Welcome one and all, to my first ever fanfic! I got the idea for this while trying to find a decently long crossover fic to read. Alas, my search was in vain, though the one I did find sparked a bit of inspiration that wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to actually get this down on paper... binary? Either way, it's written down and here to be enjoyed. Now, as this is the first time that I am actually writing a story, I would like to say a few words to introduce myself. I am Lostbasin, I have been hooked on fanfictions for about the past year now, it all started when I came across these HFY stories and it kind of snowballed from there. Enough about me, if people become interested, I may actually write something in my bio. I'll let you get to reading this story, I hope you guys enjoy.

Also, I do not own either Naruto or Okami.

Ink Stained Leaves

Chapter 1

The Sun Rises

Tragedy doesn't begin to cover what Konoha had just gone through. Only three days had passed since the Kyuubi no Yoko had attacked the ninja village and leaving it without its leader or many of its ninja protectors. Three days since many lost their loved ones to the tailed beast that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Three days to mourn and grieve the loss of life and home.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, having retaken his position as Hokage, could only look out over the village he resides over and think that this is not how things were supposed to go. This is not what he had in mind when he stepped down as leader. The village was supposed to have a bright future ahead of it, led by the most powerful ninja of this generation, not an old man past his prime.

The loss of Namikaze Minato hit the village hard, despite his heroic sacrifice to end the Nine Tailed fox's rampage. The village would be forever grateful for what he did, 'Though,' Sarutobi thought bitterly, 'not for the reasons they should be.'

Thinking back on the days following the bijuu's assault, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel saddened at how many of the populace had reacted to the news that the Yondaime did not in fact kill the beast as they had originally thought, but had sealed it into a newborn boy.

Almost as if sensing his thoughts, Hiruzen heard a soft sneeze come from the crib sitting next to his desk. Looking over the bar, he saw a blonde haired baby boy who had some of the bluest eyes the one could ever hope to see.

The old Hokage couldn't help but smile sadly at the three day old, knowing that he could have had a normal life if only some people hadn't opened their moronic mouths. He didn't know who blabbed to the ever gossipy villagers, but when he found who did; he would see to it personally that they would live to regret it.

His eyes drifted to the blanket that was covering the boy and his face regressed again into sadness. His wife had made that covering as a gift to the soon to be parents of the child, his wife who unfortunately was a victim of the Fox's wrath. He wasn't quite sure if he would be able to perform his duty to the village without his other half; as she had provided him with much needed comfort from the hardships that the title came with.

Sighing, the aged ninja turned from the crib to once again look over his village. What was once a sight that he used to remind himself of why he became Hokage was now a nightmare to gaze upon. The once serene view was now marred by the smoke of destroyed buildings; a scar on his once peaceful village. How many were sleeping peacefully when the beast arrived? How many didn't make it out in time? His ninja were still sorting through the ruins and every day a report came to him stating the number of people that were found, it was discouraging how small the number found alive were.

'How did it all go wrong?' Hiruzen thought.

Silence was the only answer he received. Not that he expected one, a lesson he learned during his many years as leader of Konoha. If he wanted answers he would have to look for them. Unfortunately, he had neither the time nor the man power in order to issue an investigation. Too many ninja were lost and in order to keep up appearances he had sent out most of his jonin to fulfil missions while those that remained, along with the chunin and genin, worked to repair the worst of the damages.

Konoha had definitely seen better times, one could only wonder if this tragedy would lead to more suffering, or, if by some miracle, things would remain peaceful. War was the last thing Hiruzen wanted, so much so that if pressed, he would do anything to protect his people, even if it meant surrender. As it was, Konoha could quite likely be taken over by a group of small children armed with nothing but water balloons. He could only hope to be so lucky; the most they would ask for is spending money for sweets.

A knock on the office door interrupted him from his thoughts.

"Enter." He said as he gathered his loose emotions back into order.

A genin entered, looking rather distressed, alarming considering the state he was most likely already in.

"Hokage-sama! One of our scouts just reported in! He says that there is a large group of people making their way to west gate! We have no idea who they are and we have received no notice of their arrival!" the genin managed to gasp out, impressive seeing as it looked like he had ran there from the outer wall. Still, his news was concerning to the reinstated leader. He had to act quickly.

"How quickly are they advancing? Did anyone see anything to identify their village?" he said, more calmly than he felt.

Having caught his breath, the genin more evenly said "No Hokage-sama, the scout only reported that they're coming from the west and that they are around 200 in number."

Hiruzen thought carefully. He couldn't just send out his ninja to face a force that large. Not without suffering major losses, losses they just couldn't afford. Nor could he ignore their approach. News couldn't have spread that fast to the other ninja villages in only three days, so they couldn't have sent their forces yet, let alone one that size. Could this have been planned? He found that hard to believe, knowing what he knew of the events that had transpired. After a few moments of thinking, he rose from his chair.

"Go inform the west gate that I will be there to await the arrival of these people. If they mean the village harm, then they will have to face me. If not, well, we'll just see what they came here for." he said with a hard edge to his voice.

Bowing, the chunin hurried off to fulfil his orders. Hiruzen then ordered one of his anbu guards to stay with the baby and had the other two follow him to the gate that the group of unknowns are headed toward.

Arriving, Hiruzen could already see that the ninja guarding the gate were on edge. He couldn't blame them, as most seemed to be genin with some fresh chunin amongst their ranks. Very few of them had even seen life or death combat, this could possibly be their first real battle. The Hokage hoped against hope that this would not be the case. He didn't need the deaths of so many young ninja adding to the stains that already plagued his soul.

Quietly he and his ninja waited. They didn't wait long.

Within the shadows of the forest that surrounded Konoha, the Hokage could see the shuffling mass that could only be this mystery force. His first impression was that if these people were trying to be stealthy, they may want to change their outfits first.

Sure enough, every single person that the old leader could see was garbed in white clothing that seemed to be accented with red. From elegant robes to simple clothing, every man, woman, and child wore the same colors. Even more surprising was that they all had white hair and black eyes. Well, all but the woman who appeared to be leading them, as she wore a kimono of vibrant crimson with what appeared to be white flames running along the bottom. He could assume she led them because just as the group came into view of the gates, she gestured to people following her and they responded by coming to a halt.

Seemingly satisfied that her order was heeded, she turned to a man on her right side, exchanging words that Hiruzen could not hear. Seeing the man nod, the woman began to make her way towards the gates of Konoha without any sort of guard. She didn't even approach with any degree of hostility. Hiruzen wondered if this could be a trap of some sort, though if it was, he couldn't figure out how it would work. Looking past the woman, he saw that many of the group had fallen into seating postures, as if they were glad to have finally sat down after a long journey.

This put Hirzuen's nerves at ease somewhat; he still didn't know who these people were or why they were here. Turning his eyes back on the approaching woman, he began to take in more of her features. Her hair was as white as fresh fallen snow, with the tips fading into black, almost as if stained by something. Her face was quite possibly one of the most beautiful he had ever witnessed, her skin a lovely pale coloration. This was contrasted by her eyes, different from the rest of her group, being a shade of red that reminded him of one of his chunin, Yuhi was her family name.

He would have admired her beauty even more if it wasn't for the fact that she was still an unknown. That and by the time he managed to look away from her eyes she had already stopped a close but safe distance away from him. Seemingly aware of his status as a high ranking ninja she addressed him first.

"Greetings, might I assume that you are the leader of this village?" she asked with a voice that would be right at home in a singing hall for kings.

Hiruzen, after shaking off his thoughts, responded "I am Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, leader of this village. Might I ask who you are and why you and your" he glanced over her shoulder at the tired travelers "friends are here?"

Giving the Hokage a smile laced with sadness, she reached into the sleeve of her kimono, an act that set the already tense ninjas further on edge. Seeing this, the woman gave a reassuring look before slowly bringing out a scroll from within the folds of her outfit. Hiruzen was surprised to see the symbol for Konoha on the seal; he was even more surprised to see the symbol used by his successor/predecessor right next to it. This meant that she had been in contact with the Yondaime before he died.

"Judging by your expression, I take it you recognize the symbols on this scroll. Allow me to put your mind at ease Hokage-sama. I, Okami Rasu, as well as my family, were invited by the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, to join Konohagakure where we would serve the village as a new clan."

To say he needed a drink was an understatement. Hiruzen was back in his office with Okami Rasu, reading over the scroll that she had. In it were details of how the Yondaime had been in correspondence with the Okami clan head for the past few months, negotiating with her in order to bring her clan into Konoha. From what he read, the Okami had broken off into several branches near the end of the Warring States period. For what reason, he did not know. What he did know is that Rasu had been working tirelessly for the past 5 years to bring these branches back together as one clan. The scroll didn't say what she had done to do accomplish this, but based of the large number of people who are following her, it clearly worked.

Wondering why Minato would even reach out to the mysterious clan head, he read further into the scroll. Eventually he came across mention of what the Okami clan had to offer. From what he read, it appeared that the Okami were skilled in the art of fuinjutsu, to what extent the scroll did not say. He didn't think they could be on the same scale as the now nearly extinct Uzumaki clan seeing as how their skill with the art is what led to their destruction at the hands of those who feared them. No, if a clan were as skilled as the Uzumaki's were then they would have been hunted down as well. From what he could gather, the Okami clan just split, almost as if they had no reason to remain a clan.

While the scroll stated that the clan had no kekkei genkai, they were the holders of long lost techniques that the clan had held onto for centuries. The techniques themselves appeared to be related to fuinjutsu to a degree, seeing as they used chakra ink, but their effects were far different from anything that Hiruzen had ever seen. The example given by the scroll was that a few of the techniques could be used to manipulate elements such as water, wind, fire, lightning, and even plant life to a degree. Apparently the different branches of the family specialized in the different techniques, though what most caught his attention was one branch in particular, which the other families deferred to. This branch used a technique that would create an almost genjutsu-like effect to anyone nearby. If used at night, anyone affected would see the world as if it were daytime. If it was already day, sunlight would become more intense, making everything brighter in addition to causing those affected to feel as if the temperature had increased.

Members of this branch of the family were called by the others the Royal Branch, those who could use the Sunrise technique. Those who could use Sunrise were able to learn all of the other techniques, something the other branches weren't able to do. In addition, the Sunrise users also had an interesting trait that allowed them to increase the speed that their brains processed information, allowing them to assess a situation as if time were standing still. Along with that, they could also view the immediate area around them, their bodies being the central point. This reminded him of the Byakugan used by the Hyuga, though not as powerful or widespread. It seemed to be linked to those that were of the Royal branch.

These techniques are called the Celestial Brush Techniques, and even though almost anyone can learn them, they would never gain the same amount of skill as the Okami clan or that of their vassal family. In addition to the Okami clan being brought into the village, the scroll also stated that their vassal family, The Pons, would be allowed to enter as well. Aside from stating that they were skilled in these brush techniques as well, the scroll didn't say much about them.

Further down the scroll were the terms that Minato had offered and the terms that Rasu had counter offered until they came to an agreement. Details were slim, but it did indicate that Minato had the scroll that would make the Okami clan one loyal to Konoha, meaning it was most likely located in the mountain of paperwork that he had yet to completely go through. Sighing, Hiruzen addressed the Okami clan head.

"Everything in this scroll appears to be in order, all I would have to do is find the paperwork needed to finalize the agreement Minato had made with you. I would guess that most of the details would be there, but if you don't mind me asking, what made you agree to become a clan under Konoha?"

Releasing a sigh, Rasu replied "I spent a long time traveling with my mother, just the two of us. We went wherever our funds would allow, we couldn't stay in one place for very long. After the clan broke apart, most lived as we did, just traveling from one place to another, having nothing to call home. After my mother died, I decided to seek out what family I could. The state I found most of them in could be called pitiful at best, horrendous at worst. Seeing as how I come from the Royal branch, I made it my mission to reunite my clan."

She paused to take a sip of the sake the he had offered her, "It wasn't long after I had achieved that when I received a scroll from your Yondaime offering a place in his village. I was skeptical at first, but after several letters and other forms of correspondence, he managed to convince me to bring my clan here to establish ourselves. We were delayed for few days while one of our members went into labor, if it hadn't been for that, we may have been in the village when the Nine-Tails attacked. We didn't hear about it until two days after, I can't help but think what we could have done to help if we had arrived when planned." She finished with a depressed sigh. She stared into her sake glass, as if it held a vision of a world that could've been.

Regaining her composure, she continued.

"I know that my agreement was with the Yondaime, but if it's alright with you, I would still like to bring my clan under that banner of Konoha. I have searched far and wide for a place to call home for my clan, and Konoha looks like it could be that place, despite the tragedy that occurred here."

Her words and expression touched Hiruzen, to see a single person go so far to help those of her family. Certainly a shining example of the Will of Fire that he so believed in. He would be hard pressed to deny her the agreement she had come to with his predecessor. That and he couldn't help but feel that their arrival to be that small miracle he asked for earlier. Sure, he could be a cynic and be nothing but suspicious like a certain former teammate of his, but he saw the group now known as the Okami clan. It was made up of mostly women and children and what males that were there looked more like artisans than ninjas. He did see some members of the clan that most certainly were warriors of some sort, but they were too small in number to pose a major threat.

That and the village certainly needed the numbers. They may not all become ninja, but from what he could already see, their skills with their brush techniques and in fuinjutsu could be what they need to remain strong enough to protect their home. After a few moments of thought, he gave his answer.

"Okami Rasu, I see no reason to deny this arrangement. If the Yondaime were still with us, he would've allowed you and your clan into the village without hesitation. I feel it is my responsibility to fulfil that agreement. I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, welcome the Okami Clan into the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

And scene!

Well? What did you think? I like the idea of the Okami being a clan like the Uzumaki's, they don't have a traditional bloodline like the Uchiha or Hyuga, but what they do have is unique all the same and pretty powerful in their own right. I do have plans for many of the characters that have yet to be introduced. To just get a few things out of the way, no, this is not going to be a harem fic. Naruto is not going to get all the ladies, I like to think that he has a basic idea of what love is even if he doesn't understand it completely. Though, with my current plan, romance isn't going to happen for quite some time. I mean, not even fluff! Also, I have no idea how to even begin writing sexual moments, so I wouldn't count on any of those making an appearance in this story, maybe something that would suggest something happened off screen, but definitely no hanky panky. Trust me when I say though that this won't remain all that clean, I do intend to make things more mature than what they are now, mostly through language and violence, though the kind of violence you would expect in a story about ninjas meant to be sold to the masses. I also have a strong dislike for overly dark material, so yeah, not going that direction either.

I do realize that my writing isn't all that great, but I do know that I don't make several common writing errors that so plague many good (but mostly bad) fanfics. Right now I am sticking my toe in the water and seeing what bites... horrible analogy, but I digress. If anything I do feel that my dialogue may be a bit stiff, but I'll leave that to you dear readers to decide. Please rate and review.