Naruto of the Hidden Mist

The flak jacket fit snug to Naruto's body as he zipped up the front. It's charcoal gray color contrasted with his unruly blonde hair that was only kept in check thanks to his loosely fitted hitai-ate. The four Kiri waves were proudly engraved into the metal. He quickly tightened the dark cloth that wrapped around his head and checked himself in the mirror on the opposite wall of his bedroom.

The pinstriped arm guards were always a little too tight. He would have to ask his mother if she could adjust them for him. Naruto flexed his fingers a few times before he settled with the small discomfort. The glint of his kunai holster on the bed made him turn to grab it.

"Naruto!" A loud voice boomed into his room through the door, followed by a few powerful smacks to the wood. "We're waiting on ya, ya know?!"

Kaa-san, could you be a little quieter?

Naruto grimaced as he entertained the thought of his door being knocked down simply with the strength of her voice. Uzumaki rarely had much patience to begin with, but his mother was on another level. She would always get on him and his father about taking too long to do something, when really they were going at a normal pace.

Naruto thought about it for a moment and could not stop the smile from forming on his lips. That was his mother though, and he still loved her for it. In the end, she only had the family's best interests in mind.

Besides, there was a reason why she wanted him to hurry, and that was because he had a very special appointment at the hospital today. Recently, his mother had been scheduling him regular appointments to meet with Fusō Oba-chan to test his tenketsu and chakra pathways. Apparently, he was starting to near the age where a part of his grandmother's kekkei genkai would unlock.

He finished fastening the kunai holder to his leg and similarly latched his equipment pouch onto his waist. With the last of his uniform squared away, Naruto rushed over to the door to avoid invoking his mother's wrath. Outside, his mother and father waited near the entrance to their apartment. Kushina was actually halfway down the hall to bang on his door again, whereas his father merely stood back looking as resolute as ever.

"Sorry, Kaa-chan, I'm ready," Naruto said with a bashful smile.

Kushina's aggravated demeanor shifted after hearing her son's apology. She was never one to stay mad for long when it came to such trivial matters. The distance between them closed as Kushina threw her arm over his shoulder and brought him embarrassingly close. A smile from her meant that all had been forgiven.

"Good boy, Naruto." Kushina patted him on the shoulder and pushed him along. "Now, let's not keep Fusō-chan waiting all day." She led him out the door with Minato dutifully falling in behind them.

As Naruto passed, Minato had given a reassuring wink and a small grin. His father was always more reserved than his mother, but he had his own way of showing affection. Luckily, he had a level head and plenty more patience than his mother to get angry over something like changing clothes.

As the family of three exited their building, Naruto realized they looked like a squad about to head out on a mission. Kushina and Minato both wore their own uniforms, though that was not so odd concerning his father since he was often home between missions. Kushina on the other hand rarely left the village and had gotten used to wearing more casual clothes around.

Minato always expected Naruto to keep an air of professionalism when he was going around the village, so his mother must have been trying to appease him since he was home after so long. Of course, being one of the noble clans meant the Uzumaki had a certain reputation around the village, but his mother never much cared for such titles or traditions. His father really was the ideal shinobi, Naruto guessed.

That just gave him another target to aim for. He would not let his parents' support be for nothing. For many weeks he had been praying that the doctor's appointment would confirm he would receive the kekkei genkai of his grandmother's clan, so that he could make Kushina and Minato proud.

Naruto's face tightened as he concentrated on that vision of success. He would let nothing stop him from reaching it.

"Ah! Look over there, Naruto. Karin-chan and the others returned, you know?" Naruto followed his mother's excited gaze down the street where a procession of shinobi were walking toward them.

Naruto quickly recognized the red hair of his cousin, Karin Uzumaki. He also realized her eyes were locked on him as she ran out of the group toward his family. As she was the youngest member of the Cypher intelligence Division, the girl wore a loose fitting green kimono with a beige, pinstriped undershirt. The hitai-ate of the village hung loosely from her neck.

From this distance, he could already see her face reddening in his presence: something that happened far too often to be normal. His mother liked to tease him about Karin's feelings, but to him they were less of a laughing matter and more of a life and death situation.

I've seen her hit Suigetsu halfway down the street when she gets angry. Definitely too dangerous.

"Karin-chan, welcome back! How was your mission?" Kushina was all smiles as she greeted the girl, whose exhaustion had all but disappeared upon arriving at Naruto's side.

"Ah, Kushina-sama, I'm glad to be back." Karin's eyes shifted toward Naruto as her eyes nervously danced behind her rimmed glasses.

"I already feel better from all the running," Karin added, quietly.

Naruto did his best to keep up a friendly demeanor as his mother did. He offered Karin a smile and nodded as she spoke some about her mission. She had left a few weeks ago with members from the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist to carry out a scouting mission in the Land of Frost. Naruto had never been to the mainland before, so he was interested in what she had to say, but he also wanted to check out the other shinobi that had been part of the group.

He turned to see his father glaring at Zabuza Momochi as he passed. Their eyes met for a moment before the swordsman carried on along with the others. The look his father had offered them was unnerving to say the least; Naruto had never seen him so displeased before.

In his own way, Naruto had always looked up to the Seven Swordsmen and envied their strength and reputation in the village. Of course, he could never say he had the blood thirst to live up to their image, but it did not change the fact that they were still the most prestigious organization in all of Kiri. People looked up to them, either with respect or from fear.

"Naruto-kun?" He heard his name and quickly returned to the conversation at hand.

Karin and his mother had been staring at him with a certain amount of concern. Apparently his face had soured after seeing his father's silent exchange with Zabuza. Minato of course had covered his tracks rather well and was staring off into the sky, avoiding his mother's wanting gaze.

"Sorry about that." Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Karin-chan, you said your mission was a success? So, no Kumo ninja have crossed the border?"

"Mmm." Karin hummed in approval, his warm regards made any suspicion fade away. "Since the last battle a few weeks ago, there hasn't been any sign of raiding parties."

"Thank goodness," Kushina muttered with a solemn expression. "The Uzumaki living there have gone through enough, I'd say."

Karin and Naruto could only nod since they were only privy to rumors and hearsay. From what he had gathered, an enclave of non-shinobi Uzumaki in the Land of Frost had been attacked by Kumogakure shinobi. Considering the fact that the Land of Frost was a protectorate of the Land of Water, the village sent a small force to counterattack.

Things got ugly when it was revealed the attack was actually a slave raid. Kumogakure had taken to kidnapping bloodline users or those with known clan affiliations as breeding stock. It was a sickening practice and every time he thought about it, Naruto could not help but feel his gut turn over.

His father was one of those who were sent to rescue the civilians, but apparently so were the Seven Swordsmen. Since that mission, his father had become a little bit more distant. He could only guess that had something to do with the harsh stare he had offered the swordsmen as they passed by. There were rumors some of the Uzumaki were killed by Kiri shinobi in the middle of combat.

There's no way Tou-san would do that...so if the rumors are true, the swordsmen must have...

Naruto did not want to think more of it. Neither did his mother as she had quickly changed the topic to Naruto's visit to the hospital.

Karin wished them luck and regretfully had to excuse herself. Her team was waiting for her down the road as they needed to meet the Mizukage and have an official debriefing. Since she had been brought into the Cypher Division, her freedom had been severely curtailed. He wondered if she was cut out for such strict work, but he knew from his mother how much of a talented shinobi she was in the eyes of the Uzumaki and the village.

She may have scared the living hell out of him sometimes, but Naruto had nothing but respect for Karin's skills as a kunoichi. With any luck, he could develop his strength even more to surpass her talent.

"Kushina, Naruto. We'd best head out too." Minato urged them forward, though he was kind as always.

"Mm, you're right." Kushina gave Naruto a more than friendly shove forward, hiding her strength behind a sickeningly sweet grin. "Come on kiddo, destiny awaits!"

Naruto just shook his head and continued down the road with his family. As exhausting as they could be, Naruto really did cherish the times he got to spend with his parents.

Naruto found himself sitting in a particularly uncomfortable chair waiting for the doctor to finish her report. Fusō was another Uzumaki with long, plum red hair. She actually had a striking resemblance to his mother when she let her hair down, but that was to be expected considering the woman was close enough to be referred to as an aunt.

Kushina and Minato stood behind him, both eagerly awaiting the doctor to say something. So far she had only asked him the standard questions for a checkup, so he really doubted there was much to talk about. Still, Naruto could not help but feel their anxiousness rub off.

Fusō got up from her chair and offered Naruto a gentle smile. When her hand began to glow green, he could not help but fidget uncomfortably. With a few quick taps, she checked his chakra pathways and tenketsu for any abnormalities. Apparently that was the only way they could tell he was nearing the awakening of his kekkei genkai.

"So, so? Does he have, ya know, kaa-chan's-" Kushina could barely hold herself together as she practically shouted the words, fists pumping up and down in excitement.

"Now now Kushina, I know you're excited but you have to wait." His mother deflated with Fusō's calming words, but the tension remained.

After checking a few more pressure points on his body, his aunt backed away and wrote more information down in his folder. He almost wanted to get up and read over her shoulder, though he figured it would be seen as rude to do so. He could wait a little longer than his mother, at least.

"Just as we confirmed in the last appointment, there is some unique activity happening in your chakra flow," Fusō then asked with a raised brow, "Have you noticed anything when molding chakra?"

Naruto just shook his head negatively. When he began to frown, his aunt only offered him a smile as she wrote that down.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. That's perfectly normal, in fact if you did feel something off then it could even be seen as a bad sign." He could hear his mother let out a sigh of relief behind him.

"So, Fusō oba-san, what do you think? Do I have the Terumī kekkei genkai?" Naruto had to put the question out there directly.

His mother Kushina had always considered his inheritance of the ability a distant chance, as her mother had been a Terumī that married her Uzumaki father. Marriage between the two clans was a relatively common occurrence considering their past together, but exchange of kekkei genkai was considerably more rare. As unfortunate as it was that Kushina herself did not inherit the ability, she held out hope he would get the trait instead.

Fusō smiled as she reached into her pocket and pulled a familiar piece of paper. Naruto recognized it as chakra paper, used by shinobi to test for their affinity to nature elements.

"Well how about we find out right now? Here, Naruto-kun." She offered him the piece of paper and he readily accepted it, slipping it between his pointer finger and thumb.

"According to your records, the last time you took the test you received a straight water affinity. Correct?"

Naruto nodded as he remembered in the academy when his piece of paper dissolved between his fingers after a quick application of chakra.

"Try it out then. You should see a different result if the kekkei genkai really has been inherited." Spurred on by his aunt's encouragement, Naruto applied chakra to the piece of paper.

When Naruto inserted chakra into the piece of paper, it began to crumble, then ignited with fire, and finally was put out with water and dissolved into pieces. Before he could even enjoy a moment of wonder after watching the mess of elements, he was smothered by his mother's chest in a bone crushing hug.

Fusō barely stifled her amusement by covering her mouth as Naruto struggled to escape his mother's clutches. She kept shouting out her congratulations to him and how proud she was, despite the fact they still did not know if the kekkei genkai was confirmed or not.

"Congratulations, Naruto," Minato whispered his congratulations with a small pat on Naruto's shoulder.

When his father mumbled that sentence, it was all the confirmation he needed to know that his prayers had been answered. His father never made a misstep and had never spoken out of turn either. When he said something, Naruto took it for what it was as pure fact and today was no exception.

I really have it!

"Do ya know how amazing this is? I'm so happy!" Kushina shook her son around a bit more as Naruto finally returned her hug.

They shared a family moment that was soon broken with the door sliding open. Fusō turned to see who it was, only to bow in respect. Minato quickly did the same as he had noticed the door open first. Kushina and Naruto both turned to see the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, enter with a small smile on his face.

"A-ah, Yondaime-sama. Welcome!" Kushina bowed after her haphazard greeting with Naruto following her lead.

He had no idea the Yondaime would take an interest with him, especially on a peaceful day like this. The last time they had met was when he completed his last mission a few days ago. They had never really talked much, but his father had always been respectful when he talked about the Mizukage and his incredible strength as the jinchuuriki of the Three Tails. His mother was also particularly respectful, considering her usual cheery attitude; he always figured it had something to do with the both of them being tailed beast jailers.

"Hello everyone. It's good to see you in such high spirits." Yagura spoke with a distinctly formal tone that sometimes felt out of place coming from a superior like him.

However, it is also made him seem more approachable than most. Considering the darker reputation he had among the common folk, Naruto supposed his friendly demeanor was a good thing. It was hard to believe a boyish, short stature man like the one in front of him was a monster of any kind.

But, he knew very well that looks could be deceiving.

"Yondaime-sama, thank you for coming to check on our son's progress," Minato said, bowing deeper.

Yagura went farther in the room to stand with the group. Finally, they were able to stop bowing and peer down at the leader of the village normally.

"Of course, Minato-san. I have actually come to speak with Naruto considering some business matters. If you would all give us some time alone." Though his tone was still polite, an order was an order.

"Yes, sir." Minato led the others out without a second thought.

Kushina shot a concerned glance back toward Naruto, which he returned with a confident smile. Her love for him sometimes felt a bit like a drag, but he especially appreciated it in moments like this. All the same, he was not so much afraid of Yagura as he was of what the man had to say. Business matters could mean a lot of things with a Kage.

"Naruto-kun, I hope you've been well. This good news has surely lifted your spirits."

As soon as the door closed, Yagura opened with a compliment.

"Yes, Yagura-sama. Thank you for asking."

Yagura waved his hand to dismiss the thanks as nothing. He really was overwhelmingly formal with his subordinates.

"I hope that in the future you will find that you also carry your mother's abilities as well. Each step you take seems to make you into a more and more promising shinobi."

The compliment made Naruto blush a bit, but he could not help but feel the other man was merely being polite. As the Mizukage, it was his job to foster a strong village through powerful shinobi. It only made sense he wished for Naruto to gain more abilities for the sake of the village.

"Do you remember what we talked about, the time you were promoted to Chunin?" Yagura clasped his hands behind his back, waiting patiently for an answer.

Naruto thought back to the conversation they shared in the Mizukage's garden, atop the central office building the village leader did his work in. That was the first time he realized the Yondaime had actually acknowledged him as more than just another shinobi, or another Uzumaki. At first he had passed it off to his parents' accomplishments, but now he wondered if there was more to it than that.

"You said that if I displayed a certain level of progress, I might be considered for special training?" That seemed to be the central point of the conversation as he remembered it, at least.

"Yes, that's right. I would consider the unlocking of the Terumī bloodline a considerable amount of progress, wouldn't you?"

Not waiting for an answer, Yagura continued to speak. The curves of his mouth started to turn upward in a knowing smile.

"It's about time I take you under my wing. Even after the academy, there was talk for you to be considered by the Seven Swordsmen as well as the ANBU, but I preached caution as I wanted to see just what you were capable of first. This progression has proven to me that you are ready to start exploring these possibilities."

Naruto could not help but swallow hard after hearing all that information. He had no idea that he had been scouted for those organizations, nor was he aware of the Mizukage's involvement. Had his mother and father known? If they did, they were good liars.

The thought of that kind acknowledgment both excited and frightened him.

"What kind of special training do you mean, Yagura-sama?" That was the one part he still did not quite understand the purpose of.

Of course, to receive any kind of lesson from the esteemed leader of the hidden village was more than an accomplishment: it was a godsend! But, he knew very little of Yagura's abilities outside of his fame as a jinchuuriki and Suiton user.

"To answer that, let me ask you a question, Naruto," Yagura responded with another smile, his gaze wandering to the window across the room. "Do you know the history of your clan and how you came to join the village?"

"Of course, Mizukage-sama." Naruto answered immediately. It would be pretty insane to say he did not know the history of the Uzumaki, his own clan.

"When Uzushiogakure was abandoned in its time of need by the Senju during the First Shinobi War, the Terumī came to our aid from Kiri. The Shodai, Byakuren Terumī, made a pact of cooperation with my ancestor, Ashina Uzumaki. From that union, Yūdai Terumī and Mito Uzumaki were married and brought our clans into a relationship we still have today."

It was all facts that he had either heard from his mother or read in the family scrolls. History had never been his strong suit, but it was all still interesting nonetheless. The world was so different back then.

"Yes, that much is true. And do you remember how Mito Uzumaki became the village's hero and made the Uzumaki as well known as they are today?" From Yagura's tone, it was very clear he was leading the conversation to an obvious end.

Unfortunately, Naruto still did not see the point. Nonetheless, he knew the answer to the question. That same answer resided inside of his mother.

"Mito Uzumaki, together with her husband, infiltrated the Land of Fire during an internal conflict between the Shodai Hokage and Madara Uchiha and sealed the Nine Tailed Fox inside of herself. So, she became the first jinchuuriki and brought the fox back to our village, increasing our military strength."

After that, the Uzumaki and Terumī formed the Noble Clans of Kirigakure that made the members above common scrutiny of the populace. Later with the Nidaime's reign, the Hōzuki were added to the noble clan lineup and formed what it remained as today.

Eventually Kirigakure would either be given, or take for themselves, the Three Tailed Turtle and the Six Tailed Slug; much of that was accomplished due to the presence of the Uzumaki and their powerful sealing techniques. The rest of the villages were too occupied to create their own sealing techniques and could do little to respond. Konoha to this day remained without a tailed beast, putting it in a relatively disadvantageous position in the distribution of power.

"Very good. That's all correct: thanks to the Uzumaki, Kirigakure is well known as the most powerful village for two key reasons. We have three tailed beasts and a considerable population of powerful bloodline users."

Naruto always knew the village was relatively successful, but he knew little of how they were looked at by other villages. To know they were considered the most powerful gave him a bit of pride.

Yagura noticed Naruto's expression and chuckled. It was indeed a good feeling, but there was a lot of work that went into maintaining that status quo.

"Anyway, to go back to your original question, your training will involve learning about the tailed beasts. Just like your mother, I am a jinchuuriki, and therefore I have a responsibility to the village to both contain this power and to use it against our enemies."Yagura's tone turned serious the more he spoke, and Naruto felt his legs turn to gel.

"What is our biggest strength can turn into our most formidable threat, so you must understand how important it is to have capable retainers that can subdue the beasts should the need arise."

The thought of being trained to become a jinchuuriki made the sweat turn to ice on his back. He had nothing but respect for the three jinchuuriki in the village, but he had never considered joining their ranks. Kushina was strong, but he could see her struggle with the stress both mentally and physically.

Yagura realized Naruto's face was one of worry and tried to ease his concerns with a smile.

"Leave your concerns behind Naruto, as I don't plan on making you a jinchuuriki if I can help it. You are one of many potential candidates, should the unthinkable happen and we need to contain a tailed beast."

Somehow, that did not help calm Naruto's nerves.

"It mostly has to do with your blood; as a member of the Uzumaki clan, your sealing techniques would be very useful in such a situation." That much made sense, though it did not explain why he specifically had to be the one to take the job.

When Naruto realized what he was saying, he wanted to slap himself. He was disrespecting his mother by being so hesitant about the situation. If anything, he should be proud to make such a sacrifice for the village; that is what his father would say, and that is what he should have been saying all along.

Still, he could not help but tighten his fists at the thought of facing down a tailed beast.

"Anyway, all of that is hypothetical for now. Let's not dwell on it. For now, your priority is to nurture and grow your newly awakened kekkei genkai properly. To do that, you'll need a proper teacher."

Naruto appreciated the change in topic back to something that was worth celebrating. What Yagura said was true, that he would need a teacher. The last time he served under a jonin, it was over four years ago. Back when he was a genin and life was arguably much simpler.

"I'm confident we can find someone in the Terumī family to take on that role. In fact, I already have a few in mind off the top of my head," Yagura said with confidence.

"For now though, I'll let you enjoy the rest of the day with your family. The training can start at a later date, after I've had time to setup a few related matters." The delay was something Naruto was secretly relieved of.

"Yagura-sama, is all of this really because I unlocked my kekkei genkai?" Naruto suddenly asked, as he realized just how overwhelming it was to all of a sudden be given that much attention.

Yagura must have been waiting for that question as he smiled again. He made a quick expression toward the door, where Naruto's family waited.

"Some time ago, your parents came to me to ask for my help in giving you a fitting role to support the village. They believed the training and missions you were undergoing were mediocre and would not satisfy you."

His parents said that about him? From his father he could have expected it, but his mother too? He had no idea they felt that way about his future, or at least that strongly.

"While your kekkei genkai is a welcomed gift, the work you have put into your career to this point has finally bore these fruits of labor for you to take. Don't pass them up." Yagura's words resounded in Naruto's heart.

"I'll send for you tomorrow. There are some people I'd like you to meet, to better help you make an informed decision." Yagura gave Naruto a short bow and left the room.

Naruto returned the gesture as the Mizukage left. Not a moment after the leader left, Kushina rushed back in and gathered him in her arms. She must have seen through his distant look as she quickly became concerned.

"Sorry, Naruto. We should have told you about our talk with the Yondaime sooner. Minato had been so concerned you weren't receiving the right amount of attention, ya know?" His mother's excited tic came out again, but it just made her words all the more sincere.

"Of course, Kaa-chan. I understand, thanks for doing what you did." Kushina buried her head into his neck and thanked him over and over again.

Naruto's eyes wandered to the door to see his father leaning against it, his arms crossed in a cool demeanor. Though he was not smiling, Naruto could tell Minato shared his mother's sentiments. There was nothing to apologize over from his perspective, as he had done what he considered the best for his son and most importantly the village.

"I knew you would become a greater asset to the village if we spoke up with our concerns to the Mizukage," Minato added from afar.

Kushina pulled herself from her son, standing between them. A short glare was sent back at her husband over his callous words. They always disagreed over priorities; his mother was all about family while his father considered the village's safety paramount. He felt himself fall in between, though he usually leaned with his mother in most matters.

"The village isn't the only important thing around here, Minato. Naruto's feelings matter, too." Her defense of him made Naruto feel better, enough to speak his mind.

"Thanks, Kaa-san. You too, Tou-san," Naruto said, his hand on his mother's back to comfort her. "It's all a little overwhelming, but I am happy with the opportunity."

All the conflict washed away as the parents saw their son's genuine delight.

"That strength will give you the power to protect the village, definitely," Minato said with a rare smile.

Naruto felt Kushina's hand on his shoulder as she gave him a light shake. His mother had a big grin on her face that served to further brighten the mood.

"That's strength you'll have to protect the family too, ya know?"

"Yeah, believe it." Mother and son shared another close moment.

"Now come on, we have some shopping to do."

The thought of having to shop with his mother brought his mood to a low. What kind of celebration was that?

Kushina quickly picked up on his dreary mood and playfully bonked him over the head. Her mock anger quickly disappeared as she grabbed his attention with another smile.

"We're shopping so I can cook my son's favorite meal, ya know?"

Naruto's elation returned with thoughts of his mother's salty pork ramen. It made his mouth water just thinking about it. Not even Minato could resist the idea of eating Kushina's homemade food, his arms uncrossed and another grin appearing.

The family of three hurried out of the hospital building to go enjoy themselves. A celebration that could not begin soon enough.

In the Mizukage's office, Yagura hosted a fellow Kiri shinobi who sat at one of the nearby couches. On the table between them sat an open folder with the picture of a teenage blonde boy. He was very recognizable as one of the Uzumaki's youngest and brightest.

"Please look over the documents and inform me if there is some reason why you cannot accept the assignment. If there are no complaints, I'll have you start immediately," Yagura said, pressing his hands together in satisfaction.

"Yes, sir. But, are you sure it's wise for me to be his teacher? I've never had a genin team before, let alone a single pupil..."

The young woman spoke with some hesitation in her voice, but Yagura knew her very well as being confident in her own abilities. It was hard not to be when you were lauded as the most talented Yōton and Futton user among all of the Terumī.

"Mei Terumī, perhaps I should rephrase this but, could you recommend me someone better to teach this boy about your clan's kekkei genkai? If so, please do. But, you know as well as I that your talent in ninjutsu is second to none among your peers, even outside of your clan."

Yagura's words should have made her blush, but Mei was more disciplined than that.

Still, they gave her more confidence as she sat a bit straighter. Dressed in normal shinobi wardrobe, she wore the village's standard flak jacket with black underclothes. The auburn hair that her clan was prided over drew down to her lower back, braided in a loose herringbone pattern with a small top knot tied with her usual blue band.

Mei always carried herself as a competent and attractive kunoichi, and so she did not shy away from enhancing her appearance with more aesthetics. Her favorite color blue was used as her nail polish, and her lips were colored dark purple with lipstick. Despite having such confidence over her skills and her body, she still lacked results from her efforts and so she asked the Mizukage to understand her hesitation.

"I understand your point, Mizukage-sama. I will look over the files at once."

Mei gathered the papers and looked them over once more. Sixteen years old, chunin. A pretty standard, if not perfect, track record in missions and performance. He had a considerable pedigree to live up to though, as she flipped to the page with his parent's information.

Everyone in the village knew the Uzumaki, but more so, everyone knew the duo that was Minato and Kushina. Known as Kiri no Akai Nami by their enemies, Kushina was the powerful Nine Tails jinchuuriki and a member of Kiri's Barrier team.

The Kiri no Kiiroi Senkō, better known as Minato Namikaze among the villagers, had a devastating amount of kills with his Hiraishin technique and was considered to have Kage level potential.

Those were some big shoes Naruto had lived his life to fill. Mei had no doubt the Mizukage wanted to see him fill them sooner rather than later, too.

But, she still hesitated. Was Naruto Uzumaki capable of learning anything from her? She never really considered herself the type that could teach; she was terrible with her cousin's children, after all.

Either way, Mei would find out soon enough. This was a request she knew could not be refused.

"Then, I will accept this assignment," Mei said, flipping the folder closed and carefully placing it back on the table.

Yagura smiled, though it almost felt sinister with how satisfied he was with her answer.

"I'm sure you will find a way to handle Naruto's delicate family situation. I've always believed women were the most adaptive teachers. I have confidence in you, Mei."

Mei stood up from her seat and formally bowed. Whether she liked it or not, he was her superior. An order was an order. Still, she felt sick to her stomach for some reason when she was in his presence.

Something never felt right with Yagura.

The next day came too quickly for Naruto. He felt light in the head as he walked with Yagura through Kirigakure. He still could not believe they were going to personally meet the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. For some reason, he still felt like he was unworthy of their attention.

Yagura seemed to think the opposite as he paid the matter little mind. As they walked together, Yagura had been telling Naruto about the village's three tailed beasts and their capabilities. It seemed only Yagura had full control of his chakra, though he had admitted that the beast's relative power and its personality contributed to the Mizukage's ability to contain and control it. Still, just the presence of their jinchuuriki gave the other villages pause to attempt any kind of attack.

Even Konoha, which had made many territorial gains in the aftermath of the Third Shinobi War, did not dare to attack Kirigakure despite their calls for the Nine Tails to be given back to them. Without a tailed beast, Konoha was at a severe disadvantage on the negotiations table. Iwagakure's strategic victory over them during the Third Shinobi War had kept them in check, for the most part, but their Yondaime Orochimaru was a considerable threat. Yagura warned Naruto never to trust the man, should they ever meet.

'Stay away from that man, should you ever meet him', says Yagura. Orochimaru must be an intimidating shinobi for the Mizukage to say that.

Of course, Naruto heard the rumors of the Sannin from the mainland and their martial prowess during the Second Shinobi War. But, words were easily twisted; legends were just a few adjectives away from dropouts. Not that he disbelieved the Mizukage, and he would be sure to heed his advice should he ever have need to go to Konoha.

Though, he doubted that was even a remote possibility considering Kiri's isolationist policy.

"We are close to their training grounds. I trust you can find the way from here?"

Yagura had stopped some distance away from the training area: a forest with an abnormal amount of mist shrouding it from view.

Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion and Yagura chuckled.

"Zabuza-san requested that you be sent alone, so I'm afraid we must part ways. There is little for me to do there anyway, as everything is now in your hands." Yagura shrugged, as if it meant nothing.

Naruto's destiny was his to shape, in other words. The Mizukage's presence had offered him some comfort in an unfamiliar area. Still, he was a Kiri shinobi in his own right; he could not have his hand held the entire way.

"I understand." Naruto bowed.

"Very good. Ao from the ANBU will also be in attendance; he will want to speak with you regarding the possibility of recruitment into the organization. Please be sure to meet with him."

Yagura waved goodbye before turning around to walk back. After a few paces he began to disappear into a fine mist of water and his presence could no longer be felt.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and turned back toward the grounds. They definitely were intimidating, but nothing he could not handle. He proceeded onward, now alone.

Along the road, he noticed a puddle near one of the drainage pipes on the road. He found it odd for water to be present considering that, apart from the usual mist, there had been no rain the past few days.

Well, a puddle definitely was not the oddest sight in Kirigakure so he passed it by all the same.

A few more paces forward and he realized his suspicions were correct. Two presences appeared behind him and before he could make a move, his body was surrounded in shuriken chains. The culprits rounded to show themselves in front of him and he quickly realized from their hitai-ate that they too were Kiri shinobi.

Then why were they attacking him?!

"Who the hell are you?!" Naruto shouted in outrage, though they were not fazed by his harsh words.

The two men had cloaks over their body to hide what looked like camouflage fatigues. Both had similar metal gauntlets that the chain was attached to, and it appeared to be their primary weapon. Their faces were concealed by rebreathers and their hitai-ate had horns attached to the metal as some kind of fashion statement.

"I am Gōzu." The taller one spoke first, his voice muffled by the mask.

"And I am Meizu," said the smaller one.

"We are the demon brothers. As for you, Uzumaki, you should be more careful wandering the streets alone. Even in our village, you aren't safe when someone wants you dead."

Those words made Naruto's blood run cold. Someone wanted him dead? How did that make any kind of sense? Still, to have this conversation at such a disadvantage annoyed him. More than that, the betrayal of fellow Kiri shinobi against one of their own pissed him off even more.

They needed to be taught a lesson.

"Now then..." With a sudden jerk, the two tightened their chains in an attempt to rip Naruto into pieces.

Unfortunately for them, their captive toppled over into a puddle of water. The brothers were caught off guard only for a moment as they sensed his presence behind them. They returned their chains and spread out to catch Naruto off guard.

The blonde adjusted his arm guards to show off the skin beneath. A faint black seal could just barely be made out if one were to look closely. Naruto summoned two weapons, one from each arm, into his hands with a pop of smoke.

In each hand he now wielded a single kunai blade. Naruto assumed his defensive stance and readied himself for their next attack. He would not be caught off guard a second time. He would figure out who their employer was, even if he had to beat it out of them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Please see the two links on my profile page for more details into this world's drastic departure from the known Naruto universe.

It goes without saying, but do not try and liken this story to canon timeline events. It is a significant departure, despite it remaining very much the same universe.

Sorry for asking after staying absent for so long, but please enjoy.