizuki both thought.

"Listen and listen well, you arrogant Uchiha ass, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. I am through taking your shit, or anybody else's. You will show me respect, or you will find out exactly how 'inferior' I am."

"You baka!" one girl shouted. "Put Sasuke-kun down!"

"As you wish," Naruto replied with a smirk.

The next thing Sasuke knew, he was embedded upside-down in the wall, little birds flying around his head.

"You! You sonuva…eep!" the girl shouted, only to cut off with a squeak as twin beams of azure energy shot from Naruto's eyes and left a smoking ring on her desk.

"Anyone else have something to say?" Naruto said in a low voice that generated menace.

Everybody shook their heads frantically. Probably because Naruto's eyes were still crackling with energy.

"Good. Please continue, sensei."

Iruka resumed reading the names, his hands shaking slightly. Mizuki secretly glared at the jinchuuriki, only to stop in shock when Naruto looked at him and grinned. And not his regular fox-grin, either. Oh no, this one screamed 'The Joker has nuthin' on me.'

A few days later, it was time for the graduation exams.

"Alright! First portion: weapons accuracy!" Iruka called.

Sasuke received the best score out of all the students who had gone thus far, with nine out of ten in the inner ring on his right hand and eight out of ten on his left.

Then it was Naruto's turn.

He closed his eyes and turned to the side, flicking the shuriken at the target casually.

Everyone's jaw dropped as it made a perfect bulls-eye. The next four shuriken and five kunai, and then the five of each for his other hand, also landed perfectly in the center of the target. All without Naruto even glancing at the target. Several students gaped as Sasuke slowly seethed in anger.

The next portion was taijutsu, and the students were paired off two at a time. Naruto, of course, faced Sasuke due to the alphabetical order of the pairings.

"You're going to regret making a fool of me, loser," Sasuke growled.

Naruto seemed unconcerned.

"Just give me your best shot, Uchiha."

Sasuke rushed at Naruto, who had his hands in his pockets. The prodigy's frustration grew as the 'dead-last' effortlessly moved out of the way of each blow. What infuriated Sasuke the most was how Naruto barely moved, as if dodging completely wasn't worth the effort. Sasuke finally executed a spinning kick that made contact-or so he thought.

Naruto had blocked the kick with one hand. Sasuke quickly followed it up with a rising kick to the jaw. Naruto barely even moved, but Sasuke fell to the ground in pain.

"One word of advice, Sasuke: physically striking someone with a skeletal structure with the density and strength of steel is, typically, a rather stupid idea."

Sasuke snarled at his opponent and, before the instructors could react, had thrown a kunai at the blonde.

Naruto stopped it in mid-air with two fingers.

"Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei, this fight is over. Get Sasuke to the infirmary and have his foot checked."

"Al-alright! The test is postponed until then!"

It turned out Sasuke's foot was not broken, and half an hour later the final portion of the physical test was administered: jutsu.

Several students passed. Some, like Sakura, barely so.

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto called as the students broke for lunch. "C'mere. I wanna talk to you."

"What, baka?" Ino growled. "Going to rub the fact that she did so poorly in her face?"

"No, I just wanted to let her-and you too, Ino-know that if you paid as much attention to your training as you did your looks, you would do better."

He held up a hand to stall their protests.

"I know you want to look good for Sasuke, and I guess I can respect that-my personal feelings about him, and Uchiha overall, aside. BUT…" he said, giving both a level look, "there is one thing that Uchiha in general care bout above all else: Power. As far as he is concerned, you don't exist, because you don't have any. Prove to Sasuke that you can be strong, focus on training and being the best kunoichi you can be, and I can almost guarantee that Sasuke will give you a second look. If not...he's the real idiot."

With that, he turned and started walking away.

"Just think about it!" he called over his shoulder.

Ino and Sakura gave each other confused looks.

"Did Naruto just give advice that made sense?"

"I…think so."

Down in Hell, Rushifa was enjoying a snack of souls when a gust of cold wind froze everything.

"Damn it! UZUMAKI STOP MAKING SENSE!" he bellowed, banging a broom handle on the ceiling.

Inside Naruto's mind, he and Kyuubi snickered as they felt the King of Hell's words.

In heaven, Kami burst out laughing.

"I think I'm starting to like this kid," he/she/it muttered.

(AN: Rushifa=Japanese pronunciation of Lucifer. Just felt like using him for Hell's ruler, because he's the one I'm most familiar with. Flames about my choice will be used to torch your immortal soul.)

Finally, it was Naruto's turn.

"Okay, Naruto. Show us the three basic academy jutsu, and you pass the physical test."

"Hai. Any particular order?"

"No. However, in your case I would advise Bunshin last."

"Yeah, that should give us a good laugh," Mizuki muttered.

"Alright, here goes."

Naruto just seemed to stand there.

"Um, Naruto…aren't you going to…?"

"I already did, sensei."

Suddenly, Iruka's chair turned into Naruto while the Naruto in front of them dispelled in a puff of smoke.

"That…that was…"

"Kage Bunshin, yes I know. You said to perform regular bunshin, but according to Hokage-jiji, that is one jutsu I'll never be able to do. Ever. Alongside any Genjutsu or Medical Jutsu. Why? Long story short…I simply have too much chakra, in levels too intense, to ever have the kind of control they require. However, Jiji can confirm I am capable of using Tajuu Kage Bunshin to make upwards of two thousand clones without significantly dipping into my reserves."

Iruka gaped.

"Hell, Naruto, if I'd known that, I would've taught you Kage Bunshin ages ago, and you would've passed already!"

Naruto shrugged.

"Que sera, sera, sensei. No point in dwelling on the past."

Iruka closed his eyes and smiled slightly, nodding, before opening his eyes and looking serious.

"Uzumaki Naruto. For your skillful use of Henge, Kawarimi, and the jonin-level technique Kage Bunshin, you pass the physical portion of the exams. Combined with your abysmal scores on the written tests…you pass. Barely."

"I expected the poor scores on the written tests. Seems nobody bothered to find out…I'm a kinesthetic learner. I have to learn by doing; it's literally impossible for me to learn from a lecture or demonstration. I can grasp a concept, I just can't retain it or fully understand it until I try to put it into practice."

Iruka nodded.

"Good to know; we'll add that to the file for your jonin sensei."

Naruto took pride in the looks he received when he walked out of the exam room with his hitai-ate pinned to his right lapel. Pride, and admittedly some perverse pleasure in their gob-smacked expressions.

Last but not least (heck, least as well) was Ino.

In the end…

She bombed.

Badly.

As the students got ready to leave, Mizuki placed his hand on Ino's shoulder.

"Ino, may I speak with you privately for a moment?"

"Of course, sensei," Ino replied dejectedly.

'Methinks this is suspicious,' Naruto commented mentally.

'I agree, kit. I think the teme's making his move. Use your senses to listen in.'

'Hai.'

"Ino, what if I told you…there was another way to pass?"

"Really, sensei?" Ino asked excitedly.

"Yes, it's a way that not even the Hokage knows about, because the exact method is up to the individual teacher. For your remedial exam…I want you to henge into a classmate of my choice, infiltrate the Hokage tower, take a large scroll called the Scroll of Seals, go into the forest, and wait for me there."

"Um, but sensei…won't that get the other person in trouble?"

"That's why I chose the perfect classmate: Naruto. He's a known prankster, so he won't get in too much trouble."

"I…don't know…"

Mizuki smiled.

"Don't you want to graduate so you could possibly be on the same team as Sasuke?"

"Well…okay, I guess."

Sakura was walking home when she heard yelling coming from a nearby training ground. Curious, she investigated. She came upon an enraged Naruto.

"THAT BASTARD!" Naruto roared. "How dare he use her like that?"

He punched a tree…which promptly shattered.

"Naruto…? What is it? What's wrong? Who's using who?"

Naruto turned to her, Sakura gasping and taking a step back as she caught a glimpse of his crimson, vertically-slit eyes.

"Sakura-chan, listen to me very carefully. I overheard Mizuki-sensei's conference with Ino. He's tricking Ino into stealing the Forbidden Scroll, henged into me. That way I'll get the blame, while he does who-knows-what with Ino after she gives him what he wants."

"You make it sound so…sinister. How do you…?"

"How do I know he's a traitor? Besides the fact that he's actively sabotaged me during the academy? Part of my new abilities is enhanced senses."

"Like Kiba?"

"Not quite. In a literal sense, I don't really have enhanced eyesight, or hearing, or smell, or whatever. It's a kind of…'cosmic awareness', I guess you'd say. This awareness grants me a sort of omnipresent consciousness that enables me to perceive objects, individuals, threats or anything of significance anywhere, even if they were cloaked by invisibility or illusion. In short…I see without seeing. I hear without hearing. I know without knowing. I merely use it in various forms, such as an echolocation-like radar sense, or telescopic and X-ray vision like Hinata's Byakugan, or an enhanced sense of smell like Kiba."

"That's…pretty cool."

"Yeah, it is. And now because of it, I know your best friend is getting set up, and I'm the one who's going to take the fall."

"So…what do we do? Go to the Hokage?"

"Already did. He suggested a plan to get concrete evidence, since the council will flat-out refuse any and all testimony I give, for…reasons I cannot reveal at this time."

"What plan?"

"For the record, I'm opposed to it due to the unnecessary amount of danger it places you and Ino in."

"What. Plan?"

Naruto sighed.

"You have to go to Ino and tell her you overheard Mizuki-sensei's talk with her, and offer to help. Both of you henge into me, take the scroll, and I'll shadow you two. You'll distract Mizuki while Hokage-sama leads a squad of ANBU to arrest him before anything happens to you."

"I'll do it."

"Sakura, you understand that even with me there, if the Hokage's timing is off even one second, you and Ino could die, right?"

Sakura closed her eyes and swallowed, nodding.

"I still have to do this. Ino was my first friend, and I can't let her face this alone."

"You sure about this, Forehead?"

"I told you, Piggy. I want a proper rivalry, and for that we both need to graduate," Sakura replied, lying like a dog.

"Alright, I guess… Hey, Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a better person than me. I wouldn't have offered to help you if the situation was reversed."

"Thanks, Ino. Shhh! Someone's coming!"

To their surprise, it was Iruka who burst into the clearing.

"Naruto…" he growled. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Sakura dispelled the henge, surprising Iruka. Ino followed suit.

"Iruka-sensei! You shouldn't be here, you could ruin everything!" Sakura cried, babbling.

"Wait, ruin what?"

Iruka trailed off, tensing, and knocked the two girls out of the way.

"SENSEI!" Ino screamed as a multitude of kunai struck his body.

"It's alright, Ino. My flak jacket stopped most of them."

"Well, well, well. Iruka, I should've known you'd come if you thought it was Naruto."

"Mizuki, what…?"

Mizuki, crouched on a branch overhead, sneered.

"That pathetic girl was so desperate to graduate that it was child's play to fool her into taking the scroll. I didn't think she'd manage to drag her friend into it…No matter. Once I kill you three, the village will have Naruto's head on a plate!"

"Mi-Mizuki-sensei…" Ino stammered, "Why? Why would you trick me like this?"

"Power, stupid bint! That scroll contains the most powerful techniques this village has to offer, and I plan to seize them as my own! In the shinobi world, power is EVERYTHING!"

He drew an oversized shuriken.

"Enough debate. I'm going to kill you now."

He threw the shuriken at the two girls, only to have Iruka block it with his body.

"Ino, Sakura…RUN!" he shouted. They bolted.

"A useless gesture, Iruka. Stay here. After I kill them, I'll come back for you."

As Mizuki flashed off, Iruka struggled to stand.

"Easy, Iruka-sensei. I've got you," a familiar voice said.

"Nar…Naruto? What…?"

Naruto stooped and swung an arm over Iruka's shoulder.

"I'll explain on the way. Right now, we have to get to the girls before Mizuki does."

"Sakura! Ino! Here!"

Iruka leapt beside Sakura and Ino as they moved through the trees.

"Give me the scroll, quick, before Mizuki catches up!"

Sakura and Ino replied by body checking Iruka into a tree.

"Very good, girls! How did you know I wasn't Iruka?" Mizuki asked as the Henge dispersed.

"Because…" Sakura replied as Ino vanished in smoke, "I'm Iruka."

As the Henge dispersed, Iruka staggered against a tree.

Close by, Naruto was holding Ino and Sakura close as they hid in some brush.

"Iruka, I was going to save you for last because of our past friendship, but you're in my way. DIE!"

Iruka closed his eyes in resignation as the shuriken whizzed closer.

CLINK.

There was the sound of something metal bouncing off something else, and Iruka opened his eyes.

Naruto stood in front of him, his arms crossed across his thickly-muscled torso.

"If you have a problem with me, you son of a bitch…take it up with me. Don't go dragging innocent people into this."

Ino and Sakura appeared next to Iruka as Naruto took a defensive stance.

"I do have a problem with you, demon! Just like everyone else in this damn village!"

Naruto clucked his tongue and wagged his finger.

"You're treading into dangerous waters, Mi-zu-ki. You know that is an S-class secret. Revelation of it without the permission of the Hokage or myself is treason punishable by death."

"Wh…what is?" Ino stammered.

"I'll tell you, girls. Twelve years ago…the story that the Yondaime destroyed Kyuubi is a lie! He couldn't kill the fox, nobody could. So he did the next best thing. He sealed the fox inside a newborn child!"

Understanding dawned in their eyes.

"That's right! UZUMAKI NARUTO IS THE NINE-TAILED FOX!"

"Naruto…is that…is it true?" Sakura asked shakily.

"Sakura, let me ask you something. You know about the Aburame clan's Hiden technique, right?"

She and Ino nodded.

"Then is Shino his hive? Is he nothing more than an empty shell around the kikaichu? Or is he someone who just happens to have a symbiotic relationship with an organism inside him?"

Sakura smiled and nodded.

"I…I understand, Naruto. Arigato."

"Touching as this is, you can't fool me, demon fox! Now die!"

In reply, Naruto crooked a finger.

"Come on then! If you're so convinced I'm the fox, then I swear on his name…I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT THEM!"

He glanced over his shoulder.

"Sakura-chan. Ino-chan. Iruka-sensei. I promise I won't let him anywhere near you, and…a fox…never goes back on his word!"

"We trust you, Naruto," Ino replied.

Naruto grinned.

From inside his mind, Kyuubi bellowed something that made Naruto grin.

"It has begun! Prepre for...MORTAL KOMBAT!"

'Okay, that is the last time I let you play video games.'

Hidden in the trees, Sarutobi held up a hand to hold the ANBU (Komachi, Towa, Yugao, and Tenzo/Yamato) back.

"Hokage-sama, why aren't we attacking?" Komachi asked.

"I want to see what Naruto can do."

Mizuki started off by drawing a kunai and leaping at Naruto.

Naruto blurred out of existence and reappeared behind Mizuki, kicking him way. Mizuki flipped in midair and pushed off a tree, launching himself at the blonde once more.

Naruto dodged back, as if teleporting.

(Mind you, he still hadn't uncrossed his arms.)

Mizuki ran through the handseals for a jutsu.

"Try this! Kinjutsu: Genshiryoku no Noroi!"

"That can't be good," Naruto groaned. He pointed his fist at Mizuki and unleashed a brilliant blast of golden energy just as Mizuki released the jutsu, an ebony-and-ivory sphere shooting towards Naruto.

Naruto's blast was slowly pushed back, sweat breaking out on Naruto's face.

'Kuso! I need more power, but if I try to clash the Bands together, I'll let go of my blast! Kyuubi! I need enough power for a Kokuho!'

'Right! Be careful, kid!'

Naruto raised his other hand and opened it, palm out. Visible, red-blue-and-black chakra began to coalesce in his palm, forming a sphere. The sphere shrank to about the size of a marble.

"Kyuubi sends his regards, Mizuki! KOKUHO!"

The sphere blasted forward at high speed, leaving a trench in the ground as it joined Naruto's other blast and pushed the orb back to a stalemate.

"Um, Hokage-sama…those blasts seem to be de-stabilizing…maybe we should…"

Saurtobi's eyes widened.

"Oh shit! FALL BACK!"

"Uh-oh," Naruto muttered.

"Uh-oh? What's 'u-oh'?" Ino demanded.

The two blasts formed a sphere where they were pressing against each other, growing and swirling.

With a silent thunderclap, they exploded.

"That," Naruto replied.

Everyone save Naruto was knocked off their feet.

The shockwaves of the explosion caused what sounded like thunder and blackouts across the entirety of the Elemental Nations.

(AN: This little detail is really, REALLY important later!)

Sakura, Ino, and Mizuki slowly got to their feet.

"What the hell?"

Mizuki grunted in surprise as his body began to alter, his muscles thickening and tiger stripes appearing on his skin.

"My curse seal…? But I didn't even ingest the potion to activate it!"

"I think that is the least of your problems," Naruto replied, pointing. "Look."

Sakura was staggering, as if woozy.

Suddenly, her skin turned a rose red and her pink hair darkened a couple shades as she grew to about six foot, her muscles expanding and ripping her clothing to shreds, the only things stretching to fit being her spandex shorts and sports bra.

"What…what happened to me?"

Any reply was cut off as Ino began clutching her head and screaming.

"So many voices…Can't tune them out…shut up…GO AWAY!"

An invisible expanding sphere of force shot out from her, ripping a crater in the ground as it blasted the trees on the edge of the clearing to pieces.

Ino suddenly heard a voice, deep, guttural, and seemingly ancient.

Girl, girl, listen to me! Focus on my voice!

Who…who are you…?

It's me! Kyuubi! Remember? Now, I can help filter out the voices, but only if you'll let me. Your clan uses mind techniques, yes?

Ino mentally 'nodded'.

Okay, good. Use the same concepts there and come into the boy's mind. It won't take but a second of real-time to help you, okay? I promise you can trust me.

O-okay…

Ino slowly stood up.

"Naruto, you and we are going to have a serious talk about accidentally mutating us. After you kick Mizuki's ass."

"Right. Got it."

Naruto brought his wrists close together.

"Nega-power! Quantum-power! Unite!"

He clapped the wristbands together.

A melodious chime and blinding light filled the air as a slow-moving shockwave pushed Mizuki back.

"What's going on?" he shouted, fighting to keep his footing.

"When I clap the bands together, my full power is released," Naruto replied, his voice…different.

The light faded to reveal that he was, in fact, different. His eyes had turned pure silver, his skin a dark blue-black with what seemed to be stars glinting on it.

Naruto was hovering in the air, energy bands rotating around his hands in an atomic helix shape.

"Nar…Naruto?" Sakura whispered in awe.

"In this form, I am not Uzumaki Naruto. I am Naruto-Vell. I am…Legacy!"

Mizuki shook off his shock and charged at Naruto.

"It doesn't matter what you call yourself! You're still a demon, no matter what!"

Naruto charged as well, skimming over the ground like a bullet.

His fist connected with Mizuki's face, which dented comically.

"Here we go," Naruto whispered as Mizuki staggered back. He grabbed Mizuki under the shoulders and took off into the sky.

Mizuki's head spun as Naruto began making several loop-the-loops in midair before blasting downwards towards the ground.

As they neared it, Naruto threw Mizuki down with the force of a missile.

The traitor's impact left another large crater.

Naruto slowly lowered himself to the ground before his appearance returned to normal.

"You can come out now, Hokage-jiji."

Sarutobi came out, the four ANBU following him. He was applauding.

"Very good, Naruto. I never expected you to do so well."

"Oh ye of little faith, sir," Naruto replied sarcastically.

"You four! Two of you take Mizuki to Ibiki while the other two help Iruka to the medics."

"Hai!" the four ANBU shouted, saluting.

"As for you, miss Yamanaka…"

"H-Hai…?" Ino squeaked, nervous.

"Because of how you handled yourself in such a dangerous situation, your skill in infiltrating the tower, and your new-found powers…you pass. The two of you will train with Naruto to discover their full extent whenever you do not have missions with your teams. These powers, and Naruto's status, are hereby S-Class secrets, to be revealed only under the most dire of circumstances."

"Hai!" the pair responded.

Naruto looked worried.

"I'm…concerned, jiji. From what I can feel, that pulse traveled across the entire Leaf village, if not the continent. There's no telling how many shinobi it mutated."

Sarutobi sighed and pinched his nose, nodding.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Naruto. For now, take the girls home so they can get some rest."

"Yes, sir. Come on, you two."

"Okay, Naruto-kun."

Meanwhile, in various locations…

A certain ninken-using genin woke up as a beam of moonlight passed across his face.

'That's odd…' he thought. 'It's as if the moon is…calling to me…'

A female heiress, her home deep in the forest, also awoke as she felt something stirring within her…

Something she thought that the woman she hated most in the world had taken from her…forever…

An Oto kunoichi slept soundly, exhausted by the intensive surgery she had undergone to strengthen and enhance her vocal cords for use as a weapon, unaware that her body was being further enhanced.

Somewhere between Kiri and Nami, a young feminine man awoke to feel his body growing colder than normal.

'This is odd,' he told himself. 'Is my Hyoton growing stronger?'

Next time: Teams, Lycanthropes, and New Comrades!

AN: Well, the first chapter of what has been bouncing around in my head for a while is done. Some quick notes:

Kokuho: Another name (taken from a game) for the Kyuubiko Imari (Nine-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball), the technical/canon name for the chakra blast Kyuubi and Naruto in four-tailed form or higher use. In any of my fics, 'Kokuho' will be the name when Naruto is drawing on the lowest level of Kyuubi's power (Awakened Jinchuuriki form; form before one-tailed cloak) while when in a tailed form it will be called Kyuubiko Imari.

Some facts about upcoming events I have planned (not for several more chapters, though):

-Sasame will be revealed as Naruto's half-sister, and Karin as his cousin. This will be because Rin was the midwife for Naruto's birth, and Kushina survived the sealing; after Yondaime and Kushina perform the sealing Danzo has her and Rin abducted and sold to different brothels, leaving permanently-altered corpses in their place. Rin was sent to Kusa, Kushina to the Land of Rice Paddies/Sound, where a Fuuma shinobi took Sasame with him to prevent her from being raised to be a...you know.

-After the Chunin exams Naruto forms the 'super-ninja' into a team: mostly to combat the Sand/Sound invasion. They will take the name of one of two Marvel teams: The Avengers or the Defenders. I'm leaning towards the first, simply because of what the Avengers were (are) and stood (stand) for. Besides, it sends a thrill down my spine to mentally 'hear' Naruto give the call: "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

-Akatsuki loses interest in the bijuu when Naruto catalyses a mutation that permanently bonds the vessels with their bijuu: they can no loger be separated. (Gaara as Sandman! Yugito as Black Panther! Yukimaru-here Yagura's biological son, and, as in canon Guren's adoptive one-as Sub-Mariner! And the others as undecided heroes!)

-In the final plot device, Sasuke joins either Danzo or Madara in conquering the villages, and Naruto creates more super-nin to bolster their ranks against the Uchiha's army. Among them will be Suzumebachi as Wasp, Suigetsu as Swordsman, Juugo as Thing or Man-Thing, Lee passes the torch as Konoha's version of Captain America on to Konohamaru in order to become the Hulk (oh, come on! You HAVE to have the Hulk in the Avengers!).

-The shinobi heroes I've decided on so far are:

Naruto as Legacy/Captain Marvel

Sakura as She-Hulk (different name) (Sakura SMASH!)

Ino as Phoenix/Emma Frost/Psylocke

Kin as Songbird (because in the original 'Thunderbolts' comics Genis and Songbird became lovers and in an alternate future both joined the Avengers; besides, I like Songbird better than Siryn or Banshee)

Kiba as a werewolf (similar to another of my fave Marvels, Werewolf By Night, he can control himself in the transformation and change at will)

Yakumo as Mysterio (fits better than Dr Strange)

Suigetsu as Swordsman (another of my favorite Avengers, and it fits his personality)

Juugo as Thing or Man-Thing

Sasame as Ms. Marvel

Tenten as a hybrid of Hawkeye, Punisher, and Bullseye

Komachi as a straight Punisher-type

A resurrected Itachi as Ghost Rider

Towa as Wolverine (oh, come on! Who didn't think of the comparison when you see him fight in Clash of Ninja Revolution II and III?)

Lee as Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn's hybrid of Iron Man and Captain America; in this fic it's a hybrid of Cap and New Goblin from Spider-Man III) and later Hulk

Konohamaru as Captain America, Bucky Barnes version/American Son (Harry Osborn when he joined Norman's Dark Avengers; also a hybrid of Cap and Shellhead/New Goblin)

Gaara as Sandman

Yugito as Black Panther/Tigra fusion

Yukimaru (who I'm saying is Yagura's son due to his connection with Sanbi) as Namor/Sub-Mariner

Haku as Iceman

Fuu (seven-tails vessel) as Beetle/Mach-VI

Hinata as Moonstone

Kidomaru as Spider-man/Venom

Karin, Roushi, Han, Utakata, Kirabi, Shikamaru, Kimimaro, Tayuya, etc. as undecided heroes (some ideas would be appreciated! Just name any Naruto character similar to Naruto's age, or who is NOT Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Kurenai, Gai, Asuma, Anko, Kabuto, Orochimaru, one of the Akatsuki (except maybe Konan), Danzo, a Kage, or any other character older than Iruka and who you think they should be-please try to keep their canon skills and abilities coherent with the powers of the hero you're suggesting (meaning no Temari or Kankuro Human Torches, for example)-and I'll research the character and see what I think. If I like it, I might use your suggestions! If I do, your penname gets a shout-out in the Author Notes in the beginning of that chapter!).

Undecided, but potentially likely combinations:

Chouji as Juggernaut

Kirabi as Luke Cage/Bishop hybrid

And, finally, whoever can name the finishing technique Naruto uses against Mizuki gets a No-Prize in the next chapter's opening AN. Hint: it's not from Naruto.